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An unimaginable conflict could cost Kirk's soul...or Spock's life. A dark plan has been unleashed in the galaxy, a design so vast, only a collective—and ruthless—mind like the Totality could have conceived it. Now Captain Kirk must battle the seductive force of the Totality's will. It was reasonable that Captain Kirk and Federation Free Agent Sola Than would fall in love. But no reasoning the the universe could have foreseen the tragedy of Spock's own passion for the same woman. Now this unimaginable conflict could cost Captain Kirk his very soul, and bring death to the proud Vulcan. But in the unimaginable lies their only chance, and the freedom of the galaxy depends on the outcome of the Triangle.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1983
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558 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
November 28, 2015
You have to work pretty hard to make me not care about Spock going through pon farr, but this dire piece of unintelligible goo manages it. The book is a baroque cacophony of words slurred onto the page, of high concepts that just don't work. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters, even the familiar ones that I love, let alone the one-dimensional chorus. You didn't really need a triangle between Kirk, Spock, and Sola, because you know all the way through that without the publishing censors Kirk and Spock would have only had eyes for each other. To reach the final chapter was a blessed relief.
February 28, 2017
Kinda a drudge. Longest 188 page book i've read in a long time.
Read
July 28, 2011Rubbish. Absolute rubbish. I've read probably close to 100 Star Trek books, and this one is, without a doubt, the worst one I have ever read. I won't even tell you why I feel this way, because this book is not worth the effort required to do so.
August 6, 2015
The last of the Marshak/Culbreath books ever written, and thus the last I'll ever have to read. Good riddance.
February 21, 2023
I honestly do not know what the hell I just read...
Okay, so, like Kirk and Spock are both in love with the same woman, who is also in love with both of them, but it's like a super-hard-mate-bond-alien-love that has the power to topple empires, etc. And, it seems highly implied that Kirk and Spock are also madly in love with each other, because the alien-love-woman can feel something strong between them...it's like this whole polycule thing going on...also she bones Spock and then immediately goes and sees Kirk...whom she then also bones...so, like Kirk is getting them sloppy Vulcan seconds.-.*squish* *squish* ...I mean, I'm not like opposed to this, or anything, I fully support their polycule...being the Relationship Anarchist that I am...it's just presented oddly in this book.
There's also apparently two hive consciousnesses trying to take over the galaxy, one of which is ancient and alien and the other is made up of New Humans from Earth and talked about in such a way that it seems the author thinks that I'm supposed to be very familiar with the concept. Memory Beta confirms that these New Humans only exist in this novel and in the novelization of "The Motion Picture"...so, I'm gonna guess that there was a lot of behind closed doors table talk amongst a few of the authors and Gene and this was total head canon with them and never truly saw the light of day. However, these hive consciousnesses seem to be more the product of people subsuming themselves under the dominance of a single individual who links them all together...
So, see, the book should have been called "Triangles" since there's two of them...Kirk-Spock-Sola and the Totality-the Oneness-and individuality. It also seems to kind of, sort of imply that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (plus, like the whole crew of the Enterprise) are like another type of hive mind of individuals who are all bonded together by the power of love...queue Huey Louis and the News!
Yah, you can skip this one...
Okay, so, like Kirk and Spock are both in love with the same woman, who is also in love with both of them, but it's like a super-hard-mate-bond-alien-love that has the power to topple empires, etc. And, it seems highly implied that Kirk and Spock are also madly in love with each other, because the alien-love-woman can feel something strong between them...it's like this whole polycule thing going on...also she bones Spock and then immediately goes and sees Kirk...whom she then also bones...so, like Kirk is getting them sloppy Vulcan seconds.-.*squish* *squish* ...I mean, I'm not like opposed to this, or anything, I fully support their polycule...being the Relationship Anarchist that I am...it's just presented oddly in this book.
There's also apparently two hive consciousnesses trying to take over the galaxy, one of which is ancient and alien and the other is made up of New Humans from Earth and talked about in such a way that it seems the author thinks that I'm supposed to be very familiar with the concept. Memory Beta confirms that these New Humans only exist in this novel and in the novelization of "The Motion Picture"...so, I'm gonna guess that there was a lot of behind closed doors table talk amongst a few of the authors and Gene and this was total head canon with them and never truly saw the light of day. However, these hive consciousnesses seem to be more the product of people subsuming themselves under the dominance of a single individual who links them all together...
So, see, the book should have been called "Triangles" since there's two of them...Kirk-Spock-Sola and the Totality-the Oneness-and individuality. It also seems to kind of, sort of imply that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (plus, like the whole crew of the Enterprise) are like another type of hive mind of individuals who are all bonded together by the power of love...queue Huey Louis and the News!
Yah, you can skip this one...
July 3, 2024
With a goal of reading a bit more sci-fi, I have once again chickened out and gulped up another STAR TREK novel. Not sure why, but there you go. I think I have become used to the characters or maybe it’s just the way that television series made it appear that we could all work together to save the universe. Hope is hope in a current world where governments aren’t even able to fix public sidewalks and roadways, let alone develop an interplanetary space force that will send us to the far reaches of the galaxy.
This is the ninth title in the original series of books, produced after the demise of the original telly show, thanks to the fanatical Trekkie/Trekker fans. Here, a group of humans from Earth who fled the atomic-age have created a weird collective telepathic thingy, which they use to manipulate the local denizens of a planet. Of course, they have bigger plans, such as subjugating the denizens of the universe. The Enterprise and her crew are carrying a Federation ambassador, who is actually a member of a rival weird telepathic thingy, to the troublesome planet. Along the way, a woman who is attracted to both Kirk and Spock comes along for the ride. It’s like a Hope-Crosby adventure with Dorothy Lamour thrown in for the effect.
It took me a while to read this, as I’m slow anyway. But I think it took a while to read because I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I’ve never done drugs, but maybe being blinked out of my mind would have helped me. It might appeal to a reader who, perhaps, lived in one of those hippie communes at some point in their lives. I don’t know. Anyway, I tried eating a chocolate bar with strawberry filling, hoping it would transport me to another level of consciousness so I would understand the plot. I just got sick.
Book Season = Year Round (phasers on stun)
This is the ninth title in the original series of books, produced after the demise of the original telly show, thanks to the fanatical Trekkie/Trekker fans. Here, a group of humans from Earth who fled the atomic-age have created a weird collective telepathic thingy, which they use to manipulate the local denizens of a planet. Of course, they have bigger plans, such as subjugating the denizens of the universe. The Enterprise and her crew are carrying a Federation ambassador, who is actually a member of a rival weird telepathic thingy, to the troublesome planet. Along the way, a woman who is attracted to both Kirk and Spock comes along for the ride. It’s like a Hope-Crosby adventure with Dorothy Lamour thrown in for the effect.
It took me a while to read this, as I’m slow anyway. But I think it took a while to read because I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I’ve never done drugs, but maybe being blinked out of my mind would have helped me. It might appeal to a reader who, perhaps, lived in one of those hippie communes at some point in their lives. I don’t know. Anyway, I tried eating a chocolate bar with strawberry filling, hoping it would transport me to another level of consciousness so I would understand the plot. I just got sick.
Book Season = Year Round (phasers on stun)
December 28, 2017
High concepts with no heart, and the pacing is outright stupefying. The Mary Sue walks in and sleeps with both Spock and Kirk within an hour of each other, and if I never have to read about Kirk's 'seed' again, I live a happy life. Take a shot every time the word 'amoeba' gets tossed around.
January 10, 2018
This was an ok book, if it had been written now I’m pretty sure Spock and Kirk would have wound up together at the end like they were meant to. #spirkisreal
March 6, 2012
The New Human movement mentioned in passing in Roddenberry's novelization of 'The Motion Picture' has become some sort of powerful group mind marriage of unclear intentions and is about to start recruiting by force. A competing but equally vaguely defined alien group called the Totality also desires to assimilate Kirk and Spock.
Nothing comes of this.
Sola, a super-powered jungle girl much like Cheetara the Thundercat, has set her mating drive equally upon willing and eager Kirk and Spock, but cannot make up her mind which one to "do".
Nothing comes of this.
Honestly, the story is yearning to resolve itself with a Devil's Threeway, but it's not like Marshak and Culbreath's version of Kirk and Spock ever needed a woman before. But don't worry...
Nobody comes today at all.
Nothing comes of this.
Sola, a super-powered jungle girl much like Cheetara the Thundercat, has set her mating drive equally upon willing and eager Kirk and Spock, but cannot make up her mind which one to "do".
Nothing comes of this.
Honestly, the story is yearning to resolve itself with a Devil's Threeway, but it's not like Marshak and Culbreath's version of Kirk and Spock ever needed a woman before. But don't worry...
Nobody comes today at all.
September 19, 2025
This story takes place after The Motion Picture. It references the V'Ger mission but does little else to place it in that timeline.
Most of the negative comments in the other reviews are right. Kirk and Spock are out of character. This is explained by the plot, but at a certain point, it stretches credulity for them to be this far out of character. However, the story introduces some creative ideas that keep the book interesting for the first two-thirds of its length. Unfortunately, it really falls apart in the finale. But it kept me interested more than a number of more highly rated Star Trek novels I've read. This will never be a story you add to your head canon, but I give them credit for trying something original.
3.25/5
Most of the negative comments in the other reviews are right. Kirk and Spock are out of character. This is explained by the plot, but at a certain point, it stretches credulity for them to be this far out of character. However, the story introduces some creative ideas that keep the book interesting for the first two-thirds of its length. Unfortunately, it really falls apart in the finale. But it kept me interested more than a number of more highly rated Star Trek novels I've read. This will never be a story you add to your head canon, but I give them credit for trying something original.
3.25/5
January 17, 2021
Ugh. What a disaster. I don't even know where to begin.
New character comes out of nowhere, meets Kirk and Spock, they all immediately fall in love with each other and start acting like they've known one another for years. No good reason is given for this apart from reading each other's Starfleet bios and space adventure news. At no point do they actually learn much of anything about each other that would lead any rational people to want to bond for life.
Of course, this short meeting instantly triggers Spock's pon farr because no real reason. Oh, but don't worry, the new character has a pon farr of her own (except not) so she also must mate or die.
The new character is also a perfect warrior, the most powerful of her species, has incredible psyonic abilities, is the most beautiful—do you see where this is going? There is a certain term people have started to use these days to callously dismiss anything with a strong woman in it, so I invoke it with great caution, but my friends, this character is the Mary Sueist of the Mary Sues.
