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Star Trek: Odyssey #3
Star Trek: Avenger
When a lethal virus threatens the entire Federation with starvation and dissolution, the long-believed-dead James T. Kirk embarks on a mission to discover the virus's source, while Spock investigates the truth behind his father's death.
370 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1997
About the author
William Shatner
114 books844 followersWilliam Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I'm Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he stars as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal -- a role for which he has won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
April 5, 2020
Typical Shatner Trek book, jam packed with action and so many gratuitous, loosely related plot threads and character tie-ins it makes your head spin. Plus, of course, Kirk riding to the rescue to save everyone's bacon. Also, a few curious holes in his basic Trek knowledge, e.g. "Vulcanians" instead of Vulcans. Really? Small gripes aside, like Kirk coming back from the dead again, for like the 15th time now, the story is fairly well conceived, fast paced, and overall pretty decent Trek experience.
March 2, 2015
I feel like I am supposed to write something to compell other readers to want to read this book, or any book that I finish and get this review window. Most of the time I have no problem coming up with what I want to say or tell how I felt about the story.
I am not going to write a review or say what I felt. My comments in my status updates are a clue, especially the last one.
If you are reading this, and you are a die hard Star Trek fan and you want more stories about Kirk and Spock and McCoy, then read this book. I suggest you start with the first book and I will tell you that it is The Ashes of Eden. The second is The Return. The trilogy is called Odyssey. I am glad I finally had a chance to add it to my read list.
I am not going to write a review or say what I felt. My comments in my status updates are a clue, especially the last one.
If you are reading this, and you are a die hard Star Trek fan and you want more stories about Kirk and Spock and McCoy, then read this book. I suggest you start with the first book and I will tell you that it is The Ashes of Eden. The second is The Return. The trilogy is called Odyssey. I am glad I finally had a chance to add it to my read list.
September 17, 2016
This is probably my favourite of the 5 books in this series i’ve read despite a lot of small issues.
There are a lot of similarities between this and the previous volume, not in terms of story exactly but with the sortof ligaments of the plot.
The way the characters are separated for the mystery elements, misunderstandings and suspicions between characters that the reader already knows the answers to. Very similar action sequences etc.
Also the alterations to kirks past feels quite forced. Its more kirk-centric than the previous book, and i don’t really care about kirk, much more a TNG guy. its still set in the tng timeline though and those characters are still here and but not as much as in the last book.
Oh! and catharsis kirk reaches here, how he reaches it is kinda messed up, if i cared about kirk more i think i’d have had even more issues with the Avenger aspect of the title.
And as a sidenote... the trannin leaves stuff felt like it was King’s Foil from Lord of the Rings. I didn’t mind that so much but why were the leaves from Klingon space? I mean they were found in what was implied to be an entirely different galaxy, where a lot of stuff ended up sure, but f all the planets in all the galaxies why did this one trace back to the Klingon empire?
Ok, so why do i like this so much, well i’ve always wondered why Vulcans aren't evil? I mean in anything else logical thinking is what the killer robots etc. do. The Vulcans even have phrases like ‘the good of the many out way the needs of the few’ terrifying concepts from a human perspective.
I’m not saying this book answers such questions but it does at least explore the concept in a more interesting way than other trek i’ve seen (i do recall a vulcan member of the Maquis in DS9 and some less well done stuff in Enterprise) .
The other aspect i really like about this is the problem the Federation has, it is one which is more relevant today than when this was written .
It would have been nice is there was more or a pushback against the badguys, your left with a quite depressing situation in which no one has said anything much to suggest the villains were wrong.
Still overall great idea, and the book is pretty well written even as i said its a bit repetitive in detail if you’ve read the previous one.
There are a lot of similarities between this and the previous volume, not in terms of story exactly but with the sortof ligaments of the plot.
The way the characters are separated for the mystery elements, misunderstandings and suspicions between characters that the reader already knows the answers to. Very similar action sequences etc.
Also the alterations to kirks past feels quite forced. Its more kirk-centric than the previous book, and i don’t really care about kirk, much more a TNG guy. its still set in the tng timeline though and those characters are still here and but not as much as in the last book.
Oh! and catharsis kirk reaches here, how he reaches it is kinda messed up, if i cared about kirk more i think i’d have had even more issues with the Avenger aspect of the title.
And as a sidenote... the trannin leaves stuff felt like it was King’s Foil from Lord of the Rings. I didn’t mind that so much but why were the leaves from Klingon space? I mean they were found in what was implied to be an entirely different galaxy, where a lot of stuff ended up sure, but f all the planets in all the galaxies why did this one trace back to the Klingon empire?
Ok, so why do i like this so much, well i’ve always wondered why Vulcans aren't evil? I mean in anything else logical thinking is what the killer robots etc. do. The Vulcans even have phrases like ‘the good of the many out way the needs of the few’ terrifying concepts from a human perspective.
I’m not saying this book answers such questions but it does at least explore the concept in a more interesting way than other trek i’ve seen (i do recall a vulcan member of the Maquis in DS9 and some less well done stuff in Enterprise) .
The other aspect i really like about this is the problem the Federation has, it is one which is more relevant today than when this was written .
It would have been nice is there was more or a pushback against the badguys, your left with a quite depressing situation in which no one has said anything much to suggest the villains were wrong.
Still overall great idea, and the book is pretty well written even as i said its a bit repetitive in detail if you’ve read the previous one.
July 10, 2023
Overall, this series is a fun dive into the Shatnerverse. I was also surprised by the amount of continuity with Star Trek proper.
December 26, 2023
It begins…with a ticking clock. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise feels each toc as the rot of disease corrupts the Federation. They’re not sick. Not yet. The virus, the Virogen, is spread by people. Most recover after a few weeks. But not the plantlife. Entire worlds, dependent on the same strain of crops to feed the Federation, are starving due to the Virogen decemating all vegetation, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard has to fire on refugee ships attempting to run the blockades set up by Starfleet. A good man is told to make an impossible choice where he has to choose which way he fails.
As the Federation fractures, a quiet man makes his way to the distant world along the Klingon/Romulan boarder known as Chal. While most people recover in a few weeks from the Virogen, the people of Chal have a special biology that makes them utterly susceptible to it. They are dying as fast as the oceans of their world. What’s left of the Federation relief effort is desperately trying replicate fresh water for themselves and the survivors, but the Captain and crew of the U.S.S. Tobias (double check name) can feel the ticking of the clock with each second striking against them.
Until that quiet man makes his way to the refugee center. He’s looking for the grave of a woman who isn’t quite dead yet. Captain Macdonald of the Tobias directs him to Telani, and when that quiet man is reunited with his long lost love, she has only one thing to say.
“James…you came back…”
With a treatment for the Virogen, Captain James T. Kirk has returned to Chal. A secret cure given to him by mysterious means helps reverse the dying love of his life. He takes her home. He gives the cure to Starfleet. The cure spreads, but not faster than the disease.
There is a soulful melancholy at the heart of Star Trek Avenger. Where the Ashes of Eden asked, “after a 30-year career of being a soldier, what do I do now?” Star Trek: Avenger asks, “What was it all for? And more importantly, was it right?”
