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Star Trek: The Original Series
Vulcan's Forge
Just over a year ago, Captain James T. Kirk was lost to the Nexus while saving the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-B from destruction. Aboard the science ship Intrepid II, Captain Spock, commanding some of his old crewmates, must face the loss of his closest friend. But while still in mourning for one friend, he must come to the aid of another.
Decades ago, Spock had teamed up with David Rabin, the young son of a Starfleet Captain, to fight an attempted coup on Vulcan that would have turned the planet's people away from the path of logic. Now a Starfleet officer, Captain David Rabin has been assigned to a harsh desert world much like Vulcan, where the Federation is determined to protect the lives of the inhabitants. But Rabin's efforts are being sabotaged and he has asked for Spock's help against the unknown forces that may well destroy the society he had come to save.
While reflecting on his youthful adventure with David Rabin, Spock joins with Rabin to face and enemy out of their past and confront deadly Romulan treachery. In the process Spock will decide if the path of his life now leads back toward the family traditions he had once sought to escape.
Decades ago, Spock had teamed up with David Rabin, the young son of a Starfleet Captain, to fight an attempted coup on Vulcan that would have turned the planet's people away from the path of logic. Now a Starfleet officer, Captain David Rabin has been assigned to a harsh desert world much like Vulcan, where the Federation is determined to protect the lives of the inhabitants. But Rabin's efforts are being sabotaged and he has asked for Spock's help against the unknown forces that may well destroy the society he had come to save.
While reflecting on his youthful adventure with David Rabin, Spock joins with Rabin to face and enemy out of their past and confront deadly Romulan treachery. In the process Spock will decide if the path of his life now leads back toward the family traditions he had once sought to escape.
Hardcover
First published August 1, 1997
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About the author
Josepha Sherman
214Ìýbooks67ÌýfollowersJosepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 9, 2024
Reading about both young Spock and a post-Generations Spock is interesting. However, the different timelines were confusing, and there were too many references to movies, especially for a story that takes places centuries into the future. So, this was a mixed bag.
September 3, 2019
Two alternating story arcs follow Spock, one "present" day and one as an adolescent, as he attempts to quell violent, xenophobic uprisings with troubling origins. The story line following the younger Spock is particularly interesting, following events directly leading up to his making the decision to join Star Fleet. Wonderful audio narration by Leonard Nimoy himself!
June 20, 2019
This was really interesting - the main story point is what is up above, with the crazed, emotional Vulcan that Spock and the fellow Starfleet captain from his past had to deal with on a tough planet. But the best parts were the side stories or issues - because this is when he begins on the path that we see him some decades later in the Next Generation episodes. First, this was when Spock decides he had enough of Starfleet, and wants to go into diplomacy. And second, the seeds of his working with the Romulans for reunification were planted here. We also see another human friend from his teen years, and the parallel from then, the first time they had to work together, to now. He still is morning Kirk's death (though we all know he didn't actually die on the Enterprise-B, but they didn't), but that actually really helps to have Spock shine all on his own.
And after hitting a few audiobooks where there was mainly one narrator, but Leonard Nimoy would be there to do the Spock log entries, I kept thinking, does he ever narrate a full one on his own? The answer is yes - and it's this one! He does a pretty darn good McCoy - not with any sort of close approximation of copying DeForest Kelley's voice mind you, but in attitude and meaning, heck yeah.
And after hitting a few audiobooks where there was mainly one narrator, but Leonard Nimoy would be there to do the Spock log entries, I kept thinking, does he ever narrate a full one on his own? The answer is yes - and it's this one! He does a pretty darn good McCoy - not with any sort of close approximation of copying DeForest Kelley's voice mind you, but in attitude and meaning, heck yeah.
April 10, 2011
It demonstrates a great command of Vulcan and the character of Spock, especially in its opening chapters. Nevertheless, it's not as engaging as either "Spock's World" or "Vulcan's Glory"...though it tries to move mountains in order equal their reputations. Strangely enough, it seems a bit redundant AND repetitive, though not quite in the same way as A.C. Crispin's "Sarek".
