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Star Trek #11
Star Trek 11
Bk 11 in Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations by James Blish. The James Blish "Star Trek" series is a twelve book series of adaptations of the stories from the original "Star Trek" television series. If you enjoy "Star Trek", if you are a serious collector of "Star Trek" books, this one is worth adding to the set. Blish wrote 12 collections of short stories based on the episodes of the American television series Star Trek (1966–69), which Blish felt had greatly expanded the audience for science fiction.
Contents:
* Preface (Star Trek 11) (1975) • essay by James Blish
* What Are Little Girls Made Of? [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* The Squire of Gothos [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Wink of an Eye [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Bread and Circuses [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Day of the Dove [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Plato's Stepchildren [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
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Contents:
* Preface (Star Trek 11) (1975) • essay by James Blish
* What Are Little Girls Made Of? [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* The Squire of Gothos [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Wink of an Eye [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Bread and Circuses [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Day of the Dove [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
* Plato's Stepchildren [Star Trek Original TV Series Adaptations] (1975) / novelette by James Blish
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188 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1975
6 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
454 books327 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 20, 2024
This is the eleventh volume in Blish's Bantam series of adaptations of original series Star Trek screenplays to short story form. Blish had suffered failing health for some time, and I believe this is the last book that was published under his sole byline. It was written in uncredited collaboration with his wife and her mother (both also accomplished writers), J.A. Lawrence and Muriel Bodkin Lawrence, to whom this volume is dedicated with the note "for labors in the vineyard." It includes a selection of six episodes: Plato's Stepchildren, Day of the Dove, Bread and Circuses, Wink of an Eye, The Squire of Gothos, and What are Little Girls Made of? I believe that most of the more popular and easily adaptable scripts had been used for earlier books in the series, but they did a good job of translating the stories to the prose medium with care and clarity. (Despite an occasional slip like the mysterious preoccupation with "space karate," whatever that was...)
September 11, 2019
This is a step down for the series. Though still good for what it is, it makes me just want to watch the actual episodes instead.
January 5, 2022
More episodes, more novellas...more cringe...ack!
If you're a fan of the TOS and just really, really want to read condensed versions of some episodes, these books are for you.
Otherwise, its like reading a collection of old, chauvinistic, misogynistic science fiction stories.
But, it's still Star Trek...so, I feel compelled to read them... :)
Oh, oh, and before I forget, never have I ever seen the words "Space Karate" used so frequently. :)
If you're a fan of the TOS and just really, really want to read condensed versions of some episodes, these books are for you.
Otherwise, its like reading a collection of old, chauvinistic, misogynistic science fiction stories.
But, it's still Star Trek...so, I feel compelled to read them... :)
Oh, oh, and before I forget, never have I ever seen the words "Space Karate" used so frequently. :)
February 22, 2016
I think this must have been the last book Blish published in his life-time. It says that Star Treks 1-10 total 6.5 million books printed which is interesting in that over 40 years later it's not these that are still in print, but rather a half dozen or so very influential SF novels straight from his own imagination that show a fascination with Catholic theology, James Joyce and shock endings, among other things.
It feels like the later members of this series of adaptations of the original Star Trek shooting scripts suffered from being essentially the dregs; the best had all been used earlier. Here several of the stories make no sense at all and one of them ends with a hideous cop-out deus ex machina - but blame the script writers, not Blish!
It feels like the later members of this series of adaptations of the original Star Trek shooting scripts suffered from being essentially the dregs; the best had all been used earlier. Here several of the stories make no sense at all and one of them ends with a hideous cop-out deus ex machina - but blame the script writers, not Blish!
November 16, 2011
The Blish books are only for the real trekkies among us. It also helps to be a pre-adolescent.
May 6, 2024
James Blish is to Star Trek what Terrance Dicks is to Doctor Who: a novelizer/adapter, especially cherished in the days before VCRs. There is great skill in James Blish's condensing of Trek episodes into prose format, but I'm disappointed that they are all short stories, and not full novelizations, akin to the Doctor Who Target adaptations. The skill is clearly there to adapt even further, but I can only imagine a directive from on high declared "this much, and no more"...which is a great pity.
February 3, 2025
James Blish's 1975 Star Trek 11 contains 6 stories adapted by Blish from the screenplays of the 1960s television series.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" by Robert Bloch,
"The Squire of Gothos" by Paul Schneider,
"Wink of an Eye" by Arthur Heinemann and Lee Cronin,
"Bread and Circuses" by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon,
"Day of the Dove" by Jerome Bixby, and
"Plato's Stepchildren" by Meyer Dolinsky.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: Kirk beams down to another seemingly lifeless world whose inhabitants are not what they appear, a human-seeming creature whose has studied Earth from 900 light-years away requires amusement from the Captain and his crew, another distress call to another empty planet brings strange insect-like whining and malfunctioning instruments, the Enterprise comes to a world with the Roman Empire still ruling the twentieth Century, humans and Klingons end up fighting for control of the Enterprise with swords and spears and battle axes, and another uncharted planet is ruled by telekinetic devotees of the philosophies of Plato. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
I'm sure that as usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be. I confess I am stale enough on these episodes that I likely missed most such differences.
Unlike with some of the other books in this series, I don't think I really had a favorite episode here, or a least favorite either--to my taste, all were enjoyable. Now, yes, of course there were some oddities, as usual. With the planet of "The Squire of Gothos," for example, being "nine hundred light-years from Earth," the idea that Trelane's drawing room "fit[s] what might have been seen if there were telescopes powerful enough" (1975 Bantam paperback, page 49) to see that far is nice...but then the mishmash of references thrown out put the time of plot a good 700 years farther in the future than the rest of the canon eventually does. And while "Bread and Circuses" is a very good story, the underlying parallel-world schtick used here--rubbed so thoroughly in our noses that despite dozens of other episodes with other worlds' languages somehow naturally understood, Spock now comments that it is a "[c]omplete Earth parallel" and that "[t]he language here is English" (page 104)--is no less impossible and ridiculous than it is in, say, "The Omega Glory"; in this one, though, at least there is a nod to the supposed "Hodgkins Law of parallel planet development" (page 107). And of course the dying-alien-civilization-needs-virile-Earthmen-for-breeding-purposes premise of "Wink of an Eye" is a wish-fulfillment oldie dating back to the pulp era of the 1930s, and here the narrative doesn't even give a fake-science reference, as some other episodes do, to the two species being related somehow far back in time. Oh, well--as I say, they're still enjoyable.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 11 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" by Robert Bloch,
"The Squire of Gothos" by Paul Schneider,
"Wink of an Eye" by Arthur Heinemann and Lee Cronin,
"Bread and Circuses" by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon,
"Day of the Dove" by Jerome Bixby, and
"Plato's Stepchildren" by Meyer Dolinsky.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: Kirk beams down to another seemingly lifeless world whose inhabitants are not what they appear, a human-seeming creature whose has studied Earth from 900 light-years away requires amusement from the Captain and his crew, another distress call to another empty planet brings strange insect-like whining and malfunctioning instruments, the Enterprise comes to a world with the Roman Empire still ruling the twentieth Century, humans and Klingons end up fighting for control of the Enterprise with swords and spears and battle axes, and another uncharted planet is ruled by telekinetic devotees of the philosophies of Plato. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
I'm sure that as usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be. I confess I am stale enough on these episodes that I likely missed most such differences.
Unlike with some of the other books in this series, I don't think I really had a favorite episode here, or a least favorite either--to my taste, all were enjoyable. Now, yes, of course there were some oddities, as usual. With the planet of "The Squire of Gothos," for example, being "nine hundred light-years from Earth," the idea that Trelane's drawing room "fit[s] what might have been seen if there were telescopes powerful enough" (1975 Bantam paperback, page 49) to see that far is nice...but then the mishmash of references thrown out put the time of plot a good 700 years farther in the future than the rest of the canon eventually does. And while "Bread and Circuses" is a very good story, the underlying parallel-world schtick used here--rubbed so thoroughly in our noses that despite dozens of other episodes with other worlds' languages somehow naturally understood, Spock now comments that it is a "[c]omplete Earth parallel" and that "[t]he language here is English" (page 104)--is no less impossible and ridiculous than it is in, say, "The Omega Glory"; in this one, though, at least there is a nod to the supposed "Hodgkins Law of parallel planet development" (page 107). And of course the dying-alien-civilization-needs-virile-Earthmen-for-breeding-purposes premise of "Wink of an Eye" is a wish-fulfillment oldie dating back to the pulp era of the 1930s, and here the narrative doesn't even give a fake-science reference, as some other episodes do, to the two species being related somehow far back in time. Oh, well--as I say, they're still enjoyable.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 11 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
July 19, 2024
I devoured these books as a kid in the 70's. At that time the only other Star Trek around was the animated series and a couple of books and we were at the mercy of the 3 channel universe still!
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
July 31, 2022
An enjoyable collection of stories modified from the original TV series that was decades ahead of the United States. Star Trek is a memorable series unlike any other Science Fictions stories. The characters are less concerened with race, other than intergallactic race, as Human vs. Klingon or Vulcan. The series also challenged the modern view of what life is. In the books an energy form may have some sort of cognitive awareness and may try to forvce its own will on those who have tresspassed into its realm of existance. Scientists are still playing with these ideas, and others that Star Trek pioneered, such as the existance and possiblitiy of alternate universes. CERN has physisists that explore these possibilities as we live. Who knows what the future holds, and who are we to say whether or not we as a human race can get over our minor differences in appearance and culture and focus on a bigger picture, such as space exploration.
January 10, 2024
As always with the Blish adaptations, these are quick, workmanlike retellings of the original episodes. They mostly work, I think, as reminders of those episodes, with the odd unusual addition. For instance, in one of the episodes collected here, "Bread and Circuses," Blish persists in his use of the phrase "space karate" (and every time I read it I wondered how space karate differed from actual karate... especially as it was actually performed on a planet, and not in any sort of antigravity environment). Which is a picky observation but it caught my attention even so.
Of the six episodes collected here, the most interesting is "Plato's Stepchildren," I think: famous of course for the Kirk/Uhura kiss, the first interracial kiss on television, if I recall rightly. I certainly remember watching that episode more than I do the others; I didn't recall a single thing about "Wink of an Eye" when reading it, which may mean it's time to rewatch the series.
Of the six episodes collected here, the most interesting is "Plato's Stepchildren," I think: famous of course for the Kirk/Uhura kiss, the first interracial kiss on television, if I recall rightly. I certainly remember watching that episode more than I do the others; I didn't recall a single thing about "Wink of an Eye" when reading it, which may mean it's time to rewatch the series.
July 9, 2024
This is the last of the Star Trek TV episode novelizations solely by Blish. It is quite fitting that the last story is "Plato's Stepchildren" for it is the episode that has historical significance. In it Kirk is forced to kiss Uhura by aliens who have telekinetic powers to manipulate other beings. It was the first interracial kiss on television and it didn't even cause negative backlash as the producers thought it would. I guess you could say that Star Trek was paving the way forward for humanity not only technologically (flip phones, tablets, desktop computers) but also socially.
Next hardcover: "Spock Must Die" by James Blish (1970).
Next hardcover: "Spock Must Die" by James Blish (1970).
November 18, 2017
Like in the former books of this series, Blish left out fan favourite scenes, but added a lot of sexism. Kirk feeling sorry for himself because he hasn't got enough time to have sex with every woman in the universe? And actually regretting not being able to flirt with Mara, because she's married? Honestly, Star Trek was supposed to be a utopian tale, which means taking one already flirtatious, but still mostly feministic character and turn him into a sexual predator is a gross violation of the work.
Though I am not sure if Blish invented those parts himself or if they were in the original scripts and got left out in the cutting room, it was HIS decision to add them in the books and that completely ruins the character of Kirk and with it the subtexts of the episodes.
Though I am not sure if Blish invented those parts himself or if they were in the original scripts and got left out in the cutting room, it was HIS decision to add them in the books and that completely ruins the character of Kirk and with it the subtexts of the episodes.
June 9, 2020
I love Star Trek, but I honestly was not a fan of this book. I realize it's meant basically to be a play by play account of several episodes of Star Trek, but I really don't like the prose or style of narration. Maybe it's just dated. I realize that Blish is a legend in the Trek world. I dunno....
August 19, 2019
Loved it. Pretty much love everything.
March 22, 2020
The Squire Of Gothos is one of my favorite episodes, so I enjoyed this collection. I’m also fond of Plato’s Stepchildren. Fond memories!
July 28, 2025
Misterioso. Bizzarro. Satirico.
August 17, 2025
Several excellent ST:OS episodes' stories mixed with a couple, not so good, and at least one stupid.
October 24, 2025
Not a fan of the "magic" Star Treks.
January 2, 2019
✭½
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, James Blish & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author) . ✭✭✭
“Day of the Dove”, James Blish & Jerome Bixby (Teleplay Author). ✭
“Plato’s Stepchildren”, James Blish & Meyer Dolinsky (Teleplay Author). ½
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, James Blish, Arthur Heinemann (Teleplay Author), & Lee Cronin (Story Author). ✭½
“Bread and Circuses”, James Blish, Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author), & Gene L. Coon. ✭½
“The Squire of Gothos”, James Blish & Paul Schneider (Teleplay Author). ✭½
All stories published 1975.
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, James Blish & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author) . ✭✭✭
“Day of the Dove”, James Blish & Jerome Bixby (Teleplay Author). ✭
“Plato’s Stepchildren”, James Blish & Meyer Dolinsky (Teleplay Author). ½
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”, James Blish, Arthur Heinemann (Teleplay Author), & Lee Cronin (Story Author). ✭½
“Bread and Circuses”, James Blish, Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author), & Gene L. Coon. ✭½
“The Squire of Gothos”, James Blish & Paul Schneider (Teleplay Author). ✭½
All stories published 1975.
August 20, 2014
“Star Trek 11” by James Blish is another of his collections of Original Series scripts adapted into short story form. The seven stories included in this collection are all from season one and are as follows:
What Are Little Girls Made of?
The Squire of Gothos
Wink Of an Eye
Bread and Circuses
Day of the Dove
Plato's Stepchildren
As seems to be the norm with Blish’s adaptations, they tend to succeed or fail to the same extent as the episodes themselves did. For example “The Squire of Gothos” was an episode I really enjoyed on the TV screen and I also found myself enjoying it here in this collection. Whereas “Bread and Circuses” rather silly Roman theme irritated me when I saw I first saw it and I quickly found myself feeling the exact same irritation here.
I won’t really go anymore into the various stories as most of you will know them anyway but my enjoyment of this collection was rather mixed. This probably shouldn’t be a surprise as several of these stories were taken from the rather weak third season. One positive is that Blish does capture all the episodes very well and I could easily visualise them all. Although this wasn’t really a surprise to me as his adaptations have always been competent and as this was his 11th collection he was fairly experienced at writing up the episodes and characters.
Overall, I do find myself repeating myself a lot when reviewing Blish’s collections but what is true for one of them is pretty much true for them all. Quite simply this novel was another competent attempt at capturing the Star Trek episodes that should appeal to anyone wanting to enjoy a quick and painless reminder of the Original series stories.
What Are Little Girls Made of?
The Squire of Gothos
Wink Of an Eye
Bread and Circuses
Day of the Dove
Plato's Stepchildren
As seems to be the norm with Blish’s adaptations, they tend to succeed or fail to the same extent as the episodes themselves did. For example “The Squire of Gothos” was an episode I really enjoyed on the TV screen and I also found myself enjoying it here in this collection. Whereas “Bread and Circuses” rather silly Roman theme irritated me when I saw I first saw it and I quickly found myself feeling the exact same irritation here.
I won’t really go anymore into the various stories as most of you will know them anyway but my enjoyment of this collection was rather mixed. This probably shouldn’t be a surprise as several of these stories were taken from the rather weak third season. One positive is that Blish does capture all the episodes very well and I could easily visualise them all. Although this wasn’t really a surprise to me as his adaptations have always been competent and as this was his 11th collection he was fairly experienced at writing up the episodes and characters.
Overall, I do find myself repeating myself a lot when reviewing Blish’s collections but what is true for one of them is pretty much true for them all. Quite simply this novel was another competent attempt at capturing the Star Trek episodes that should appeal to anyone wanting to enjoy a quick and painless reminder of the Original series stories.
August 18, 2017
When i was a kid, my older sister's friend GAVE me the entire collection. (I know!) Over the next few years, I read them all in order, starting the first one the day after I finished the last one. Loved them. I'm not sad that I didn't hang onto them and can only hope they still exist to make some other fan happy. (But I doubt it because...well, paperbacks, you know?)
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
January 27, 2013
Not the best of the James Blish-authored series, but not the worst either. Most of the episode adaptations in this collection are far from memorable ... with "What Are Little Girls Made Of" and "The Squire of Gothos" really the only ones that might possibly make any fan polls. I will mention that they are all well-written, and you can easily see the episodes playing out in your head if you're a Trekker.
May 11, 2017
I am almost done reading the James Blish Original series episode adaptations. This is book 11 of 12, and includes classic episodes like Wink of an Eye, Day of the Dove and Plato’s Stepchildren. In my option Blish is the best Star Trek writer I’ve ever read. Not only are most of his book script adaptions he does a real nice job keeping the characters and mood of the story true to the series.
June 28, 2013
I love Star Trek novels, but hadn't realised that this was a straight adaptation of some original episodes. A bit disaapointing finding out that I knew the stories, but nice to revisit the original cast. The writing was very good. I would love to know what Sulu is up to on the front cover though?!?!
October 2, 2013
When these early novels and stories to Star Trek came out I bought them all, devoured them and loved them. It's been a long time, so today I couldn't even say which of them were really good and which of them I only loved because they were Star Trek. ;)
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
May 9, 2023
As always, this instalment in the collection is… fine. Doesn’t really add anything, doesn’t take anything away, occasionally highlights the wrong parts of a somewhat dated story. Points for describing the bizarre stage combat style as “Space Karate” though.
June 26, 2020
The further we get into these novelizations, the more depth and character each of them have. Blish is a pleasure to read!
September 4, 2009
Another half dozen episodes or so of the Original TV series rewritten as novella-length Sci-Fi stories.
July 29, 2010
Includes
What Are Little Girls Made Of
The Squire of Gothos
Wink of an Eye
Bread and Circuses
Day of the Dove
Plato's Stepchildren
What Are Little Girls Made Of
The Squire of Gothos
Wink of an Eye
Bread and Circuses
Day of the Dove
Plato's Stepchildren
April 4, 2016
Great stories. Roman gods, working with the klingons etc...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews