A fine complement to the movie, but it suffers from some of its own shortcomings.

Though I enjoyed it overall, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is generally — and rightly — viewed as a flawed film, usually in regards to the pacing (and the uniforms). The novelization seemed to do much to alleviate this, and I felt as though the plot moved at a comfortable yet brisk pace from beginning to end. The book also helped fill in some of the less obvious aspects of the movie's plot and characterization. This is especially true in the case of Spock and V'Ger; the parallel nature of their respective story arcs is made much more explicit. I was also amused by the tap dance the book did around the nature of Kirk and Spock's relationship, though this likely wasn't the author's intention.

The areas where this book falls flat are, ironically, the same areas where the movie excels. Namely, the visuals, or in this case the descriptions. The movie devoted several minutes (arguably too many) to stunning visuals that amaze even 36 years later. The book's language falls rather flat in this regard, and I found myself several times referring instead to my memories of the movie.

Nevertheless, this book works well for what it is: a flawed-but-still-enjoyable companion and complement to a flawed-but-still-enjoyable movie.