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

[Christopher]

And they apparently blocked it because of future movies.

No, they absolutely did not. That is nothing but a fan conjecture that refuses to die even though it makes no damn sense. Nobody has ever cancelled a novel because it might contradict future productions. They either rewrite it or they just let it get published despite the contradictions. It's happeened countless times with previous Trek books, so it bewilders me that anyone would fall for such a ridiculous speculation in this case.

The books were not cancelled because of their content. That had nothing to do with it. It was because of larger issues of company policy. Basically, Bad Robot preferred to generate tie-in content in-house under its close supervision, which didn't mesh with Pocket's creative approach (or its location on the other end of the country).

 

[NCC-73515]

Ah, then TrekCore was wrong

 

[Malaika]

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

It isn't connected. It obliquely touches on the prime directive from a different angle but that's all.. The twist is about the fact it isn't a typical villain vs good guys story. In fact, the new alien race are extremely good guys ^

 

[fireproof78]

It isn't connected. It obliquely touches on the prime directive from a different angle but that's all.. The twist is about the fact it isn't a typical villain vs good guys story. In fact, the new alien race are extremely good guys ^

That's encouraging. Be picking this up soon then.

 

[Ronald Held]

Spock's continual talk of refugees seems off. He would try to preserve all life.

 

[Markonian]

Spock's continual talk of refugees seems off. He would try to preserve all life.

Spock is not going out of his way to let other life perish. But due to his biography in this timeline, he sees himself as refugee and therefore experiences kinship with people he identifies as refugees.

 

[Markonian]

Finished reading.

I agree that the setup of the Perenoreans was clever. I expected a sinister secret but their ideological struggle was much better.
The description of the Perenoreans and the SiBoronaans was detailed - I felt like it emulated the cinematic approach of the Kelvin movies. Speaking of the SiBoronaans - how is the "-aan" suffix pronounced differently from lets say Regulans, Catullans, etc.?

What surprised me was that we didn't run into the Dre'Kalak again. I thought the Enterprise would seek them out when they figured out the deal with the Perenoreans, and band together. Subverting expectations is welcome, but I'm surprised they didn't turn up again.

Speculation: perhaps the Federation later employed the Perenoreans of DiBor colony in the design and construction of Yorktown Station?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Spock married his surrogate daughter in TOS? Yuck.

No and no.

Saavik didn't even appear until ST II, which was well after TOS. And she is NOT Spock's surrogate daughter. Spock was her mentor, but nothing beyond that.

Spock and Saavik's marriage is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a creepy thing. On the contrary, it makes perfect sense. By the time they DO get married, they've known each other for decades.

 

[Christopher]

Speaking of the SiBoronaans - how is the "-aan" suffix pronounced differently from lets say Regulans, Catullans, etc.?

Maybe this is answered in the audiobook, but I would guess maybe the syllable is stressed or elongated, "See-bore-oh-nahhn" instead of "See-bore-oh-nun." Or maybe both vowels are pronounced distinctly, "-na-an."

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

EASTER EGG

I'm not absolutely certain, but it certainly appears that the reference on page 113, about lobsters reminding Spock of a certain diplomat of his acquaintance, is a reference to Telson, from Kathleen Sky's Death's Angel.

Unless there's some other crustacean diplomat I've completely forgotten about.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

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

Thanks for that bit of Lore.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

As an avowed ADF fan, I found it rather disappointing. Not at the same level as ST Log Eight or ST Log Ten. Not the delightful alien-POV weirdness of Nor Crystal Tears, ("It's hard to be a larva"); not the magnificent world-building of Sentenced to Prism; not the wild ride through raucously-curated absurdity of Glory Lane.

I liked the aforementioned apparent Easter-egg reference to Ambassador Telson, and I appreciated the way it held up an unflattering mirror to our own tendencies to seek out indispensability, and to intentionally seek to drive out competitors. But I found the ending unsatisfying, and the whole to be much less than anything else ADF has done in the ST, HC, Spellsinger, or Mad Amos milieus.

 

[Ronald Held]

Just finished. Can anyone cite
an enemy similar to the Refugees?
As to voice, only McCoy might be either Urban or Kelley.

 

[Malaika]

Just finished. Can anyone cite
an enemy similar to the Refugees?

Western colonialists.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Just finished. Can anyone cite
an enemy similar to the Refugees?

Microsoft. As in "Embrace, Extend, Exterminate."

 

[Ronald Held]

I really meant Trek races.

 

[20fridge]

Microsoft. As in "Embrace, Extend, Exterminate."

Microsoft reminds me of the Ware more than the refugees in this story...

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Probably intended that way.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Aaaaaand the revised release date has vanished from Amazon UK. I'm thinking I'll have to import from elsewhere if I want a physical copy before the end of COVID-19.

 

[thribs]

Aaaaaand the revised release date has vanished from Amazon UK. I'm thinking I'll have to import from elsewhere if I want a physical copy before the end of COVID-19.

I got mine from the book depository awhile back in the uk. Only read two chapters so far.