Star Trek: More Beautiful Than Death - David Mack

Title: More Beautiful Than Death
Author: David Mack
Published: 2020
Chronological Period: 2258

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Review:

"More Beautiful Than Death" by David Mack is the second of two novels released in 2020 that were related to the JJ Abrams Star Trek universe rather than the prime universe. In this novel, Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise have to carry out a diplomatic mission to a planet that’s requested aid from the Federation. As the diplomatic group includes Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek things were never going to be easy but of course that is only the tip of the iceberg as the crew have to face multiple crises.

I have to start by saying that Mack does a good job at making this novel feel like it is set in the Abramaverse with a fast pacing, a good amount of action and with characters that actually came across like those from that Universe. He also utilised the relationship between Uhuru and Spock as an integral part of the narrative which meant the story wouldn't have worked in the Prime universe without some major changes. The previous novel I read which was set in this universe failed to really show the reader why it mattered that it wasn't set in the prime universe, but Mack manages to avoid that mistake.

Probably one of my limited gripes about the novel is that the characters sometimes acted in a rather  childish and immature manner, particularly in relation to the interactions with Sarek. Don't get me wrong, the rashness they displayed is partly why they came across more like the Enterprise crew we saw in the JJ Abrams movies but at the same time it felt like they hadn't grown at all as officers which didn't feel right to me. It wasn't a major issue but it did leave a slightly negative impression on me as I read the novel.

Overall, this was an enjoyable novel and it was nice to see a new adventure from that universe. The action and fast pacing along with the setting means this novel should really appeal to those who were introduced to Star Trek through the JJ Abrams movies. As noted earlier in the review, it would have been nice to see a bit more growth in the maturity of the characters but that may just be me nit-picking.

Star Trek: The Unsettling Stars - Alan Dean Foster

Title: The Unsettling Stars
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Published: 2020
Chronological Period: 2258

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Review:

In “The Unsettling Stars” Alan Dean Foster takes us back to the Kelvin Universe to a point in time soon after the events of the 2009 film with Captain Kirk and his crew dealing with their new responsibilities. The plot revolves around an encounter with a refugee ship from a previously unknown race known as the Perenoreans whom they rescue from an attack by three alien warships. Whilst Spock attempts to locate a potential planet for them to settle on the Enterprise crew soon finds the Perenoreans eager to help out in any way they can in order to repay them for their assistance. Once a potential system is located and agreement is reached with the species already living there the Perenoreans are just as eager to assist their new host species as they were the crew. But the Perenoreans’ determination to help their rescuers eventually leads to a conflict of cultures and a genuine threat to not only the Enterprise and their host planet’s culture, but to the entire Federation.

I was looking forward to this as I have always enjoyed the works of Alan Dean Foster, both his movie novelizations and his own original novels. I was also intrigued to see another novel in the Kelvin Universe, especially as I knew that this novel was one of many that were commissioned over a decade ago that I had never expected to see. Unfortunately, it ended up feeling just like a typical TOS styled novel. To be fair to Foster, he was limited in that outside of Kirk and Spock, there wasn’t really any real development of the other characters in the movie so the supporting crew feel a bit flat as Foster has clearly tried to stick within the limits of what was seen on the screen. It also didn’t really feel like it mattered if the plot was set in the Kelvin Universe or the Prime. Yes, we get a few throwbacks to what happened in the movie such as Vulcan being destroyed or how Kirk deals with being thrust into a Captain’s role so quickly but I don’t really think it added anything to make this feel that different from  what we see in Prime Universe novels.

I would like to add though that some of the basic premises of the novel were quite interesting. The use of a non-violent alien threat and the idea of slavery through advanced technology in particular had me intrigued and showed why the Prime Directive is such as important aspect of the Federation. I also appreciated that this novel was much more of a cerebral adventure that most of the onscreen events seen in the Kelvin Universe but maybe this was in part why it didn’t feel like it was particularly important that the plot was set in that Universe.

