Product Description
With their shuttlecraft drifting helplessly in space, the Starfleet officers tap into their inner strengths to overcome the most desperate situation of their careers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Awesome story - you get to see the background of some of the characters better
I really enjoyed this little book - it only took a few hours to read, but they were hours well spent.Kirk, Scotty, Sulu, McCoy and Chekhov find themselves stranded after a freak shuttlecraft accident - they have no way to contact Enterprise to let her know where they are and, as a way of passing the time, they begin to share their stories of how they each handled the infamous Kobayashi Maru test required of all Command School students.Kirk and Scotty's are both hilarious - I laughed my way through their stories.Chekhov's story was more thought-inducing - he had a strange attitude toward how he should solve scenarios and just didn't seem to quite "get it."Sulu's story was actually fairly sad - discussing it with my spouse, I was told "Sulu is pretty dour" to which I replied "well, know we know why."

Interspersed with these stories are the attempts by Scotty and Chekhov to fix the shuttlecraft, while McCoy tends to Sulu and Kirk, both of whom have been injured - Sulu fairly severely.

It seems there are plenty of used copies to be found here at Amazon and, if you have too much money lying about, you can even get a brand-new copy of this 21-year-old text.However you do it, I would recommend getting a copy for yourself -this is a really good book and well above the usual pap to be found when one reads books put out following a television series.Highly recommended!!

A Pleasant Afternoon Read
This book tells us how Kirk, Sulu, Checkov, and Scotty each dealt with the Kobayashi Maru test as cadets in training.Of the four scenarios, I felt that Kirk's story was the least believable, perhaps because of the lack of detail to support how he accomplihed a reprogramming of the simulator, and perhaps the method he chose to use while doing that reprogramming.Sulu's story was also difficult to believe, but given the circumstance he was dealing with at the time the story takes place, it is plausible. Checkov's story was in character, but I was left with the feeling that he didn't learn anything from it through the years.And scotty's story was definiately the funniest of the four, as well as being completely believable for his character.

It isn't great literature, but it is an easy read.That's important to someone like me, who tends to read cover-to-cover until I've finished a book.So if you're a Star Trek fan, this is one I think you will enjoy.I intend to reread it every now and again.

What doesn't kill us makes us strong
While on an away mission Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, Chekhov and Sulu find themselves stranded in a nearly powerless shuttle, adrift in a debris filled area of space far from the Enterprise and with no way of calling for help.While waiting for rescue, which may or may not arrive, the crew realizes the similiarities to the no-win training scenario most of them faced while at the Academy - the Koybayashi Maru excercise that figured in THE WRATH OF KHAN.Kirk's approach to the problem had been revealed in that movie so his account only supplied some further details.Chekhov's, Sulu's and Scotty's experiences with the scenario had never been mentioned before this and each brought some quite unique to the problem.

As their current situation in the shuttle becomes more desparate the crew draws upon their various skills to once again overcome the odds.

Fans of TOS (and how else would be reading one of these tie-in novels?), will greatly enjoy the insights into the characters and backstories of four of their favorites.Most of the action that occurs is in the past though so the ends of the various subplots are rather anti-climatic.The outcome of the 'current' dilemma, (the safe return of the crew to the Enterprise) is also not really ever in doubt as well, leaving this one rather lacking in suspense.

Mixed grill of Trek
Several starfleet officers, enroute by shuttlecraft, find themselves trapped when their ship is crippled by a gravitic mine.With no way to repair their ship, and nothing on hand but time, Captain Kirk, Mr. Scott & Pavel Chekhov begin swapping stories.The fatal mine is not only a relic of an older war, it's also a painful reminder of a notorious test administered to Starfleet cadets (and made famous in "Wrath of Khan") called "Kobayshi Maru".(Cadets who take the test are given simulated command of a starship; in the test itself, they are called on to rescue a stricken cargo ship crippled by a gravitic mine, and marooned in hostile space.In flying to the rescue, cadets find themselves ambushed by Klingon battlecruisers.At the heart of the simulation is an algorithm that automatically stacks the odds towards the cadet's obliteration.)Their chances of survival looking slim, Kirk, Scott & Chekhov begin to wonder if they are experiencing a very real-life version of the "Kobayashi Maru".While the test itself is only a simulation, the bitter failure is not.

