Scan barcode
lindzee's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Predictable, but an interesting imagining of the first meeting between Kirk and Spock.
disiscaro's review
4.0
Actually well-written (or ghost-written? I don't know, let's not go there, ahah) and very enjoyable.
OH of course, it's full of "teens think they know better" drama (which is to be expected since the characters are, indeed, teens), a bit of final over-the-topness (Benjamin Gates stole the Declaration of the Independence? James T. Kirk, 17, and Spock, 19, stole the U.S.S. Enterprise. AH! Suck it, Ben!) and Kirkian Gary-Stuness (well it /is/ William Shatner's book, guess he's entitled)... That said, it was actually a really fun ride (the Jim/Spock interactions had some great humor, and are a good prelude to their future relationship). And the Tarsus IV backstory added some well-handled heartbreaking drama. I feel a bit sad that the sequel to this book will probably never exist, but yeah... That ride was fun.
OH of course, it's full of "teens think they know better" drama (which is to be expected since the characters are, indeed, teens), a bit of final over-the-topness (Benjamin Gates stole the Declaration of the Independence? James T. Kirk, 17, and Spock, 19, stole the U.S.S. Enterprise. AH! Suck it, Ben!) and Kirkian Gary-Stuness (well it /is/ William Shatner's book, guess he's entitled)... That said, it was actually a really fun ride (the Jim/Spock interactions had some great humor, and are a good prelude to their future relationship). And the Tarsus IV backstory added some well-handled heartbreaking drama. I feel a bit sad that the sequel to this book will probably never exist, but yeah... That ride was fun.
bdplume's review
4.0
I've been a fan of these "Shatnerverse" novels, as they call them, but this one didn't do it for me as much. OK story, but it's so similar in principle to what the upcoming movie is supposed to be, and so different in plot (I think) that the timing doesn't make sense to me.
daringpeg's review
5.0
A wonderful read. I loved the characterization of the young Spock and Kirk. Especially the background interactions between Lady Amanda and Sarek.
dina_s's review
3.5
I liked it. I feel like some small things didn't really fit in what I imagined, but it's a nice read. Too bad the second book never saw the light of day!
harmonicia's review
5.0
Big fan of how Jim's authority issues are explained and how throughout the novel Spock learns to accept his human side. I loved the characterization, loved the sass, and I loved another look at the Tarsus IV massacre. I just wish the rest of the series would be written eventually.
cosmological's review
3.0
“For three years, Kirk had tried to forget the nightmare world he had seen and been part of. And that’s what had trapped him in his past. But if he remembered the pattern of what had gone so horribly wrong, he would not repeat it—he could break it.
That knowledge freed him like nothing he had ever experienced before. And in the midst of that release, he remembered something else that Mallory had told him. Something else important that he’d not understood. Until this moment.
“If we remember the patterns of history, we do not repeat them.”
Griffyn stared at him. “What do you mean by ‘we’?”
“Starfleet,” Kirk said.”
—
3.5 I am rounding down because Bill Shatner is NOT allowed to receive any more of my praise no matter how attached I was to this story. Anyway it was EXTREMELY fun! With surprisingly excellent characterization! (the fact that this was published two years before the first AOS movie yet the way Kirk acts is completely consistent w that is really validating to me, personally) Also just the last bit with Kirk and Spock and the Starfleet mids essentially stealing the Enterprise to track down Griffyn like this really was such a romp.
Also, Kirk has ADHD, Spock is autistic, they’re soulmates, these are things that are true in every universe but! This book surprisingly highlighted it! Not on purpose because Bill IS still out of touch and a disaster but I take what I get baby! Anyway. Just a very fun time!
(Should mention all of my thoughts on this ARE to be taken with a rather large grain of salt; I will never be objective when it comes to Star Trek, especially not Star Trek that zeroes in on ADHD Jim Kirk’s disdain for authority and also just the fact a LARGE portion of his characterization is due to Tarsus IV trauma it’s like. Yeah of course I’m being embarrassing about this and I am ALLOWED!)
That knowledge freed him like nothing he had ever experienced before. And in the midst of that release, he remembered something else that Mallory had told him. Something else important that he’d not understood. Until this moment.
