TV series by their very nature build a world and populate this world with an ensemble cast who we then follow through their many adventures. In the course of doing this these series introduce many incidental characters, who briefly pop into focus, follow along with the action and then disappear.

Many of these characters are, in themselves, fascinating and, as viewers, we look forward to their occasional return to the show. But in the worlds of these series these regular irregular characters have their own lives of which we get to see very little.

These are the kinds of story tie-in books were made for. The author in this case has selected one of the best supporting characters from Star Trek. For in this book he fills in the gap in the life of Khan Noonien Singh and his genetically engineered super soldiers between their appearance in the original series Star Trek episode and the best of the films The Wrath of Khan.

And it's in a book that this story can be told, certainly in detail - as a few short flashbacks might not overly interrupt a film or TV episode narrative, but a lengthy telling of the tale simply could never be done. This is the strength of the book medium, and when these tie-ins can really come into their own.

The main book opens with Kirk escorting Khan and co to Ceti Alpha V where they will begin their exile. Their time on the world begins well, the world is a comfortably one to a degree where they can strive to build a successful colony.

This is not a situation that continues for long as not long after the destruction of the neighbouring world cases a major catastrophe for the colonists as their planet's orbit is altered and it becomes a harsh desert world.

This is a superb novel. That simple. Greg Cox steered a brave course writing a novel focused on one of the strongest villains of James Kirk's Enterprise days. For when you think about it there isn't a single hero character to be seen anywhere, therefore Cox needed to make the reader sympathise with the "bad guys".

He manages this. And he does it by playing with shades of grey. Khan is an absolute ruler - a despot who expects his every utterance to be observed as law. Within the society that develops during the course of this novel we see that not every colonist is content to follow Khan absolutely, and when the cataclysm occurs destroying their way of life these tensions come to the fore.

If you like Trek, if you enjoyed the episode/film starring Khan, read this book. What more is there to say?

Synopsis
To Reign in Hell chronicles the fifteen years between the Original Series episode 'Space Seed' and the feature film 'The Wrath of Khan' - now widely regarded as a landmark in the Star Trek universe. Defeated by Captain James T. Kirk and exiled with his few remaining followers to the isolation of Ceti Alpha V, Khan Noonien Singh is marooned on a planet that has suddenly transformed into a hostile wasteland, where he and his band of acolytes must fight for their very lives. The once-proud conqueror finds his life irrevocably shattered, and begins his descent into madness...