Demons

Star Trek: The Original Series #30

by J.M. Dillard

Long before the Federation, powerful force invaded our galaxy and almost destroyed it... a force that began with possession and madness, and ended in murder!

A Starfleet research expedition to the farthest reaches of the galaxy has unearthed that force once again... and brought its silent evil back to the planet Vulcan. Now Spock must defeat the demons that threaten his friends and family,or the Enterprise™ will become the instrument of the galaxy's destruction!

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

251 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1986

About the author

J.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis (b. 1954) publishes her Star Trek novels.

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demons is the 30th novel in the Star Trek: The Original Series set of Pocket novels based on the 1960s television show. The story is about a force that has been rediscovered by deep space explorers who have returned from the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Unbeknownst to them, they have been taken forcefully, possessed by said alien force, and carried it back to the planet, Vulcan, and the Enterprise. Spock, Anitra (a woman gifted with telepathic type abilities), and Dr. McCoy must confront a possessed Sarek and Amanda and attempt to overcome Spock’s parents without harming them, while also mitigating the influence the alien has on Federation personnel.

The story quality is top-notch, believable, suspenseful, and not just a little bit horrific. I thought it was a very strong effort by J. M. Dillard.

[Nadienne Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author inserts herself into this story as a super-sexy, super-psychic, seductress Ensign, who just so happens to be a particle physics expert, an agent for Starfleet Intelligence, and best buddies of the big three (seriously, the character on the cover, Anitra, looks just like the author). Using only her wits, she helps Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (who becomes her love interest - oh god, gag me with a spoon) overcome an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and/or "Puppet Masters" esque story which takes place on Vulcan and the Enterprise. Only, this time its subatomic beings that take over people and turn them into murdering savages...but also somehow work together to infect other people...and they are beat just like the 'Borg, by putting them to sleep for about a day or so, until the little things starve...

And the climax happens "off screen"...I'm not even kidding. McCoy seems to be overwhelmed and about to lose, we fade to black / chapter break, and he's somehow overcome all three opponents, drug their unconscious bodies a considerable distance, transported them via air car to the hospital, set them all up in observation bays, and begun treatment...in a fucking break between paragraphs?!?!? Oh, and Kirk and some random Security Lieutenant manage to overcome all 400+ other infected crewman on the Enterprise through the power of...something "off-screen" between chapters. Keeping in mind, that there's a lot of sitting around for a day or two for the things to starve inside someone to help out, whilst they are somehow completely safe from the other few hundred infected crewman on the Enterprise...or the billions of people on Vulcan...there's even a little battle between the USS Surak (a Vulcan-crewed ship) and the Enterprise, but when the Enterprise shoots back, they just leave...

Based on the cover this must take place sometime before the Wrath of Khan, as Spock is still alive, and its definitely not post Voyage Home...but, for some reason, my mental image wouldn't shake the Original Series aesthetic. And, I would say, just don't read this one...like, at all.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story plays for a big part on board of the Enterprise, for the rest on Vulcan. Spock and Kirk play very important parts while Doctor McCoy looks a bit pathetic. Up to the end where roles change due to the virus.
A virus worse than COVI-19, that is for sure. A pademic on a galactic schale, with death assured for every living being. A beatiful woman that for once is not smitten with Kirk but drives a split between Bones and Spock. Spock's parents also play a big be at very unexpected part.
Well-written, in the tradition of the TOS Star Trek series.
Action, fear, tension, romance, humour, death and destruction.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not been a Trekkie for very long; I began The Original Series in January, moved on to The Animated Series, watched the The Original Series films, and am now currently on the fourth season of The Next Generation. Demons, the thirtieth release as part of the original Star Trek novels, is the first Trek novel that I have ever read, and I am impressed. I will begin by commenting on Ms. Dillard's writing style, clearly exemplified as soon as one begins reading the novel. "The afternoon rains had just ended, and the leaves, coated with tiny droplets, made the glade glisten like a jewel," as is found on the very first page of the novel. This is incredibly beautiful language that evokes incredibly beautiful imagery. Dillard is a fantastic writer who knows what she's doing, and I am very excited to read more of her material, such as her original vampire series, a The Next Generation novel titled Resistance, and Possession, which is a TNG novel that reprises the malevolent species of Demons. Demons does so much, in my opinion, for Trek fans; it calls back a great deal of Spock's family history, something of which TOS does very little; we even learn that Spock had an uncle named Silek, a character that I don't believe is either seen nor even mentioned on TOS. The novel is full of gut-wrenching suspense, constantly leaving its readers on the edge of their seats wondering what could possibly happen next, who is going to land into trouble, and so forth. It also becomes clear to the reader, given the plot of the novel, that one can never be sure which characters to trust and which not to trust, as the novel is full of surprises. Characters that were more or less silenced on TOS, such as Uhura, for example, are of great importance and do much to move the story forward, and the novel even has a few new characters that are easy to love, especially Anitra, a character that I love so much that I wish had been in the series, and although the novel does not explicitly mention Anitra's species, I think that, due to her abilities, she, like Troi of TNG, may very well be a Betazoid. Demons is well-written, features strong characters, and is very fast-paced and exciting, and for all of these reasons, I don't regret having chosen it as the first Trek novel to read, and I recommend it to any Trekkie who may be interested.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moley! This book simply launches into its exciting, tense, action-packed story...without any preamble, or apology for newcomers who might not be familiar with "Star Trek" in general, and Vulcan culture in particular. Dark as a pair of black socks from the Sears store in hell, this novel grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the end. The only thing wrong with it is the PREPOSTEROUS cover. What were the editors thinking?

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm normally a big fan of J.M. Dillard Trek novels but I found this one very wishy-washy and unoriginal. Its an Invasion of the bodysnatchers/mind parasites plot, in which some Vulcan's un-earth these pods on an archaeological dig. The pods open and the mind parasites possess people. Sarek, Spock's father is taken over and most of Vulcan, and then the "infection" spreads to the Enterprise with various crew members taken over including Kirk and Scotty.

This type of alien possession plot is very common (Puppet Masters/Invasion of the Body Snatchers/ The Mind Parasites to name just 3 obvious ones) and I was frustrated because transposing it to the Enterprise and Vulcan didn't offer me anything new or indeed interesting.

The original 'new' character Anitra is very Mary-Sue with her practical jokes, rapport with Spock and flirtation with Bones. I actually disliked her. And having Bones as the centre of this story didn't do much for me either, I'd much have preferred a Kirk centred angle on this with more action.

It's nice to explore Vulcan a bit and Spock's family, but honestly, this one did very little for me. I found it very rushed in places - scenes intercut quickly, more like a screenplay than a novel and the resolution on how they finally overcome the 'demons' is a real damp squib.

Sorry but a big ball of meh from me on this one. The highlight is the lovely Boris Vallejo cover art.

[Libby Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hilarious only when narrated by Bindi, who inexplicably cannot do a southern accent. Otherwise, I imagine one would be fed up with how much nothing happens in the last third (maybe half) of the book. This book takes you on a stumbling, halting journey in which McCoy gets hurt and/or sick at least three times, saves our main characters through offscreen misadventures, and then stumbles upon the cure by accident. If weird, parasitic aliens that bind to you on a subatomic level (what?) take over a whole planet, what would you do? Would you lock them in a closet until it fixes itself? Because that's the answer. Just knock everyone out until they starve! Despite its flaws, of which there are many, the writing is engaging, and I'm proud of McCoy for finally getting some. Good for him!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A parasitic evil begins to infest Vulcan and the crew of the Enterprise

3.5 stars (I probably would have given it four stars if I had read it 35 years ago when it was published and holy cow how has it been 35 years since this was published??). The characters in this story hold very true to how they are presented in the show with the addition of Anitra - a beautiful, powerfully psychic, brilliant physicist (yeah, a little Mary Sue). Spock's parents being in danger adds to the intensity. The last two ST books I've read have included Chekov finding a sweetie; in this one, it's McCoy.

[Jarrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun romp with possession and the TOS crew plus Sarek, Amanda, Tomson, and a Mary Sue.

[trey d · Rating 4 out of 5]

if u approach this like its a horror comedy it rules

[Anthony Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this story. it had wit and pace. found it really easy to keep reading.

[tillie hellman · Rating 3 out of 5]

libby and i read this out loud to each other and it was great! the women characters were slightly better than the average star trek woman. the plot was just a series of side quests of side quests. they saved the day by… basically doing nothing and just stumbling upon the solution. brilliant stuff! it was a fun time making fun of it and a total nonsense of a story

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish that this book could have been made into an episode. It incorporated the entire crew, while fully developing new characters. It was quite scary in places, and the pacing and inherent drama were spot on target.

[Mathew Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books starts of very slow. So slow, in fact, that I almost put it down and moved along to one of the other three Star Trek books I have waiting on my bedside table. Thankfully, I pushed through the first third of the book because the last part more than made up for it with tons of action, adventure, science, and Doc McCoy! Yes, McCoy is the hero in this story.
To me what really sets Star Trek books apart is they are not afraid to go into some pretty complex science. For eg, in this story they start testing the subatomic particles of brains and go into an explanation on the weights and densities of subatomic particles! Very cool. Combine some deep learning and deep thinking with some cheesy action/adventure and you've written a great Star Trek book. That is what I like about them. They are like the Big Bang Theory of their time. That show combines geeky science terms/ideas with great comedy - another fantastic combo.
Back to the actual book; this story is a classic. An unidentified virus has infected an archeological mission. When the Enterprise arrives to help out the virus is spread throughout the ship...and nobody notices until they arrive at Vulcan for some R&R. When it is spread to the planet that is when someone stumbles upon the problem. At this point the virus is spreading so fast and so far that the entire universe seems doomed. Of course, the virus spreads exponentially until it seems only two characters are lucid enough to save the galaxy - McCoy and Spock! As in classic Star Trek format they come up with a far out in the stars idea (I won't spoil what it is exactly) involving bombing the entire planet....it could save the universe or fail and killl millions. What do you think happens?
For more of my reviews check out my blog www.bookwormsfeastofbooks.blogspot.ca

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book initially but I stayed with the story. Finally fell into the story and then couldn't put the book down until it was finished. This story is little different I guess. Yes, the crew of the Enterprise has had other aliens take over their minds and some of those aliens weren't very nice. This madness that takes over most of the Enterprise and parts of Vulcan is subatomic and it is intelligent. These intelligent things are sadistic. They thrive on torture and terror. It takes that crew a little longer than normal to find out what is going on since Vulcans normally are peaceful and no one wants to believe they would torture and kill anything.

The Vulcan's find these sadistic parasites in a long dead star system which they have been investigating for 40 years. At first the deaths are attributed to accidents but some of the Vulcans that are free from the influence of the entities start to ask questions and they notify Starfleet of problems. Most of the expedition goes back to Vulcan with most of the artifacts that have been uncovered. The few Vulcans that remained behind to finish up are picked up by the Enterprise. It isn't long before there is a murder aboard the Enterprise. Things go downhill from there.

I think that hardest part of the book to get through was when Sarek is possessed. Amanda and Sarek are two of my favorite characters and to read as Sarek starts to make Amanda miserable is very difficult. Then Amanda is possessed and she almost takes over Spock. The story can get very disturbing the farther you get into it.

The last few chapters Spock and McCoy discover the cure, quite by accident and the crew of the Enterprise and Vulcan go back to the way they have always been. Short a number of crewman and of course dead Vulcans.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: TOS: Demons by J.M. Dillard - 30th book in the series

Challenging, dark, emotional, hopeful,
inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and 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? It's complicated

3.75 Stars

Seeing the end result of the story, I can say that it was fairly well done, but as I was reading it...it made me frustrated.

The new character, Anitra Lanter was interesting. Or as Mr. Spock would say, "fasinating".

I like how they revealed her to the readers, but it does seem (especially from the book cover) that they were trying their hardest (in the marketing department) to make US (the readers) to think that SHE was the bad guy.

I usually love book covers, but I was suspect of this one, and feel it did her character a disservice. Once a certain reveal was made, then looking at the cover, just made me mad.

The portions of the story around Sarek and Amanda...made me sad. How that ended up, had to have been difficult (from then, on).

As I said in my notes, Spock centric stories...are my favourite, but for some reason...Dr. McCoy's character didn't ring true (for me).

I always love the banter between him and Mr. Spock, but these interactions just didn't work for me (this time).

The "bad guy" was a very clever and "sadistic" villain for the story. I would love to have learned its motivations more. 

Overall, a good book, with some areas where it just wasn't as enjoyable as I feel it should've been.

[Alyce · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up for a light, interesting read and had to put it back down before finishing it because -nothing- made sense and well... It also sucked.

The plot tries so hard to be interesting but really just ends up choppy and all over the place. The original character is an annoying mary-sue who beats spock at chess, makes scotty swoon with her engineering prowess and humiliates Kirk for no reason other than to show how smart she is while still somehow getting him to like her?

Oh and there's this wierd scene where Spock's mother is in danger and he sends the mary-sue off to Kirk and McCoy where she just... decides to go ham on the drinks. I'm not kidding like dear- there's a literal crisis why are you not informing them? People could literally die but instead we reeeallyy needed to jam in a cute bar scene to establish how all these characters fall all over her for literally no reason. And McCoy, honestly buddy c'mon how creepy and gross can you be over the span of one book??

I could go more into all the shades of crap this book is but honestly why waste the time? Save your money.

[Liz Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story overall! I like books that delve into relationships with the main three, Spock, McCoy, and Kirk. McCoy deserves some love too! With that, the book centers around an all-powerful female character with elusive powers and the ability to read people's thoughts, far beyond Vulcan abilities. (crazy...) She is stubborn, inappropriate at times, but I couldn't help but to smile at some of the cheeky things she did in the book. ( I love some cheesy TOS nonsense) The plot was okay, thought out, but had moments where I wanted to stop reading because I was confused. They go to a bar and get wasted after their crew is afflicted with deadly subatomic demons? Can you imagine if you were a crew member on the Enterprise, thinking your Captain cared, while he was getting wasted on Vulcan while you fought for your life? Be so, so for real! Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone that likes TOS silliness. Cheers!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well just in case people think I hate new female characters because I despised Lt. Piper so much, here's a great example of two strong female characters who aren't annoying, who can be talented and contribute to the solution but are not always the solution like she is. Anitra and Thomson are two strong female characters introduced in this book who play an important part, who completely overshadow the other supporting characters like Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and the like but are not so in your face about it (honestly was Chekov even there until the end). The story was meh but I liked some of the solutions and approaches but the timeline got a little muddy at the end so I was a little lost there. Overall, though, I liked the book as it was short and sweet and McCoy played a prominent role so I enjoyed that part about it.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something is possessing people's bodies.

A group of Vulcan archaeologists leave Beekman's Planet aboard the Enterprise and "things" happen. However, some members beam down to Vulcan where even Spock's parents are not immune to the influence of something evil.

A nice possession story that had me turning pages quickly to see what would happen next. I was surprised at which of the big three characters was absorbed so suddenly into the dark group. The characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are really well written, with their dialogue a perfect match to their screen personas. The new character is also a lot of fun, especially with what she does to some Kirk and Spock. I also enjoyed seeing so much of Amanda and Sarek, with both heavily involved with the story.

This comes across as a missing episode of the classic series because it doesn't require much of a budget. Fun, solid read.

[Frank Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always get excited when a story starts with an archaeological dig, but almost invariably this doesn't form much more than the seed of the story. Surprise! An archaeological expedition finds some relics that unleash an ancient terror. Well, aside from the cliches this is actually a top notch story.

Murder and mayhem. Demonic possession. Lust confused with love. Spock and McCoy on each other's nerves. It's a recipe that sounds fairly average but the meal is delightful.

Unexpectedly, this story included some early experiences of Sarek and Amanda's "romance" which was a pleasant surprise and was handled well. It was a bit of a jarring jump back in time from the main events of the book but nonetheless pleasant.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure some readers would be annoyed the author basically wrote herself into this novel as an amazing new Enterprise crew member that has telepathic powers and just constantly gets one over on the regular cast of characters (seriously, go look at a pic of the author and then compare it to the cover illustration of this character). But hey, I’d say in this case it gets a pass because the character she decided to give herself a romantic connection with wasn’t Kirk or Spock, but Dr. McCoy. If she wants the Bones, so to speak, more power to her, I say.

Anyway, the story itself is just okay, but this is a quick, easy read, so it’s not like you can be mad you read it or anything. It’s serviceable Trek pulp.

[Taaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of things in this book are really annoying. The Mary Sue character that everybody loves, no matter how immature or even insulting she acts. And she's a better telepath than every Vulcan, can do a technician's job she never even heard of faster than the chief engineer, beats Spock in chess,... She can do everything and every man finds her attractive. Honestly? Insufferable!

And then killing of people of colour? Somehow all the non-Vulcan dead we learn of are all either Asian or Arabian. That's a bit... Well, it smells fishy.

But in the end the plot wasn't bad and it was nice to learn more about Spock's family.

[Richard Bracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had a few decent moments but mostly was one of those stories where an ancient evil somehow jumps between people in an effortless way where nearly everyone takes a turn. It seemed really haphazard and annoying. I was glad to finish it.

The best aspect of the story was irritable McCoy, as usual. At one point in the book he gets injured and is in denial about his ability to keep up.

"You shouldn't walk on it," Spock said. "I can carry you without any appreciable loss of time."

"Like hell you will."

It was an exchange that author J.M. Dillard was able to get exactly right, haha.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I got the vibe of a Next Gen. in which Data, by virtue of being less organic, gets to save the universe. But in this case lots of people got a chance to resist and work towards the solution. And, interestingly, Kirk was one of the first main characters to fall. McCoy got a chance to be a hero again, and so did Uhura - these two seem to get a lot more agency & adventure in the books than in the series, so that's cool.

[Kat Steinke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Bloodthirst first, this seems like a slightly more meh take on a similar theme (infectious whatsit makes people murder others). The structure seems a little confusing in the beginning, the original characters feel a bit less solid, and the eventual explanation holds up less to me.
Still, there were moments I really enjoyed, and I am a *sucker* for any worldbuilding bits about Vulcan.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Vulcan expedition returns from Beekman's Planet in the Hydrilla Sector with millennia old artefacts.

As the artefacts open, ancient life forms take control of Vulcan and are soon bent on destruction.

Dillard's novel reads as if the 'Enterprise' is a victim of the Body Snatchers in this eerie adventure.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been a fan of the TV series since I was about 12, I decided to read this Star Trek adventure. It's the first time I've read one. It's a captivating story and the dialogue of the characters of Spock, Kirk and the others is completely believable and in- character. Well worth a read for any sci-fi reader, Treckie or not.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically well-written, but the story itself had too many resonances with earlier ST novels. A beautiful woman, red-haired this time, super-powered, object of attraction by McCoy this time and (not really) Spock, and so on.

And there's a whole lot of "time passes, and nothing happens despite the many dangerous people around!"

[Katrina Veerkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the other 90 or so I’ve read I found this one somewhat weak. Lots and lots of arguments between Spock and McCoy. It got old. Th effect of this organism was pretty brutal but predictable too. It’s a short story though. An easy read. Does involve th main three and Sarek Amanda and some others though. Just an ok from me here.