Beyond the Stars

Quest for Tomorrow #4

by William Shatner

Jim Endicott is not Jim Endicott anymore. In Step into Chaos, he became one with the Omega Point, and used its awesome intelligence to alter his own past. In that alternate Universe, he didn't kill the man he had always thought of as his father. He saved him. But does the alternate Jim remember the old Jim? Only dimly aware of his vast Omega powers, Jim "Evanston" must deal with a heartbreaking new Carl and Tabitha, the "parents" he saved, are not really his parents at all! Who are they? And why are they sending him away--as far away as it is possible to send anyone? Jim finds himself aboard the Out Beyond, a world-sized intergalactic starship, crammed with tens of millions of misfits, outlaws, and eccentrics. No longer the golden boy on the fast track to the Space Academy, Jim is friendless and alone--until he meets up with the Stone Cowboys, a deep space street gang that teaches him hard-earned lessons about courage, loyalty--and love, in the fetching form of a "cowgirl" with a faint raspberry smell and the biggest eyes in the known universe. Jim's new life with the Cowboys and his former Omega destiny seem to have little to do with each other, until a strange new mental illness appears, spreading like wildfire through the Out Beyond. It's called the Rage and it doesn't exactly kill people. It makes them kill others, beginning with the ones they love the most. . . . In this fourth Quest for Tomorrow novel, famed Star Trek veteran William Shatner continues a bestselling series that is filled with memorable characters, crackles with high-tech action, and is crammed with thought-provoking science fiction ideas and settings. Each carefully researched Quest for Tomorrow adventure is complete with a scientific bibliography designed to assure accuracy, provide technical guidance, and suggest fascinating new directions for young readers to explore.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

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

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book resets the entire series and gives us an alternate story if Jim Endicott had made a different choice. At first, I was disappointed by effectively erasing the first three books in the series, but this story was interesting as Jim boards a generation ship. As Jim makes new friends and new enemies he must adapt to his new environment all the while still retaining some of the experience of his alternate's experiences.
I do miss Jim's friends of the Alban Race here, as they play no part in this story. I am interested in where this story will go to next.

[David Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this used for $1, mostly as a novelty to read one of Shatner's sci-fi novels. At the time I didn't realize it was the 4th book in a series. Fortunately, after a quick synopsis of the first 3, the book stands up fine by itself. The book itself was slightly better than I expected. it's a typical fast paced sci-fi adventure. With that said, I've got no desire to read the rest of the series.

[Mark Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the Quest For Tomorrow series. Odd beginning and definitely stranger than the first three. Feels like the first three were a trilogy and this and the final book a duology. Jim is back and something’s are different from the first three books. Kind of slow at times and strange but gets better towards the end.