Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself - David Mack

Title: Fear Itself
Author: James Swallow
Published: 2018
Chronological Period: 2252

Available at:
Amazon

Review:

“Fear Itself” by James Swallow is a Star Trek Discovery novel set several years before the events of the television series. Whilst the USS Shenzhou is investigating damage to an observation buoy, they discover an alien ship that has experienced critical damage. The crew attempts to assist the vessel with Lieutenant Saru joining the away team and uncovers an intriguing mystery, one which Saru just can’t leave alone. In addition, over hanging these events are the Tholians whose presence nearby threatens to endanger everyone.

Whilst the Discovery series has moved on from when this book was written and we now know a lot more about Saru’s past and his character it was still an enjoyable insight on his earlier years in Starfleet. Seeing Saru overcome his natural Kelpian tendencies was an interesting read and provided the reader with a greater understanding of how Saru made it to command rank. Swallow also uses this novel to further explore the relationship between Saru and Burnham with the type if bickering between them as seen on Season One of the series being fully on show here. I think this was very well done and really added some layers to their relationship.

On the whole Swallow has done a great job in nailing the characters, or at least nailing them in line with how they appeared in Season One. When I was reading the novel I could clearly see the same characters I was seeing on the tv screen. I particularly loved seeing more of the prime version of Captain Phillipa Georgiou who showed all the qualities we glimpsed in her short time on screen.

Overall this was an enjoyable Star Trek novel that captured the characters perfectly and did a great job in proving some more depth and layers to them. Whilst I haven’t delved too much into the story itself it is focused on immigration and refugees and how a species is reacting to this. It is something which of course has been touched on before by Star Trek but Swallow has done a good job in presenting it here in an entertaining and engaging manner, helped by using it to show Saru’s growth.

Star Trek: Ghost-Walker - Barbara Hambly

Title: Ghost-Walker
Author: Barbara Hambly
Published: 1991
Chronological Period: 2268

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
In "Ghost-Walker" by Barbara Hambly follows the crew of the Enterprise as they visit the planet Elcidar Beta III as the Federation look to ratify its inhabitants (Midgwins) as sentient beings. When Kirk returned from the planet having seemingly persuaded the Midgwins that they are there to help he begins to act in a strange manner. I can't say much more than this without giving away the story but you can be assured that you find out what is wrong with Kirk very quickly!

Whilst the writing itself was quite good, I just didn't like the plot at all and the twist about what is wrong with Kirk is actually revealed far too quickly. That in itself isn't always an issue with a novel but Hambly doesn't build any real tension out of it. The story just plods along for quite a while with the reader knowing what is wrong whilst the crew is unable to realise the issue. Simply put, I found it rather boring and would rather have discovered the truth at the same time as the crew.

Overall whilst Hambly is without doubt a decent writer and the plot does feel like something I have come to expect from Trek, I just didn't like the execution. I struggled to work through the book which didn't keep me entertained due to the pondering pace.

Star Trek: He Walked Among Us - Norman Spinrad

Title: He Walked Among Us
Author: Norman Spinrad
Published: 2012
Chronological Period: 2268

Review:
“He Walked Among Us” was an unused screenplay written by Norman Spinrad in 1967 which was rediscovered by him in 2012 when a fan asked him to sign a rather faded copy of the manuscript. For a short period of time Spinrad released it on Amazon and other online retailers but due to legal discussions with CBS the script was soon pulled and is now unfortunately no longer available and hasn’t been for quite a long time. What is really confusing about the whole thing is that Spinrad actually released a novel unrelated to Star Trek with the same name. I have no idea how many poor souls have accidentally bought the wrong thing!

However, I did get a copy at the time so thought I would still review it as it was for a short period part of the Star Trek literature world! Anyway, the premise of the story is pretty standard for the Original Series with a renegade citizen of the Federation installing himself as a god over a primitive civilization. This ruler named Theodore Bayne has managed to increase food production and brought peace but some of his decrees have caused social unrest and malnourishment. This leads to the crew of the Enterprise trying to remove Theodore but it isn’t that easy to do without causing the society to completely collapse.

The formatting of the ebook itself wasn’t that great which wasn’t much of a surprise due to it basically being developed from a scan of the original document. However, the story itself was actually very interesting with some pretty intelligent and intriguing dialogue. I suspect it could have been one of the best episodes of the series and in a way I am glad that Spinrad supposedly managed to persuade the production team to ditch the script entirely rather than turn it into a more comic storyline.

Maybe one day the script will be re-released in a more polished manner or even turned into an actual episode but for now I’m afraid that only the lucky few like me who grabbed it during the few months it was available will get to enjoy what was an enjoyable Trek adventure.

Star Trek: How Much For Just The Planet? - John M. Ford

Title: How Much For Just The Planet?
Author: John M. Ford
Published: 1987
Chronological Period: 2268

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“How Much for Just the Planet” is the second and final Star Trek novel penned by John M. Ford. After reading his other novel, “The Final Reflection” I was really looking forward to this as that novel was one of the best Trek novels I have read so far even if it did contradict what is now accepted as Trek Lore. Unfortunately, as you will discover from reading my review, I ended up being thoroughly disappointed.

The plot follows Captain Kirk and some Klingons who arrive at the planet Direidi to try and secure the planet's dilithium supply. Due to the Organian Peace Treaty both the Federation and Klingon Empire most use diplomacy in order to persuade the rather eccentric colonists who live on the planet to let them have mining rights. The colonists however have their own plan on how to deal with these two antagonistic groups which leads to some rather absurd situations.

The novel is quite simply a silly romp in the Trek Universe, there are people just bursting into song, moments of slapstick and multiple references to Gilbert & Sullivan or classic movies. I am sure if these references mean something to you and you like slapstick comedy like The Three Stooges etc. then you may find it enjoyable but I just found it to be ridiculous rather than funny.

The other issue I had with the novel was that the plot was just too convoluted and there was too much going on for me to keep track of. Maybe I could have managed it if the novel also wasn’t full of absurdity but trying to keep on track of everything in amongst the singing, and chaos was very off putting.

In summary I think that a more focused plot and maybe a level of restraint being put on the attempted comic moments would have probably helped me enjoy this novel much more. Don’t get me wrong, there are some funny moments which did have me smiling but overall it just didn’t work for me, probably because I am not really a fan the reference material which was being utilised. I still think that people should probably read this book however because it is so very different from a regular Trek novel and it is nice to see someone attempt a bit of originality.

Star Trek: Dreams of the Raven - Carmen Carter

Title: Dreams of the Raven
Author: Carmen Carter
Published: 1987
Chronological Period: 2268

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Dreams of the Raven” by Carmen Carter is an Original Series Star Trek novel which is primarily focused around the character of Dr. McCoy. The overall plot follows the crew of the USS Enterprise as they attempts to deal with a new and dangerous species who are seemingly able to take control of ships and their crews with relative ease. Unfortunately, the crew aren’t helped by a head injury to Dr. McCoy which has resulted in him losing all his memories from his time in Starfleet. Devoid of all his experiences, he is more of a hindrance than a help as the crew tries to battle the new foe!

The first thing to mention about the plot is that the cause of McCoy’s amnesia is rather silly and quite unimaginative. The concept of his reversion to a younger self however was an interesting one which did keep me intrigued. It was particularly nice seeing how the effect of past experiences could change someone as was evident with McCoy and how he now acted without those experiences. However, I do think that the author maybe went a bit too far at times as some of McCoy’s core personality traits were altered beyond what I felt was realistic. Of course, it could be argued that this was potentially just another aspect of his head injury.

The plot elements around the alien threat itself were rather standard and uninspiring. It wasn’t that long ago that I finished the book but I am already struggling to remember anything of note about these aspects of the plot. Overall, this is probably best described as another average Original Series novel. The amnesia plot is a bit trite in set-up and conclusion but it was nice to see a book dedicated to McCoy and the concept of how the memory loss affected him was interesting. The rest of the story isn’t really anything memorable but it isn’t the worst Star Trek novel I have read.

Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures - Dayton Ward

Title: Drastic Measures
Author: Dayton Ward
Published: 2018
Chronological Period: 2246

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
The Book Depository

Review:
“Drastic Measures” by Dayton Ward is the second Star Trek: Discovery novel that has been released. The story actually takes place many years prior to the Discovery series but does feature two of its main characters, Gabriel Lorca and Philippa Georgiou. These two Starfleet officers get involved in events as they unfold on the planet Tarsus IV which is suffering from a fungal plague that is ravaging the colony food supplies. Fans of Star Trek should of course be aware of what unfolds on Tarsus IV regarding the colony Governor, Kodos and his decision to murder 4000 colonists in a misguided attempt to save the rest. The novel shows us these events and the aftermath of how Starfleet attempts to hunt him down.

Whilst the events on Tarsus IV have been covered various times in the past it was still interesting to read this latest attempt at taking what we know from the Original Series and bringing it all together. Of course, most readers will know how the overall plot ends but it was still a satisfying read with enough twists to keep me entertained. A particular point which I appreciated was the attempt which Ward makes to provide some insight into the thoughts of Kodos himself and how those around him came to rationalise what they were doing.

In regards to the characters, the portrayals were generally acceptable. It is difficult to really compare Lorca to what we saw on the TV screen as this is the Prime Universe version which we don’t really know that much about. However, his rather stiff persona and stifled emotions, supported by loyalty to his colleagues did seem to work. In regards to Georgiou, well her heroism is quite clear but I didn’t see much of her humour or playfulness on show during the novel. The only other character to comment on is the young Jim Kirk who unsurprisingly makes an appearance and is just as brave as you would expect when you know who he grows up to be.

Overall, I thought the story was well-written and undertook an interesting exploration of an important piece of Trek lore. In all honesty, I am not sure this was really a Discovery novel as it felt more like a prequel to the Original Series and the author has just used two Discovery characters in order to link the two. This isn’t really an issue but readers should be aware that due to this there isn’t any real expansion on what we know about the Discovery and its crew.

Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours - David Mack

Title: Desperate Hours
Author: David Mack
Published: 2017
Chronological Period: 2255

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
The Book Depository

Review:
“Desperate Hours” by David Mack is the first novel written as a tie-in to the new Star Trek: Discovery TV series. The story is set a year prior to the event’s which occurred during the Star Trek: Discovery pilot episode and follows the crew of the USS Shenzhou who have to assist the people of a colony who have awoken some rather dangerous technology which was hidden in the ocean. This mission is further complicated when the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Pike also arrives with orders to destroy this technology no matter the cost.

The plot is quite standard for Star Trek in that it explores the moral dilemma of duty versus ethics. One thing to note is that there is plenty of action present to keep the pace moving but unfortunately there is no tension involved as the reader knows there is no real threat to characters. Therefore some elements of action, especially those involving Burnham and Spock on the alien spacecraft did begin to feel a bit repetitive at times.

One thing Mack has done well however is capture the characters from the new series quite well. Despite the lack of data so far available, the characters did seem to fit with what has been shown on the TV screen so far. In addition, the background provided into Burnham and Saru was very interesting to follow and has helped me actually appreciate both characters much better. It is this type of thing I like in my Trek novels, the chance to actually expand and enhance what we know from the series.

The bit I am particularly intrigued about from the book however is the relationship between Spock and Burnham. Some of the interactions between the two of them were quite interesting to see and it was nice seeing Spock and Burnham both realise through each other that the relationships with Amanda and Sarek were more complicated than they had first assumed. I am curious to see if anything shown here is expanded upon in future novels or alluded to on the TV Series.

Overall, this was a very competent first tie-in novel for the new series although the plot itself was pretty standard stuff. The main reason to read this book is to enhance your understanding of the characters and learn more about the relationships between them all.