As the mystery of the Virogen is unraveled, Kirk finds the end in his beginning. In 2246, a young James T. Kirk lived on Tarsus IV as the colony of 8,000 starved. Governor Kotos, sympathetic to the old eugenics philosophies and unaware that supply ships were imminent, tried to save a portion of the colony by killing 4,000 colonists he deemed least desirable or able to survive. The 13-year-old Jim Kirk was one of only 9 eyewitnesses to the massacre. But in Star Trek Avenger, we learned that Kodos was part of a much bigger plan.
The Symmetrists, a radical terrorist group from Vulcan, believed that the ever expanding Federation was unbalanced. It standardized its colonies, creating a vast network of planets that all grew the same crops. With such an extreme lack of bio diversity, the Federation was one fungus, one virus, one famine away from collapse. The Symmetrists, before they grew violent, brought their concerns to the Federation. After they were ignored, the Symmetrists decided the Federation needed to be humbled.
At the end of the book, James T. Kirk realizes how correct the Symmetrists are in their assessment. They’re traced back to a secret base on Tarsus IV, and as Kirk leads the assault, he remembers his second meeting with an aged Kodos in Season 1, Episode 13, “The Conscience of the King,” in Star Trek: The Original Series. Now, having spent thirty years fighting and killing to protect the Federation, Kirk sees much of himself in that faded Kodos.
Because in that soulful melancholy that Kirk is experiencing, he sees the younger Federation officers, the ones still blinded by hope and idealism, the ones that believe in restraint, and all Kirk can offer is the bitter realization that restraint gets people killed, you must act with superior firepower and overwhelming force. Kirk's not wrong, just lacking subtly. At the end, Kirk lectures Picard, “There are other virogens out there. Other environmental disruptions that we can’t even imagine because we have no real conception of our interstellar environment and our place in it. Thirty years…and it’ll be the real thing. A complete and total interplanetary collapse.”
Picard responds, “Thirty years is a long time, Jim. Surely someone will solve this problem by then.”
“But who?” Kirk wonders. “I’ve done all I can. Now…its up to you.”
I understand where the Shatnerverse team is coming from here. It’s an important message, but with the heaviest of hands. You can practically feel Kirk wagging his finger at the reader and staring them in the eye. If i were Sean Ferrick from trek culture, I’d give this one a down. And that, my friends, wraps up the first trilogy in the Shatnerverse saga.
As I read each book, I wondered about the driving force behind them. Ashes of Eden was a rumination on the past. The Return was born from a failed attempt to pitch an eight Kirk film. In my review of Star Trek: Return, I lamented that it lacked the depth of The Ashes of Eden. But of course it’s not as deep. The Return was meant to be a movie. Its more of a sequel to Star Trek: Generations, than The Ashes of Eden. That’s why Star Trek: Avenger feels more of a sequel to The Ashes of Eden. Both were conceived as books, and share the same sense of soulful melancholy, driven by a quest for meaning that is always just a touch out of reach. Maybe Kirk will find it on Chal with the love of his life. Maybe he’ll have to go on one last mission, first.
As the Federation fractures, a quiet man makes his way to the distant world along the Klingon/Romulan boarder known as Chal. While most people recover in a few weeks from the Virogen, the people of Chal have a special biology that makes them utterly susceptible to it. They are dying as fast as the oceans of their world. What’s left of the Federation relief effort is desperately trying replicate fresh water for themselves and the survivors, but the Captain and crew of the U.S.S. Tobias (double check name) can feel the ticking of the clock with each second striking against them.
Until that quiet man makes his way to the refugee center. He’s looking for the grave of a woman who isn’t quite dead yet. Captain Macdonald of the Tobias directs him to Telani, and when that quiet man is reunited with his long lost love, she has only one thing to say.
“James…you came back…”
With a treatment for the Virogen, Captain James T. Kirk has returned to Chal. A secret cure given to him by mysterious means helps reverse the dying love of his life. He takes her home. He gives the cure to Starfleet. The cure spreads, but not faster than the disease.
There is a soulful melancholy at the heart of Star Trek Avenger. Where the Ashes of Eden asked, “after a 30-year career of being a soldier, what do I do now?” Star Trek: Avenger asks, “What was it all for? And more importantly, was it right?”
As the mystery of the Virogen is unraveled, Kirk finds the end in his beginning. In 2246, a young James T. Kirk lived on Tarsus IV as the colony of 8,000 starved. Governor Kotos, sympathetic to the old eugenics philosophies and unaware that supply ships were imminent, tried to save a portion of the colony by killing 4,000 colonists he deemed least desirable or able to survive. The 13-year-old Jim Kirk was one of only 9 eyewitnesses to the massacre. But in Star Trek Avenger, we learned that Kodos was part of a much bigger plan.
The Symmetrists, a radical terrorist group from Vulcan, believed that the ever expanding Federation was unbalanced. It standardized its colonies, creating a vast network of planets that all grew the same crops. With such an extreme lack of bio diversity, the Federation was one fungus, one virus, one famine away from collapse. The Symmetrists, before they grew violent, brought their concerns to the Federation. After they were ignored, the Symmetrists decided the Federation needed to be humbled.
At the end of the book, James T. Kirk realizes how correct the Symmetrists are in their assessment. They’re traced back to a secret base on Tarsus IV, and as Kirk leads the assault, he remembers his second meeting with an aged Kodos in Season 1, Episode 13, “The Conscience of the King,” in Star Trek: The Original Series. Now, having spent thirty years fighting and killing to protect the Federation, Kirk sees much of himself in that faded Kodos.
Because in that soulful melancholy that Kirk is experiencing, he sees the younger Federation officers, the ones still blinded by hope and idealism, the ones that believe in restraint, and all Kirk can offer is the bitter realization that restraint gets people killed, you must act with superior firepower and overwhelming force. Kirk's not wrong, just lacking subtly. At the end, Kirk lectures Picard, “There are other virogens out there. Other environmental disruptions that we can’t even imagine because we have no real conception of our interstellar environment and our place in it. Thirty years…and it’ll be the real thing. A complete and total interplanetary collapse.”
Picard responds, “Thirty years is a long time, Jim. Surely someone will solve this problem by then.”
“But who?” Kirk wonders. “I’ve done all I can. Now…its up to you.”
I understand where the Shatnerverse team is coming from here. It’s an important message, but with the heaviest of hands. You can practically feel Kirk wagging his finger at the reader and staring them in the eye. If i were Sean Ferrick from trek culture, I’d give this one a down. And that, my friends, wraps up the first trilogy in the Shatnerverse saga.
As I read each book, I wondered about the driving force behind them. Ashes of Eden was a rumination on the past. The Return was born from a failed attempt to pitch an eight Kirk film. In my review of Star Trek: Return, I lamented that it lacked the depth of The Ashes of Eden. But of course it’s not as deep. The Return was meant to be a movie. Its more of a sequel to Star Trek: Generations, than The Ashes of Eden. That’s why Star Trek: Avenger feels more of a sequel to The Ashes of Eden. Both were conceived as books, and share the same sense of soulful melancholy, driven by a quest for meaning that is always just a touch out of reach. Maybe Kirk will find it on Chal with the love of his life. Maybe he’ll have to go on one last mission, first.
