Instead, we are given a plot that ties in threads from several TOS episodes, including the infamous Roger Korby. There is even a cameo by "Norman" of Harcourt Fenton Mudd fame. The attempt to draw all the TOS androids into the TNG "Data Is Unique" universe is well-done and should be satisfying to all Trek fans. Non Trek fans, however, will probably be left cold (but then why would a non-Trek fan be reading this, anyway?).
Perhaps the biggest plus to Immortal Coil is a chance to see Data struggling with his emotions and identity, something we only get to see in First Contact (Immortal Coil takes place sometime after First Contact). That alone makes this one worth the time of any Trek fan, but there's nothing here to appeal to the general public. Ultimately, it's standard Trek fare.
He is perhaps the ultimate human achievement: a sentient artificial life-form -- self-aware, self-determining, possessing a mind and body far surpassing that of his makers, and imbued with the potential to evolve beyond the scope of his programming. Created by one of the most brilliant and eccentric intellects the Federation has ever known, the android Data has always believed he was unique, the one true fulfillment of a dream to create children of the mind.
But is he?
Investigating the mysterious destruction of a new android created by Starfleet, Data and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise? uncover startling secrets stretching back to the galaxy's dim past. That knowledge is coveted by beings who will stop at nothing to control it, and will force Data to redefine himself as he learns the hidden history of artificial intelligence.