Savage Trade

Star Trek: The Original Series

by Tony Daniel

The USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk is en route to the extreme edge of the Alpha Quadrant, and to a region known as the Vara Nebula. Its mission: to investigate why science outpost Zeta Gibraltar is not answering all Federation hailing messages. When the Enterprise arrives, a scan shows no life forms in the science station. Kirk leads a landing party and quickly discovers the reason for the strange silence–signs of a violent firefight are everywhere. Zeta Gibraltar has been completely raided. Yet there are no bodies and the entire roster of station personnel is missing ...

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space, Adventure

384 pages

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Tony Daniel is an author of science fiction novels, short stories, and radio dramas.

For the comic book author, see Tony S. Daniel.

Reviews

[Eric Cone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a terrific TOS novel! The title should have given me a hint - as to the story, but it never even occurred to me. Kirk and crew are sent to investigate an outpost at Zeta Gibraltar; it's been awfully quiet there and Starfleet wants to know the cause. So begins this tale, which is a delight; Tony Daniel has hit another home run, as far as I'm concerned.

As with Devil's Bargain, Tony revisits characters from the Enterprise and TOS's storied past, shedding new light on a formidable alien species, while leaving me slack-jawed with his whimsical brand of storytelling. I was like: "Oh, hell yeah! Cool!"

It's clear that Tony knows his Star Trek and I found it easy to find myself sitting on the bridge, witnessing the events of this great adventure, while getting a great education. Spock's childhood plays a big role in the narrative and there's even some great referencing from other Star Trek escapades. Kirk (for once) finds that romance may not be advisable with the current situation; but that's not saying, that there aren't fires burning elsewhere on the ship. Ahem...

Great pacing, lots of good humor and action - I find that it's difficult for me to review Savage Trade without giving it away; but I think you'll have a rip-roaring good time, as I did. Do yourself a favor and get this book; then prepare to learn a thing or two about an alien species we've seen before, as well as, some history about ourselves.

To me, it's #GreatStarTrek!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried, at first. The opening 20-30 pages seemed stiff and awkward, and didn't exactly hold my attention. But sticking it out was worth it, as it suddenly launched into a witty, interesting, and extremely detailed science fiction tale. It's also a surprising sequel to a TOS episode I rather enjoy ("The Savage Curtain"), but one that doesn't get a great deal of love from Trek fandom. It plays with concepts that run the gammut from the intimate to the epic, and introduces an extremely powerful guest character that manages to subvert the usual preconceptions fans have about Vulcans...and about James T. Kirk and his love affairs. A delightful, engrossing, surprising "Star Trek" novel. Just rough it through the rocky opening pages to get to the gold...

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well done "Star Trek" novel that stays true to the characters, but even more, takes a very poorly liked episode and continues it in a very worthwhile way. I heartily recommend this book for fans of the original series.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg this starts out terrible:

"presently daytime on the planetoid"

"cushions cut, padding ripped out, items knocked from shelves to get at what may be hidden behind"
(really, you know why the items are off the shelves?)... 'Somebody was certainly looking for something--or someone...'" (Someone might have been hiding inside the cushions?)

and a just a bit later, same investigation, p. 11, they find bloody human handprint on the wall and an alien's arm on the floor and immediately conclude "One thing's for sure, whoever was in this room didn't want to leave it and made someone pay a high price for intruding." (For sure, eh? I can think of plenty of other things that could have happened.)

It better get less stupid soon.
...
It did, actually. Once we got to exploring themes from history, I was able to overlook the bits and editor should have caught. I will leave those examples above, though, as they aren't the only ones here. If you are a writer, don't emulate this author's style. But his themes and motifs are intriguing, and the SF'al bits are sorta fun, and I enjoyed reading about the different characters differing perspectives, dreams, and fears.

Interesting quote, supposedly by Sarek: "Wisdom and mercy are the fruits of logic. Where there is discord, you will find irrationality at the bottom of it."

So, 3.5 stars rounded up... because I like that McCoy had more success with the ladies than Kirk in this one, and that Chekov had some important bits.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, this one was all over the place....
It almost seems like the author had a "Check List" they used to write this one...
-Mysterious event at a Federation outpost-"Check"
- An Alien race Kirk had issues with in the original TV series-"Check"(In this case it's the Excalbians from The Savage Curtain")
-A Vulcan from Spock's past-"Check"
-A "New" Alien race introduced in the story-"Check"
-Kirk pursues a woman who resists...at first...-"Check"

It was "ok".....but It really feels like a story with several elements just thrown into the mix.....

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savage Trade is a sequel to The Savage Curtain, a season three episodes about the Excalbians. In that episode, the Excalbians, giant sentient rocks, try to get the Enterprise crew to participate in a deadly game of good vs. evil, all so the Excalbians can understand the concepts. The Excalbians morph into famous historical figures, so in the episode there's Abraham Lincoln and Genghis Khan, etc.

In Savage Trade, Excalbians are found as captives on a pirate ship by the L'rah'hane. Lo and behold, they're all in human form as different historical figures. George Washington is the most prominent character, and it's a bit silly at times.

The Excalbians appear to have changed their tune, and want to seek asylum in the Federation. Valek, a diplomat from Vulcan under the mentorship of Sarek, is sent to understand the Excalbians and make a decision. Kirk and co attempt to understand the Excalbians and search for clues regarding the missing Hadrian empire, as the L'rah'hane ship the Excalbians were on was of Hadrian make.

I never got the original series' fixation on historical figures and American history plots - probably more of budget issues of what was on-set at the studio. At first I wasn't too interested in the story, but as it progressed, it reads very much like an original series episode.

The writing style is simplistic. Kirk has his typical thoughts which are eyerolling, but Savage Trade stays very true to the character. Kirk was always a cheeseball.

I tried my best not to visualize the Excalbians in rock form from the tv episode. Really creepy looking!

McCoy is barely featured at all. He has a small romance plot that doesn't contribute to anything. Uhura doesn't have much focus either. Sulu and Chekhov have their adventure that is separate, and I enjoyed their parts the best. Valek's brother was lab partner to Spock as children, so there's some background him on.

There is a big space battle at the end, and a more dangerous enemy. The events happens mostly through the perspective of Kirk. If you're looking for something to relive the original series, Savage Trade does well. That isn't saying this book is a piece of masterful literature, but then the writing of the original series wasn't consistent.

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Daniel has written a worthy sequel to the classic episode The Savage Curtain.
The Excalbians who terrorized Kirk's crew last time in a good vs. evil battle with feaux characters from history have returned.
This time, appearing as George Washington and other luminaries, they seek asylum from the Federation. Their planet destroyed by a malevolent entity, they seek help from the very man they terrorized before - Capt. James T. Kirk.
Daniel spices his story liberally with historical references, high action, and excellent characters.
Great fun for TOS fans.

[Jimyanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting and well-written read, an extrapolation on the episode "The Savage Curtain". And if I absolutely, positively disbelieve the solution to a major crisis in the plot, well, just because I found it impossible to suspend disbelief doesn't mean that every reader will have that problem. In any case, that only dropped it from a five-star rating to a four-star one; the book was good enough in general to survive the flaw.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor Plotting. Daniel does not get the voices of the Characters right and he just is a plain poor storyteller.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veteran Star Trek writer Tony Daniel mines the third season of TOS to come up with this extension/continuation/sequel to "The Savage Curtain." Kirk and the Enterprise find the Federation scientific outpost on Zeta Gibraltar to be deserted, along with evidence of a violent firefight. The suspects are the L'rah'hane, a group of aliens who regularly trafficked in slaves, but have not been seen for a century.

However, when the Enterprise finally catches up with the L'rah'hane, they find even more mysteries. Some of the people captured on Zeta Gibraltar bear a remarkable resemblance to figures from Earth's history, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and others. They are in fact, Excalbians, shape-shifting aliens whom Kirk and Spock have encountered before. But now, they appear to be the victims, not the villains. And they are stuck in their current forms, unable to return to the molten, rocky form known to be their natural state.

Daniel has taken the morsel that was "The Savage Curtain" and turned it into a meal. The story evolves across several large reveals, and we wind up nearly 400 pages later with multiple protagonists and antagonists. I felt like I was reading a Star Trek miniseries as opposed to something more akin to a one-off episode. Which is fine. The novel format allows for that complexity, in a way that a 45 minute stand-alone TV story doesn't.

