#crisis on centaurus

[trek-tracks]

Hello! I got a whole shelf of old Star Trek novels from a yard sale and I'm deciding which to read first. Unfortunately none of them are D. Duane. Can you tell me what other Trek novels/authors you've enjoyed?

At the moment, I have far more trek books than I've actually read, partially because I have no self-control when it comes to acquiring them, partially because, when I started to mine them for blog content, reading them started to feel like homework (I thought I put marking pages with tabs behind me after grad school). This is also tough because Diane Duane's novels tend to be far and away my favourites (Spock's World, Doctor's Orders, and The Wounded Sky are all brilliant), but you already knew that! They're also a large chunk of what I've read. I've also read a bunch of Blish novelizations and some of the movie novelizations, which are fun but don't quite count in the same way, since they are retelling known stories.

However, there are a few I can recommend. I really enjoyed A Contest of Principles by Greg Cox, which feels like a real extended TOS episode; our main trio all have plenty to do, and the relationships are very fond and very true to the series. Shell Game by Melissa Crandall also has the character relationships I'm looking for. (Actually, both of these at one point pair Spock and Bones together while Kirk angsts from the sidelines while doing his own part of the mission, which is apparently a fruitful scenario).

J.M. Dillard also knows the characters really well. I enjoyed The Lost Years a lot, though it must be said that it is basically the crew breakup novel because it bridges from the show into TMP, so you'll just have to rewatch the movies after to remember that it all turns out all right in the end.

Jean Lorrah's The Vulcan Academy Murders is fun as long as you don't go in expecting a mystery you can't solve in 30 seconds and just want to appreciate the characters and learn more about Sarek and Amanda.

Brad Ferguson's Crisis on Centaurus is worth it for the backstory look into Jim and Bones' first meeting, as well as giving us some time with Joanna McCoy.

I can't actually fully recommend Carmen Carter's Dreams of the Raven, which has a very strange and queasily unethical romance subplot that doesn't land for several reasons and an unsatisfying ending, but it's an interesting look into McCoy with amnesia (and it did let me coin the term "Character Fondness Power Differential" while writing the review).

This ask did, however, remind me that I need to start making a dent in my book collection before buying more (I store them where I can't see them, so I'm constantly surprised by how many I actually have). I think I'm reading Howard Weinstein's The Covenant of the Crown next.

If you search my "trek books" tag, you'll see more!

[purple-iris]

Dr. Joanna McCoy of Starfleet (+ details of the Hypospray, life readings, earth and moon and constellation)

[iamenits]

Crisis on Centaurus - Brad Ferguson (1986)

[annie-in-the-real-world]

Why no of course I haven’t stopped thinking about Crisis on Centaurus by Brad Ferguson…the first time Kirk and Bones met…McCoy and his daughter…Uhura in command…Joanna calling Kirk “Uncle Jim”…learning Spock’s a neat freak…Spock wanting to spend time w Kirk on Centaurus… “I think I might like it on the riverbank, Captain”…Spock telling Joanna she does Bones a great honor…Spock thinking to Bones “draw strength from me, if you need it”…no no I’m not crying why do you ask…

[electronickingdomfox]

"Crisis on Centaurus" review

Novel from 1986, by Brad Ferguson. This one has a very "80's American action movie" feel. From the terrorist attack on a country incidentally called "New America", to the incursion into the Pentagon (I mean, the "Centaurus Defense Center"), up to the obligatory car chase (only that they're flying cars). There are also plenty of references to American brands, that supposedly would have survived into the 23rd century. Though the constant mention of money seems a bit weird (I thought money was a thing from the past in Star Trek? Might be wrong, though). Also, the terrorists are racists that want to see their country free of alien influences (and it's made abundantly clear that for them, "alien influences" include also any non-white human). It's a fast-paced novel, and keeps the reader's attention at all times, though I don't think there's much more to it than that.