Listen, I love a good trashy fan fiction. When reading fanfic, I give a LOT of leeway to the authors because it's done for love, it's not professionally edited, and it's essentially just someone in their free time writing out a crazy idea they had in case any other fans would like to read about it, for free. But this is an official Star Trek novel. This crap got greenlit and published. These authors got paid money. This is not AO3 and this mess of a novel doesn't deserve the clemency due a fanfic just because it is written like one.
I haven't even mentioned what's ostensibly supposed to be the real plot, of a group of New Humans trying to rope the entire crew into Oneness, but don't worry because there's a second Oneness out there and they're trying to do the same thing, and somehow that makes the first Oneness the good guys? For extra senseless fun, despite the fact that the whole point of the Oneness is that a bunch of people team up and act as the cells of one large organism, each Oneness is actually encompassed and represented by one madman who's pulling all the strings, including transmitting searing pain whenever anyone tries to do anything the madman doesn't want them to do. Which makes them not Onenesses at all, but a psychically dominated cult, so why is this just okay and left to work itself out?
The ending is laughably ridiculous, with contrived danger that is going to lead to near instant death, which is then just ignored for multiple pages while everyone has a calm and detailed (but annoyingly cyclical) discussion about what they should do now.
Not to mention the authors' propensity to use the exact same phrases in the exact same way by different characters throughout the book, because why write our beloved crew in character or show their individuality? Everyone's just a puppet for the authors' desire to strongarm duality throughout scenes that don't support it. For instance, why is Spock repeatedly clarifying, with emphasis, that Kirk wants to know the status of the ship when Kirk asks for a status report on the bridge? OF COURSE HE MEANS THE SHIP NO ONE WOULD QUESTION THAT and certainly not Spock, who gives status reports ten times a freaking shift.
I just... ugh. I'm making myself angry again just writing this review. I think I've now read all of the Star Trek novels by this writing team, and I can confidently say that they never got any better. If anything, with this last one, they actually got worse. I'm very glad there are no more of their works lurking in my future.
It's so sad and frustrating, because just like each of their other novels, there are hints of a good story here! (Hence the second star.) Having to stop a powerful cult of Oneness and expose the leader as the man behind the curtain to free his hostages and give them back their individuality, all while your crew is starting to fall like dominoes under his control, could make for a fun and interesting classic Star Trek novel. Something fun could certainly be done with a race of powerful psyonics like our Mary Sue, too. But like every other novel they've written, the germ of a good idea is twisted into shapes it can't support, complicated unnecessarily by writers who are so much less profound than they'd like to imagine they are, while characters we love have their characterizations bastardized.
The authors don't even bother fact checking themselves against actual Star Trek, as they both misquote one of the best-loved Spock lines of the series and confuse a Caitian with a Catullan (pretty rough since a Caitian looks like a cat-person and a Catullan looks like a human with cool hair—and both species were seen and defined well before this book was written, in TOS and TAS).
Unless you are a completionist like me, and it will drive you crazy if you don't read every Star Trek novel ever written (or are a hardcore lover of the Mary Sue style of fan fiction and like to see that in book form) I'd strongly recommend avoiding this one.
New character comes out of nowhere, meets Kirk and Spock, they all immediately fall in love with each other and start acting like they've known one another for years. No good reason is given for this apart from reading each other's Starfleet bios and space adventure news. At no point do they actually learn much of anything about each other that would lead any rational people to want to bond for life.
Of course, this short meeting instantly triggers Spock's pon farr because no real reason. Oh, but don't worry, the new character has a pon farr of her own (except not) so she also must mate or die.
The new character is also a perfect warrior, the most powerful of her species, has incredible psyonic abilities, is the most beautiful—do you see where this is going? There is a certain term people have started to use these days to callously dismiss anything with a strong woman in it, so I invoke it with great caution, but my friends, this character is the Mary Sueist of the Mary Sues.
Listen, I love a good trashy fan fiction. When reading fanfic, I give a LOT of leeway to the authors because it's done for love, it's not professionally edited, and it's essentially just someone in their free time writing out a crazy idea they had in case any other fans would like to read about it, for free. But this is an official Star Trek novel. This crap got greenlit and published. These authors got paid money. This is not AO3 and this mess of a novel doesn't deserve the clemency due a fanfic just because it is written like one.
I haven't even mentioned what's ostensibly supposed to be the real plot, of a group of New Humans trying to rope the entire crew into Oneness, but don't worry because there's a second Oneness out there and they're trying to do the same thing, and somehow that makes the first Oneness the good guys? For extra senseless fun, despite the fact that the whole point of the Oneness is that a bunch of people team up and act as the cells of one large organism, each Oneness is actually encompassed and represented by one madman who's pulling all the strings, including transmitting searing pain whenever anyone tries to do anything the madman doesn't want them to do. Which makes them not Onenesses at all, but a psychically dominated cult, so why is this just okay and left to work itself out?
The ending is laughably ridiculous, with contrived danger that is going to lead to near instant death, which is then just ignored for multiple pages while everyone has a calm and detailed (but annoyingly cyclical) discussion about what they should do now.
Not to mention the authors' propensity to use the exact same phrases in the exact same way by different characters throughout the book, because why write our beloved crew in character or show their individuality? Everyone's just a puppet for the authors' desire to strongarm duality throughout scenes that don't support it. For instance, why is Spock repeatedly clarifying, with emphasis, that Kirk wants to know the status of the ship when Kirk asks for a status report on the bridge? OF COURSE HE MEANS THE SHIP NO ONE WOULD QUESTION THAT and certainly not Spock, who gives status reports ten times a freaking shift.
I just... ugh. I'm making myself angry again just writing this review. I think I've now read all of the Star Trek novels by this writing team, and I can confidently say that they never got any better. If anything, with this last one, they actually got worse. I'm very glad there are no more of their works lurking in my future.
It's so sad and frustrating, because just like each of their other novels, there are hints of a good story here! (Hence the second star.) Having to stop a powerful cult of Oneness and expose the leader as the man behind the curtain to free his hostages and give them back their individuality, all while your crew is starting to fall like dominoes under his control, could make for a fun and interesting classic Star Trek novel. Something fun could certainly be done with a race of powerful psyonics like our Mary Sue, too. But like every other novel they've written, the germ of a good idea is twisted into shapes it can't support, complicated unnecessarily by writers who are so much less profound than they'd like to imagine they are, while characters we love have their characterizations bastardized.
The authors don't even bother fact checking themselves against actual Star Trek, as they both misquote one of the best-loved Spock lines of the series and confuse a Caitian with a Catullan (pretty rough since a Caitian looks like a cat-person and a Catullan looks like a human with cool hair—and both species were seen and defined well before this book was written, in TOS and TAS).
Unless you are a completionist like me, and it will drive you crazy if you don't read every Star Trek novel ever written (or are a hardcore lover of the Mary Sue style of fan fiction and like to see that in book form) I'd strongly recommend avoiding this one.
February 27, 2017
I really think people are hard on this book not sure why I thought the storyline was really nice and it really grabbed you by the first chapter and just kept you looking forward to the next page I liked how she was torn between the to Kirk and Spock and how she sacrificed herself for her two loves was good and to the people who gave this book a one or two star why don't you try writing a book and then let's see how many stars you get great book loved it
April 8, 2024
People are being mean to this book and are so wrong about it. Sometimes women have to write about saving the galaxy through the power of the polycule. If you don't like fanfic you won't like this book. I personally enjoyed the Mary Sue esc character, plus it does wonders for "the premise".
May 9, 2018
I had real doubts about this one after reading the blurb. Putting Kirk and Spock into a love triangle with some random woman, who would no doubt never be seen again once the book is over? Not tempting, and it's not helped by the fact that I hate love triangles at the best of times - really, genuinely loathe them. But I was pleasantly surprised... and I think this is due to the care given to the characterisation here. This is the second Star Trek book I've read by the writing team of Marshak and Culbreath - the other being The Prometheus Design - and my impressions are consistent. In neither case am I particularly enamoured of the big science fiction problem of the text (it's another old sci-fi staple here, this time the hive mind) but their understanding of character is pinpoint and rises above their liking for unoriginal concepts. Kirk and Spock are their best selves here, which is a great relief after recently reading the mangled characterisation of the execrable Abode of Life, and the relationship between the two of them is bedrock solid and unwaveringly positive. I'm not at all converted to love triangles - I still think they're horrible - but this one could have been a great deal worse. I'm a Trek fan largely because of the emphasis it places on the positive, on the reaching successfully for a better world, and that philosophy is very much in evidence here.
August 17, 2021
OLD ONE - I know that I read it!
August 10, 2025
Intricato. Diabolico. Appassionato.
February 8, 2021
I don't know why this one has only 3 ⭐ it was so fun 🤣
November 12, 2024
Triangle is Star Trek: The Original Series' Book #9 from the Pocket Books line (ST: TOS #9.) Without a doubt, Triangle is one of the worst Trek novels I have ever read. I think most people (fans even) will find that this is one of the most unintelligible bits of dreck in the ethos, and the worst of the Marshak / Culbreath collaborations.
Here, the Totality wants to unify the universe in a way similar to the Borg and create a collective mind. The Enterprise, its captain, and crew are tasked with the responsibility to meet the challenge, but Federation negotiator Free Agent Sola Than complicates an already ridiculous premise by acting as the third side of a lust Triangle between Spock and Kirk.
Spock is burning with pon farr, but Kirk had set his eyes on Sola Than, first. Even so, both of the men attempt to sacrifice their feelings for their friend, because it would be the more cultured and evolved thing to do. Yet there are the inner workings of mind and body that make those choices more difficult.
Triangle is really just a bad idea for a novel, and even worse for a Star Trek novel. I think if you took a poll, and asked 100 people what they believed would happen in the case of a love triangle between Kirk and Spock, 100 people could tell you the result of this novel. That's how blatantly unnecessary this book would be and is.
Here, the Totality wants to unify the universe in a way similar to the Borg and create a collective mind. The Enterprise, its captain, and crew are tasked with the responsibility to meet the challenge, but Federation negotiator Free Agent Sola Than complicates an already ridiculous premise by acting as the third side of a lust Triangle between Spock and Kirk.
Spock is burning with pon farr, but Kirk had set his eyes on Sola Than, first. Even so, both of the men attempt to sacrifice their feelings for their friend, because it would be the more cultured and evolved thing to do. Yet there are the inner workings of mind and body that make those choices more difficult.