Overall, this was a reasonable Trek novel and Foster is still a competent and decent writer, but it just didn’t feel like it was anything special. I also don’t feel that it really mattered that this novel was set in the Kelvin Universe which is a shame but maybe I am looking for something that doesn’t exist. In the end, the Trek characters whilst shaped slightly differently by what happened in the Kelvin Universe are still fundamentally going to end up being similar on some level to how they turned out in the Prime Universe.

Star Trek: Into Darkness - Alan Dean Foster

Title: Into Darkness
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Published: 2013
Chronological Period: 2259

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Review:
“Into Darkness” by Alan Dean Foster is a novelisation of the recently released Star Trek movie of the same name. I suspect most people reading this review will have seen the movie, but for those that don’t know the plot basically follows Kirk and his crew as they attempt to hunt down a man known as John Harrison who has committed an act of terrorism in London. Their hunt takes them from Earth to the Klingon home world and unearths a secret that some in Starfleet would rather be kept hidden.

As with the Foster’s novelisation of the previous movie the writing is competent enough and adequately captures the events seen on the screen without overloading the reader (who will normally have already seen the movie) with unneeded extensive descriptive details. I don’t feel I can really say much on the plot as Foster didn’t really have much of a say in it but the action, fast pace and fun are still there for the reader to enjoy.

However, there is very little new here and I can’t really identify any definitive reason why you should read this if you have already seen the movie. Yes, some of the conversations are expanded in a manner that better explains some aspects of the story such as transwarp transporting, the reason behind the abandoned sector of Qo’nos and how one volcano could seemingly be a threat to an entire species, but overall this is mainly just window dressing.

To be honest, the nature of novelizations does sometimes make it difficult to review books like this because whilst it is a well written and enjoyable story, it didn’t really inspire me to keep reading and I therefore found it very easy to put it down and do something else. There is another review on TrekLit Reviews by Dan Gunther that I think really captures the issues and potential positives with novelisations and would advise that people go give it a read.

Overall, “Into Darkness” is another competent movie novelisation by an expert in the field. Everything is captured well and there are at least a few sections of extended dialogue that helps refine the readers understanding of why certain things happened. However, I am not sure there is enough new here to make it a must buy for those who have already seen the movie. I suppose Foster will have been forced to work within the guidelines he had been set but I would have loved to see some additional elements to try and enhance the experience.

Star Trek - Alan Dean Foster

Title: Star Trek
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Published: 2009
Chronological Period: 2230 - 2258

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Review:
“Star Trek” by Alan Dean Foster is a novelisation of the enjoyable and action packed 2009 JJ Abrams Star Trek movie. For those of you who aren’t aware the story follows a young James Kirk who, after a chance meeting with a man named Captain Pike, decides to join up with Starfleet. Whilst at the Academy, an emergency at Vulcan forces the various cadets to be called up to work on various starships. And so Kirk is called into an adventure that leads him to face off with an enemy that was involved in the death of his father on the very day he was born.

I am happy to say that in the written form this story is just as entertaining and action packed as it was when I watched the movie. However, if you have seen the movie already then the overall story won’t offer you any surprises. That isn’t to say that Foster hasn’t added anything to the story because he has. There are a several little enhancements that flesh out and compliment the story such as in regards to the Spock/Uhura moments and in how the rest of Nero’s crew react to the decision to try and destroy Earth.

Some of the issues that I do have with the book however are with the overall plotline which was present in the movie itself. The story was exciting and enjoyable but some of the plot points were just rather weak. Even now, a few years later I still find it hard to come to grips with the face that Kirk seems to be propelled from cadet to captain due to one single mission.

Foster is an experienced writer when it comes to novelisations, in fact he was involved in converting the Star Trek animated series to book. As I have come to expect from him, the writing as competent and he captures the events of the movie very well. I do think that he maybe tried a little bit too hard at times though as some of the additions to dialogue seemed to make it feel a bit clunkier that it did in the movie and actually spoils some of the impact.

