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Star Trek: Discovery #8
Wonderlands
An all-new novel based upon the explosive Star Trek TV series!
In a desperate attempt to prevent the artificial intelligence known as Control from seizing crucial information that could destroy all sentient life, Commander Michael Burnham donned the “Red Angel” time-travel suit and guided the USS Discovery into the future and out of harm’s way. But something has gone terribly wrong, and Burnham has somehow arrived in a place far different from anything she could have imagined—more than nine hundred years out of her time, with Discovery nowhere to be found, and where the mysterious and cataclysmic event known as “the Burn” has utterly decimated Starfleet and, with it, the United Federation of Planets. How then can she possibly exist day-to-day in this strange place? What worlds are out there waiting to be discovered? Do any remnants of Starfleet and the Federation possibly endure? With more questions than answers, Burnham must nevertheless forge new friendships and new alliances if she hopes to survive this future long enough for the Discovery crew to find her....
In a desperate attempt to prevent the artificial intelligence known as Control from seizing crucial information that could destroy all sentient life, Commander Michael Burnham donned the “Red Angel” time-travel suit and guided the USS Discovery into the future and out of harm’s way. But something has gone terribly wrong, and Burnham has somehow arrived in a place far different from anything she could have imagined—more than nine hundred years out of her time, with Discovery nowhere to be found, and where the mysterious and cataclysmic event known as “the Burn” has utterly decimated Starfleet and, with it, the United Federation of Planets. How then can she possibly exist day-to-day in this strange place? What worlds are out there waiting to be discovered? Do any remnants of Starfleet and the Federation possibly endure? With more questions than answers, Burnham must nevertheless forge new friendships and new alliances if she hopes to survive this future long enough for the Discovery crew to find her....
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2021
76 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Una McCormack
103 books358 followersUna McCormack is a British writer and the author of several Star Trek novels and stories.
Ms. McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written four Doctor Who novels: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods (featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory); Royal Blood (featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara), and Molten Heart (featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham). She is also the author of numerous audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.
Ms. McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written four Doctor Who novels: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods (featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory); Royal Blood (featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara), and Molten Heart (featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham). She is also the author of numerous audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
May 18, 2021
A surprisingly quiet and melancholy novel. Not all of the side trips are the most compelling of stories, but the character work is superb. Michael hasn't be the star of a "Discovery" novel in some time...and it was worth the wait. Her aching loneliness permeates this book...and it compellingly fills in the gap between the first two episodes of the third season.
May 16, 2021
A stirring tale filling in Michael Burnham’s year between DSC episodes “That Hope is You, Part 1” and “Far From Home.” I really enjoyed the glimpses of the pre-Burn and post-Burn Federation, and how the author made the former Federation feel as alien and unfamiliar as the Delta Quadrant. I recommend reading this in between the episodes listed above.
June 17, 2021
The voices of Book and Sahid were good, Burnham in large parts as well. But the overall writing style was too pathetic for my taste, emphasized even more by the audiobook narration.
The plot itself is on the average side.
The plot itself is on the average side.
May 31, 2021
Sharing the good advice that I received: Read this book after episode one and before episode two of season three, if you have the chance.
It turns out that it's possible to absolutely love a book and still be mildly disappointed with it. My short review is that this book does a great job of filling in Burnham's first year in the 32nd century but so much happens that I wish it had been split into a miniseries, at least a trilogy, to expand on these events.
As we're rushing through a year we find ourselves jumping from event to event in order to paint a broad picture, it's not hard to follow but we get very brief accounts of pivotal moments and I think some of these deserved more attention.
Thankfully McCormack is an excellent author. Burnham's experience lifts off the pages and I found it easy to feel empathy for her situation. Although the analogy with Alice's trip through the rabbit hole is extremely versatile it can at times feel overplayed, I've not always found its application on Discovery appealing BUT in this particular story I think the analogy is in its most apt use and I found it abundantly meaningful.
If Burnham hasn't just jumped through the metaphorical rabbit hole, then no other story can make that claim. She's in a completely foreign universe where all the rules are apparently upside down.
In Wonderlands we meet some of the players that will take part in our 32nd century adventure. We find out some background to The Burn and to the chaos that ensued. We learn that even without enforcement the sentients in our galaxy have found their own ways of keeping order, if only in a limited sense.
I found the relationship with Zuka and Binye frustrating but reflected that it was a pretty perfect embodiment of the general situation in the Federationless 32nd century. The younger generations showing disdain for ideals that their elders struggle to maintain and in their own way taking the more mature approach to their reality. It makes sense, being born further away from the Pre-Burn society. (These roles happen to be exactly reversed in one particular example given in this story).
Sahil is quickly becoming a favourite character, that was obvious from episode one for me. But what he's holding onto at his lone spaceport (Devaloka) is not the only bastion of hope in the galaxy. Wonderlands introduces a few different groups that are finding new ways to bring about their own versions of order to galactic society.
I'm a fan of all the tech seen so far. The mention of a quantum slipstream in episode one seemed appropriate given the similarity of the post-Federation situation to the setting in Roddenberry's other series, Andromeda. One thing that does appear to be lacking is quantum computing, considering a scene where Burnham finds herself wishing for a faster data transfer time.
We get some great story telling and a fair idea of what Burnham has been up to, making some valiant efforts to swim against the tide, doing the right thing with minimal available resources AND rest assured, the ending is sweet.
It turns out that it's possible to absolutely love a book and still be mildly disappointed with it. My short review is that this book does a great job of filling in Burnham's first year in the 32nd century but so much happens that I wish it had been split into a miniseries, at least a trilogy, to expand on these events.
