What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Trek: The Original Series
From History's Shadow
An original novel set in the universe of Star The Original Series !
2268 : Following the encounter with the mysterious Gary Seven in the twentieth century, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is startled by two intruders who have transported through space and time from Earth circa 1968. Incredibly, one of the infiltrators is a Vulcan, who asserts that he’s lived among Earth’s population for over a decade. The other represents a little-known race, and reveals to Captain James T. Kirk that she has spent the last twenty years working to bring about humanity’s destruction. It is then that Gary Seven’s young protégée, Roberta Lincoln, arrives seeking Kirk’s help. . . .
1947 : In the wake of the infamous “Roswell Incident” involving a crashed alien craft and beings from another world, Captain James Wainwright finds himself recruited as one of the first members of Majestic 12, a secret organization with two Collect evidence of extraterrestrial activity on Earth, and develop strategies to combat alien invaders. And it is this very mission that will consume Wainwright’s life for the next two decades, driven by the knowledge that the danger is as real as the aliens living among us. . . .
2268 : Following the encounter with the mysterious Gary Seven in the twentieth century, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is startled by two intruders who have transported through space and time from Earth circa 1968. Incredibly, one of the infiltrators is a Vulcan, who asserts that he’s lived among Earth’s population for over a decade. The other represents a little-known race, and reveals to Captain James T. Kirk that she has spent the last twenty years working to bring about humanity’s destruction. It is then that Gary Seven’s young protégée, Roberta Lincoln, arrives seeking Kirk’s help. . . .
1947 : In the wake of the infamous “Roswell Incident” involving a crashed alien craft and beings from another world, Captain James Wainwright finds himself recruited as one of the first members of Majestic 12, a secret organization with two Collect evidence of extraterrestrial activity on Earth, and develop strategies to combat alien invaders. And it is this very mission that will consume Wainwright’s life for the next two decades, driven by the knowledge that the danger is as real as the aliens living among us. . . .
386 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
70 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Dayton Ward
112 books318 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 2, 2024
This is unusual for a Trek story, focusing as it does on mid 20th century Earth, but making it just the type of thing I seek out with my Trek reading. Ward does an excellent good job working in real historical developments from the space race and the lore surrounding extraterrestrials and UFOs plus related government coverups from that period along with related stories from several episodes spanning various series (TOS, DS9, Enterprise). These aren't done merely as fanwank, but are weaved into the story authentically and serve to tie up a lot of those plots nicely. There's a lot going on, spanning several decades, and some people might find some of the historical context setting and exposition slow going in places.
Overall, it's chock full of compelling cold war style cloak and dagger type intrigue and stands as a kind of tribute to the zeitgeist of that era with its drive for progress, invention and discovery, out of which Star Trek itself was born. Without risking giving too much away, time travel and the temporal cold war (from Star Trek Enterprise) feature prominently as well, fueling a central moral dilemma presented here that questions a soldier's duty to follow orders that may very well have become completely irrelevant, if not detrimental, given new realities that unexpectedly present themselves.
Overall, it's chock full of compelling cold war style cloak and dagger type intrigue and stands as a kind of tribute to the zeitgeist of that era with its drive for progress, invention and discovery, out of which Star Trek itself was born. Without risking giving too much away, time travel and the temporal cold war (from Star Trek Enterprise) feature prominently as well, fueling a central moral dilemma presented here that questions a soldier's duty to follow orders that may very well have become completely irrelevant, if not detrimental, given new realities that unexpectedly present themselves.
December 27, 2021
This one just didn't do very much for me.
EDIT: I enjoyed this one better the second time around; glad I gave it another chance.
EDIT: I enjoyed this one better the second time around; glad I gave it another chance.
February 14, 2022
Star Trek: The Original Series: From History’s Shadow is a standalone novel written by Dayton Ward and was released in August 2013.
This is definitely one of the more unique Star Trek books, but I mean that in a good way. It is very difficult to make a Star Trek novel stand out, especially in a novel in “The Original Series” line, since there are literally hundreds of TOS books. However, Dayton Ward not only wrote a novel that stands out from the crowd, but is actually really good! Considering Dayton Ward’s track record, that is indeed surprising.
The best part of this book is the setup and execution of it’s plot. This is clearly a love-letter to alien encounter stories popularized by movies like “First Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Race to Witch Mountain”. The way Ward goes through American and earth history in order to tell a story of aliens who are secretly on earth observing humans and the humans who are trying to hunt down the aliens was really fun and fascinating.