The cover would suggest that Joanna McCoy plays a big role in the story. In reality, she appears very, very little, the same as her father. The other characters, however, get a fair amount of exposure, including Uhura (who gets the con for a large part of the story), Scotty (who's given an even more Scottish engineer partner), Chekov (with his own mini-romance subplot) and Sulu. As it's usual with many of these novels, Kirk seemed to me a bit off. At times, he's more Bruce Willis than Kirk here. And I have difficulty imagining him as a land-owner who's been investing in the Centaurian countryside all these years (if the movies had shown anything at this point, it's that Kirk's heart was never on land). Anyway, I don't know why getting Kirk right is so hard, while Spock and McCoy are usually fine; it might be due to the subtleties of Kirk's character. Another noteworthy thing, is that this novel often presents the thoughts of the characters, to a greater degree than other books.

Spoilers under the cut:

The first chapter already sets things into motion at a breakneck pace. A suspicious guy is waiting in the New Athens spaceport (a city of New America, in the planet Centaurus). When two policemen recognize him as a certain Holtzman, he gets arrested, and in a panic, he activates a minuscule piece of antimatter inside the box... A microsecond later, New Athens doesn't exist anymore, being replaced by a giant, smoldering crater.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise is having problems of its own. The computers have been completely fucked up, and nobody knows why: there's no air circulation, no temperature regulation, no artificial gravity, nothing... The scene of everybody floating around, while Sulu's scalding shower water floats through the corridors as a giant ball, is actually pretty funny. Scotty and his new partner, MacPherson, manage to reestablish some sense of order, but the ship is seriously crippled. Repairs will have to wait, though, since Starfleet orders the Enterprise to assist in the Centaurus crisis. There's been at least a million deaths in the explosion; possibly among them several relatives of the crew, including McCoy's daughter: Joanna. However, the tachyon cloud released by the antimatter explosion has made all subspace communications impossible, so Centaurus is isolated. For his part, Spock investigates the computer malfunction, and finds out a mysterious hole that has pierced several computer banks at exactly the same point; however, he can't make heads or tails of it.

Upon approaching Centaurus, they discover that other relief ships in orbit have been reduced to debris. And a transmission through conventional radio (the only radio that can penetrate the tachyon cloud) warns the Enterprise not to approach. Sure enough, the ship is attacked by a nuclear missile from Centaurus. It seems the Defense Center has gone crazy after the explosion, and now launches missiles at any approaching ship, friend or foe. Fortunately, the Defense computers consider the Enterprise anihillated after the first strike, so they don't continue the attack. Kirk leaves in a shuttle with Sulu, to meet with the new government at the temporary capital of McIverton. While Spock leaves with Chekov in another shuttle, to investigate the Defense Center and deactivate the missile system.

There's a brief interlude, that presents some suspicious guys (led by this Barclay dude) hiding at a safe house. It's obvious they're related to the terrorist attack, and Barclay instructs some of his goons to meet with a certain person, and force him to cooperate.

In McIverton, Kirk meets with the new president, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Internal Security (Nathaniel Burke). The president explains that the terrorist attack was done by a racist political group, led by the scientist Holtzman, to get more power for his group.

At the Defense Center, Spock is unable to reprogram the computer to differentiate between friendly and hostile ships. So he's like "well, let's blow up this bazillion missiles in the sun and problem solved!" (and yeah, this is totally in-character for Spock; the guy is that crazy sometimes). Thus, Spock expands the defense area of the computer to include Alpha Centauri, the computer interprets the sun as a hostile element, and launches all the remaining missiles at it. Poof! After solving this problem, Spock takes the shuttle to the northern area of New Athens, where there have been some survivors. A makeshift hospital has been established in a park, and there they find Joanna working as a nurse, safe and sound. There's a moving reunion between her and McCoy, who stays behind to help the injured. While Spock's shuttle makes trips to the Enterprise to bring medical supplies.

At McIverton, Kirk is visited at his hotel by the lawyer Samuel Cogley (from the episode Court Martial). Cogley explains that he was approached by Barclay to defend them at a Federation trial, and not on Centaurus (which has a death penalty for terrorism). And Kirk, despite not having the slightest sympathy for the criminals, considers that the matter belongs in a Federation court and vows to fulfill his duty. However, that same morning, Sulu appears drugged in bed, and the hotel surrounded by Burke's men. The Minister isn't going to let the terrorists off the hook, since he lost his family in the explosion. Kirk, Sulu and Cogley make a frantic escape in a flying car (well, not so frantic for Sulu, who's still sleeping like a log). They retrieve Barclay and his men, and take refuge in Kirk's cabin in Garrovick Valley (a beautiful, secluded forest area that Kirk bought a long time ago).

In the final part, Kirk and his companions barricade themselves inside the cabin, surrounded by Burke's troops. Until the Enterprise, having received a faint distress signal from the cabin, comes to the rescue... by entering the godamn atmosphere!! (didn't I say earlier that Spock's totally nuts?). Cogley decides to just bring the terrorists to the Federation, but not represent them, when it's made obvious that they were also involved in Holtzman's attack. The rest of the antimatter bombs, that the terrorists kept as leverage, are also identified and deactivated. While New Athens is slowly reconstructed, by the joint effort of the locals and new relief ships from all over the Federation.

As for the strange holes in the Enterprise computer banks... Spock ends up concluding that they were caused by a minuscule black hole, which existed just for a fraction of second, and the Enterprise traversed at warp speed. Does it mean that, at any time, at any place, a mini-black hole could appear out of nowhere and just pierce you like that!? That's the stuff of nightmares, really...

Spirk Meter: 5/10*. Kirk wants to show Spock his "special, secret place" (no! not THAT!, I mean his valley at Centaurus). Kirk considers that Spock would appreciate its aesthetic beauty, and invites him to stay there with him as long as he wants. Spock is also a bit hurt because Kirk didn't tell him about the valley earlier. Actually, the rating could be a bit higher, considering that the cabin is said to have just a twin bed, and a massage bed for two. Apart from this, Kirk notices things about Spock that nobody else seems to see (like Spock swallowing nervously sometimes). The two of them interact very little in the novel, though, since they take separate paths.

Some Spones too. When Spock meets Joanna, he finds her strikingly similar to McCoy and... magnificient. He thinks of her as a "softer McCoy, pretty without glamour", which says a little about how he sees the doctor himself. Also, when McCoy is in emotional turmoil upon learning that Joanna is alive, after so many days of uncertainty, Spock says to himself: "I know that feeling well, Doctor. Draw strength from me, if you need it." (only that McCoy has no telepathy so... how is he going to hear that!?).

And then there's the McKirk. A flashback chapter presents a young Ensign Kirk recovering from a wound at a starbase hospital. There he first meets this kind Dr. McCoy, who helps him through the painful months of recovery. After Kirk is healed, McCoy invites him to stay with him at Centaurus, where his daughter lives with some relatives. And McCoy brings Jim to these beautiful woods and wilderness areas, just the two of them and Joanna, and well... you know. It's even more evident, because McCoy is relieved upon seeing that Joanna approves of Jim (seems like the little girl was troublesome with most of her daddy's dates). Too bad for poor McCoy, that Kirk ends up inviting a pretty nurse (and then Spock) to his cabin, and not him...

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[electronickingdomfox]

This makes even funnier these passages from the novel Crisis on Centaurus:

McCoy shamelessly trying to seduce this young Ensign Kirk, telling him that all his friends call him "Bones" (wink, wink, you know why, right?), then feeling relief because Joanna approves of Kirk...

