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Star Trek: Prodigy #3
Escape Route
Star Trek: Prodigy TM is a brand-new animated series streaming on Paramount+ and airing on Nickelodeon! Don’t miss this thrilling, original middle grade novel starring the Protostar crew!
The crew is on their way to Starfleet. Their shuttle is cramped, and everyone is cranky. That’s when Murf spots a moon that isn’t on their charts. Murf really wants to go there, so the crew decides to make a stop to stretch their legs and get some supplies.
But a small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign. Could it be time for each of them to go their separate ways?
TM & © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and all related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. NICKELODEON and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
The crew is on their way to Starfleet. Their shuttle is cramped, and everyone is cranky. That’s when Murf spots a moon that isn’t on their charts. Murf really wants to go there, so the crew decides to make a stop to stretch their legs and get some supplies.
But a small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign. Could it be time for each of them to go their separate ways?
TM & © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and all related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. NICKELODEON and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
- GenresStar TrekScience Fiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2023
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Rose Clarke
62 books1,439 followersCassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 1, 2023
I really had a fun time with the first two Prodigy books that came out earlier this year. "Supernova" by Robb Pearlman told a fun adaptation of the Supernova videogame. "A Dangerous Trade" tells a fun standalone adventure that got nominated for the Scribe Award for Middle Grade fiction!
This is a quick and fun book to read. I think audiences will be able to read it in 1-2 hours, depending on how fast you read. Thankfully, it is a very reasonably priced book (6.99 new). As I got to the last few pages, I realized that this is the last book on the release schedule for Prodigy. This made me sad, as I didn't want it to end. I really hope that more books get published, because these are fun characters to follow, and we need to #SaveStarTrekProdigy.
The main story of this book is cimilar to the story in Clarke's other Prodigy book "A Dangerous Trade". The crew of the Protostar (now in a small shuttle) have something go wrong with their ship's reactor and need a new part and land to try to fix it. As you'd expect, chaos ensues. I totally understand why Clarke wrote the stories this way, as this is a way to tell a story that doesn't step on the show's toes. However, the same basic plot done twice can start to feel repetitive. If Clarke or someone else get more Prodigy novels, we need to avoid using this plot device.
When it comes to worldbuilding, this is actually a very unique book. The "moon" turning out to be a big debris field was interesting and fresh. What it was used for and the "why" of it all was also fascinating.
As you'd expect, the plot is fairly predictable, not just because its a kids book, but because Clarke has done a similar story in "A Dangerous Trade". However, I believe that the target audience, 8-11 year olds will really enjoy this book and not see the twists coming.
One problem this book has is that the book relys on information from the show. The previous two books really only need the audience to know who the characters are and what the basic situation is. However, this book happens during a period during the show's season 1 finale. If you aren't caught up, not only will this spoil some of the Season 1 finale, but it might take a minute to get adjusted. This certainly isn't a problem, as this is a tie-in book to the show and it does explain everything. However, if you are the most casual of casual readers like me, you might have to take a minute to follow everything.
There is some great character work, as well as some good thematic work as well. Dal deals with some fear of what will happen when they get to Earth. Rok-Tahk fears losing Murf, and Murf fears losing the rest of the crew. The way Clarke wrote emotions was very palpable and realistic and I thought she did an excellent job of displaying them and using them for the plot in the story. The themes of family and trust and courage were good, especially for young readers.
Overall, this is a fun, quick read. I don't think its the best in the series, but if you've been missing Star Trek books in your life, particularly if you're missing Prodigy stories, then I have the book for you! I'll give this one a 7.5 out of 10. Good job Clarke!
This is a quick and fun book to read. I think audiences will be able to read it in 1-2 hours, depending on how fast you read. Thankfully, it is a very reasonably priced book (6.99 new). As I got to the last few pages, I realized that this is the last book on the release schedule for Prodigy. This made me sad, as I didn't want it to end. I really hope that more books get published, because these are fun characters to follow, and we need to #SaveStarTrekProdigy.
The main story of this book is cimilar to the story in Clarke's other Prodigy book "A Dangerous Trade". The crew of the Protostar (now in a small shuttle) have something go wrong with their ship's reactor and need a new part and land to try to fix it. As you'd expect, chaos ensues. I totally understand why Clarke wrote the stories this way, as this is a way to tell a story that doesn't step on the show's toes. However, the same basic plot done twice can start to feel repetitive. If Clarke or someone else get more Prodigy novels, we need to avoid using this plot device.
