nuHmey wISov*! Your first officer Mac, here. While your away team continues their march through the Final Frontier (listen here, and subscribe wherever fine podcasts are streamed or downloaded), there is so much more to the Trek universe to watch, take in, and, in this case, read.
Every month Amazon puts an array of Star Trek tie-in books on sale for the dirt-cheap price of $0.99. If you’re anything like me, you’ll buy nearly anything Trek-related if it’s less than a dollar… which is why I have (some reference to a super-cheap Trek tie-in product). But you may find yourself wondering which books are on sale this month. Never fear! Here are each of the books on sale in November!
A Stitch in Time (DS9, Book 27) by Andrew J. Robinson
Here we have the very first novel (of which there are now many) to take place after DS9’s series finale, “What You Leave Behind.” There have also been a number of books written by cast members (more on that in a little bit), but by all accounts this one had no ghost writer, and is thus direct from the brain of plain, simple Garak himself.
…and somehow, I’ve never read it.
This needs to be rectified as soon as possible.
Ex Machina (TOS) by Christopher L. Bennett
Of all the various Trek eras, the time period between Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is the one most neglected in secondary canon. That’s understandable, as that first movie is a trifle bore, and its aesthetic was among the first things abandoned with the rise of Mssrs. Meyer and Bennett…
…and yet, I wouldn’t mind to spend a few minutes in the atrium of the refit NCC-1701. They went through all the trouble to build that huge set, the least we can all do is imagine some additional scenes there! (The book better have some atrium scenes, is all I’m saying…)
Planet X (TNG/X-Men Crossover) by Michael Jan Friedman
For a brief moment, many years ago, Marvel had tripped over a licensing agreement with Paramount and tried to make it the most of it. For a year, there were endless variations of comics pushed out (the Pike and Company-centric Early Voyages was pretty good) including a meetup of Xavier’s students and the crew of the original Enterprise. (Yes, Kirk did hit on Jean Grey. No, it didn’t go so great.)
That’s all well and good, but then the experiment got out of the lab. Here, the crew of the Enterprise-D and the X-Men meet up to defeat a common foe…
So, what happens when Professor X and Captain Picard meet? The universe (or at least two of them) implode, right?
Rogue Saucer (TNG, Book 39) by John Vornholt
I have fond memories of this one. It’s a simple plot, an experimental saucer section that could soft land on a planet and then re-launch back into orbit runs afoul of nefarious forces.
Now, if only I could remember why they didn’t keep that tech around for Star Trek: Generations (1994). Oh, well. Just means its time to read it again.
Strangers from the Sky (TOS) by Margaret Wander Bonanno
This one has been on cheap lists before, and is a re-issue of a novel originally published in the 80s. The reviews occasionally complain about a time-travel plot (which doesn’t turn me off a bit; besides, when do Amazon reviews know anything?), and the author wrote the undeniably fun Catalyst of Sorrows and the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) sequel, Probe. So, I’m on board.
The Three-Minute Universe (TOS, Book 41) by Barbara Paul
All right, numbered novel from the 80s… You’re putting Uhura on front street. You better deliver the goods, is all I’m gonna say.
The Wrath of Khan - Novelization by Vonda N McIntyre
Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. I’ve been on a kick lately where I read novelizations of old movies. I’m not sure why. It might have been an idea for a blog I was nursing at one point, but then thought better of it.
But here, I’m all for letting quite possibly my favorite movie of all time take its time and live in my head. It may not be art (are any Star Trek books?), oh, but I do like it.
Ghost of a Chance (VOY, Book 7) by Mark Garland and Charles G. McGraw
Just look at that cover. It’s giving me nothing, and I am here for it. If being tantalized is cyclical, this book—judging by cover alone—is so uninteresting I’m suddenly fascinated again.
The Left Hand of Destiny by J.G. Hertzler and Jeffrey Lang
Book One
Book Two
This month’s series on sale is a duology offering more adventures of Martok, brought to us (at least in part) by the performer who brought him to life. Maybe the theme for this month is books focusing on characters written by the performers who played them? If that’s the case, where are my Shatnerverse books?
Apparently, they haven’t even been released in Kindle versions… C’est la vie.
That’s it for this month’s books. Be sure to check back here next month, check in on us at the podcast, and if you’re upset about that one moment on a recent episode of Lower Decks, then you don’t understand the first thing about Gene Roddenberry. He may have been the Great Bird of the Galaxy, but first and foremost, he was the single horniest person who ever lived.
*Roughly translated from Klingon, “Welcome, bibliophiles.” “Welcome” is probably a bit of a stretch, but anyone who thought the children of Kahless wouldn’t have a word for “bibliophile” has clearly not read Shakespeare in the original text.