Triangle is really just a bad idea for a novel, and even worse for a Star Trek novel. I think if you took a poll, and asked 100 people what they believed would happen in the case of a love triangle between Kirk and Spock, 100 people could tell you the result of this novel. That's how blatantly unnecessary this book would be and is.
September 10, 2021
Triangle might be the worst Star Trek novel I've ever read, and I've been reading them since the Bantam Books days in the 1970s. It is nearly irredeemable. I'm one of the rare Trekkies who really likes the Phoenix novels by this pair of authors (Myrna Culbreath and Sondra Marshak), but Triangle is quite possibly the most embarrassingly bad Trek novel I've read outside of fanzines (and worse than most of those).
The plot actually echoes several themes and complications from the Phoenix novels. We have Kirk being a weak, helpless, whiny little creature while Spock is transformed into a feral Vulcan with raging emotions. McCoy is used only to give a 3rd-person POV on the central 'triangle' of the story.
The third corner of the triangle is a half-alien super-Starfleet "free agent" named Sola. The book's title tells you exactly what to expect: a love triangle.
I wonder if this started as a third Phoenix book since the same Kirk-Spock-alien woman triangle is central to those, it features at least one man who is more powerful than Kirk and Spock and almost breaks Kirk's personality, and it explores the idea of how puny Kirk is compared to Spock.
I honestly cannot recommend this book to anyone, not even as a curiosity. Skip it and your life will be better for it.
The plot actually echoes several themes and complications from the Phoenix novels. We have Kirk being a weak, helpless, whiny little creature while Spock is transformed into a feral Vulcan with raging emotions. McCoy is used only to give a 3rd-person POV on the central 'triangle' of the story.
The third corner of the triangle is a half-alien super-Starfleet "free agent" named Sola. The book's title tells you exactly what to expect: a love triangle.
I wonder if this started as a third Phoenix book since the same Kirk-Spock-alien woman triangle is central to those, it features at least one man who is more powerful than Kirk and Spock and almost breaks Kirk's personality, and it explores the idea of how puny Kirk is compared to Spock.
I honestly cannot recommend this book to anyone, not even as a curiosity. Skip it and your life will be better for it.
November 8, 2015
Sola Thane is exotically beautiful, a secret agent, a great hunter, spends most of the book half-naked - and she is the most powerful telepath in the galaxy. If, that is, she finds her Soul Mate. Who is Kirk AND Spock at the same time. Because of course. After those two spend a mind-numbing eternity pushing her to and fro like the last slice of pizza, each far too noble to claim her for himself - "You take her." "I couldn't possibly. You take her." "I'm good. You take her." - it is finally revealed that she is also the macguffin in the plan of an evil hive mind to take over the galaxy. Can Kirk, Spock and Thane figure out their love triangle and save the galaxy?
Well yeah, of course they bloody can. Just takes them 188 pages of intensely purple prose to get there.
Well yeah, of course they bloody can. Just takes them 188 pages of intensely purple prose to get there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2016
Mary Sue alert. Kirk and Spock have to transport some people with unusual abilities to a planet, on the way they are ordered to pick up an agent. They both immediately fall in love with her. She can do everything, knows everything etc.
The initial premise of this book was good, if it hadn't had the love interest added it would have been really good. She was just annoying, and Kirk acted out of character too. An ok read.
The initial premise of this book was good, if it hadn't had the love interest added it would have been really good. She was just annoying, and Kirk acted out of character too. An ok read.
January 6, 2024
This book was terrible. It’s the first Star Trek book that I physically could not finish. I think I lost brain cells reading this. I’m not going to go into detail because there are plenty of other comments that do so and I just can’t bring myself to spend more time thinking about this book than absolutely necessary. To those who have read this book: I’m so sorry. To those who haven’t: save yourselves. As for me, I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to forget this book exists.
August 20, 2025
absolutely excruciating read. i don't have anything to say except that it seems to me this book is exclusively aimed at people who enjoy self insert fanfiction and/or fantasize about having a threesome with kirk and spock
June 27, 2025
Nineteen-eighty-three was a wild year on the Final Frontier...at least in the world of tie-in Star Trek fiction. In a year when we got a novel in which the crew mutinied against Captain Kirk, Spock went rogue and became a pirate, you'd think there would be little that Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath's Triangle could do to top those for general wackiness and general insanity.
You'd be wrong.
Marshak and Culbreath were early pioneers in the world of Trek fandom and according to what you read on the Interwebs, apparently served as gatekeepers of sorts in the fan community during the 70's and early 80's. Their names are all over the original set of novels published (they wrote two and edited two short story collections), so seeing them make the leap over to Pocket isn't necessarily too much of a leap. However, it's once they get over to Pocket that their novels seem to ramp up the bizarre factor to a whole new level.
Their final novel, Triangle, brings all this into focus in the most bizarre and tedious of ways. Look, Star Trek novels aren't going to win any awards for their great literary merit. But they should, at least, be entertaining. Alas, Triangle fails at this.
Part of it is, I suspect, that Marshak and Culbreath are having a completely different experience watching classic Star Trek than I am.
