My First Star Trek Novel. I am 31 years old and I have been a Star Trek fan since I was about 9 or 10. However, until now I have never read a Star Trek book. I guess now that I am out of school and have more time on my hands I can read more for fun instead of an assignment. I also haven't had a new Star Trek adventure in a few years now via TV or the big screen so I decided to start checking out the adventures that have been coming out since the beginning of Star Trek. I began with Ashes of Eden!!!!
I enjoyed this book a lot. I was warned before I began that Shatner was basically writing this for himself. "William Shatner was aboard the enterprise not Captain Kirk" However, I still got a big kick out of this book. Sure Shatner had Kirk go out on an adventure, having endless sex with a woman 1/3 his age. Not to mention he was the big hero at the end(I didn't ruin anything this is before the movie Generations you know he didn't die). Shatner not only knows the Star Trek Universe but he knows the characters, not just Kirk but all the others too.
Captain Kirk is thinking that his adventures are a think of his past, until he meets a young woman who is offering him one more adventure (among other things) Kirk accepts the mission even though McCoy and Spock do not approve. He heads to a planet out of federation space. What he doesn't know is the new leader of Starfleet decides it time to get revenge of Kirk for something Kirk did in his past. He goes after Kirk and brings along the crew that knows Kirk best. They are all along for the ride. Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura. Shatner brought in past adventures from the TV Series and the movies and combined it with original idea to create a great story.
Next for me is Collision Course by Shatner.
Excelent A great story or book on tape for anyone. If you have seen any of the first six Star Trek movies or the original series this is a must hear/read.
Part I of the Kirk Saga. The beginning novel of the greatest Star Trek saga ever written. Like many great sagas out there the first chapter tends to be the best, and Ashes of Eden proves that theory to be true. The finale of the 10 part Kirk Saga "Captain's Glory" is absolutely superb too, but that review is on another webpage. Anyway, I read this book originally when I was 15 years old when it came out and couldn't put it down. I have recently reread Ashes of Eden as well as its two counterparts "The Return" and "Avenger." (these three novels make up the first trilogy entitled "The odyssey").
This time around I enjoyed Ashes of Eden ten fold. Not only is the book fast paced, full of action, and actually more of a love story, it has many things that trek fans love. Great interaction between the original crew, the Excelsior in action, and the true fate of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A.
If you have never read a Shatner Kirk novel YOU MUST START WITH THIS ONE! William Shatner does a marvelous job building on each novel and when the day comes you finally read the concluding chapter "Captain's Glory", you will be grateful you read them all in order. There are 9 novels totaling the Kirk Saga.
Again, Star Trek Ashes of Eden is a superb novel and arguably one of the greates Star Trek novels ever printed. 10/10 A+.
Civilian Kirk Captains the Enterprise Again This is the first Star Trek novel that William Shatner collaborated on. He has since collaborated on others and written many on his own, in addition to the successful Tek Wars, which was made in to a TV series. I read the original hardback version, which is now out of print.
Here we find a retired, now civilian, James Kirk in a new adventure to save an independent planet recognized by the Federation, but claimed by both the Romulan and the Klingon Empires. Kirk is once again asked to become the Captain of the Enterprise.
But the Enterprise is no longer a Federation Ship. She has now been decommissioned and stripped of much of her equipment, too top-secret to be allowed on a now-civilian vessel. The vessel has been bought by an independent planet, Chal, and handed to Kirk, for his new assignment. That assignment is unclear at first, but the full story gradually is revealed, and Kirk finds himself on a different adventure than he first imagined.
Kirk's former crew under Captain Sulu get caught up in a high-level plot to undermine the whole Federation, and the trail leads right to the top. A showdown occurs at the planet Kirk has been contracted to save, where Kirk's former crew are pitted against Kirk and his new planetary defense force.
Kirk finds himself facing down the Commander in Chief of the Federation, who shows up to join his special team, Sulu and crew, in a new twist of this strange scenario developing on planet Chal. Kirk in his new role on behalf of Chal, is captain of the private, remiliatarized Enterprise as a defense ship for the almost defenseless planet.
A secret treasure of information on the planet holds a key to interpreting this mystery, unexpected even by the beleaguered inhabitants who invited Kirk to develop a defense for them.
Surprisingly well rounded Firstly, I love William Shatner, he is just someone I enjoy watching--he clearly takes a great deal of enjoyment from what he does also. The same is true to this book, it is at times easy to see through the prose to perhaps other more personal moments, as it is hard to seperate Kirk from Shatner--and it makes interesting reading to ponder what Shatner is thinking and saying though his most famous character.
I was impressed, first and foremost at how well he utilized the other characters. Chekov is given impressive amounts of page time, Spock and McCoy are well written and Scotty is the only member of the original crew who accompanies Kirk on his crazy mission (loyalty to the Enterprise afterall). I agree with one of the other reviewers, that perhaps this was Shatner's olive branch to James Doohan. The characters have several thoughtful conversations where Kirk admits to himself that he has often not listened to Scotty as he should have.
The plot isn't an end of the world one, its Kirk in the middle of an extreme midlife crisis, along with a good old dose of rivalry (an old Academy classmate of Kirk's who is now head of Starfleet). I did find at times that I felt the book was a little too long and so skimmed someof the more descriptive scenes.
The book is very thoughtful, even though it does have some action moments too, but it ties in huge amounts of the Trek Universe (I'm guessing alot of this is the work of Shatner's helpmates). It is also more thought provoking than most of the trek books out there.
I really enjoyed this book as of the original series books I have been reading so far this has some of the BEST characterizations I have seen. (I really was expecting alot more of Kirk in a blaze of glory but instead Kirk is a very well layered and human character, with very noticable flaws,more so than on film it seems)
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