The stories our heroes swap inform much about them - Kirk who doesn't like to lose, Chekhov who can't bear that he did lose, and Scotty who thinks that there's an engineering solution for everything.Still, it's a bit shallow - we get three short stories rather than a single deeper (and more satisfying) one.If this were an episode of one of the shows, it would fall into the "ship in a bottle" variety.Meant to be a character-driven story, KM offers little about the characters that we didn't already know (Kirk will break the rules to win; Chekhov is serious; Scotty is very can-do about things.) Still, it's a solid TOS-era story that won't leave you hungry.It's never slow or dull and once you've started, you can't quite put it down.

love this one
this is another one of my faves, gives you more depth of Kirk, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov and why they are the way they are. I especially love Sulu's story, mainly the assignment they have before the Big Test. Kirk's is interesting is you get a look into what drives him and his competitive nature and just how he was able to pull off the ultimate hacking job. Chekov's is interesting in that in a way he is compeating with himself and his view of his future captain.Scotty's is funny and shows the budding of the miracle worker he would become. This is definitly one to check out ... Read more

Product Description
35 Years of Star Trek Celebration. One of 35 Covers made for this week's Issue. INCLUDES: *35 Trek-tacular Moments *Michael Douglas: Not Playing It Safe *Ted Koppel's Not So Excellent Adventure *Soap Actor Peter Noone from As The World Turns *The Early Show's Meredith Vieira *TV Guide Crossword ... Read more

Product Description
The U.S.S. EnterpriseTM discovers the wreckage of a starship upon the monstrous surface of a Dyson sphere, an artificially-constructed habitat built around a star; and preserved in a weak transporter pattern is Starfleet engineering legend Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.Mr. Scott boards the Enterprise to find himself lost in a world that he barely recognizes, a world that has passed him by.

But soon the Enterprise finds itself trapped within the Dyson sphere and pulled into the star, and Scotty must work with Lt. Geordi La Forge to rescue the Enterprise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

One of the best novelizations of a ST episode ever written
The episode of ST:TNG that this is based on is one of my favorites. Scotty is a passenger on the transport ship Jenolen when it encounters a Dyson Sphere. Their engines fail while they are orbiting the sphere and the ship crashes on the outer surface. Scotty and Franklin are the only survivors and with no food or water and help unlikely, Scotty comes up with a unique survival mechanism. He rigs the transporter so that it is in a continuous diagnostic cycle with a refresh mode and then he and Franklin enter it. His hope is that their patterns will be stored in the transporter until help arrives.
The Enterprise is moving through space decades later when it encounters the distress signal from the Jenolen. Even though it is most unlikely that anyone still survives, Captain Picard orders the Enterprise to investigate. When they arrive, an away team boards the crashed Jenolen and Geordi is able to recover Scotty, although Franklin's pattern is lost. Scotty immediately discovers that time and technology have passed him by and he quickly becomes despondent and feels useless.
Captain Picard then asks Geordi if he would accompany Scotty to the Jenolen to extract the data records as the Enterprise crew is having some difficulty with interfacing with the old technology. While Geordi and Scotty are on the Jenolen, the Enterprise is unwillingly pulled into the sphere and the door closes behind them. Faced with the prospect of being marooned, Scotty and Geordi combine their expertise to get the Jenolen flying again and they are able to determine how to get the doors to open again. They then use the shields of the Jenolen to hold them open until the Enterprise can escape. The dialog between Geordi and Scotty while they are repairing the Jenolen is on a par with the best ever to appear in Star Trek.
One of the advantages of novel adaptations of a series episode is that it gives the author an opportunity to flesh out the story and provide more in the way of context. This is also a disadvantage in that the author can provide unnecessary or contrary contextual material. The author does some of the latter, the material about Ensign Kane should have been left out in favor of more about Scotty, specifically what he had done after leaving the Enterprise for good. That would have been much more interesting than the antics of a spoiled child filling the uniform of an Ensign. However, despite that aspect, this book is an excellent page-turning adventure of a character that is one of the most delightful to appear in any of the Star Trek incarnations.

STNG Relics - Scotty comes to the twenty fourth century!
Star Trek The Next Generation "Relics" is the superb novelization of one of the most beloved episodes from the series spectacular sixth season.The story and teleplay, written by Ron Moore deserves a high amount of praise as he found a wonderful way to write a modern STNG episode and bring "Scotty" forward into the twenty fourth century.