I should preface my review by saying that if you want a good old “Kirk-Spock-McCoy” adventure, then this is not the book for you. The Enterprise part of the story, which takes place in 2268, only accounts for a little less than one-third of the entire book. The other two-thirds focus on the storyline unfolding from 1947-1969. As a result this book doesn’t really feel like a Star Trek novel, but rather an original novel with Star Trek “window dressing”. I really like that, because this allowed Dayton Ward to take a big risk with his story, and it definitely paid off.
My personal favorite character to follow was James Wainwright, who made a few appearances in other Star Trek lore. His whole story of working in a post-war world and trying to hunt down any and all Alien activity was really fun to read about. His relationship with his assistant, Allison Marshall, was really engaging and I continuously wanted to see where it was going.
Oddly, the TOS part of the story was pretty par for the course. That storyline was not particularly outstanding or poorly written, but simply served as a bookend to the events of the main part of the story. I actually found myself both interested in seeing when Kirk would show up again and also wanting to get back to Wainwright’s plot.
There were several other characters included in the 20th century story, all of whom I assume make appearances in other Star Trek lore. I was unfamiliar with all of them, so it was interesting to see who would be good and who would be bad. I particularly was fascinated with Gejalik and Mestral.
There is an overtone in the book about information sharing and governmental secrets and the diffusion of knowledge which I appreciated. This isn’t simply a fun adventure with aliens, but it also has a little bit to say about society. I disagree with some of the themes in the book, but Dayton Ward does a good job of displaying them here.
The action scenes in this book are actually pretty good for Dayton Ward. Since I didn’t know the fates of any of the characters, Ward did a good job of making them all suspenseful and made me worry that some of them would not survive.
I must again emphasize the importance that risk taking was for this book. This is not an easy sell to publishers or to audiences, many of whom would rather a traditional Star Trek book or an original Sci-Fi novel, but not both. Dayton Ward, Margaret Clark, and everyone involved at Simon and Schuster took a step outside of the traditional tie-in boundary and turned in a beautiful novel. If tie-in properties are going to continue to flourish and survive long after the original property is finished, the books must evolve and convey original ideas. Much like other books that I’ve reviewed recently, like Keith R. A. DeCandido’s “Articles of the Federation” or John Jackson Miller’s “Rogue Elements”, this book expands the genre in new and fascinating ways, and shows that tie-ins have true value to society, not simply a way to make money for movie studios.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It is unconventional, but so enjoyable. This book definitely deserved to be nominated for the Scribe Award, and it was unfortunate that it went up against John Jackson Miller’s “Kenobi”, which I still think is the best tie-in book ever written. This is definitely my favorite Dayton Ward book, just narrowly edging out “Moments Asunder”. However, the TOS elements of this book were just mediocre enough to keep it from getting a perfect rating. So I give From History’s Shadow a 4.5 out of 5. Well done Dayton Ward.
This is definitely one of the more unique Star Trek books, but I mean that in a good way. It is very difficult to make a Star Trek novel stand out, especially in a novel in “The Original Series” line, since there are literally hundreds of TOS books. However, Dayton Ward not only wrote a novel that stands out from the crowd, but is actually really good! Considering Dayton Ward’s track record, that is indeed surprising.
The best part of this book is the setup and execution of it’s plot. This is clearly a love-letter to alien encounter stories popularized by movies like “First Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Race to Witch Mountain”. The way Ward goes through American and earth history in order to tell a story of aliens who are secretly on earth observing humans and the humans who are trying to hunt down the aliens was really fun and fascinating.
I should preface my review by saying that if you want a good old “Kirk-Spock-McCoy” adventure, then this is not the book for you. The Enterprise part of the story, which takes place in 2268, only accounts for a little less than one-third of the entire book. The other two-thirds focus on the storyline unfolding from 1947-1969. As a result this book doesn’t really feel like a Star Trek novel, but rather an original novel with Star Trek “window dressing”. I really like that, because this allowed Dayton Ward to take a big risk with his story, and it definitely paid off.
My personal favorite character to follow was James Wainwright, who made a few appearances in other Star Trek lore. His whole story of working in a post-war world and trying to hunt down any and all Alien activity was really fun to read about. His relationship with his assistant, Allison Marshall, was really engaging and I continuously wanted to see where it was going.
Oddly, the TOS part of the story was pretty par for the course. That storyline was not particularly outstanding or poorly written, but simply served as a bookend to the events of the main part of the story. I actually found myself both interested in seeing when Kirk would show up again and also wanting to get back to Wainwright’s plot.
There were several other characters included in the 20th century story, all of whom I assume make appearances in other Star Trek lore. I was unfamiliar with all of them, so it was interesting to see who would be good and who would be bad. I particularly was fascinated with Gejalik and Mestral.