When it comes to worldbuilding, this is actually a very unique book. The "moon" turning out to be a big debris field was interesting and fresh. What it was used for and the "why" of it all was also fascinating.
As you'd expect, the plot is fairly predictable, not just because its a kids book, but because Clarke has done a similar story in "A Dangerous Trade". However, I believe that the target audience, 8-11 year olds will really enjoy this book and not see the twists coming.
One problem this book has is that the book relys on information from the show. The previous two books really only need the audience to know who the characters are and what the basic situation is. However, this book happens during a period during the show's season 1 finale. If you aren't caught up, not only will this spoil some of the Season 1 finale, but it might take a minute to get adjusted. This certainly isn't a problem, as this is a tie-in book to the show and it does explain everything. However, if you are the most casual of casual readers like me, you might have to take a minute to follow everything.
There is some great character work, as well as some good thematic work as well. Dal deals with some fear of what will happen when they get to Earth. Rok-Tahk fears losing Murf, and Murf fears losing the rest of the crew. The way Clarke wrote emotions was very palpable and realistic and I thought she did an excellent job of displaying them and using them for the plot in the story. The themes of family and trust and courage were good, especially for young readers.
Overall, this is a fun, quick read. I don't think its the best in the series, but if you've been missing Star Trek books in your life, particularly if you're missing Prodigy stories, then I have the book for you! I'll give this one a 7.5 out of 10. Good job Clarke!
September 21, 2023
This was a really good Star Trek themed book geared towards younger middle grade aged readers. Escape Route is book 3 in The Star Trek: Prodigy series and I really liked it! I went into reading this not knowing much about Star Trek, but that didn’t seem to matter when it came to being able to enjoy this chapter book. This book was very well written and young science fiction fans are sure to love this one! I might have to look into the other books in this fun series.
September 17, 2025
I only watched the TV series once, but based on my memory, this book would fall at the end of season 1 and before season 2. It kind of fills in the gap a little bit. The story is quite good, and the world building is excellent. However, the whole plot hinges on one enormous out of character moment for everybody. The Chakkara reminded me a bit of the junkions from Transformers: The Movie. Pretty good overall.
4.5 out of 5.
4.5 out of 5.
August 3, 2023
With fresh, young space explorers, this is an exciting adventure just right for young science fiction fans.
After escaping their prison and joining together in a small space craft on a very long journey back to Earth, the young crew is faced with a malfunction, which will make their trip go from another month to many years. Plus, they are already cranky from cramming together in the tight space for so long. To repair the ship, they'll need to stop on a planet, and while it first appears that this will be an impossibility, a strange moon suddenly appears where one shouldn't be. Not sure it's safe but having no choice, the crew lands, and what will soon promise to be a blessing is also a nightmare.
I recommend reading this one as a series. While each book holds a specific, wrapped-up adventure, it was a little difficult to settle in with the characters without having experienced their journey up to that point.
After stumbling a bit in the first chapter (which was my own fault for hitting this book without reading the other two first), this read takes off into an exciting ride. I was afraid it might force itself into the Star Trek universe, but while there are a few loose nods, these characters and the plot take their own direction. Each member of the crew has unique characteristics, talents, and personality (each being a different species), and they're still figuring out how to fit together as friends and a crew. Even though these are aliens, their actions, thoughts, and concerns are very fitting to the readers' age group. It's easy to connect with them, and readers will be able to picture themselves tackling the dangers of space right along with them.
The author has done a wonderful job at building the world and characters. There are just enough details to make the scenes come to life, while still leaving others to the readers' imaginations. It creates a fun balance, which also doesn't bog down with unnecessary descriptions. The exotic world, of course, holds a tense adventure, which draws in and doesn't let go until the end, since it's not clear how the crew will escape the problems they run into. And while this is moving along, the author slyly weaves in slight messages concerning pollution, friendship, trust and more. But these never steer the plot.
What I appreciated most was the pure, space fun. This lets the explorer spirit free and allows the excitement of discovering exciting, unexpected places and adventures to take simply take control. It's the kind of read, which invites to building a space craft and heading out to see what the universe holds. I received an ARC and was surprised by the excitement of this adventure.
After escaping their prison and joining together in a small space craft on a very long journey back to Earth, the young crew is faced with a malfunction, which will make their trip go from another month to many years. Plus, they are already cranky from cramming together in the tight space for so long. To repair the ship, they'll need to stop on a planet, and while it first appears that this will be an impossibility, a strange moon suddenly appears where one shouldn't be. Not sure it's safe but having no choice, the crew lands, and what will soon promise to be a blessing is also a nightmare.
I recommend reading this one as a series. While each book holds a specific, wrapped-up adventure, it was a little difficult to settle in with the characters without having experienced their journey up to that point.
After stumbling a bit in the first chapter (which was my own fault for hitting this book without reading the other two first), this read takes off into an exciting ride. I was afraid it might force itself into the Star Trek universe, but while there are a few loose nods, these characters and the plot take their own direction. Each member of the crew has unique characteristics, talents, and personality (each being a different species), and they're still figuring out how to fit together as friends and a crew. Even though these are aliens, their actions, thoughts, and concerns are very fitting to the readers' age group. It's easy to connect with them, and readers will be able to picture themselves tackling the dangers of space right along with them.
The author has done a wonderful job at building the world and characters. There are just enough details to make the scenes come to life, while still leaving others to the readers' imaginations. It creates a fun balance, which also doesn't bog down with unnecessary descriptions. The exotic world, of course, holds a tense adventure, which draws in and doesn't let go until the end, since it's not clear how the crew will escape the problems they run into. And while this is moving along, the author slyly weaves in slight messages concerning pollution, friendship, trust and more. But these never steer the plot.
What I appreciated most was the pure, space fun. This lets the explorer spirit free and allows the excitement of discovering exciting, unexpected places and adventures to take simply take control. It's the kind of read, which invites to building a space craft and heading out to see what the universe holds. I received an ARC and was surprised by the excitement of this adventure.
October 6, 2023
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
In this third book in the Prodigy series (following A Dangerous Trade and Supernova), we find six members ot the Protostar Federation ship wandering the universe in the escape shuttle, trying to get back to Earth. Dal, an Augment android-type individual, was the captain and Jakhom Pog the navigator. We also have Gwyn, Zero (who uses they/them pronouns), Rok-Tahk, and Murf, who language doesn't translate to the others, so communication is difficult. When the warp drive on their shuttle becomes damaged, they realize that they won't be able to reach Earth until they are all grown ups unless they can fix it. They land on a white moon that seems to be comprised of garbage, Chakkara, and meet local resident Yichirri, who takes them to Amkarja, the leader. The planet is indeed made of waste, and since dangerous chemicals frequently end up there and cause explosions, the underground bunkers where the residents live are in danger. When it turns out that Murf can eat just about anything and neutralize it, the Chakkarans offer to give the crew the parts they need to fix their warp drive in exchange for Murf. Since Murf can't communicate, he is only able to voice his displeasure in whines. The crew feels bad, but is also desperate to return to Earth. What it the best way forward?
Since I haven't seen the Nickolodeon television series or read the first two books, I did have some unanswered questions, like why Murf hasn't picked up any language? Of course, we are dealing with space denizens (I imagine we don't call them aliens anymore, since that has picked up a perjorative sense in the last few years), so there are many subtleties I am missing. This also seems to be the final book in the series, so is more concerned with wrapping up the action than in investigating the different characters.
Novel adaptations of television programs have been around for years; I may even have a Partridge Family mystery with a young David Cassidy on the cover, but I haven't seen as many of these adaptations recently. There are many novelizations of the Star Wars franchise, but far fewer of the Star Trek one, so this was good to see, even if Janeway was the only character mentioned (she was a hologram on the Protostar) with whom I was familiar!
Space adventure is always good to find, and the adventures of the Protostar crew will be welcome by readers who navigated space with Sylvester's Miners, Landers' Blastaway, Fry's Space Pirates, and Levy's Seventh Grade vs. the Universe.
In this third book in the Prodigy series (following A Dangerous Trade and Supernova), we find six members ot the Protostar Federation ship wandering the universe in the escape shuttle, trying to get back to Earth. Dal, an Augment android-type individual, was the captain and Jakhom Pog the navigator. We also have Gwyn, Zero (who uses they/them pronouns), Rok-Tahk, and Murf, who language doesn't translate to the others, so communication is difficult. When the warp drive on their shuttle becomes damaged, they realize that they won't be able to reach Earth until they are all grown ups unless they can fix it. They land on a white moon that seems to be comprised of garbage, Chakkara, and meet local resident Yichirri, who takes them to Amkarja, the leader. The planet is indeed made of waste, and since dangerous chemicals frequently end up there and cause explosions, the underground bunkers where the residents live are in danger. When it turns out that Murf can eat just about anything and neutralize it, the Chakkarans offer to give the crew the parts they need to fix their warp drive in exchange for Murf. Since Murf can't communicate, he is only able to voice his displeasure in whines. The crew feels bad, but is also desperate to return to Earth. What it the best way forward?
Since I haven't seen the Nickolodeon television series or read the first two books, I did have some unanswered questions, like why Murf hasn't picked up any language? Of course, we are dealing with space denizens (I imagine we don't call them aliens anymore, since that has picked up a perjorative sense in the last few years), so there are many subtleties I am missing. This also seems to be the final book in the series, so is more concerned with wrapping up the action than in investigating the different characters.
Novel adaptations of television programs have been around for years; I may even have a Partridge Family mystery with a young David Cassidy on the cover, but I haven't seen as many of these adaptations recently. There are many novelizations of the Star Wars franchise, but far fewer of the Star Trek one, so this was good to see, even if Janeway was the only character mentioned (she was a hologram on the Protostar) with whom I was familiar!
Space adventure is always good to find, and the adventures of the Protostar crew will be welcome by readers who navigated space with Sylvester's Miners, Landers' Blastaway, Fry's Space Pirates, and Levy's Seventh Grade vs. the Universe.
September 18, 2023
The 3rd novel for "Star Trek: Prodigy", "Escape Route" by Cassandra Rose Clarke is a book that starts out meaning well but then runs into an issue around the climax that has this reader really wishing this book would've gone on just a touch longer. Set after the events in "Supernova", it finds the crew heading toward Earth on a shuttlecraft & then having the warp engine die out. The crew then comes across a moon that is not on their charts where they land and then realize that there is far more to this moon and its inhabitants that meets the eye. Clarke does a good job with storytelling as well as character development with our primaries but it's in that moment where we the reader think the story will end (or close in on it) that Clarke decides to rush things speeding up the ending unnecessarily and actually hurting in my opinion what is a very well written story. With the future of Prodigy a bit in jeopardy it is my hope as a reader that we'll still see books in this franchise that are hopefully a bit better thought out.
May 16, 2025
This is the first Star Trek book I've read that's explicitly aimed at children, so I expected the plot to be simple, as indeed it is. That's fine, and the characterisation is faithful to the series. What I did have an issue with is that the plot turns on the crew not being able to understand Murf's wishes at a crucial moment, even though they're made very clear to the reader via his behaviour, and the crew are able to understand him at this sort of level throughout the rest of the book as they do in the series. I also felt that, even given the age of the target audience, there was too much exposition on matters anyone who had watched the show would be aware of. I can't imagine many parents are buying Prodigy books for their kids without first showing them at least a few of the episodes.
July 27, 2025
All of these Star Trek: Prodigy books feel like half assed filler episodes that, at best, have a decent understanding of the characters and, at worst, are basically unfilled outlines of stories. Was it nice to get another hour with the characters from the show? Sure. Was it cool that for the first time, this wasn't a story that could just be plopped anywhere in the series? Yeah. Was it an engaging and satisfying story that could stand alone outside of the show? Absolutely not. It has all the complexity and detail as one half hour episode, but there was clearly room to flesh out and give detail to this story, but no one bothered.
August 8, 2023
This was every bit as cute as the previous two Prodigy novels. These are wonderful little children's novels, but they're also enjoyable for adults who can appreciate the show.
With the recent news of the show being cancelled beyond a second season (and with none of us knowing what network will pick up that second season), I do hope there will be more novels for Star Trek fans to enjoy!
With the recent news of the show being cancelled beyond a second season (and with none of us knowing what network will pick up that second season), I do hope there will be more novels for Star Trek fans to enjoy!
October 12, 2023
Another fun read.
These are meant for kids, but I’m a fan of the show and these books are written perfectly in harmony with the show.
The characters are exactly as they appear on the show, and the story fits right in with the televised episodes.
A fun, quick read if you’re a fan of the show.
These are meant for kids, but I’m a fan of the show and these books are written perfectly in harmony with the show.
The characters are exactly as they appear on the show, and the story fits right in with the televised episodes.
A fun, quick read if you’re a fan of the show.
February 12, 2025
Rating a little higher than justified. This one was less fun than books one and two. Crew makes a bad decision but not in the usual way of just stepping into trouble. At least it gives an opportunity for all to consider what they value most.
December 5, 2023
Though the story is intriguing, the final act comes across as rushed. I think the author ran out of ideas or time. It feels too brief, even for a middle-grade novel. Despite several shortcomings, Star Trek: Prodigy: Escape Route is an enjoyable book—ideal for younger readers and fans of the animated series. ╌★★★½✰
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews