#the romulan commander in the price of the phoenix

[spongynova]

🧡 Four fictionnal crushes 🧡

From @affixjoy who has impeccable taste! Thanks for tagging me in this opportunity to be unhinged.

Helen Ripley, let's marry and fight together for the xenomorph's rights to be let the fuck alone! If Call wants to be part of our polycule it'll be with pleasure.

Here is babygirl. Iridescent eyes, nice tank top and sharp teeth? Count me in! Do I want to be them or to do unspeakable things to them? Both my honour.

Listen, some vacation into the collective's polycule? Can't be worse than our capitalist hellscape, at least the borg queen has mecha tentacles.

Eowyn, forget about Aragorn, I'm sure he's boring in bed anyway. Faramir is welcome. Or was this about the witch king of Angmar? It's open to interpretation <3

I'll tag @android-and-ale @strangenewwords @introvertia and @lesbiansaavikk if you feel like playing! See you around <3

[lichqueenlibrarian]

I am sure there’s nothing to be read into Spock adjusting Kirk’s sleeves or the Romulan commander doing the same for James…

[crackingthetbrpile]

The Price of the Phoenix (Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath, 1977)

3/5 stars (1/5 for quality, 5/5 for enjoyment)

This book is the equivalent of raw cookie dough. You’re not reading this for the careful prose or the well-thought-out plot, you’re reading this for the pure schlock-y goodness.

I absolutely could not get enough of this book, but I had to take plenty of breaks to just stare at the wall and try and compartmentalize the stupidity of what I’d read. It’s amazing. It’s bad for your brain. It’s The Price of the Phoenix.

I think the main problem here is the authors’ connection to fandom... The writing style reads very much like the purple prose popularized in early fan fiction, oftentimes making parts of the text incomprehensible. Everyone’s a bit out of character (mostly Spock, who more resembles his future counterpart in the AOS movies), but thankfully the heart’s still there. These two could definitely have used another editor, though -- this thing is riddled with typos and run-on/fragment sentences.

If you can get past the hammy writing, you’re going to have a great time. It’s got Spirk, it’s got Kirk(s) in various slutty outfits (he is basically a Barbie doll at times), it’s got the Romulan Commander - who is now one of my favorite characters ever, and it’s got a camp villain who keeps moving the goalposts every time he doesn’t get his way. Yeah, it’s basically the Star Trek version of a pulp novel, but don’t you deserve a guilty pleasure read every now and then?

Books left: 781

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

Hi. Sorry for the bother, but I don't know who to ask this and I hope you could help me.

I've found an (not good conditions) used copy of The Price of the Phoenix sold in my own country, and I'm seriously considering to get it (despite costing 9€ - US used books are pricey here)

Anyway. I recall the most sought after from Spirkers is the 1st edition and that in later editions some slash was edited out, or am I wrong? This one is the 5th edition. Is worth it?

Hi. Sorry for the bother, but I don't know who to ask this and I hope you could help me.

I've found an (not good conditions) used copy of The Price of the Phoenix sold in my own country, and I'm seriously considering to get it (despite costing 9€ - US used books are pricey here)

Anyway. I recall the most sought after from Spirkers is the 1st edition and that in later editions some slash was edited out, or am I wrong? This one is the 5th edition. Is worth it? And can it be read without owning The Fate of the Phoenix?

Thank you for you help. Or, if you can't help me, could you reblog this? Thank you.

That's a fairly decent price! I live on an island so I am accustomed to obscene shipping costs, though. XD I may be a terrible gauge, cost wise.

I've read the second edition (the oldest edition of the novel that I own/have read), and my jaw was still in my lap at what I was reading at parts of it to be honest.

Nothing explicit or blatant of course, but I still felt it was quite brow raising! :D A very possessive Spock. It is definitely worth the read for a Spirk shipper as it's certainly slashtastic.

(I might also be biased because I happen to love, love, love the Romulan Commander. Can I just be her? She's so badass.)

Thanks for reaching out, and happy reading!🖖💚

[spocksmagicfingers]

Spirk shippers ahoy!

You're probably already aware of this book, but HOLY SHIT, have you actually read 'The Price of the Phoenix' by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath???

Rambling review with passages included below (mild spoilers)

I heard this was gay but I really had no idea. This is GAAAAYYYY. A big Strong man has kidnapped and cloned Kirk to use/sell as a punching bag/sex slave and Spock must rescue him with the help of the Romulan Commander from 3x02.

I really love the way the Romulan Commander was portrayed, let me say. She deserved to get to kick some ass after being screwed over in The Enterprise Incident. She gave Kirk and Spock so much grace in this book while maintaining her authority and I loved it!

Now, on to the good stuff:

If you like erotic mind melds, whump, hurt/comfort, and Kirk in skimpy outfits, this book is for you. It's very romantic and almost overtly sexual.

It was suspenseful and enthralling.

At times the writing style could leave something to be desired, but mostly in differentiating between the POV of original Kirk and clone Kirk in one particular fight scene. It gets easier when clone Kirk starts being referred to as James.

Here are some of my favorite passages:

Here, Jim Kirk's body has just been recovered (seemingly)

Oh god my heart

Yes. Kiss him awake, Spock

Spock is Heaven to Jim. Canon.

THIS WHOLE SEXY ASS MIND MELD (during which, Jim is completely naked btw)

Spock is the best man in the Galaxy to Jim

Kirk on his knees for Spock

Jim flirting with Spock psychically and picturing him in a sexy outfit (also calling him his Vulcan)

Eyes only for each other

In conclusion: Get thee to a used bookstore and find a copy.

You can find most Star Trek books on thriftbooks.com

[s0domizer]

the price of the phoenix is so good i love this book. i highlited shit on every other page. its.. so gay. felt like i was reading fanfic

(i have abt 40 pgs left and i just wanna say i also find james/romulan commander so.. ARG. plus the pining after spock of both the commander and james? while spock only has eyes for jim but also feels protective of james. oh god...)

[chicafinal]

in bed recovering from a migraine and 100 pages into the price of the phoenix (which i haven't read since age 16). published romulan commander/spock/kirk doppelganger fanfiction you will always be famous

[electronickingdomfox]

"The Price of the Phoenix" review

These are the naked voyages of naked Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise...

Published in 1977, and written by Marshak & Culbreath (editors of The New Voyages collection of short stories). I had already read some books by these same authors, and their hyperbolic, hyper-emotional writing is present here as well. There's something really awkward about their writing, and a lot of times I found myself re-reading passages, because I had no idea what was going on. To quote McCoy at one point: "Spock, will you speak English?" There's too much introspection, description of feelings and discourses for my taste. Also, the authors often use the characters to voice their own philosophical ideas, and their theories about alpha males, whether it fits the character or not. Overall, I don't think the novel felt very Trek-like, or that the characters were "right" (Spock, in particular).

The book is sufficiently weird to be worth the reading, though. According to the authors, it was personally approved by Roddenberry. It's also notorious for being quite dark and violent for TOS standards, and for having Kirk completely naked half the time. Which means, this is Roddenberry-sanctioned smut, no less.

Some spoilers under the cut.

The plot is very simple and straightforward. The Enterprise is visiting a rogue planet ruled by the giant Omne, who offers refuge for bandits all over the galaxy. The Romulan Commander (from The Enterprise Incident) is also there, negotiating with Omne. Kirk is presumed dead during an accident on the planet, but Omne reveals to Spock and the Commander that he has conquered death through a process to clone a person, with all his thoughts and memories intact. He offers a new, shiny Kirk clone, in exchange of Spock betraying the Federation, and the support from the Romulan Empire (the prize for the Commander would be keeping both Kirk and Spock for herself, after their betrayal). Things change once they discover that the original Kirk actually survived and is locked inside a subterranean labyrinth. Then Spock, the Commander and clone-Kirk storm the complex to rescue him, while getting into plenty of fist fights against Omne.

There's something reminiscent of Westerns in the one-on-one duels, and the general badass attitudes. It's probably intentional, given the Wild West motifs throughout the book. Spock dresses and talks like Clint Eastwood, which is... great. The Romulan Commander is also a total badass, and I liked her better in this novel than in the series episode. As counterpart, we have the scantily clothed Kirk clone, who's pretty cute and vulnerable, and develops a moving romance with the Commander. The love story, for once, has a happy ending. I liked them as a couple. Omne, the supreme alpha male, dressed in a black jumpsuit with a holster for his revolver, is an entertaining villain. Suitably obnoxious in his invincibility. I was a bit confused about his real motivations, though.

To summarize, even if I didn't particularly enjoy reading this novel, it was entertaining in its own crazy way. Also, Spock receives a kick in his groin. Consider that.

Spirk Meter: 11/10*. Yup. This novel is slashier than the series or movies ever were. Spock is willing to risk everything to save Kirk, even betraying the Federation. But that's not it. Things like that happened several times in the series, and it's the whole plot of the third movie. There are, however, a couple scenes that are the reason for this high rating. One happens when Spock mind melds with a totally naked Kirk clone. They move "surprisingly close" to each other, and there's an undeniably eroticism in the descriptions of Kirk being "warm" and "open" to Spock's touch. Not enough? Well, Spock also creates a bond with him, to monitor his movements. Another scene happens when Kirk (the original one) undresses Spock to treat his wounds. Of course, it goes without saying that Kirk's naked while doing so (because Omne treated his wounds previously, and didn't care to give him clothes). So yeah, Kirk gets to bounce his stuff around a lot, as the cheerful alpha male he is. One could argue that the fight in Amok Time surpasses this, since the sexual motif is explicit there. However, I think that the scenes from the book read as more erotic than anything Kirk has done with Spock (or any woman) in the series.

On another side of things, Omne's total obsession with Kirk is quite telling. One moment he's beating him to a pulp, and the next he's tenderly treating his wounds, and planning for them to spend a thousand years together in their bunker. If clone Kirk and the Commander is the main love story, it's obvious that Kirk and Omne are intended as a dark, twisted counterpart for that.

The great loser in all this is McCoy, who despite being the doctor, never got to treat any naked Kirk. He calls him gorgeous, though, and manages to touch his scars a bit while he's dressing. But I guess McCoy wasn't alpha enough for the authors. Sorry, Bones.

*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.

[youngpettyqueen]

finished The Price of the Phoenix! review under the cut-

tldr: this book is gay as FUCK and on top of that its quite good

im gonna get it out of the way right now: Kirk and Spock are gay as hell in this book and its actually insane to read. every interaction between them- whether it be the original Jim or the clone James- was dripping with tension and longing and actual textual love. this was Amok Time levels of "how the fuck did this (insanely gay shit) air" and I applaud Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath for it. Spock's unwavering loyalty to Kirk, both Kirks, and it being his driving force throughout the novel, the mind link between him and James, the raw emotional state he's in... and both Kirks and how they rely on Spock, know him, love him... LORD

ahem. anyways. this is a GREAT Spock novel. the character exploration for Spock here is just so good and so compelling. this is Spock at some of his lowest, barely holding himself together, fighting his emotions down and just trying to keep going. Spock wants Omne DEAD and he wants to be the one to break his neck. he's so viciously furious and grief-stricken, its honestly beautiful to read him in such a volatile state. this isnt a side of Spock we often get to see, and what else could bring him to this point besides the faked death of his captain, the abduction, the cloning... great to see just what will drive Spock to literal murder and vengeance. his POV chapters were my favourite throughout, especially in the rare tender moments he shared with James. so many facets of his character are on display here, and all so wonderful to read

my second favourite part of this novel was the Commander's presence. what a POWERHOUSE she is. I thoroughly enjoyed how she effortlessly manhandles both Kirks whenever she needs to, and how bad this throws him off. she's a wicked fighter, every fight she has with Omne is fantastic to visualize. shes also ruthless and cold, with a lot of great Romulan logic on display. I love love love that she was one of the main characters in this novel, I love how we got to see more of this genuinely fascinating character, makes me wish we got more of her and the Romulans in TOS. her romance with James was predictable, but I found I quite enjoyed it, especially since they made it very clear that she wouldnt be bowing to him, nor him to her. they'll definitely make for an interesting couple

the issue of the two Kirks was a fascinating thread throughout. its quite the moral conundrum- the rights of the original, what to do with James, what rights does he have as a copy, what can they ask of him, etc. I dont think theres honestly a true right answer, and thats the conclusion they all seem to reach, as the best they can do is send to him to Romulus with the Commander as her princeling. its not an entirely satisfying conclusion, but I think thats deliberate, because I dont think there is a satisfying conclusion in this scenario. they cant keep James on the Enterprise, they cant just let him loose, the best they can do is keep him under lock and key and secrets on Romulus as the Commander's boytoy. a fate I wouldnt mind, tbh, but hey thats just me

Bones gets a couple of chapters, and I loved his. his relationship with Spock is what shines most for me from his chapters- his care for Spock is made very obvious, and the two of them are shown to be able to talk with just their eyes, much like Kirk and Spock do. I wish we could've had more with Bones, but that would've thrown off the structure and flow of the story, so I understand why his chapters were limited

Omne himself was an interesting villain. I wasn't super invested in him, but I did find the idea of him interesting. I think he's the weakest part of this novel, in that his whole thing relies on the idea of the alpha male, and a lot of him felt like... how do I describe this. you know when youre a kid, playing some sort of battle with your friends, and you make some shit up like 'oh you cant get through my shield' and 'I have a SHIELD BREAKING HAMMER'? thats what Omne's repeated one-upping felt like, after a point. the fight scenes with him were good, I could very much buy that he was physically stronger than our protagonists, but when it came to his tech and especially his last appearance on the Enterprise... yeah. im not saying I disliked it, but it did feel weak

overall I quite enjoyed this book. it was a slower read, I tended to read a chapter or two before going to bed every night, and I liked it that way. not one I picked up and tore through, but that isnt a criticism. sometimes books just want to be enjoyed slowly, and this was one I felt I wanted to take my time on. for my first TOS book, I thought it was really good, and ill definitely have to look into some more TOS books to read once im through my current to-read stack

[electronickingdomfox]

Can't speak for others, but it's definitely the other way around for me. The character I'm most attracted to, I write him as the bottom. The top is the one I take the POV, even if it's not in first-person. I mean, I take that perspective for descriptions and all that.

I've also noticed, novels like "The Price of the Phoenix" that are very, very slashy, have a tendency to present Kirk as far more submissive than he ever was in the show. It was obvious for me while reading it, that the authors were lusting after Kirk, while Spock or the Romulan Commander (the dominant ones) functioned more as author surrogates.

I appreciate that, as far as I can tell, K/S fic doesn't seem to have a fanon consensus on top vs bottom. Almost like--stay with me--those are preferences and not personality traits

[lichqueenlibrarian]

At any given moment in The Price of the Phoenix, someone is probably naked and it’s Jim.

[seraph5]

‘This link would have to be deep, directional, binding at a distance. It has never been attempted for such a purpose. I would-take care. But you would still find the depth disturbing.’

There was a tap on Spock’s shoulder.

Kirk felt the tap too.

‘Do it, Spock. Now!’

Spock shifted his grip on Kirk’s face. There was no precedent for this, no words which could be used. Only the necessity of reaching deep, quickly, deeper than ever, a swift agony of barriers to be broken, reaching through layers and levels and hidden places which wanted and did not want to be touched, gathering up gossamer strands of the link into a slender, indissoluble thread.

The Human gasped and sagged against the Vulcan. A moment of rebellion, no, not to be so close, so open, no. The rebellion put down. Necessity. Then, finally, being able to bear it, to reach for it, to reach back. Yes.

A gloved hand ripped Kirk’s hand off Spock’s shoulder.

- Page 29 of The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath (an actual Star Trek paper back that goes this hard this early and simply does not quit).

Uncensored ver here:

https://bit.ly/3ueFqBC

[kingjasnah]

oh i thrifted a copy of the price of the phoenix last weekend and my god people were not kidding about trek lit in the 70s cause its making the recent heteroification of spock like insanely funny in comparison

[mortalmab]

I’m finally reading The Price of the Phoenix and NONE of y’all warned me I’d develop a new OT3. I have so many new needs and I know they won’t get satisfied!!!!

[aterglittle]

Ok I just finished reading Killing Time (uncensored version), The Price of the Phoenix, and The Fate of the Phoenix, and... wow there’s a lot to unpack here. What a wild ride

[spockwitharock]

okay so after I finished with Killing Time, a friend gifted me a copy of the Price of the Phoenix.

POTP also has a little bit of a reputation for being incredibly gay. I went into it thinking, rather foolishly, that it was just that one scene with the mind meld, and the rest would be relatively non-noteworthy. You’d think I would have learned not to make that assumption from reading Killing Time but apparently you would be wrong.

Some spoilers ahead, be warned

The plot is essentially that this guy, Omne, kidnaps Kirk and makes an exact replica. Throughout the book, the replica is called James and the original Jim or Kirk. Omne tries to bargain with Spock for the replica, knowing how much Spock is attached to Kirk. Initially Spock is unaware that the original Kirk is alive. The setting of the story is a sort of western/outlaw themed planet, which doesn’t really come up in the story much but seemed like important context for some of this.

That said, here’s the highlights

So a few things to note - Omne shamelessly calling out Spock. Kirk looking at Spock and joking about being in heaven. The fact that Kirk is enTIRELY NAKED except for the sheet which does not stay on for long. (also this Kirk is the replica but no one is aware that there are two of them at this point).

Omne knows. He knows.

Spock is allowed to mind meld with Kirk to verify that the clone is identical to the original.

Anyway, “My logical Vulcan” lowkey made me lose my shit. And at this point the sheet is on the floor (get used to naked kirk they do not let him like... have clothes in this book)

yeah i don’t think this requires much description i think you get it.

They have found out that Jim is alive, and are trying to track him down. Jim and James end up mentally linked, so when Omne is beating Jim, James and Spock both feel the pain through the links.

So the Romulan commander (the one Spock made out with once) is also here, and getting a little jealous, but at the end of the book she ends up taking James with her to be a Romulan. (it makes sense in the book, kinda) But the parallel between their relationship and Kirk and Spock’s is very deliberate. This book is not subtle about any metaphor. Believe me.

*gently moves Kirk out of the way* *fuckin SMASHES a wall*

Spock gets beat up pretty bad fighting Omne and the healing spray requires access to skin.

Oh also Kirk is entirely naked in this scene as well.

this whole scene is the first time in the book that kirk and spock get a moment together and not in grave danger and they go straight to being in love. (well after the horse jokes because okay why not)

Anyway whatever I was expecting i was wrong. I’m still processing. I think i might need to re-read this.

If you can get your hands on it it‘s worth a read for sure.