“If we remember the patterns of history, we do not repeat them.”
Griffyn stared at him. “What do you mean by ‘we’?”
“Starfleet,” Kirk said.”
—
3.5 I am rounding down because Bill Shatner is NOT allowed to receive any more of my praise no matter how attached I was to this story. Anyway it was EXTREMELY fun! With surprisingly excellent characterization! (the fact that this was published two years before the first AOS movie yet the way Kirk acts is completely consistent w that is really validating to me, personally) Also just the last bit with Kirk and Spock and the Starfleet mids essentially stealing the Enterprise to track down Griffyn like this really was such a romp.
Also, Kirk has ADHD, Spock is autistic, they’re soulmates, these are things that are true in every universe but! This book surprisingly highlighted it! Not on purpose because Bill IS still out of touch and a disaster but I take what I get baby! Anyway. Just a very fun time!
(Should mention all of my thoughts on this ARE to be taken with a rather large grain of salt; I will never be objective when it comes to Star Trek, especially not Star Trek that zeroes in on ADHD Jim Kirk’s disdain for authority and also just the fact a LARGE portion of his characterization is due to Tarsus IV trauma it’s like. Yeah of course I’m being embarrassing about this and I am ALLOWED!)
wai's review
4.0
As someone who loves alternate universes in stories, this book was definitely intriguing. I also loved interweaving of the TOS canon, and getting a bit of background on what Kirk experienced on Tarsus IV - something we never really got in the episode "The Conscience of the King".
What the book lacks in writing style, it makes up for in characterization. Not really surprising, given who the front runner is; Shatner himself, the man who brought the character of Kirk to life. In this, he is not yet the Captain Kirk that we all know and love from the television series, but one can see the beginnings of him despite the teenage immaturity as well as the inner conflict from his traumatizing experience on Tarsus IV. There are certainly similarities in this that mirror the 2009 Abrams film, in that Kirk is rebellious and has no desire to be a part of Starfleet until he is coerced by another party, but the plots differentiate the two pretty clearly.
Also highly enjoyable was the characterization of Spock, and his inner conflict between his two heritages: Vulcan and human. Honestly, while watching the episodes, I kind of identified with Spock for various reasons, and this novel brought him a little bit closer to me. (Which sounds incredibly self indulgent, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it. Perhaps because I'm a teenager myself, and the book brings Spock closer to my age, where he is still uncertain about himself and the route he wishes to take, and makes him more relatable even that I found in the episodes. So I suppose it would be a good choice for those younger fans of the TOS, particularly those that lean towards the character of Spock.) Plus his interactions with his parents, Sarek and Amanda, were wonderfully done, yet heart-wrenching. It also offers more of an explanation as to the relationship between Spock and Sarek than was given in "Journey to Babel".
An easy read - I finished it in three days - but an enjoyable one for fans of TOS.
What the book lacks in writing style, it makes up for in characterization. Not really surprising, given who the front runner is; Shatner himself, the man who brought the character of Kirk to life. In this, he is not yet the Captain Kirk that we all know and love from the television series, but one can see the beginnings of him despite the teenage immaturity as well as the inner conflict from his traumatizing experience on Tarsus IV. There are certainly similarities in this that mirror the 2009 Abrams film, in that Kirk is rebellious and has no desire to be a part of Starfleet until he is coerced by another party, but the plots differentiate the two pretty clearly.
Also highly enjoyable was the characterization of Spock, and his inner conflict between his two heritages: Vulcan and human. Honestly, while watching the episodes, I kind of identified with Spock for various reasons, and this novel brought him a little bit closer to me. (Which sounds incredibly self indulgent, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it. Perhaps because I'm a teenager myself, and the book brings Spock closer to my age, where he is still uncertain about himself and the route he wishes to take, and makes him more relatable even that I found in the episodes. So I suppose it would be a good choice for those younger fans of the TOS, particularly those that lean towards the character of Spock.) Plus his interactions with his parents, Sarek and Amanda, were wonderfully done, yet heart-wrenching. It also offers more of an explanation as to the relationship between Spock and Sarek than was given in "Journey to Babel".
An easy read - I finished it in three days - but an enjoyable one for fans of TOS.
More...