There is an overtone in the book about information sharing and governmental secrets and the diffusion of knowledge which I appreciated. This isn’t simply a fun adventure with aliens, but it also has a little bit to say about society. I disagree with some of the themes in the book, but Dayton Ward does a good job of displaying them here.
The action scenes in this book are actually pretty good for Dayton Ward. Since I didn’t know the fates of any of the characters, Ward did a good job of making them all suspenseful and made me worry that some of them would not survive.
I must again emphasize the importance that risk taking was for this book. This is not an easy sell to publishers or to audiences, many of whom would rather a traditional Star Trek book or an original Sci-Fi novel, but not both. Dayton Ward, Margaret Clark, and everyone involved at Simon and Schuster took a step outside of the traditional tie-in boundary and turned in a beautiful novel. If tie-in properties are going to continue to flourish and survive long after the original property is finished, the books must evolve and convey original ideas. Much like other books that I’ve reviewed recently, like Keith R. A. DeCandido’s “Articles of the Federation” or John Jackson Miller’s “Rogue Elements”, this book expands the genre in new and fascinating ways, and shows that tie-ins have true value to society, not simply a way to make money for movie studios.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It is unconventional, but so enjoyable. This book definitely deserved to be nominated for the Scribe Award, and it was unfortunate that it went up against John Jackson Miller’s “Kenobi”, which I still think is the best tie-in book ever written. This is definitely my favorite Dayton Ward book, just narrowly edging out “Moments Asunder”. However, the TOS elements of this book were just mediocre enough to keep it from getting a perfect rating. So I give From History’s Shadow a 4.5 out of 5. Well done Dayton Ward.
August 13, 2013
Author Dayton Ward has written a love letter, in my mind, to all Trek fans. In his afterward, he says the idea was kicking around in his head for years before it was agreed to by the powers that be. He references a number of episodes from the different series and brings in characters prominent in most of them. Characters are from the Deep Space Nine episode LITTLE GREEN MEN wherein Quark and family go through a time warp and crashed in New Mexico in 1947, becoming the Roswell Incident, play prominent parts in the tale. Also the ENTERPRISE episode CARBON CREEK gives us the Vulcan that stayed behind when the home planet rescued them to observe the human race and he plays a part in the actions. Finally Roberta Lincoln(played by a young Teri Garr) and Gary Seven(Robert Lansing) from ASSIGNMENT: EARTH play roles, though Miss Lincoln's is bigger.
The story is told in two time lines, one with Kirk and crew in 2268 and the other beginning in the latter forties and progressing into the late sixties.
Our tale opens when the Enterprise is invaded is invaded by two beings by use of a powerful transporter beam. One a Vulcan named Mestral and the other a Certross. The Vulcan claims to have lived on Earth since the mid-fifties. The Certross says she's part of a mission sent to Earth to force it to destroy itself before it can mature enough to enter the world of space and destroy her people.
The Certross are known in Kirk's day as an obscure, pacifistic race that don't even arm their ships.
At about that moment, a Certross ship arrives at the Enterprise's location, followed shortly by a Tandaran ship demanding the Certross that sent a signal to their home world. And that ship is heavily armed and coming in hot.
It's all part of a shadowy time war chronicled in the early years of the Enterprise Trek series.
And then the fun hits when Roberta Lincoln transports in. While it's only been a week since Kirk and crew last saw the young girl that aide Gary Seven, for her it's a year. She's much more professional now.
Dayton Ward brigs in Project Blue Book in that early time line, as well as Majestic 12, a super secret organization that may or may not have existed.
A lot of fun this one.
The story is told in two time lines, one with Kirk and crew in 2268 and the other beginning in the latter forties and progressing into the late sixties.
Our tale opens when the Enterprise is invaded is invaded by two beings by use of a powerful transporter beam. One a Vulcan named Mestral and the other a Certross. The Vulcan claims to have lived on Earth since the mid-fifties. The Certross says she's part of a mission sent to Earth to force it to destroy itself before it can mature enough to enter the world of space and destroy her people.
The Certross are known in Kirk's day as an obscure, pacifistic race that don't even arm their ships.
At about that moment, a Certross ship arrives at the Enterprise's location, followed shortly by a Tandaran ship demanding the Certross that sent a signal to their home world. And that ship is heavily armed and coming in hot.
It's all part of a shadowy time war chronicled in the early years of the Enterprise Trek series.
And then the fun hits when Roberta Lincoln transports in. While it's only been a week since Kirk and crew last saw the young girl that aide Gary Seven, for her it's a year. She's much more professional now.
Dayton Ward brigs in Project Blue Book in that early time line, as well as Majestic 12, a super secret organization that may or may not have existed.
A lot of fun this one.
October 26, 2024
A clever, somewhat entertaining tie-in to a lot of the Star Trek TV series time travel stories.
Especially the TOS ones, though it starts off referencing a DS9 one.
I won't spoil it, but it all fits together.
3.0 stars on the nose. I liked it, but didn't love it.
Especially the TOS ones, though it starts off referencing a DS9 one.
I won't spoil it, but it all fits together.
3.0 stars on the nose. I liked it, but didn't love it.
May 16, 2014
It is important to note that this book is not aimed at readers unfamiliar with the shows the book is based on. While it does give some exposition briefly outlining the events carried over from Assignment: Earth, the connection between the episodes Little Green Men and Carbon Creek is left up to the reader to work out. For fans of the show familiar with the originating episodes this book is a nice continuation from their stories, filling in a lot of the questions and events left over from them.
I enjoyed how the 20th century story line, by far the bulk of the story, was bookended by events with Kirk and the Enterprise. It allowed the story to wrap up sufficiently in a way that didn’t leave a bunch of random aliens and time travelers floating around. When dealing with time traveling stories characters that aren’t wrapped up can throw a monkey wrench into future books, this is more so in a sprawling series like Star Trek where a lot of different authors can compound potential issues. The Kirk story line is fairly simple and uncomplicated but that is ok since it is not the primary point of this novel. It is more to ground the book then try and give a complex subplot.
The pacing of the story is pretty good and even though the time frame keeps jumping from the 20th century to the 23rd century and back again it is pretty easy to keep up with. The only real drawback is there is a limited since of suspense since the fates of several characters has already been set down in the original episode. But as a fun story that fills in a lot of gaps it really works. Again this means the book is more for the Trek enthusiast rather than someone looking for a standalone sci-fi story.
http://homeofreading.com/star-trek-tos-from-historys-shadow/
I enjoyed how the 20th century story line, by far the bulk of the story, was bookended by events with Kirk and the Enterprise. It allowed the story to wrap up sufficiently in a way that didn’t leave a bunch of random aliens and time travelers floating around. When dealing with time traveling stories characters that aren’t wrapped up can throw a monkey wrench into future books, this is more so in a sprawling series like Star Trek where a lot of different authors can compound potential issues. The Kirk story line is fairly simple and uncomplicated but that is ok since it is not the primary point of this novel. It is more to ground the book then try and give a complex subplot.
The pacing of the story is pretty good and even though the time frame keeps jumping from the 20th century to the 23rd century and back again it is pretty easy to keep up with. The only real drawback is there is a limited since of suspense since the fates of several characters has already been set down in the original episode. But as a fun story that fills in a lot of gaps it really works. Again this means the book is more for the Trek enthusiast rather than someone looking for a standalone sci-fi story.
http://homeofreading.com/star-trek-tos-from-historys-shadow/
June 7, 2025
This is the first Trek book I’ve finished in ages, and it’s a doozy. The Trek Bingo is essential to the plot but it’s handled sensibly and in a way that serves the plot rather than the fans. And the plot is very clever, dealing with a lovely mix of real, imagined and fictional history (although I regard this branch of conspiracy/contrarian “history” as fiction anyway). Lots of fun.
December 18, 2023
good stuff! very much in the vein of the kahn 20th century novels. this book captures that sucks you in like the above mentioned bokks, ill be reading that every couple of years and will have an place on my bookshelf
August 14, 2013
Dayton Ward's "From History's Shadow" is a rare Star Trek novel that requires we the reader to not only know our history & to think, but to also wonder how possible these UFO sightings in today's era really are. Set just after "Assignment: Earth" (the 2nd season finale), Ward tells a story that is set in 2 distinct time frames of 2268 & 1947. The story of 2268, involves the encounter with a Certoss ship & a pair of Vulcan visitors who claim to have knowledge of the past & their involvement on Earth. With the arrival of the Tandarans who feel that the Certoss are going to be a major threat to their even existence, a complicated tale of history & time travel unfolds that also brings back Roberta Lincoln who has to explain just how all of this is possible. The 2nd story begins in 1947 just after DS9's "Little Green Men" which involved the Roswell incident & the Ferengi. In this part of the story, we find the continuing investigations of Colonel Wainwright and the eventual set up of Project Blue Book and an organization called Majestic 12. It is in this story that spans nearly 20 years to the point of the Enterprise's trip back in time to 1968 that we see the tie-ins to the early reporting of UFOs & the Vulcan's early interactions amongst humans even if unintentional (see Enterprise's "Carbon Creek").
The book itself is very easy to follow despite the shifting back & forth between timelines & also the mention of the Temporal Cold War is a nice touch. The characters are well written & the time travel aspect of things is done in a way that it not only seems plausible, but fits things from this era. Ward himself does a very nice job keeping to the spirit of the original Star Trek & writes a novel that could only be written for this series & succeeds. Granted, the ending is a bit quick & slightly rushed, but the tip of the cap as well to the Greg Cox's "Eugenics Wars" series from Wainwright's perspective is an appropriate touch as well. Overall a very good addition to the novels of Star Trek: The Original Series which will hopefully see more books like it in the future.
The book itself is very easy to follow despite the shifting back & forth between timelines & also the mention of the Temporal Cold War is a nice touch. The characters are well written & the time travel aspect of things is done in a way that it not only seems plausible, but fits things from this era. Ward himself does a very nice job keeping to the spirit of the original Star Trek & writes a novel that could only be written for this series & succeeds. Granted, the ending is a bit quick & slightly rushed, but the tip of the cap as well to the Greg Cox's "Eugenics Wars" series from Wainwright's perspective is an appropriate touch as well. Overall a very good addition to the novels of Star Trek: The Original Series which will hopefully see more books like it in the future.
August 15, 2013
From History's Shadow is a fun romp through our history as depicted in Star Trek, masterfully stitching together the many temporal incursions and alien visitations that Earth experienced in the 20th century. I also appreciated the links to other aspects of the Trek novel continuity, most especially the mentions of Commodore Delgado and the experiments he conducted with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as depicted in Christopher L. Bennett's novel, Forgotten History. I was hugely impressed with this novel, and as a fan of Greg Cox's Eugenics Wars novels, I would love to see more stories such as this one. Is it too hopeful to want a follow-up to this novel by Dayton Ward himself? Personally, I would love to see more novels following the exploits of Wainwright, Carlson, and Majestic 12. I feel as though this novel covered a lot of ground, so I don't know what's left to tell. But if a story such as this could happen again, I'd be all for it!
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/08/f...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/08/f...
November 15, 2025
Star Trek: TOS: 20th/21st Century 04 From History's Shadow by Dayton Ward
4.5 Stars
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
I love this ODD book. Thank you Dayton Ward for taking the chance...and writing this quirky story...that mixes our own REAL history with Star Trek
Of course, we love the main portion of heroes from the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Dr. McCoy [Bones], also others from our favourite ship and crew.
Also we have Gary Seven and Ms. Roberta Lincoln from the TV episode from TOS [S2:E26 - Assignment: Earth] in this story...and how they weave in and out...trying to keep humans from destroying their future.
Then we are introduced to two different time traveling races in the 23rd Century, the Certoss and the Tandarans. One race even was able to come to our time period in the late 40 onward... That is a big part of this zany story...that I just couldn't put down.
...and our favourite human character that we spent time with...that tried his best to do his Top Secret job...without "spilling the beans" of what he saw during his career. In fact, his portion of this story was spent with a woman partner...that reminded me of The X-File (Muldar and Scully), but their names were Captain James Wainwright and Airman First Class, Allison Marshal. What a duo...in this story. So captivating.
We also saw Captain Christopher from the TV episode from TOS [S1:E 19 - Tomorrow is Yesterday]. It isn't easy, being someone who knows something that he cannot divulge, since he wasn't supposed to have seen it (like in the TV episode), but also what happens in this novel. So good, oh so good.
There are so many timelines and storylines within this novel...that if you are not paying attention...you WILL be lost. I just hope others loved this book as much as I have. Wow. I am loving this 20th/21st Century series and cannot wait to pick up the next book 05 Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward. Yes!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Spoiler portion. Don't read below this without having read the book. Please.
The idea of when alternate timelines occur, there's a way to fiddle with/against the timeline, that some times can know they existed, but are able to avert the damage that one time traveler (or a group of them) can be thwarted...and the timeline will cease to exist, though the ones left behind can no longer go "home". Deep as hell. Wow!
4.5 Stars
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
I love this ODD book. Thank you Dayton Ward for taking the chance...and writing this quirky story...that mixes our own REAL history with Star Trek
Of course, we love the main portion of heroes from the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Dr. McCoy [Bones], also others from our favourite ship and crew.
