Star Trek: Masks by John Vornholt

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Masks
by John Vornholt

A grad school friend who had been a bit of a Next Generation fan in his youth passed on to me the four TNG books he owned; one of them was Masks, which I was happy to have an excuse to reread, since I remembered getting from the library a few times in my own youth and enjoying it. (Though I also remember seeing the episode "Masks" for the first time and wondering why they were so different!)

 

Published: 1989
Previously read: ??? (mid-1990s)
Acquired: October 2013
Reread: June 2023

The premise is that the Enterprise is reestablishing contact with an Earth colony settled by a mixture of back-to-nature types and theatre nerds; the constant danger of volcanic ash in the environment means that everyone wears full-face masks, and an elaborate feudal culture has built up around them. No one can be seen in public without a mask; different masks connote different roles. To wear the mask of a craftsman, for example, one must demonstrate an appropriate amount of skill or be subject to a challenge. The Enterprise is ferrying an ambassador to the planet, who bears the gorgeous Ambassador's Mask that he bought off the Ferengi, who are also interested in the planet.

Set during season two, it's a solid adventure of the exact kind you might want from a tie-in novel. Later in his Star Trek career, Vornholt would turn out some pretty mediocre stuff, but this is good: a nice grasp on the characters, particularly Picard, where Vornholt picks up on the nascent strain of romanticism that I think the tv writers wouldn't lean into much until later. Characters like Data and La Forge and Worf get some good scenes, too. The best part of the book is the culture of the planet, with its permutations and complications; the Enterprise's away teams must start at the bottom and work their way up.

I did find the middle a bit weak, as it felt like the two different Enterprise away teams were wandering around in a bit of an aimless muddle trying to find each other. I also felt that the character of the ambassador seems very important in the early part of the novel, but kind of fades away unceremoniously by the end. On the other hand, I kept thinking about how I would adapt the whole thing to be a Star Trek Adventures RPG module, which I think would work very well—which indicates to me that this book captures the Star Trek vibe exceedingly well no matter its faults.