Diane Duane does brilliant things. I love how the Rihannsu developed their culture basically on mailing-lists as they traveled-- that struck me as wonderfully making-fan-culture-at-the-time-in-the-story, but also plausible and cool.

...I really liked The Tears of the Singers. I was, um, eleven. Eleven-year-old-Gaudior had a thing for baby seals...

Now I'm wondering about my other favorite Star Trek novel at the time-- The Three-Minute Universe, by Barbara Paul. It featured Enterprise crew getting kidnapped by a race of aliens who repel all human senses (smell nauseating, you can see their organs through their skin, voices pierce human eardrums, acid burning touch, I don't think anyone found out how they taste). As I recall, it had some good Uhura bits. Anyone remember it/have thoughts on the quality?