A bridge of new Star Trek material when there was very little
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Compiled in 1976, this book predates the appearance of the Star Trek movies as well as nearly all of the novels. When it was published, the only novel to have appeared in print was "Spock Must Die!" by James Blish. Therefore, like the material collected and authored by Blish, this book served as a bridge of new Star Trek material at a time when there was a great desire for it but little content. The episodes of the original series had gone into syndication, serving to keep the flame alive. The short stories in this book are the further adventures of the main characters of the original series and they are quite good. My favorite was "Visit to A Weird Planet Revisited" which was a bit of a spoof on the Star Trek production process. Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley are acting out a scene involving the transporter when they are actually transported to the Enterprise. They are forced to carry out their roles in a crisis with the Klingons. Their positions are amusing; as they no longer are pretending to do what is actually taking place and every word they utter carries great weight. My least favorite story is "Mind-sifter", where Kirk is kidnapped by the Klingon General Kor, subjected to their mind-sifter and then taken through the Guardian of Forever back to the 1950's on Earth. His mind is so shattered that he ends up in a low-end mental hospital. The main logical flaw is that if Kor did indeed have access to the Guardian, he could easily have gone back in time and guaranteed Klingon dominance over the galaxy. Secondly, Kirk is gone two years, so Spock is upgraded to the captaincy of the Enterprise. The reaction of the crew, particularly McCoy, is unworthy of Star Fleet personnel. They are insubordinate to Spock and McCoy's behavior occasionally borders on the mutinous. Nevertheless, this book is still one that all fans of the original series will enjoy. Like money and friends, you can never have too much Star Trek.
Mind Sifter..
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
This is classic Trek.I remember reading this sooo long ago when it first came out.I cannot heap enough praise for this book!Others have mentioned 'Mind Sifter'..possibly the most powerful Star Trek story since 'City on the edge of forever'I never forgot it and it did the unthinkable...it brought me to tears.Other Trek books to get along with this one, are 'The fate of the Phoenix' and 'The price of the Phoenix',strong stories.
Interesting in so many ways...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I'm not sure I've ever felt so many different things from one book. I may be thinking that because I read it yesterday, but the fact remains that this is a remarkable book. Inspiring, hilarious, unsettling. To choose two favorite stories to illustrate: "The Face in the Barroom Floor," and "Mind-Sifter," which has already been mentioned twice. The first is simply hilarious. A rollicking story from beginning to end, from Kirk's barroom brawl to his escape from jail to McCoy's final conclusion that maybe Spock had better take shore leave next time. A funny, feel-good, well-written story. As opposed to "Mind-Sifter." I read it yesterday, and I'm still unsettled. I think it can all be summed up by mentioning that Kirk frequently whimpers, screams, cries, and it's not at all funny or unnatural. An excellent story. Though unsettling. Those are two of eight, I could go on but I won't. I'll just conclude that this book manages to span and touch all the best aspects of Star Trek fiction. Not bad for a little 236 page paperback.
Pure nostalgia
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book is literally like taking a trip back in time. The stories are very good, my favorite being Mindsifter. The one about the actors actually being transported into the ST universe is especially fun. Much better than The New Voyages 2, which is still a lot of fun.
Fascinating!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This is a marvelous book. Inside it, you can find 8 stories writed by star trek fans of the 1970`s. I think that the best story of this book is "Ni Var", in which Spock is separated in his two breeds: one Vulcan and another Human. Both Spocks decided to be reunited, because it is - of course - 'logic`, that they must remained as one only being. The last story `Mind sifter'is interesting, too, but I would wish that the writer would provided more details about the encounter between Kor, Kirk and the Guardian of Forever.REad it! You don't be disappointed.
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