Strangers from the Sky

Star Trek: The Original Series

by Margaret Wander Bonanno

In the twenty-first century: Years before the formal first contact that would be recorded in Earth's history, a Vulcan space vessel crash-lands in the South Pacific, forcing humanity to decide whether to offer the hand of friendship, or the fist of war. Complicating matters is a second visitation: a group of people from two hundred years in the future, who serve on a starship called Enterprise....

In the twenty-third century: A new novel called Strangers from the Sky reveals the truth about this heretofore unknown first contact. Reading the novel leads to nightmares that torment Admiral James T. Kirk -- dreams of his dead comrades, Gary Mitchell, Lee Kelso, and Elizabeth Dehner, from his earliest days aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise™; visions of a forgotten past in which he somehow changed the course of history and destroyed the Federation before it began.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy, Star Trek Original Series, Ebooks

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1987

About the author

Margaret Wander Bonanno was an American science fiction writer, ghost writer and small press publisher. She was born in New York City. She wrote seven Star Trek novels, several science fiction novels set in her own worlds, including The Others, a collaborative novel with Nichelle Nichols, a biography, and other works.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longer and more complex than the standard ST novel, Strangers from the Sky is literally a novel within a novel; that is, Strangers from the Sky is also the title of a work of purported non-fiction concerning the first contact of Vulcan and Earth. The reading of this text triggers suppressed memories in Kirk and leads to the narration of a framed time-travel narrative. And then there are also the points of view of other individuals who lived in the earlier era which the imaginary non-fiction work describes, and also some references to other times that aren't really part of this story but connect to the events of the show...

The actual book is less confusing than my attempt to explain, although when I first read it as a kid I got kind of lost.

[Mae Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guess what, everyone? I have a new favorite Star Trek novel!!!

Strangers From The Sky has it all: a first-contact situation, excellent characterization, memorable OCs, Spirky little moments that make you Yearn™, banter, Spock Feels™, and reasonable expansion of the Trek canon. It's not just one of those "day-in-the-life" stories with another wonderfully ridiculous adventure - it actually helps tie down character arcs we observe over the course of Alpha and Beta canon alike.

The "present" storyline is tucked neatly in the years between The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, revolving primarily around Jim's regret over taking a ground-posting, his resultant melancholy and depression, and the concerns of his friends. It's not yet as deeply-rooted as it is at the beginning of TWOK, but it's developing enough that when he takes leave from HQ for Plot Reasons™, McCoy is genuinely afraid that he's cracked.

As for the "past" storyline, I personally feel that this novel is well-complemented by Vonda N. McIntyre's Enterprise: The First Adventure, which I have previously reviewed here. McIntyre's Enterprise focuses largely on Jim doubting his command ability and resenting Spock's abilities. It's never fully resolved, and Strangers (which occurs not long before Where No Man Has Gone Before) serves to show how he was able to step back from his own fear and resentment enough that the two might become the renowned command team that we know and love.

As mentioned above, all the OCs are extremely memorable - and believe me, there's a lot of them. They all stood out from each other and from pre-existing Trek characters, and their motives and though-processes were believable, especially considering that most of them were pre-warp humans desperately trying to acclimate to the revelation of alien life. The Vulcan OCs were also spectacular: T'Lera's remorseful resolve and Sorahl's quiet love of his new friends were extremely powerful. For fear of saying too much, there was a part at the end that had me tearing up.

Some small moments that brought stupid smiles to my face:
- Jim and Spock counting down the days until Spock's back on Earth
- Spock interacting with his students
- McCoy groaning internally at Jim's tendency to monologue
- T'Lera's general badassery
- Spock reciting part of a human marriage vow while melding with Jim
- McCoy on Idiot-Sitting Duty!!
- Spock doing the "tie around my ears" thing he does in TVH
- The reminder that Spock is ethnically Jewish
- Jeremy Grayson in general
- Sawyer repeatedly calling Jim "cream puff"
- T'Lera kicking Sawyer's ass at tennis
- Spock comforting Dehner
- The fireplace scene 💕

Strangers From The Sky is an extraordinary Star Trek novel that reveals the events of the true Terran-Vulcan first contact, as covered up by history. Brimming with suspense and banter alike, it helps to solidify established character arcs and expand on the universe we know and love.