May 20, 2021
Most satisfactory.
Never could get into Star Trek books as a kid - something about seeing literally walls of them at used book stores turned me off, as well as the lack of fixed canon. (I gave up on Star Wars when Lucasfilm reset the canon for The Phantom Menace; I'm a nerd, not a geek). Notwithstanding, several people recommended (and one gifted me) Vulcan's Forge as worth making an exception for, and I'm glad I listened.
Vulcan's Forge feels very much like a two-part Original Series episode with intertwined past-present plots. Sherman & Shwartz intimately know and perfectly voice their characters; they know and deploy to great effect the expected Star Trek storytelling structure. They reveal a little more about the enigmatic Vulcan culture of Spock's childhood but keep the overall feel consistent with prior material. Overall, reads like a worthy addition to the series + original cast films, telling the story of how Spock chose to enter Starfleet and then, much later, retired to embark on a diplomatic mission to the Romulan empire.
As Leonard Nimoy's jacket-cover quote says: "Fascinating!"
Never could get into Star Trek books as a kid - something about seeing literally walls of them at used book stores turned me off, as well as the lack of fixed canon. (I gave up on Star Wars when Lucasfilm reset the canon for The Phantom Menace; I'm a nerd, not a geek). Notwithstanding, several people recommended (and one gifted me) Vulcan's Forge as worth making an exception for, and I'm glad I listened.
Vulcan's Forge feels very much like a two-part Original Series episode with intertwined past-present plots. Sherman & Shwartz intimately know and perfectly voice their characters; they know and deploy to great effect the expected Star Trek storytelling structure. They reveal a little more about the enigmatic Vulcan culture of Spock's childhood but keep the overall feel consistent with prior material. Overall, reads like a worthy addition to the series + original cast films, telling the story of how Spock chose to enter Starfleet and then, much later, retired to embark on a diplomatic mission to the Romulan empire.
As Leonard Nimoy's jacket-cover quote says: "Fascinating!"
March 29, 2011
I'm rereading this book very slowly before I go to bed. It's really well written and the characters feel true to canon. I especially love the Spock/McCoy dynamic and the play on the lingering bond they have so many years after the fal-tor-pan.
August 13, 2012
Lawrence of Arabia jokes number too many. Indeed, I get tired of the campy humor here, especially when the point is only to depict the Vulcan rejection of emotion. I would have expected less of this in a book focusing on Vulcan characters, and more explanation of exactly how and why Vulcans think. If one cannot find what a core Star Trek Vulcan is by reading a book or two in that world, then where can a fan find it? What we have here is more a sociological examination of planet Vulcan, by comparison with planet Obsidian, without enough genuine affinity for the stark reality of Vulcan logic. Instead, despite the attempts to paint a clever family portrait of Spock's family, we find Vulcans as the brunt of typically xenophobic Earth jokes again and again.
There ought to be a rule in fiction that narrative flashbacks to the past be no longer than the main text which they supposedly support. Otherwise what we have are nonlinear works approaching pure conceptual abstraction, or multiple timeline story structures. This book has two parallel threads spaced apart in Spock's childhood and adulthood, which toggle back and forth in the course of the book. Well, I'm all for structural experimentation in fiction, but this book came across as being two books in one, both history and present, with some flavor of recursion to it. I had to wonder if each of its two authors favors one period. The affect to the reading experience is a level of distraction not unlike actually reading two different books at once. It's like building the foundation and second story of a house at the same time - you end up walking on planks.
That said, I did enjoy the book, and it is a valuable addition to the Vulcan side of Star Trek. Both of the hot desert planets featured are reminiscent the kind of extreme climate that you might also find on Arrakis, Mars, or other such places. The family developments showing Spock's character are interestingly conceived and gel well with the little other Vulcan fiction I've read, as is the fragility of Spock's command of the Intrepid II minus the presence of Kirk. There's also a good sense of adventure and survival which lends a lot of needed isolation to the characters for examination. The detailed look into the flora, fauna and geology of Vulcan are highly commendable!