Also we have Gary Seven and Ms. Roberta Lincoln from the TV episode from TOS [S2:E26 - Assignment: Earth] in this story...and how they weave in and out...trying to keep humans from destroying their future.
Then we are introduced to two different time traveling races in the 23rd Century, the Certoss and the Tandarans. One race even was able to come to our time period in the late 40 onward... That is a big part of this zany story...that I just couldn't put down.
...and our favourite human character that we spent time with...that tried his best to do his Top Secret job...without "spilling the beans" of what he saw during his career. In fact, his portion of this story was spent with a woman partner...that reminded me of The X-File (Muldar and Scully), but their names were Captain James Wainwright and Airman First Class, Allison Marshal. What a duo...in this story. So captivating.
We also saw Captain Christopher from the TV episode from TOS [S1:E 19 - Tomorrow is Yesterday]. It isn't easy, being someone who knows something that he cannot divulge, since he wasn't supposed to have seen it (like in the TV episode), but also what happens in this novel. So good, oh so good.
There are so many timelines and storylines within this novel...that if you are not paying attention...you WILL be lost. I just hope others loved this book as much as I have. Wow. I am loving this 20th/21st Century series and cannot wait to pick up the next book 05 Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward. Yes!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Spoiler portion. Don't read below this without having read the book. Please.
The idea of when alternate timelines occur, there's a way to fiddle with/against the timeline, that some times can know they existed, but are able to avert the damage that one time traveler (or a group of them) can be thwarted...and the timeline will cease to exist, though the ones left behind can no longer go "home". Deep as hell. Wow!
August 25, 2022
It actually DOES make the head hurt...you really sympathize with Kirk as the temporal mechanics fry his brain. It's quite the epic tying up of so many plots strands, across so many Trek series...it can make the reader go cross-eyed. But there's no denying that it succeeds...although I might cut 50 pages, as it does ramble a little too long in an X-Files-like fashion during a few of the scenes in the 20th century.
October 10, 2013
I found this volume a big disappointment. This is basically a secret history of Assignment: Earth, but since we already know how that ended, there's no real suspense in the big plot, and the 20th Century characters don't get themselves in that much personal danger (and we know from the beginning that at least two of them survive), so the only thing pulling the plot along is seeing Project Bluebook deal with all the aliens who've visited Earth in Star Trek, and that gets old halfway through the book.
And on top of that, the plot with Kirk is mostly unnecessary, and so chopped up by the 20th Century scenes that it's just a series of cliffhangers. It may've worked better if Ward had made some sort of parallel between Kirk dealing with mysterious time travelers and the Bluebook people dealing with aliens, but as is Kirk has explanations handed to him way too easily.
And on top of that, the plot with Kirk is mostly unnecessary, and so chopped up by the 20th Century scenes that it's just a series of cliffhangers. It may've worked better if Ward had made some sort of parallel between Kirk dealing with mysterious time travelers and the Bluebook people dealing with aliens, but as is Kirk has explanations handed to him way too easily.
November 26, 2016
It gamely tries to bring together a number of elements:
-- Aegis agent Roberta Lincoln from the original Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth"
-- The Vulcan Mestral from the Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek"
-- Captain James Wainwright from the DS9 episode "Little Green Men"
-- The 1950s Cold War era and UFO scare
-- The Tandarans and the Temporal Cold War featured on Enterprise
But alas it doesn't quite come together. The 1950s scenes are weak and we don't get much of an explanation of the Temporal Cold War or the role that the Aegis and Tandarans played in it.
-- Aegis agent Roberta Lincoln from the original Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth"
-- The Vulcan Mestral from the Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek"
-- Captain James Wainwright from the DS9 episode "Little Green Men"
-- The 1950s Cold War era and UFO scare
-- The Tandarans and the Temporal Cold War featured on Enterprise
But alas it doesn't quite come together. The 1950s scenes are weak and we don't get much of an explanation of the Temporal Cold War or the role that the Aegis and Tandarans played in it.
September 30, 2022
wordy discombobulated long winded
Disappointed with this I’m finding this a lot the author or authors do not need to describe every single action he put his left hand back in his trouser pocket his hair was kept down possibly with brylcream it’s a Star Trek book and it cost money I want to be entertained not stifled by unnecessary words or pages and pages of useless information.
Disappointed with this I’m finding this a lot the author or authors do not need to describe every single action he put his left hand back in his trouser pocket his hair was kept down possibly with brylcream it’s a Star Trek book and it cost money I want to be entertained not stifled by unnecessary words or pages and pages of useless information.
