The energy and invention that made Sherman and Schwartz's previous Spock outing, Vulcan's Forge, so fascinating is fully in evidence in this even more ambitious follow-up. This time, the duo have added a satisfyingly complex level of political sophistication that makes the interstellar intrigues ring with a truly authentic note. Acting as a diplomat for the United Federation of Planets, Spock reluctantly undertakes a bonding with Commander Saavik. This betrothal-style rite is attended by Spock's father--along with an unconfident young Starfleet lieutenant. The latter is one of the book's many felicitous strokes, for the novice is no other than Jean-Luc Picard. Of the many attempts to meld the two Star Trek universes, this is one of the best integrated and most successful. As the narrative leaps forward many years, and Ambassador Spock is forced to travel incognito to Romulus to prevent catastrophe from descending on the entire quadrant, he has two pursuers: Saavik and Picard. As before, the narrative moves with real gusto, casually throwing in some impressive world-building. But what of Spock himself? One can only hope that Sherman and Schwartz are custodians of the legacy for quite some time, since they are adroit at creating a thoroughly rounded, conflicted, and sympathetic portrait of our favorite Vulcan. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
Focusing primarily on Spock's love life and his superhuman control when confronted by his own hot-blooded emotions, this newest entry in the Star Trek canon should delight romance fans while leaving cold those SF fans not wholeheartedly invested in the series' characters. Spock finally bonds with his adopted Vulcan love, Saavik. As logic dictates, the couple then skip the honeymoon and go back to their respective ships. Fifteen years later, Spock, now a diplomat in the service of the United Federation of Planets, travels secretly to the planet Romulus to aid an honorable old enemy, Charvanek, who has warned the Vulcan of a plan by Romulus's power-mad Praetor Dralath to destroy peaceful Klingon and Star Fleet colonies. Romulus is a highly illegal place for Spock to be, and Captain Uhuru, head of Star Fleet's security agency, sends Saavik undercover to Romulus to aid her beloved and to bring him quietly back to Federation Space. Weighty matters of state are dangerously ignored by both Spock and Saavik entering pon farr, a state in which it is difficult to think of anything but making violent love to one's mate. In the end, Spock and Saavik are saved, more by the Romulan concept of honor than by Vulcan ideals of order and logic. This not quite otherworldly novel features cameos by Jean-Luc Picard, Bones McCoy, Beverly Crusher and Tasha Yar. (July) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
-In this sequel to Vulcan Forge (Pocket, 1997), Spock and Saavik have just married when Spock secretly ventures undercover to the Romulan home world. He hopes to assist the underground in ousting the corrupt Praetor who is about to plunge the Romulans into a dishonorable war with the Klingons and the Federation. When Spock's absence is discovered, Saavik is recruited for a covert operation to track him down. While in disguise, both Vulcans come into Pon farr, a kind of Vulcan heat or mating urge, with nearly deadly results. This book boldly goes where most movie/TV tie-ins do not venture. Not only is it a good read with multiple story lines, but it is also written in a compelling manner. Interesting, well-developed characters make this a memorable novel that stands on its own. Combining action, romance, and many of the characters and places from the original Star Trek, it's sure to be a hit with YAs.John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Opening some years after Sherman and Schwartz's superb Vulcan's Forge (1997) concluded, this sequel is even better. Spock, now a career diplomat, receives a covert plea from Romulan Commander Charvanek to help the Romulan empire resist its own power-mad, bloodthirsty, and honorless praetor, Dralath. Spock answers the call, but the chief of Starfleet Intelligence, Captain Uhura, detects his departure and sends Spock's betrothed, Commander Saavik, after him as backup. The Vulcans plunge into a hotbed of deadly intrigue, in the middle of which they develop pon farr, the Vulcan mating frenzy that can be fatal if not consummated. Still, both fight it and risk their lives, Spock to aid a rebellion that overthrows Praetor Dalath, and Saavik to carry warning of Dalath's military adventurism so that it can be frustrated by yet another incarnation of the Enterprise, as well as the Stargazer, under the command of young Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In the end, the Romulans have a new and honorable praetor, who makes Charvanek his consort. Meanwhile, on Vulcan, Spock is a married man. Sherman and Schwartz develop familiar Star Trek characters and background in realistic detail while remaining faithful to the underlying concepts and values of the Star Trek universe. Their enthralling novel should attract non-Trekkers in appreciable numbers and, of course, Trekkers in swarms and hordes. Roland Green

Review
Leonard Nimoy on Vulcan's Forge A dramatic tale, one that answers long-standing questions about Spock's life choices. Fascinating!

Review
Leonard Nimoy on Vulcan's Forge A dramatic tale, one that answers long-standing questions about Spock's life choices. Fascinating!

Book Description
2329: Now a diplomat for the United Federation of Planets, Spock agrees to a bonding with Commander Saavik. More than a betrothal, less than a wedding, the sacred Vulcan rite is attended by both Spock's father, Sarek, and a nervous young Starfleet lieutenant named Jean-Luc Picard. 2344: Ambassador Spock receives a top-secret communication from the heart of the Romulan Empire. Decades before, Spock had met and betrayed an honorable Romulan commander during the so-called "Enterprise incident." Now she needs his help to prevent a catastrophe that could threaten the peace of the entire quadrant. Spock risks everything by traveling incognito to Romulus itself, but his covert mission becomes even more perilous when Saavik crosses the Neutral Zone to rescue him. Enmeshed in the treacherous political intrigues of the Romulan capital, undone by a fire that grows ever hotter within his blood, Spock must use all his logic and experience to survive a crisis that will ultimately determine the fate of empires. Vulcan's Heart is a powerful tale that explores an untold turning point in the ongoing saga of Spock and the world of Vulcan.

About the Author
Josepha Sherman is an author and folklorist whose novels, besides Vulcan's Forge, include The Shattered Oath and Forging the Runes. She lives in Riverdale, New York.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Captain Spock has left Starfleet to become Ambassador Spock, and has been bonded in a Vulcan engagement ceremony to the beautiful Commander Saavik. A call from an old enemy, now a friend, sends him off on a dangerous mission to the planet Romulus, where society is facing collapse unless Spock and Saavik can put aside their mating drives long enough to warn the Klingons of a sneak attack on the outpost at Narrendra III. Meanwhile, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Stargazer is sent to recover Spock and Saavik. But is his out to aid them, or to stop them from completing a mission which has put the peace of the galaxy at risk?

SYNOPSIS

About the Author:

For the past 16 years, Susan Shwartz has been a financial writer and editor at various long-suffering Wall Street firms. For the past 20 years, she has written, edited, and reviewed fantasy and science fiction. Her most recent books are the historical fantasies Cross and Crescent and Shards of Empire (Tor), which are set in eleventh-century and twelfth-century Byzantium, including the First Crusade. Her other books include The Grail of Hearts, Silk Roads and Shadows, and, with Andre Norton, Imperial Lady and Empire of the Eagle (all from Tor). Her anthologies include the two volumes of Sisters in Fantasy (ROC) and two volumes of Arabesques (Avon). Previously, she and Josepha Sherman co-wrote the critically acclaimed Star Trek novel Vulcan's Forge. Her own stories for anthologies on a saint and a barrow wight, T.E. Lawrence and a vampire bey, a werewolf on the Children's Crusade, and Hillary Rodham Clinton in Valhalla. She is currently working on a hard-SF retelling of the story of Lord Jim. She has published more than 70 pieces of short fiction and has been nominated for the Nebula five times, the Hugo twice, and the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K. Dick, and the Edgar once each. She has written reviews for various SF publications and The New York Times, Vogue, and a variety of other places. A lapsed academic, she has a PhD in English from Harvard University, enjoys writing polemical letters to major newspapers, and spends entirely too much time on the Nets, reading military history, shopping for shoes, or going to the opera. She lives in Forest Hills, New York. Her work has been published in England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, and the Republic of China.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Focusing primarily on Spock's love life and his superhuman control when confronted by his own hot-blooded emotions, this newest entry in the Star Trek canon should delight romance fans while leaving cold those SF fans not wholeheartedly invested in the series' characters. Spock finally bonds with his adopted Vulcan love, Saavik. As logic dictates, the couple then skip the honeymoon and go back to their respective ships. Fifteen years later, Spock, now a diplomat in the service of the United Federation of Planets, travels secretly to the planet Romulus to aid an honorable old enemy, Charvanek, who has warned the Vulcan of a plan by Romulus's power-mad Praetor Dralath to destroy peaceful Klingon and Star Fleet colonies. Romulus is a highly illegal place for Spock to be, and Captain Uhuru, head of Star Fleet's security agency, sends Saavik undercover to Romulus to aid her beloved and to bring him quietly back to Federation Space. Weighty matters of state are dangerously ignored by both Spock and Saavik entering pon farr, a state in which it is difficult to think of anything but making violent love to one's mate. In the end, Spock and Saavik are saved, more by the Romulan concept of honor than by Vulcan ideals of order and logic. This not quite otherworldly novel features cameos by Jean-Luc Picard, Bones McCoy, Beverly Crusher and Tasha Yar. (July) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

KLIATT