The decision to have Star Trek fiction's most prolific author, Michael Jan Friedman, write the novelization of this poignant episode was a perfect one."Relics" is his first novelization of an episode and, as he does with his original stories, he does a marvelous job.

As most novelizations go, the important part is adding a little bit more flavor to an already brilliant episode by bringing forth the characters thoughts and throwing in some "between the scenes on the screen" scenes.All of which, Michael Jan Friedman does with perfection in "Relics."

The cover art for "Relics" is, unfortunately, pretty much the standard fare for Star Trek novels with Scotty and LaForge pictures and the original Enterprise herself, which does add a little bit of "something different" to a Star Trek The Next Generation novel.

From the very first episode of Star Trek The Next Generation in which we saw an aged but still vital, one hundred and forty plus year old Dr. McCoy strolling down the hallways on the Enterprise NCC 1701-D with Data escorting him, many fans were wondering which, if any, characters from The Original Series would be making guest appearances.With the fifth season episode "Unification" and Leonard Nimoy's exceptionally well written and performed return to Star Trek as Spock, the fans of the genre were satiated for the moment but still hungry for more.I still vividly remember the barely containable excitement I experienced upon seeing the preview for the following weeks episode and seeing that James Doohan would be making a guest appearance and he would be bringing Scotty, one of Star Treks most beloved characters, into the twenty fourth century.Now it was time for the "how."

The premise:

Captain Picard and crew are headed to their latest mission when they receive a distress signal from the USS Jenolen which is a ship that has been reported missing for seventy five years.Upon coming out of warp they also encounter gravimetric distortions.As they move in they discover one of the most intriguing objects ever written into one of their episodes, a Dyson's Sphere.The Dyson's Sphere is a real theoretical proposal, proposed by Freeman Dyson in which a civilization could harvest an astronomical amount of resources and build a sphere around a star and live within this sphere.

Captain Picard sends Riker, Worf and LaForge over to the Jenolen and they soon discover that the transporter has been locked into a diagnostic cycle and there's a pattern in the buffer.LaForge runs the cycle through and standing there on the transporter pad is a Starfleet legend in one Captain Montgomery "Scotty" Scott!

As the story progresses, Scotty is suffering the anxiety of feeling obsolete and in the way as he tries to be helpful but only serves to annoy LaForge while he's attempting to carry out the mission given to him by Captain Picard.

What follows from there is not only one of the best episodes ever written and produced for the series but one of the best novelizations written within the Star Trek fiction genre.For those that read Star Trek novels but don't bother too much with the novelizations, they should try this one as Michael Jan Friedman does a superb job with this story and I highly recommend this novel for your Star Trek library!{ssintrepid}

A great book for a great episode
A good book, which follows the episode closely, with some additional scenes. The audio version even features an intorduction and conclusion from Levar Burton. A must for all ST:TNG book fans!

An enjoyable story, if a bit implausible.
This novel is an adaptation of an episode in the "Next Generation" television show. It is well-written, and any flaws in it are not truly the fault of the author, Michael Jan Friedman, but rather of Ron Moore, the writer of the teleplay for the episode it was based on.

My primary objection, perhaps surprisingly, is not the method of justifying (or even the very fact of) the existence of the character of Montgomery Scott nearly a hundred years after the original Star Trek series; I found myself willing and able to suspend disbelief for that concept. No, what I found troubling and implausible was the characterization of Mr. Scott, and his inability to recognize what he knew, and what he didn't, and to avoid being a danger to everyone when let loose in an engine room.

The man was no fool, and perfectly aware that technology had changed while he'd been "away". And he'd plenty of experience examining unfamiliar, superior technology. He'd not have made the stupid mistakes he was portrayed as making. Nor would he have failed to understand that a chief engineer can't be interrupted while on duty. The entire concept, essential to the story, was an insult to the character. Other than that flaw in characterization, the story was good, and it was a pleasure to see Scotty back in action. I just wish that the creator of the story had had more respect for the character.

Thumbs up
A good book. The chemistry between Scott and TNG crew is a wonderful pleasure. ... Read more

Product Description
The world of Talin has been laid to waste and the USS Enterprise destroyed by a radioactive firestorm. The captain is banished from Starfleet and McCoy and Spock must return to Talin to find out how the tragedy occured and to discover the truth of Captain Kirk's final hours of command. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

One of the best...
I've read only one Judith and Garfiled Reeves-Stevens book prior(Federation) to this book and given I was overwhelmed by that experience I was a little apprehensive about reading another.Thier books do tend to be heavy both in print form and in chapter length and some readers will be challenged to read their literature. But this book was absolutely brilliant. From the first chapter this book grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go. The story telling was by far one of the best I have read in the Star Trek genre so far. With an easy flowing timeline the story unfolds in a suspenseful and fun way that will have you wanting more.

Pretty good....pretty good...
This book had a very strong opening, where it seems a character might 'buy it'...but it turns out to be a familiar individual.

That opening leads to the plot of the Enterprise crew stripped of their rank and positions because they caused the death of the entire world.

This book feeds you information slowly but surely as you know the crew will come out on top, but how?

We are able to 'feel' the characters, but--like all good tie-in novels--expand on what we see onscreen with the characters.

(I do have to admit, I even felt the Enterprise crew from JJ Abrams' 2009 film in this same predicament; and, I think this book [Prime Directive] would make a good film for that particular crew).

Regardless, I did feel the ending was a bit muddled; but I do plan on coming back to this book to catch whatever I wasn't able to the first time around.

I do like Admiral Hammersmith, a no-nonsense individual who comes off as a character along the lines of Benjamin Sisko from 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.'

A recommended book.

Lastly, I've heard good things about the authors and their previous work in Trek; and I look to track those other works down as well.

More Than Just Kirk & Spock
When the marketing for 2009's STAR TREK movie was ramping up, I learned that the screenwriters for the revamp of the Star Trek universe had been inspired by several Star Trek novels, one of which was STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE.Before the movie was released in theatres, I was excited about it and decided I would read some of those Star Trek novels, including STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE, before I saw the movie.

The novel takes places in the Star Trek universe after the run of the original tv series but before the events of the first Star Trek movie.The novel is divided into four sections.The first section, describes what Kirk and the Enterprise Five, the former bridge crew members of the Enterprise, have been doing since the unfortunate events at Talin IV.Kirk finds himself at the farthest reaches of Federation space, working hard and difficult jobs and trying to piece together a life.Spock has resigned but has a theory of what actually happened on Talin IV, Sulu and Chekov are working for pirates, Dr. McCoy takes a visit to Earth's moon, and Uhura finds herself in legal trouble.Meanwhile, Scotty, the only officer still in Starfleet finds himself attempting to repair the Enterprise and make it seaworthy again after the damage inflicting upon it during the events at Talin IV.

The second section explains exactly what happened on Talin IV and why the former Enterprise bridge crew are spread out into the far corners of the universe.The third section describes the adventures in each of the former crew members begins a journey back to Talin IV where Spock promises the truth will be known. The last section of the book is the conclusion that wraps the story up.

The thing that stood out most for me about STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE is how fully developed each of the characters are.I'm more or a Star Wars person than Star Trek, but there are parts of the Star Trek universe I really enjoy.Usually, in one form or another, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are the focal points of most original Star Trek tales.They play an important part in STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE, but Scotty, Chekhov, Sulu, and Uhura are just as important in this story and readers get a real understanding of the type of individuals these characters are and what makes them tick.I particular liked the deep camaraderie and friendship between Sulu and Chekhov.This novel also is light on the technobabble-it's still a Star Trek novel so some knowledge of the characters helps in appreciating the story, but one needn't be a major Star Trek fan or scientific genius to enjoy the book. In fact, it reads more like a mystery story rather than a piece of science fiction.

Overall, a good story and one of the better original Star Trek novels I've read.

Fairly well-written, with a bit weak ending...
One of the longer Star Trek novels, this one has the makings of a fairly strong plot, centered around an alleged violation of the Federation's Prime Directive-that a developing civilization not be disturbed until it was truly ready to make contact with other star-faring peoples.The traditional Star Trek characters are fairly well-developed, and the plot, though a tad slow at times, is capable.My only complaint was that the ending seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the skillfulness with which most of the rest of the work was laid out.Nevertheless, this is probably one of those must-read Trek novels.

Kirk No Longer a Hero?
In a time where the people of a planet are affected by a decision Kirk makes to save the Enterprise when the people of that planet jeopardize her safety, Kirk and the Enterprise Six (includes all but Scotty) are put on trial for breaking the Prime Directive.It is a great book and a great story.I would suggest this for any TOS fan. ... Read more

Product Description
To keep the universe from collapsing, a reunited "Enterprise" crew must save Spock's son from the past. Read by Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan, this is the story of the crew's mission to Gateway, their goal being to bring Zar out of the past to contact the Guardian of Forever and save civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Well written
Time for Yesterday's is a nice sequel to A.C. Crispin's Yesterday's Son, which I also liked.I found this novel's writing much better though. Crispin has really developed as a writer: the dialogue, flow, and character development were all really good.After reading these books, you start to see Zar as having a completely independent personality than the others, filling up the room so to speak. His character is probably good enough for his own independent novel(s) if this hasn't already happened (I haven't checked what else Crispin has written).

This novel's ending is slightly different than the first book's, more 'gradual' one could say. It didn't disappoint me, but I did like the Yesterday's Son ending better.Still, it's good that a writer isn't to predictable.

A decent Star Trek yarn if you like fantasy
I am a die-hard Star Trek fan, but my favorite Star Trek episodes are those that are "hard" science fiction, rather than fantasy.This novel falls securely within the fantasy genre, but it is not bad at all for all that.Basically, here, the Federation is experiencing ripples in time (again) but this time this is causing suns to go nova, to horrible effect.Obviously, the Guardian of Forever is on the fritz, and therein lies the (rather improbable, but reasonably engaging) story.

Crispin's prose is clear and keeps the storyline moving along smartly, at least most of the time, and this story is not bad at all.Most Star Trek fans will enjoy this novel, and it is perfect for an afternoon of beer and chips, as I myself discovered.

Like watching a lost episode of TOS
Yesterday's Son was the first Star Trek novel to hit the best seller list. I read it with pleasure after its 1983 release, but I somehow missed out on its 1988 sequel. I remedied that recently, and I'm very glad I did.

In the Star Trek episode that inspired Yesterday's Son, half-Vulcan Starfleet science officer Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy pass through a time portal - the Guardian of Forever - into the past of a planet about to be destroyed. The people of that planet, Sarpeidon, have already fled into their past, where it was once their custom to exile those they might otherwise have imprisoned. In Sarpeidon's great ice age, Spock and McCoy are rescued from the killing cold by Zarabeth, a banished political prisoner from a far later era. Going backward 5,000 years in time causes Spock to regress to what the Vulcans of that period were like. In Yesterday's Son, Spock learns that he fathered a son with Zarabeth, and that this son - Zar - has grown up marooned in the ice age with only his mother's companionship. With Zarabeth dead, Spock decides to bring Zar forward in time and give him a chance at life. Zar chooses, at the book's end, to return to Sarpeidon's past after seeing evidence in the planet's history that his leadership is destined to guide that world's warring tribes through their first steps toward civilization.

It's 20 years later from Zar's viewpoint, although less time than that has passed for Spock. The Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning, and sending out time waves that cause stars to age at incredible rates. As Starfleet races to evacuate populated planets in stricken systems, Admiral James T. Kirk and his two closest friends reunite aboard an Enterprise now captained by Spock. Their mission: to pass through the Guardian's portal again, find Zar, and bring him forward in time to repeat what he did once that no one else has done successfully. Mind meld with the Guardian, to find out what's wrong and set it right. Hopefully before more worlds, star systems, and lives are lost.

In Zar, A.C. Crispin has created an original character who fits into the Trek universe as if he'd always been part of it. Her Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are exactly the men we knew and loved in the original TV series; and the secondary characters, including Scotty, Uhura, and Sulu, are also spot on in their portrayals. Sarpeidon and its people have enough similarities to Earth and to humans so that identifying with them is easy, but they're also alien enough to make them believable. Reading this book is like watching a long forgotten episode.

Follow-up to Yesterday's Son
Spock had traveled back in time in one of the classic episodes and met Zarabeth, a beautiful young woman who had been exiled to her planet's Ice Age.As a result of their romance Zar was born.Spock's discovery of his son and their meeting was the subject of YESTERDAY'S SON.As TIME FOR YESTERDAY opens Zar is preparing for battle, a battle that he knows will probably be his last.On the Enterprise other problems are appearing, problems that will ultimately lead Spock and his son to meet again at the Guardian of Forever.

This is an excellent follow-up to YESTERDAY'S SON.In many ways it is the stronger novel of the two.The relationship between Zar and Spock is handled better, the characterization of Spock is more in keeping with other works, both the classic episodes and other novels.The situations described are handled well, and are quite interesting.It would, however, be necessary to have seen the original classic episodes and read YESTERDAY'S SON in order to fully appreciate this novel.

one of the best
this is another one of my fave books. Truly delves so much better in the relationship of Zar and who he is and his relationship with Spock then Yesterday's Son did. Shows really how both have grown and accepted who they are...it is a must read, especially if you are a fan of Spock ... Read more

Product Description
Five thousand years ago, on the planet Sarpedion, Spock knew a beautiful, primitive woman. When the SS "Enterprise" is called upon to protect the "Guardian of Forever" - the mysterious portal to the past - Spock uses it to journey to the past, and to discover his own son. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Plot was sound
A decent story with a sound plot, though the writing wasn't my style, as it doesn't seem to flow very well.It also had a very solid ending. The details seem to align quite well with other episodes, no major blunders or anything.3 of 5 stars.

Top Shelf Early Trek
Yesterday's Son is a quality piece of Trek history.The book is satisfying for the causal Trek fan and the hard core fan alike.The characters are captured in perfect detail.Crispin is known for meticulous attention to detail.I have read many of her works and have enjoyed every one of them. I just wish other Trek writers would take lessons from her and her ability to nail the protagonists perfectly. I read this while on vacation, and it made the trip even better. Fantastic book!

Entertaining
I love this novel. I have been a Star Trek fan for a long time. I love the original series with Kirk, Spock and the rest. Not being a reader until recently this was my first novel outside the television series. I enjoyed every page, other reviews have mentioned this to be a pleasant afternoons read, but myself I took three days to finish but never the less I heartily agree with the postive reviews that this a great story.

One Of My All-Time Faves!
I liked the story of Spock and his young son, Zar, so much I read it 25 times via the local library before finally acquiring my own copy. This book is short but packed to the gills with drama, family bonding, a search to understand each other and the different cultures the two men stem from, peril...A wonderful read. Zar is a very vivid and cool OC. Time For Yesterday is even better!

Excellent Star Trek entertainment
I enjoyed this one a lot.Although I prefer "hard" science fiction, as applied to the Star Trek universe, over fantasy, this story nevertheless is internally consistent and very entertaining.The character Zar, Spock's son, is unforgettable.Throw in the Romulans, who are always good for clean fun, and you have a very decent novel that holds the reader's interest.

The characterizations of the main characters are this novel's greatest strengths.Zar is vibrantly portrayed, and the author also does an excellent job with the personality clashes between Zar and Spock.All of this makes for an engaging and (like most Star Trek novels) quick read for a sunny afternoon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Three Classic Star Trek Adventures
Three Classic Star Trek Adventures with Narration by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei and James Doohan on 4 CD's

Disk 1:

* Introduction
* Enterprise: THE FIRST ADVENTURE - Part I

Disk 2:

* Enterprise:THE FIRST ADVENTURE - Part II
* FINAL FRONTIER - Part I

Disk 3:

* FINAL FRONTIER - Part II
* STRANGERS FROM THE SKY - Part I

Disk 4:

* STRANGERS FROM THE SKY - Part II ... Read more

Product Description
As James T. Kirk prepares to retire from a long and illustrious Starfleet career, events in a distant part of the Federation draw him back to a part of the galaxy he had last visited as a young man, a mysterious world called Faramond whose name takes Kirk on a journey back to his youth.

At sixteen, Kirk is troubled, estranged from his father, and has a bleak future. However, a trip into space with Kirk's father George and Starfleet legend Captain Robert April changes James Kirk's life forever, when a simple voyage becomes a deadly trap. Soon Kirk and his father find themselves fighting for their lives against a vicious and powerful enemy.

Before the voyage ends, father and son will face life and death together, and James T. Kirk will get a glimpse of the future and his own best destiny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

The First Journey of Kirk From Rebel to Hero
STAR TREK: BEST DESTINY is a book that both a prequel and a sequel. The book actually begins not long after the events of STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.Capt. Kirk and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise have been ordered to return to Earth for the decommissioning of the ship.Along the way, the Enterprise receives a distress call from near the barren planet of Faramond. The message reminds Kirk of his first real voyage in space after having returned and lived on Earth for several years. The book then rewinds to that earlier time nearly forty-five years before.The events from that period are connected to what is happening at Faramond in the present.