The greatest offering that this book makes to Star Trek is more depiction of historical relations between Vulcan and Romulan societies, their philosophical schism, and their possible remelding. We see another side to the Romulans, and there are strong hints that not just Spock's destiny, but also that of all Vulcan and the Federation will be primarily affected by choices posited here.
There ought to be a rule in fiction that narrative flashbacks to the past be no longer than the main text which they supposedly support. Otherwise what we have are nonlinear works approaching pure conceptual abstraction, or multiple timeline story structures. This book has two parallel threads spaced apart in Spock's childhood and adulthood, which toggle back and forth in the course of the book. Well, I'm all for structural experimentation in fiction, but this book came across as being two books in one, both history and present, with some flavor of recursion to it. I had to wonder if each of its two authors favors one period. The affect to the reading experience is a level of distraction not unlike actually reading two different books at once. It's like building the foundation and second story of a house at the same time - you end up walking on planks.
That said, I did enjoy the book, and it is a valuable addition to the Vulcan side of Star Trek. Both of the hot desert planets featured are reminiscent the kind of extreme climate that you might also find on Arrakis, Mars, or other such places. The family developments showing Spock's character are interestingly conceived and gel well with the little other Vulcan fiction I've read, as is the fragility of Spock's command of the Intrepid II minus the presence of Kirk. There's also a good sense of adventure and survival which lends a lot of needed isolation to the characters for examination. The detailed look into the flora, fauna and geology of Vulcan are highly commendable!
The greatest offering that this book makes to Star Trek is more depiction of historical relations between Vulcan and Romulan societies, their philosophical schism, and their possible remelding. We see another side to the Romulans, and there are strong hints that not just Spock's destiny, but also that of all Vulcan and the Federation will be primarily affected by choices posited here.
March 18, 2024
that was not at all good but on occassion it hurt immensely
April 24, 2013
Plot: B
Writing: B
Vocabulary: C
Level: Intermediate
Rating: PG13 (terrorism, kidnapping, hand-to-hand combat, hallucinogenic drugs, religious fanaticism, paranoid schizophrenia, harrowing desert crossing)
Worldview: All paths may lead to peace/god. Religious fanaticism leads to death.
Two parallel stories emerge: one from Spock's teenage years on Vulcan, one from the year after Captain James Kirk died. Both episodes follow Spock and his friend David Rabin as they must hazard a desert crossing to rescue their comrades from a fanatial enemy and ignorantly religious minions.
Worth reading if you're a Star Trek fan and want more of Spock's backstory, especially on what propelled him to join Star Fleet.
Writing: B
Vocabulary: C
Level: Intermediate
Rating: PG13 (terrorism, kidnapping, hand-to-hand combat, hallucinogenic drugs, religious fanaticism, paranoid schizophrenia, harrowing desert crossing)
Worldview: All paths may lead to peace/god. Religious fanaticism leads to death.
Two parallel stories emerge: one from Spock's teenage years on Vulcan, one from the year after Captain James Kirk died. Both episodes follow Spock and his friend David Rabin as they must hazard a desert crossing to rescue their comrades from a fanatial enemy and ignorantly religious minions.
Worth reading if you're a Star Trek fan and want more of Spock's backstory, especially on what propelled him to join Star Fleet.
April 30, 2015
Not bad, if a little disjointed.
August 25, 2017
This was a very interesting story. It picks up a year after James Kirk's death in STAR TREK: GENERATIONS. Scotty has retired and the rest of the bridge crew is trying to get on with their lives. McCoy and Spock are still mourning the loss of Kirk and for Spock the loss of his mother. So much loss in such a short amount of time. So the story is divided into three parts. Part One: takes place on a planet called Obsidian orbiting an unstable Sun called Loki (what were they thinking). Part Two: takes place on Vulcan during the ceremony were young Vulcan males enter into adulthood. Part Three: is the problems that the Intrepid II faces while Spock and McCoy are on the planet's surface.
