Nichols is best known for her portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek.

B<> Saturna, born in the late twenty-first century on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is a dynamic and beautiful intergalactic heroine, possessing extraordinary powers derived from her unique genes and her prenatal exposure to mysterious algae found only in the Sea of Ethane. Her mother is Dr. Nyota Domonique, a microbiologist and commander of the starship Dragon's Egg. Nyota leads Earth's first expedition to Titan, only to discover a highly evolved race of beings already there.

The Fazisians are a handsome, peaceful people. Their abilities to communicate telepathically are as striking as their lovely golden bodies and steel-blue feathery hair. This is the first contact Earthians and Fazisians have made with other intelligent life, and they are amazed by each other. Tetrok, the young ambitious heir to the throne of Fazis, and Nyota, whose dark, exotic features reveal her very human mix of ancestors, are drawn to each other. Both know that their feelings must be subordinated to their mission and to the laws of Earth and Fazis, but they will not be bound. Saturna's conception violates those laws, and therefore her very existence is a dangerous secret that could initiate interplanetary war. If Valton, cousin and archenemy of Tetrok, has his way, he will use that secret to destroy Tetrok. But Krecis, the wise one, alchemist extraordinaire, stands in his way. Thus begin the adventures of Saturna. FROM THE CRITICS BookList - Roland Green Given the authors' backgrounds--Nichols was, of course, Lieutenant Uhura and Bonanno has written several Star Trek novels--it is hardly surprising that this engaging tale has a distinctly Trekkish flavor. Moreover, it is the relatively harmonious future presented in the original" Star Trek" TV series that we find here. The plot centers on Saturna, daughter of a human mother (who has a good deal in common with Lieutenant Uhura, though promoted to exalted heights) and a nonhuman father, thanks to DNA manipulation. Such conception goes against the wishes and laws of both races, and it throws Saturna into a key role in the succession crisis of the nonhuman Fazis. Nichols and Bonanno try to cram three full-size plots into a standard-size volume, and they include a few scientific details that may raise eyebrows. Their yarn is, however, full of good scenes and entertaining bits of world building, and if parts of the story seem to be missing, what is here definitely keeps you turning pages (and anyway, this is almost certainly the first book in a series). Count on demand from Trekkers and probably from other sf fans, too.

 Penguin Group (USA) 0-399-14113-8 / 9780399141133
Hardcover As New As New Book Jacket New York out of Print 

Price: 19.31 USD