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Star Trek: Lower Decks
Star Trek: Lower Decks―Warp Your Own Way
Warp into the action with Star Trek’s first-ever interactive original graphic novel!
Mariner just wants to have a normal day, but no matter what side of the bed she wakes up on, the world is ending. Literally. If she has coffee, Borg attack! If she has raktajino, cue the Romulan boarding party! And in each scenario, Mariner and her friends end up dead, sometimes the ship is destroyed—and the day starts all over again.
But by exploring the different paths, you, the reader, can discover things that Mariner can’t. There are inconsistencies that don’t make sense—putting aside the fact that Mariner’s choice of drink each morning shouldn’t affect which alien races attack the ship, other facts of her world seem to change too. Something is definitely off. It’s up to you to discover!
Mariner just wants to have a normal day, but no matter what side of the bed she wakes up on, the world is ending. Literally. If she has coffee, Borg attack! If she has raktajino, cue the Romulan boarding party! And in each scenario, Mariner and her friends end up dead, sometimes the ship is destroyed—and the day starts all over again.
But by exploring the different paths, you, the reader, can discover things that Mariner can’t. There are inconsistencies that don’t make sense—putting aside the fact that Mariner’s choice of drink each morning shouldn’t affect which alien races attack the ship, other facts of her world seem to change too. Something is definitely off. It’s up to you to discover!
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2024
About the author
Ryan North
626 books1,658 followersHi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
June 23, 2025
this is fun even though I almost ended up dead all the time.
November 24, 2025
Choose Your Own Adventure stories stress me out! What if I miss one of the permutations? What if I don't get the whole story?
In this case, tho, I just. kept. dying. So stressful! What was happening? Will Mariner be able to save the Cerritos?!
So fun! So different! And I just love Lower Decks so much!
In this case, tho, I just. kept. dying. So stressful! What was happening? Will Mariner be able to save the Cerritos?!
So fun! So different! And I just love Lower Decks so much!
December 9, 2024
I think Ryan North should be allowed - or possibly - required to continue writing Lower Decks comics for all time. He gets the humor and loves Star Trek so the writing feels just like an episode.
This is an extremely clever choose your own adventure comic that is just perfect. All of the choices work so well and by the end it really does feel like you’ve watched and participated in the Lower Decks version of TNG’s “Cause and Effect!”
This is an extremely clever choose your own adventure comic that is just perfect. All of the choices work so well and by the end it really does feel like you’ve watched and participated in the Lower Decks version of TNG’s “Cause and Effect!”
October 8, 2024
A fun choose your own story comic. I didn't go through all the versions, mostly because I read this as an e-ARC and the full colour pages took forever to load on Edelweiss reader and the page numbers referred to in the story didn't match the pages of the ebook, so it was a bit of a guesswork find the correct page to continue or return to where the previous choice was made to choose another option.
Mariner is trying to have a day off, but she keeps getting into the usual Lower Deck shenanigans (or maybe japes), be it tribbles, engine trouble or ancient gods. There was a choice to make fairly often, mostly between two options, occasionally more. Everything was fun and the art looked exactly like in the animation. But if you're considering reading this, definitely get a physical copy for easier access.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Mariner is trying to have a day off, but she keeps getting into the usual Lower Deck shenanigans (or maybe japes), be it tribbles, engine trouble or ancient gods. There was a choice to make fairly often, mostly between two options, occasionally more. Everything was fun and the art looked exactly like in the animation. But if you're considering reading this, definitely get a physical copy for easier access.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
February 3, 2026
An unplanned but wholly appropriate book to read on Groundhog Day!
In this choose-your-own-adventure story, the reader helps Beckett Mariner figure out what weird thing is happening on the USS Cerritos by choosing pathways for her to follow that will unleash several homages to the original Star Trek TV show and frequent disasters that have her restarting the day once again to the rousing voice of her roommate Tendi's holo-Spock alarm clock.
It's a little dark but still a lot of fun for this faithful Trekkie.
Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio do a good job capturing the tone and look of the show, and I'll take a hit wherever I can now that the show has been canceled.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: A Sympathy in Choice / Ryan North, writer; Chris Fenoglio, illustrator -- Art Gallery / Chris Fenoglio, illustrator -- [About the Creators]
In this choose-your-own-adventure story, the reader helps Beckett Mariner figure out what weird thing is happening on the USS Cerritos by choosing pathways for her to follow that will unleash several homages to the original Star Trek TV show and frequent disasters that have her restarting the day once again to the rousing voice of her roommate Tendi's holo-Spock alarm clock.
It's a little dark but still a lot of fun for this faithful Trekkie.
Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio do a good job capturing the tone and look of the show, and I'll take a hit wherever I can now that the show has been canceled.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: A Sympathy in Choice / Ryan North, writer; Chris Fenoglio, illustrator -- Art Gallery / Chris Fenoglio, illustrator -- [About the Creators]
April 10, 2025
That was unexpectedly excellent, far exceeding my expectations. It seems the lower star reviews are among those who had the ARC and understandably difficult time navigating the choices or those who didn’t dig far enough.
The whole book is a delightful puzzle with a beginning, many middles, and an end. This is not a simple CYOA.
The whole book is a delightful puzzle with a beginning, many middles, and an end. This is not a simple CYOA.
August 24, 2025
This is just downright fun. A hilarious interactive graphic novel that perfectly captures the chaotic spirit of Lower Decks. Ryan North and Heather Antos deliver a choose-your-path adventure where every decision spirals into absurdity—whether it’s disastrous away missions, holodeck mayhem, or the crew just being their wonderfully incompetent selves. Smart, funny, and faithful to the show’s voice, it’s an easy recommendation for Trek fans who love both comedy and chaos.
August 17, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the advanced e-copy.
Do you love Star Trek: Lower Decks? Please pick up this graphic novel! It feels like an episode. The art style, the humour, the characters, especially Mariner's characterization, she's the one who plays the lead character in this interactive story, they all feel the same as watching the show. I had a blast reading this 'choose your own adventure'.
There's something happening onboard the USS Cerritos. No matter what choice Mariner makes, from what drink to choose to what friend to visit, she ends up in a life or death situation where the only thing that will save the Cerritos is a secret code. But she doesn't know this code. And yet, someone is really convinced she does. When everything goes wrong, the day starts over.
The situations vary, the cast of characters change, but the humour and Mariner's classic personality are always the same. It's such a fun read.
The negatives? Reading this 'choose your own adventure' comic digitally was a nightmare. It took me an embarrasing time to complete it, more than three hours. It's difficult to jump from page 10 to 90 on a pdf where the pages are off. The app also took some time loading every page, so it was difficult and at times frustrating. At some point, I'm convinced I read all possible choices but there was no ending so I had to go back, check page to page from the beginning and realise there was a third option that was just between the pages where the story really continued. So I was more than a little confused. I think at some point it should've said, "go to this page to begin again" instead of ending each deathly scenario with "the end". It was a very slow reading experience, one I'm sure it'd be much quicker and easier with a paperback/physical copy.
Still, the story is worth it.
I love the show. Sadly, where I live, I only have the first two seasons (out of four) available to me. So I have been missing these characters for a while now and this graphic novel felt so close to the show, so canon, I was excited to revisit the Lower Decks reading this and it did not disappoint.
Do you love Star Trek: Lower Decks? Please pick up this graphic novel! It feels like an episode. The art style, the humour, the characters, especially Mariner's characterization, she's the one who plays the lead character in this interactive story, they all feel the same as watching the show. I had a blast reading this 'choose your own adventure'.
There's something happening onboard the USS Cerritos. No matter what choice Mariner makes, from what drink to choose to what friend to visit, she ends up in a life or death situation where the only thing that will save the Cerritos is a secret code. But she doesn't know this code. And yet, someone is really convinced she does. When everything goes wrong, the day starts over.
The situations vary, the cast of characters change, but the humour and Mariner's classic personality are always the same. It's such a fun read.
The negatives? Reading this 'choose your own adventure' comic digitally was a nightmare. It took me an embarrasing time to complete it, more than three hours. It's difficult to jump from page 10 to 90 on a pdf where the pages are off. The app also took some time loading every page, so it was difficult and at times frustrating. At some point, I'm convinced I read all possible choices but there was no ending so I had to go back, check page to page from the beginning and realise there was a third option that was just between the pages where the story really continued. So I was more than a little confused. I think at some point it should've said, "go to this page to begin again" instead of ending each deathly scenario with "the end". It was a very slow reading experience, one I'm sure it'd be much quicker and easier with a paperback/physical copy.
