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Star trek: The truth machine
In an attempt to acquire the secret of Warp Drive to power their warships, the Armies of Fomalhaut V trick the crew of the Enterprise into "beaming down" to their planet.
41 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 23, 2020
Quite by accident, I found a flawless copy of this book on eBay from a seller nearby. I think it’s quite cleverly written. The author works in simple explanations of Trek science, including transporters, phasers, communicators, and warp drive. This would have been a terrific book for kids in the late 70s.
At the end, there is also a tip about stargazing. Clearly, science was very much on the mind of the author.
At the end, there is also a tip about stargazing. Clearly, science was very much on the mind of the author.
February 24, 2020
A children's picture book.
The Enterprise receives a distress signal from the fifth planet of the star Fomalhaut--it seems that dinosaurs are terrorizing the populace, destroying their cities. The Enterprise rushes to their aid, and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to investigate.
There are no dinosaurs. Instead, they encounter Colonel Kragg, who informs them that his armies are prepared to take over the universe--as soon as they learn the secret of the Warp Drive. And they will get it, too: they have a machine that can force a man to tell the truth.
Spock volunteers to be subjected to the machine, on the theory that if any of them can resist, it will be him, but it seems that his plan has failed. On command, he draws up plans for a warp engine.
In only two days, an engine has been built and placed into one of the Fomalhaut warships, but when they test the ship--it explodes! Spock has told a lie of omission--he did not inform them that if the dilithium crystals were not cut just so, then their ships would explode.
In the confusion, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are able to get the drop on the men of Fomalhaut, and return to the ship with Kragg as their prisoner.
A silly, simple story, with silly, simple language, but what do you expect from a picture book? As for the ending, well... we all remember "The Enterprise Incident", don't we? As Spock said, then, "It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself."
The Enterprise receives a distress signal from the fifth planet of the star Fomalhaut--it seems that dinosaurs are terrorizing the populace, destroying their cities. The Enterprise rushes to their aid, and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to investigate.
There are no dinosaurs. Instead, they encounter Colonel Kragg, who informs them that his armies are prepared to take over the universe--as soon as they learn the secret of the Warp Drive. And they will get it, too: they have a machine that can force a man to tell the truth.
Spock volunteers to be subjected to the machine, on the theory that if any of them can resist, it will be him, but it seems that his plan has failed. On command, he draws up plans for a warp engine.
In only two days, an engine has been built and placed into one of the Fomalhaut warships, but when they test the ship--it explodes! Spock has told a lie of omission--he did not inform them that if the dilithium crystals were not cut just so, then their ships would explode.
In the confusion, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are able to get the drop on the men of Fomalhaut, and return to the ship with Kragg as their prisoner.
A silly, simple story, with silly, simple language, but what do you expect from a picture book? As for the ending, well... we all remember "The Enterprise Incident", don't we? As Spock said, then, "It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself."
March 8, 2021
This is not great. I like the idea of a middle grade tie-in novel for Star Trek, but the giant plot hole sucks like the vacuum of space. Aliens lure Kirk and co. to an apparently deserted planet, in order to get the secret of warp drive out of them... but none of these people have ever met before, so how do they know about Spock's family life? The Federation is convinced the planet harbours no life, the aliens don't have the technological ability to leave the planet, there has been no interaction between the two parties in the history of ever, so why are the aliens signalling the Enterprise with Morse code???
The stupidity, it burns. It gets an extra point because I like the pictures, but the story is clearly aimed at school children who have been dropped on their heads.
The stupidity, it burns. It gets an extra point because I like the pictures, but the story is clearly aimed at school children who have been dropped on their heads.
December 3, 2024
Star Trek: The Truth Machine by Christopher Cerf is a delightful story crafted specifically for young readers. The book is simply written, making it accessible for children while still capturing the spirit of the Star Trek universe. Its vibrant illustrations add an extra layer of charm, helping to bring the story to life. While it lacks the complexity of adult-level books, it’s important to remember that it’s designed for a younger audience, and it delivers a nice story at their level. A solid 3-star read, The Truth Machine is a fun introduction to Star Trek for kids.
June 5, 2017
The artwork is great, but it's kind of an embarassingly-written story that doesn't really capture the sense of the show or its characters well, and the resolution is oddly abrupt. Really only for collectors at this point.
January 4, 2017
A nice, vintage Trek story that stays true to the feel of the original series. Fun and a little goofy.
March 31, 2018
Book for young readers. A good, but simplistic original Star Trek series book. Nice illustrations.
March 6, 2011
Cute story...obviously intended for children. The graphics are pretty good for the 70s, though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews