Wagon Train to the Stars

Star Trek: New Earth #1

by Diane Carey

After saving Earth from the threat of V'Ger, James T. Kirk is called again to the final frontier. His new mission: to lead a valiant group of settlers to a distant world, to defend the struggling colony from alien threats, and to explore the diverse mysteries and dangers of a strange new Earth!

Far from the Federation, a newly discovered M-class world has been eyed as a potential home by a group of hardy and determined colonists. Star?eet can spare only one starship to escort the would-be settlers on their perilous voyage, but that ship is none other than the legendary starship Enterprise, commanded by the most well-known captain in the quadrant. Now Kirk finds himself responsible for the lives of 30,000 men, women, and children -- a task that grows all the more difficult when the expedition is caught in the middle of an ancient feud between two dangerous alien races!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Space

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Diane Carey also wrote the Distress Call 911 young adult series under the name D.L. Carey.

Diane Carey is primarily a science fiction author best known for her work in the Star Trek franchise. She has been the lead-off writer for two Star Trek spin-off book series: Star Trek The Next Generation with Star Trek: Ghost Ship, and the novelization of the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot, Broken Bow.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Carey

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start! Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Kirk is on a milk run, escorting colony ships to their new home, and we know going in that it's all going to go horribly wrong (else where would the story be?). But it's not the battles and various action sequences that stood out for me here, it's the tone. Kirk's getting old, looking back on his life and the sacrifices made by others to get him where he is, and there's a really quite visceral sense of quiet loss and of poignancy running through the story that I didn't expect. Where it doesn't stack up so much for me is the broad strokes - the main villain of the piece, Billy Maidenshore, is a caricature on legs and every time he's on page the whole thing drops and I get ever more irritated. I hope he dies soon in this series, because I'm sick to death of him already. There's enough genuine, thoughtful conflict with the alien wars and the disagreement between colonists (and between colonists and Starfleet) to propel the narrative without going back to the cartoon villain well again and again and again. I was really close to giving this 4 stars, but the quite excellent tonal restraint doesn't extend to the plot on this point.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, Wagon Train to the Stars is a generally enjoyable beginning to the New Earth series, but it didn't really "wow" me. I'm curious to see how things go once the fleet finally makes planetfall, but there is nothing that really stands out as truly memorable or exciting. I did in fact start reading this series years ago when it first came out, but didn't make it very far before losing interest. I'm determined to get through it this time, however, and give it a fair chance. While this first entry is enough to keep my interest throughout, it doesn't make me excited to continue the series. That said, let's see where it goes from here! New Earth may yet surprise me.

Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2019/04/tos89...

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Carey has a very eccentric view of Federation life in her novels...in many of them, the supporting cast can seem far more 20th century than 2rd century. My main issue with the mega-supporting cast introduced in this introductory book is: how can so many people could grow up in the Federation and still turn into such grubby regular present-day people? It just doesn't make sense to me...in fact, the one thing that DOES make sense is the naïve governor-to-be of Belle Terre -- he seems like someone who is all theory rebelling against the theory-put-into-practice he grew up in. With all that said, Carey's command of the original series crew is first rate, and holds everything together...though the obsession with the new Wrath-of-Khan-style uniforms replacing The-Motion-Picture-style uniforms borders on the hilarious.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

One quarter establishing the premise of the miniseries; one quarter Kirk being horny for the Starship Enterprise; two quarters complaining about The Motion Picture's terrible uniforms.

[Jordan Brantley · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can be said about Star Trek? Anything really…so much so that it is not really necessary to go into detail about the legendary science fiction series. Love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact Gene Roddenberry’s creation has had on popular culture or even culture in general. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand books have been published under the name of Star Trek. One will be reviewed here.

The Story

The actual premise of the story is rather intriguing. True to its name, it chronicles the story of a flotilla of ships from the Federation, journeying across the stars to settle upon a new home, the planet Belle Terre. The flotilla is under the protection of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T Kirk.

The colony hopes to be founded on idealistic principles separate from the main body of the Federation. This creates conflict between the colonists and their leader and the Starfleet Centric views of the Enterprise.

The Good

The premise of the story is an excellent way to hook the reader. The Star Trek Tv series often mentions Federation Colonies and we finally get to see one being founded.

The colonists leader can be a little irritating at time, mostly because he comes into conflict with the ‘heroes’ of the story, namely the Enterprise crew. However the conflict between the two factions feels like one that could take place in reality and thus adds realism to the universe.

The details of the various ships that make up the fleet are very well done and breath life into the novel. The ships of Star Trek are practically characters in their own right, but it is nice to see a little variety at times.


The Flaws

The weakest point of this story is, however the antagonist: Billy Maidenshore. He is not a very creative villain. Just another con-man, greedy and sociopathic. He is very hard to enjoy as a villain. While anything is possible the United Federation of Planets does not seem like the type of society that would create a man like Billy Maidenshore.