August 11, 2016
Star Trek Avenger continues on from The Return and we get to see Kirk starting to make an impact again back in the Federation as he moves to undo a crisis that has been in the making since his early years! :D
Star Trek Avenger weaves through events both in the 23 and 24 centuries neatly tying seemingly completely different plotlines together into a coherent hole and weaving a conspiracy throughout all the events and at the same time moving events on in a very clever and well laid out way! :D Throughout this ability to weave in plot threads is done in a very creative way that will have you continually surprised at how Shatner manages to pull it off! :D
Central to the plotlines though are Kirk , Picard and Spock with guest appearances by many other characters including a much older McCoy who is as crotchety as normal but at the same time when he finally shows up makes a major point to the overall plot of the book and this ins indicative of all the characters throughout they all contribute rather that just being there and it really makes the plot fly along with with nods and winks coming from every direction! :D
The plot is driven by the two leads but at the same time the events serve the characters but also put the events taking place on a galaxy wide scale as they move to combat the events that are taking place throughout the galaxy! :D At the same time their is a very strong ecological message that is put across in the plot with some very clear messages about profit and efficiency vs sustainability but instead of hamstringing the plot as you would reckon from simply reading the the jacket it helps to propel the plot on at the breakneck pace that it has with events on a galactic scale and with everything to be saved! :D This also leads to scenes where instead of taking the easy option both Kirk and Picard even though great friends do not see precisely eye-to-eye giving both characters topics to mull over but at the same time this adds to events and gives them much greater depth! :D
Throughout though the action is thick and fast with events flashing all over the place both in time and space with the conspiracy taking in the entire Federation with clues scattered all about all over the place with invariably leads Kirk, Spock and Picard to meet up and pool resources though there is a bit of disagreement initially as to how they are going to go about this! :D This again is a clever twist as while Kirk and Picard have the same agenda the methods being used are in question though to be fair Picard doesn't have all the facts that Kirk has and is inconveniently induced with the bug that is going round which again puts him wrongfooted as he can't be on the bridge to directly influence the situation! :D
Throughout though there is humour as well though with scenes being laced with it how Kirk and Spock find each other again will have you in stitches and then them trying to control their breathing in front of the 'youngsters', Kirk ramming the Enterprise (politely of course! :D ), McCoys confrontation with the EMH and Christine and M'Benga's consternation at Kirk's disappearing mystery acts are all prime examples! :D
Star Trek Avenger is a massive adventure from Kirk's mystery act and rescue of Teilani to the rescue of the Tobias by Enterprise and the storming of the Symmetrist's are only examples but the whole combine to make a rip roaring adventure full of high ideas and rib cracking humour throughout that will have you guessing at every turn about which way the story is going to go! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D
Star Trek Avenger weaves through events both in the 23 and 24 centuries neatly tying seemingly completely different plotlines together into a coherent hole and weaving a conspiracy throughout all the events and at the same time moving events on in a very clever and well laid out way! :D Throughout this ability to weave in plot threads is done in a very creative way that will have you continually surprised at how Shatner manages to pull it off! :D
Central to the plotlines though are Kirk , Picard and Spock with guest appearances by many other characters including a much older McCoy who is as crotchety as normal but at the same time when he finally shows up makes a major point to the overall plot of the book and this ins indicative of all the characters throughout they all contribute rather that just being there and it really makes the plot fly along with with nods and winks coming from every direction! :D
The plot is driven by the two leads but at the same time the events serve the characters but also put the events taking place on a galaxy wide scale as they move to combat the events that are taking place throughout the galaxy! :D At the same time their is a very strong ecological message that is put across in the plot with some very clear messages about profit and efficiency vs sustainability but instead of hamstringing the plot as you would reckon from simply reading the the jacket it helps to propel the plot on at the breakneck pace that it has with events on a galactic scale and with everything to be saved! :D This also leads to scenes where instead of taking the easy option both Kirk and Picard even though great friends do not see precisely eye-to-eye giving both characters topics to mull over but at the same time this adds to events and gives them much greater depth! :D
Throughout though the action is thick and fast with events flashing all over the place both in time and space with the conspiracy taking in the entire Federation with clues scattered all about all over the place with invariably leads Kirk, Spock and Picard to meet up and pool resources though there is a bit of disagreement initially as to how they are going to go about this! :D This again is a clever twist as while Kirk and Picard have the same agenda the methods being used are in question though to be fair Picard doesn't have all the facts that Kirk has and is inconveniently induced with the bug that is going round which again puts him wrongfooted as he can't be on the bridge to directly influence the situation! :D
Throughout though there is humour as well though with scenes being laced with it how Kirk and Spock find each other again will have you in stitches and then them trying to control their breathing in front of the 'youngsters', Kirk ramming the Enterprise (politely of course! :D ), McCoys confrontation with the EMH and Christine and M'Benga's consternation at Kirk's disappearing mystery acts are all prime examples! :D
Star Trek Avenger is a massive adventure from Kirk's mystery act and rescue of Teilani to the rescue of the Tobias by Enterprise and the storming of the Symmetrist's are only examples but the whole combine to make a rip roaring adventure full of high ideas and rib cracking humour throughout that will have you guessing at every turn about which way the story is going to go! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2022
Another insane entry in the Shatnerverse series. These books are the height of hubris, but I cannot look away. It's fan fiction, but the fan is Shatner and he's mostly just a fan of himself. But so am I so...here we are.
Captain Kirk has somehow survived...again! Now he has to save the galaxy from a virus that he destroying the food supply. I don't think he fully gets the science of Star Trek, or basic food for that matter, but it doesn't really matter. There's an emergency and only Kirk (and a few of his moldy oldy friends) can stop it.
The contribution of the TNG crew is even less in this book. They are missed but given how Spock heavy this story is I suppose it makes sense. I lose my mind how every woman in the freaking universe wants to FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK Kirk so bad! I love this guy so much.
Captain Kirk has somehow survived...again! Now he has to save the galaxy from a virus that he destroying the food supply. I don't think he fully gets the science of Star Trek, or basic food for that matter, but it doesn't really matter. There's an emergency and only Kirk (and a few of his moldy oldy friends) can stop it.
The contribution of the TNG crew is even less in this book. They are missed but given how Spock heavy this story is I suppose it makes sense. I lose my mind how every woman in the freaking universe wants to FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK Kirk so bad! I love this guy so much.
August 9, 2013
Enjoyable--but not as enjoyable as Shatner's first two novels in this series. The action was fun and interesting. The tie ins of canon Trek lore were fun and added to the overall plot. My only real problem is with the glorification of Kirk at the cost of other beloved characters (which was also present in his other two books from this Odyssey trilogy).
I say if you enjoyed the other two novels in this series go ahead and read this one. It is almost as light, fast, and fun as those, even if the premise is wearing thin (and I think there are 6 or 7 more Shatner novels out there somewhere).
I say if you enjoyed the other two novels in this series go ahead and read this one. It is almost as light, fast, and fun as those, even if the premise is wearing thin (and I think there are 6 or 7 more Shatner novels out there somewhere).
May 24, 2016
I forgot how good this book really is! Check out our review on the Literary Treks podcast (June 5, 2016).
September 16, 2026
ok. vafan var det dår.
inte oväntat, men Kirk var så grymt out of character. finns genuint ingen koppling till serien eller filmerna, bara shatners actionhjälte-self insert-gary stu som är Mörk och Mystisk och alla tjejer är kära i honom och han är såå smart och kompetent och han vet allting och har inga brister. mid.
det blir naturligtvis värre:
första dödssynden var som alltid kvinnosynen. alla kvinnor tilltalas vid förnamn (även om de är i en arbetssituation och deras manliga kollegor för heta rank och efternamn. fråscht) förutom en, för att ingen av pov-karaktärerna vill ha sex med henne. hon är svart. episkt.
andra dödsynden var... hela grejen han försökte göra med tarsus iv? låt mig utveckla. tänk dig att du har en Fet parallell till förintelsen. med sin egen hitler. och en judisk-kodad protagonist som överlevt förintelsen. ok. ponera nu följande: förintelsen var mer eller mindre ett inside job. av eu. (???) planerat av protagonistens (canon judiska) polares PAPPA och hans KULT. (?????) och typ hundra år efter förintelsen säger protagonisten "damm hitler kanske var något på spåren ändå. jag relaterar till hur han tänkte och känner igen mig själv i honom" (????????????)
stort tack till Leo som gav mig den här i födelsedagspresent, den var en fröjd att läsa slash dissekera 🕺
inte oväntat, men Kirk var så grymt out of character. finns genuint ingen koppling till serien eller filmerna, bara shatners actionhjälte-self insert-gary stu som är Mörk och Mystisk och alla tjejer är kära i honom och han är såå smart och kompetent och han vet allting och har inga brister. mid.
det blir naturligtvis värre:
första dödssynden var som alltid kvinnosynen. alla kvinnor tilltalas vid förnamn (även om de är i en arbetssituation och deras manliga kollegor för heta rank och efternamn. fråscht) förutom en, för att ingen av pov-karaktärerna vill ha sex med henne. hon är svart. episkt.
andra dödsynden var... hela grejen han försökte göra med tarsus iv? låt mig utveckla. tänk dig att du har en Fet parallell till förintelsen. med sin egen hitler. och en judisk-kodad protagonist som överlevt förintelsen. ok. ponera nu följande: förintelsen var mer eller mindre ett inside job. av eu. (???) planerat av protagonistens (canon judiska) polares PAPPA och hans KULT. (?????) och typ hundra år efter förintelsen säger protagonisten "damm hitler kanske var något på spåren ändå. jag relaterar till hur han tänkte och känner igen mig själv i honom" (????????????)
stort tack till Leo som gav mig den här i födelsedagspresent, den var en fröjd att läsa slash dissekera 🕺
June 10, 2022
Summer reading entry 1: "Star Trek: Avenger" (1997) by William Shatner (co-writers: Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens).
The third of the ten "Shatnerverse" novels spearheaded and co-written by William Shatner that were released from 1995 to 2007).
The third of the first trilogy with that series (later dubbed the "Odyssey" trilogy): "The Ashes of Eden" (1995), "The Return" (1996), and "Avenger" (1997); all three books also collected in a "Star Trek: Odyssey" omnibus edition (1998).
The second of the "Shatnerverse" novels that takes place in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" era.
This is another re-read for me as I know I read the first three William Shatner Star Trek novels back when they first came out. I'm rereading them now (and moving on to the ones I bought but did not get around to reading back then) as part of my reading of the "Next Generation" novels starting post-"Star Trek Generations".
I don't really recall what my reaction to reading “Avenger” was back in 1997 but on this re-read I found that I did not recall much of the plot after all of these years so it largely felt like one I was reading for the first time.
My memories were much stronger of "The Return", but I found, on this re-reading, that I actually enjoyed "Avenger" more. Unlike "The Return" (which--SPOILERS for that book--dealt entirely with a plot by renegade Romulans to join forces with the Borg, resurrecting James T. Kirk from his recent death on Veridian III ("Star Trek Generations" film) and brainwashing him into seeking out Jean-Luc Picard in order to kill him), "Avenger" on the surface feels like it has much more going on (although, in reality is has a similar plot structure to "The Return" in that there are three parallel stories going on at the start which then converge by the end of the book).
(Now, SPOILER warning for "Avenger".) We learn early in "Avenger" (which takes place two years after the events of "The Return") that a virogen has spread throughout Federation space, passing from people to the plant ecologies on the various worlds and then destroying the latter. Starfleet (including Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E) must enforce blockades around quarantined worlds to prevent further spread. The story opens with them pursuing a vessel that has escaped from a quarantined planet, the confrontation with which sends Picard and company into seeking out answers as to what originally created the virogen and why.
Meanwhile, James Kirk, seemingly killed on the Borg home world at the end of "The Return" (although intentionally teased to the reader as probably having survived), shows up on Chal, a planet introduced in Shatner's first novel, "The Ashes of Eden", where Kirk nearly a century earlier (just after the events of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") met and fell in love with a woman named Teilani. Chal has been decimated by the virogen. Telilani, it turns out, is also still alive (although just barely, due to the virogen). Kirk knows how to save her. He intends of living out his days with Teilani on Chal but also ends up becoming involved in solving the mystery of virogen (along with the crew of a Starfleet science vessel assigned to the recovery effort on Chal, the U.S.S. Tobias).
The third plot thread at the start of "Avenger" deals with Ambassador Spock learning startling new information regarding his father, Sarek, and how he died (Bendaii Symdrome, as seen on episodes of "Next Generation"). Now, Spock learns, his father may have instead have been murdered, and that his father and his mother had ties to an underground movement on Vulcan called the Symetrists. Spock is driven to seek out the truth behind his father's death and, if he was murdered, find out who was behind it.
These three plots, as one would expect, gradually dovetail together, so that first Kirk and Spock reunite. Then, working together, they initially come up against Picard, Riker, and the Enterprise-E crew, who don't know what Kirk and Spock's involvement is but that there is some sort of conspiracy within the Federation regarding the virogen (and that they must stop it and discover the cure).
That's all I'll say, plot wise. Writing wise, I generally found this to be better written than "The Return" as the characters (both the original series characters like Kirk and Spock, and the TNG characters like Picard, Riker, Troi, Dr. Crusher, Data, and La Forge) all seem more "in character" here than they did in "The Return" (although there is still a scene where Kirk and Picard are forced to confront each other in a way that's "off" for both of the characters, especially Picard). But, aside from that, I felt that the Next Generation characters were handled better here than they had been in "The Return". They are, however, less of a presence overall in "Avenger" as the primary focus of the novel (as one would expect from a William Shatner written book) is on Kirk and Spock.
