Home is the Hunter

Star Trek: The Original Series #52

by Dana Kramer-Rolls

A dispute over a planet and its primitive people leads Captain Kirk and a Klingon Commander to pit their ships against each other in battle. But the fight is stopped by a mysterious and powerful alien being named Weyland, who decides to punish three Enterprise™ crewmembers with their own history. He places Sulu in feudal Japan during the period's most important and bloody power struggle, Scotty in 18th century Scotland on the eve of revolt, and Chekov in WWII Russia. Now, the three time travelers must face overwhelming dangers as they are pulled by conflicting forces: their allegiance to their homelands, their duty to the Federation they serve, and the demands of history.

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

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining swashbuckling sci-fi yarn set with the ST:TOS characters.

I read a ton of these in high school. I was pleased to see a second hand copy at a library store so I picked it up. Kinda glad I did.

In this one, Kirk and the gang are trying to explore a planet with a more primitive civilization. It's got some minerals that would be useful. Just so happens, however, Klingons are there and they want it too for the empire, but they're a lot less subtle and nice about it.

Kirk, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty are on an away team. They confront a couple of douchey Klingons and lo and behold the "supreme being" the people of the planet talked about... It's a real dude and he get quite ticked off when something goes awry the Feds and the Klingons get into a throwdown and an innocent bystander gets hurt. Then the so-called supreme being steps in.

The story then proceeds with four parallel story-lines: (1) Kirk and the rest of the crew; (2) a bunch of angry Klingons who depose their commander (cuz that's how they roll).

That's only two you say...?

Well that's where it gets interesting. The supreme leader dude is sort of like a Q sends Sulu to 1600 Japan, Scotty to 1746 Scotland, and Chekov to 1942 Stalingrad. They have to deal with their own situations in these historical times while Kirk has to deal with the Klingons and the Enterprise trapped in a decaying orbit courtesy of Mr. Supreme Being Dude.

I liked this book because it clipped along nicely. It was like reading what otherwise might have been an episode of the show. The writing flowed pretty well, though I do have to say I think the author had some gaps in her understanding of Klingon culture (or at least the canon Klingon culture circa 1990) that she filled in with some ideas that seemed to me contrary to their culture. But I could be wrong about that.

Anyway, it was still enjoyable. 3.5/5 rounded up.

[Chris Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ended up being a series of side stories interwoven into the main tale that I found strangely compelling. Various members of the crew are sent back in time to live during some period in their cultural history. It works out far better than you might expect.

[Frank Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad book, it's just not a me book. Star Trek have done some decent stories about taking care in the past not to fk up the future too badly, and The Orville did one hell of a good story about Gordon being stuck in the past for a very long time.... but in general I go to Doctor Who for this type of story.

This story had a particularly Who vibe about it - after some vaguely godlike being cracks the sads at Kirk, said godlike entity whisks Scotty, Sulu and Chekov off into significant historical moments from their descendant nations.

Kirk and the remaining crew must compete with some Klingons to prove their worthiness to the god dude or something like that. I admit I tuned out a little bit (or a lotta bit).

I thought the characterisations were a bit rough but I did catch one quote from Sulu that I liked. I'll paraphrase it because I didn't write it down:

"The only way to cheat death is to face it boldly."

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

HOME IS THE HUNTER isn't anything to write home about, but it's surprisingly fun considering that the only other book available from this author revolves around life lessons learned from cats.
HOME IS THE HUNTER is set right after the events of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, but it feels like an episode from the original show. It is entertaining, cheesy as hell, and ultimately pretty forgettable. What saves this book from total obscurity is the time travel element, which is well-researched and perhaps the only part of the story that feels original. Time travel itself has been WAY overused in the STAR TREK universe, but it hasn't (to my limited knowledge) been done in quite this way before. We see Sulu act as a samurai in feudal Japan (interesting), Scotty as a military adviser to Bonny Prince Charlie (sort-of interesting), and Chekov as a Russian pilot during WW2 (not so interesting). Ultimately, though, none of this time travel stuff has anything to do with the overall plot, which is about Kirk trying to stop a god-like being from destroying the Enterprise. If you are someone fascinated by these particular moments in history, you will likely enjoy the time travel aspect for its own sake. If, however, history is not your bag, you will be bored out of your mind waiting to get back to the sci-fi bits that actually matter.
I think Ms. Kramer-Rolls would have been wise to drop one of the book's main story threads, preferably Chekov's WW2 adventures. Four separate timelines is simply too much, especially when three of the four have no impact on how the plot gets resolved. And all the jumping around from timeline to timeline becomes very disorienting, especially if you put the book down for any extended period of time.
Somewhat predictably, the author overreaches in trying to give weight to what Sulu, Scotty, and Chekov are experiencing in the past. For no good reason, she gives Sulu a meaningful romance with a Japanese concubine (this was before Hollywood turned Sulu gay), while Chekov has a superfluous encounter with Captain Kirk's ancestor.
The way language is used here doesn't make sense. At one point, Sulu comments that he wishes to learn Japanese. Yet, when he goes back in time, he speaks it perfectly. I assume that is due to the Universal Translator, but why would the UT be sent back with him and not his clothes or other personal gear? Later, Sulu is able to write using Japanese characters--something I don't think is covered by the UT. And at the end of the book, Sulu finally starts to study Japanese, leaving me to wonder, "What's the point?" Why bother learning a language when you've got the UT? And why disable the UT so you can converse in halting Japanese rather than conversing fluently?
In similar fashion, Chekov's story line contains conversations among Russians, Germans, and an American, but it is seldom indicated what language they are using and how they can all understand each other.
All in all, HOME IS THE HUNTER is a fun adventure story for people who like history, but not so fun for people who like smart, logical, stream-lined storytelling.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as a trek books go, it’s pretty average and I enjoyed it as much as the others. The premise was quite interesting but it’s clear that the book was written some 30-odd years ago… This is definitely me being pretentious as someone who has a background in Japanese studies but oh lord I fear the orientalism in Sulu’s parts of the novel could revive Edward Said himself.

All in all though if you’re looking for an entertaining star trek novel and aren’t too fussy about the finite details, I would recommend it! The characterisation was spot on compared to some others I’ve read (I’m looking at you Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath).

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enterprise and a Klingon ship arrive at planet Cragon V only to be punished by supreme being Weyland. Sulu is sent back to 1600 Japan, Scotty to 1746 Scotland, and Chekov to 1942 Stalingrad. Can they ever get back to their ship.
An entertaining re-read.

[Pu$$y Master · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s nothing I love more than a series with the ridiculous amount of novelization to go with it and man does Star Trek deliver on that. It was a lot darker than I thought it would be, but in a good way. Everybody’s point of view is enjoyable, but Chekov’s is by far the most enjoyable. And personally if an alien sent me back to World War II and I got fucked up by nazis. I would not let that shit slide. I would dedicate my life to hunting that alien down. All in all an enjoyable, quick read but nothing amazing.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirk and the Enterprise are once again engaged in a dispute with the Klingons over a planet where the people have a primitive culture. Like the original series episode “Errand of Mercy” things are not as they appear to be. However, unlike the Organians, the people of the planet are exactly as they appear. The difference is that a single, powerful being called Weyland is the god of the planet. When the Klingons arrived before the Federation, Weyland was elsewhere and unavailable. Therefore, the Klingons were able to establish relations with the native people and begin training them to be warlike. The Enterprise arrives and in a dispute between Federation personnel and the Klingons, a Klingon throws a grenade and Garrovick of the Enterprise is killed trying to save a young boy, who is also killed in the blast.
This enrages Weyland, who decides to punish both sides. The Enterprise and Klingon ship are both disabled and their controls radiate intense heat. (Exactly like in “Errand of Mercy.”) Each ship is then locked into an orbit that will lead to it entering the atmosphere in approximately twenty-four hours. For reasons that are never explained, Weyland also chooses to send Scotty, Sulu and Chekov back into the past, each one into a situation of their ethnic heritage. No Klingons are sent back in time, their subplot is a battle between the Klingon commander Kral and his first officer and brother Krbex.
Scott is sent back to 18th century Scotland, Chekov to the Soviet Union in World War II and Sulu to feudal Japan. Each is forced to fight in wars and all face the possibility of altering their future by changing events from what they are supposed to be. Chekov is even imprisoned with an ancestor of James Kirk. All acquit themselves well and stay alive until they are returned to the proper time. However, the Klingons show no such nobility. Krbex assumes command of the Klingon ship and attempts to kill his brother and commander. The Enterprise rescues Kral and he is with Kirk when he confronts Weyland. It all turns out to be an attempted execution where the condemned Federation representatives managed to survive. At the end, Sulu goes back to Japan and discovers proof that he was in fact sent back in time.
I did not find this story that interesting. The similarities to “Errand Of Mercy” were so strong that it was almost plagarism. There was also the degree of inequity between the punishments of the Klingons and the Enterprise crew. Also, there is no explanation as to what kind of creature Weyland really is.

This review also appears on Amazon

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun. It wasn’t a work of art, but it was fun. Grammatically tenuous, the prose itself was rife with adverbs. Point of interest: I read somewhere that the author could not get the rights to use the name “Hikaru Sulu,” which is why he had Sulu use another name throughout the book.

I’d definitely recommend this book for a quick, fun read.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying time travel adventure, with a great focus on the supporting characters. This would have made a fabulous two part story during the run of the original series, had they possessed the budget and technical requirements we have in today's television environment.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is . . . . messy. Notice, that I didn't say "it is a mess." Most of these ST books, like ST episodes have a significant A plot and a less significant B plot. The really successful novels or episodes have compelling B & A plots that weave into together and get "tied up" at the end of the story.

One of the messier aspects of this book is that it suffers from too many plots:
A -Kirk and the Enterprise crew dealing with a Q-like alien named Weyland. It's totally unclear why this all-powerful being first allows the away team to mess with his planet and then toys with them throughout. That never gets resolved;
B. Scotty goes to Scotland in 1746. Yep, you read that right. This is a lot like Outlander in that Scotty finds himself in Scotland on the losing side of a major civil war between the Bonny Prince and, well, the world's first super power. There's a lot less sex than the Outlander books;
C. Sulu goes to medieval Japan. Who cares?
D. Chekov goes to Stalingrad in 1942 to meet a very distant ancestor of Jim Kirk's, John C. Kirk. Again, who cares? This plot point might be interesting except that, like the Sulu story, we just don't spend enough time there to really have a chance to be invested in any minor characters or events. We know they won't change the flow of history so what's the point? There are a few interesting discussions about causing someone's death or birth and some callbacks to 'City on the Edge of Forever.' It's a useful sci-fi discussion, but it's just too much to pack into this short novel.
E. The Klingon ship and her crew which involves a mutiny and in turn results in
F. The other Klingon story which connects to the Kirk story (see plot A).

Besides there being 6 different plots, my other major gripe here is that the cover of the book (yes, I judged) purports to be a Motion Picture era story, but, honestly, it does a poor job of connecting to that. Christopher L. Bennet's 'Ex Machina' or Howard Weinstein's 'The Covenant of the Crown' are better in this regard because they hit on those important motion picture themes, not just the uniforms: the aging adventurer, artificial intelligence, Dr. McCoy's tension about whether to be in Starfleet, Kirk's ambivalence about promoting to an admiral, Spock's continued character development. 'Home is the Hunter' has none of these.

[TheWearyWanderer]

The 52nd book in the original Star Trek Series. The Klingons and the Federation are contesting “mentorship” over the planet Cragor V. During their dispute a native is killed causing the god-like guardian of the planet to send Sulu, Chekov and Scotty back in time and to neutralize the technological abilities of the Klingons and the Enterprise (no phasers, no transporters no navigational control). Sulu ends up in 1600 feudal Japan, Chekov in World War II Russia and Scotty in the highlands of 1700 Scotland. Each is faced with trying to navigate their situation without making an impact that could alter the future. Meanwhile, Kirk is dealing with irate Klingons and trying to figure out how to rescue his loss crewman without having many of his ships abilities.

The story jumps, somewhat sporadically, from character situation to character situation. I felt the author could have lessened the chapters and spent a little more time with each character. (Some chapters were only 3-4 pages long). I kind of got whiplash jumping from one century to the next. The historical settings seemed rather simplistic and could have been “fleshed out” with more details. The dialogue was solid. It stayed true to character and moved the story along nicely. And the personal dilemma’s of Sulu, Chekov and Scotty are nicely expressed as they try to do the right thing.

Kirk determines that the only way to save his ship and missing crewmen is to make peace with the Klingons. Internal Klingons feuding makes this relatively easy for Kirk. Showing that humans and Klingons can work together saves Kirk’s ship and (maybe) Sulu, Chekov and Scotty. In the end they are returned safely back to the Enterprise. But I am left wondering how much their decision making impacted their safe return. If they had made an immoral decision or behaved dishonorably would Weyland (the god-like being) have returned them to the present.

Being somewhat a sentimental romantic I enjoyed the last chapter where each character was able to follow up on their “historic” exploits. This brought the book from a 3.5 to a four. It was nice having the Star Trek universe follow someone other than Kirk, McCoy and Spock.

[Robert Andres · Rating 3 out of 5]

An omnipotent being which may or may not be a Q punishes the Enterprise crew for their involvement in child murder. Instead of killing them, three crew members are sent to an historical event in their respective countries of origin: Sulu to feudal Japan 1600, Scotty to 1700s Scotland, and Checkov 1940s Russia. Checkov's story is more relatable but only because it's modern. These guys had nothing to do with the death of the child but they're punished to punish Kirk. The three don't solve anything, they're about to die, then inexplicably whisked back to the future. So no one was really punished. Kirk had to learn to get along with a Klingon commander who wants him dead (nothing new there). Spock and McCoy are ancillary (had to look that up) to the plot but don't really contribute much.

Uhura is given a moment to shine but I think it would've been more interesting to make her one of the punished crew by sending her to late twentieth century America to experience the obstacles Nichelle Nichols actually had to overcome to become a singer/actor. Certainly more relatable to this audience than feudal Japan and a Scottish skirmish I'm not familar with.

Pretty average Star Trek tale but damnit Jim, I liked it.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

After offending a, possible, god-like being by unintentionally contributing to the death of one of his subjects, one member of Kirk's away team is killed and the other three are transported back in time: Sulu is in Japan of 1600, Scotty is in Scotland of 1746, and Chekov is in Stalingrad of 1942. Adding to Kirk's troubles is a Klingon ship wanting to destroy the Enterprise.

This took a while for me to get into because of the four different story threads. Some stories are more interesting than others, with Chekov's being the best and Scotty's the worst. However, thankfully, at about the book's halfway point, all three tales in the past become better, though Chekov's is still the best. Kirk takes a long time pondering what to do next before the Klingons put two ways out of his predicament in his lap. The Klingons in this book were great. I would love to see more of these particular characters appear in other books.

This was another "okay" read because some of the stories were more entertaining than the others and the antagonist's backstory is left unresolved in an unsatisfactory way.

[Reesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This was a fun little romp!

It's definitely heavy on the logical fallacies and requires a hefty suspension of disbelief, but that's part of what makes it so similar to a classic TOS episode.

I especially liked that our "big bad" was never explained or identified, but if you'd seen the first season of TNG, you'd have an inkling. Love that it wasn't directly spelled out.

For the historic plot lines, I appreciated the detail, and enjoyed the running theme of modern men who feel proud and wistful about their people's heritage having to come to terms with the true horrors of those times. There is no such thing as "the good ol' days" and this book, again, says that without hammering it home.

All that said, a lot of the story that is told, while enjoyable, is otherwise kind of pointless to the main thrust of the novel, and doesn't take place in the TOS space we know. When approaching it expecting to read a Star Trek book, I can see it being incredibly frustrating.

I couldn't really recommend it to a Star Trek fan. But I myself enjoyed it.

[Julieanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home is the Hunter has been one of the most intriguing novels in the TOS family that I've come across. The characterization makes it so that I can imagine the character's voices from the show reading the dialogue and the plot was pretty original and did not focus primarily on Captain Kirk or Spock.

It also provided an interesting look into the characters of Montgomery Scott, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov, who we learn very little about in the series. We get to see them respond to the history of their ancestral countries of Old Scotland, Feudal Japan and Soviet-Era Russia in a setting where it feels like attention was actually paid to how things were in those eras. The narrative doesn't drone on overly long in any part and there are excellently placed cliff-hangers that would be 'commercial breaks' in the show to boot!

If you are a fan of Sulu and Scotty, I might suggest giving this novel a try or if you are just a fan of the series. This is one of my favorites in the line so far.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Star Trek book off the shelf, but was it worth the read? Well, to an extant it was, but I honestly didn't care for the historical parts of the novel - and that made only about a third of the novel I enjoyed.

This could have easily been a Star Trek episode, but probably one of the more forgettable episodes, and not one that dealt with any core story arcs. For the most part, it felt like a bit of light fluff. I wanted to see more of this based around the standoff with the Klingons and the mysterious Weyland, but my wish wasn't granted. In the end, we have a resolution, however predictable.

I'll file this under worth one read, but wouldn't recommend to anyone but a hardcore Star Trek fan.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more of a 3.5-3.75 rating but I did enjoy this book. Definitely felt like an original series episode, especially the antagonists but set post Motion Picture. The biggest hurdle is keeping the 4 timelines straight plus the two plots in the Trek era as well. However, they were different enough that you could keep them apart and thankfully the chapter breaks made sure they were distinct from one another. I think I enjoyed Chekov's the most but I did enjoy Scotty and Sulu's journeys as well as they deal with their own time travel dilemmas. The story flowed great but I think there just seemed to be an element missing to make it achieve "great" status and the ending seemed a bit rushed and kind of anticlimactic.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

TOS #52: Home is the Hunter by Dana Kramer-Rolls

This book was ultimately very of the middle of the road. Weyland is obviously a Q (a nicer one surprisingly) and was kinda justified in wanting the Enterprise and the Klingons to leave Cragon alone. Both brought violence and they have the right to be left alone. The time travel aspect of the book was fun but Scotty basically discarding the Prime Directive and telling the Scottish rebels what the future is. I was most interested in the Chekov part because he’s dealing with an ancestor of Kirk at Stalingrad which was a fun tie in. He also got to meet Stalin which was funny. Sulu getting to live out his life as a samurai was fun and makes me wish we got more stories about him. Overall this was a slightly above average novel.

6/10

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dispute with a Klingon landing party on an exploratory mission leads to the death of Lt. Garrovick and a native boy. As a punishment, the planet's God-like ruler strands both the 'IKS Gargh' and the 'USS Enterprise' in a decaying orbit. He also strands Cmdr. Scott, Lt. Cmdr Sulu and Lt. Chekov in Earth's past, with seemingly no way to return.

A strange adventure novel, and although Kramer-Rolls keeps a tight hand on the various plots, the novel suffers because there is simply too much going on.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never liked much scci-fi that replays history on earth and probably never will. Nonetheless the book is well-written and plays for a part in space where the crew of the enterprise faces a strange battle. There is a lot of action (many forms of battle) but that is dwarfed by the psychological conflicts that the characters endure. Another something i am not overly fond of.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it a lot. Kind of like four stories in one. I enjoyed Scotty, Sulu and Chekhov’s individual adventures. Missed the usual Kirk-McCoy-Spock camaraderie but still very enjoyable. Didn’t like the title tho, surely the author could have come up with something better.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun light read. As a history lover, a reminder that history isn't always as romantic as we perceive it to be. At one point in the novel Chekov has the thought, "What a waste. Using technology for war and destruction instead of the good of humanity. What a goddamned waste" (268).

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time and Trials

A good entry to the Star Trek novel pantheon. The separate storylines can be a bit jumpy at times as some are stronger than others but the as they draw together for the finale you get a great sense of closure and a satisfying end.

[Katrina Veerkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some of this book and set it aside. Didn’t care for the Sulu Chekov Scotty side stories. I just came back to it a few days ago. Kirk and Karl the Klingon having to get along. And the three in their native lands. Great stories

[James Hearn · Rating 2 out of 5]

More a fan of the ensemble approach. Kirk, Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov all have individual storylines and Spock, for the second novel in a row, may as well not be there. The stories are fine, I just miss seeing character cooperation.

[Jason Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story but had one of those quick endings.

[Jacquelin Siegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't decide if you want to read historical fiction or a Star Trek: TOS novel? This book combines both. It is short and sweet and finally off my bookshelf.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, fast read

Interesting story, great character arcs of some of the minor main characters. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it doesn’t spoil the story.

[Nick van Leeuwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5