#yeakas

DS9 #19: The Tempest by Susan Wright Book Jacket’s Summary:      “When a ferocious plasma storm strikes the entire Bajoran system, Deep Space 9 becomes a port under siege, filled to overflowing with stranded space travelers, unpredictable aliens, and Klingon smugglers. Worf and Odo find themselves tested to the limit as they struggle to control the chaos that has consumed the station. But even greater danger faces Dax and botanist Keiko O'Brien when they must fly a runabout into the very heart of the storm – and encounter a strange new form of life!” Yeaka’s Notes:     The Tempest is one of those could-be-an-episode novels set right after Worf’s transferred to the station, and at first, it even contemplates his transition and reminisces on the Enterprise. In its frequent downtimes, this book is a good character study on him, Odo, Sisko, and the O’Briens. One of this book’s unique features is that it gives Keiko central stage—her and Jadzia wind up off together on an important mission, where they science it up, get sick, and talk relationships. As the main plot is an in-coming plasma storm, a lot of the dialogue is technobabble. There are a few easier-to-understand side-plots going on with rowdy Klingons and difficult aliens bothering Worf on the station. Easily the most charming plotline is Odo’s small babysitting adventures with Molly—who knew he was really a big softie inside.     Despite the constant threat of danger, this book doesn’t feel particularly dark. The scientific nonsense gets a tad difficult at times, but mostly, the characters are well used and enjoyable. It has a lot for Worf fans and gives more of the O’Brien family than most. All together, it’s a good read. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

TOS #49: The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes Book Jacket’s Summary:      “A Romulan Bird-of-Prey mysteriously drifts over the Neutral Zone and into Federation territory. Admiral Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise investigate, only to find the ship dead in space. When Starfleet orders the derelict ship brought to Earth for investigation, the Enterprise returns home with perhaps her greatest prize.      But the Bird-of-Prey carries a dangerous cargo, a deadly force that is soon unleashed in the heart of the Federation. Suddenly, the only hope for the Federation's survival lies buried in the tortured memory of Commander Spock's protégé, a cadet named Saavik. Together, Spock and Saavik must return to the nightmare world of Saavik's birth, a planet called Hellguard, to discover the secret behind the Romulans' most deadly threat of all.” Yeaka’s Notes:     Set between the first two movies, The Pandora Principle is a fascinating thriller that can get incredibly dark but also prove thoroughly rewarding. If you want more of Saavik, or never quite got her and want to understand her better, this is an absolute must have. In the occasional well placed flashback, it tells the overview of Vulcans rescuing her from a nightmarish planet and Spock personally seeing to her education, refusing to give up on her despite the wishes of his people and father. She goes from a feral hellion to an inquisitive cadet, with tons of individual personality. In the present day story, she comes aboard her mentor’s ship only to find chaos from her past. Both sets of stories are intriguing. While the book focuses mostly on Spock and Saavik, all of the original cast members have something to do, even Kirk, who gets hilariously shelved for a good chunk.     Unfortunately, some of Saavik’s memories get truly disturbing—this book should come with a trigger warning for mass death, abused children, mentions of rape, and a couple graphic scenes of torture. Baring that, though, this one is really difficult to put down. It has a few other OCs that are equally unique and compelling, but mostly, this will make you fall in love with Saavik. If you can stomach the occasional bouts of violence, this is a more than worthy read. If it wasn’t for those few scenes, I’d dub this book an excellent and absolute must-have. Noteworthy moments: (below cut, spoilery) 

TNG #47-9: The Q Continuum trilogy by Greg Cox Book Jacket’s Summary:      “The unpredictable cosmic entity known only as Q has plagued Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise since their very first voyage together. But little is known of Q's mysterious past or that of the unearthly realm from which he hails. Now Picard must learn Q's secrets – or all of reality may perish!      Ever since its discovery, the great galactic barrier has impeded humanity's exploration of the universe beyond the Milky Way. Now a brilliant Federation scientist may have found a way to breach the barrier, and the Enterprise is going to put it to the test. The last thing the crew needs is a visit from an omnipotent troublemaker so, naturally, Q appears.      Q has more in mind than his usual pranks, and while the Enterprise struggles to defeat a powerful inhuman foe, Picard must embark on a fantastic odyssey into the Q Continuum itself, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.” Yeaka’s Notes:     I read this trilogy individually, but as you couldn’t really read them without each other, I’m reviewing them all in one. And frankly, I think they could’ve all been condensed into one book anyway.     Long story short, all three of these carry the continuing, singular plot of the Enterprise (mid-DS9/VOY era) carrying a Betazoid scientist to the barrier that surrounds the edge of the galaxy, where he intends to open up a wormhole to the other side. When they arrive, Q, as well as Q’s wife and baby from Voyager, tell them not to. Picard asks why. Q won’t tell him why. If Q had, this series would’ve been about 600 pages shorter. Instead, Q takes Picard away to show him the long, drawn out story of how teenage-Q royally messed up (including a depressing, detailed tale of mass slaughter) and breaching the barrier will only make it worse. Meanwhile, the visiting scientist is a gratingly terrible father, Beverly, Deanna, Geordi, and Data pick up loose ends, a few other OCs and minor characters try to survive, and Riker tries to keep the Calamarain (TNG: “Deja Q”) from killing them all.     This is a well-written adventure. Some of the OCs are enjoyable, while others are appropriately awful. Q is as sometimes-likeable, sometimes-irritating as ever, and all the worse for having three consecutive books worth. If you’re a Q/Picard fan, this is a must have. There’s a ridiculous amount of references touching on everything from Kirk to Janeway, books, shows, and movies alike, including the history of the godlike being Kirk faced down in The Final Frontier. During those and several thrilling moments, this is a great ride—while during other moments, particularly those with Q needlessly adding a couple hundred pages, it’s almost unbearable.     So... pretty much Q. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

Hallmark Itty Bittys Well, we said this blog is for all Trek merchandise, and we meant it. Besides, these adorable little buggers deserve noting as much as the books. Somewhere along the line, Hallmark figured out fandom + cute = money, and they’re not wrong. I already bought two of the Kirk and Spock set.

You can get a set of four: Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Uhura. These are, as you can see, adorable as all heck. Bones even has his tiny medical tricorder, Spock even has little pointed ears, and everybody but our Vulcan looks oh-so-happy to be yours. In my personal opinion, they should’ve done Uhura in the same style as the others, as it looks like she’s showing her midriff, but then, that’s supposed to simulate her dress and boots, and that might not bother others who prefer to see these as mashed-together-legs rather than entirely legless. Unfortunately, these are also a bit larger than what I would want given the style, but again, that’s a preference. At 4” tall, they’re just a tad larger than Pop Vinyls, and at 30$USD regular for the whole set, they weren’t a bad price—though as a collectors item, you might have to look second hand to get them now. Kirk and Spock are also available separately as smaller keychains, and they’re a perfect 2.75”. Well made, soft, sweet as Spirk, and sold as a set of 2, they’re a steal at 10$USD. Being light fabric, they’ll likely dirty after time—hence my double purchase—but for now, they’re the cutest accessories my purse has ever had. 

The larger sized Data and Geordi are also available as online exclusives for 8$ each. You can see how equally adorable they are. And if you really want to go all out, so are Picard and Worf... in their sweet, sweet ride. They’re 25$USD in their 9”x8” ship. Again, it’s a bit large, but then again, look at these ridiculous dorks.

TOS #45: Double, Double by Michael Jan Friedman Book Jacket’s Summary:      “On a routine exploratory mission, the Starship USS Hoodpicks up a distress signal from a research expedition thought lost long ago – the expedition of Dr. Roger Korby, one of the centuries' greatest scientific minds. Korby himself is dead, it seems, but his colleagues have made a most incredible discovery – a discovery they insist theHood's captain see for himself. Reluctantly, the captain agrees to beam down...      Meanwhile, the crew of the USS Enterprise begins long-overdue shore leave on Tranquility Seven. James T. Kirk is looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation... until what seems like a bizarre case of mistaken identity plunges Kirk into a whirlpool of mayhem and murder. And puts an inhuman stranger with his memories and abilities in command of the Enterprise.” Yeaka’s Notes:     Though the book doesn’t actually state it anywhere, this is a direct sequel to the TOS episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” and it’s absolutely necessary to have seen that first. This story picks up in the immediate aftermath and proceeds to rehash the “evil Kirk android” storyline, “I’m sick of your half-breed interference [Mister Spock]” and all.     In some ways, this is a very frustrating read. It’s a little longer than most of the numbered TOS pocketbooks, and the majority of it is that exact problem that we’ve already seen on the show—an imposter on the Enterprise that we know of, but none of the characters do. Brown is back, and all of the TOS characters feature in it, even Chapel, though not as much as you might expect given that her late fiancé is the cause of all the trouble. More duplicates are made this time, and a few people eventually suspect something, but not until it’s far too late. There is a brief encounter with another alien race at the beginning, wherein Kirk winds up with a young alien boy (that apparently the universal translator won’t work for) following him onto the Enterprise. That particular semi-fatherhood plotline doesn’t go very far, but there’s enough going on as is.     Though the familiar arc is grating for a while, what with the reader knowing so much more than the oblivious characters, the real Kirk does eventually get involved enough to make it interesting again, and by the time the climax has struck, it’s hard not to be thoroughly invested. When the original cast members do get their moments to shine, it’s well worth the wait—Sulu fencing, Bones finally seeing the light, Spock comforting Chapel, Scotty with his full on Scottish brogue, and Uhura knowing just what to do. If you were particularly fond of that episode and wanted to know what Kirk put in his log, you pretty much have to pick this one up. Otherwise, may as well anyway for what really does feel like another old-school TOS episode. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

TOS #44: Vulcan’s Glory by D.C. Fontana Book Jacket’s Summary:      “Here is a very special Star Trek novel; from the woman consistently voted by fans as their favorite writer from the original Star Trek television series!       D.C. Fontana, writer of such classic episodes as "Journey to Babel" and "This Side of Paradise", here brings us the never-before-told story of a very young Mr. Spock, on his first mission aboard the USS Enterprise. You'll also meet Captain Christopher Pike and his enigmatic first officer, "Number One" (previously seen only in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage"), as well as the ship's brand-new engineering officer, Montgomery Scott.       Vulcan's Glory is the tale of Spock's struggle to reconcile his many obligations – those forced on him by his Vulcan heritage, and those chosen by him upon his enlistment in Starfleet – to balance the wishes of others against the desires of his own heart.” Yeaka’s Notes:     This one’s bookjacket is uncharacteristically author-based instead of story-focused, and the praises it sings aren’t wrong—D.C. Fontana does write excellent books that slip right into Trek canon, and this is no exception. Even though this is set before the less-established pilot episode, it still feels very TOS. Pike and Boyce privately confide in one another instead of Kirk and Bones, the captain beams down for a dangerous mission in costume and alone, and Spock plays sidekick and computer genius. Pike, Boyce, and Number One from “The Cage” all appear regularly, Amanda, Sarek, and T’Pring make an early appearance, Scotty has a fun side-plot, and Spock gets tangled up in everything.     It starts out with him on Earth, recalled to Vulcan by Sarek. There, he’s forced to confront T’Pring, who insists he marry her or pay a large sum to her every month—he finds her disturbingly cold and chooses the latter. Sarek and Amanda are disappointed in him for not marrying her sooner, and Sarek is comically out of the room (speaking only through a device in Amanda’s ear) for this to adhere to the canon version of how many years they went without ‘directly’ speaking to one another. After his Vulcan struggles, Spock reports to the Enterprise for the first time. Pike’s unsure of him, though Number One backs Spock up, and then they head to their first mission—until the discovery of a hugely valuable (both monetarily and culturally) Vulcan gem is discovered. They divert to that, wind up with a murder mystery on their hands, and then resume the mission on an underdeveloped planet. There Pipe promptly chucks the Prime Directive right out the window by deliberately uniting three separate factions. Spock also has a romantic—and quickly sexual—affair with a Vulcan woman on the Enterprise that he considers abandoning T’Pring for. Meanwhile, unrelated to nearly everything else, Scotty reports for his first duty on the Enterprise and immediately starts up a mini distillery in Engineering.     For fans of the pilot, this book is really a must have. All of its characters are well fleshed out, including a subtle romance between Number One and Pike. The original characters are likeable enough, though they don’t get much screen time to work with. Though some of the storylines have nothing to do with him at all, Spock really is the star of this story, and there are plenty of Vulcanism to enjoy. The plot is ever-evolving and entertaining, and it all wraps up well. This is a great addition to the TOS collection. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

TOS #41: The Three-Minute Universe by Barbara Paul TW: Critical burns and major fire-related trauma. Book Jacket’s Summary:      “The Sackers. In all Captain James T. Kirk's travels, he has never found a race more universally shunned and abhorred. Their mere appearance caused most Federation members to become violently ill.      Now the Sackers have performed a deed whose brutality matches their horrifying exterior. They have stolen a revolutionary new scientific device – murdering an entire race in the process – and used it to create a rip in the fabric of space, a hole through which another universe is rapidly leaking. Unless Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise can find a way to stop the new universe's expansion, it will consume – and utterly destroy – our own.” Yeaka’s Notes:    First off, don’t read this book if you’re triggered at all by fire—there’s an underlying side plot of Uhura remembering watching a friend die in a childhood house fire, several crew members are burned alive, and others receive critical burns. An entire planet dies early on and a colony’s poisoned. It sounds awful.     But, somehow, when it isn’t in those infrequent moments of awfulness, this is a wholly pleasant read—around the crises, there’s a number of intriguing mysteries going on, and most of the characters—even the ‘repulsive’ aliens—are highly likeable. All of the bridge crew are present and in-character. After discovering a rip in the universe and chasing down the murderous aliens who caused it, Kirk, Uhura, and Chekov are kidnapped by them, and it’s interesting to see that unusual configuration. Scotty also shadows an alien, while Bones and Spock alternatively bicker and miss Kirk on the Enterprise. Sulu innocently pilots whilst unknowingly having his name made into a legend. Though there are great moments and dialogue between the core crew, that alien interaction is the best part—the truly unique species have genuinely compelling relationships with their human counterparts; unfortunately, it’d spoil too much of the fun to explain why. Some of the questions have fairly obvious answers, but most don’t, and the answers are interesting and satisfying.     For those questions, the character interactions, and the originality of it all, I had a hard time putting this one down. For me, it’s a keeper. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

TOS #42: Memory Prime by Gar and Judith Reeves-Stevens Book Jacket’s Summary:      “Memory Prime is the central core of an immense computer library, an entire network of research planetoids. Here, the Pathfinders, the only artificial intelligences legally permitted to serve the Federation, control and sift the overwhelming dataflow from thousands and thousands of research vessels across the galaxy.      The greatest scientists in the Federation have gathered at Memory Prime for the prestigious Nobel and Z-Magnees prize ceremonies, unaware that a deadly assassin is stalking one of them. As Captain Kirk struggles to save his ship from sabotage and his first officer from accusations of murder, he discovers the hidden assassin is far from the deadliest secret lurking on Memory Prime.” Yeaka’s Notes:     First of all, this story is already confusing, so you may as well watch the TOS episode “The Lights of Zetar” before reading this to at least get Memory Alpha and Mira Romaine fresh in your head. This serves as a semi-sequel, in the sense that it’s set on Memory Prime, a rebirth of the TOS Memory Alpha concept—a universal Federation library. Only this time, it’s armed and ready for military ‘drills’. Mira Romaine, a scientist who had a fling with Scotty, works there, along with a few new original characters of the human and Andorian variety. Memory Prime also houses an entirely new type of species—synthetic consciousnesses that need a specialized team to communicate with the outside world. Meanwhile, a group of renowned scientists from across the Federation are headed there onboard the Enterprise for a peace prize ceremony, and some unknown assassin is somewhere doing something.     In the beginning, this can be difficult to track—there are several different factions, and many are only explained a few hundred pages after their introduction. Fortunately, the core TOS cast is engaging enough to make the story compelling even when it’s hard to understand what’s going on. Almost immediately, Spock’s arrested, and a commodore with a thing against Kirk takes over. There are moments where others actually doubt him—even Bones—but overall, the crew is staunchly loyal, and they all perform miracles in pursuit of the truth. Mostly, Kirk and Bones try to solve the mystery of just who’s trying to kill the delegates, and Scotty, Uhura, and Mira soon join in, with Sulu and Chekov holding down the fort and ready should Kirk need them. There are a ton of twists and turns, but the character relationships at the core of it all make it wholly rewarding. Scotty and Mira are as cute as ever, Kirk, Bones, and Spock have their usual great banter, and Uhura’s just plain badass. Add to that a plethora of references to other books, and you have an intensely Star Trek read.     There are parts that make no sense, both from plots and characters. There’s more technobabble in this than three episodes of Voyager combined. It takes its sweet time to explain itself. But in the end, it’s a great read. Kirk, Bones, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and Mira are particularly enthralling. The climax is complex and surprising. The wrap-up is thoroughly satisfying. For its sheer love of Trek, it’s a keeper. Noteworthy moments: (below cut; some spoilers)