Overall this is a competent novelisation of an enjoyable Star Trek movie. Alan Dean Foster has captured all the various scenes well and has also fleshed out some areas which does enhance the storyline. Personally, I preferred the movie experience due to the less clunky dialogue but I still think most Star Trek fans will enjoy reading this book to see some of the more positive enhancements included by Foster.

Starfleet Academy: The Assassination Game - Alan Gratz

Title: The Assassination Game
Author: Alan Gratz
Published: 2012
Chronological Period: 2256

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Review:
“The Assassination Game” by Alan Gratz is the fourth book in the Young Adult Starfleet Academy series set in the continuity of the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie. The novel’s title is a reference to a game played by some of the cadets in which they try and “assassinate” various other cadets via the use of Starfleet sporks. However, the game soon takes a backseat when someone attempts to assassinate various dignitaries for real during a medical conference. All evidence points to a hated alien species known as the Varkolak but Kirk who is acting as an escort to the leader of the Varkolak delegation doesn’t believe it and begins to investigate himself.

As with the other books in the series the story is rather predictable and I worked out who the “bad guy” was very quickly. This is made even worse due to the fact that out of the four books released so far in the series, some of the people involved in the various troubles that occur during the novels have been women that either Kirk or McCoy are interested in. Despite this I still found myself entertained as the story is fast paced, action packed and at times quite funny.

What I really do appreciate in this series is that they do try and provide some type of continuation between them even though there are different authors involved. It is nice to see some of the various minor characters popping up here and there to show at least a little bit of linkage between the novels in the series. In addition, Gratz has continued the good work seen in the previous novels in regards to the characters. They are all well-written and I could once again easily envision these characters being the same ones as seen in the Abrams movie.

One aspect to the story that made me either smile or groan was in regards to the various homages to other aspects of the Trek universe. Some of them were used brilliantly but others just irritated me and there is even one part of the novel that seems to be a blatant word for word copy of events that happened in the TOS episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles”. Sometimes I think the elements of homage within a Star Trek novel can be too much and this was definitely a prime example of this.

Overall this is an enjoyable novel that has been written by a fan of Star Trek who really knows his stuff. It isn’t the most complex of plots but this seems to quite standard for Young Adult Star Trek novels and seems to have been competently written.

Starfleet Academy: The Gemini Agent - Rick Barba

Title: The Gemini Agent
Author: Rick Barba
Published: 2011
Chronological Period: 2254

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Review:
“The Gemini Agent” is Rick Barba’s 2nd novel set within JJ Abrams’ alternative version of Star Trek. The plot once again is mainly set within Starfleet Academy itself as the cadets begin their preparations for the Zeta mission, an opportunity for them to go out into space on a starship and take on various officer roles in a fictional assignment. Kirk, as expected is hoping to take on a captain’s role, but his chances are dealt a blow when he suffers from a health scare involving blacking out for several hours. Before long Kirk is accused of committing various inappropriate and illegal acts during the blackout period and his very place at the Academy becomes under threat. So together with McCoy, Uhura and the usual gang of friends he tries to find a way to prove his innocence.

As with the other Starfleet Academy novels this book is aimed at the Young Adult market so the plot does move along at quite a fast pace and isn’t the most complex of plot lines. It was very obvious who the “villain” is and therefore there wasn’t any real sense of surprise or curiosity as I read the book. I still found it to be a fun and enjoyable adventure but it was probably the most simplistic mystery story out of all the books in this series so far.

The characters came across in a manner that did tie in with how they appeared within the movie which is one of the continually good aspects of this series. In addition, I appreciated how Barba has tried to use the book to further develop the characters beyond what we have seen on the screen and in other books. For example, whilst the interactions between Spock and Uhura weren’t critical to the plotline they did enable Barba to show the way in which their relationship was continuing to grow and develop.

Overall, this was another solidly enjoyable Star Trek novel aimed at the teenage fans of the JJ Abrams movie. Whilst it was rather an obvious plot, fans of the series will probably appreciate the way in which the book focused on developing the characters and their various relationships.

Starfleet Academy: The Delta Anomaly - Rick Barba

Title: The Delta Anomaly
Author: Rick Barba
Published: 2010
Chronological Period: 2254

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Review:
“The Delta Anomaly” by Rick Barba was the first novel released in the Starfleet Academy series of novels which are set in the JJ Abrams’ alternative version of Star Trek. However, it actually takes place after the events that occurred in the 2nd novel to be released which was entitled “The Edge” and therefore I read that book first.

The main plotline is based around the investigation of a rather strange serial killer who seems able to kill people without leaving a single mark on the bodies. Kirk, McCoy and Uhura get dragged into the investigation when one of Uhura’s friends is attacked and Kirk manages to step in an save her. Of course, before long the cadet’s themselves are at risk when the killer appears to make a move on them.

In addition, the book also delves into some of activities and tests that the cadets are undertaking as well as taking an interesting look at the growing relationship between Uhura and Spock. If you think this all sounds a little bit busy for such a short book, I can confirm that you would be right. Barba has crammed a lot into the book which results in a breakneck pace with actions and thrills aplenty. However, I did find that this attempt to include a lot in the book meant that at times both the details were lacking and it could feel a little bit rushed.

I am happy to say that the main characters did feel correct compared to how they have been portrayed recently on the screen. What I really liked though was seeing how beneath Kirk’s youthful and rebellious exterior lies a good man with the potential to be a great leader. This was visible in the other characters as well to an extent, but it was Kirk whose potential you could really see.

One thing I would like to note is that whilst this book is set after “The Edge” there isn’t any particular advantage in reading that book first as the stories are pretty much self-contained so don’t worry if you read this one first. However, there are a few inconsistencies I noticed when reading this book that may have occurred due to the books being written out of order. For example, in “The Delta Anomaly” there is a Doctor present at the Academy as an instructor who I believe would have been thrown out following certain events that occurred during “The Edge”. There are few other little niggles like this that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the novel but were noticeable.

Overall, this was a solidly enjoyable Star Trek novel that shoul appeal to any teens out there who enjoyed the JJ Abrams movie. It could be a little bit light on details and rushed at times, but the fast pace and thrill packed storyline should more than appeal to the books intended audience.

Starfleet Academy: The Edge - Rudy Josephs

Title: The Edge
Author: Rudy Josephs
Published: 2010
Chronological Period: 2254

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Review:
“The Edge” by Rudy Josephs is actually the first Star Trek novel I have read that is set in Star Trek’s “Abramaverse”. As this is a Starfleet Academy book it is targeted at the Young Adult audience just like the earlier Academy novels that were set in the Prime universe. However, I do feel that this book was of a higher standard than the Prime Universe series of novels. I suspect that this is because YA novels have come on quite a way in recent years and there is a huge variety in terms of content to the point that the quality of both plot and style needs to be at a level that people are willing to actually pick up a book out of the large selection available.

The story itself follows the first few months of Kirk, McCoy & Uhura’s time at the Academy which doesn’t start off to well when a fellow cadet is found dead in his dorm room. Before long, other Cadet’s begin to show strange symptoms and it becomes clear that someone has been offering gene therapy and micro surgery to give cadet’s an extra edge during their time at the Academy. Whilst Star Fleet conducts its own investigation with the assistance of Commander Spock, Kirk and McCoy get dragged in themselves as they attempt to ensure that no one else suffers or turns up dead.

As I said earlier, I actually found this book to be of a higher standard that the other YA Star Trek novels I have read. The plot itself has a decent level of complexity and intrigue that will ensure most people are entertained even if it still isn’t as deep as an experience adult reader would have preferred. An interesting element of this novel is that it was actually quite slow paced, which was quite surprising to me when I compared it to the action packed fast paced movie that it is based around. Personally, I wasn’t bothered to much by this though as Josephs used the slower pace to actually explore the characters and the way they interact with each other and the academy life itself.

In regards to the characters, I found that I could easily envisage them as being the same to those I saw on the movie screen. Uhura is the best example of this as she comes across strongly like the Zoe Saldana version rather than Nichelle Nichols’s take on the character. For a big fan of Star Trek I really appreciated being able to read the book and feel like I was specifically reading about the alternate Universe.

One minor comment I do have with the book is in regards to my own knowledge of Star Trek canon. In a lot of the other books and TV episodes I have seen, people from Earth tend to show a real fear and hatred of genetic engineering due to events that occurred in the past such as the Eugenics Wars. However, in this book I felt that many people were very nonchalant and glib about the gene therapy that was going on. This isn’t a major issue and it probably won’t matter to someone who isn’t a big fan of Star Trek but it insured that the book felt a little bit wrong to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable Star Trek YA novel that does a good job in capturing the feeling of the characters people witnessed in the “Abramaverse” version of Star Trek. The plot itself is a little slow paced at times but there should be enough there to keep most fans entertained.

Star Trek: The Children of Kings - David Stern

Title: The Children of Kings
Author: David Stern
Published: 2010
Chronological Period: 2251

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Review:
“The Children of Kings” by Dave Stern is the latest book in my challenge to try and read all the Star Trek novels in chronological order. To be honest, I am not that sure if I read this novel in exactly the correct place as it more or less lives in its own continuity. Either way though, the story does offer the reader a rare insight into Pike’s era as Captain of the Enterprise.

The story follows Captain Pike and his crew as they investigate a remote Federation base that appears to have been attacked and destroyed by Klingons. Whilst most of the crew are quick to condemn the Klingons, a few of them suspect there is something else afoot and begin to question some of the findings. Things get even worse however when they pick up a distress call from an Orion ship and their attempt to assist results in several of the crew being captured and the apparent death of Pike himself. Before long, tensions begin to escalate and the risk of war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire is a real possibility.

I found the whole novel to be an enjoyable adventure that really did capture the cowboy diplomacy style of Star Trek’s original series. Yes this did mean at times the story was a little formulaic, but it was still fun to follow and I really appreciated the chance to learn a little more about the Orion’s culture and some characters that we know little about. One weak point in the story though was the lack of real tension. The reader always knows that Pike can’t really be dead and any potential surprises are lost by the fact you get to follow both the crew on board the Enterprise and those that have been captured.

As I mentioned earlier in the review, the book does appear to be in its own continuity which did at times cause a little bit of confusion as I read it. There are various inconsistencies with canon and for some reason the author’s note stating that the story is set as prequel to the 2009 JJ Abrams movie doesn’t appear until the end of the novel. Even with this clarification, I was still a little perplexed when I put the book down as during the move it is stated that we were witnessing the maiden voyage of the Enterprise so couldn’t understand how I was seeing earlier voyages. However, since finishing this book I have started to read the graphic novel series that serves as a prequel to the 2nd JJ Abrams movie and those stories contain information that there was a previous ship called the Enterprise previously captained by Robert April so I have just assumed that this story was set on that ship.

It is just unfortunate that the author’s note about which universe the book is set doesn't appear at the beginning of the story as it could have stopped some of the confusion about things that didn’t fit right with standard canon. Also, it would have been nice to see a form of clarification that this wasn’t the same Enterprise as seen in the movie assuming that I am right in my belief that it didn’t. In addition, the cover itself appears to show the prime universe Pike & Spock which really doesn’t help with a reader trying to understand the overall setting.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable Star Trek adventure although I can imagine that some of the canon inconsistencies could irritate some readers even with the caveat that the story is set in the JJ Abrams universe.