I'm not even posting the part where McCoy helps Jim to buy and decorate a nice cottage in the woods. I'm sure he sent Joanna fishing with her aunt one of those days, to have some private time with "uncle" Jim.

this is silly, but go with me on it anyway: the nickname Bones is, in fact, because when they met years ago, long before Kirk ended up as Captain of the Enterprise (and long before he dragged his fave doctor onboard after him) they had a one-night stand where McCoy did, in fact bone Kirk so well that Kirk's brain kinda half-melted out his ears, and then McCoy deeply obnoxiously explained that he was not in the right headspace for anything more, and declined to sleep w/ him again, and Kirk was like, obviously I will accept your decision, but I'm still going to befriend you and also nickname you for what you're good at, so that I can not so subtly remind you of what we could be doing for the rest of our lives (yes we've only known each other for one (1) day, but I'm already planning on knowing you until we die, get on board because that's non-negotiable)

and it's like. It's genuinely fine, because McCoy would in fact die for Kirk (and attempts to do so every now and again just to prove it), so it all basically worked out, even though sometimes McCoy maybe hears the nickname and is just ".......it's definitely too late now, but maybe I should have made a different choice?"

(it is absolutely not too late, he just doesn't know it/can't admit it to himself.)

anyway this could obviously be mckirk, but I'm gonna be honest:

mcspirk where Spock finds out JUST how McCoy got the nickname, and he's just. Hmm. Fascinating. There is a theory baked into your nickname (that you're great at sex) and I am a scientist interested in testing theories (we should have sex).

anyway yada yada yada they all end up together probably, i don't make the rules, I just think it would be very funny for Spock to be like ".....this entire time you've been referencing how well he performed sexual intercourse?" and Kirk's just "listen if he'd melted your brain like he did mine, you'd understand" and Spock's just. "hm. Challenge accepted." and McCoy's just "....do I get a say in this?" and they're both just "No <3" and he's like. "....okay, fine."

[deepdarkspaceblog]

Star Trek: Crisis On Centaurus

[scienza-magia]

Come difendersi dalle nuove varianti del coronavirus

Covid, nuove armi contro uno sciame di varianti. Remuzzi,primi dati 5/a dose vaccino,verso spray e nuovi farmaci. Alcune sono comparse da poco, altre sono i capostipiti di nuove grandi famiglie con giovani rampolli rapidi nel diffondersi: le varianti del virus SarsCoV2 sono uno sciame numerosissimo e dal comportamento imprevedibile, tanto che si aprono nuovi scenari sull'evoluzione della pandemia di Covid-19. "Puo' darsi che la malattia si esaurisca con una immunita' generale che potrebbe segnare la fine della pandemia", dice all'ANSA Giuseppe Remuzzi, direttore dell'Istituto farmacologico 'Mario Negri'. In questo primo scenario, prosegue l'esperto, "il virus diventerebbe sempre piu' contagioso, ma meno aggressivo". Un secondo scenario potrebbe invece derivare "dall'emergere di una variante molto contagiosa e associata alla forma grave della malattia".

