Tri-Galactic Trek

by Mary E. Lowd

To boldly go where no cat or dog has gone before…

Join Captain Pierre Jacques and the intrepid crew of the Starship Initiative on their grand journey through the universe. In addition to the loyal dogs and clever cats onboard, meet an Ursine exchange officer and a photosynthetic green otteroid from the planet Cetazed, not to mention the only android in the fleet—an androgynous arctic fox.

In this episodic novel, you will encounter alien races, strange worlds, technological malfunctions, and an all powerful trickster in the form of a Cheshire cat. Get ready for a ride of discovery, awe, and wonder from the Ursa Major Award-winning author of the Otters In Space trilogy.

Cover art by Teagan Gavet

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2019

About the author

Mary E. Lowd is a prolific science-fiction and furry writer in Oregon. She's had more than 180 short stories and a half dozen novels published, always with more on the way. Her work has won numerous awards, and she's been nominated for the Ursa Major Awards more than any other individual. She is also the founder and editor of Zooscape. She lives in a crashed spaceship, disguised as a house and hidden behind a rose garden, with a large collection of animals, both real and imaginary, who collectively serve as her muse.

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Star Trek fan, especially of the Next Generation, I love these books, especially when I can either pinpoint the scene(s) or episode(s) from which Mary Lowd drew her inspiration. I have read other novellas from this universe (The Wanderlust Duology, Nexus Nine, and Labrador Lieutenant), but this was the collection that started it all. Just off the top of my head, Captain Jacques is Jean-Luc Picard, Lieutenant LeGuin is Jordy, Fact (the android fox) is Data (his brother shows up in one of the stories here), Cmdr. Wilker is Will Riker, Consul Tor is Deanna Troi, and Lieutenant Vonn is Tasha Yar. I love that Q shows up as the Cheshire cat as it is quite appropriate. Overall, it's fun to reimagine one of my favorite Sci-Fi series in a universe of uplifted animals. One of my all-time favorite episodes in the Next Generation was The Inner Light, and this collection pays homage to that episode with the last and tenth story, The Farther One Travels. Unfortunately, since this was a short story, she wasn't able to include every part of the episode in the story, but I was still moved because of how much that episode hit you in the feels. She is able to capture a little bit of that feeling in this story.

The more I read of Lowd's short stories, the more it feels like slipping under a warm blanket.

I received this collection as part of a greater collection I received for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Michael Miele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat furry take on the cast of The Next Generation season of Star Trek. I enjoyed the small changes that were made to the characters to have them fit within the author's version of a star trek-esque universe. Also to note that a short story in a separate collection was the deciding factor on checking this book out, so it's safe to say that kind of cross promotion works! Though some of the plots borrow heavily from certain episodes of the show, I didn't mind revisiting them with the twists that Mary used to keep them different. If you're a big fan of Star Trek I think you'll enjoy this book.

[Madison Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tri-Galactic Trek is a very fun homage to Star Trek, mostly Next Generation. I'm not super familiar with the show, but i still very much enjoyed this book.

The book started off as a collection of short stories published in various anthologies. However, Mary went through and added little tidbits to connect the stories together, so even chapters you've already read are worth revisiting. As well, the author added several new shorts with a new character, Fact the android fox, who uses zhe/zir pronouns.

This book would appeal to any Star Trek fan, or anyone who enjoys intelligent sci-fi.

[David Ellery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is where a more nuanced rating system would be advantageous, as while this is definitely a step up from Otters in Space, it's not quite enough of one to warrant four stars.

The conceit here is taking the basic structure of Star Trek: The Next Generation swapping out the main characters for broad furry equivalents, and via that reimagining a number of the stories from the series. The result is agreeable fun for the most part, especially in spotting which episodes are being reworked, and picking up all the references dotted throughout. The first half is the strongest, there's a dip in the middle when old bad telling-at-great-length habits do much to ensure a particular story's thrust doesn't really carry through, and that trait never quite goes away after, not until a genuinely quite affecting final tale. In particular, the habit of reintroducing characters as if you haven't met them two or three or four times before verges on irksome when the stories are collected like this; it feels unnecessary.

Some characters work better than others; less time spent with the narrator, especially during conversations, and more time spent with the characters would have helped, as would the characters being more of a consistent ensemble rather than being prominent to begin with then fading away, or only being prominent later, or popping in and out almost at random. This also means that while there are nice ideas, they're never really made the most of.

It's an enjoyable collection, without question, but you'll likely be left wondering how much more it could have been.

[Kaoru · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of a furry version of Star Trek TNG is amusing, and the first story in this book certainly is. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the stories are nothing more than retellings of a couple of iconic episodes from the show. Certainly, they have a twist here and there, so they aren't exactly the same, but in the end they're not that different, at least not significantly enough to justify their existence. Which leaves me with the question of "WHY?". What is the point of this? And why not make up stories of your own? Wasted potential, really.

[Janice Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun Star Trek parody. Trekkies will no doubt recognize many of the characters by their personalities and perhaps their slightly distorted names. Some of the adventures seem familiar as well. But even those not familiar with Star Trek can enjoy the wild situations with strange but sentient beings. With each chapter covering a unique episode, it's like a string of short stories, somewhat related but each a stand-alone. I found it convenient for taking short breaks.

[Shana Pare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

IF you are a Star Trek, Next Generation fan and IF you have a sense of humor, you are really going to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it, along with rest of the Tri-Galactic tales.

[S M Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun!

The picture of the front is more meaningful after reading this. Also, I'm glad Yar survives in this (will make sense when reaching that part) and also several other things from TNG are better in here.