January 7, 2014
I've never been a huge fan of the original star trek so most of the references were lost on me but it was a decent read, the long gaps on time were hard to keep track of what was going on, and it didn't make the book flow very well. I also thought ward made the diplomacy of the 23rd century Lind of simplistic
November 15, 2015
Interesting story tying in all of the time-travel-to-the-twentieth century episodes of the various Star Trek incarnations, and following some UFO chasers and their attempts to make hash of it all. Featuring Roberta Lincoln from the "Assignment Earth" episode, and other bit players from various stories. Not great, but very good and quite interesting.
October 3, 2015
This really wasn't a "Star Trek" book. It focused mostly on completely new characters, with Kirk and company relegated to minor supporting roles.
June 16, 2015
Masterful fun! Logic dictates that you read From History's Shadow. #GreatStarTrek!
http://www.visionarytrek.com/reviews-...
http://www.visionarytrek.com/reviews-...
November 26, 2015
An interesting TOS story mostly set in the 1960s with plenty of time travel!
January 18, 2021
Try as I might, I couldn't connect with this articular Star Trek novel.
Set in a time shortly after the Enterprise's encounter with Gary Seven in TOS episode, "Assignment: Earth," the plot has two aliens transporting aboard the starship, through time and space, from 1968 Earth. One of them proves to be a Vulcan, while the other is a member of a secretive race known as the Certoss. The Certoss woman claims that she was working in the 20th century to destroy humanity. As Kirk and the crew interrogate the two intruders, they find that they have stumbled across the residue of a temporal war, long thought resolved but now potentially fanned into flames again by the appearance of the displaced aliens.
A second storyline overlaps the first. James Wainwright and Allison Marshall are USAF officers in the 20th century Earth. In 1947 they are recruited to be a part of Majestic 12, an operation seeking information on extraterrestrial life. Unbeknownst to outsiders however, the government already has evidence of alien life already, so the job of Majestic 12 becomes assessing possible extraterrestrial threats and preparing for them. We follow Wainwright and Marshall through several decades of their careers, as they encounter various aliens and intersect with Star Trek history on several occasions.
I felt like I was missing things while reading this novel, so when I was done, I looked up additional information. It seems that Dayton Ward was weaving together details from not only the original series episodes "Assignment: Earth," and "Tomorrow is Yesterday," but also the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men" and the Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek." Having seen neither of the latter episodes, the cleverness of Ward's construction was lost on me. The Rube Goldberg machine isn't fun if you don't understand how it works.
A larger problem is that the main plot line doesn't hold up to scrutiny. The Certoss plot seems like a total Macguffin. I never believed that the reappearance of a Certoss agent from the past would spark a new war, and due to that lack of credibility, the stakes on that thread seem low. In hindsight, I felt that Ward had created an elaborate framing device so that he could weave together these various Star Trek stories and have some fun. He admits in his author's note that the book was a "labor of love" and a "pet project" for him.
That's all good and well. However, it would have fared better if prior knowledge of the various episodes was not required to enjoy it. Stand alone books should do just that.
Set in a time shortly after the Enterprise's encounter with Gary Seven in TOS episode, "Assignment: Earth," the plot has two aliens transporting aboard the starship, through time and space, from 1968 Earth. One of them proves to be a Vulcan, while the other is a member of a secretive race known as the Certoss. The Certoss woman claims that she was working in the 20th century to destroy humanity. As Kirk and the crew interrogate the two intruders, they find that they have stumbled across the residue of a temporal war, long thought resolved but now potentially fanned into flames again by the appearance of the displaced aliens.
A second storyline overlaps the first. James Wainwright and Allison Marshall are USAF officers in the 20th century Earth. In 1947 they are recruited to be a part of Majestic 12, an operation seeking information on extraterrestrial life. Unbeknownst to outsiders however, the government already has evidence of alien life already, so the job of Majestic 12 becomes assessing possible extraterrestrial threats and preparing for them. We follow Wainwright and Marshall through several decades of their careers, as they encounter various aliens and intersect with Star Trek history on several occasions.
I felt like I was missing things while reading this novel, so when I was done, I looked up additional information. It seems that Dayton Ward was weaving together details from not only the original series episodes "Assignment: Earth," and "Tomorrow is Yesterday," but also the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men" and the Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek." Having seen neither of the latter episodes, the cleverness of Ward's construction was lost on me. The Rube Goldberg machine isn't fun if you don't understand how it works.
A larger problem is that the main plot line doesn't hold up to scrutiny. The Certoss plot seems like a total Macguffin. I never believed that the reappearance of a Certoss agent from the past would spark a new war, and due to that lack of credibility, the stakes on that thread seem low. In hindsight, I felt that Ward had created an elaborate framing device so that he could weave together these various Star Trek stories and have some fun. He admits in his author's note that the book was a "labor of love" and a "pet project" for him.
