Spoilers KEL: The Unsettling Stars by Alan Dean Foster Review Thread

[JD]

I'm a little disappointed to hear that Foster didn't really lean into the differences between the Prime and Kelvin universes. It sounds like @David Mack's More Beautiful Than Death deals a lot with the aftermath of Vulcan's destruction, so hopefully that should lean into the Kelvin aspects a bit more.

 

[David Mack]

I'm a little disappointed to hear that Foster didn't really lean into the differences between the Prime and Kelvin universes. It sounds like @David Mack's More Beautiful Than Death deals a lot with the aftermath of Vulcan's destruction, so hopefully that should lean into the Kelvin aspects a bit more.

It will. MBTD is a story that could only be told in the Kelvinverse of Star Trek; it would not work as a regular Original Series adventure.

 

[Desert Kris]

It will. MBTD is a story that could only be told in the Kelvinverse of Star Trek; it would not work as a regular Original Series adventure.

I shall look forward to that.

 

[Malaika]

I finished the book. I liked it though my initial impressions are confirmed that it doesn't always read like a kelvin trek story.

It isn't a typical villain story for sure because the threat is different.. clever. I have to say I understood what would be the 'problem' asap and thus found the scenes with the aliens amusing.

 

[Khan 2.0]

http://blog.trekcore.com/2020/04/book-review-star-trek-kelvin-timeline-the-unsettling-stars/

 

[thribs]

It will. MBTD is a story that could only be told in the Kelvinverse of Star Trek; it would not work as a regular Original Series adventure.

Did you alter the story in anyway since you originally wrote it?

 

[Desert Kris]

It will. MBTD is a story that could only be told in the Kelvinverse of Star Trek; it would not work as a regular Original Series adventure.

Did you alter the story in anyway since you originally wrote it?

I almost asked that question myself, out of curiosity and interest in the writing/creative process. If the book is based exclusively on the first movie, I'm totally fine with that and will happily approach the book from that standpoint. If there are a few tweaks based on information from the later movies, that's also totally okay with me, too.

 

[David Mack]

Did you alter the story in anyway since you originally wrote it?

The story? No. A few minor continuity bits? Yes, just to keep it aligned with the new films' canon continuity. Its story takes place after the first movie, but before the events of Into Darkness.

 

[KRAD]

I always refer to them as the Bad Robot movies, myself.....

 

[F. King Daniel]

In Into Darkness, Kirk argues with Pike and points out that he hasn't lost a single crewmember since taking command (and boy, did that change by the end of that and the subsequent movies), so I take it the Enterprise suffers zero fatalities during this (and David Mack's) novels?

 

[USS Firefly]

In Into Darkness, Kirk argues with Pike and points out that he hasn't lost a single crewmember since taking command (and boy, did that change by the end of that and the subsequent movies), so I take it the Enterprise suffers zero fatalities during this (and David Mack's) novels?

Is It even possible for David Mack to write a novel where nobody dies?

 

[Jinn]

Is It even possible for David Mack to write a novel where nobody dies?

I mean, he can just kill off non Enterprise crewmembers The Mack novel will obviously start with a full contingent of redshirts temporarily staying on the Enterprise for transport, just to be blown out of the airlock in chapter 3.

 

[Leto_II]

Sulu is also at rank, Uhura is addressed as Lieutenant, Chekov at Ensign, and Kirk has an on screen designation of Lieutenant.

Kirk earning a lieutenancy at the Academy is Foster being consistent with his 2009 novelization of J.J. Abrams' film, where he had Kirk at that rank prior to graduation when he gained command of the Enterprise during Nero's incursion. Probably as a way of making his rapid career-ascent just a tad more plausible, in terms of the movie's implication that their shiniest new starship just got handed over to a raw cadet.

 

[fireproof78]

Kirk earning a lieutenancy at the Academy is Foster being consistent with his 2009 novelization of the first J.J. Abrams film, where he had Kirk at that rank prior to graduation when he gained command of the Enterprise during Nero's incursion. Probably as a way of making his rapid career-ascent just a tad more plausible, in terms of the movie's implication that their shiniest new starship just got handed over to a raw cadet.

Yup. Never bothered me considering that Saavik was also a lieutenant and a cadet in TWOK and then a full lieutenant in TSSF.

Just appears to be the Starfleet way, and treating cadets like current military cadets appears to be in error.

 

[Reanok]

The book briefly mentions what happened to the Vulcan people being refugees and that some of them are living on Earth.I'm look forward to reading David Mack's book that further explores what's hapen to the Vulcan's in the Kelvin timeline.

 

[Reanok]

I finished this book and really liked the fact the Villians aren't your typical alien types you read about in Star Trek books.As someone else mention it was clever the way it was handled in the book.i'm so glad this book was finally published at long last. I really enjoyed reading this book.

 

[Ronald Held]

About a third of the way through. I wonder if the refugees are telepaths?

 

[NCC-73515]

http://blog.trekcore.com/2020/04/book-review-star-trek-kelvin-timeline-the-unsettling-stars/

There is also a twist ending, which is both fairly well established and then subverted numerous times throughout the novel. I was as unsure as the Enterprise crew, by the time the twist revealed itself, whether it was going to be what I expected or not, which is to Foster’s credit. It did not come out of nowhere, but it was not entirely predictable either.

What is the twist ending? Anything connected to STID or Beyond?

 

[JD]

I haven't read the book, but I doubt there is anything connected to Into Darkness or Beyond since the book was written before either of them came out.

 

[NCC-73515]

I haven't read the book, but I doubt there is anything connected to Into Darkness or Beyond since the book was written before either of them came out.

And they apparently blocked it because of future movies. So was there a connection or not?