"King Kong Lives!"
As if a bionic heart would solve all his problems from that fall...
several old TOS novels - opinions appreciated..
- Thread starter RonG
- Start date
"King Kong Lives!"
As if a bionic heart would solve all his problems from that fall...
Of the ones mentioned I've only read Black Fire and The Prometheus Design. I'll agree with others that Black Fire read much like fanfic. It's not very good, but it's not terrible either. The Prometheus Design is just...wierd. I really can't even explain it because I never completely understood what it's about.
I love threads like this.
Wounded Sky
A good book featuring a semi-immortal glass spider lady. The image in my head was of a really crude Voyager-style CGI. No shadows. Poor animation.
Diane looses it with the LSD-style hallucination scene were Kirk professes his undying super-love for the Enterprise. It’s either embarrassing or hilarious.
It wasn’t until I read Voyages of Imagination that I saw the link between this and the TNG episode (although the shift from Glass Spider Lady to Strange Single Older Man With Unhealthy Interest in Young Boy would throw almost anyone)
Doctor’s Orders
I’ve always liked that Diane Duane presented the Enterprise crew as intelligent, well trained people - unlike, say, STVI where Uhura couldn’t speak Klingon or McCoy who didn’t have a clue about Klingon anatomy. STXI got it right – Uhura speaks Romulan! That’s the difference between writers who really care about the characters and those who don’t. Diane’s love for the characters shows (as always), but I found the story a little slow going.
It needs to be said that the story hinges on the silliest of technicalities, but is still more believable than when Beverly took command of the Enterprise-D in TNG: “Descent” (rant and rave about useless Beverlump defeating the Borg omitted)
Black Fire
I really enjoyed this, but I’ve always liked slightly nuttier Star Treks that everyone else hates.
Incidentally, Spock’s pirate garb could be ‘done’ convincingly with a bit of CGI nowadays.
It’s weird because it’s got an intermediate halfway Enterprise upgrade between TOS and TMP: The bridge is given grey control panels and a grey turbolift door, and those nasty TMP grey PJ’s are introduced. These changes are ignored in all subsequent novels (and those nasty PJ’s appear for the ‘first’ time again in The Lost Years)
Also check out Dr McCoy’s hilarious “Black Ire” parody/tribute in Prime Directive.
Pandora Principle
Saavik Begins. I liked this book, and it forms the bases of my dislike of the later (IMO inappropriate) Spock/Saavik marriage in Vulcan’s Heart (which I have yet to read so shouldn’t really comment yet).
I’d like to see the new Trek crew find young Saavik on Hellguard in Star Trek XII.
I think there was a comic book version of the scene where Saavik is rescued (as a flashback?). There’s a good chance I’m wrong.
The Prometheus Design
Interesting use of TMP-era technology that usually lies forgotten (although I find the idea of a future where people don’t even dress themselves to be dumb beyond belief).
Unfortunate homoerotic undertones between Kirk and Spock…again. A Vulcan Super-Admiral beams aboard and doesn’t approve of their “friendship”. Cue silly role-reversal and some disembodied voices.
I actually found it kinda amusing.
Wounded Sky
A good book featuring a semi-immortal glass spider lady. The image in my head was of a really crude Voyager-style CGI. No shadows. Poor animation.
Diane looses it with the LSD-style hallucination scene were Kirk professes his undying super-love for the Enterprise. It’s either embarrassing or hilarious.
It wasn’t until I read Voyages of Imagination that I saw the link between this and the TNG episode (although the shift from Glass Spider Lady to Strange Single Older Man With Unhealthy Interest in Young Boy would throw almost anyone)
Doctor’s Orders
I’ve always liked that Diane Duane presented the Enterprise crew as intelligent, well trained people - unlike, say, STVI where Uhura couldn’t speak Klingon or McCoy who didn’t have a clue about Klingon anatomy. STXI got it right – Uhura speaks Romulan! That’s the difference between writers who really care about the characters and those who don’t. Diane’s love for the characters shows (as always), but I found the story a little slow going.
It needs to be said that the story hinges on the silliest of technicalities, but is still more believable than when Beverly took command of the Enterprise-D in TNG: “Descent” (rant and rave about useless Beverlump defeating the Borg omitted)
Black Fire
I really enjoyed this, but I’ve always liked slightly nuttier Star Treks that everyone else hates.
Incidentally, Spock’s pirate garb could be ‘done’ convincingly with a bit of CGI nowadays.
It’s weird because it’s got an intermediate halfway Enterprise upgrade between TOS and TMP: The bridge is given grey control panels and a grey turbolift door, and those nasty TMP grey PJ’s are introduced. These changes are ignored in all subsequent novels (and those nasty PJ’s appear for the ‘first’ time again in The Lost Years)
Also check out Dr McCoy’s hilarious “Black Ire” parody/tribute in Prime Directive.
Pandora Principle
Saavik Begins. I liked this book, and it forms the bases of my dislike of the later (IMO inappropriate) Spock/Saavik marriage in Vulcan’s Heart (which I have yet to read so shouldn’t really comment yet).
I’d like to see the new Trek crew find young Saavik on Hellguard in Star Trek XII.
I think there was a comic book version of the scene where Saavik is rescued (as a flashback?). There’s a good chance I’m wrong.
The Prometheus Design
Interesting use of TMP-era technology that usually lies forgotten (although I find the idea of a future where people don’t even dress themselves to be dumb beyond belief).
Unfortunate homoerotic undertones between Kirk and Spock…again. A Vulcan Super-Admiral beams aboard and doesn’t approve of their “friendship”. Cue silly role-reversal and some disembodied voices.
I actually found it kinda amusing.
You wouldn't need CGI. Just dress him in a chromakey color, matte in pure black in its place, and animate a shimmer along the edges. Or it could even be done more simply with color timing. I've seen actual fabric that has a similar effect to what's described in the book, black except sometimes with a fiery shimmer where the light catches it. You could use that and just up the color contrast to make the black more vivid.
They weren't "ignored," it's just that at the time there was no expectation that the novels represented a single continuity. They certainly didn't take place in any sort of chronological order, jumping back and forth between the 5-year mission and the post-TMP era, with some of the books making different chronological assumptions from others (Diane Duane's books seemed to be in a conjectural second 5-year mission between TAS & TMP).
The books at the time were all independent realities. The only continuity was in consecutive books by the same author or team of authors. It was only later that an effort was made to build a shared continuity, probably beginning with book #25, Dwellers in the Crucible, which incorporated John M. Ford's Klingons and Diane Duane's Rihannsu. And even that was immediately followed by Pawns and Symbols, which presented a completely incompatible version of the Klingons. So the idea of continuity among the novels emerged gradually and didn't begin until long after Black Fire.
I think you're doubly right. It was featured in DC's first Star Trek comic, issues 8-9. There was also an issue of Marvel's Untold Voyages that featured Saavik, and I think it did include a brief flashback to her origins.
Issues #7-8. Issue #9 kicked off the Mirror Universe storyline post-Star Trek III.
D'oh! I knew that. I've had those issues for over 20 years. My brain glitched.
'sokay. 
Seriously, for a moment there, you had me questioning my own memory of the old comics. 
Seriously, for a moment there, you had me questioning my own memory of the old comics. 
Pandora Principle was great fun. Prometheus Design was interesting - there seemed to be undertones about some greater intelligence working to a sinister plan akin to the Shadows in B5. I would have liked to see that element developed in later novels but I don't think it ever was.
The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane: Best. Trek. Novel. EVER. Duane delivers a story that's not only good Star Trek, but it's good science fiction. Her take of the TOS characters is as dead-on as anyone has gotten in print. Her other Trek books are also worth a look, as are her non-Trek works as well.
Hi all,
As I await the new(ish) crop of Trek novels (just finished Vanguard: Open Secrets - fantastic BTW), I got some old TOS novels from a local used bookstore.
As it was a great deal, I got all of them, but I wanted to get your opinions (spoiler-free, if possible, or marked with spoiler tags..) on these novels:
- The Wounded Sky
- Doctor's Orders
- Black Fire
- The Pandora Principle
- The Prometheus Design
- Deep Domain
Looking forward to read your comments
I have read only 2 of these.
Black Fire was really pretty neat. Without ruining it Spock joins the Romulans pirate on a black spacehip!
and proves his worth to them.
I enjoyable read. Plus the books is green and that is my favorite colour!
Prometheus Design this was ok to my liking. My memory of this one is not so good since it was a long time a go. I remember Spock being weird, and rescuing Kirk from a hospital of devil horned aliens
...not much help i kno sorry.