Many would say that Star Trek, especially the Original Series, is the very definition of cornball writing and perhaps the villain is a little too cornball, and frankly this is not the kind of story that needs a villain. The conflict could very well come just from internal strife between the various ships and factions that are undoubtedly among the flotilla. The various complaints of the passengers are the focus of several passages.

As one can guess from the title, this is the beginning of a new series of books. This unfortunately highlights one of the books flaws. It says right on the cover that the planet the colonists are heading is disputed between two alien races, and we are introduced to them in the text. The plot line involving the alien race seems to be dropped into the text. The chapters seem to come out of nowhere and are distracting to the main plot of Billy Maidenshore. It would have been better to stick them near the ending.

A book in a series should be able to hold up even if it is picked up at random. This is first book and the plot lines are rather confusing.


Final Rating

The premise may be engaging but it is lacking due to poor execution. Not the best introduction to the Star Trek novel-verse.

Two out of Five Stars.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This deserves a 3.5, really, but until Goodreads lets us do half stars, this will have to do. I have read only 2 other Star Trek novels before this one and all have been written by Diane Carey. She writes action very well; the battle sequences feel like they were taken straight out of the shows or movies. By far the best parts of this book, they were always entertaining as hell. In fact, I have very few complaints here. My only criticism is that Carey clearly loves Star Trek and the crew A LOT and it shows. All of our TOS mainstays are back and are almost canonized in how Carey describes them. Every single thing Uhura does is "astounding" or "amazing" and none of them ever make a mistake or do anything that isn't above reproach. What that does is make this incredibly predictable. The bad guys are Star Trek villain archetypes; just Klingons or Andorians with a different name. The crew behaves exactly as you would expect at every turn and, of course, they are in the right and the civilians who comprise the bulk of the wagon train are naive and always have to be told what to do. Still, I loved being with Kirk, Spock and they gang again, so these complaints are minor. Tons of fun and definitely Star Treky enough to enjoy it. (Still, it isn't canon. The novels are never canon.)

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one starts a little rough, but once I got into it it really surprised me. I feel like the Blood/Kauld feud wasn't really conveyed all that well. It just kind of read flat...but the rest of the happenings were exciting enough for a good read.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad start to the series. The premise is intriguing and holds a lot of promise. My major complaint is that the characterization and dialogue seems off. Kirk et al. don't seem themselves, and it's hard to imagine them as they're written in this novel. The other characters seem forced, like the author had an idea of who they should be but didn't quite know how to write them. The main villain is cartoonish, and it's just plain weird how he's so willing to sell people into slavery. I mean, I know humans can be absolute shitheels, but at the time this story is set, Earth is practically a utopia, free from human suffering and wanting. I could see a villain stealing and selling all their supplies, or even their ships, but not the people themselves. Now, I don't expect Star Trek novels to be high literature, and this one isn't the worst I've read, but it still left me wanting.

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not just underwhelming, it's disappointing, because the concept is actually really cool and the plot had so much potential to be both gripping and moving... but the new characters were not interesting, the old characters were unfamiliar, and the emotions were drawn up like finger paintings from a kindergarten art class.

This outcome surprised me because although she's not a personal favourite I've previously enjoyed many Diane Carey novels and I know she can write better than this. I found the relationship between Federation crew and the colonist crews just very childish, fair enough to have issues but almost every interaction was over-the-top volatile and sounded like a school yard slinging match.

Book one is not ALL bad (just mostly bad) and there is much more to the story than those poor characterisations. The plot kept me engaged and I'm interested enough to follow through with the series.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start of this book I was not sure I would like it. But that quickly changed it is a well done story and book and left be excited for part 2 of this story arch. Everyone knows James T. Kirk would rather be a captain I. Command of his ship then an Admiral sitting at a desk. This story gives him that opportunity. The interesting part is although for this mission he returns to captain in rank he becomes an admiral in practice commanding the fleet of ships headed for a new planet. The title lives up to its name as they essentially are a wagon train in space and even use wagon train defensive techniques although adjusted for space.

I like the introduction to the Blood and Kauld and their conflict. This book also set up an interesting mystery and a lot of anticipation. I want to know if the wagon train will successfully reach Belle Terre and what does the blood leader know that no one else does.

A great first installment in the 6 part series can’t wait to start book 2.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tyvärr en mycket seg bok. Jag tänkte hela tiden: "Kommer de aldrig framåt någon gång...". Nu är jag inte den största efterföljaren av TOS och denna bok är helt klart med ett fokus på TOS-eran, så detta kan säkert förklara en hel del. Diane Carey och John Ordover är de som skapat konceptet och boken kommer att följas av flera andra, men jag måste säga att författaren Diane Carey gör mig besviken. Hennes produktion är oregelbunden och det som ändå höjer betyget något för förevarande bok är den starka pionjärskänslan av att djärvt fara till okända världar. Alltid intressant med nya arter och konceptet med en kolonisering av en planet känns fräsch. Man blir nyfiken på hur människorna som bestämmer sig för sådant här är funtade - en tuff start för hela familjer. Enterprise och besättningen faller snart i bakgrunden då det är bosättarna som är i centrum.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like in the Wild West, James T. Kirk boldly escorts a group of 64,000 pioneers across deep space to a new frontier to settle a planet "where no man has gone before." Unfortunately two rival species of humanoid aliens also have their eyes on this planet. Time top circle the Conestogas (literally) and fend of the Indians. Great battle scenes. Carey tries to maintain the wit and wisdom of the original characters while providing social commentary (as did the original series). The aliens, the Kaulds and the Bloods, stem from a common ancestor yet are constantly at war with each other, especially since the advent of new technology. As I write this amidst a COVID-19 crises, the Kauld warriors (?) are dying off from a plague.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 1 out of 5]

TOS #89: New Earth: Wagon Train to the Stars by Diane Carey

This book was… not it. It’s a very mixed bag. The biggest criticism I have is the writing style and the non Starfleet characters. It’s like characters from the mid 20th century still exist somehow in this universe and it just came off as too causal. Maidenshore came off as annoying and whenever his character showed up, I rolled my eyes. The aliens who I kept getting confused with other, the way they talked made me feel like I had a stroke.

Carey did a good job of writing the gang but there was too much exposition about the so called Wagon Train. It’s a cool concept but I don’t need to know everything single little detail about it. A frustrating start to a 6 book miniseries
4.5/10

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek with a western feel. I like it! Set between Star Trek TMP and Star Trek II, Kirk and crew are assigned to escort a group of settlers to a newly discovered world where they will carve out a new life for themselves. Unfortunately two alien societies were there first, bitter enemies who cannot understand the spirit of exploration and the thrill of new challenges that humans crave. Throw in an interesting and dangerous rogue, the Orions, and all the tensions and hardships of a Wild West wagon train and you have the start of a fun series.

[Michael Stiber · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strangely written Star Trek book

This book seems to have been written purposefully to read like it’s from the 1960’s. At least, I’m assuming so, with its borrowing of tropes of the European settlement of the US — totally anachronistic for a modern ST novel (not to mention the 23rd century). I can imagine the author thinking it would be interesting to write it that way, but it repeatedly pulls the reader out of the story. The story line is interesting, which is what saves this from one star.

[Millstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a Star Trek book, I enjoyed this one rather more than I expected to. It was well written, had some genuine SF ideas, characters with a degree of believability and a plot that wasn't wholly predictable. Excellent! The only downside is the 'first in a series of six' tag which means matters can't be completely resolved five times, but it's clear on the cover, no complaints. I'll have to track the others down: a pleasure in itself.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to a multi-book mission

The entire motif of Star Trek is that it's a western in space. In this case, it's the start of a six book series following a colony mission that follows that frontier trek to the letter. And it is a fascinating introduction to the colony mission and conflicts of a new galaxy.

[Laurie Kazmierczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was hesitant to begin this because of all the following books in the series (there are 6 total) but it was well written, great plot and all my favorite characters. Upon finishing this book I immediately began the next one. Kirk must escort a motley group of pioneering types to a new planet for settlement and runs into all sorts of problems that only Kirk and his loyal crew can resolve.

[Eric Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Star to what promises to be an amazing journey

As the title implies this is a true wagon train to the stars with Kirk as the trailboss, leading 10's of thousands of refugees with more dreams than sense. Great stories and characters. I look forward to see where Kirk and the future colonists of Belle Terre end up next.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, done. This woman is awful. Didn't even make it through the first chapter as it was impossible to read with my eyes constantly rolling. First line of the book:
"Distant night, the most distant." Excuse me while I go throw up... This series looks like Battlestar Galactica in the Star Trek universe...there's no way this hack can out-do BSG.

[Coulter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book and get into it but I kept getting lost and couldn't connect with the new characters. I love the idea of this series but this was not how I saw it playing out.

Going to take a break from it after this book and come back to it later.

[Mateo Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cant believe Diane Carey wrote this. I read her ST book Dreadnaught! last year and it was the cringiest book ive read in a while. Shes certainly honed her craft.

Solid set up, Chekov doesnt sound like a cartoon version of a Russian. Layers of plot. Looking forward to how this series continues.

[Michael Rubin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Just flat out terrible.

[Jackie O'sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

not great literature. Took a while to get used to the writing style and the flitting about more like a screenplay for an episode or two

[Ryan Trussell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring writing style.

[Lari · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, felt a bit longer than it really needed to be, with extraneous detail, but was better once it all came together at the end.

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, bit dated.

[Katrina Veerkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very good. I cannot wait to read the next one!