The Federation officer in charge of the outpost on Obsidian is Captain David Rabin. David and Spock met before the ceremony that would have made Spock an adult in the eyes of Vulcan. Both are kidnapped by a Vulcan who has lost his mind and is determined to overturn all the teachings and peace that Surak has brought Vulcan. The boys escape but come back to help the others that are still with Sered.
Jump ahead to present day and Spock is in command of a science vessel named Intrepid II. The crew has come to help with a Federation protectorate Obsidian. Mission that the Federation is trying to accomplish is in trouble do to sabotage. Spock and McCoy go down to the planet to try and find a solution to the troubles. LIttle do they know that Spock and David will come face to face with an old enemy.
While on the planet Spock leaves Uhara in charge of the ship. Uhara is soon bluffing her way out of trouble with an enemy that has crossed the neutral zone and is probably part of the reason for all the trouble Captain Rabin is having.
It is nice to see at least some of the old bridge crew together for one last adventure. There are also some very sad parts to this story. The death of Spock's mother and Kirk as well as the rift that tears apart Spock's family for eighteen years. The saddest part is that Spock and Sarek never seem to get past their problems which I find very illogical. They keep having the same argument over and over with no results in sight. That is one of the things that I would like to see in one of these books is a final resolution to the differences that these men have. That of course never happens even in the series.
I enjoyed this story and I look forward to the next book. I miss this group very much and wish there had been more movies are another series with all these people.
The Federation officer in charge of the outpost on Obsidian is Captain David Rabin. David and Spock met before the ceremony that would have made Spock an adult in the eyes of Vulcan. Both are kidnapped by a Vulcan who has lost his mind and is determined to overturn all the teachings and peace that Surak has brought Vulcan. The boys escape but come back to help the others that are still with Sered.
Jump ahead to present day and Spock is in command of a science vessel named Intrepid II. The crew has come to help with a Federation protectorate Obsidian. Mission that the Federation is trying to accomplish is in trouble do to sabotage. Spock and McCoy go down to the planet to try and find a solution to the troubles. LIttle do they know that Spock and David will come face to face with an old enemy.
While on the planet Spock leaves Uhara in charge of the ship. Uhara is soon bluffing her way out of trouble with an enemy that has crossed the neutral zone and is probably part of the reason for all the trouble Captain Rabin is having.
It is nice to see at least some of the old bridge crew together for one last adventure. There are also some very sad parts to this story. The death of Spock's mother and Kirk as well as the rift that tears apart Spock's family for eighteen years. The saddest part is that Spock and Sarek never seem to get past their problems which I find very illogical. They keep having the same argument over and over with no results in sight. That is one of the things that I would like to see in one of these books is a final resolution to the differences that these men have. That of course never happens even in the series.
I enjoyed this story and I look forward to the next book. I miss this group very much and wish there had been more movies are another series with all these people.
January 30, 2020
This Star Trek book isn't good but isn't bad.
On the one hand half of the book is a young Spock adventure. My problem there is that it is what almost 90% of all Trek novelist want to write. It is is hard to build dramatic tension with flashbacks. And this story tries but doesn't quite make it. Nor do we learn much about young Spock that we didn't know before.
On the other hand, this has some pretty solid McCoy and Spock banter. I know most people say the original series was about the relationship between Kirk and Spock. No. Gene Roddenberry said: “Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. […] If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.� If that's true, the key relationship to understand is between humanity where it is now (represented by McCoy) and the unknown and Spock. This book totally gets that much. They aren't insulting each other out of hatred or spite. It is, whether Spock will own up to it or not, play- for both of them.
I think part of why I was expecting more was that everyone I know who read this one kept saying it was in the vein of Spock's World. Which is sort of true... but it didn't do something important. Diane Duane's Romulan and Vulcan stories showed us things about those species and cultures we hadn't seen before. Vulcan's forge doesn't quite do that. It sort of Boldly Goes Where Diane Duane and couple of others over the decades have gone a couple of times before'.
There was nothing wrong or offensive about the book. But I think marketing department shot it in the foot by trying to hold it on par with one of the best Star Trek books ever. It was setting the readers up for a bit of a let down.
On the one hand half of the book is a young Spock adventure. My problem there is that it is what almost 90% of all Trek novelist want to write. It is is hard to build dramatic tension with flashbacks. And this story tries but doesn't quite make it. Nor do we learn much about young Spock that we didn't know before.
On the other hand, this has some pretty solid McCoy and Spock banter. I know most people say the original series was about the relationship between Kirk and Spock. No. Gene Roddenberry said: “Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. […] If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.� If that's true, the key relationship to understand is between humanity where it is now (represented by McCoy) and the unknown and Spock. This book totally gets that much. They aren't insulting each other out of hatred or spite. It is, whether Spock will own up to it or not, play- for both of them.
I think part of why I was expecting more was that everyone I know who read this one kept saying it was in the vein of Spock's World. Which is sort of true... but it didn't do something important. Diane Duane's Romulan and Vulcan stories showed us things about those species and cultures we hadn't seen before. Vulcan's forge doesn't quite do that. It sort of Boldly Goes Where Diane Duane and couple of others over the decades have gone a couple of times before'.
There was nothing wrong or offensive about the book. But I think marketing department shot it in the foot by trying to hold it on par with one of the best Star Trek books ever. It was setting the readers up for a bit of a let down.
March 2, 2021
“Vulcan’s Forge� by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, is the first of a total of five books (the others being “Vulcan’s Heart� and the “Vulcan’s Soul� Trilogy) this duo of writers dedicated to Vulcan history and general and Spock’s role in particular. At the time of the book publication, the Star Trek world have just come to terms with the death of Capt. James T. Kirk, in that faithful accident in the Enterprise-B. Of course, Kirk’s ultimate demise is still to come, as a primordial plot in the motion picture “Star Trek Generation�. We know that (now!), but the former Enterprise crew didn’t (then).
Sherman and Shwartz use Kirk’s accidental death as an inspiration to show how the former Enterprise crew deals with the trauma of that lost in moving forward, centering in Spock’s character, using the story to delve in his own background story as a Vulcan. “Vulcan’s Forge� takes place in two different time levels: the present (after Kirk’s death) and Spock’s youth.
Spock’s character and journey advances throughout the book, as the past catch on with the present, and Spock takes the pivotal decision to switch his Starfleet career for a diplomatic one, taking the first step to fulfill his vision on Unification between Vulcan and Romulans.
An interesting book that, as well as the aforementioned additional four written by Sherman and Shwartz, shows Vulcan history and peculiarities as they were conceived to be, long before some Mary Sue’s decided to embark in some egocentric trip through space and time and forge a new version accordingly with their taste.
Sherman and Shwartz use Kirk’s accidental death as an inspiration to show how the former Enterprise crew deals with the trauma of that lost in moving forward, centering in Spock’s character, using the story to delve in his own background story as a Vulcan. “Vulcan’s Forge� takes place in two different time levels: the present (after Kirk’s death) and Spock’s youth.
Spock’s character and journey advances throughout the book, as the past catch on with the present, and Spock takes the pivotal decision to switch his Starfleet career for a diplomatic one, taking the first step to fulfill his vision on Unification between Vulcan and Romulans.
An interesting book that, as well as the aforementioned additional four written by Sherman and Shwartz, shows Vulcan history and peculiarities as they were conceived to be, long before some Mary Sue’s decided to embark in some egocentric trip through space and time and forge a new version accordingly with their taste.
May 4, 2018
Captain Spock takes the Intrepid II on a mission that pulls him back to the past. His old friend Captain David Rabin is posted on Obsidian, a desert planet near the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone. His assignment is to head up a program to improve the health and welfare of the inhabitants, but their best efforts are met with sabotage by the very people the Federation is there to help- and possibly by others as well.
Spock's reunion with Captain Rabin brings back his memories of their meeting as teenagers and the harrowing adventure they shared in Vulcan's Forge. Their past adventure informs the current mission- both conflicts are similar in many ways, and the solution lies in a greater understanding of their first encounter so many years ago.
As Spock and his CMO Dr. McCoy lead the landing party to Obsidian, Commander Uhura is left in command of the ship. She's fine with serving as first officer, but has doubts that she would ever want to command her own ship. She has to push said doubts aside and deal with the presence of an unknown invader potentially influencing activities on the planet below.
I enjoyed this, an adventure set a year after Captain Kirk was lost to the Nexus. It's nice to be able to fill in the gaps from that time to what we know now.
Spock's reunion with Captain Rabin brings back his memories of their meeting as teenagers and the harrowing adventure they shared in Vulcan's Forge. Their past adventure informs the current mission- both conflicts are similar in many ways, and the solution lies in a greater understanding of their first encounter so many years ago.
As Spock and his CMO Dr. McCoy lead the landing party to Obsidian, Commander Uhura is left in command of the ship. She's fine with serving as first officer, but has doubts that she would ever want to command her own ship. She has to push said doubts aside and deal with the presence of an unknown invader potentially influencing activities on the planet below.
I enjoyed this, an adventure set a year after Captain Kirk was lost to the Nexus. It's nice to be able to fill in the gaps from that time to what we know now.
October 31, 2021
I have fallen in love with Ms. Sherman's and Ms. Shwartz's Star Trek books. It is very sad the there will probably be no more written with the passing of Ms. Sherman. This story is in three parts just like the Vulcan Soul books. This book only revolves what is happening on two planets. Vulcan in the past (Spock's late childhood) and a planet named Obsidian, a planet on the edge of Federation and Romulan space. So the story progress the past and the future come together. The story is written a year after Jim Kirk is swept up in the Nexus. Spock is now Captain of a ship with Uhura and Doctor McKoy joining him.
The past merges into the present and a old enemy from Spock's past is stirring up trouble. Spock must find a solution and Uhura must out smart a Romulan Commander while dealing with a fussy star.
The story is engaging and well written. It is to wordy or over complicated. It has a nice flow to it and the ending wraps up all the storylines very nicely. It is nice to see Uhura and Doctor McCoy again and see how Spock's life has changed after the disappearance of Jim Kirk. I think most fans of the Star Trek universe will enjoy this book.
The past merges into the present and a old enemy from Spock's past is stirring up trouble. Spock must find a solution and Uhura must out smart a Romulan Commander while dealing with a fussy star.
The story is engaging and well written. It is to wordy or over complicated. It has a nice flow to it and the ending wraps up all the storylines very nicely. It is nice to see Uhura and Doctor McCoy again and see how Spock's life has changed after the disappearance of Jim Kirk. I think most fans of the Star Trek universe will enjoy this book.
April 1, 2024
Fun parallel settings & plots of Spock along with David Rabin trying to save others in 2 different hostile deserts, once when he's the Vulcan equivalent of a teen & again decades later as a science ship Captain.
Simple writing styles & a noticeable degree of innocent naiveté, so much so that I think the book fits a younger (tween/teen maybe?) reading level than I anticipated for a Star Trek book. Like at one point, Bones filibusters on an animal as a delay tactic, which is comical but doesn't embody "experienced CMO" too well. Not really cons toward the big picture, but dragged the immersion & character consistency down.
Enjoyed how the authors explored character relationships, esp the similarities & differences between Spock's with Rabin & Bones (esp as this takes place after his stint as Spock's katra delivery service aka Star Trek III)
Rabin's Jewish beliefs were interesting to see within Star Trek's universe, TOS has many biblical references & ofc the Apollo ep posits the Greek pantheon were aliens, but here a contemporary religious character shares his own beliefs & cultural history to teen Spock to better connect & explain himself.
Simple writing styles & a noticeable degree of innocent naiveté, so much so that I think the book fits a younger (tween/teen maybe?) reading level than I anticipated for a Star Trek book. Like at one point, Bones filibusters on an animal as a delay tactic, which is comical but doesn't embody "experienced CMO" too well. Not really cons toward the big picture, but dragged the immersion & character consistency down.
Enjoyed how the authors explored character relationships, esp the similarities & differences between Spock's with Rabin & Bones (esp as this takes place after his stint as Spock's katra delivery service aka Star Trek III)
Rabin's Jewish beliefs were interesting to see within Star Trek's universe, TOS has many biblical references & ofc the Apollo ep posits the Greek pantheon were aliens, but here a contemporary religious character shares his own beliefs & cultural history to teen Spock to better connect & explain himself.
April 21, 2019
A robust Star Trek novel, with authentic characterization and a thoughtful structure. The action doesn't move particularly quickly, but the real plot isn't in the action. It's the exploration of Spock's motivations, how he decided to join Starfleet, and then how he transitioned from a Captain in the movie era to an ambassador to the Romulans in the TNG era. Plus a lot of desert survival, with an original character who ought to seem like an expy of Kirk but emerges as his own person, reminding Spock just enough of his other friend. (And I loved the meaty role for McCoy, and the way their relationship works not only after all this time, but after McCoy has carried Spock's katra.) I also really liked the use of Rabin's Jewish heritage and how it resonates with Leonard Nimoy's own life and what he brought to Spock's character. It adds an extra dimension to Spock and Rabin's relationship, and how Rabin is able to reflect on Spock. A very enjoyable and readable story, despite the slow pace.
January 5, 2021
Arguably the best Star Trek album in the whole series. It came highly recommended and really lived op to its promises.
Usually i am not so fond of stories that play on 2 different time-levels, certainly not when that trick is used to show a parallel evolution, but in this case it is just the right style.
Spock is the main character and, as announced on the back cover, a lot is revealed about him that was formerly unknown. What fact in his past mostly formed him to decide on his Starfleet career and what happened to change course. Strong psychology, a lot of action, survival in the desert, a thriller of epic proportions.
McCoy and Uhura also play an important part in which especially Uhura grows beyond herself.
Depth of characters is achieved with a lot of respect for the individuals and what we already know about their past.
And the best is left for the end: there comes a sequel.
Usually i am not so fond of stories that play on 2 different time-levels, certainly not when that trick is used to show a parallel evolution, but in this case it is just the right style.
Spock is the main character and, as announced on the back cover, a lot is revealed about him that was formerly unknown. What fact in his past mostly formed him to decide on his Starfleet career and what happened to change course. Strong psychology, a lot of action, survival in the desert, a thriller of epic proportions.
McCoy and Uhura also play an important part in which especially Uhura grows beyond herself.
Depth of characters is achieved with a lot of respect for the individuals and what we already know about their past.
And the best is left for the end: there comes a sequel.
October 10, 2018
This is one of those ones that really strongly presents Spock and McCoy as characters unto themselves. Both have their own arch and issues. The characterization is really on point. They also have some excellent interactions. The original character is pretty good, I was worried he was going to prove to be a Kirk substitute, but he really was his own person and a great addition.
The author has an excellent grasp on the characters and feel of Star Trek, and (as this takes place a year or so after Kirk's death) I was perhaps overly pleased that they present McCoy and Spock with their friendship intact without Kirk.
The author has an excellent grasp on the characters and feel of Star Trek, and (as this takes place a year or so after Kirk's death) I was perhaps overly pleased that they present McCoy and Spock with their friendship intact without Kirk.