Which brings me to the one thing that made this not quite an excellent Star Trek novel in my opinion, which is the Sarek (Spock's father) connection to both the Symetrists (that revelation, which also involved Amanda, Spock's mother), and also to an early traumatic experience in Kirk's life (long before Kirk first "met" Sarek aboard the Enterprise in the original series episode, "Journey to Babel"). There is quite a bit of "retconning" going on here in the way of characters learning secrets that supposedly happened much earlier on in the Star Trek original series "canon" of the television series and movies, and it came off to me as forced and unnecessary. The rest of the Star Trek novels don't recognize the "Shatnerverse" series with its resurrection of James Kirk in the TNG era and these revelations about Sarek here in "Avenger" are ones that make be, quite frankly, glad they don't.
It didn't make me not enjoy "Avenger" overall, however. I still found it to be a fun Star Trek novel and well worth the read. (The next Shatner Star Trek novel after this is "Spectre" (1998), the first of the "Mirror Universe" trilogy. I may take a little break between "Avenger" and "Spectre" though to read some other things in between.)
The third of the ten "Shatnerverse" novels spearheaded and co-written by William Shatner that were released from 1995 to 2007).
The third of the first trilogy with that series (later dubbed the "Odyssey" trilogy): "The Ashes of Eden" (1995), "The Return" (1996), and "Avenger" (1997); all three books also collected in a "Star Trek: Odyssey" omnibus edition (1998).
The second of the "Shatnerverse" novels that takes place in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" era.
This is another re-read for me as I know I read the first three William Shatner Star Trek novels back when they first came out. I'm rereading them now (and moving on to the ones I bought but did not get around to reading back then) as part of my reading of the "Next Generation" novels starting post-"Star Trek Generations".
I don't really recall what my reaction to reading “Avenger” was back in 1997 but on this re-read I found that I did not recall much of the plot after all of these years so it largely felt like one I was reading for the first time.
My memories were much stronger of "The Return", but I found, on this re-reading, that I actually enjoyed "Avenger" more. Unlike "The Return" (which--SPOILERS for that book--dealt entirely with a plot by renegade Romulans to join forces with the Borg, resurrecting James T. Kirk from his recent death on Veridian III ("Star Trek Generations" film) and brainwashing him into seeking out Jean-Luc Picard in order to kill him), "Avenger" on the surface feels like it has much more going on (although, in reality is has a similar plot structure to "The Return" in that there are three parallel stories going on at the start which then converge by the end of the book).
(Now, SPOILER warning for "Avenger".) We learn early in "Avenger" (which takes place two years after the events of "The Return") that a virogen has spread throughout Federation space, passing from people to the plant ecologies on the various worlds and then destroying the latter. Starfleet (including Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E) must enforce blockades around quarantined worlds to prevent further spread. The story opens with them pursuing a vessel that has escaped from a quarantined planet, the confrontation with which sends Picard and company into seeking out answers as to what originally created the virogen and why.
Meanwhile, James Kirk, seemingly killed on the Borg home world at the end of "The Return" (although intentionally teased to the reader as probably having survived), shows up on Chal, a planet introduced in Shatner's first novel, "The Ashes of Eden", where Kirk nearly a century earlier (just after the events of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") met and fell in love with a woman named Teilani. Chal has been decimated by the virogen. Telilani, it turns out, is also still alive (although just barely, due to the virogen). Kirk knows how to save her. He intends of living out his days with Teilani on Chal but also ends up becoming involved in solving the mystery of virogen (along with the crew of a Starfleet science vessel assigned to the recovery effort on Chal, the U.S.S. Tobias).
The third plot thread at the start of "Avenger" deals with Ambassador Spock learning startling new information regarding his father, Sarek, and how he died (Bendaii Symdrome, as seen on episodes of "Next Generation"). Now, Spock learns, his father may have instead have been murdered, and that his father and his mother had ties to an underground movement on Vulcan called the Symetrists. Spock is driven to seek out the truth behind his father's death and, if he was murdered, find out who was behind it.
These three plots, as one would expect, gradually dovetail together, so that first Kirk and Spock reunite. Then, working together, they initially come up against Picard, Riker, and the Enterprise-E crew, who don't know what Kirk and Spock's involvement is but that there is some sort of conspiracy within the Federation regarding the virogen (and that they must stop it and discover the cure).
That's all I'll say, plot wise. Writing wise, I generally found this to be better written than "The Return" as the characters (both the original series characters like Kirk and Spock, and the TNG characters like Picard, Riker, Troi, Dr. Crusher, Data, and La Forge) all seem more "in character" here than they did in "The Return" (although there is still a scene where Kirk and Picard are forced to confront each other in a way that's "off" for both of the characters, especially Picard). But, aside from that, I felt that the Next Generation characters were handled better here than they had been in "The Return". They are, however, less of a presence overall in "Avenger" as the primary focus of the novel (as one would expect from a William Shatner written book) is on Kirk and Spock.
Which brings me to the one thing that made this not quite an excellent Star Trek novel in my opinion, which is the Sarek (Spock's father) connection to both the Symetrists (that revelation, which also involved Amanda, Spock's mother), and also to an early traumatic experience in Kirk's life (long before Kirk first "met" Sarek aboard the Enterprise in the original series episode, "Journey to Babel"). There is quite a bit of "retconning" going on here in the way of characters learning secrets that supposedly happened much earlier on in the Star Trek original series "canon" of the television series and movies, and it came off to me as forced and unnecessary. The rest of the Star Trek novels don't recognize the "Shatnerverse" series with its resurrection of James Kirk in the TNG era and these revelations about Sarek here in "Avenger" are ones that make be, quite frankly, glad they don't.
It didn't make me not enjoy "Avenger" overall, however. I still found it to be a fun Star Trek novel and well worth the read. (The next Shatner Star Trek novel after this is "Spectre" (1998), the first of the "Mirror Universe" trilogy. I may take a little break between "Avenger" and "Spectre" though to read some other things in between.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
Finally a good book in this series.The story is lighter than the previous ones ,maybe because kirk has accepted his fate . There are new interesting characters , among them doctor M’Benga , who is indeed his grandchild and Christine captain of the scientific vessel Tobias. Unfortunately Kirk feels attracted by Christine (who obviously falls in love with him after a nanosecond) ,and we can’t avoid the “captain kirk kisses the damsel in distress moment.” SIGH!There is also a sub plot about Sarek that is really interesing. Afterall it’s really a pleasant reading!
March 27, 2018
To be honest, I expected a flat storyline with some good twists, yet this book delivered much more.
Of course Kirk was the hero yet it did not feel like being overdone.
From those first three I must confess I liked this the most and I am actually looking forward to reading some more from Shatnerverse as he laid out a very interesting development for this branching timeline.
Of course Kirk was the hero yet it did not feel like being overdone.
From those first three I must confess I liked this the most and I am actually looking forward to reading some more from Shatnerverse as he laid out a very interesting development for this branching timeline.
March 27, 2020
Exceptional! Thoroughly enjoyed this, but then again I like the characters involved. It is unique in how he melds some of the original Enterprise crew with those from the Next Generation crew. Spock is shown in an entirely different manner than in any other book or show that I have experienced. Highly recommended for other Star Trek fans.
August 5, 2020
Fast paced, familiar friends crossing generations, a quick read that deals with a massive virus unleashed on several Federation worlds. JL and Kirk unite to find out who is responsible and how to fix it. Spock has an interesting storyline as well. It was nice to see Kirk on another adventure after his supposed death, and the book gave him a fitting end.
June 15, 2017
The third entry into the "Shatner-verse" novels of Star Trek - not as good or engaging as the last two. The book never finds its rhythm, going awkwardly back and forth with parallel story lines. Still worth a read, if only to finish off the "Odyssey" trilogy.
January 20, 2020
An interesting tale, I listened to the unabridged audiobook of Avenger, read by Shatner himself -- I went in expecting Kirk to save the day no matter what the situation was, and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
July 4, 2010
liked it once upon a time, found the audiobook now - still pretty good.
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6/29/21 - listened to it unabridged.
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6/29/21 - listened to it unabridged.
January 1, 2018
Fun as usual, and some great Kirk & Spock interractions (because Shatner tends to know how to do this right)... but ooooh, the ego (yup, it's still there).
August 10, 2018
A very well told story. Any Star Trek fan would love this story. Loved this Odyssey trilogy from beginning to end.
May 13, 2020
This book reads just like an episode. If you enjoyed the series, you would enjoy this book.
November 20, 2020
Continuation of the Star Trek "Shatnerverse". Damn good Star Trek TOS/TNG cross over. Not only true to his "Shatnerverse", its true to canon. So good I'm moving on to book #4!
February 17, 2025
I didn't hate this book, in fact I enjoyed it enough overall to stick a 4-star rating on it, but boy oh boy, I certainly had a few issues with it. In some ways this one was my favourite of the first trilogy in the Shatnerverse but it did some terrible things, not the least of which was carrying on far too long after what should have been the finish line.
While reading book 2 I had felt that some aspects of the Romulan-Borg alliance reminded me of the 'Picard' TV series and this book also features some vaguely similar elements. Here we've got the Federation stretched to its limits, tightening borders, unable to offer aid to those in need and suspicious of Romulans seeking peace talks.
It's not exactly samey but enough to remind me of the set up for 'Picard' even though this came first and of course here it's Kirk who fights to uphold Starfleet principles instead of Picard. In one of the unnecessary overtime portions, Kirk rants at Picard about needing to change the way the Federation operates and to be honest I didn't really think his point was well explained.
But Kirk having these revelations about himself is a part of him discovering that he has changed. That's all well and good in sentiment, but do we really want a Kirk who feels comfortable with revenge murders? Spock undergoes a similar kind of personal revelation and threatens at one point to "use his human side" to punish someone when he catches them. It's a little on the nose and probably much more than necessary.
It's an ambitious story. Each of the first 3 books are ambitious in their own way, but this one seeks to write fairly significant pieces of lore.
Since it's how the story starts, I don't mind revealing that this story connects Sarek to Kirk's childhood experience with Kodos the executioner. This piece of cornerstone Trek history has popped up in maybe half a dozen places now, so reworking stuff in probably doesn't fit too well. I was pretty happy to run with it anyway, it's better than working in a secret half-sister... but then one of the silly sentimental consequences was Kirk and Spock claiming Sarek to be Kirk's father. Strictly symbolically I guess but I thought it was a bit of unnecessary cheese.
Well, while I'm on the topic of cheese. Goddamn it, I wish Kirk didn't live up to his reputation in this. It's been pretty consistently annoying that Kirk looks at a woman and his mind runs straight to lustful interpretation of his odds in the situation. He starts this book by returning to his lover from book one, brings her back to health from her death bed, then abandons her for the quest.
Kirk goes on to meet a Commander Christine MacDonald and practically instantly begins assessing their romantic potential, taking up valuable page space with his wet dreams. And if that weren't bad enough, when he's recounting how he recovered after book two he mentions that he was banging a Borg chick as part of his sex therapy to bring him back to full strength. I mean jfc, put a lid on it.
Well that reminds me of two things.
His return from apparent death here is probably my favourite one. It adds a tiny bit of lore to the Borg story, catches us up on an old Borg friend and is actually a reasonable non-miracle for a change.
I found it a little confusing figuring out who was who for a while early on. We meet a doctor named M'Benga, who is actually the great granddaughter of the Dr. M'Benga that we know. We also meet a Christine who is the first Starfleet person to recognise Kirk, so of course every time she came up I was mistakenly picturing Christine Chapel. And just to throw me a little further off, this Christine refers to this M'Benga as "Bones" - so of course I kept thinking McCoy was in the room.
Which reminds me to mention that McCoy does his magic appearing from nowhere during a medical procedure trick. That's two books in a row that throw him in just to have him in the story, and I get it - I want to hang with Bones as well - but maybe have someone call him and ask him to come over or something, anything! Lol
Uhmmm, what else to mention? Kirk and Picard face off again, this time at phaser point. Data is still having a lot of fun trying out his emotion chip.
In general the plot is very good. I didn't like every choice, but it was based on uncovering closet-skeletons and solving a mystery of the past to fight a problem of the present.
I think I've probably waffled enough. I want to take a break before starting the next trilogy but it looks like Mirror universe stuff which means if I do take a break I'm at risk of not returning. So I should probably just plow on ahead.
While reading book 2 I had felt that some aspects of the Romulan-Borg alliance reminded me of the 'Picard' TV series and this book also features some vaguely similar elements. Here we've got the Federation stretched to its limits, tightening borders, unable to offer aid to those in need and suspicious of Romulans seeking peace talks.
It's not exactly samey but enough to remind me of the set up for 'Picard' even though this came first and of course here it's Kirk who fights to uphold Starfleet principles instead of Picard. In one of the unnecessary overtime portions, Kirk rants at Picard about needing to change the way the Federation operates and to be honest I didn't really think his point was well explained.
But Kirk having these revelations about himself is a part of him discovering that he has changed. That's all well and good in sentiment, but do we really want a Kirk who feels comfortable with revenge murders? Spock undergoes a similar kind of personal revelation and threatens at one point to "use his human side" to punish someone when he catches them. It's a little on the nose and probably much more than necessary.
It's an ambitious story. Each of the first 3 books are ambitious in their own way, but this one seeks to write fairly significant pieces of lore.
Since it's how the story starts, I don't mind revealing that this story connects Sarek to Kirk's childhood experience with Kodos the executioner. This piece of cornerstone Trek history has popped up in maybe half a dozen places now, so reworking stuff in probably doesn't fit too well. I was pretty happy to run with it anyway, it's better than working in a secret half-sister... but then one of the silly sentimental consequences was Kirk and Spock claiming Sarek to be Kirk's father. Strictly symbolically I guess but I thought it was a bit of unnecessary cheese.
Well, while I'm on the topic of cheese. Goddamn it, I wish Kirk didn't live up to his reputation in this. It's been pretty consistently annoying that Kirk looks at a woman and his mind runs straight to lustful interpretation of his odds in the situation. He starts this book by returning to his lover from book one, brings her back to health from her death bed, then abandons her for the quest.
