Star Trek: Strange New Worlds VIII

by Dean Wesley Smith, Julia Heaberlin, Elisa J. Kassin, et al.

Book Overview

This newest volume of Strange New Worlds features original Star Trek®, Star Trek: The Next Generation ®, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine®, Star Trek: Voyager®, and Star Trek: Enterprise™ stories written by Star Trek fans, for Star Trek fans
Each of these stories features our favorite Trek characters in new and adventurous situations. In this anthology, we get to experience a new version...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416503455
• ISBN13: 9781416503453
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Star Trek
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Trek fans are coming up in the world!

Another year, another collection of Star Trek stories, by fans and for fans. Yes, it's Strange New Worlds VIII, and it follows the same rules as all of the others (including Strange New Worlds VII). It's a collection of stories written by authors who do not have much, if anything, published. Dean Wesley Smith (with help from Elisa J. Kassin and Paula M. Block) choose the stories that will be included from hundreds of submissions, and they usually make some good choices. As always, not all of the stories work, but they all have something to them that shows us why they were chosen. Unlike last year's edition, however, I disagree with one of the prizes. The grand prize winner is "Alpha & Omega," by Derek Tyler Attico. This is a huge story about the fall of the Federation to the Borg, how Admiral Janeway and Captain Picard have kept fighting, trying desperately to figure out some way to defeat the Borg. An attempted infiltration of the Borg by Picard and Seven (along with Janeway and Worf), goes horribly awry, and only Janeway's forethought and Dr. Crusher's ability save them from being wiped out. We then discover the true reason Q spent so much time with Picard, and how his ultimate mission has failed. Yet when the end comes, it eventually leads to a new beginning. I was really impressed with this story, and its Grand Prize award is well-deserved. Attico gets the characterizations of our heroes perfectly, with just enough changes to reflect the fact that everything they have known and loved has fallen down around them. Picard still shows some compassion to those drones who are assimilated against their will, and Janeway (along with Seven) is the Borg expert. The ending is perfectly fitting, as the cycle of life and the universe begins again. The second prize winner is "Concurrence," by Geoffrey Thorne, and it is another "Speculations" story. I can't say too much about this one without spoiling both twists, but I will say that it involves a race from what appears to be beyond the galaxy, having retreated their after a time in the Alpha Quadrant, who have been fascinated with Earth for many years (and the reason for it is logical, so don't roll your eyes about another alien culture fascinated with Earth). They detect a weak distress signal from a planet and send a ship to investigate. They discover what appears to be a Vulcan research installation with all of the inhabitants killed. Could it have been the Dominion? And what about the one Vulcan woman they find alive, in apparent stasis? What's her secret? And will the ship and its crew survive once the secret comes out? This story surprised me as it doesn't have any of the "regulars" in it, but it does have a very concrete tie to the Star Trek universe. It's not apparent for a while, though (except the Vulcans, of course), but it's well worth waiting for. Thorne gives us interesting characters and a puzzle to solve. Even when we discover the truth about one side, the revelat

Very good and very balanced.

In the past I have bitched about SNW not having an equal amount of stories per series. Well, they (basically) do in this volume. They all round each other out nicely. Another good thing is that in the VGR stories, Seven of Nine does not dominate as in previous volumes. The editor(s) of SNW are finally getting it right.

Fan fiction - as reviewed by another fan

I love the concept of the Strange New Worlds contest, because it gives such a fresh perspective to Star Trek and legitimacy to all of us aspiring authors who might want to join in this fun someday. So, it is interesting and informative to see what other people wrote about and what the contest judges chose to accept. Each SNW anothology has 3 winners and the potential for up to 20 honorable mentions. This edition has 22 stories, which they divide into 6 categories, the five TV series and a section they call "Speculations." Star Trek: "Shanghaied" by Alan James Garbers: An interesting tale, set during the original 5 year mission, with ties to old alien abduction stories. An original story, this has no ties to other shows or cameos by other characters. "Assignment: One" by Kevin Lauderdale: This was probably my favorite among the TOS stories. Although it directly contradicts events in Greg Cox's "Eugenics Wars" books, it is a gripping story that draws two characters and where they were on one of the most important days in recent history - and where they should not have been. "Demon" by Kevin Andrew Hosey: One of the great "what-ifs" in Star Trek - what would really happen if Kirk was faced with a no-win scenario (this takes place right before the end of the original 5 year mission), with one great big twist at the end. A good story, but we all know what our hero will say to the "offer he can't refuse," so why ask? "Don't Call Me Tiny" by Paul C. Tseng: A peek into Sulu's childhood and a great spin on his funniest line in Star Trek III. I liked this one a lot, and would even recommend it for young teens to read because of the subject matter - how to deal with bullies. I especially liked the characterization of Sulu's parents; they seemed very real to me. Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Morning Bells Are Ringing" by Kevin G. Summers: One shy, awkward glance by a little girl in a turbolift becomes an entire story. This was great, and was very deftly written to convey the relationships involved. I liked this one very much. "Passages of Deceit" by Sarah A. Seaborne: A covert mission goes wrong for Captain Picard (set after the end of the TV series), where Dr. Crusher has to trust someone she really detests to save the captain's life. Nicely written, but not my favorite. It is just too convienent that the ONLY person who can help is the last person Crusher would want to think about. "Final Flight" by John Takis (Third Prize winner): What was Data really thinking when he sacrificed himself for the Enterprise and Captain Picard? This is a sad, beautiful tale that deals with Picard's grief and what B-4 may or may not represent. Definitely a prize-winner. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Trek" by Dan C. Duval: An okay story, but written with the wrong characters, in my opinion. It directly contradicts the story "Infinity" from "The Lives of Dax," which was a better story and made more sense than this does. "Gumbo" by Amy Vincent: A nice