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Star Trek: Logs #8
Star Trek: Log Eight
The eighth in a series of Star Trek: The Animated Series adaptations published by Ballantine Books.
—Volume eight includes one adaptation—
The Eye of the Beholder: Beaming down to a planet to search for the crew of a missing ship, the crew is captured by previously unknown aliens.
—Volume eight includes one adaptation—
The Eye of the Beholder: Beaming down to a planet to search for the crew of a missing ship, the crew is captured by previously unknown aliens.
183 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1976
2 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,033 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 1, 2024
The book was good. Like the people mentioned before me. The crew investigate a planet and in return are kept as zoo inhabitants. Later they find a way to communicate with the zoo keepers and get released just to go hunt another specimen. In the end i kinda felt a little bad and does make you question the thought about zoos in general.
Read
January 31, 2020Not bad. This book very substantially expands on the episode it adapts, which is nice. It does raise some questions about the morality of zoos that I don't think it adequately addresses.
My (much) more detailed notes on the book are available on Barba Non DB.
My (much) more detailed notes on the book are available on Barba Non DB.
July 29, 2023
I just finished this book. I enjoyed It. Favorite part was when Captain Kirk and a couple of the others floated away from the enterprise on the back of the Jawanda creature.
April 10, 2025
Alan Dean Foster's 1976 Star Trek Log Eight follows through with the previous book in the series by containing--unlike Star Trek Log One through Log Six, which have 3 episodes--a single story, albeit an appropriately long and multi-stage one, adapted by Foster from a screenplay of the early 1970s animated cartoon television series that had been spun off from the original acted series of half a dozen years earlier.
Never having seen the animated series, I can make no comparison between the original episodes and Foster's adaptations, in the way I occasionally have with James Blish's adaptations of the original series. I can comment, though, that the cartoon series evinces some differences from the acted series. Here, for example, we have a handy piece of technology called a "life-support belt," which creates a very thin but tough force field, meaning that characters can stomp around in vacuum or poisonous atmospheres as if in a spacesuit. And of course another product of the animated nature of the show is that we have a few alien crew members--three-legged and three-armed, cat-like, or winged, for example--who would have been too expensive to produce every week via elaborate costuming, along with other odd aliens occasionally encountered. These differences are commonsensical, at least in science fiction, and they do not draw attention to themselves unduly.
"The Eye of the Beholder," whose original screenplay was by David P. Harmon, actually is more like a pair of stories than a single one, a little bit like a Dungeons & Dragons quest that rolls on from one mission to another, with the overarching goal ultimately dependent on each seeming sidetrack.
As the book opens, Kirk dictates to his log that "[t]he Enterprise is embarked, for a change, on a routine follow-up mission --to search for a survey ship overdue for report, in the vicinity of Epsilon Scorpii, last known to be investigating the system of a G4 sun designated Lactra on Federation starcharts" (1976 Ballantine paperback, page 1). Routine. Mm hmm. Sure. Because soon, upon searching the orbiting vessel, they find a "tape lying in the ship's library," apparently "deliberately placed in a prominent position, obviously to attract the attention of anyone entering the library" (page 3). The tape is the last log entry, explaining that since the three who beamed down to explore had not checked back in directed, the three still aboard "will beam down in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of [their] comrades and, if necessary, to effect a rescue" (page 3).
This type of action is, as Kirk fumes angrily, "[b]latant disregard of standard emergency procedure." After all, "[r]egulations specifically state" that "the minimum necessary to operate [the] ship" should stay in orbit, and if contact with the landing party "is lost, they are to return to the nearest starbase beam region and file a full report" (page 4). In other words, they are supposed to put on their oxygen masks first. But if we didn't have such mistakes, we wouldn't have a story...
So Kirk and Spock and McCoy beam down, despite Scotty's nervousness, to the exact same place the lost survey team was transported (page 7). Oh, yes-- And, most conveniently for plot purposes, there is some sort of "distortion layer in the Lactran atmosphere" that "[l]ife sensors are experiencing some difficulty in penetrating" (page 5). The trio then slog from one extreme but strangely narrow piece of wilderness to another--swamp, desert, jungle, and whatnot--and are beset with appropriate wild beasts. The back blurb of my 1976 Ballantine edition goes right ahead and tells us that the three soon become "no more than interesting specimens in an already well-stocked zoo," so...I guess that's no plot-spoiler here.
Further than that, however, I don't believe I should go. Suffice it to say that in addition to the weird zoo situation, there are issues like sickness with one of the members of the survey crew, the question of whether they ever can communicate with their highly advanced slug-like captors, and then, ultimately, a rather mysterious quest that takes them to other odd species that are pleasantly interesting but which I will refrain from describing. I'm not 100% sold on the excuse for the quest, because I actually think that what the zookeepers discover should obviate it, but since the Lactrans long ago "have given up the knowledge of how to construct artificial devices--like the Enterprise--capable of ranging deep space" (pages 75-76), I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do...
In any event, Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log Eight may begin with a story originally from a cartoon show, yet the adaptation is well done and aimed at an adult audience, and for any fan of the starship Enterprise and its historic five-year mission, the book will be an enjoyable 4.5- to 5-star read.
Never having seen the animated series, I can make no comparison between the original episodes and Foster's adaptations, in the way I occasionally have with James Blish's adaptations of the original series. I can comment, though, that the cartoon series evinces some differences from the acted series. Here, for example, we have a handy piece of technology called a "life-support belt," which creates a very thin but tough force field, meaning that characters can stomp around in vacuum or poisonous atmospheres as if in a spacesuit. And of course another product of the animated nature of the show is that we have a few alien crew members--three-legged and three-armed, cat-like, or winged, for example--who would have been too expensive to produce every week via elaborate costuming, along with other odd aliens occasionally encountered. These differences are commonsensical, at least in science fiction, and they do not draw attention to themselves unduly.
"The Eye of the Beholder," whose original screenplay was by David P. Harmon, actually is more like a pair of stories than a single one, a little bit like a Dungeons & Dragons quest that rolls on from one mission to another, with the overarching goal ultimately dependent on each seeming sidetrack.
As the book opens, Kirk dictates to his log that "[t]he Enterprise is embarked, for a change, on a routine follow-up mission --to search for a survey ship overdue for report, in the vicinity of Epsilon Scorpii, last known to be investigating the system of a G4 sun designated Lactra on Federation starcharts" (1976 Ballantine paperback, page 1). Routine. Mm hmm. Sure. Because soon, upon searching the orbiting vessel, they find a "tape lying in the ship's library," apparently "deliberately placed in a prominent position, obviously to attract the attention of anyone entering the library" (page 3). The tape is the last log entry, explaining that since the three who beamed down to explore had not checked back in directed, the three still aboard "will beam down in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of [their] comrades and, if necessary, to effect a rescue" (page 3).
This type of action is, as Kirk fumes angrily, "[b]latant disregard of standard emergency procedure." After all, "[r]egulations specifically state" that "the minimum necessary to operate [the] ship" should stay in orbit, and if contact with the landing party "is lost, they are to return to the nearest starbase beam region and file a full report" (page 4). In other words, they are supposed to put on their oxygen masks first. But if we didn't have such mistakes, we wouldn't have a story...
So Kirk and Spock and McCoy beam down, despite Scotty's nervousness, to the exact same place the lost survey team was transported (page 7). Oh, yes-- And, most conveniently for plot purposes, there is some sort of "distortion layer in the Lactran atmosphere" that "[l]ife sensors are experiencing some difficulty in penetrating" (page 5). The trio then slog from one extreme but strangely narrow piece of wilderness to another--swamp, desert, jungle, and whatnot--and are beset with appropriate wild beasts. The back blurb of my 1976 Ballantine edition goes right ahead and tells us that the three soon become "no more than interesting specimens in an already well-stocked zoo," so...I guess that's no plot-spoiler here.
Further than that, however, I don't believe I should go. Suffice it to say that in addition to the weird zoo situation, there are issues like sickness with one of the members of the survey crew, the question of whether they ever can communicate with their highly advanced slug-like captors, and then, ultimately, a rather mysterious quest that takes them to other odd species that are pleasantly interesting but which I will refrain from describing. I'm not 100% sold on the excuse for the quest, because I actually think that what the zookeepers discover should obviate it, but since the Lactrans long ago "have given up the knowledge of how to construct artificial devices--like the Enterprise--capable of ranging deep space" (pages 75-76), I guess ya gotta do what ya gotta do...
In any event, Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek Log Eight may begin with a story originally from a cartoon show, yet the adaptation is well done and aimed at an adult audience, and for any fan of the starship Enterprise and its historic five-year mission, the book will be an enjoyable 4.5- to 5-star read.
April 28, 2020
This is a novelization of the TAS episode "In the Eye of the Beholder", about members of the Enterprise crew being captured and held in a zoo by super intelligent slug-like creatures. After resolving their capture and showing the slugs they are sentient creatures, the story continues beyond the episode. The Enterprise seeks out a mysterious creature beyond the galaxy as an addition to the zoo. They eventually capture one and return it to the slugs' planet.
This extension seems odd to me. Having just experienced captivity, I wonder if the crew would participate in this. Also, they encounter silicon-based lifeforms on this expedition and act like this is a novelty. In fact, the Enterprise encountered silicon life forms with the Horta in the TOS episode "Devil in the Dark".
Odd choice to extend this episode's storyline.
This extension seems odd to me. Having just experienced captivity, I wonder if the crew would participate in this. Also, they encounter silicon-based lifeforms on this expedition and act like this is a novelty. In fact, the Enterprise encountered silicon life forms with the Horta in the TOS episode "Devil in the Dark".
Odd choice to extend this episode's storyline.
November 20, 2020
One of the better books to come out of the animated series oeuvre. The crew accidentally ends up being part of a zoo exhibit, they convince the zoo keepers they are intelligent, and agree to help the new allies capture a "creature" for their zoo. The people with the key to capturing the creature a legendary silicone-based species. The silicone people agree to help, but discover the creature they are hunting is literally 10x the size of many planets, if not bigger.
December 7, 2023
Well written, with a fair amount of humor, but the story wasn't that great to me. The enterprise encounters alien Zoo collectors and are retained to hunt a being that lives in space and absorbs energy from nearby stars. There's a fair amount of excitement at the end but the creatures are not intelligent so it's not really a chess game or duel. I bet this cartoon episode inspired the much later Star Trek the Next Generation episode called "Galaxy's Chld," in 1991.
May 24, 2022
Pretty much cookie-cutter short story series roughly based on the Star Trek original series. Nothing special, really, and rather silly these days.
August 13, 2014
This story started off rather generically with some of the crew being captured to be placed in an alien zoo, but it then developed into a really good tale of dying race of aliens (put aside the fact that diseases, even the most deadly, never have a 100% mortality rate) which then lead into a trip outside the galaxy to find a rouge star system and a chase for incredibly large creatures in the intergalactic void. This episode, even with it's flaws, and the usual mediocre writing by Alan Dean Foster, managed to capture the sense of wonder that always drew me to Star Trek. I do have a problem with the portrayal of super intelligent being unable to comprehend that humans and Vulcan are intelligent - this idea goes completely against the fact that humans recognize a vast continuum of intelligence in Earth species, from bacterial consensus, to swarm and hive intelligence of ants and bees, to dogs, octopuses, dolphins, and chimpanzees. The concept, that a vastly superior intelligent race would be unable to recognize lower intelligence because "humans are like ants to them" is, quite bluntly, stupidly absurd. at least in this case, the Lactrans do come around to understanding that they are dealing with creatures, i.e. the humans and Vulcans, that should not be held in cages against their will. Other than that, once this story got going, I really enjoyed it.
August 20, 2011
It was interesting to read off the opposing viewpoints and the vast differences that can come from them. The last minute character appearance at the end of the book was mind-boggling. The telepathy that ran throughout the book was a wonder to read, I have always enjoyed any aspect of Vulcans that showed up with the series and now the books. It was also strange how this Log featured only one story and not the usual three.
September 2, 2019
Log Eight, like its successors Nine and Ten, develops one episode of the Star Trek animated series—in this case, the encounter with the superintelligent, slug-like Lactrans—into a novel-length story. And like Log Nine, the later, added material is far better developed as science fiction, not to mention more entertaining, than the "episode" half.
February 1, 2016
Nicht schlecht, aber etwas langatmig und in der Lösung doch eher unlogisch. Zumal das einen Zeitraum von mehreren Monaten umfasst, ohne dass das Hauptkommando je auch nur die Enterprise kontaktiert hätte und es völlig unmöglich ist, dass ein so langer Zeitraum in der 5-Jahres-Mission stattgefunden haben könnte, wenn man die Anzahl der Folgen und Romane in der Zeit bedenkt.
September 4, 2009
Another three episodes from the Animated Star Trek Saturday morning cartoon series have been adapted by Alan Dean Foster in novella form. Nearly the only format available of the Animated Star Trek series.
July 13, 2012
A dull, rather silly story is wildly stretched to fill the pages of this book. A pity, as Alan Dean Foster is a good writer, but he's wasted on this.
July 2, 2013
More Star Trek
May 23, 2016
Pretty good. Creative story with interesting aliens and worlds. Fun concepts.
August 9, 2022
Captured by unknown aliens, asked to help capture another entity for a zoo.
April 15, 2017
Adapting the animated episode "The Eye of the Beholder" into a full-length novel, Alan Dean Foster provides a more fully fleshed-out story than its TV counterpart. Roughly the first 78 pages feature the content from the TV episode itself (with the inclusion of some additional scenes and expanded dialogue), while the remainder of the book is Foster's own take on what happens next in the story. Its an enjoyable enough tale.
The story material from the TV episode itself is fine. But the extended story that Foster comes up with is actually even more interesting. It takes the Enterprise to a "strange, new world" and a "new civilization" that, frankly, I wish would have been the focus longer that it ends up being in the story. Instead we follow another rather intriguing creature that the Enterprise is attempting to capture. It does create some tension near the end of the story but it ultimately gets resolved a bit too quickly. Still, the expanded story does complement the episode storyline pretty well.
One little thing that really caught my attention – a trivia (or trivial) thing...on page 76 Kirk makes a comment, something to the effect of... 'the Enterprise has transported all sorts of animals in the past, from tribbles to wauls.' Only hard core Trek fans will recognize the "waul" as a reference to an animal from "Passage to Moauv", a Star Trek record & storybook audio adventure produced for children somewhere around 1973. I remember listening to that record over and over again as a boy, so the waul stuck in my memory. Doing some research online it appears that Alan Dean Foster wrote that audio story, thus his inclusion of a reference to the waul in this 1975 novelization here. I found that to be an interesting - and subtle - connecting element for him to include, even if its just a throwaway line.
Overall, an intriguing story and entertaining enough novel. Well worth at least one read, but don't know if I'll ever re-visit it again.
The story material from the TV episode itself is fine. But the extended story that Foster comes up with is actually even more interesting. It takes the Enterprise to a "strange, new world" and a "new civilization" that, frankly, I wish would have been the focus longer that it ends up being in the story. Instead we follow another rather intriguing creature that the Enterprise is attempting to capture. It does create some tension near the end of the story but it ultimately gets resolved a bit too quickly. Still, the expanded story does complement the episode storyline pretty well.
One little thing that really caught my attention – a trivia (or trivial) thing...on page 76 Kirk makes a comment, something to the effect of... 'the Enterprise has transported all sorts of animals in the past, from tribbles to wauls.' Only hard core Trek fans will recognize the "waul" as a reference to an animal from "Passage to Moauv", a Star Trek record & storybook audio adventure produced for children somewhere around 1973. I remember listening to that record over and over again as a boy, so the waul stuck in my memory. Doing some research online it appears that Alan Dean Foster wrote that audio story, thus his inclusion of a reference to the waul in this 1975 novelization here. I found that to be an interesting - and subtle - connecting element for him to include, even if its just a throwaway line.
Overall, an intriguing story and entertaining enough novel. Well worth at least one read, but don't know if I'll ever re-visit it again.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews