Author:	John M. Ford
Copyright:	1984
Date Reviewed:	6/2/84
Rating:	8.5

Synopsis: "The Final Reflection" takes place in the same universe as "Star Trek" but about 60 year before. It centers on a Klingon, later named Krenn. The story follows Krenn as he grows up in the harsh Klingon Empire. Krenn is adopted by a powerful admiral, joins the navy, and rises through the ranks to command his own ship. His most important mission is the safe conduct of a Federation ambassador to the Klingon empire. The ambassador arrives safely, spends four years at the new Klingon embassy, and is then returned to Earth by Krenn. During the return visit, Krenn and others uncover a conspiracy by a Federation admiral to provoke a war with the Klingons which will bind together the Federation against the enemy. The plan is thwarted.

Review: I've never read a "Star Trek" novel, thinking that they might be too trivial. This novel turned out to be very complicated, almost too much so. There are many obscure references; some I caught, and some went right over my head. "The Final Reflection" is divided into three parts.

In the first, the growth of future Captain Krenn is traced from his pre-teen days in an orphanage, playing at the games, to his own captaincy. I found this part of the book the most fascinating. It gave a genuine feeling of what it would be like to be a Klingon (even though Klingons do not exist).

The second part follows Krenn's mission to Earth to retrieve the Ambassador. This was somewhat uninteresting. In the third, Krenn returns the Federation ambassador to Earth. With the help of others, he uncovers a plot against the Klingons through mechanisms I didn't totally understand, and stops the plot.

This last part was full of vague political intrigue. I was never sure if the plots they discussed were real or fabrication. Perhaps I wasn't meant too. As for Krenn's actions, his only daring one was to stop three Klingon battle ships from attacking an Earth colony. This happened after the climax and proved an anticlimactic ending. A better ending would have had Krenn do something clearly anti-Klingon, while still on Earth and then travel back to Klingon for punishment.