As we're rushing through a year we find ourselves jumping from event to event in order to paint a broad picture, it's not hard to follow but we get very brief accounts of pivotal moments and I think some of these deserved more attention.
Thankfully McCormack is an excellent author. Burnham's experience lifts off the pages and I found it easy to feel empathy for her situation. Although the analogy with Alice's trip through the rabbit hole is extremely versatile it can at times feel overplayed, I've not always found its application on Discovery appealing BUT in this particular story I think the analogy is in its most apt use and I found it abundantly meaningful.
If Burnham hasn't just jumped through the metaphorical rabbit hole, then no other story can make that claim. She's in a completely foreign universe where all the rules are apparently upside down.
In Wonderlands we meet some of the players that will take part in our 32nd century adventure. We find out some background to The Burn and to the chaos that ensued. We learn that even without enforcement the sentients in our galaxy have found their own ways of keeping order, if only in a limited sense.
I found the relationship with Zuka and Binye frustrating but reflected that it was a pretty perfect embodiment of the general situation in the Federationless 32nd century. The younger generations showing disdain for ideals that their elders struggle to maintain and in their own way taking the more mature approach to their reality. It makes sense, being born further away from the Pre-Burn society. (These roles happen to be exactly reversed in one particular example given in this story).
Sahil is quickly becoming a favourite character, that was obvious from episode one for me. But what he's holding onto at his lone spaceport (Devaloka) is not the only bastion of hope in the galaxy. Wonderlands introduces a few different groups that are finding new ways to bring about their own versions of order to galactic society.
I'm a fan of all the tech seen so far. The mention of a quantum slipstream in episode one seemed appropriate given the similarity of the post-Federation situation to the setting in Roddenberry's other series, Andromeda. One thing that does appear to be lacking is quantum computing, considering a scene where Burnham finds herself wishing for a faster data transfer time.
We get some great story telling and a fair idea of what Burnham has been up to, making some valiant efforts to swim against the tide, doing the right thing with minimal available resources AND rest assured, the ending is sweet.
November 6, 2021
This was an enjoyable and interesting look at the year Burnham spent without Discovery.
I very much enjoy Una McCormack’s sense of humor and the way she approached the differences between the past and the future.
I very much enjoy Una McCormack’s sense of humor and the way she approached the differences between the past and the future.
May 18, 2021
It is the thirty second century and the Federation is in tatters after a catastrophic event a century ago called the Burn, which destroyed most of the dilithium reserves in the galaxy. Commander Michael Burnham, fleeing the Artificial Intelligence known as Control, arrives here with one thing on her mind: pull together what is left of Starfleet and rebuild what was lost.
McCormack's novel is in keeping with the feel of the 'Star Trek: Discovery' series and does a good job of exploring the developing relationship between Burnham and Book.
McCormack's novel is in keeping with the feel of the 'Star Trek: Discovery' series and does a good job of exploring the developing relationship between Burnham and Book.
July 26, 2021
This was a good time, and felt true to the series. Burnham is the well-meaning imperialist she always has been, and McCormack brings her Cardassia-seasoned nuanced approach to the (allegedly) post-Federation world of Star Trek. There's limits to it, of course, and quite a bit of it falls under the 'Garak visits Berlin and finds it eerily familiar' brand of heavy handed social commentary... but overall, it weren't that dumb.
I adored the exploration of Burnham and Book's relationship -- it really is everything we were promised and denied by the show.
I adored the exploration of Burnham and Book's relationship -- it really is everything we were promised and denied by the show.
August 29, 2024
I had forgotten I'd read this. But having gone back and rewatched ALL of discovery I went back to read this again. I think I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time. Especially now I have a deeper love and appreciation for Michael's character, and knowing how things end for her and Book. It was a really lovely book.
I had been saving this one for awhile. I love Una's writing and this one is a lovely look at Michael's missing year. The lonleiness and the culture shock she goes through. I really enjoyed it. Una has the characters written very well and I loved this exploration of what the loss of the Federation was and how a person adjusts to their new life.
I had been saving this one for awhile. I love Una's writing and this one is a lovely look at Michael's missing year. The lonleiness and the culture shock she goes through. I really enjoyed it. Una has the characters written very well and I loved this exploration of what the loss of the Federation was and how a person adjusts to their new life.
April 22, 2022
Star Trek: Discovery: Wonderlands, By Una McCormick is a media tie-in novel acting as a prequel to the third season of the Paramount+ original show “Star Trek: Discovery”.
The book takes place in the year 3188, the year in which Commander Michael Burnham finds herself sent to with her red angel time travel suit. This is also the year in which she finds herself alone before the arrival of the USS Discovery in the next year of 3189.
Many fans found themselves disappointed that there was a time skip between the arrival of Burnham and that of Discovery, not shown in the show. This book chronicles those events that Burnham found herself in, and these events are fascinating and varied.
This book definitely enhances Season 3 of Discovery, fleshing out the year Burnham was isolated from her ship and crew. Not only does the story flesh out the year that Burnham was alone in the far future, but also this post-burn future itself. We get a deep look into how many different people were affected by the galaxy wide disaster known as the Burn. From planets that were able to become self-sufficient, but decided to isolate themselves. To planets that relied on the trade that being a Federation member allowed, who now found themselves scarce of the resources needed to survive.
This gives some much needed detail to the post-burn future which Discovery season 3 barely scratched the surface of. And it also gives some much needed conflict to the book narrative, and the challenges that Burnham must overcome. Burnham finds out that she can’t always be successful in this new future by simply using the methods of the past, and that she has to learn to adapt.
The people in this book truly feel alive, with complex characters being one of McCormack’s strongest points as a writer. Expanding on characters we see a lot in Season 3 such as Cleveland Booker, to those we see little of including Starfleet official Aditya Sahil. Sahil is expanded on heavily in Wonderlands, which is great since he was a standout character of Discovery’s 3rd season. We really didn’t get enough of him.
Booker gets some great development in Wonderlands too. But we get a Book in this book (pun intended) that is slightly different from the series, but not incongruent from the series. He is trying to get Burnham to focus on her new life here in the future, instead of clinging to a past which may never come. He obviously clashes with Burnham about this throughout the story, with their relationship being strained along the way. There is definitely a lot of great Burnham and Book content and a push towards their eventual romance. seeing it develop from Wonderlands into what we see on-screen is amazing.
And of course Star Trek: Discovery Season three introduced us to the Queen herself, Grudge the cat. Wonderlands certainly delivers on some great Grudge content. From all the discussion between Burnham and Book about the magnificent cat, or their conversations with Grudge herself. If you loved the addition of Grudge into Season 3, you will definitely enjoy Wonderlands.
The story also looks very deeply at what the Federation truly was, which was only touched upon in Discovery. It wasn’t just its planets, its ships or its people, but an idea of mutual coexistence and tolerance. From the many different places Burnham finds herself in, it helps to reinforce this idea.
All in all, this book, like Una McCormack’s previous book “Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope” provides some much needed depth and fleshing out of seasons storyline. Not only is it a great companion piece to the series, but it truly enhances scenes from Discovery’s third season.
If you were at all interested in this brand new frontier of the future gave us, then we highly recommend that you pick up this book for yourself. It is very engaging and I could not put it down whilst reading. The characters are beautifully written. The situations Burnham finds herself in are varied and interesting. And the lore implications this book offers are interesting for the wider Star Trek Universe.
The book takes place in the year 3188, the year in which Commander Michael Burnham finds herself sent to with her red angel time travel suit. This is also the year in which she finds herself alone before the arrival of the USS Discovery in the next year of 3189.
Many fans found themselves disappointed that there was a time skip between the arrival of Burnham and that of Discovery, not shown in the show. This book chronicles those events that Burnham found herself in, and these events are fascinating and varied.
This book definitely enhances Season 3 of Discovery, fleshing out the year Burnham was isolated from her ship and crew. Not only does the story flesh out the year that Burnham was alone in the far future, but also this post-burn future itself. We get a deep look into how many different people were affected by the galaxy wide disaster known as the Burn. From planets that were able to become self-sufficient, but decided to isolate themselves. To planets that relied on the trade that being a Federation member allowed, who now found themselves scarce of the resources needed to survive.
This gives some much needed detail to the post-burn future which Discovery season 3 barely scratched the surface of. And it also gives some much needed conflict to the book narrative, and the challenges that Burnham must overcome. Burnham finds out that she can’t always be successful in this new future by simply using the methods of the past, and that she has to learn to adapt.
The people in this book truly feel alive, with complex characters being one of McCormack’s strongest points as a writer. Expanding on characters we see a lot in Season 3 such as Cleveland Booker, to those we see little of including Starfleet official Aditya Sahil. Sahil is expanded on heavily in Wonderlands, which is great since he was a standout character of Discovery’s 3rd season. We really didn’t get enough of him.
Booker gets some great development in Wonderlands too. But we get a Book in this book (pun intended) that is slightly different from the series, but not incongruent from the series. He is trying to get Burnham to focus on her new life here in the future, instead of clinging to a past which may never come. He obviously clashes with Burnham about this throughout the story, with their relationship being strained along the way. There is definitely a lot of great Burnham and Book content and a push towards their eventual romance. seeing it develop from Wonderlands into what we see on-screen is amazing.
And of course Star Trek: Discovery Season three introduced us to the Queen herself, Grudge the cat. Wonderlands certainly delivers on some great Grudge content. From all the discussion between Burnham and Book about the magnificent cat, or their conversations with Grudge herself. If you loved the addition of Grudge into Season 3, you will definitely enjoy Wonderlands.
The story also looks very deeply at what the Federation truly was, which was only touched upon in Discovery. It wasn’t just its planets, its ships or its people, but an idea of mutual coexistence and tolerance. From the many different places Burnham finds herself in, it helps to reinforce this idea.
All in all, this book, like Una McCormack’s previous book “Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope” provides some much needed depth and fleshing out of seasons storyline. Not only is it a great companion piece to the series, but it truly enhances scenes from Discovery’s third season.
If you were at all interested in this brand new frontier of the future gave us, then we highly recommend that you pick up this book for yourself. It is very engaging and I could not put it down whilst reading. The characters are beautifully written. The situations Burnham finds herself in are varied and interesting. And the lore implications this book offers are interesting for the wider Star Trek Universe.
April 12, 2022
This is a really well-crafted Trek book.
Normally, these books involve some planet of the month, some random officer of the week, and some alien of the day thrown in to make you suspect they're guilty of whatever nefarious scheme is revealed in chapter one. The captain saves the day, and everyone goes their separate ways.
But not here.
McCormack understands that Discovery was created as a grand story arc, that Burnham is a complex, developing character, and that what we see on-screen is the highlight reel for a much larger and more involved performance. She doesn't just capture all that in this book; she uses it as the story's foundation.
Discovery’s third season opens with a wordless montage of the steadfast Aditya Sahil keeping watch over his lonely outpost. That same episode concludes with a moving scene recognizing his commitment to his work. McCormack recognized the potential significance of that character and built this novel with Sahil as a narrative backbone. She also brilliantly used Sahil's family narrative to provide rich exposition that helps characters and reader alike navigate the chronological gap Burnham faces in this new environment.
