Wagon Train to the Stars: Book 1 of 6

by Diane Carey

Book Overview

After saving Earth from the threat of V'Ger, James T. Kirk is called again to the final frontier. His new mission: to lead a valiant group of settlers to a distant world, to defend the struggling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671042963
• ISBN13: 9780671042967
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Hopeless

Carey has always been a very nominal Trek writer. And this book is by far her worst. Plot is beyond lost. Characters and entire ships are blown up before the reader can figure out what they are doing in the book at all. Truly an utterly hopeless attempt.

loved every chapter

this is a brilliant book,they just keep coming up with good enterprise stories and prove again that there is nothing this crew cannot acomplish,the other side of the coin comes from all the other characters who do not always agree with kirks decision,plenty of room for conflict and action

A Fair Trek to the Stars

After reading several of the Trek novels this one truly is a wagon train to the stars. Kirk having to cope with the uncertain future that he might not make it to the new planet "Belle Terre". How he relates to the civilians and rebels make for interesting reading. However this book series should have been three parts. Six parts is milking it. The best Treks are the two part or three parts..this one was a struggle to read through as good as it was.

Good concept, nice plot, well woven

This book is a solid start to a series with a promising premise. The early going uses a standard plotline: unknown characters in unexplained situations performing waht is natural to them, and it is only through the course of the book that the meanings of those acts become understood. Meanwhile, those unknown characers eventually interact with Kirk & Co., only this time the "Co." numbers in the thousands. Why it took until not to take Gene Roddenberry's "Wagon Train to the Stars" concept literally is beyond be, but the opening bolley in this series carries it out quite well, and sets up plenty of future story lines. The plot twists are well thought out without being telegraphed, the characters are not out of character, and the results give the reader the satisfaction of hearing a story well told.

This is not your father's Trek TOS (The Original Series)

It's probably at least a bit easier to build epic stories on the foundations of the more recent Treks (TNG, DS9 or Voyager) than it is to exume Jim Kirk & co, who were created 35 years ago. Back then, sci fi was more or less interstellar horse opera--"Wagon Train To the Stars" was a working nickname for Trek in its formative state. Trek TOS fiction has been mainly good guy/ bad guy, unlike its successor forms. But this series of books is among the best in the TOS universe when it comes to fleshing out Jim Kirk as a person, which is a lot easier to imagine about Picard and Sisko. And unlike in the sci fi of old, friends and allies don't always get along. Kirk is not only in the middle of a uber alles conflict between two alien races due to the fact that he and his charges happen to be passing through--he's getting just as much grief from anti-Starfleet types among the people he's on this mission to protect. It's easy to relate to that nowadays when it's trendy to hate your government, when the most obscene four-letter word is "GOVT". Herman Wouk this ain't, but I'm going to be very interested to see how this shakes out in the final reel.

A nice start

Well, it's summer time and that can only mean one thing--the beginning of a new, multi-novel Star Trek saga, courtesy of Pocket Books. Last year's Double Helix series was a hit-or-miss affair that dealt with events in the TNG universe. This summer, Pocket treats us to the long-awaited classic Trek crossover series. And first up, is Diane Carey's "Wagon Train to the Stars." All in all, I've got to say this is a good start to the series. What really works is that Carey plunks us down in the middle of the story and fills in details via flashbacks and the characters interacting. The series takes place between the events seen in The Motion Picture and Wrath of Khan and finds Kirk, having temporarily taken a reduction in rank to Captain, leading a fleet of colonists to a new world that is nine months away. The first novel sets up the secondary characters and establishes the mood and the scene. It also sets into place the fact that the planet our heroes are headed for isn't what it seems (frustratingly enough, one of the characters knows what is going on but refuses to tell any one or give any hints....oh well, I guess it is a six-part series and we'll find out soon enough). Before you know it, Kirk is up to his ears in squabbles, disputes and egos other than his. It's interesting look at Kirk as he tries to deal with leading a group of people that aren't in Starfleet and don't necessarily want or have to follow his orders. There's internal intrigue as well as an external threat or two (the planet the colonists are heading for is at the center of two, ancient warring races and the Orions aren't far behind--seeing the colonists as potential profit in the slave trade). Carey balances a lot of elements to make an entertaining novel and one that sets up events well. The stage is set for the next five books and there's enough mysteries involved to keep me curious as what's to come next. My only fear is that we won't find out the planet's myterious secret until book six and the other four books will be a holding pattern of sorts. Also, minor characters are being set up to be in conflict and you can see some of Kirk's headahces that are ahead. I only hope Carey and the rest of the authors will take some chances and not give into a standard, cliched Trek storyline.All that said, I will say that Wagon Train to the Stars is a good start. It's an enjoyable summer Trek read--not too heavy, but not too light. I'm definitely interested to see what happens next.