Captain's Blood

Star Trek: Totality #2

by William Shatner, Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Judith Reeves-Stevens

Following the explosive events of Star Trek: Nemesis, the Romulan Star Empire is in disarray, and Ambassador Spock attempts to render aid by launching a last-ditch effort to reunify the Romulans with their distant forebears, the Vulcans. But when Spock is publicly assassinated at a Romulan peace rally, Starfleet and the Federation are unable to search for the criminals responsible without triggering an intergalactic war.

Thus, it falls to James T. Kirk, now retired, to investigate his beloved friend's murder. Given clandestine assistance by Captain Will Riker of the Starship Titan, and accompanied by his good friend Jean-Luc Picard, Kirk travels to Romulus as a civilian, along with his five-year-old child, Joseph, the cantankerous Doctor Leonard McCoy, retired Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, as well as several members of Picard's crew, still waiting to return to duty on the badly damaged U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E. But on Romulus' sister world, Remus, Kirk unexpectedly encounters an alluring enemy from his past as Picard and he discover that Spock's apparent murder hides an even deeper mystery, literally reaching beyond the limits of the galaxy.

Trapped on a deadly, alien world on the eve of a Romulan civil war that could plunge the galaxy into a civilization-ending conflict, Kirk's investigation at last brings him to the heart of a staggering conspiracy. Now, he discovers the true threat facing the Romulans, and is forced into the heartrending realization that for peace to prevail, he must sacrifice the freedom of his son, whose very blood holds the secret to his startling destiny.

Captain's Blood is a return to the sweeping action of William Shatner's greatest Star Trek adventures, bringing together both generations to face an unstoppable enemy in a battle for the existence of all life in this galaxy, and beyond.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Star Trek Original Series

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

William Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I'm Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he stars as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal -- a role for which he has won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

Reviews

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Kirk has never faced an enemy like this before and the bit way at the back of the book - the very last chapter that hints at what will be in book #3 - I don't see how Kirk could ever defeat something like that! This is way beyond what he faced in the TV series... That last chapter is such a shocker!!

But back to this book. So as you may have guessed by the bird on the cover, this story is about the Romulans. Well, to be more precise its about the slaves of the Romulans called the Remans. I don't believe we ever met them in the original TV series but they play a huge part in here. Basically bad things are brewing. And Spock wants to bring peace. But things of course go horribly wrong and he gets killed. This is not a plot secret as it's mentioned on the book flap.

The news hits Kirk and McCoy hard. With the help of Picard and LaForge, Dr. Crusher and the holographic doctor from Janeway's crew they set off to investigate Spock's murder. Picard also has another mission from Starfleet that he has to carry out: to hopefully stop a civil war that could kill countless people and destroy several quadrants. But there is no Enterprise. Instead its the Calypso. And she is no shiny starship. Will they succeed? Kirk also has his young 5-year-old son with him, Joseph.

So first I should admit I never cared for any of the classic TV episodes that featured the Romulans. For some reason I always found them boring. Was it maybe because they were more politics or something? I cannot say. So I was at first a tad worried when I started this book and realized it was a Romulan based story. Still my fears were not justified. It ended up being a very good story. There is certainly politics mentioned and stuff about a possible civil war. Luckily Kirk's mission kind of overpowers any of the possible "bad" stuff in here.

And both Kirk and Picard certainly face tough situations. There is lots of danger and even injury. They are not immune from that. And sometimes the two captains face off as well. Kirk technically is not a captain as he is a civilian now but sometimes he is still addressed as captain. And he certainly is the senior officer on this mission. Still, he is pulled between his two tasks: to keep his young son safe or to investigate Spock's murder. Due to certain elements it seems he can do one or the other.

This is one of those missions where everything goes wrong. Starfleet Command thought they knew what would happen. But they were wrong. And so once again Kirk has to figure things out on his own, flying spur of the moment. And 150 year old Bones is along for the ride. Their age does affect things but Kirk is still the dare devil that we all love and Bones still makes wisecracks. And Spock is definitely missed.

Janeway is in here too. And from the brief scenes with her, I have decided I definitely do not like her!! The things she says just is very sour.

But this is a great action story. They even do sneaking around and all sorts of exciting stuff. You know how Kirk is. He definitely goes where he's not supposed to go! There isn't exactly anything as thrilling as the dive he did at the start of Captain's Peril - but then it would be almost impossible to top that!

I did try to guess a few times what would happen in this plot as I was reading and I was wrong every time - except for my very first guess. That was an easy one. I don't think anyone will be fooled by it. But the other stuff? Cannot guess it at all.

But can love stop a war? Can it end slavery? Can it make everyone the same ?? That is what Norina believes. And yes, you need to read the first book in this trilogy about Norina before you read this one!

I look forward to read the final book in this series to see how it ends.

[Jacob Ryans · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Shatner has some awesome writing skills. A legacy beyond Captain Kirk.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Captain's Blood is plagued by many of the same issues that the rest of the "Shatnerverse" novels suffer from (an over-abundance of Kirk-worship, Picard and his crew being forever upstaged by the legendary James T. Kirk), the novel is a definite improvement over the previous story, Captain's Peril. The events of that novel seem starkly unconnected to this book and the one that follows, despite ostensibly being the first part of a trilogy. A few strange character motivations are offset by an interesting exploration of the Remans (better than in Nemesis, in my opinion), as well as an interesting threat posed by the Totality.

Full review: http://www.treklit.com/2018/09/CB.html

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what it is with me & these Star Trek novels. I cannot seem to follow a plot any way I try. It might be because it's audio...but there are other sci-fi books I can follow on audio. It might be because they don't spend as much time on exposition because of the known universe. Either way, I always think "oh I missed something" and have to back up. Over and over and over again. 🤦‍♀️

It's a fine one. Some of Shatner's voices (the kid! Troi!) are TERRIBLE, but his Worf is surprisingly decent. As always, the sound effects are great.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept, and I love Joseph, but I'm really not that much of a fan of the book surprisingly. Something is missing.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

...

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain's Blood continues from the previous book with Kirk and Picard embroiled in what on the face of it is the beginning is the start of a Romulan civil war but underneath it has more going on than at first appears! :D Captain's Blood sets a cracking pace from the beginning with no side knowing what the other is a really up to and that breakneck pace continues throughout the book with cliffhangers aplenty! :D The characterisation as ever is spot on with both Kirk and Picard appearing at odds due to the events and Starfleet orders but the way they get round this gives the book it's sense of friendship and adventure! :D The scale of the book is epic with brilliant setup and mysteries piling on each other at every turn and is very unpredictable and the main protagonist is certainly very different! :D

Captain's Blood is clever, extremely fast-paced, never lets up and action packed! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D

[Lee Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

#2 in this final series is a bit better than book 1. Perhaps doing the old author thing of cheering people up before things go downhill fast. At some point #3 will be read. First half as always uphill climb but second half goes fast and the plot is very detailed.. Problem with alot of the Star Trek movies is they don't have a great story. Sometimes they do but the remakes , those are even worse and racist as well. Turning a Native American into another race. smh. Bill does his normal thing and continues on. It's a page turner. Though for the most part Spock and Joseph are not in the book. But it gave good words so I could imagine the area quite well... Provided you read books with a visual imagination. The only real problem with Bills books is while he's been told he'd die alone. That shouldn't mean everyone else has to.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the goings-on of Romulus and Remus, something that was not uncovered in Star Trek history until the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis. We had never seen a Reman before this. This book explains that a Romulan civil war is about to happen and brings in the Tal Shiar, the Jolan Movement and eventually identifies that it is the Totality that is the cause. Norinda (first described in the previous novel Star Trek: Captain's Peril) is going to use this war for the Totality to take over our known galaxy. Lot of subplot lines to keep track of. Kirk and Teilani of Chal's offspring, Joseph Samuel T'Kol T'Lan Kirk is a major character in the book. As in other Shatnerverse books, James T. Kirk is the centre of the known universe.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I will admit, that when I saw it was written by William Shatner, I was concerned. But he's either a much better writer than I gave him credit for, or his cowriters, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, did a lot of the heavy lifting. I was also happy that this book wasn't just a Kirk showcase. Certainly Capt. Kirk gets to be a hero, but it's never egregious and there are lots of other characters, all of them treated well and very much in character. My only complaint is my constant complaint about this era of Star Trek novels....the stakes are so high! I miss the smaller stories where the characters just get to explore a planet or meet a new life form without the fact of billions of lives riding on the outcome of the story.

[Declan Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shatner returns to the Star Trek Universe in another search for Spock following his 'murder' on Romulus...

As with Shatner's books this picks up the adventures of Kirk, McCoy, Kirk's son (!?!), and half the crew of TNG... The crew find a Reman/Romulan plot to start a civil; and hence intergalactic war, and must stop it.

This one was a little slow, with much of the 'action' taking place in the last 30 pages of the book. Not one for everyone, but if you have read Shatner's books before you'll know what to expect.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely better than the previous book. While it was easy to forget about Jim Kirk’s son Joseph in Captain’s Peril, Captain’s Blood does not have that same problem. There’s still some similar issues like reminders that Kirk and Picard are friends rather than just showing it. And the idea of Spock getting assassinated, while a bold choice to consider, also feels odd to read about after Nimoy’s passing. Maybe it’s because this is a Shatner book that puts the idea in your head, whereas with the films it felt kind of different. I can’t really explain it.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the strongest of the Shatnerverse novels since "The Ashes of Eden". In a surprisingly compact package, it manages to offer its own post-Nemesis take on the Romulans, the Remans, the post-Shinzon coup, and the state of play in the Alpha & Beta Quadrants...and it's one that is surprisingly intense and uses the 24th century characters in a very focused manner. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel.

[Derwin Lester II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the Shatner Verse books are hit or miss, but this one was a hit! It picks up right after Star Trek: Nemesis, and smoothly incorporates Kirk into the post Shinzon Romulan Empire. Spock is assassinated, and he must go to Romulus to investigate. Hijinks ensue, and only kirk can save the day. Some of the Shatnerverse books are filler, but this one tells a pretty concise and lean story. Kept my attention. Would recommend.

[Gina Guesby Mays · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and William Shatner is not a bad narrator. He portrayed the different characters, both men and women and also children, so distinctively that I didn't lose track of the story. it's sad that Spock was taken but it is so interesting to hear different characters from different star trek shows in one story. very well done!

[Michael Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this in audiobook form since it was narrated by William Shatner. The voice acting was fairly well done, especially for Kirk (no surprise there).

The portions of the novel with the Next Generation crew and Admiral Janeway felt more like setting the stage for Kirk. As long as you think of this as a Kirk novel, you won’t be disappointed with the other, weaker characters.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slower start then the first but it got there. Awesome story. Hard to believe this will wrap up in one more books seems like there could be several. Love these shatner novels wish there were more.

M

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a mess. I’m not sure if it was due to being abridged? It just was all over the place. Also I listened to it and they should have had Shatner do his parts but with everyone sounding like Kirk it was sometimes confusing.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this crazy crossover of everything star trek. Not quite 5 stars because of the abrupt ending.

[Alma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I "read" the audible version. The book itself was fine. Didn't like all the sound effects.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of Spock, No One kills off Spock like William Shatner, Nor should they. This was a Good Read.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable yarn.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea William Shatner had written books on Star Trek. It was an enjoyable listen especially with Shatner narrating. I have to read the next book to see what happens.

[David Sastre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirk's son is a bit... Annoying. But overall pretty good!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is listed as coming after Sword of Damocles in the chronological order list I found in more than one listing, it definitely takes place long before Resistance and Before Dishonor. This was obvious in the very first pages, when someone who died in those before-mentioned books was very much alive in this one, and someone who was apparently dead by the end of this book is alive in the others.

Captain's Blood is another book about Kirk, having been resuscitated after his apparent death in Generations. He is now a contemporary of Picard's although now a civilian. It was published in 2003, which is naturally why continuity is so wrong. Apparently I also read it then but have no memory whatsoever of having done so. Not a word of it was familiar. Kirk has a son, who is no ordinary child, having the genes of several other species,including Romulan and Klingon. He is travelling to Romulus, with his son, to investigate the murder of Spock. McCoy is also with him, as well as Picard, Crusher and LaForge. Of course nothing goes as planned.

I expect to get back to the proper continuity with the next book, which my library does not have, so I will have to buy it as an e-book.

[Brandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some Questions

- Regarding the description of Kirk and Teilani’s kid: What in the world was Shatner thinking when he came up with the idea for Joseph? I think I understand the effect he was going for, but why does the kid have to have only three fingers and a thumb on each hand???

- Since when does Kathryn Janeway fence?

- What’s up with the hyphenation every time Joseph says “Dad”? It’s always written “Da-ad” or “Daa-ad”. That’s really annoying. At first, I thought it was supposed to mimic the way teens address their parents when the parents have done something to embarrass the teen, or when otherwise pleading with the parent, but it’s written too often here and though the uses aren’t necessarily out of place, the frequency makes them annoying.

Final Thoughts

As I’d hoped, this book was better than the first in the series. Much of that can be due to the fact that it didn’t take long for the action to begin. I’d already begun reading Captain’s Glory, the final book in the series, before going back and reading the first book, so I’ve already had a sneak peak of what’s to come. I’m certain that I’ll enjoy the final book, particularly because now I know the backstory.

[Shane Amazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part two in the Captain's series, William Shatner once again proves that his imagination and creativity is a powerful force in Star Trek literature. Shatner combines The Next Generation's characters ability to overcome odds with science and morality with the Original Series characters bloody knuckles approach to create a fun and adventurous tale. In Captain's Blood Kirk struggles to protect his offspring from the clutches of a predetermined future as leader of the Remans all the while Captain Picard and crew struggle to stop a civil war before it begins.

The story itself is as fun as any Shatner creation before but to me the book lacked a certain amount of epicness. The book didn't appear to follow the norm of part one: establish characters, part two: set the scene, part three: climactic battle, part four: conclusion. Shatner and co-writers opted for a more drawn out storyline that had smaller events spread throughout the tale. Although this way of writing made for a fun story it did lack in that "wow, unbelievable" feel that most Trek books deliver. With that said the book is well done and I do recommend it for that rainy day.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume in the Totality trilogy. I enjoy the Trek novels by Shatner because even though he has well-known Trek co-authors, he has an original voice. His books stray from Trek canon by having Captain Kirk still alive through a strange regeneration process, but the rest of the books follow canon by intersecting with "real" events that have happened on film or in other books. This story takes place after "Star Trek: Nemesis" and involves the Romulans and Remans. It is a story in itself, but sets the stage for the final encounter between humanity and the Peace of the Totality that will destroy the galaxy. Can't wait to find out if we survive!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes I read Star Trek books. You can skip this if you don't. This is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure which teams the characters of the original series and the next generation. It does a good job showcasing the differences in approach from the two Captains. The cowboy ways of Kirk, although he is a title tempered by age, he is still a space cowboy is contrasted with the more measured and cerebral Picard. Here they work to avert a potential Romulan civil war, which would have disastrous effect on the entire galaxy. Definitely a worthy read for fans of the series, or sci fi fans!