Amok Time

Star Trek Fotonovel #12

by Theodore Sturgeon

A graphic novel composed of stills from the original TV series combined with conversation/narrative "balloons" to carry the storyline.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction

153 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1978

About the author

Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985) is considered one of the godfathers of contemporary science fiction and dark fantasy. The author of numerous acclaimed short stories and novels, among them the classics More Than Human, Venus Plus X, and To Marry Medusa, Sturgeon also wrote for television and holds among his credits two episodes of the original 1960s Star Trek series, for which he created the Vulcan mating ritual and the expression "Live long and prosper." He is also credited as the inspiration for Kurt Vonnegut's recurring fictional character Kilgore Trout.

Sturgeon is the recipient of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the International Fantasy Award. In 2000, he was posthumously honored with a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.

Reviews

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool old "fotonovel"

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1970s, long before VCRs were a standard thing in most homes, Bantam Books in conjunction with Mandala Productions gave Star Trek fans the chance to relive some of the shows episodes through series of twelve fotonovels. These books were essentially proto-types of the graphic novels so prevalent today that re-tell classic stories and used actual film stills from the show with word bubbles and explanatory text to accompany the photos. I found my first few in the early days of book-collecting and was finally able to complete the collection in 2012 when my husband and I came across a treasure trove at my now favorite used book store in Illinois. I recently decided to catch up on reading those that I had never gotten to.

Amok Time (Fotonovel #12) is one of the gold standard episodes in Star Trek. It gave fans information about the home world of one of their favorite characters--revealing customs and philosophy of Vulcan life. It marked the first use of the Vulcan salute and salutation "Live Long and Prosper." The story also highlighted the deep friendship and loyalty among Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. When T'Pau, the leader of Spock's family--and, incidentally, all of Vulcan--challenges Spock's inclusion of outworlders in Vulcan ritual, she asks him how he will pledge their behavior. And he responds, "With my life." He is willing to sacrifice just as Kirk has been willing to sacrifice his career in Starfleet by disobeying orders to bring Spock to Vulcan...and ultimately is willing to risk his life in the Vulcan mating challenge (to the death!) to help his friend.

This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please requested permission before reposting.

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

Much like a Cine-Manga book, this takes a television episode and makes a comic out of it...and it's done very well; I had fun with it! I wish I had more of these on hand; maybe I'll find others someday.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Star Trek stories, where everything is upset and logical simultaneously.

🪐 🚀 Recommended.
📺

[Mark Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time the original Star trek TV series was on reruns, and in that pre-video age a young fan like myself had to watch carefully and remember the show. This is a "Fotonovel" of one the best episodes
and I purchased it brand new back in 1978. All the major dialogue is there, along with narration and some imagined internal dialogue.

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another clever use of stills from the TV series combined with conversation/narrative "balloons" to create a graphic novel of an original Classic Star Trek episode.

[Fangirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the days before the internet a book like this was precious to a fan.
I remember waiting impatiently for each of the photo novels to come out.