Particelle di coronavirus (in verde) su una cellula (fonte: NIAID) © ANSA/Ansa Eventuali pericoli, prosegue, "potrebbero venire dalla Cina", dove la crisi attuale non e' dovuta alla qualita' del vaccino, che funziona, ma e' probabilmente frutto di della scelta di vaccinare le persone in eta' lavorativa e non gli anziani".Si deve guardare, pero' , anche agli Stati Uniti, dove sta circolando la sottovariante XBB.1.5, detta Kraken, discendente diretta della XBB (Gryphon), a sua volta nata da BJ.1 (Argus) e BA.2.75 (Centaurus), entrambe generate da mutazioni di BA.2 (Omicron 2); da BA.5 (Omicron 5) discende invece direttamente BQ.1 (Cerberus). Nell'incertezza attuale, secondo Remuzzi si puo' contare sul fatto i vaccini anti Covid sono "sicuri ed efficaci", di conseguenza "e' opportuno fare la quarta dose e, a distanza di 120 giorni, la quinta per anziani e fragili". Davanti allo "sciame delle centinaia di sottovarianti di Omicron, e' indubbiamente urgente che si arrivi a vaccini di nuova generazione, che offrano una protezione duratura e che sia efficace e contro il maggior numero possibile di varianti". Ci si chiede, pero' , se ci sia un limite al numero di richiami . "Quattro dosi di vaccino sono importanti per gli over 60 e la quinta e' consigliata soprattutto a fragili e anziani, meglio se si tratta del vaccino contro Omicron. E' anche importante - aggiunge - fare il vaccino contro influenza e pneumococco, che stimolano comunque il sistema immunitario, offrendo un certo grado di protezione". Cominciano pero' a farsi strada i timori che un'eccessiva stimolazione possa essere negativa per le difese immunitarie e si cita a proposito una ricerca pubblicata sulla rivista iScience: "e' uno studio condotto su tre topi e sarebbe un errore pensare che si possa applicare all'uomo", dice Remuzzi. Senza contare le differenze nella composizione del vaccino, nelle dosi e nelle modalita' di somministrazione: "e' come se i topi avessero ricevuto quasi 6.000 dosi d vaccino Pfizer in un colpo solo". Sono invece incoraggianti i primi dati sull'efficacia della quinta dose del vaccino anti Covid, frutto di due ricerche condotte su persone trapiantate e percio' con un sistema immunitario molto debole perche' 'silenziato' dai farmaci antirigetto; nessuna delle due rileva effetti collaterali importanti e la quinta dose non ha indotto il rigetto. Nel primo dei due lavori non ci sono nemmeno state infezioni. "Se, come sostengono alcuni, piu' dosi di vaccino inducessero tolleranza, questi pazienti non avrebbero dovuto rispondere". Intanto si lavora a nuovi farmaci anti Covid, alcuni dei quali, somministrabili per via nasale, agiscono sul sistema immune della mucosa del naso, che per prima incontra il virus. Inoltre, la rivista Nature ha pubblicato in dicembre una ricerca sull'acido ursodessi' ossicolico, comunemente utilizzato per la terapia delle vie biliari: e' stata condotta prevalentemente su animali ma anche su polmoni umani perfusi con il farmaco, e indica che la sostanza e' in grado di bloccare anche li' la via d'ingresso del virus nelle cellule. Nell'editoriale che accompagna l'articolo si rileva che si tratta di una prospettiva di ricerca estremamente importante, anche se saranno necessarie conferme nell'uomo. Read the full article

[ladyofdecember]

Tagged by @circe154

Rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Ships: oh no there's far too many to list! Like over 100. The latest is Data and Geordi from Star Trek. But I'm also really into Colin Jost and Michael Che lately. I've been watching a lot of SNL 👍😊

Last song: Waving Through A Window from Dear Evan Hansen

Last movie: Hail, Caesar!

Reading: Hmm... I'm not a big reader. Recently I tried reading one of those ancient Star Trek novels I got for $0.99 at Half Price Books? Crisis On Centaurus? I should try to keep reading it.

Tagging: @paperwillow @beltainefaerie @carpetstoremotherfucker @fiftythoughtfulthings @lacefuneral and anyone else that would like to!! 😊

[alfvaen]

"Crizis Na Tsentavre" must be "Crisis On Centaurus"...

Star trek novels. Russian hard cover edition.

[trek-tracks]

Guess who went to a doctor’s appointment and found these on sale for $2 each to benefit the hospital?

(Guess who’s posting this and then stashing them so her partner doesn’t realize she’s bought seven more Star Trek novels?) ;)

It was for a good cause, okay?

[electronickingdomfox]

"Enterprise: The First Adventure" review

Novel from 1986, by Vonda N. McIntyre. A bit unusual, in the sense that it deals with Kirk's first mission aboard the Enterprise, so most of the characters are strangers to each other, and their familiar relationships haven't yet been established.

The first half of the novel consists on several scenes (almost in a "slice of life" style) following the different characters, and it's in my opinion the best part of the novel. There's plenty of humor, and Kirk in particular is hilarious, not because he wants to be, but because of the ridiculous situations he gets involved in. The expectations about the heroic Captain, that we're used to from the series, are constantly subverted. First, he takes command of the Enterprise in a partially inhebriated state, after an alien friend insists on trying every single drink of a menu. Then his first glorious assignment turns out to be... transporting a bunch of vadeuville artists, to perform in some backwater station. His new crew isn't impressed by him, specially Spock and Scotty, who still miss Pike. His chosen doctor (McCoy) and his only old friend around, arrives late and in a state of complete dishevelment after a rafting holiday. And when he finally manages to approach the guest lady, in the proper romantic setting, she confesses her feelings... for an altogether different man (imagine Kirk's dumbstruck face). So yeah, this is top comedic Kirk, as the one from "The Trouble with Tribbles": the only sane man in a sea of silliness.

The other characters are well developed too, and few writers give them such a rich inner life as McIntyre. Sulu gets his hopes of serving with Captain Hunter (from The Entropy Effect) crushed, when he's assigned to the Enterprise instead. And spends a good deal of time trying, unsuccessfully, to present his resignation to Kirk. Rand is given a really tragic past. And even though I don't feel her portrait here fits very well with her personality in the series, it's remarkable that the book makes an effort to explore these secondary characters, beyond their few traits in canon. Spock is still in a stage of being "totally Vulcan", and totally unsufferable about it, since his contact with Kirk and McCoy hasn't yet mellowed him. Though he already shows signs of recklessness when needed, and his misunderstandings about human culture provide good comedic potential (as when he thinks that the custom of smoking a cigar to celebrate a new birth is very logical: one adult must die poisoned, to compensate for the newborn). McCoy is more like his usual self, though I'm starting to feel confused about his backstory, since each novel shows a different version. In Crisis on Centaurus, for example, a young Ensign Kirk already met him as a divorced man, while here he seems to have divorced recently (but that's what happens when canon doesn't establish anything, really). Some choices are weird, though, like having Chekov already as a regular crewmember, while the series suggest he was the last to arrive.

Among the circus characters, the most relevant are Amelinda Lukarian, the manager, and her pet pegasus (sorry, I mean "equiraptor"); a winged horse created through genetical tampering, that is frustrated by its inability to fly. And there's also Stephen, a very unusual Vulcan who has embraced hedonism and the intensity of emotions, and an old acquantaince of Spock (so you can be assured that drama unfolds).

After this first, more whimsical part, the second half of the novel changes the tone and develops a semblance of plot. There's a first contact with a new alien race (winged cats), that live inside some sort of organic worldship and use a complex, musical language. There's a Klingon renegade complicating everything. There's Spock mind-melding with an alien and going amok afterwards... No new stuff, and I won't go into details.

Overall, this novel has fun moments, though I found McIntyre's other original work (The Entropy Effect) far superior. I would also have liked to see a greater development in the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship, the beginnings of their unbreakable bond. As the latter part spent more time dealing with the aliens, it left aside the character exploration. And by the end of the book, it didn't seem that Kirk was much closer to his new crew.

Spirk Meter: 0/10*. They're strangers forced to work together, and they don't like that fact very much. Kirk would have preferred to have Gary Mitchell as his First Officer, and is only stuck with Spock because of Starfleet's orders (as well as Gary being in the hospital). Though as the novel progresses, they start respecting each other more, play a chess game, and Kirk ends up rescuing Spock (but more out of duty than anything). Still, not much to talk about.

McCoy, on the other hand, is immediately interested in his new Vulcan patient. Already in his first physical, he gets all "let's talk about your heart" with Spock, and hopes to mend things after offending him accidentally. They're soon arguing, but sadly, the relationship doesn't develop much further.

The closeness, however, is diverted to other characters. Kirk is feeling all angsty about Gary, still unconscious after a last tragic mission, makes frequent visits to the hospital to talk to him in his coma, and has recurrent nightmares about the incident. When Gary recovers, Kirk is overcome with joy (we must assume that Gary eventually joins the Enterprise crew, given his appearance in the pilot episode, though the novel doesn't cover that). Spock and Stephen also have some tension going on, which at times makes them look like disgruntled exes. Spock resents Stephen for his illogical lifestyle, while deep down Stephen envies Spock's human half and his greater ability to feel emotions (even if Spock represses them). Stephen's attempts to get closer to Spock, while rejecting Ariadna's romantic advances, also reinforce this impression. And finally, it's Stephen who cures Spock of his madness through an intimate mind-meld.

