Best treatments of Spock in TrekLit

[Paper Moon]

Hi all,

As we mourn today the passing of Leonard Nimoy, many of us in the Star Trek community have shared our favorite memories of the Spock character. Many have recounted the important role Spock played in our lives, serving as a role model, providing a reflection of our own experiences, or simply bringing us the joy of seeing a wonderful character.

Star Trek novels offered a unique opportunity for us fans- a way to more intimately know one of our favorite characters. Sometimes, I think we can agree, an author's interpretation was simply "wrong"– inconsistent with the "real" Spock we knew from onscreen. Of course, there were moments throughout the franchise when the "real" Spock was, I think we can agree, written out of character- deviating from the "real" Spock that we know so well.

But there have definitely been many instances of Spock being captured perfectly in literature, and I thought we might share them here, along with our favorite TrekLit moments of the character in general.

One of the first things that come to mind for me is perhaps a bit surprising: in Articles of the Federation, when Bacco basically reams Spock out on the fifteenth floor. That was a very different set of circumstances than any in which he was ever depicted onscreen, but I thought KRAD did an amazing job describing how Spock would react in that situation.

 

[Reanok]

I had to say some my favorite the Books with Spock are, Spock's world by Diane Duane and his speech to stay with the federation. The novels Yesterday's son and Time for Yesterday. Sarek has some really good character for Spock moments when his mother was ill and we get a really good look inside his characters and problems he has with Sarek. The wrath of khan novel. Foul deeds will rise.by Greg Cox.

 

[PKS8304]

As I just finished it recently it is freshest in my mind but I really enjoyed Spock and especially his back and forth with McCoy in "Covenant of the Crown" by Howard Weinstein and to echo above the AC Crispin duology which was also my first TOS books

 

[JD]

I haven't really read a lot of Spock centric books yet, but the two that he play the biggest role in that I remember the best would have to be Spock's World, and Troublesome Minds.

 

[DS9forever]

I liked his role in Plagues of Night; it was nice to see him back on the bridge of a starship. Rough Beasts of Empire's Spock storyline was interesting as well.

 

[JD]

I forgot about Rough Beasts, I really enjoyed Spock's story there. Another one I forgot about in my other post is The Sorrows of Empire, I know it was Mirror Spock, but it's it's an amazing book and it focuses pretty heavily on Spock.

 

[Christopher]

As I just finished it recently it is freshest in my mind but I really enjoyed Spock and especially his back and forth with McCoy in "Covenant of the Crown" by Howard Weinstein

Absolutely. I've always loved the Spock-McCoy interplay in Covenant. One of my all-time favorites.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Spock's appearance before the Federation Council and his debate with Ambassador Sytok in the Reeves-Stevens' Prime Directive is perhaps my all-time favorite Treklit moment.

One of my favorite Spock-centric novels is Mike Friedman's Crossover.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

Seems like there's been quite a few good Spock stories and portrayals in Treklit over the years.

A couple that I've enjoyed that haven't been mentioned yet -- I really enjoyed how McCoy reached out to Spock in Crucible: McCoy for help with figuring out his memories of the alternate timeline. It brought out the real friendship and bond between the two men beneath their arguments. I also really like the final visit between the two characters in that book. It's all the more poignant now that both Kelley and Nimoy are gone.

I also remember really liking Vulcan's Glory and D.C. Fontana's description of the younger Spock first assigned to the Enterprise.

 

[Mage]

Not the best ever, but there's a part in one the NF novels, were Spock and Arex are part of a briefing, and they're talking about music, and Arex mentions Spock harp, to which Spock replies lyre. Arex, misunderstanding him, start to apologize, and Spock explains himself....

Anyway, not fantastic or anything, but it really reminded me of some of those little moments Spock could have during TOS, where it showed that he was very capable of humor if he wanted to.

 

[tomswift2002]

Probably my most favorite Spock moments came in the William Shatner novels, starting with Spock visitng Kirk's grave in The Return, and telling Picard and crew how he felt that Kirk still was not dead (referencing what the Romulans and Borg did to Kirk), all the way up to Shatner's writing of what occurred at the Academy between the two in Collision Course.

 

[Etoile]

Another vote from me for Troublesome Minds. Seeing Spock nearly lose himself is quite powerful.

 

[Greg Cox]

I had to say some my favorite the Books with Spock are, Spock's world by Diane Duane and his speech to stay with the federation. The novels Yesterday's son and Time for Yesterday. Sarek has some really good character for Spock moments when his mother was ill and we get a really good look inside his characters and problems he has with Sarek. The wrath of khan novel. Foul deeds will rise.by Greg Cox.

Thanks! I'm pleasantly surprised to see Foul Deeds cited here since I mostly think of that as a Kirk book, even though Spock and Scotty had their own B-plot.

 

[Reanok]

You're welcome Greg. I really liked the Spock and Scotty storyline in Foul deeds will rise. I also Like Troublesome Minds and Devils Bargain. The crucible storyline with Spock and McCoy was well written as others have mentioned.

 

[KRAD]

Paper Moon: Thank you for citing Articles. I really enjoyed writing Spock there and in The Brave and the Bold, as he's a delightfully complex character. I wish I'd gotten to write him more while Nimoy was alive. *sigh*

I will toss in a vote for The Entropy Effect and Enterprise: The First Adventure, both by Vonda N. McIntyre. The former is a great book, the latter really isn't, but both have magnificent portrayals of Spock. I particularly enjoy from E:TFA how she wrote the early days of the Spock-McCoy rivalry, and Spock's response to the letter and package from Amanda at the start of the book.