Firestorm

Star Trek: The Original Series #68

by L.A. Graf

Firestorm When a convert Elasian mining operation interferes with a Federation geological expedition, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the" Starship Enterprise(TM) " are dispatched to the planet Rakatan to mediate between the rival parties. The Elasian Dohman claims that the planet and its dilithium deposits are hers. But the geologists warn that if Rakatan Mons -- the galaxy's largest stratovolcano -- should erupt while the Elasians are mining its flanks, no amount of dilithium will save them.

While Lt. Commander Uhura and a landing party struggle to determine if the Dohlman's claim is true, Captain Kirk puts his ship on the line to keep the two ships from each other's throats. Soon, however, concerns over the planet's ownership are overshadowed by the arrival of a hostile Elasian armada and a cataclysmic volcanic explosion on the surface that threatens all parties with a deadly shower of destruction...

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

273 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

L.A. Graf reportedly stands for Let's All Get Rich and Famous. Its a pseudonym used by authors Karen Rose Cercone and Julia Ecklar.

They have co-written some eleven Star Trek novels. Their first Star Trek novel came out in 1990.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too good, in my opinion.

[Chris Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes place between the first two movies. The story doesn't make much of this other than Chekov being chief of security instead of navigator, but this detail is significant to the plot.

This is one of two Star Trek novels that I've read by these authors, the other being Ice Trap, and they're both very similar. Stranded on a planet, minimal contact with the Enterprise, and a sinister force threatening the landing party. Both stories focus heavily on Chekov and Uhura. This is a volcano world, the other an ice world.

This is a kind of sequel to the television episode Elaan of Troyius from season 3. The TV episode was better.

3.5/5

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another excellent Star Trek novel, with a genesis in an old original series episode, this time being "Elaan of Troyius". Another plus is that Uhura, Chekov and Sulu have the "starring" roles in this one, with Kirk and Spock in the background for once. Well written and with a very engaging story, Firestorm is easily in the top ten Trek novels I've read.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it because it reminded me so much of how tos episodes are

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the planet Rakaten the Elasians have a covert mining operation which interferes with the Federation's geological expedition. The Elysian Dolman has claimed the planet. The Enterprise is sent to mediate.
An entertaining re-read

[Reesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. An absolute slog.

I could barely pay attention for even one chapter at a time before having to put it down and read just anything else. All the writing just lands so terribly flat. Not recommended.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember Elaan of Troyius ? If a man came into contact with her tears he became a member of her 'cohort'. They're back again. Elaan's teen age niece is the new Dohlman and she is just as irritating and as her aunt.

The setting for the story is planet full of volcanoes. Rounding out the cast is a group of extremely focused scientists who refuse to listen and whose attention can't be swayed from their research despite the fact that the planet is blowing up around them. They cause many moments of exasperation for Kirk and company.

However we get to see Uhuru shine as she becomes The"Dohlman' for the Enterprise' She carries herself well.

Sulu comes in contact with the tears and you know what that means...and Chekov gets beat up again..and again although in all fairness he does give a good accounting of himself.

Not a bad read and quite exciting in spots.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this much more than I did. The writing style flows easily, and LA Graf once again proves to be the go-to-author-gestalt for more development of Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. However, the volcano science plot didn't really grab my interest...and the volanco planet itself is populated by visitors so irritating and off-putting that I was ready, at one point, to give up. Whether it be ice-pick-in-the-eye Elaysians, or idiotic anti-social scientists...this is a solid novel, kept from greatness by the most annoying supporting cast in "Star Trek" history. And believe me, that is truly saying something...

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

another reread from the past. I liked parts of it a lot, but I also admit there were parts I was more skimming than reading. Nice to see a connection to the show as it aired, and nice to see good use of characters other than Kirk and Spock, but sometimes it just seemed like a little too much of an info dump.

[Eric Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things that got me into reading were Star Trek books. This one isn't grand or spectacular, but it was good. It took the focus off the main three and instead focused around Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. It has the basic story Enterprise answering a call and an investigation. Worth a read if your a trek fan.

[Kreg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Elasians return! Not one of my favorite Trek aliens to start with, but at least the author portrayed their egotism very well - bonus points for that. Just how Chekov could survive all the injuries he received is certainly not believable though - negative points.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to rate a Star Trek book. Rated as a regular book, 2 stars. Rated as a Star Trek book, knowing that there's some pretty bad writing out there, I'd bump it to 3 stars. That being said, either you read Star Trek or you don't....and this review isn't going to change that fact.

[André · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh, I think this was quite a boring book. I'm not too much of a fan of the Classic Star Trek series, but I didn't like Uhura anyway... So... well, no, didn't like this book.

[Scott MacBurnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a relatively decent "Star Trek" book, and the tie-in to an original series episode is good world-building, as is the decision to weight the story in favor of Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, as opposed to the "usual" mainline stars of the franchise. Unfortunately, the characterizations of the series characters just feel very slightly "off-model", in a manner of speaking. They are certainly recognizable, but it just feels every so slightly ... well, "off-model". It is not enough to make the book unreadable, but it is just enough to be a nagging sort of itch that you can never really scratch.