Kirk goes on to meet a Commander Christine MacDonald and practically instantly begins assessing their romantic potential, taking up valuable page space with his wet dreams. And if that weren't bad enough, when he's recounting how he recovered after book two he mentions that he was banging a Borg chick as part of his sex therapy to bring him back to full strength. I mean jfc, put a lid on it.
Well that reminds me of two things.
His return from apparent death here is probably my favourite one. It adds a tiny bit of lore to the Borg story, catches us up on an old Borg friend and is actually a reasonable non-miracle for a change.
I found it a little confusing figuring out who was who for a while early on. We meet a doctor named M'Benga, who is actually the great granddaughter of the Dr. M'Benga that we know. We also meet a Christine who is the first Starfleet person to recognise Kirk, so of course every time she came up I was mistakenly picturing Christine Chapel. And just to throw me a little further off, this Christine refers to this M'Benga as "Bones" - so of course I kept thinking McCoy was in the room.
Which reminds me to mention that McCoy does his magic appearing from nowhere during a medical procedure trick. That's two books in a row that throw him in just to have him in the story, and I get it - I want to hang with Bones as well - but maybe have someone call him and ask him to come over or something, anything! Lol
Uhmmm, what else to mention? Kirk and Picard face off again, this time at phaser point. Data is still having a lot of fun trying out his emotion chip.
In general the plot is very good. I didn't like every choice, but it was based on uncovering closet-skeletons and solving a mystery of the past to fight a problem of the present.
I think I've probably waffled enough. I want to take a break before starting the next trilogy but it looks like Mirror universe stuff which means if I do take a break I'm at risk of not returning. So I should probably just plow on ahead.
May 24, 2022
For many years, William Shatner portrayed Star Trek‘s legendary Captain James T. Kirk. Unable to accept that the character was killed off permanently in the film Star Trek: Generations, Shatner along with two co-writers began writing a series of books in which a resurrected Kirk continues to live on during the time period following the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.
The first of these novels was Star Trek: The Return. Although that had an ending that also felt like it wrapped up the saga of the life of Captain Kirk, he is miraculously alive again in Avenger.
If there’s one thing that Shatner has in common with many of the writers and producers of Star Trek, it’s their contempt for consistency with history. I could accept in Star Trek: Generations that Kirk had left behind a beautiful woman named Antonia – who fans never met nor knew anything about – to return to Starfleet. It is this person who is in that “ideal place” in The Nexus with him. In the novelization of that movie, Kirk’s ideal place was with Dr. Carol Marcus and their late son David whom we met for the first time in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.
However, in Avenger, Shatner changes all of that. Instead of having left Antonia to return to Starfleet, he now left a woman named Teilani. Teilani lives on the planet Chal, which is a planet that the Klingons and Romulans collaborated on together to produce a possible super-race. Long after that project was abandoned, the offspring still reside on a planet that is just shy of Eden.
But Eden is dying, the victim of a mysterious virogen that has jumped quarantines and devastated the food supply on numerous Federation planets.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
The first of these novels was Star Trek: The Return. Although that had an ending that also felt like it wrapped up the saga of the life of Captain Kirk, he is miraculously alive again in Avenger.
If there’s one thing that Shatner has in common with many of the writers and producers of Star Trek, it’s their contempt for consistency with history. I could accept in Star Trek: Generations that Kirk had left behind a beautiful woman named Antonia – who fans never met nor knew anything about – to return to Starfleet. It is this person who is in that “ideal place” in The Nexus with him. In the novelization of that movie, Kirk’s ideal place was with Dr. Carol Marcus and their late son David whom we met for the first time in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.
However, in Avenger, Shatner changes all of that. Instead of having left Antonia to return to Starfleet, he now left a woman named Teilani. Teilani lives on the planet Chal, which is a planet that the Klingons and Romulans collaborated on together to produce a possible super-race. Long after that project was abandoned, the offspring still reside on a planet that is just shy of Eden.
But Eden is dying, the victim of a mysterious virogen that has jumped quarantines and devastated the food supply on numerous Federation planets.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
May 9, 2022
Thank God that’s over.
From thoroughly enjoy the first two books in the Odyssey series- The Ashes of Eden and The Return, Avenger was a collosal disappointment.
There was so many things wrong with this book but I will name a few:
- Why create two new characters that are named after old characters? Bones and Christine. Surely call them something else because they’re *not* Bones and Christine.
- Cool to bring Teilani back, but then she’s just not in the majority of the book and only returns on the very last page. If they wanted to bring back Kirk’s love interest, it shouldn’t have been so half hearted.
- Kirk being all in love with Teilani but longing to kiss another woman? That’s not Kirk. The whole essence of Kirk is his morals and honour. I don’t see him as a cheat although there is this huge misconception in the Star Trek community that he’s a womaniser. It’s just not true if you actually watch TOS.
- Spock suddenly being overcome with emotions?…
- Calling Vulcans ‘Vulcanians’, then switching back to Vulcans, uhm?
- Kirk knows how to do a Vulcan mind meld?
- Picard was just kinda there getting in the way. The collaboration between the 2 casts didn’t work. It worked in The Return but not this book.
- Plot was all over the place right from the start.
This book had potential and I was so looking forward to reading it but it feel flat for me. I was excited about the prospect of a Sarek based storyline but nothing seemed to work. The characters didn’t even sound like themselves and I didn’t recognise them. I felt like I wasn’t reading a Star Trek book at all, and not in a good way.
From thoroughly enjoy the first two books in the Odyssey series- The Ashes of Eden and The Return, Avenger was a collosal disappointment.
There was so many things wrong with this book but I will name a few:
- Why create two new characters that are named after old characters? Bones and Christine. Surely call them something else because they’re *not* Bones and Christine.
- Cool to bring Teilani back, but then she’s just not in the majority of the book and only returns on the very last page. If they wanted to bring back Kirk’s love interest, it shouldn’t have been so half hearted.
- Kirk being all in love with Teilani but longing to kiss another woman? That’s not Kirk. The whole essence of Kirk is his morals and honour. I don’t see him as a cheat although there is this huge misconception in the Star Trek community that he’s a womaniser. It’s just not true if you actually watch TOS.
- Spock suddenly being overcome with emotions?…
- Calling Vulcans ‘Vulcanians’, then switching back to Vulcans, uhm?
- Kirk knows how to do a Vulcan mind meld?
- Picard was just kinda there getting in the way. The collaboration between the 2 casts didn’t work. It worked in The Return but not this book.
- Plot was all over the place right from the start.
This book had potential and I was so looking forward to reading it but it feel flat for me. I was excited about the prospect of a Sarek based storyline but nothing seemed to work. The characters didn’t even sound like themselves and I didn’t recognise them. I felt like I wasn’t reading a Star Trek book at all, and not in a good way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2021
The third book in the original trilogy that creates the Shatnerverse...and the one I like the least. Not the actual writing and storytelling – you can sense the solid hands of the Reeves-Stevens tandem in the words, using their vast experience of Trek and novel writing to enhance the thrust of William Shatner’s plotting. The characters are sharp (barring one exception), and the action is first-rate and thrilling -- the actual reading is effortless. So why don’t I like this more? Because the Shatnerverse is set on foundations I simply do not enjoy. First of all, there is fanwank…and then there is over-convoluted fanwank that creates an outrageous conspiracy lasting over a century…taking in so many threads from previous episodes that it’s almost worthy of being championed by Donald Trump. The knot it ties basically strangles itself. Secondly, I intensely dislike changing the reason for Sarek’s death. His final appearances in TNG were beautifu – they explored the melancholy of old age and being stripped of everything that once defined a person’s individuality. Replacing it with this conspiracy/murder plot cheapens his departure. Finally, the ending that sets up tension between Picard and Kirk is solely at Picard’s expense – it makes him out to be a Federation bureaucratic schill…and that is not the character of Jean-Luc Picard. What we have is a novel that sets up an entire parallel universe of Trek storytelling…a parallel universe that is set up with great technical skill on the writing front…and one that leaves me cold at best, and disappointed at worst.
August 27, 2026
These Shatner books are always a fun read, but even this one had some plot holes and forced character connections that I probably rolled my eyes numerous times. At the end of the day, it was fun and entertaining, but probably could have used some additional notes or edits.
The main virus threat is never clear because sometimes it insinuates a threat to the food supply (even though they have food replicators...) but other times it comes across as affecting people, forcing them to quarantine - yet no one ever seems to have symptoms? That alone makes the main threat in the story not work.
Also, at one point Picard is kidnapped and tortured and its implied they take out one of his eyes... only for it never to be referenced ever again and none of the characters (nor Picard himself) talk about losing an eye. That was hysterical.
Also this secret cabal of bad Vulcans (including Spock's ex-wife) doesn't really work either and feels hamstrung into the plot, as are all the references towards Kodos from the TOS episode feels not connected to everything else.
So, this book is a mess. But it's a fun mess and like most Trek books, it's more about the Trek Porn than the actual plots. And this is some good Trek Porn!
The main virus threat is never clear because sometimes it insinuates a threat to the food supply (even though they have food replicators...) but other times it comes across as affecting people, forcing them to quarantine - yet no one ever seems to have symptoms? That alone makes the main threat in the story not work.
Also, at one point Picard is kidnapped and tortured and its implied they take out one of his eyes... only for it never to be referenced ever again and none of the characters (nor Picard himself) talk about losing an eye. That was hysterical.
Also this secret cabal of bad Vulcans (including Spock's ex-wife) doesn't really work either and feels hamstrung into the plot, as are all the references towards Kodos from the TOS episode feels not connected to everything else.
So, this book is a mess. But it's a fun mess and like most Trek books, it's more about the Trek Porn than the actual plots. And this is some good Trek Porn!
April 19, 2026
Another juvenile Shatner fever dream of a Star Trek novel wherein 62-year old Kirk is an immortal wise man who can still kick ass and get laid. I grabbed his first trilogy in a used book lot. Read online that none of his books were good as such, but the first trilogy was at least breezy Trek fun. I mean... kinda. I got through the first two well enough, read a smarter book for a change of pace, then found it really hard to get back into this one. I'm glad it's over and I shan't be returning to the Shatnerverse.
Even though I found the plot irritating and lazy, I give it Shatner and crew credit for really keeping it moving. I was curious how they were going to get out of it. The answer... suddenly and easily and with a bit of deus ex machina. There are some fun character interactions. I like the environmental aspect, acknowledging for a change that maybe the Federation spreading all over the galaxy might not be all rosy. That got it 2 stars from me rather than 1.
If you want Star Trek action and conspiracies and Kirk idolization, you've got'em aplenty here. More power to ya. Enjoy. If you want smart characterization, continuity and any literary skill, look elsewhere.
Even though I found the plot irritating and lazy, I give it Shatner and crew credit for really keeping it moving. I was curious how they were going to get out of it. The answer... suddenly and easily and with a bit of deus ex machina. There are some fun character interactions. I like the environmental aspect, acknowledging for a change that maybe the Federation spreading all over the galaxy might not be all rosy. That got it 2 stars from me rather than 1.
If you want Star Trek action and conspiracies and Kirk idolization, you've got'em aplenty here. More power to ya. Enjoy. If you want smart characterization, continuity and any literary skill, look elsewhere.
September 14, 2020
I picture William Shatner approaching this title in the following manner: "Hey, remember when Sarek died of a debilitating illness? Well ... what if he was murdered instead? And I made up a secret organization of Vulcans and weaved in some Star Trek history along with some medical gibberish? Could Kirk come back and save the galaxy again? Cuz I know he was supposed to die in The Return, but what if he was rescued by a bunch of Borg converts because I - I mean, Kirk - totally killed all the Borg in the universe by being Kirk and all."
Like all the stories in the "Shatnerverse", I WANT to like it so bad and there are just portions that fall flat. He really doesn't like Riker. The way he writes the character you almost expect him to be eating bloody meat while delivering his lines.
Thankfully, Kirk and Spock wind up working together to unravel the latest plot to threaten the Federation, even though neither one wants to really be involved anymore. It was OK, but not incredible.
Like all the stories in the "Shatnerverse", I WANT to like it so bad and there are just portions that fall flat. He really doesn't like Riker. The way he writes the character you almost expect him to be eating bloody meat while delivering his lines.
Thankfully, Kirk and Spock wind up working together to unravel the latest plot to threaten the Federation, even though neither one wants to really be involved anymore. It was OK, but not incredible.
February 17, 2025
The third in a loose trilogy. My guilty pleasure is pulpy Star Trek books and the Shatner ones are like crack for me. They tick every box - action, characterisation and building on the lore of the universe. They're so easy to read that it's like sticking a movie on in my head and just sitting back and watching it. These seem to get some criticism but I happen to like the Shatnerverse. They do skirt the edge of fanfiction but it's official fanfiction. Kirk is still sixty-two but he's written as half that age. Running around and fighting and shagging - love it! All the women want him and all the men want to kill him. I like how he interacts with the Next Gen crew and I like him in the modern uniforms, it's all fun.
They're not without fault though and this was the weakest for me. In each of the 'Odyssey' books the plots are big and ambitious and none of them stand up to too much scrutiny. In both 'Ashes of Eden' and (my favourite) 'The Return' the story just about hangs together enough not to spoil any enjoyment. And, besides, the actual films are hardly perfect in this regard. But in this one I felt it was all a bit more muddled. I had to stop thinking and trying to understand why/what was happening. His Picard seemed a little off in this one too. In my head he wouldn't be on first name terms with Kirk just yet although they do go on holiday together in a later book I believe which I'm VERY looking forward to!
They're not without fault though and this was the weakest for me. In each of the 'Odyssey' books the plots are big and ambitious and none of them stand up to too much scrutiny. In both 'Ashes of Eden' and (my favourite) 'The Return' the story just about hangs together enough not to spoil any enjoyment. And, besides, the actual films are hardly perfect in this regard. But in this one I felt it was all a bit more muddled. I had to stop thinking and trying to understand why/what was happening. His Picard seemed a little off in this one too. In my head he wouldn't be on first name terms with Kirk just yet although they do go on holiday together in a later book I believe which I'm VERY looking forward to!
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