Can Someone Help Me Identify This Novel?

[SoullessMinion]

For the last couple of days, I've been trying and failing to remember the title of this certain Start Trek book I read years ago and it's been driving me crazy! I moved recently and I suspect it's sitting in a box in storage unit in another state at the moment, so I can't go looking for it. Google has been no help.

It's a TOS novel and an older one - 90's most likely, since I bought it when I was in either junior high or high school. Here's the plot details I remember:

It focuses on McCoy mostly, the Enterprise goes to a human colony that practices genetic engineering, trying to create "perfect" humans. They're pretty creepy - no one is allowed to leave the colony without being permanently exiled, and they all have to undergo a genetic scan once they reach adulthood and those with any "imperfections" are forcibly sterilized. Turns out McCoy had a relationship with the leader of the colony years ago and she secretly had his daughter, who, because of his "imperfect" genes, will fail the scan. McCoy also gets kidnapped by Secret Daughter's boyfriend at some point.

I also recall a subplot with Spock and Scotty dealing with the superior humans (who are all super-snotty about it) outdated technology.

Does anyone know the novel I'm talking about? Any help would be very much appreciated!

 

[Christopher]

The Better Man by Howard Weinstein.

 

[SoullessMinion]

Yes, that's it! I knew when I finally heard the title, I'd smack myself in the forehead, all "d'oh!" but I couldn't recall it for the life of me.

Thank you, Christopher!

 

[Stevil2001]

The Better Man is great. Weinstein writes a good McCoy, and it's one of the best 1990s numbered novels.

 

[Reanok]

The better man is a really Good McCoy story. I reread it a few years ago this is a great story about Doctor McCoy. Some of my favorite older Tos novels were written by Howard Weinstein.

 

[Desert Kris]

Sounds interesting. Does it have a TOS movie-era vibe, or any kind of era vibe? Does it have descriptive details about the uniforms? Neither of these would be a deal breaker, it's just a TOS novel I don't have, and maybe will give it a second look if I find it at a used bookstore.

 

[Christopher]

Sounds interesting. Does it have a TOS movie-era vibe, or any kind of era vibe? Does it have descriptive details about the uniforms? Neither of these would be a deal breaker, it's just a TOS novel I don't have, and maybe will give it a second look if I find it at a used bookstore.

The Better Man is set in 2273, and at the time it was written, it was assumed that that would put it a couple of years after TMP. There's a line about the uniforms recently changing, presumably to the TWOK model. But subsequent evidence has suggested that TMP was probably in 2273, which would have to put the book fairly soon after it. In my personal chronology, it's about a month after Ex Machina.

 

[Desert Kris]

The Better Man is set in 2273, and at the time it was written, it was assumed that that would put it a couple of years after TMP. There's a line about the uniforms recently changing, presumably to the TWOK model. But subsequent evidence has suggested that TMP was probably in 2273, which would have to put the book fairly soon after it. In my personal chronology, it's about a month after Ex Machina.

I appreciate the reply, thanks for the insight on the real world context as well as the personal perspective.