The story starts off with Kirk being on the edge of exhaustion (a seemingly common theme for the novels of 1983) and some huge threat to the galaxy lurking our there. Marshak and Culbreath write Kirk as the most alpha male that ever lived. Well, that is until he comes up against this new threat called Totality that wants to do -- well, something. By the time we get to whatever the plan Totality has for doing whatever it wants to do to the universe, I was so checked out that I had lost the will to really invest or care in what was going on.
Then, there's their take on Spock. Clearly this was written long before Paramount and Pocket really edited the books heavily because there is a lot of subtext in there that feels like it's a water down version of the slash fiction from those early years of the convention circuit. Indeed, these two writers take on every single character from TOS feels completely off-base and made me question if I'd watched the same show they did.
So, on the way to face the threat of Totality, the Enterprise stops at a planet to pick up Sola Than, who is clearly a Mary Sue. Before we reach page 100, Kirk and Spock are both in love with her (thus the title), and she's such a woman that she sends Spock into the throes of pon farr early and often.
It's at this point that what little interest I had in the novel completely evaporated. There are some interesting ideas here, including the question of what might happen if Kirk and Spock were attracted to the same person. But because Sola is a Mary Sue, it's a case of complete insta-love that wouldn't be out of place in a YA romance novel.
It also doesn't help that, despite its brevity, the novel feels long and tedious. I read Star Trek novels as an escape. At multiple points (many before page 50), I felt myself wanting to find some kind of escape and often doing that by putting this book aside for long periods of time. Honestly, were it not for my desire to read all the Trek books of 1983, I might have abandoned this one. Instead, it took months to read around 180 pages of one of my favorite franchises.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a Trek tie-in, this novel would have gone out of print long ago. It's tedious, it's dull, it's completely inconsistent with its take on the characters. In short, it's one of the least enjoyable reads I've had in a while.
You'd be wrong.
Marshak and Culbreath were early pioneers in the world of Trek fandom and according to what you read on the Interwebs, apparently served as gatekeepers of sorts in the fan community during the 70's and early 80's. Their names are all over the original set of novels published (they wrote two and edited two short story collections), so seeing them make the leap over to Pocket isn't necessarily too much of a leap. However, it's once they get over to Pocket that their novels seem to ramp up the bizarre factor to a whole new level.
Their final novel, Triangle, brings all this into focus in the most bizarre and tedious of ways. Look, Star Trek novels aren't going to win any awards for their great literary merit. But they should, at least, be entertaining. Alas, Triangle fails at this.
Part of it is, I suspect, that Marshak and Culbreath are having a completely different experience watching classic Star Trek than I am.
The story starts off with Kirk being on the edge of exhaustion (a seemingly common theme for the novels of 1983) and some huge threat to the galaxy lurking our there. Marshak and Culbreath write Kirk as the most alpha male that ever lived. Well, that is until he comes up against this new threat called Totality that wants to do -- well, something. By the time we get to whatever the plan Totality has for doing whatever it wants to do to the universe, I was so checked out that I had lost the will to really invest or care in what was going on.
Then, there's their take on Spock. Clearly this was written long before Paramount and Pocket really edited the books heavily because there is a lot of subtext in there that feels like it's a water down version of the slash fiction from those early years of the convention circuit. Indeed, these two writers take on every single character from TOS feels completely off-base and made me question if I'd watched the same show they did.
So, on the way to face the threat of Totality, the Enterprise stops at a planet to pick up Sola Than, who is clearly a Mary Sue. Before we reach page 100, Kirk and Spock are both in love with her (thus the title), and she's such a woman that she sends Spock into the throes of pon farr early and often.
It's at this point that what little interest I had in the novel completely evaporated. There are some interesting ideas here, including the question of what might happen if Kirk and Spock were attracted to the same person. But because Sola is a Mary Sue, it's a case of complete insta-love that wouldn't be out of place in a YA romance novel.
It also doesn't help that, despite its brevity, the novel feels long and tedious. I read Star Trek novels as an escape. At multiple points (many before page 50), I felt myself wanting to find some kind of escape and often doing that by putting this book aside for long periods of time. Honestly, were it not for my desire to read all the Trek books of 1983, I might have abandoned this one. Instead, it took months to read around 180 pages of one of my favorite franchises.
If it weren't for the fact that this was a Trek tie-in, this novel would have gone out of print long ago. It's tedious, it's dull, it's completely inconsistent with its take on the characters. In short, it's one of the least enjoyable reads I've had in a while.
May 22, 2020
Triangle has a reputation of being one of the worst Original Series books out there. I actually found it by asking the r/trekbooks subreddit for the worst TOS book and this was the most frequent answer I got. Is that reputation earned? No, but it's the worst one I've read yet. Though it's not exactly bad... a better word would be... mediocre. It's not good, everyone acts out of character and the book is repetitive as hell, giving us Kirk's observations on something and then Sola Thane's imagining of what Kirk will observe. Sola Thane is a bland character and she's nothing but a love interest, with no real substance, and her vague mental powers are stupid. The book calls back to TOS episodes, but they aren't intrusive, and some are even inaccurate, with Kirk misremembering Spock's classic "Stone knives and bearskin" line as stone knives and bear claws, which is a minor issue, but I'm a nerd, so I'm pedantic like that. I'll admit, it was more boring than anything, and not rage-inducing like Before Dishonor (which I consider to be the worst of the TNG books). The possible bisexuality/pansexuality/polyamory allegory is interesting, but considering I didn't even notice it until the last twenty pages, I can't imagine it's a very good one. There's also a lot of out of place slashfic elements, which is strange, considering that the book was about Kirk and Spock fighting over a woman, yet all their dialogue shows that they're in love with each other.
I wasn't expecting it to be horrible, but I was expecting it to be at least one of those so bad it's good type books. I can't recommend this book to anyone. I'm sure that the authors are fine writers, considering Prometheus Design doesn't have reviews like this, but this is definitely a miss. It wasn't a horrendous affront to Star Trek or a betrayal of my favorite characters, but it's certainly not their best outing. Maybe the Prometheus Design is better, but I definitely agree with the opinions I was told about. All thumbs down, especially if you're a Benzite. The thing's riddled with spelling errors and doesn't really feel like a Star Trek story. If you want a good Star Trek love triangle involving Kirk and Spock, check out Killing Time. Plus that one has Romulans and time travel in it.
Overall, the book stinks, but it's more pointless than anything since no one seems to show any change, except for Gailbraith, who just decides that maybe the New Humans can wait to take over since the old ones are doing fine. Kirk leaves the book the same way he came in, all that's different is that he and Spock now have a love interest in common.
I wasn't expecting it to be horrible, but I was expecting it to be at least one of those so bad it's good type books. I can't recommend this book to anyone. I'm sure that the authors are fine writers, considering Prometheus Design doesn't have reviews like this, but this is definitely a miss. It wasn't a horrendous affront to Star Trek or a betrayal of my favorite characters, but it's certainly not their best outing. Maybe the Prometheus Design is better, but I definitely agree with the opinions I was told about. All thumbs down, especially if you're a Benzite. The thing's riddled with spelling errors and doesn't really feel like a Star Trek story. If you want a good Star Trek love triangle involving Kirk and Spock, check out Killing Time. Plus that one has Romulans and time travel in it.
Overall, the book stinks, but it's more pointless than anything since no one seems to show any change, except for Gailbraith, who just decides that maybe the New Humans can wait to take over since the old ones are doing fine. Kirk leaves the book the same way he came in, all that's different is that he and Spock now have a love interest in common.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2023
It's slash, Jim.
I don't know what else to say about this one. I haven't read any other (officially licensed) books of these two authors, but apparently they have somewhat of a reputation for being shippers. And, well. Triangle is just that: shippy as hell.
If you enjoy K/S (and aren't opposed to a bit of polyamory), you'll enjoy this book. If that's not your thing you won't like this much, because there's very little else. Each and every layer of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the world-building are just code that means "Kirk and Spock are in love but can't admit to it." Every dialogue has dual meaning. Every character interaction in this tells something about Kirk & Spock's relationship. Even the fucking , or maybe those in particular. Sola is obviously somewhat of a stand-in for either Kirk or Spock, depending on which one she's making out with at the time. At one point Kirk wishes the three of them could spend their life together. It's not subtle.
Personally I think it's very cute, even with the weird insta-love between Spock & Sola and Kirk & Sola. The plot ... is there, I guess. I lost track of it a little. Something about hiveminds, New Humans and saving the galaxy from being forcefully swallowed by said hiveminds. But the important stuff is small-scale.
The writing style is actually nice, which ime isn't a given in the tie-in novels and the pacing is quick. There's barely any exposition, which is also a plus. Short chapters. Fitting characterisations overall: Spock, Kirk & McCoy are true to their TOS selves and Sola feels like a proper character and not only someone shoved in the middle of Kirk & Spock so they have plausible deniability.
All in all I love this but I understand why others here don't, it's pretty much written by K/S fans for K/S fans.
I don't know what else to say about this one. I haven't read any other (officially licensed) books of these two authors, but apparently they have somewhat of a reputation for being shippers. And, well. Triangle is just that: shippy as hell.
If you enjoy K/S (and aren't opposed to a bit of polyamory), you'll enjoy this book. If that's not your thing you won't like this much, because there's very little else. Each and every layer of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the world-building are just code that means "Kirk and Spock are in love but can't admit to it." Every dialogue has dual meaning. Every character interaction in this tells something about Kirk & Spock's relationship. Even the fucking , or maybe those in particular. Sola is obviously somewhat of a stand-in for either Kirk or Spock, depending on which one she's making out with at the time. At one point Kirk wishes the three of them could spend their life together. It's not subtle.
Personally I think it's very cute, even with the weird insta-love between Spock & Sola and Kirk & Sola. The plot ... is there, I guess. I lost track of it a little. Something about hiveminds, New Humans and saving the galaxy from being forcefully swallowed by said hiveminds. But the important stuff is small-scale.
The writing style is actually nice, which ime isn't a given in the tie-in novels and the pacing is quick. There's barely any exposition, which is also a plus. Short chapters. Fitting characterisations overall: Spock, Kirk & McCoy are true to their TOS selves and Sola feels like a proper character and not only someone shoved in the middle of Kirk & Spock so they have plausible deniability.
All in all I love this but I understand why others here don't, it's pretty much written by K/S fans for K/S fans.
February 1, 2022
Dieses Buch ist wirklich unglaublich schlecht. Da ist eine Superfrau, die gleichzeitig zierlich ist, Rundungen hat, und eine gefährliche Jägerin ist, der man auf Anhieb ansieht, wie tödlich sie ist. Und damit fangen die Absurditäten erst an.
Denn diese Superfrau hat sich schon vor Jahren Kirk versprochen, obwohl sie sich nie kennenlernten. Der verliebt sich jetzt, beim ersten Treffen, natürlich innerhalb von Sekunden in sie - ebenso wie Spock, bei dem das gleich noch das Pon Farr auslöst.
Bevor sie aber mit Kirk auch nur reden kann, wird er verletzt und ist bewusstlos. Sie rettet ihm das Leben und hält sich jetzt für sowas wie mit ihm verheiratet, schläft aber dennoch mit Spock und verliebt sich auch in ihn - und nebenbei sind Spock und Jim auch in einander verliebt.
Ja gut, könnte man noch akzeptieren, wenn die drei sich dann einfach für Polyamorie entscheiden würden. Stattdessen gibt es ja auch noch irgendwelche diffusen Kollektivbewusstseinswesen, die Kirk in sich aufzunehmen versuchen - nein, nicht die Borg, sondern Wesenheiten aus Menschen - und unsere Superfrau dazu zwingen wollen, sich für einen der Männer zu entscheiden.
Dazwischen gibt es unglaublich schwülstige Sprache und das Ganze wurde offenbar von zwei Autorinnen geschrieben, die sexuelles Verlangen als Liebe definieren und für die Liebe halt ausschließlich daraus besteht.
Himmel, es gibt sogar SCHLECHTE Fanfiction, die mehr Sinn ergibt. Und es gibt sogar noch viel mehr GUTE Fanfiction, die es eher verdient hätte, gegen Geld veröffentlicht zu werden. Wer hat diesen schwülstigen Mist nur abgesegnet?!
Denn diese Superfrau hat sich schon vor Jahren Kirk versprochen, obwohl sie sich nie kennenlernten. Der verliebt sich jetzt, beim ersten Treffen, natürlich innerhalb von Sekunden in sie - ebenso wie Spock, bei dem das gleich noch das Pon Farr auslöst.
Bevor sie aber mit Kirk auch nur reden kann, wird er verletzt und ist bewusstlos. Sie rettet ihm das Leben und hält sich jetzt für sowas wie mit ihm verheiratet, schläft aber dennoch mit Spock und verliebt sich auch in ihn - und nebenbei sind Spock und Jim auch in einander verliebt.
Ja gut, könnte man noch akzeptieren, wenn die drei sich dann einfach für Polyamorie entscheiden würden. Stattdessen gibt es ja auch noch irgendwelche diffusen Kollektivbewusstseinswesen, die Kirk in sich aufzunehmen versuchen - nein, nicht die Borg, sondern Wesenheiten aus Menschen - und unsere Superfrau dazu zwingen wollen, sich für einen der Männer zu entscheiden.
Dazwischen gibt es unglaublich schwülstige Sprache und das Ganze wurde offenbar von zwei Autorinnen geschrieben, die sexuelles Verlangen als Liebe definieren und für die Liebe halt ausschließlich daraus besteht.
Himmel, es gibt sogar SCHLECHTE Fanfiction, die mehr Sinn ergibt. Und es gibt sogar noch viel mehr GUTE Fanfiction, die es eher verdient hätte, gegen Geld veröffentlicht zu werden. Wer hat diesen schwülstigen Mist nur abgesegnet?!
December 29, 2017
This was Marshak's attempt to combine the stories of Job and Prometheus, both of which were mentioned throughout. Ambassador Gailbraith represents Oneness (God) and Soljenov represents the Totality (Devil). Kirk, Spock, and a Zaran woman, Sola Thane are the pawns (thus the title, Triangle) in their game of power and control. Sola has to make a decision between the two Federation men for a mate, but she throws a wrench into the works by choosing both. Most of the novel focuses on the decision and the psychology behind it. Each man insists she choose the other, but she refuses. Other than some conflict with planetary wildlife and at the end an erupting volcano, there was little action in this Star Trek story. It does, however, make a point that we have "free will" that allows us to make our own decisions regardless of outside influences. Oneness and Totality, later referred to as the Continuum and the Borg, represent highly Socialist societies where individuals have little choice regarding their own lives. Sola Thane's decision not to follow the rules represents Democracy which allows individuals to voice their opinion and make informed changes.
This took so long to read as it's what I kept in my bathroom. :)
This took so long to read as it's what I kept in my bathroom. :)
March 24, 2019
Author's Sandra Marhak and Myrna Colbreth bring us the first contact with the Totality. The Enterprise is to take Ambassador Gailbraith to the Zaran homeworld. But along the way they are stopped by the need to explore a portion of space that is much like the Bermuda Triangle where various federation starships and merchant ships have gone missing. And in orbit of one the planets in that triangle is the beachhead of the Totality (Note we do meet the Totality again in the last three Shanter novels the Captain's trilogy) On that planet is a Federation Free Agent (what now we would call a Section 31 operative) who has been given command of the Enterprise but refuses to use it. She is a Zaran who if the Totality finds out if she mates with either Kirk or Spock will be used as a weapon to bring in more of their collective into the Federation. (This book deals with concepts similar to that of the Borg just without nanites) This is an intersting first contact with the Totality and the other collective's within the Federation but I only recommend this book if you want more of a back story to the Captian's trilogy or if you're a Star Trek Fan.
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