Jimmy Kirk is a troublesome teenager. He's extremely intelligent and bright, but has a deep resentment towards his father for leaving all the time to travel in space.After being taken into custody aboard a sea vessel while running away from home, George Kirk is convince by his wife to take Jimmy with him into space.At first George is opposed to the idea, but comes to see the wisdom in his wife's suggestion.Under George's guardianship with the approval of his commander, Capt. Robert April, George brings Jimmy into space and aboard the starship Enterprise.The ship hasn't even been commissioned yet and has only traveled out on one test run.Capt. April is convinced that the voyage on what is to be the Federation's command ship is just what Jimmy needs to turn his life around.George and Capt. April take Jimmy with them aboard a shuttle to examine a peculiar astronomical phenomena.This short jaunt isn't meant to be a very long journey and the small craft is supposed to meet back with the Enterprise at Faramond several hours later.While examining the strange star, the shuttle is attacked by rogue space pirates and left semi-disabled. With the Enterprise unable to return for hours it's up to George, Capt. April, Jimmy, and the other members of the crew to figure out a way to distract the pirates and buy themselves some time.

I must confess that until rather recently, I was never a huge fan of the original Star Trek. I was always more of a Star Wars guy. However, I did become interested in the Star Trek universe when I started watching some episodes of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION while in high school and my interest in the Star Trek universe has grown ever since then.Overall, I found STAR TREK: BEST DESTINY to be a very enjoyable novel.A reader only needs a basic understanding of the characters of Star Trek to enjoy the book.The book was originally released shortly after STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, so if a person has seen that movie it would probably suffice.Unlike some other Star Trek novels I have skimmed before, BEST DESTINY does an excellent job of explaining what little technobabble there is (since this is Jim Kirk's first adventure in space, everything has to be explained to him).At the same time, even though all a person needs is a basic understanding of the characters, there are all kinds of information in the book that major fans of the Star Trek universe will find particularly interesting.Overall, an entertaining Star Trek novel that would stand as a good story even if it wasn't set in the Star Trek universe.

Jim Kirk's First Adventure In Space
STAR TREK: BEST DESTINY is a book that both a prequel and a sequel. The book actually begins not long after the events of STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.Capt. Kirk and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise have been ordered to return to Earth for the decommissioning of the ship.Along the way, the Enterprise receives a distress call from near the barren planet of Faramond. The message reminds Kirk of his first real voyage in space after having returned and lived on Earth for several years. The book then rewinds to that earlier time nearly forty-five years before.The events from that period are connected to what is happening at Faramond in the present.

Jimmy Kirk is a troublesome teenager. He's extremely intelligent and bright, but has a deep resentment towards his father for leaving all the time to travel in space.After being taken into custody aboard a sea vessel while running away from home, George Kirk is convince by his wife to take Jimmy with him into space.At first George is opposed to the idea, but comes to see the wisdom in his wife's suggestion.Under George's guardianship with the approval of his commander, Capt. Robert April, George brings Jimmy into space and aboard the starship Enterprise.The ship hasn't even been commissioned yet and has only traveled out on one test run.Capt. April is convinced that the voyage on what is to be the Federation's command ship is just what Jimmy needs to turn his life around.George and Capt. April take Jimmy with them aboard a shuttle to examine a peculiar astronomical phenomena.This short jaunt isn't meant to be a very long journey and the small craft is supposed to meet back with the Enterprise at Faramond several hours later.While examining the strange star, the shuttle is attacked by rogue space pirates and left semi-disabled. With the Enterprise unable to return for hours it's up to George, Capt. April, Jimmy, and the other members of the crew to figure out a way to distract the pirates and buy themselves some time.

I must confess that until rather recently, I was never a huge fan of the original Star Trek. I was always more of a Star Wars guy. However, I did become interested in the Star Trek universe when I started watching some episodes of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION while in high school and my interest in the Star Trek universe has grown ever since then.Overall, I found STAR TREK: BEST DESTINY to be a very enjoyable novel.A reader only needs a basic understanding of the characters of Star Trek to enjoy the book.The book was originally released shortly after STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, so if a person has seen that movie it would probably suffice.Unlike some other Star Trek novels I have skimmed before, BEST DESTINY does an excellent job of explaining what little technobabble there is (since this is Jim Kirk's first adventure in space, everything has to be explained to him).At the same time, even though all a person needs is a basic understanding of the characters, there are all kinds of information in the book that major fans of the Star Trek universe will find particularly interesting.Overall, an entertaining Star Trek novel that would stand as a good story even if it wasn't set in the Star Trek universe.

In the beginning....
In this Star Trek novel, James T. Kirk encounters an event that reminds him of a similar event that occured when he was young.This triggers a flashback to Kirk's second trip into outer space, when he was a surly 16 year old.Something happens to young Kirk that becomes a major turning point in this life, which steers him into becoming the man Star Trek fans know.It's quite enjoyable for fans of the show, non-fans obviously will be uninterested.

Rings true to the "Trek-verse"
Jimmy Kirk is 16 years old, and far too much like his father. Of course that's the last thing in the universe Jimmy wants to believe, since being angry with Starfleet Commander George Kirk is his life's current passion. How can his dad claim to care about Winona, Sam, and Jimmy, when he spends most of his time in space? As Star Trek historical novel "Best Destiny" opens, young Jimmy is busy leading a small gang of similarly rebellious adolescents on what he sees as a grand adventure. One that a red-haired Starfleet security commander makes short work of, as a mortified and furious George Kirk answers his wife's summons to come home and deal with their problem child.

Desperate to show Jimmy that study and self-discipline can take him somewhere the boy may actually want to go, George asks for a temporary assignment that he can share with his son. He makes that appeal to his former captain, the legendary Robert April, who commands Starfleet's first Enterprise. Captain April, who is also young Jimmy's godfather, comes through with what ought to be a safe diplomatic outing. What could possibly go wrong on a mission to launch a new archaeological dig on a planet rich in ancient mysteries?

On the planet? Not much. The problem is that the two Kirks and Captain April, plus the small group of Enterprise crew members accompanying them, never get there. Their cutter (a craft soon to be replaced by the now familiar Starfleet shuttle) is ambushed by a pirate vessel hiding where no ship should be able to survive. As Jimmy watches his father in action for the first time, along with Captain April and the others aboard the cutter in the desperate battle that follows, he realizes that they have something he lacks and wants desperately. When his chance comes to help in that fight, he uses his own gifts - untrained and undisciplined though they are - for the first time to support a cause that's larger than himself.

Set inside a framing story with a 60-something James T. Kirk as its hero, this coming of age tale holds up well despite having been outrun by changes in Star Trek canon subsequent to its publication. There's a bit of quaintness in its unintentional lapses into sexism (I can't imagine a Starfleet captain addressing a female crew member, even a wounded one, as "dear" or "honey"!), but otherwise the characters ring true; and the Trek-verse as it appears here, with Robert April not replaced by Jonathan Archer, feels entirely right to this "since the first episode in 1966" fan. I had a great time reading it, and that's exactly what Trek novels are for.

A chronicle of the events that turned the rebellious Jimmy Kirk into Captain James T. Kirk
Like so many of the greatest commanders in history, James T. Kirk was a rebellious teenager, driving his Star Fleet father George Kirk to the brink of frustrated parental defeat. In his first attempt to show his son what Star Fleet was all about, Jimmy Kirk experienced the brutality of Kodos' own brand of survival techniques. When Jimmy leads his gang in an attempt to run away on an ocean ship, George tries one last time to alter his son's life course.
Although the mission is designed to be a "milk-run", it turns out to be much more than that. George Kirk, Captain Robert April, Jimmy Kirk and several other Star Fleet members are observing a unique star formation in a small craft when a pirate ship attacks them. They put up a good fight but when they think that they are about to be destroyed, they put Jimmy in a makeshift survival pod and try to send him out of danger. However, Jimmy has other ideas and proceeds to attack the pirate ship and disable them long enough for his father and shipmates to join in the fight. They manage to defeat their opponents, one of which is a boy genius who has somehow managed to develop a new and revolutionary shield technology.
There is a later story intertwined with this one. Years later Kirk is an admiral and the time frame is right after "The Undiscovered Country." The Enterprise is about to be decommissioned when it is forced to answer a distress call from one of the newest models of starships. When they arrive, Kirk finds himself confronting an old nemesis with delusions of godhood.
This book is an excellent glimpse into the troubled teen years of the strong-willed Jimmy Kirk and the circumstances that turned a potential sociopath into one of the finest commanders Star Fleet ever produced.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome Secrets
I loved the frankness of James Doohans menior.In particular, the Star Trek behind the scenes from Jimmy's point of view were fun.I had no idea that Mr. Dooham had been at Normany in the WWII.A wonderful read. ... Read more

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