Still, I wasn't sure what Daniel was up to at times or what his point was. The episode, odd as it was, had a clear, moral concept at its center: Is good stronger than evil? And how do we define that strength? Here, Daniel retcons some of the original material to suit his larger narrative and teases several other moral conundrums - including questions of trust, independence, mortality, power, and agency - without ever giving any one of them enough time or focus to really dig deep. There are also some subplots that don't quite land for me, including a (potential) romance between Kirk and a Vulcan ambassador and an (actual) romance between McCoy and one of the Excalbians. These may be accurate to the characters and the style of TOS, but they don't further either the plot or the ideas.

Still, Daniel is a dab hand at getting the "feel" of Star Trek right, and there is rarely a dull moment in this busy melodrama. I found it engaging on nearly every page, even though I doubt I will find it memorable a year or two from now.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers should know going in that this novel picks up the premise of "The Savage Curtain", in which the Enterprise met "Abraham Lincoln" and were then forced to fight at his side against the likes of Genghis Khan, so there's a lot of absolute goofiness. There's a time for goofiness, though, and if you're a fan of TOS's tendency to be absolutely absurd, you may like this. The Enterprise is tasked with finding out why the crew of a science outpost has gone missing. Following the trail of evidence leads them to some pirate ships who have enslaved both the science station crew and a number of humanoids who look and identify as famous Earth personages -- like George Washington and Admiral Lord Nelson. Yes, really. Anyhoo, there's lots of action and some political intrigue. This is not a super-serious ST read like what Christopher L Bennett writes, or an intense character drama like David Mack's, but if you're in the mood for some light fun -- and want to share absolutely silly quotes on facebook -- it will make for a nice diversion. Kirk-heavy, with Chekov getting a lot of page time as well.

[A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun, quick, escapist reading. I got it for Christmas and really enjoyed getting lost in it.

I think this book is probably best enjoyed if you first re-watch the original series episode, "The Savage Curtain" (S3, E22). (I re-watched it about 30 pages in.) It's a goofy but thoughtful episode from the campiest season of Star Trek. It's also lots of fun if you enjoy grade B science fiction films & TV.

This story, like many other Trek books, returns to a setting and a group of characters that are only in one episode of the original series, adding more depth, more background, and answering that perennial question fans have: "I wonder what happened to _____."

Unfortunately this book didn't have much of the characteristic Kirk, Spock, and Bones banter. That's the only negative. But even though the trio didn't share many scenes together, the three of them are each well-written in their own scenes.

Recommended for fans to Star Trek: TOS.

[Lee Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

In, the ENTERPRISE is summoned to an outstation that been out of contact for some time Upon arrival, discover an abandoned space station where evident battles have taken place and cabins filled with and artifacts from previous, which would not typically found in such a remote station. An ion trail then leads the ENTERPRISE on the chase of space pirates and slave traders whom the crew had encountered before.

When the station crew's abductors are located Captain Kirk finds himself confronting George Washington at the climax of armed conflict. Other renowned figures from Earth's history, such as Admiral, Benjamin Franklin, and Galileo also make appearances. It quickly becomes apparent that these are Excalbians, a race of who did not comprehend the concept of good and evil until encountered Kirk and his crew, interaction that influenced them.

[Storm Bookwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is EXACTLY like an episode of Star Trek OS. ... Actually, scratch that - it's exactly like a SEASON of OS, good and bad included.

If one is a fan of Star Trek, the original series, and all of its feels and foibles, I expect you'd enjoy this. It has it all: space pirates, ancient, dead superior civilizations, matter-manipulating aliens, energy beings, BIGGER energy beings, a Starfleet ambassador, and romance sub-plots so cheesy you can almost see the soft-focus and hear the romance music. There's also techno-babble that saves the day, and of course, george Washington.

The bad is much the same as Star Trek, in that it loses its momentum somewhere in the middle to have characters talk and talk and explain and over explain. Which, in a way, is a positive in that it makes it an even more faithful adaptation?

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much like two episodes of TOS.