That's all good and well. However, it would have fared better if prior knowledge of the various episodes was not required to enjoy it. Stand alone books should do just that.
December 8, 2017
I don't read a lot of Star Trek novels, but I always enjoy them when I do. They're not great literature, but they're fun and they're about people you already know and love. It's like an afternoon spent with your oldest friend.
This novel was particularly ambitious, piecing together almost every time travel episode from every Star Trek series with real UFO sighting events from the 1940s through the 1960s. I loved the sheer scope of it, and I admired how much work it took to make a linear, cohesive plot from all those disparate elements. For the most part, it read smoothly and was engaging, although there were a couple of abrupt jumps. I loved meeting the character of Roberta Lincoln again. I was disappointed, though, that with so much of the action taking place in the past with new characters (human and nonhuman), that we didn't get to spend more time on the Enterprise with our oldest friends.
This novel was particularly ambitious, piecing together almost every time travel episode from every Star Trek series with real UFO sighting events from the 1940s through the 1960s. I loved the sheer scope of it, and I admired how much work it took to make a linear, cohesive plot from all those disparate elements. For the most part, it read smoothly and was engaging, although there were a couple of abrupt jumps. I loved meeting the character of Roberta Lincoln again. I was disappointed, though, that with so much of the action taking place in the past with new characters (human and nonhuman), that we didn't get to spend more time on the Enterprise with our oldest friends.
October 27, 2024
Balancing two time periods is tough
This was a breezy novel to read which is to its credit. Yes we all know the principal characters but this is what I call “a nice little filler-inna.” Accurate character depictions, check and the new characters well drawn but there needed more danger.
Abrenn was a noble, if worthy person but I needed a kink, someone irredeemable. Guess that’s what TV renditions have lowered me to but it’s a desire
Best recommendation, would gladly recommend it to anyone.
This was a breezy novel to read which is to its credit. Yes we all know the principal characters but this is what I call “a nice little filler-inna.” Accurate character depictions, check and the new characters well drawn but there needed more danger.
Abrenn was a noble, if worthy person but I needed a kink, someone irredeemable. Guess that’s what TV renditions have lowered me to but it’s a desire
Best recommendation, would gladly recommend it to anyone.
March 21, 2018
Better than average Star Trek story which links at least 2 episodes of the Original Series and some other the books if I remember rightly.
It is fast paced and follows 2 UFO investigators over several years as they try to prove that Earth of the 50s up to the late 60s was being investigated by races from other planets. This tale is interspaced by events on the Enterprise and adventures of Gary 7s assistant Roberta as well of some of these aliens.
It is fast paced and follows 2 UFO investigators over several years as they try to prove that Earth of the 50s up to the late 60s was being investigated by races from other planets. This tale is interspaced by events on the Enterprise and adventures of Gary 7s assistant Roberta as well of some of these aliens.
March 16, 2024
One of the better Star Trek novels
I generally dislike beta canon since it has no impact on what happens on-screen. But every now and then comes an interesting story like this, that should be adapted in some way to screen. The story links lots of Star Trek elements and characters together, especially those who were one-shot characters that deserved to be revisited. Definitely worth a read.
I generally dislike beta canon since it has no impact on what happens on-screen. But every now and then comes an interesting story like this, that should be adapted in some way to screen. The story links lots of Star Trek elements and characters together, especially those who were one-shot characters that deserved to be revisited. Definitely worth a read.
May 3, 2018
Finally finished after several starts and stops. Not the book's fault, but mine. Excellent blending of history and Trek history places many of the time travel episodes in context with Ufology and an historical timeline. Now i want to read more temporal adventures or the eugenics series with Gary Seven...
July 10, 2017
Wasn't sure going in, but I Really enjoyed this quirky book. I think that while absolutely not required, It helps if you have seen some or all of the Episodes that helped the author form the foundation for this story.
January 11, 2018
My original literary Achilles heel, a fondness for anything Star Trek! This was above average though, mixing old and new which appeals to someone like me who saw the original episode. 4.25 stars for a fine story!
July 17, 2019
It was ok. The action sequences were fun. I did get confused a few times about who was what and when, what with the time travel and everything. Still, it was fun to see Mestral, even if only for a small part of the story.
September 22, 2019
Fantastic book, incorporating Star Trek: the Original Series, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise into the novel. Not wishing to include spoilers in my review, I shall conclude with only these few words.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews