Star Trek-The Next Generation: Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman (1996, Paperback)

Friedman writes Spock, his thinking, philosophy and doubts very, very well --- the writing is true to the character of Spock that we know from watching 40 years of TV and film. He writes McCoy less well, less true to the original, but this McCoy is still entertaining. The same is true of Picard. Like most Star Trek authors, Friedman is not able to capture Picard's "voice" in written dialogue --- he just can't convey Patrick Stewart's feel for the man. Not even a shadow of that. Fans of Picard should also note that there is very little of Picard in this book --- he is really just there to act as a foil for McCoy. In addition, there are a couple of inconsistencies within the story, but over all it is well thought out, clever, well paced and fun.