March 11, 2025
I bought the book and the audiobook, but they did not match up. It was the same story all in all, but it was red on the audiobook much different that it was laid out in the pages of the e-book so I opted to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Leonard Nimoy, as that was more Interesting to me. It was a good story when I hadn’t heard before, and it gave some insights on and there were familiar characters McCoy and Uhura and they referred to Captain Kirk in past tense because in this book he had already passed on it was enjoyable. I wished the book followed the narration of the audiobook because I like to read and listen at the same time
June 4, 2023
An enjoyable book with great insight into Spock both as a child and as an adult post Kirk's death. The novel alternates between a story of Spock's youth when he met his human friend David and Spock as an adult dealing with Kirk's death while he helps his friend David who is now a Starfleet captain as well. I really enjoyed Spock's journey as he realizes he must come to accept his human side, his decision to join Starfleet as a child and as an adult mourning his friend. I also loved McCoy in this novel and the exploration of the bond between him and Spock.
July 28, 2024
Man I really wanted to like this book. Spock in command of a new ship with Uhura in command, out doing science-y stuff with McCoy helping out. But instead I get two desert-enduring stories side by side that felt like a slog to get through. I didn't particularly enjoy either of those stories and was happier when the book stayed more in the future than dwelling on the past. Rabin was an interesting enough character but was ultimately a more jokey Kirk. Ultimately, I just dragged myself through the book hoping for something but not really getting it.
December 31, 2023
The reflections on what caused Spock to join Starfleet against the wills and desires of those around him are really something. I like this push and pull between Vulcans and Romulans that we see again and again with Spock. Always with his foot in two worlds, especially here, we see Spock relating to and trying to understand both sides of every argument.
Why are Vulcans so hot? Desert climate. (Deliver me from my bad jokes.)
Why are Vulcans so hot? Desert climate. (Deliver me from my bad jokes.)
March 13, 2025
This explains why Spock resigns from Starfleet and became an ambassador and pursued the unification of Romulans and Vulcans. It jumps back and forth between his 20 year old self and later after Kirk dies. Each chapter flips back and forth. Frankly it got a little tedious. Also it explains why he decided to got to Starfleet instead of the Vulcan science academy and his 18 year feud with his father over this.
April 22, 2022
Loved "hearing" the logical witticisms in Spock's voice* in my head. Well written with some poignant and nostalgic moments for Spock and STAR TREK fans.
*I actually ended up discovering that there was an audiobook version narrated by Leonard Nimoy. But it was abridged, so I only followed along for a small portion and mostly read the physical copy.
*I actually ended up discovering that there was an audiobook version narrated by Leonard Nimoy. But it was abridged, so I only followed along for a small portion and mostly read the physical copy.
December 8, 2017
It's filling the holes that the shows and movies left in Spock's life, but it's not perfect in doing so. There are a few incoherent things in the plot.
Still I've read/heard worse Trek novels and this one was rather enjoyable.
Still I've read/heard worse Trek novels and this one was rather enjoyable.
March 26, 2018
I haven't read a Star Trek book in ages. I had this on my pile from when I picked it up second-hand. This was a lot of fun to read. The exploration into Spock's past as well as his current relationships with McCoy and Uhura are really fun to read.
February 3, 2020
Well written and just as good as Sarek by A.C. Crispin. The authors really do know these characters well. One of my favorite Star Trek books. It is always fun to see the characters continue to grow outside of the shows.
December 13, 2020
Picked up a copy in a second hand bookstore and thought I’d give Star Trek novels a try.
My first Star Trek novel and was pleasantly surprised. The writing was good, the story was engaging and gripping. I might just keep reading these 🙂
My first Star Trek novel and was pleasantly surprised. The writing was good, the story was engaging and gripping. I might just keep reading these 🙂
September 9, 2021
I’m seeing quite a bit of mixed reviews on this one. Personally, I enjoyed it and mostly enjoyed the playful banter between Spock and Bones. Not to mention if you are into audiobooks there is a reading of this book read by Leonard Nimoy himself! Very neat and immersive!
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