The television show skipped the year Burnham spent solo in the future. This book shows what she was up to, how she survived, and more importantly, how she grew during that time. It stays true to Burnham’s eye-roll-inducing insistence that all problems can be solved if we just talk things out, but I dare say McCormack's scenarios are more believable than those shown in the official episodes.
Enough happens in this one novel that it feels like three books in one, and each is hugely satisfying. McCormack shows again that she's a fantastic teller of tales with a deep understanding of the characters and universe of Trek. Even if you're not the biggest fan of Discovery (lord knows I'm not), this one's absolutely worth reading.
And to McCormack and the audiobook narrator: Thanks for keeping me company during my COVID isolation. I really appreciate it.
Normally, these books involve some planet of the month, some random officer of the week, and some alien of the day thrown in to make you suspect they're guilty of whatever nefarious scheme is revealed in chapter one. The captain saves the day, and everyone goes their separate ways.
But not here.
McCormack understands that Discovery was created as a grand story arc, that Burnham is a complex, developing character, and that what we see on-screen is the highlight reel for a much larger and more involved performance. She doesn't just capture all that in this book; she uses it as the story's foundation.
Discovery’s third season opens with a wordless montage of the steadfast Aditya Sahil keeping watch over his lonely outpost. That same episode concludes with a moving scene recognizing his commitment to his work. McCormack recognized the potential significance of that character and built this novel with Sahil as a narrative backbone. She also brilliantly used Sahil's family narrative to provide rich exposition that helps characters and reader alike navigate the chronological gap Burnham faces in this new environment.
The television show skipped the year Burnham spent solo in the future. This book shows what she was up to, how she survived, and more importantly, how she grew during that time. It stays true to Burnham’s eye-roll-inducing insistence that all problems can be solved if we just talk things out, but I dare say McCormack's scenarios are more believable than those shown in the official episodes.
Enough happens in this one novel that it feels like three books in one, and each is hugely satisfying. McCormack shows again that she's a fantastic teller of tales with a deep understanding of the characters and universe of Trek. Even if you're not the biggest fan of Discovery (lord knows I'm not), this one's absolutely worth reading.
And to McCormack and the audiobook narrator: Thanks for keeping me company during my COVID isolation. I really appreciate it.
December 28, 2021
While some Star Trek novels read like movies or even whole series or just single episodes, Wonderlands reads like a session of Discovery, one episode being Michael Burnham in Starbase Develoka, another episode being about Atalis which is blockaded by the white palm cartel another episode about Ikasu and so forth. The book does a good job describing the implications of the Burn and the impact of the Burn and fall of the Federation on the deep Beta quadrant. It shows in detail the decline of technology, the attitudes of the impoverished region towards concepts like stability, the UFP, money and interactions, along with the post UFP institutions of warlords, commercial, couriers, raiders, UFP remnants and planetary governments. Some raiding for supplies, others becoming self sufficient and lack of trust among the deep beta quadrant agencies. The depictions of tech are often like plot elements but contain raw data on tech, the economy of tech and technologies featured in Discovery season 3 such as personal transporters, black boxes, nano-cubes, Subspace relays, programmable matter and holographic interfaces, in varying degrees of detail. Character wise, we get to see the backstory of Aditya Sahil, and Book’s life as a courier and see their friendships with Michael Burnham. Among the important aspects of the information in the book we see Michael Burnham realise that “Starfleet dosent make Michael Burnham, Michael Burnham. It is Michael Burnham makes Michael Burnham Michael Burnham.” Without that realisation we would not have had the caption seen in season 4 of discovery.
May 30, 2021
McCormack does her usual excellent job. This novel chronicles Burnham’s first year in the future and helps to develop her relationship with Book.
One of my principal criticisms of Discovery is that the writers try to pack too much in to very brief seasons. It’s usually clear that they know all the details of the things that happened off screen but skipping over things sometimes makes some of the happenings in the series seem very convenient or unbelievable. The Discovery novels have been so successful, I think, because they focus on a lot of the character development that Trekkies are accustomed to getting on screen. They help make the Discovery crew more likeable and slow things down to a more familiar pace.
One of my principal criticisms of Discovery is that the writers try to pack too much in to very brief seasons. It’s usually clear that they know all the details of the things that happened off screen but skipping over things sometimes makes some of the happenings in the series seem very convenient or unbelievable. The Discovery novels have been so successful, I think, because they focus on a lot of the character development that Trekkies are accustomed to getting on screen. They help make the Discovery crew more likeable and slow things down to a more familiar pace.
September 11, 2021
Even though I knew Una McCormack was one of the best Trek authors I've read, this book still ended up exceeding my expectations. As much as I love Book and his queen Grudge and also what little we've seen of Sahil, I was still a bit worried this would be a depressing, and also un-Trek-like book. Well, it isn't. Yes, the post-apocalypse(ish) vibe is most certainly there, and yes, it's somewhat melancholy but it's still definitely a Trek story (a series of its own, really), with a lot of heart and defiant Trek spirit.
And I came out of it loving Michael, Book, Sahil (and Grudge) even more. What a feat!
And I came out of it loving Michael, Book, Sahil (and Grudge) even more. What a feat!
August 12, 2021
The problem with Star Trek tie in novels is that they're generally not canon (although The Way to the Stars was referenced so maybe...)
This is the story of Michael in her year alone in the future. Of her friendship with Book. And her friendship with Sahil. There's world building: courier networks, trans warp tunnels, and what else is out there.
And Grudge. Always a bonus.
But I want to meet some of the other characters in this book on the show and that's highly unlikely and that makes me sad. :(
This is the story of Michael in her year alone in the future. Of her friendship with Book. And her friendship with Sahil. There's world building: courier networks, trans warp tunnels, and what else is out there.
And Grudge. Always a bonus.
But I want to meet some of the other characters in this book on the show and that's highly unlikely and that makes me sad. :(
January 6, 2022
A friend described this as melancholy and that's an extremely accurate description. This book has phenomenal character building for Burnham. Showcasing her emotional and mental growth over the course of her year 'alone' (though her typical stubbornness remains of course)
My only wish is that the final conflicts of the book were not resolved so easily, it felt rather unrewarding in that sense. Hence the 4 stars that without the high quality character work might have rated this book a 3.5
My only wish is that the final conflicts of the book were not resolved so easily, it felt rather unrewarding in that sense. Hence the 4 stars that without the high quality character work might have rated this book a 3.5
October 27, 2025
Since Disco has been off the air, I’ve been desperate for more Burnham. I’d always wondered about Michael’s year - and was really warmed to see the evolution of her relationship with Book. Additionally, McCormack captured the chemistry between SMG and DA so beautifully. It gave us the wonderful beginnings of their relationship that felt like it connected with Season 5’s ultimate coda.
Also, it was neat to see more of Sahil. Makes the “that hope is you, part II” reunion so much more meaningful. Really, this book made me want more Disco novels, and somebody to greenlight DA’s Burnham and Book adventure TV specials.
Thank you, Una McCormack! Please write another Burnham story.
Also, it was neat to see more of Sahil. Makes the “that hope is you, part II” reunion so much more meaningful. Really, this book made me want more Disco novels, and somebody to greenlight DA’s Burnham and Book adventure TV specials.
Thank you, Una McCormack! Please write another Burnham story.
April 16, 2022
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I expected at the beginning--probably because McCormack expertly paced the plot so that the time-consuming process of Burnham's getting oriented and integrated in her new setting felt more realistic. The exploration of the nature of hope and acceptance, and how the two frequently (and even rationally) coexist, seemed really well done, too. I appreciated the repetitiveness of Burnham's struggle with this tension. Less interesting to me were the plot twists and the action sequences, although McCormack clearly put a lot of thought into both and executed them skillfully.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2021
3. 5 to 4 stars
June 16, 2021
i love michael burnham so much. this is such a good book, might even be my favorite discovery book tbh
October 27, 2022
i love michael burnham and i love season 3 of star trek: discovery and i love michael burnham in season 3 of star trek: discovery. but when michael shows up in the future without discovery and meets book and starts going on dystopian space adventures, i found myself terrified that they were going to have it take a significant amount of time for her to find her way back to discovery. and i’m sorry but that’s just super not what i come to star trek for!
and, you know, technically they did do that because it took her a year to find discovery (because they arrived a year after her), but also they didn’t because it happened in literally the next episode? and i thought they did a great job of telling that story and exploring the gap between who michael was in the first episode of the season and who she was in the second episode of the season, but given that i was super relieved we didn’t have to live through that year of her life where she was on her own in this kinda terrible future i wasn’t really super excited to read the book about… that year of her life where she was on her own in this kinda terrible future?
una mccormack has a really strong grasp of michael’s character, though, and that made this a pretty good read in spite of my misgivings going into it. again this is just super not the kind of story i go to star trek for, but the execution was pretty great and there was one other huge mitigating factor that made me like the book more than i probably otherwise would have.
so, one of my favorite things about season 3 of the show aside from the fact that we went from having our first ever gay main characters to having a bonus lesbian as well as two trans/nonbinary characters who are fucking gay dating each other, and aside from the fact that its storytelling was excellent, and aside from the fact that every single episode was a banger… wait, hang on, there were a lot of things i loved about season 3 it’s almost like it was one of my favorite seasons of television ever.
okay fine, one of the extremely many things i loved about season 3 of the show was an almost blink and you miss it detail in the penultimate episode of the season. and that would be admiral vance explicitly stating that the federation opposes capitalism in every form and that that’s the biggest crux of the ideological struggle between it and the emerald chain. and like, that’s been pretty fucking obvious to anyone who’s paying attention since like at least tng, but given that the franchise has always stopped just short of actually saying that shit out loud, it was pretty cool to finally actually hear it said that straightforwardly. (also like, an extremely vocal minority of the show’s fans have somehow been missing that memo this whole time, so it’s not like no one needed it spelled out.)
so what’s nice about this novel is it actually expands on that quite a bit, with michael ruminating at length about the harm that capitalism is doing to the world she finds herself navigating in her first year in the 32nd century. so that’s the other biggest thing this novel has going for it.
again this isn’t a story i was super excited for, and it’s definitely not one of my favorite discovery novels, but there was a lot to like about it and the quality to quantity ratio with these discovery novels continues to be tilted drastically in favor of the former and i just think that’s a super great move for everyone concerned, and i’m really looking forward to whenever the next one drops. (pleasepleaseplease let it be about adira and gray, they are so important and i love them so much, okay thank you bye.)
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check out my megareview of the star trek discovery books & comics on my blog, 24,000 miles to the moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
and, you know, technically they did do that because it took her a year to find discovery (because they arrived a year after her), but also they didn’t because it happened in literally the next episode? and i thought they did a great job of telling that story and exploring the gap between who michael was in the first episode of the season and who she was in the second episode of the season, but given that i was super relieved we didn’t have to live through that year of her life where she was on her own in this kinda terrible future i wasn’t really super excited to read the book about… that year of her life where she was on her own in this kinda terrible future?
una mccormack has a really strong grasp of michael’s character, though, and that made this a pretty good read in spite of my misgivings going into it. again this is just super not the kind of story i go to star trek for, but the execution was pretty great and there was one other huge mitigating factor that made me like the book more than i probably otherwise would have.
so, one of my favorite things about season 3 of the show aside from the fact that we went from having our first ever gay main characters to having a bonus lesbian as well as two trans/nonbinary characters who are fucking gay dating each other, and aside from the fact that its storytelling was excellent, and aside from the fact that every single episode was a banger… wait, hang on, there were a lot of things i loved about season 3 it’s almost like it was one of my favorite seasons of television ever.
okay fine, one of the extremely many things i loved about season 3 of the show was an almost blink and you miss it detail in the penultimate episode of the season. and that would be admiral vance explicitly stating that the federation opposes capitalism in every form and that that’s the biggest crux of the ideological struggle between it and the emerald chain. and like, that’s been pretty fucking obvious to anyone who’s paying attention since like at least tng, but given that the franchise has always stopped just short of actually saying that shit out loud, it was pretty cool to finally actually hear it said that straightforwardly. (also like, an extremely vocal minority of the show’s fans have somehow been missing that memo this whole time, so it’s not like no one needed it spelled out.)
so what’s nice about this novel is it actually expands on that quite a bit, with michael ruminating at length about the harm that capitalism is doing to the world she finds herself navigating in her first year in the 32nd century. so that’s the other biggest thing this novel has going for it.
again this isn’t a story i was super excited for, and it’s definitely not one of my favorite discovery novels, but there was a lot to like about it and the quality to quantity ratio with these discovery novels continues to be tilted drastically in favor of the former and i just think that’s a super great move for everyone concerned, and i’m really looking forward to whenever the next one drops. (pleasepleaseplease let it be about adira and gray, they are so important and i love them so much, okay thank you bye.)
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check out my megareview of the star trek discovery books & comics on my blog, 24,000 miles to the moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
May 31, 2024
I'm a Discovery Defender. I don't love everything the show has done, but overall I like it more than many seem to. I prefer the first two seasons to the last three, but all of them have some very good episodes. Still, I think the quality of the novels shows a big weakness of the show: the world of Discovery just isn't that rich or deep.
The book I read right before Wonderlands was Una McCormack's most recent Star Trek: Picard novel Second Self. That novel was absolutely fantastic. As was her other Star Trek: Picard novel The Last Best Hope. Wonderlands isn't bad, but it's a clear step down. In fact, McCormack's other Discover novel The Way to the Stars is my least favorite of all the Discovery novels. The easy winner of the Disco novels is John Jackson Miller's The Enterprise War which has the distinct advantage of actually being a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds novel released before that series was announced.
Why are the Disco novels worse than the Picard novels despite Disco being a better show than Picard (at least if you exclude the excellent third season of Picard)? Because the Picard novels are set in the rich well developed world of the "Trek Present". This doesn't just let them do easter eggs; it lets them tie the story into a history so rich it feels like it actually happened and tie it in with well developed legacy characters.
Disco doesn't have that. Yes, the novels from the first two seasons are set in the TOS-era "Trek Past", and the best of them make good use of that. But the characters they are able to use tend to either be easter eggs (as in Die Standing) or the relatively weakly constructed characters of Disco (The Way to the Stars, Dead Endless, also Die Standing). Michael Burnham, Saru and maybe Lorca are the only characters that the show gave enough depth to really support tie-in novels.
And the "Trek Future" of Wonderlands has even more problems. It doesn't have a well though out world building Trek Past or Trek Present. Instead, it has a very vaguely and messily sketched post-Federation semi-dystopia. There just isn't anything t0 grab on to. Nothing feels real.
Anyway, Wonderlands is a pretty fun story that gets a lot of mileage out of exploring the disconnect between the post-scarcity world of the Federation with the grubby capitalism of Disco season 3. It's fun and McCormack really captures both Burnham and Book incredibly well. Probably the best thread in the novel is watching the romance between those two slowly bloom.
The book I read right before Wonderlands was Una McCormack's most recent Star Trek: Picard novel Second Self. That novel was absolutely fantastic. As was her other Star Trek: Picard novel The Last Best Hope. Wonderlands isn't bad, but it's a clear step down. In fact, McCormack's other Discover novel The Way to the Stars is my least favorite of all the Discovery novels. The easy winner of the Disco novels is John Jackson Miller's The Enterprise War which has the distinct advantage of actually being a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds novel released before that series was announced.
Why are the Disco novels worse than the Picard novels despite Disco being a better show than Picard (at least if you exclude the excellent third season of Picard)? Because the Picard novels are set in the rich well developed world of the "Trek Present". This doesn't just let them do easter eggs; it lets them tie the story into a history so rich it feels like it actually happened and tie it in with well developed legacy characters.
Disco doesn't have that. Yes, the novels from the first two seasons are set in the TOS-era "Trek Past", and the best of them make good use of that. But the characters they are able to use tend to either be easter eggs (as in Die Standing) or the relatively weakly constructed characters of Disco (The Way to the Stars, Dead Endless, also Die Standing). Michael Burnham, Saru and maybe Lorca are the only characters that the show gave enough depth to really support tie-in novels.
And the "Trek Future" of Wonderlands has even more problems. It doesn't have a well though out world building Trek Past or Trek Present. Instead, it has a very vaguely and messily sketched post-Federation semi-dystopia. There just isn't anything t0 grab on to. Nothing feels real.
Anyway, Wonderlands is a pretty fun story that gets a lot of mileage out of exploring the disconnect between the post-scarcity world of the Federation with the grubby capitalism of Disco season 3. It's fun and McCormack really captures both Burnham and Book incredibly well. Probably the best thread in the novel is watching the romance between those two slowly bloom.
July 1, 2024
With me going into this with an unquenched thirst for more about Burnham/Book and in general adventures in the world of Star Trek: Discovery, this book is not at all what I expected.
I was ready to read about the fun and deadly adventures that Burnham and Book had during that missing year between S3E1 and S3E2. As it turned out, the curated narrative of Burnham's life in this book showed me the loneliness and hopelessness that Burnham had felt in this future that was devoid of anything familiar. It showed me her struggles and her persistence through it all. At times, the narrative was so bleak I had to take a breather and stop reading. But it made sense. It made sense to me that of course she, in that situation, would be feeling all these things and have all these doubts and confusion. I feel like a fish out of the water as well, stepping out of the familiarity of my school and into the job market.
With that said, I appreciate the glimpse into her journey through that and the perspective it gave me on what Burnham's mind was like in Season 3 when she returned to Discovery. I cannot wait to delve into the show and watch it again with the perspective I've gained.
Also, I'm grateful for the (sparse) moments of fun and adventures of Book/Burnham. The banters are very much like those between the tv Book/Burnham and I love seeing them get closer in the books as well, although some instances in the book did make me wonder how these two would ever be able to make it together with their diversely different world view. I still squealed a bit every time something romantic happened though. They are probably my second favourite fictional couple ever.
All in all, much like the tv show, there are glimpses of Burnham/Book moments throughout, but the main narrative follows Burnham for the most part and jumps to other locations as necessary for some background information. While this is not strictly canon, I think I like it very much as supplemental reading. It's all nonsense to non-fans, but I would recommend to any Discovery fans who are curious about the lost year of Commander Michael Burnham.
I was ready to read about the fun and deadly adventures that Burnham and Book had during that missing year between S3E1 and S3E2. As it turned out, the curated narrative of Burnham's life in this book showed me the loneliness and hopelessness that Burnham had felt in this future that was devoid of anything familiar. It showed me her struggles and her persistence through it all. At times, the narrative was so bleak I had to take a breather and stop reading. But it made sense. It made sense to me that of course she, in that situation, would be feeling all these things and have all these doubts and confusion. I feel like a fish out of the water as well, stepping out of the familiarity of my school and into the job market.
With that said, I appreciate the glimpse into her journey through that and the perspective it gave me on what Burnham's mind was like in Season 3 when she returned to Discovery. I cannot wait to delve into the show and watch it again with the perspective I've gained.
Also, I'm grateful for the (sparse) moments of fun and adventures of Book/Burnham. The banters are very much like those between the tv Book/Burnham and I love seeing them get closer in the books as well, although some instances in the book did make me wonder how these two would ever be able to make it together with their diversely different world view. I still squealed a bit every time something romantic happened though. They are probably my second favourite fictional couple ever.
All in all, much like the tv show, there are glimpses of Burnham/Book moments throughout, but the main narrative follows Burnham for the most part and jumps to other locations as necessary for some background information. While this is not strictly canon, I think I like it very much as supplemental reading. It's all nonsense to non-fans, but I would recommend to any Discovery fans who are curious about the lost year of Commander Michael Burnham.
June 12, 2021
With "Wonderlands", Una McCormack tries to bridge the gap for Michael Burnham between "That Hope is You, Part 1" and "Far From Home". The story tells of Burnham's missing year as she gets acclimated to 3188 and as she also waits for her reunion with the rest of the Discovery crew. In this missing year, we have Burnham still not exactly accepting of the fact that the Federation she once knew being mostly gone & also trying to solve the mystery of the Burn. We do though watch her growth into that eventual acceptance of things along w/ her developing relation with Book.
At over 300 pages, the tale McCormack weaves is a bit uneven although it does fill in some missing parts of this 32nd century universe with brief references to the Temporal Wars as well as introducing us to a Cardassian named P'Dan and Starbase 906 which plays an important role in this missing year along w/ a group called the White Palm. The use of Sahil and the starbase where she first meets him known as Devaloka are also nice touches in this missing piece of things & does allow for more plausibility for the events in Discovery's 3rd season especially early on. 2 criticisms though that I do have of the book is we never really get much sense of time in this year & the ending is so abrupt that it makes this reader wish we'd seen just a little more of that tie in. Overall though this a rare average fare book for this series which does use it's 8th novel as a necessity to fill in canon more than anything else.
At over 300 pages, the tale McCormack weaves is a bit uneven although it does fill in some missing parts of this 32nd century universe with brief references to the Temporal Wars as well as introducing us to a Cardassian named P'Dan and Starbase 906 which plays an important role in this missing year along w/ a group called the White Palm. The use of Sahil and the starbase where she first meets him known as Devaloka are also nice touches in this missing piece of things & does allow for more plausibility for the events in Discovery's 3rd season especially early on. 2 criticisms though that I do have of the book is we never really get much sense of time in this year & the ending is so abrupt that it makes this reader wish we'd seen just a little more of that tie in. Overall though this a rare average fare book for this series which does use it's 8th novel as a necessity to fill in canon more than anything else.
February 9, 2022
* spoilers ahead for Star Trek Discovery - kind of impossible to talk about this book without it because of when it's set *
I love books like this. Sometimes you'll watch a TV show, a film or you'll play the game and the story will talk about a period of time that isn't part of the main story so it glosses over it. Sometimes I really want to know about it so stories that fill those gaps in are a big draw for me
In this case it covers the period in Star Trek Discovery between Burnham arriving in the future and Discovery arriving
That period of time is a couple of years so she won't have been sitting around waiting for them to arrive so it was good to see how she got on her feet as well as trying to process how the future she'd sacrificed so much to save didn't turn out how she'd quite expected
This certainly scratched that itch to find out what she was doing during that time and as always mega trek nerd Una McCormack did a great job of writing in such style that it really captured the character.
Very enjoyable
I love books like this. Sometimes you'll watch a TV show, a film or you'll play the game and the story will talk about a period of time that isn't part of the main story so it glosses over it. Sometimes I really want to know about it so stories that fill those gaps in are a big draw for me
In this case it covers the period in Star Trek Discovery between Burnham arriving in the future and Discovery arriving
That period of time is a couple of years so she won't have been sitting around waiting for them to arrive so it was good to see how she got on her feet as well as trying to process how the future she'd sacrificed so much to save didn't turn out how she'd quite expected
This certainly scratched that itch to find out what she was doing during that time and as always mega trek nerd Una McCormack did a great job of writing in such style that it really captured the character.
Very enjoyable
September 7, 2024
I’m crying.
After the heartbreak of watching Star Trek Discovery’s final episode; the joy of the finale coda and grieving all the wonderful stories untold. I went back to my TBR pile and picked up Wonderlands.
And it was all there, the magic, the hope that Discovery embodied. It was a genuine pleasure to read this book. It was like watching an unaired season of Burnham’s year waiting, watching, living in her new time. Learning the ways of the couriers and this new universe while maintaining her unwavering hope that Discovery herself would soon appear.
The writing is exquisite, truly capturing Burnham & Book’s interplay and voices. The wittiness, the banter, the misunderstandings and make-ups. Expanding on Sahil’s past and present on Starbase Devloka. All while introducing a new threat to be faced.
Wonderlands was just that. A gift of love to the Discovery universe. Here’s hoping the new Starfleet Academy series carries that flag further and farther. Live long and Prosper indeed.
After the heartbreak of watching Star Trek Discovery’s final episode; the joy of the finale coda and grieving all the wonderful stories untold. I went back to my TBR pile and picked up Wonderlands.
And it was all there, the magic, the hope that Discovery embodied. It was a genuine pleasure to read this book. It was like watching an unaired season of Burnham’s year waiting, watching, living in her new time. Learning the ways of the couriers and this new universe while maintaining her unwavering hope that Discovery herself would soon appear.
The writing is exquisite, truly capturing Burnham & Book’s interplay and voices. The wittiness, the banter, the misunderstandings and make-ups. Expanding on Sahil’s past and present on Starbase Devloka. All while introducing a new threat to be faced.
Wonderlands was just that. A gift of love to the Discovery universe. Here’s hoping the new Starfleet Academy series carries that flag further and farther. Live long and Prosper indeed.
June 28, 2021
Una McCormack's last entry in the tie-in series was the Tilly focused The Way to the Stars, so it's wonderful to see her cut loose on a Burnham story. Unlike the previous novels, which have largely delved into deep into the character's pre-show past. Here McCormack explores the recent past - or future as the case may be. Taking place during the year following Burham's arriving in the 32nd century - so basically between the first two episodes of Season 3 - it's as much a character study of the Federation as it is of Burnham and Book. As Burnham tries to fathom how the Federation fell so quickly, she discovers cracks in the philosophy she once held so dear. People may complain about the darkness that's crept into this and Picard, but this makes a good case for it always having been there. More like this please.
February 25, 2022
I'm giving this a somewhat neutral rating because I didn't finish it.
I was super excited about this book because I love Burnham, but it really didn't live up to my expectation. I tried very hard to read it (and to finish it), but I finally had to give myself permission to stop because there are so many other (potentially better) books in existence.
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this book. It is well-written, it's clearly been edited for grammar, etc. I wish that I could say that the plot is good, but really that was the problem for me. I couldn't quite find a plot other than Burnham was waiting for Discovery. She was waiting a long time. She was waiting a very long time. And, essentially, so was I. I was just waiting for something to happen. When, essentially, nothing happened, I finally gave up and moved on.
I was super excited about this book because I love Burnham, but it really didn't live up to my expectation. I tried very hard to read it (and to finish it), but I finally had to give myself permission to stop because there are so many other (potentially better) books in existence.
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this book. It is well-written, it's clearly been edited for grammar, etc. I wish that I could say that the plot is good, but really that was the problem for me. I couldn't quite find a plot other than Burnham was waiting for Discovery. She was waiting a long time. She was waiting a very long time. And, essentially, so was I. I was just waiting for something to happen. When, essentially, nothing happened, I finally gave up and moved on.
June 6, 2021
An excellent and very necessary look into Burnham’s ‘gap year’ in the 32nd century. I really loved exploring more of this time - getting the lay of the land and coming to understand better why the Federation couldn’t hold together. I really like that it was *just* the Burn that collapsed the Federation, but also political reasons and a government that had gotten too big too quickly. McCormack’s writing is phenomenal, as usual. Her character studies into both Burnham and Book are fantastic. I have loved the other Disco books that flesh out the other characters, but it has been a long time since we got a Michael focused novel. It’s good to have that again - it brings clarity and connection to the now-caption of the NCC-1031. Great read!
May 30, 2021
I love the show and especially Season 3 which takes us 950 years in the future. I was anticipating this novel and I read it as soon as it was available.It was was fantastic! The story fills in the gap of the year that Micheal Burnham was in the future before she was reunited with Discovery. I felt as if I was privy to a secret behind the scenes look at Sahil, Book and Burnham's budding relationship and how their friendships sustained them through the crazy events of the future. Bravo Una McCormack! I would love more stories that center on Book and Burnham.
July 25, 2021
I loved learning more about this unexplored period in Michael Burnham’s story. Una McCormack was perfect for providing this, with strong characterization and a knack for keeping the sense of wonder about technology in the forefront rather than getting bogged down in science, technobabble and battles. Of course Burnham gets up to some thrilling adventures during this year, she’s Burnham, but at heart this is a more introspective novel about what the Federation is, what it really means to be Starfleet, and how you create a home.
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