Still, the story is worth it.
I love the show. Sadly, where I live, I only have the first two seasons (out of four) available to me. So I have been missing these characters for a while now and this graphic novel felt so close to the show, so canon, I was excited to revisit the Lower Decks reading this and it did not disappoint.
December 28, 2025
This is a masterpiece.
'Warp Your Own Way' is laugh-out-loud funny. It's exciting. It's interesting. It's audacious.
It's a Choose Your Own Adventure book.
Hang on - what? A Choose Your Own Adventure, like we used to read as kids in the '70s? Those simplistic stories that paused every few pages to direct the reader to turn to Page 17 if Johnny should fight the tiger, or Page 28 if he should fight the lion? Yes! But here's the part that turns 'Warp Your Own Way' from a gimmick into a masterpiece: the format is, itself, part of the story. And the story is so intriguing that I built a flow chart to map my moves through the book, keeping track of where I'd been and looking for the crucial nodes.
'Warp Your Own Way' is a comic. It's a puzzle. It's a jubilant celebration of all things Trek. This book won the 2025 Hugo Award for "Best Graphic Story or Comic" for a reason. It's marvelous. If you're a Trekkie, even a casual one, you must seek out this book.
'Warp Your Own Way' is laugh-out-loud funny. It's exciting. It's interesting. It's audacious.
It's a Choose Your Own Adventure book.
Hang on - what? A Choose Your Own Adventure, like we used to read as kids in the '70s? Those simplistic stories that paused every few pages to direct the reader to turn to Page 17 if Johnny should fight the tiger, or Page 28 if he should fight the lion? Yes! But here's the part that turns 'Warp Your Own Way' from a gimmick into a masterpiece: the format is, itself, part of the story. And the story is so intriguing that I built a flow chart to map my moves through the book, keeping track of where I'd been and looking for the crucial nodes.
'Warp Your Own Way' is a comic. It's a puzzle. It's a jubilant celebration of all things Trek. This book won the 2025 Hugo Award for "Best Graphic Story or Comic" for a reason. It's marvelous. If you're a Trekkie, even a casual one, you must seek out this book.
April 14, 2025
I haven't seen the show before (Star Trek: Lower Decks), so I can't speak to how well it captures it, but I can say that the graphic novel was remarkably fun! I loved the "choose your own adventure"-style storytelling, especially as Ryan North incorporates it into the actual reason for the structure. That said, I did also do some story-path accounting to make sure that I caught everything in all the options. At one point I was stuck until I realized that North was making me part of the story (let's just say that if you find yourself on page 97, pay attention to the clue/hint you find there). Luckily there's only a couple of "tough spots" like that (that's where the path-accounting tip came in handy).
The actual revelation about the story and its conclusion was great. I loved the Star Trek-iness of it all, and I'm much more intrigued by the show now.
The actual revelation about the story and its conclusion was great. I loved the Star Trek-iness of it all, and I'm much more intrigued by the show now.
Read
September 8, 2024Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, IDW Publishing, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my commitment to provide an honest review.
I have read and evaluated this book. I will publish a review and rating on Goodreads once it is clear that the book is in its final form.
I have read and evaluated this book. I will publish a review and rating on Goodreads once it is clear that the book is in its final form.
March 28, 2025
So happy for this read. This was a fun choose your own adventure, pure lower decks style. Lots of fun silly adventures.
January 12, 2026
This is a work of art, whose chosen (and rightful) medium is a Star Trek Comic. Cleverly done; a must read for all Star Trek fans.
September 3, 2024
I received an ARC of this comic in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this opportunity.
Star Trek Lower Decks - Warp Your Own Way had many different choose your own adventures inside. I enjoyed a fair few of them, even if some of them felt like they dragged a little. Having to find the secret stories within the pages without the choose your own adventure guide was very Mariner, but as a reader, while it was fun, it also felt like kind of a cop out as every choose your own adventure path leads to either death or destruction.
I have been a massive fan of the Star Trek franchise for as long as I can remember, and this comic was a decent way to pass time, even if I felt some stories read a little out of character for Mariner.
Star Trek Lower Decks - Warp Your Own Way had many different choose your own adventures inside. I enjoyed a fair few of them, even if some of them felt like they dragged a little. Having to find the secret stories within the pages without the choose your own adventure guide was very Mariner, but as a reader, while it was fun, it also felt like kind of a cop out as every choose your own adventure path leads to either death or destruction.
I have been a massive fan of the Star Trek franchise for as long as I can remember, and this comic was a decent way to pass time, even if I felt some stories read a little out of character for Mariner.
July 21, 2025
Was not expecting my favorite book of the year to be a Star-Trek-choose-your-own-adventure-graphic-novel, but that’s the timeline we’re living in. Shout out to the two people on Reddit who said it was good.
I think it would’ve been 30x as good if I knew more than 4 episodes worth of Star Trek or Lower Decks in particular, but it’s okay! This was a super creative way to tell this particular story, and the humor really worked for me. I began to really love Mariner as a character as well. We’ve spent a lot of time together now, her and I.
It’s hard for me to recommend this to people with no interest or knowledge of Star Trek, but if you have even a little bit of each, I think it’s worth it.
I think it would’ve been 30x as good if I knew more than 4 episodes worth of Star Trek or Lower Decks in particular, but it’s okay! This was a super creative way to tell this particular story, and the humor really worked for me. I began to really love Mariner as a character as well. We’ve spent a lot of time together now, her and I.
It’s hard for me to recommend this to people with no interest or knowledge of Star Trek, but if you have even a little bit of each, I think it’s worth it.
December 27, 2024
This book does exceptionally clever metafictional things with the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure format that I don't think have ever been done before. Star Trek lends itself to this, what with time loops and transporter accidents and such. It's funny throughout (Ryan North's writing always makes me laugh), but at the same time surprisingly dark. You'll know when you've found the true ending, but it's by no means a happy ending-- there are none here to be found. Despite that, he really remains true to the essence of the characters from the show-- everyone seems to be speaking in their own voice throughout.
May 15, 2025
As someone who's only seen a few Star Trek episodes and not watched any of Lower Decks, I'm definitely not the core audience for this. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been nominated for a Hugo award this year. But I have to admit that it's actually quite fun. I haven't seen a graphic novel version of choose your own adventure before and the humor and the banter in it actually made me more interested in watching the show at some point. If you're a fan of the show, I'd imagine you'd get even more out of it.
October 30, 2024
Absolutely perfect
This book surpassed all my expectations. It had TONS of choices, each one fun and comprehensive. I was actually surprised at how deep this story went. It would've been easy to give us half as many choices and lean on the whole interactive aspect of the story but instead they made it their own and put their own unique lower decks spin on it! Very pleased with how and turned out. My thanks to all the creators!
This book surpassed all my expectations. It had TONS of choices, each one fun and comprehensive. I was actually surprised at how deep this story went. It would've been easy to give us half as many choices and lean on the whole interactive aspect of the story but instead they made it their own and put their own unique lower decks spin on it! Very pleased with how and turned out. My thanks to all the creators!
December 2, 2024
If I could give this 10 out of 5 I would. Hands down the funniest single panel I have EVER read in a comic book. I died laughing and had to pause for quite awhile. It was pure Lower Decks and the BEST use of Choose your own adventure style I've ever seen. Cause really WHAT is more Star Trek than a repeating time episode? It's funny and original and very, very Star Trek. If you enjoy the TV show you will Love this!
June 14, 2025
I think this might be the book Ryan North has been training to write his whole life and you can tell he had a great time doing it. I'm sure there's a ton of jokes I didn't get, but it was still a lot of fun. It was really cool that they used the choose your own adventure format as a part of the overall plot.
December 3, 2024
The cutest little nostalgia hit I didn't know I needed. As a HUGE fan of Lower Decks, this carries the humour, spontaneity and comfort that the show has. Pick this up if you haven't already! What are you waiting for?
October 4, 2026
"GREETINGS. IT IS 0700 HOURS, AND I AM YOUR PRE-SCHEDULED ALARM. IT IS, THEREFORE, HIGHLY LOGICAL THAT YOU WAKE UP NOW."
- Tendi's (Spock) alarm clock.
The mad genius who brought you the Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl (the most overlooked superhero of all time), has once again neglected his medicine cabinet to bring you the greatest Star Trek story since Galaxy Quest.
If you're wondering, "Better than TNG's Shades Of Gray?", please throw yourself out the nearest convenient airlock. That lazy regurgitation of footage had no plot. Whereas THIS story has so many plots that they make no sense, and entirely too much sense, all at once. This volume comprised my two favorite genres: sci-fi, comedy, and confusion. A + B = triangle. I was so temporally disoriented that I will probably have had to written this review in past, present, and future tense.
And the ending was so unexpected that M. Night Shyamalan wants ruin it in live-action (what a twist!).
Yeah, it's one of those "an adventure is chosen by you" kind of things. But only for legal purposes. You read. You make decisions. You turn the page. But, eventually, if you follow the rules, it goes nowhere. It's only by wandering off the weather-beaten path of logic that the truth can be found. And it is there that the demented creative team can delight the baffled reader with even more words, and art, and decisions that seem similar, but somehow are(?).
On a serious note, I was buried in this book all day trying to figure it out. But, wow was it worth it. I used multiple bookmarks, considered taking notes, tried to cheat by reading ahead. Ryan North continues to impress me with his brilliance. This was such a lengthy, frustrating delight.
Five f@#$ing stars!
- Tendi's (Spock) alarm clock.
The mad genius who brought you the Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl (the most overlooked superhero of all time), has once again neglected his medicine cabinet to bring you the greatest Star Trek story since Galaxy Quest.
If you're wondering, "Better than TNG's Shades Of Gray?", please throw yourself out the nearest convenient airlock. That lazy regurgitation of footage had no plot. Whereas THIS story has so many plots that they make no sense, and entirely too much sense, all at once. This volume comprised my two favorite genres: sci-fi, comedy, and confusion. A + B = triangle. I was so temporally disoriented that I will probably have had to written this review in past, present, and future tense.
And the ending was so unexpected that M. Night Shyamalan wants ruin it in live-action (what a twist!).
Yeah, it's one of those "an adventure is chosen by you" kind of things. But only for legal purposes. You read. You make decisions. You turn the page. But, eventually, if you follow the rules, it goes nowhere. It's only by wandering off the weather-beaten path of logic that the truth can be found. And it is there that the demented creative team can delight the baffled reader with even more words, and art, and decisions that seem similar, but somehow are(?).
On a serious note, I was buried in this book all day trying to figure it out. But, wow was it worth it. I used multiple bookmarks, considered taking notes, tried to cheat by reading ahead. Ryan North continues to impress me with his brilliance. This was such a lengthy, frustrating delight.
Five f@#$ing stars!
January 1, 2025
A fun, fourth-wall breaking journey through the Lower Decks!
July 24, 2025
7/24/2025 Genuinely astonishing, even for someone who's yet to find the time to watch a single episode of Lower Decks. I have so many thoughts on what Ryan North did with the story here! Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
7/28/2025 As a bad Trekker with little time for TV, I have yet to watch a single episode of Lower Decks, tho it was certainly top of list for me even before I read this astonishing book. I figured that this graphic novel would be a great introduction to the series but was thoroughly unprepared for exactly how mind-bending -- and heart-wrenching -- this story would turn out to be.
And you have to understand, I adore fiction that plays with the conventions of storytelling. If you're not into that, this might not be for you. But if you are, if you're the kind of person who enjoys when Star Trek plays with time and space, if you don't mind a lot of non-linear narrative, and especially if you love a little good fan service, then you absolutely need a copy of this book.
Another note: I read this via the Hugo 2025 packet, so my copy was a hyperlinked pdf that I read on my PC, which is pretty much the only format I would recommend reading this in aside from physical. It might work on some tablets too, but the hyperlinks are crucial to the story flow, so make sure that any digital copy you get is something you can interact with in that fashion.
So to the story! This is essentially a Choose Your Own Adventure format revolving around the crew of the USS Cerritos, and particularly Lieutenant Junior Grade Beckett Mariner. After a night of hard partying, she's not particularly enthused about having to get out of bed on her day off. Readers help her figure out what caffeinated beverage she wants from the replicator and then who she wants to bother/spend time with. Things start going haywire shortly after.
Another confession: after circling through the (hilarious) plot threads several times and running into the same brick wall, I finally broke and took a linear approach. Ryan North is prepared for that, but I ignored his good-natured scolding and persisted. And oh readers. This is probably the best Star Trek-related fiction -- and undoubtedly the best Star Trek-related graphic novel -- that I've ever had the privilege of encountering. It's clever and moving and embodies everything that's great about science fiction, as it raises questions about choice and personality, resilience and persistence. I'm getting teary-eyed again just thinking about it.
Chris Fenoglio's illustrations are perfection, hewing closely to the animated style, which I double checked by watching the first episode while I write this, lol. And while I had no doubt that the personalities on display in the book were faithful to the characters, it was nice to have that confirmed. Wow, this is a good show, and an even greater book to accompany it.
This was, perhaps obviously, my top choice for the Hugo 2025 Best Graphic Story category. I 100% plan on getting a copy for every Trekker I know.
Star Trek: Lower Decks ― Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North & Chris Fenoglio was published October 22 2024 by IDW Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
7/28/2025 As a bad Trekker with little time for TV, I have yet to watch a single episode of Lower Decks, tho it was certainly top of list for me even before I read this astonishing book. I figured that this graphic novel would be a great introduction to the series but was thoroughly unprepared for exactly how mind-bending -- and heart-wrenching -- this story would turn out to be.
And you have to understand, I adore fiction that plays with the conventions of storytelling. If you're not into that, this might not be for you. But if you are, if you're the kind of person who enjoys when Star Trek plays with time and space, if you don't mind a lot of non-linear narrative, and especially if you love a little good fan service, then you absolutely need a copy of this book.
Another note: I read this via the Hugo 2025 packet, so my copy was a hyperlinked pdf that I read on my PC, which is pretty much the only format I would recommend reading this in aside from physical. It might work on some tablets too, but the hyperlinks are crucial to the story flow, so make sure that any digital copy you get is something you can interact with in that fashion.
So to the story! This is essentially a Choose Your Own Adventure format revolving around the crew of the USS Cerritos, and particularly Lieutenant Junior Grade Beckett Mariner. After a night of hard partying, she's not particularly enthused about having to get out of bed on her day off. Readers help her figure out what caffeinated beverage she wants from the replicator and then who she wants to bother/spend time with. Things start going haywire shortly after.
Another confession: after circling through the (hilarious) plot threads several times and running into the same brick wall, I finally broke and took a linear approach. Ryan North is prepared for that, but I ignored his good-natured scolding and persisted. And oh readers. This is probably the best Star Trek-related fiction -- and undoubtedly the best Star Trek-related graphic novel -- that I've ever had the privilege of encountering. It's clever and moving and embodies everything that's great about science fiction, as it raises questions about choice and personality, resilience and persistence. I'm getting teary-eyed again just thinking about it.
Chris Fenoglio's illustrations are perfection, hewing closely to the animated style, which I double checked by watching the first episode while I write this, lol. And while I had no doubt that the personalities on display in the book were faithful to the characters, it was nice to have that confirmed. Wow, this is a good show, and an even greater book to accompany it.
This was, perhaps obviously, my top choice for the Hugo 2025 Best Graphic Story category. I 100% plan on getting a copy for every Trekker I know.
Star Trek: Lower Decks ― Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North & Chris Fenoglio was published October 22 2024 by IDW Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
June 30, 2025
Interesting, but frustrating build your own adventure featuring many of the characters from Lower Decks. I was really excited about this one, but it felt kid-ified. The humor of the show was not really there. The premise is that Mariner wakes up every day and makes choices that all seem to lead to her getting killed. But then she wakes up and starts all over again. You, as Mariner, have to keep going back and trying different paths through the story to figure out what’s going on and help her survive. I spent quite a while on this and eventually did a search on the internet for a cheat tree of all the choices to get to the end. When I finally did finish it successfuly, I was tired of it.
Come visit my blog for a post about all the 2025 nominees for the Best Graphic Novel or Comic Hugo...
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
Come visit my blog for a post about all the 2025 nominees for the Best Graphic Novel or Comic Hugo...
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
September 10, 2024
Ryan North has a certain set of skills. If you read any of his work long enough, it's bound to hit on time travel, or become a choose your own adventure—or both! This is one of the best and most interesting choose your own adventure stories of his now quite-lengthy canon, and (as a big fan of the show) it's also a really fun visit with the Lower Decks characters. I had a great time working through this and figuring out its secrets, and I am saying that as a person who hates doing math, and was forced by this book to do math! The ebook copy I had was off by like four pages so I also had to do like very standard math every single time I had to "go to page X" and I kept a big list of all the paths I'd gone down already to keep track. It was suspiciously like homework, and yet I enjoyed the heck out of it. This book can trick you into doing homework!
January 30, 2025
What does god need with a prefix code?
Definitely one of the more innovative of the choose your own adventure type books I've read - yes, there was a pathway through to an actual resolution. But, as usual, it sure was exhausting going through all the other possible endings to get there. At one point, I tossed in the towel on the math and just flipped through until I found the chunk of pages I could tell would get me out of the endless trap endings. And then I just read the final 10-20 pages straight through. I was ex-haust-ed!
There was some great humor in the book - very fitting for Lower Decks - and the art was quite delightful. But, OMG, the technobabble was out of control (I started skimming that early and often). So considering the fun/pain balance this was solidly a three star read for me.
Definitely one of the more innovative of the choose your own adventure type books I've read - yes, there was a pathway through to an actual resolution. But, as usual, it sure was exhausting going through all the other possible endings to get there. At one point, I tossed in the towel on the math and just flipped through until I found the chunk of pages I could tell would get me out of the endless trap endings. And then I just read the final 10-20 pages straight through. I was ex-haust-ed!
There was some great humor in the book - very fitting for Lower Decks - and the art was quite delightful. But, OMG, the technobabble was out of control (I started skimming that early and often). So considering the fun/pain balance this was solidly a three star read for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2025
So I failed at least 30 times going through this book...and so will you - but that is FINE!
As a Star Trek Lower Decks novel, Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio nail it, but there are plenty of graphic novels in this franchise and capturing an animated series accurately in graphic novel form is no impossible feat.
However, the "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" aspect of this title is first among equals!
You will die multiple times, so just go with the flow.
North does an excellent job of weaving the reason for the need of a CYOA story (and multiple death endings) into the plot itself in a very clever way!
As a Star Trek Lower Decks novel, Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio nail it, but there are plenty of graphic novels in this franchise and capturing an animated series accurately in graphic novel form is no impossible feat.
However, the "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" aspect of this title is first among equals!
You will die multiple times, so just go with the flow.
North does an excellent job of weaving the reason for the need of a CYOA story (and multiple death endings) into the plot itself in a very clever way!
December 30, 2025
I went into this book just hoping for some fun and it exceeded all expectations!
If you remember Choose Your Own Adventure books, then that's basically what we've got here. At the bottom of the end of every small interaction, the reader has a choice which will affect how the rest of the story goes. Starting with choosing either coffee or raktajino, Mariner will have very different days.
This book is a love letter to Star Trek, revisiting its greatest hits. We see goofy Greek gods,Gorn, Borg,tribbles, Khan, and more. And the book is very clever- it really feels like a possible Star Trek episode, one in which time is glitchy and reality might not be quite real.
If you remember Choose Your Own Adventure books, then that's basically what we've got here. At the bottom of the end of every small interaction, the reader has a choice which will affect how the rest of the story goes. Starting with choosing either coffee or raktajino, Mariner will have very different days.
This book is a love letter to Star Trek, revisiting its greatest hits. We see goofy Greek gods,Gorn, Borg,tribbles, Khan, and more. And the book is very clever- it really feels like a possible Star Trek episode, one in which time is glitchy and reality might not be quite real.
June 2, 2024
Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio's Choose Your Own Adventure style Lower Decks tale was incredible fun. North has an amazing grasp of the characters and style of humor that matches the TV show, and Fenoglio captures them perfectly. My only critique has nothing to do with the story itself, but just that it was difficult to read digitally, so I fully recommend picking it up physically if possible.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
Special Thanks to IDW Publishing and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
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