[rivka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing book-within-a-book interspersed with scenes from two different ST eras. The "frame" story is set after ST:TMP, and the flashbacks are set just shortly before "Where No Man Has Gone Before". The contrast between the Kirk, Spock, and others in the two eras is well-handled. So are all the original characters -- and there are quite a few, each unique and vibrant. There's even a brief appearance from our old friends from Dwellers in the Crucible.

One of my favorite ST novels, which I have reread dozens of times.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Way too many things going on here, each more implausible than the last (and it starts out with time travel, so the bar is already quite high).

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an oldie but a goody. It was first published in 1987 and then reissued here as a special edition to celebrate Star Trek's 40th anniversary. This special edition has a new forward by Margaret Wander Bonanno where she clarifies a few time line issues for die hard ST fans. However, you don't need to be a fan to enjoy this book...it can stand alone as a good First Contact Science Fiction book.

Ms Bonanno is an excellent writer. Here, she demonstrates her unerring ability to capture the voices of the iconic characters from the original series. Additionally, she successfully brings out the magic of the relationships that made them iconic. Many of the ST novels jump into the plot, ignoring character development, and the quality of those books suffers. This book is mature Star Trek, it is a real novel, not just a ST paper back.

The frame work for "Strangers From the Sky" is a book within a book. While visiting Jim Kirk, Dr. McCoy tells him that he's reading a wonderfully written and controversial best-selling book called "Strangers From the Sky." He wants Jim to read it, but Jim discounts it as another First Contact conspiracy nut book. However, after Bones finally convinces him of the importance of the book, Kirk picks it up to read. The book, written by Garamet Jen-Saunor, challenges the well established historical fact that Earth's first contact with alien life happened when the UNSS "Icarus" first encountered the humanoids of Alpha Centauri in the year 2048. Jen-Saunor argues that instead, humanity's first contact with an alien species happened years earlier and whatever happened was so important and dangerous that all records of that first contact were purged and both humans and aliens have kept the secret for almost two centuries. The theory is interesting at best, but very controversial as a First Contact conspiracy theory.

When Jim Kirk starts reading the book he finds it a compelling read, although he is so disturbed by what he reads that he starts having nightmares. He feels that somehow he's lived the events he's reading about, although he has no real memory of them. Then Admiral Kirk discovers that Spock, who is away on a cadet training mission, is also having the same nightmares. Spock and Kirk get together to do a Vulcan mind meld, to see if they can unlock the past. What they discover is both "fascinating" and extremely disturbing.


This book is rich with so many elements and details including practical magic and time travel, that only an author of Bonano's caliber could pull it off. It is not the typical quick read Star Trek paper back that is published today and that everyone is used to reading. This book's success relies on its strong narrative, characterization, and the sense of wonder that good Science Fiction strives for.


The extra length of this book is unusual in a ST novel, but it does give the author time enough to really develop the characters and go into all details about the issues of fear, xenophobia, bigotry, and the distrust that would be involved in a First Contact encounter with aliens. There is also a timely and gripping side story that deals with terrorism and which sadly, is still very appropriate today.


Fascinating and Highly recommended.

[Kimmylongtime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh 😩, I am so hooked on this series and the beautiful narration!!

[Michelle]

Again with adding my physical copy to Goodreads. I read this so long ago that I don't feel as if I could give a proper rating. If/when I re-read it I'll leave a proper review.

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially 3 books in 1. An intriguing and true to the show novel length Trek novel. Mystery surrounds the first contact between humans and Vulcans and a new bestselling book, Strangers From the Sky, has everyone talking. But why are Kirk and Spock suddenly afflicted by strange dreams where they believe they have lived out the events depicted in the book?

[Surreysmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1987:]. One of the better Star Trek books I've read, this is an ambitious tome of over 400 pages. It covers three times in the ST universe: mid twenty-first century, just before first contact was made with the Vulcans; early in the career of Kirk and Spock, just before the edge of the universe episode; and in the fullness of their friendship, after V'ger. It consists literally in a double flashback -- Kirk and Spock, both troubled by dreams, discover that in the earlier time (which they finally find through a mind-link), they had been time-warped back to the 21st century, where they took part in the events surrounding the first Vulcan contact -- a contact now denied by all the official histories. The novel rather daringly, but not at all confusingly, moves back and forth between all three times. The theme which runs throughout is that of understanding between peoples strange to each other. In the first period, the shock is so great that the Vulcans choose to withdraw, and Kirk's lady doctor friend wipes (with their consent) the memories of all concerned in the transaction. In the second period, Kirk is just getting used to having a Vulcan as first officer and the episode in the past marks a significant advance in their relations. Indeed, it is only by working together that Spock and Kirk manage to avoid time-twisted catastrophe. Bonanno underlines this theme gracefully without getting maudlin about it. In the third period, of course, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are as close and as full of understanding as they ever get. Fortunately, Bonanno dramatizes this rather than waffling on about it in the Marshak & Culbreath tradition. The characters introduced in the 21st century I find less compelling, but that is hardly surprising. Bonanno's characterization of Mitchell and Kelso, one shot characters in a single episode of the series, is full without being jarring. And she has succeeded in putting that episode in a new light without introducing anything that would offend the Great Bird of the Galaxy. Altogether a most satisfying addition to the canon.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dammit, Jim, that's 2-for-2. Two very well written Star Trek books in a row. What a joy it is to really explore these adventures of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock without the constraint of a 60-minute format and cheap effects. In these books, we really plumb the depths of the characters we've come to know and love, but also get introduced to a number of other interesting supporting players. I'm eating this up!

Synopsis: The planets Earth and Vulcan experience a mysterious first contact in this fascinating Star Trek novel featuring the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.Years before the formal first contact between Earth and another planet’s inhabitants, a Vulcan space vessel crash landed in the South Pacific, forcing humanity to decide whether to offer the hand of friendship, or the fist of war. Complicating matters is a second a group of people from two hundred years in the future, who serve on a starship called Enterprise. Discover the astonishing truth about this heretofore unknown first contact and the nightmares that plague Admiral James T. Kirk. Dreams of his dead comrades, of his earliest days aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, and of a forgotten past in which he somehow changed the course of history and destroyed the Federation before it began.

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those rare times when I pull a beloved book off my shelf and end up thinking less of the tome than I did on my previous readings. Strangers is a Star Trek novel, telling of a first contact between Vulcans and Humans. (This was written before the movie Star Trek: First Contact, so now we know that this story never really happened.)(Well, you know what I mean.) Like the movie, it wasn't enough to simply present the tale of this event. The author also had to include time travelling members of the Enterprise crew, in this case, from the original series. In the past, I enjoyed the cultural anxiety of the encounter and the building drama of the story. This time around, I also (eventually) got caught up in the plot, but I spent far too much time noticing the clichés and two dimensional characters. I may hang onto the book out of nostalgia, but I really couldn't recommend that any one else pick it up outside of the waiting room.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story was good; the second, not so much.

[Reesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Well written and takes you on a whirlwind adventure!

The weakness in the book is that it starts with a whiplash of different scenes, bouncing you from story to story so frequently that you can't get your bearings in the beginning. Sadly, I think that will turn some people off from continuing to read the story because they think it's too convoluted, but it's really not, and if you hang in there, everything will start to make sense and come together pretty quickly.

This is a story within a story that has yet another story hidden inside of it that must be found. At first, it reads like a story about our beloved Star Trek characters reading another story, then becomes a tense mystery, then becomes an adventure. By about 1/3 through the book, I had a pretty good guess at what all had happened well before it was revealed, but recognizing where the plot was going didn't spoil the enjoyment of the story even one iota. That tends to be the weakness of mysteries - if you do figure it out too early, the rest of the book has you rolling your eyes. Not so with this one, and that takes real writing talent. Despite figuring out the mystery, there were so many additional pieces and points and characters and surprises, that discovering how the thing that I figured happened had actually happened became the joy of the story.

There were a few things within that did bother me, however, and would normally put the star rating lower if it wasn't otherwise so well written: 1. There is some casual misogyny, always extra sad to see from a writer who is a woman, or in Star Trek at all, and 2. Spock says a couple of very out of character things—these are only short moments, but they still throw one out of the story, and 3. there is a terrible caricature of an IRA man that is so blatantly offensive to the Irish, I was in a constant cringe any time he was present. Thankfully, he was completely unimportant to the plot, rarely mentioned, and did basically nothing, but any editor worth their salt should have had him (and the characters around him) edited right out. In fact, his group meets up with another group later which is far more interesting and should have been the focus of that part of the story.

In a lesser book, these things would have downgraded my star rating further, but compared to the size of the overall story, they were relatively tiny moments, and the quality of the writing helped me move on quickly from each one.

I'm reading all Star Trek novels in publication date order, and so far (1987), this is one of the few that I would definitely go back and read again some day. Highly recommended to Trekkies.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2245. Admiral Kirk is reading the book about the events that were supposed to have happened two hundred years earlier. That of the actual first contact with aliens, on a kelp farm in the Pacific. When a Vulcan spacecraft crashed into the ocean with two survivors. Kirk, and Spock are convinced that they experienced the events.
Anpther entertaining re-read.

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many “what if” scenarios in history, that we often wonder what might have gone differently if some seemingly seminal event had transpired differently, or not at all. Of course, in real life, this is just conjecture on all of our parts. The idea of taking a fictional world, using a “what if” scenario and writing with (relatively) free reign, is gratifying in ways that such real-life “what if” questions can not be, for it allows us to answer this question.

This is part of why I, and so many others, have enjoyed the book, Strangers from the Sky, by Margaret Wander Bonano. First published in the mid-1980's, it has become a classic Star Trek novel, and almost the standard of what a good Trek novel is. The book is essentially a story within a story.

The fictional “history” in the novel (which would later be retconned by the 1996 movie Star Trek: First Contact) is that the Vulcans had finally revealed themselves to Humankind when the crew of an Earth space vessel stumbled upon a damaged Vulcan science research ship. This happens in the Trek universe in the year 2065. Every Federation citizen from the youngest on up to the oldest, knows this to be true. The truth is that every Federation citizen is wrong according to a new book that Admiral James T. Kirk's fellows officers and enlisted personnel (and most other Federation citizens) are reading and raving about. The book, Strangers from the Sky, alleges that two Vulcans visited Earth and were evacuated by rescuers nearly two decades before the official “first contact”, AND that this was all covered up by both the Vulcan and Earth governments.

At first, Kirk resists the pressure to read the galactic best-seller that Bones McCoy attempts to recommend to him, but after enough times of having the new “history book” foisted on him from every direction by every person he knows and works with, Kirk finally says no mas and decides to read it after all. That's when the trouble begins.

Kirk begins having dreams and nightmares of the events of the novel, and firmly believes that he lived through them. Captain Spock, sensing his friend's distress, begins having his own nightmares as well, similar to Kirk's, but with his own scenarios. This is despite the fact that Spock is out in space training cadets on board the Enterprise and hasn't spoken to Kirk (who is in San Francisco at Starfleet HQ) for some weeks, and thus has no clue what ails him.

Of course, this gets them both in serious trouble, as their mental stability is called into question. Others rightfully ask how they could possibly “remember” events that took place long before they were even born. To prove their sanity, the two must delve into their memories via Vulcan Mind Meld, and record what really happened on a scouting trip long ago at the beginning of their acquaintance as they originally began a certain five-year mission....

So begins a Star Trek story with so many elements (including magic, fantasy, science-fiction, time travel, speculative fiction) that only an author of Bonano's caliber actually could pull it off. Despite it's quirkiness, the story is beloved by fans, and for good reason. It is not the same typical Trek story that everyone is used to reading or watching (not that such stories are not great themselves, understand), because the “action” is extremely limited to one incident in the last couple of chapters. This story relies for it's success on the strong narrative, characterization, and the sense of wonder that epitomizes the franchise.

Not that everything was perfect in the tale. Bonano seems to have a bit too much fun making comedy at McCoy's expense in the book, and that annoyed me, as McCoy is one of my favorite characters. The author seems to include a few potshots at political and cultural ideas that are not necessary to the story. Whether this her trying to stay somewhat faithful to Roddenberry's concept, or her own political bias is unclear, but it does get annoying after a while, especially since, again, it did not need to be there. It gets old quickly to have the internationalist “political” angle gotten into specifically, instead of generally, as usually happens, in Trek stories. That said, the author joins other Trek authors and creators in being somewhat more friendly towards religion than were Roddenberry's more hard-line atheist views. That was much appreciated. All in all, a great read.

Highly Recommended.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a lot going on in this one - a lot of plotlines, a lot of characters to follow, and we hop around in time. When I pick it up for a reread, more often than not, I skip around, picking my favorite strands and ignoring the rest. I did reread the whole thing in order to write this review, though.

We start with Kirk, Spock and McCoy in the years between TMP and Wrath of Khan: Kirk’s got his desk job as an admiral and hates it. McCoy recommends a history book that’s been making a big splash and quickly regrets it as the book triggers memory-like dreams in both of his friends. Could they be losing their sanity?? (We all know the answer to that, but psychology is plot-relevant, so we bring in a specialist.)

The book within the book is also called Strangers from the Sky, and it claims that Earth’s first contact with alien life was not what everyone in their time thinks — it was actually 20 years earlier and got covered up because humans weren’t quite ready yet.

This book was published about a decade before the movie First Contact came out, so the version of what everyone thinks happened is not quite what most Trekkies will have in their heads today, but it really doesn’t matter for this. And personally, I love this book as an antidote to First Contact: I’ve always been a little salty that the movie uses first contact with Vulcan as background for a story about the Borg, as I’m very invested in the former and not at all in the latter. Happily for me, this one has Vulcans and that particular culture clash front and center.

The second half of the book takes us back to a very early point in the five year mission, just before the second pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Kirk and Spock are still trying to figure each other out. Kirk’s old buddy, Gary Mitchell is here, as are Lee Kelso and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner — all the people who get redshirted in "Where No Man." Time travel hijinks ensue, and this group of five wind up back in the covered-up events of “Strangers from the Sky.”

And then there’s a whole cast of characters in 2045 (which is starting to sound downright nearby): the young kelp farmers who find aliens in their backyard, the naval captain and his first mate who have known each other for decades, the elderly pacifist who takes Spock in when he arrives separated from his crew mates. And the two Vulcans — mother and son — whose scout ship has malfunctioned so badly that even their self-destruct (destruction before detection!) didn’t work as expected.

The only plot thread I always skip is Racher and his band of terrorists, who are antagonists straight out of central casting and do not interest me at all. As far as I’m concerned, they could show up on cue at the end to cause mayhem when needed with absolutely no set up.

But everyone else gets enough depth and complexity to be interesting. Jason and Melody feel like they’ve sailed in from a long-running series of their own. Yoshi and Tatya could be people you’ve met. T’Lera and Sorahl are both very Vulcan without being (a) Spock clones, (b) assholes, or (c) identical to each other. Bonnano gets Vulcans, one of the key things I look for in a Trek writer.

But there’s one thing that can make or break a Trek novel, and Bonnano aces this one, too: Kirk, Spock and McCoy sound and feel like themselves. This is licensed material, so there’s nothing explicitly shippy, but if you want to imagine it between the lines, she leaves the way nice and open, in the best TOS tradition.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure I am going to be able to write a review for this book. I will say that it is divided into two parts. The first part is set in the time that James Kirk was an admiral. Spock is a teacher at the Academy. McCoy has a practice in San Francisco. A historical book comes out titled STRANGERS FROM THE SKY and it triggers dreams (nightmares) in Kirk. Spock also starts to have the same dreams. In order to find the cause Spock must mind meld with Kirk and find out what is going on.

The second part is what the two find out during the meld. It is a tale of time travel, rescues and keeping history on track. There is also a hint about Khan near the end of the book. Careful you might miss it.

This is an intense book and probably one of the best of the STAR TREK: TOS novels. It is definitely in the top five or so. This story pulled me in and wouldn't let me go until the last page was turned. I love finding out anything new about Spock and this story gives a glimpse into Amanda Grayson's family. If you love the original series you should definitely enjoy this well written story.

[Jay Daze · Rating 2 out of 5]

The time travel plot didn't work. There wasn't much tension or meaningful action for the characters to do. For a book that wants to argue that individuals can make a different, the story leans exactly the other way. All the events in the book are fixed and everyone just plays their part. The novel ably juggled a book-within-a-book and three time periods without confusing me. I did enjoy young Kirk and company, as well as the new characters. Though I do think the military duo, Nyere and Sawyer, should had been the nexus point where a dramatic choice should have been made. Fat Kirk and Spock weren't as enjoyable because they didn't get to do much and because Bonanno told us that they were very, very close but didn't show it.

[Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Faces of Fire a bit more, but if only a few things were different, then Strangers from the sky would be the best Star Trek novel of all time. It felt like Carl Sagan's Contact meets that great Trek episode, "City on the Edge of Forever". It had a great story to tell, something that rivals the greatest of the Trek movies. My only complaint, and the reason Faces of Fire was better, was because Bonanno stretched out a great plot into something a little unrealistic. In addition, the introduction of Kirk and Spock into the story was unnecessary, as there were already great characters in the book. But, if you're a Trekkie, go ahead and read it.

[Christopher Schmehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book not long after I saw Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I love both. I also recommend the audio book version read by Leonard Nimoy and George Takei.
Margaret Wander Bonanno weaves an incredible story that spans original series history. Part occurs during the very early days of Kirk's command, part occurs during the time period close to The Motion Picture, and part occurs during the past when humans first met the Vulcans. It's a great read with imaginative characters.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new historical novel, 'Strangers From the Sky' from renowned academic Dr Garamet Jen-Sauner is taking the Federation by storm. It proposes that First Contact did not take place as officially released by the media, but in a barely avoided bloodbath twenty years before.

An interesting and well written novel, with some nice call backs to the television series.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek Rules! It's fun, going back to the time of Kirk and Spock, and seeing a different slant on the First Contact story. Some interesting characters. This probably could have made a pretty good movie, too. I enjoyed it, even 33 years after it was published.

Interesting how most science fiction takes about a hundred years to get "old".

[Read1000books · Rating 2 out of 5]

The background info about how the Vulcans first met the Humans was good, but the whole story would have been better without the time-traveling wizard guy.

[Clay Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading about some of the Star Trek characters we didn't see much of in the series.

[Alias Pending · Rating 2 out of 5]

A snappy, wild, roller coaster ride of a story that, at certain points, was nearly coherent, ultimately undermined by a creepy theme regarding the benefits of "re-education." 3rd season Trek.

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun ride! A different take on First Contact with the Vulcans! Characterizations were right on. I love to reread this every so often.

[Nicholas Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had just finished reading another Star Trek book when I thought I should pick another novel to read. Not really feeling like anything else, I went with this one. I wasn’t disappointed with my choice.

The novel has two “books”. The first one starts out with an author’s forward of a book titled (you guessed it), Strangers from the Sky. After said forward, we’re in the “present” (2280’s or so) and Dr. McCoy is trying to convince Admiral James Kirk to read this book that was published. Apparently, it is a smash hit and everyone (and I mean everyone) is reading it, except for Kirk.

Interspersed here and there we read scenes from the book within the book. Basically it’s about a first contact that hasn’t been revealed until now. The official account is that the first alien contact (although humans in 2048 had finally reached Alpha Centauri, those from that planet are humanoid) with Earth takes place in 2065 (yes, I know, its out of date). But for certain and uncertain reasons, this widely unknown event took place in 2045.

So, Kirk and Captain Spock start to have crazy dreams of actually living this event. Because Kirk’s brain scans reveal some weird stuff, basically the men with the butterfly nets come for him and is put under the care of a psychiatrist. And eventually, with the help of Spock, they are allowed to try to figure this thing out together (with McCoy recording things and being a babysitter, too).

The second part of this story involves the telling about an early away mission that Mitchell, Dehner, Kelso, Spock and Kirk went on (in fact, this is the one that happens right before the first three in the list end up dying in Where No Man Has Gone Before). Through some time travel trickery, thanks to basically an immortal, the away team ends up in 2045 and we learn why something went wrong.

I found the story as a whole quite interesting. While it is a time travel one, most of the tricks that go along with this sub genre work. It is always a credit to a writer that can keep all the threads together while exploring in the past and Margaret Wander Bonanno does a good job at that.

One of the things that is always scrutinized with franchise stories is the characterizations. The main trifecta of Kirk, Spock and McCoy are spot on. Uhura and Scotty don’t get much, while Sulu and Chekov are absent. Kelso, Dehner and Mitchell are fleshed our more than their TV counterparts. I found it to be fun to watch them grow and sad to know there wasn’t much of a future for them.

Because it is a time travel story, we also get some characters from the 2045 era. Each one has their own personality and I could tell the difference from one another. Ms. Bonanno delivers well rounded characters.

What really stands out is the idea that even though it’s been about a half century since WWIII has ended, humans are still afraid of the unknown. We’ve finally achieved an United Earth and have declared peace for our race, but there’s still no totality to it. Because of the possible thought of running into aliens (earlier than expected) and not having yet prepared ourselves for the outcome, humans are just not ready. There’s some that believe it’s an invasion, others think in peaceful terms and some have no clue what’s going on. We haven’t reached the other level yet.

And through this all, we have the story off two people who need each other. In 2265, they are beginning to establish a relationship and it’s a little bumpy. By the 2280’s (and even earlier), these two are a powerful team. Kirk and Spock are more than just friends, they are family and while they might not have started off on the right foot, this story shows what the two will eventually be to one another. Two people from different planets working together for the betterment of both their peoples and others.

Strangers from the Sky is a wonderful story that shows us some humble beginnings in not only the Enterprise crew, but Earth’s journey to that final moment before we must come face to face with a new norm for the future.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very odd and overstuffed book. It is influenced by (and refers to) John M. Ford's superior The Final Reflection, with its "novel within a novel" conceit, in which a narrative surfaces in Kirk's time that uncovers a secret and scandalous history. (Unlike that book, it painfully spells out its themes instead of leaving it tho the reader to pick up on them.) The frame story, in which all the characters read Strangers from the Sky, is set between the first two movies, but quickly becomes an extended flashback for more than half the novel to the time immediately before the pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," when Gary Mitchell was still alive. And in this flashback, Kirk, Spock, and other characters from that episode are whisked back in time to the events of the novel within the novel. So there's a lot going on.

The first third of the novel is really, really rough. The writing in the inset novel is amateurish, the story in the "present" is rough, repetitive, full of purple prose and forced drama. In fact to me it read as if the whole of the events set after The Motion Picture were included as a rushed afterthought, a way to get McCoy into the story since he wasn't on the Enterprise at the time of the flashback events. Once the flashback starts, things get much, much better (with the exception of an awkward sorcerer character who exists only as a way to handwave the characters into the past and an even more awkward terrorism subplot) -- a solid little save-the-future-without-threatening-the-future scenario involving the secret true first contact with the Vulcans. In this half of the book, the purple prose is turned down a notch. And honestly this book would, I think, have been much stronger as, essentially, a sequel to Enterprise: The First Adventure, without the frame story or the inset novel conceit -- just a clever time travel adventure from the time before Kirk and Spock really knew each other, when Kirk was new to the Enterprise and still figuring things out. As it is, it feels unnecessarily overstuffed and overwritten.

For more with these characters, check out the My Brother's Keeper trilogy, starting with Republic, and the more recent The Captain's Oath.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5

There was a time that I read every Star Trek novel as soon as they were published. Until the mid-1980’s, these all featured Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew from the original series and with only two or three a year, it was easy to keep up with the releases. But then, particularly around the time Star Trek: The Next Generation hit stations, books were being released at a rate of 6 or more per year. Aside from the financial strain of trying to buy that many books, I simply couldn’t read that many Star Trek books (there are so many other books to read, too!).

Early on (this book, Strangers From the Sky, was one of the earliest original novels) the books varied greatly in quality and length. Sometimes the character didn’t sound or act like the characters we’d come to know through the television series. But fans like me read them because at the time it was the only way to get new adventures with these old friends.

Margaret Wander Bonanno’s Strangers From the Sky was an oddity when I first read it (probably 1987) so I thought I’d give it a try again. It’s still odd.

There are two books here – there’s the story of Captain Kirk and Spock and Dr. McCoy in which Kirk, having been reading the non-fiction account of the first meeting between humans and Vulcans, imagines how he might have reacted differently if he’d been involved in that first meeting. And then there’s the story about that fateful meeting (titled Strangers From the Sky) included within the pages of the book. Once we get to the book within the book, the chapter numbers even start over.

I don’t think I caught on to this very well 30+ years ago and while it made more sense to me now, I feel as though I may have been more disengaged with this reading. I wasn’t so eager for any new Star Trek story and so I was more discerning.

The novel within a novel wasn’t necessary and didn’t work. Or … it worked just fine, but in that case, we didn’t need the odd time travel piece of the story, sending the Enterprise crew back in time to ‘correct’ the first meeting. There’s just one too many plot devices happening, with characters who feel wooden and simply walking through their roles, to make this the exciting tale that it should be.

Looking for a good book? I held on to my copy of Strangers From the Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno as a reminder of those more innocent years when I bought a book just because it had the words Star Trek on the cover (as well as some swell Boris Vallejo art). Now I’m hanging onto it because there aren’t likely to be many people who actually want to read this.