The story line is also a bit muddled - it sometimes seems as though there are a few too many hands in the kitchen, as the book seems as though it is simultaneously mashing together two stories - one focusing on the Elasians, and one focusing on the potentially staggering scientific possibilities of volcanic lifeforms - and neither one totally seems to get quite the weight that it deserves, although of the two, the Elasian plot carries most of the weight, and gets the best resolution.

As "Star Trek" books go, this is not at all bad - the setting and time period are pretty good, the choice to tilt the narrative focus away from the "usual" mainline stars of the series works well, and the tie-back to an existing episode (and a deeper dive into a one-off alien culture) are definite high marks in its favor. It just hovers a little bit more on the side of being a good "Star Trek" book, as opposed to a great "Star Trek" book - but it is definitely worth the time to read, at least once.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The possibility of life existing within a volcanically active world has the crew of the Enterprise arrive to find that a small group of Federation scientists are encountering trouble from a covert Elasian mining operation. The Dohlman, Israi--the younger sister of Elaan of Troyius, and her cohorts provide only yield somewhat to the Starfleet ship when Uhura, acting under orders from Captain Kirk, states she is the Dohlman of the Enterprise and wishes to meet with Israi.

What follows is what one would expect: Israi is as snotty as Elaan was, the planet is building up to a major explosion, someone in the crew gets cried on, and there is a surprise enemy that emerges to complicate things further.

This was an okay read, with the away team of Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov (along with two others) being the most interesting element of the book. I've seen the original series episode many, many times, so what Israi brings to this book is predictable. Because of this, there really isn't much tension. The book is at its best when Chekov breaks off from the group; his character is the most interesting and dynamic.

If you've a hankering for Star Trek, this will fill the void, but there are better tales to read.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Enterprise becomes involved in a dispute involving Geologists , and foes from the Orginal Series, in an area dominated by a giant Volcano, there are no real surprises as to what is going to happen. But that's kind of note the point of the story- entertaining thought it is. This story is a chance for three minor characters to step forward. In bringing the voice of Uhruha, Chekov, and Sulu, the writing team behind L.A. Graf succeed. The voices, movements and reactions are all easy to picture because they are in character.
This is a good book for those looking for a good Science Fiction story that is light on high concepts, and easy on the read.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The planet of Rakatan causes diplomatic tension between Starfleet and an Elasian delegation, which claims that they discovered the volcanic planet first.

In an attempt to smooth the friction, Kirk dispatches Uhura to liaise with the Dohlman to work out whose claim is valid, before the planet tears itself apart.

Graf's novel is interesting and works within the 'Star Trek' universe, especially with its portrayal of Uhura.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty standard fare with some good moments but ironically nothing really Earth shattering. I think the central conflict seemed a little convoluted at first but eventually made sense. I liked that it was essentially an Uhura- centric story but this relegated Bones to the sideline. I liked it though but wish there was more of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy dynamic.

[Katrina Veerkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t think I’d like this book. That’s why it took so long. But I really did. There was a new Dohlman for the Elasians. She will not deal will Kirk-insect as she calls him. Uhura rakes over as the Enterprise Dphlman. Sulu and Chekov have big roles here. And a huge long dormant volcano is eruptiing. There’s lots of action and it’s pretty good!

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of fun. Chekov and Uhura take to the main stage in this story and make what could have been a Trek Bingo-heavy tale quite gripping and interesting. The only disappointment was the heroic death of a guest character for no real reason than to generate tragedy.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the characterisations of Sulu, Chekov and Uhura in particular

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very action packed

[Andrew Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good star trek novel author devoted enough time to both the a and the b stories and got the characters spot on

[Ibis3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn't too bad. Liked that it wasn't all about Kirk & his buddies, but Checkov, Sulu, & Uhura instead. As a bonus, the Checkov/Sulu bits could easily be read in a slashy kind of way (throw in Uhura for a ménage à trois if you like) so that was fun. There were a few gaping holes in the premise (a volcanic planet with an ecosystem consisting of a slime mould and possibly some kind of intelligent silicate lifeform living inside the volcanoes? with enough oxygen in the atmosphere to sustain humanoid life?) and a number of questionable plot points (disruptors that disintegrate inanimate objects but merely wound main characters --redshirts and no-name enemies as always fare worse, motivation and action by the villain that are a bit cardboard and vague). But then, we don't read Trek novels for scientific accuracy or structural cohesion, right? Seven stars.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a few years since I read this one, but I recall enjoying it.

[Chris Hawks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. Maybe I just don't care about the secondary characters (Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu) but I just could not get into this one.

[Jason Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.nerdylifeofmine.com

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good-but-not-great classic Star Trek novel. The aliens were a real treat, following and developing things from the original series, but the action/adventure part of the story was a little contrived at times, with the aliens having to come up with methods to thwart the higher technology of the Federation. Some of their clever ideas were more than a bit of a stretch, like their method of blocking transporter technology.
There was a clever bit of detective work in the middle of the story, but the scientists were an annoying cliché. I don't care how much of a dedicated grad student you are, when someone in a position to know says "leave your lab right now or die," I think you would probably leave your lab. You can't easily finish your thesis in the afterlife, as far as I know, and even if you could, it would be hard to defend it in order to get your degree. Also, with Federation technology, you can't easily overlook a human life sign when you're searching a relatively small science outpost, so that part didn't quite make sense anyway.
My favorite parts of the book all revolved around the developments of the alien culture, which never seemed stable in the original TV story.