I say two episodes because more happens in this novel than could be contained in a single episode. But it feels VERY much like the original series. All of the main characters from the TV series are given enough to do to spotlight them briefly, except Uhura, who I would have liked to see used a bit more. And the writing gets pretty clunky and meandering in a couple spots, as if the author lost track of where they were going in a scene but left some nonsensical stuff in there. Those are my only quibbles though, it's otherwise a very enjoyable read and very much in the spirit of Star Trek. Fans of TOS should find themselves on familiar entertaining ground.

[joe e landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to see the crew back up against an old enemy. If you like the Savage curtain you will love this book. Last we saw Kirk and Spok they were leaving The Rock creatures behind. Hopefully to never see them again. But here we go again. Don't like to put spoilers in so I'm going to be as cryptic as I can, but let's just say what goes around comes around. And Kirk has to decide how much his crew will be in jeopardy. I always like a book that brings back characters from the TV series. And as usual the suave Captain Kirk always has his eye out for a love them and leave them situation no matter what or where he's doing. He wouldn't be Kurt without a lovely in hand.

[Mimsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very odd, but I loved it? I read this VERY fast at work, and I had to keep texting my sister like "WHAT IS GOING ON?" There were some very very weird parts, and the beginning was a little hard to get through (quite redundant) so it dropped it down a little bit, but 4 stars is a review based on technicalities. If I'm going by heart as a teenager that only got into Star Trek last year, it's a 5 star because I was losing my mind and lost in a corn maze the whole time. Definitely a book to have a discussion about!

[David Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, there was some strange stuff going on in this one. Based on the season 3 episode with the Excalbians, this story read like an episode from the end of Star Trek... a bit of this, a bit of that, weird stuff. But there were some fascinating points too. Won't win any prizes, but I didn't expect it to, so all good. 'Nuff said.

[Geoffrey Logie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this 3 becasue of the long absence between the two halves of the book. I started after my last Star Trek: Voyager, I believe. Then I restarted after X-Wing: Rogue Squadron. Overall I quite enjoyed this book, it really deserves 3.5 stars and made me stop and think. Overall enjoyable read!

[Skylar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like an original series episode, down to aliens portraying characters from Earth's history. Unfortunately, it also has all of the casual racism and sexism that you'd expect from the period, despite being published in 2015. The writing isn't anything special either, with the plot meandering for hundreds of pages before abruptly ending.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book lost me.. I did not enjoy it.

Dreary, dull and dismally. I thought this story was too technical, too far fetched and too boring. I just read the book to complete it but was not enhanced in any way from the story. It was not exciting or dramatic. I lost the gist of the story early on and it was way over me. I did not like this book.

[Ed Wyrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savage Trade is a sequel of sorts to the TOS episode, The Savage Curtain, in which Kirk and Spock team up with Abraham Lincoln and Surak the Vulcan in a forced battle between good and evil. This novel is very imaginitive with plenty of action. A fun read.

[Robert Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

A good addition to the Star Trek story cannon. Nicely worked story with accurate characterisation. Felt the introduction of a random baddy , the Demiurge in the last couple of chapters was a bit of a stretch but overall enjoyable.

[amax · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad Trek novel by all means, but too weirdly American and patriotic. The whole point of Trek is to have done away with earth's war mentality, not dragging 400 year old civil wars and American spearhead figures across galaxies. Too much "USA is the best," not enough actual space stuff.

[Scott Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a bit wacky. It feels very like an episode of The Animated Series or maybe something late in the TOS run. It’s a story that could only work as a novel and it’s entertaining to read. I did have a hard time suspending my disbelief though.

[Jason Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the original Star Trek

I also love the books that bring back the great storytelling that the Original Series was great at. Especially when these books continue where one of the shows left off. If you loved the Original Series you should give this book a read.

[Melvin Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good story with a minor quibble

Engaging story until you get to the part of the Demiurge. The nature of the alien was hard to imagine, other than its sentience, and not adequately described. But, past that, I enjoyed the book.

[Mike (HistoryBuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the Excalbians are back. This book keeps you entertained, but the story line seemed too familiar.

[John Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story - another tale that expands on a previous star trek TV episode with a lot more insight and detail. I found myself skimming to se how it ended :-)

[kevin robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

clever done in English easy to read

Fine story expanded from an episode easy to get into really enjoyed it. Hope they write more looking forward to seeing more