[lxstingravity]

i blame tumblr for my impulse purchase of four star trek books (despite not having read a single book for like, four years-). since i wanted to get the english versions (hi im german) i looked on pages that sell used books for almost no money, and-

the previous owner left me a little surprise inside the novel list of 'shell game' 🥺 like, the dedication and commitment!! actually keeping track of all the books in their collection!! also the little 'good' next to 'black fire' and 'triangle', i guess i know which ones ill seek out next (once ive beaten my brain to concentrate on these books first-)

[vulcanhello]

welcome to my star trek book club. i’m currently working my way through star trek the original series books and occasionally posting about them. \\//_

currently reading: star trek tos: ice trap

star trek books i’ve read:

star trek tos

the motion picture

my enemy my ally

spock’s world

the weight of worlds ✰

the wounded sky

doctor’s orders

first frontier

strangers from the sky

prime directive ✰

troublesome minds ✰

crisis of consciousness

mudd in your eye ✰

agents of influence

ex machina ✰

the final frontier

the tears of the singers ✰

twilight’s end

crossroad ✰

deep domain

the patrian transgression

wagon train to the stars

belle terre

miasma

how much for just the planet

the face of the unknown

the shocks of adversity ✰

the savage trade

the devil’s bargain

the latter fire

gemini ✰

that which divides

memory prime ✰

dreams of the raven ✰

renegade

crisis on centaurus ✰

shadow lord

web of the romulans

corona

the abode of life

chain of attack ✰

the new voyages vol 1 ✰

windows on a lost world ✰

shell game ✰

the last roundup

the new voyages vol 2 ✰

ghost walker

the cry of the onlies

star trek academy: collision course

the autobiography of james t kirk ✰

sarek

the autobiography of mr spock ✰

harm’s way

star trek tos comics

year four

year five vol 1

year five vol 2

year five vol 3

year five vol 4

leonard mccoy: frontier doctor ✰

star trek dsc

desperate hours ✰

dead endless

the enterprise war

wonderlands ✰

star trek dsc comics

adventures in the 32nd century vol 1

adventures in the 32nd century vol 3

adventures in the 32nd century vol 4

aftermath

star trek aos

more beautiful than death

the unsettling stars

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Got any good novel recommendations for Kirk and Spock? (I have amassed a sizable collection of EU material, but not really settled down and read it)

Ohohoho I was WAITING for this one (literally. I have had this sitting in drafts for so long and I have thought about it, like, every day so I am very happy to finally get to answer!)

As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with doing reviews (shocker, right?) and keep detailed accounts of each Star Trek book I read/buy. At this point, I've got a decent number of books (just over 15) and let me tell you HONEY I have thoughts

You're looking specifically for Spock and Jim, so I'll give you the best books I've read for them, and then also some ones to avoid haha. There are snippets from my yet-to-be-posted reviews under each of them to give a little more insight! I haven't included any plot comments but I'll eventually post my complete reviews if you're curious :)

The Good Stuff

Strangers from the Sky

Absolutely remarkable. A lovely read. Everyone was completely in character the entire time, with COPIOUS amounts of triumvirate content and very good character analysis. Spock and Jim are main, but Bones is also substantial and doesn't leave you feeling like he's been forgotten about. Reallllly good Spirk moments but not in a raunchy way, it's just like Wow They Are Really T'hy'la's, Huh? Also some quality Old Married Spirk content as well!

New Voyages 1

The first of two fanfic-turned-EU-canon complications, and it is chock full of absolute gold in both quality writing and Spirk content. (The original cast members wrote intros/endorsements for the stories, so it's officially approved!) Some stories are not quite as good as the others, but the ones that are good are legendary. Ni Var is my favorite piece of Star Trek writing to date. It's an absolutely beautiful Spock-and-Jim-centric story (yet without leaving Bones behind! He is involved and excellent) that feels both completely believable and utterly heart-wrenching. I will never forget the ending. The Winged Dreamers is another really solid story, with another oft-screenshotted Spirk scene (well-deserved!) and further Spirk throughout, and a good deal of triumvirate content. A natural and poignant read. The Mind-Sifter can be a bit jarring at first, but the payoff (both in general development and with Jim and Spock) as the story progresses, and especially at the end, sets it all to rights. (Really, that ending scene!!!) And finally, The Face on the Barroom Floor is less Spirk (it has one moment but is definitely not a focus), but it's still a pretty decent story.

New Voyages 2

I haven't gotten through this one entirely yet, but the stories I've read are of a similar caliber to those from the first volume, and I would absolutely recommend it as well! It has the excellent Spirk poem Soliloquy along with a charming story from Nichelle Nichols herself that has many notable Spirk moments. I'm sure there are some more gold nuggets in the other stories, too!

Doctor's Orders

The dynamics are largely focused on Bones and Jim or Spock interacting, since Bones is the main character, but there are a few moments where everyone is together, and two VERY notable Spock and Jim moments (even though one of them is actually in a Spock and Bones interaction!! It really showed how deeply Bones understands the both of them, and the bond between them). I loved how the book handled all of their relationships, as each of the characters is undeniably close with both of the others.

Crisis on Centaurus

This one is more subtle from a Jim and Spock perspective, but still has many good moments worked in throughout the story. There's a particularly nice moment at the end that really made me smile. On the whole, the characters are authentic, and everyone gets development and insight; not too much focus is given to one character, and they felt pretty believable. A solid read!

The Not-So-Good Stuff

The Price of the Phoenix

If you're looking for Spirk, you will find it here. This one is so blatantly Spirk that you don't ever have to look for it. In many places, this is handled pretty darn well, but overall, the book felt like slash fanfic after the (excellent) opening section--and nothing against fanfic, but that's not what I was looking for. It distinctly stopped feeling canonical, because of how unbelievable some of the character decisions and situations were. (I then found out that it was in fact originally a slash fiction piece that was revised and then published officially. Its original title was "Never Mourn for Black Omne.") Many scenes made me deeply uncomfortable, and the book largely was just difficult to get through. Overall, I might reread it for the feels at points, but I'm not gonna heavily recommend it if you're looking for a quality Star Trek novel.

Black Fire

This one's a doozy, folks. The characterizations of literally every character are off-base (to say nothing of the utterly wack premise). The first half of the book has the worst-written Spock I have ever read, and the other characters are similarly mishandled (although not quite so extremely). The characterizations do get stronger as the book goes on, but it's not enough to balance out the mistakes of the first half. The Spirk content woven throughout, and more noticably present at the end, does its best, but is ultimately overshadowed by the largely unsatisfying story. (It's also quite easy to read Spock as aroace, and a few scenes specifically bolster that reading, but even that isn't enough for me to like it.) You might give it a try if you want to laugh at how ridiculous it is, but honestly, I found it more frustrating than anything, and I wouldn't recommend it.

I think this oughta give you a decent-enough place to start! Let me know what you think of them (and if there are any stories you think I should read--I am always eager for recommendations, and especially things to review!). And I will eventually publish my full collection of reviews...at some point!

[calliecat93]

So part of Crisis on Centaurus goes into how Kirk and McCoy met and became friends (long story short, Kirk severely hurt himself when an Ensign and McCoy handled his physical rehabilitation… and the big plot twist is Kirk listened to him) and the entire flashback reads like McCoy and Kirk fell in love during the process. Then, once Kirk was recovered and discharged, McCoy took him to meet Joanna and get her approval to date Kirk. Like… Dear Lord novel!