Star Trek - Web of the Romulans

A gleam was born in the captain's eyes.  Spock, watching it glow, felt a stab of trepidation.  He was always nervous when Kirk began to work from inspiration instead of logic.

"Countess..." said Kirk in a voice that made Uhura, Yeoman Kouc and Ensign Stewart blush.  Spock looked startled and McCoy incredulous but the captain continued in his dark, velvet voice.  What he had in mind was a long shot, but it was all he had.

As I'm reading these ST:TOS novels I'm often thinking about how I'm going to review the book.  At about half way through on a shorter book, perhaps every quarter on a longer one I stop and think and start forming my opinions.  I ask questions to myself, what's the theme, is the characterization good, is the story compelling, are there any memorable moments so far?

So as usual at about page 130, I did the same to Web of the Romulans (1983) (#10 Pocket, # Titan) by M S Murdock.

What's happened so far?  Um...  Not much.

What's the story?  Romulans... are attacking but not attacking the Federation?  A disease!  Yeah, there's a disease and they need to, uh, get medicine!

You're just remembering what you read in the blurb, aren't you?  Yes...

So... what you're saying is that you've read half the book and if you hadn't read the blurb you still wouldn't know what was going on and nothing much has happened?  Correct.

Fascinating.

Essentially, Web of the Romulans is, well, for lack of a better word... slow.  Not in a boring, arduous sense but in a I really feel that by about half way through there should be some sense of something happening.  This is somewhat deliberate, the whole story is a series of waiting games and a lack of action which wears on the readers and the characters alike.  Saying this however without expressly saying that it is also enjoyable would be doing it a disservice.  I was actually surprised to find myself approaching the middle of the book.  But nothing has happened yet! I thought.  And furthermore, I'm not bored!  And that was the surprising thing, despite nothing really happening and getting to half way though with virtually no action what so ever, I didn't really mind.

On the flip side, I wasn't in a particular rush to finish it either.

I must quickly comment on the cover.  Notice anything strange?  Well aside from Bones' rather dapper get up (so suave)!  Spock and Kirk's insignia are on the wrong side!  Not only that, but the insignia are flipped too.  You'd think that that meant that the image had been flipped, but the artists signature is the right way around... I'm sure there's going to be a story behind this mishap!

It became apparent in the first page that M S Murdock is a female author.  Her descriptions on the first page gave the game away.  Her descriptions paint a detailed picture with a feminine eye, and although her imagery is often somewhat overwrought it is none the less pleasurable to read.  As the plot develops at it's sedentary pace it becomes very clear where her focus is - love and relationships.  It shouldn't surprise anyone who reads Web of the Romulans that at least part of it was written by Murdock for a fanzine.  Web of the Romulans has a definite division in the stories the more developed 'computer loves Kirk' plot and the less refined 'Romulans need medicine' plot.

To some extent, the slow pace of the novel is explained by the two story lines.  Initially the plot with the Romulans is introduced however, the narrative with the computer has to be resolved before the Romulan plot can continue, since the story with the computer effectively disables the Enterprise.  Since the computer plot is essentially a standalone, go nowhere, what if, silliness found frequently in fanfiction, it's an interesting if lengthy diversion.  This somewhat explains my confusion re. 'nothing has happened, why aren't I bored?' Basically, I was occupied for most of the book with the amusing problem of the computer devoting all its resources to Kirk and an understanding of love (a follow on from 'Tomorrow is Yesterday).  This problem isn't so much solved by the end of the book so much as bypassed.  Reminding us of auxiliary control serves a purpose for the other narrative, which was a neat link.

The Romulan section of the narrative which is utterly unrelated to Kirk's problems is pretty well written however, I would like to have seen more of it.  S'Talon and the Centurion were likeable, sympathetic characters, as was the aged mentor and his friend.  The Praetor was a little tropey and predictable but served his purpose in the narrative.  I wanted to read more about the Romulans and their problems, more character development, just more!  The weakest part of the story was probably the reasons given for the Romulan's actions, the Praetor's role, the under developed bit about the planet where the miracle drug is.  On the other hand, if you don't look to closely at it, it is fine!  Mixed in with the Romulan intrigue is some Federation intrigue, in which an admiral who works in intelligence believes that the Romulans intend to start a war with the Federation.  He is completely obsessed with the idea and so manipulates the situation to be in the frontline.  However, this isn't his only problem, he also wants to conduct a war with the Romulans like a game, and he wants to be the victor.  So... basically he's completely off his rocker.  Through this story line we're introduced to three or four Federation characters who are generally likeable, interesting characters.  I also wanted to read more about these characters but I was denied this too!

So frustrating!  Perhaps this bothers me most there's a really good story line concerning the Romulans but Murdock's main concern is that silly fanfiction she wrote.  If the book had been one hundred pages longer, the Romulan narrative would have had more room to breathe and develop, as it is there is a frustrating amount of potential that just isn't utilised!

Of course, this just highlights the main problem of this book - nothing much happens.  I mean, it's impossible not to realise that two large sections of the book are comprised of 2 or more star ships sitting for days on end looking at each other over an invisible boarder in space.

It's also hard to miss that the cash poor Romulans mount an invasion force, get to the planet with the drug that they need and then... sit and negotiate?  Or that these very same cash poor Romulans buy the whole supply of this miracle drug - enough to save their whole Empire?  No boots on the ground?  No drama with S'Talon?  The Romulan ships get fired at and they just... sit there?

There's lots of cameo scenes recognisable from the series, Rand being stuck in a turbo lift is one, for example, and characters are generally well written.

So, in essence, Web of the Romulans has some serious problems, which are mitigated somewhat by a pleasant writing style and a good sense of humour and timing from the author.  It is just a pleasant sojourn, not stressful, not exciting, just a bit of a ramble.  Read it by all means, but don't look too hard / think too much about it.

3/5 - Countess of.... what?

I must add that I am laughing hard at people calling it misogynist.  Dear me.

Star Trek - Black Fire

But the doctor's main concern was on the severe condition of the captain; he hadn't yet assessed all of Kirk's injuries and McCoy entered surgery not knowing exactly what he would find.  At least hes alive - barely.

It took all of McCoy's professional detachment to suppress his despair when he full examined his patient and his friend.  There were just so many organs one could transplant, just so much one could patch and mend the human body.  Kirk's wounds pressed that limit.

Black Fire (#8 Pocket, #37 Titan) (1983) by Sonni Cooper starts with a bang, a big one.  I have to be honest, not many authors have the gall to pen an event that nearly kills one of the main characters within the first line of chapter one.  And when I say 'nearly kills' I mean only the fact Kirk is protected by virtue of being Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise, but he was as close to dead and out of the narrative as Cooper could make him.  Kirk is absent then for pretty much half the book and even when he does come back nobody bothers to tell him what is going on and he ends up having to feel his way through the narrative like a blind man without a cane.

Strike one.  Will Black Fire get three strikes? Will it hit a home run?  I don't know, but I do know I've never watched a baseball game in my life!

So, ok, I've jumped ahead a little bit, but as an ardent lover of all things Kirk I just had to get it off my chest.  I suppose I was surprised that the story took the route it did, after all I excitedly read the excellent introduction and the praises lauded onto Sonni Cooper and thought Yes!  This is going to be a gem!  Well, lets say don't expect ruby, expect garnant and you'll be fine.

So, as I said, Black Fire starts with a bang, which incapacitates Kirk for a lengthy time and seriously damages the Enterprise.  Spock (also injured) finds that the evidence points to a deliberate bombing with the intention of robbing Kirk of his life.  On submitting the evidence to the Federation, he finds them unwilling to listen to him or sanction an action into the investigation of the bombing.  Instead they seem to want to brush it all under the carpet, keeping it all hush hush.  Although I guess this is plausible, one of their advanced ships has essentially just been towed to a space dock for extensive repairs, crew members have died, the captain is critically injured... this isn't going to go away.  So... why?

Spock then takes it upon himself to investigate further, enlisting Scotty to aid him in stealing a ship and investigating co-ordinates he has worked out from various clues left by the Enterprise's bomber.  Naturally, this goes horribly wrong and Spock and Scott are captured by a barbaric race of small, suicidal, furry humanoids who want to take over the galaxy.  You'd think that would be the meat of it?  No... That's not the half of it.  Spock and Scott escape, get court martialled and punished.  Spock ends up making friends with a Romulan pirate  who he then escapes with, becomes a pirate himself, joins the Romulan Empire, acts as an intermediary between the Federation and the Empire, helps broker peace between the small furries and the Federation / Empire... 

Kirk in the meantime is busy recovering.  A lot of time passes in this novel, the Enterprise is refitted and absentee crew is replaced.  Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise once more to find... a new first officer, science officer and head of engineering.  Seriously, he knew nothing about that, nobody told him what happened to Spock and Scott, not even his bridge crew.  Seriously, poor Kirk.

Kirk ends up running into Spock again and again, once as the pirate 'Black Fire' and then as sub-commander Spock of the Romulan Empire.  Kirk's heart is just about breaking THE WHOLE TIME.  Insight from Spock?  Not much, there might be a feeling somewhere, but he seems more concerned about his new Romulan friend than Kirk.  Huh.. ok.

So, you'd be forgiven for wondering just HOW short of time travel, will this mess be cleaned up.  I hope you'll forgive me for spoiling but... BECAUSE HE WAS UNDERCOVER.  Well that's all right then!  That explains everything!... not.  What a hot mess!

From what I can understand, the Federation had literally nothing to gain from keeping it all hush hush, painting Spock as a traitor, have him galavant as a pirate and join (albeit temporarily) the Romulan Empire (he steals a ship and returns to the Enterprise near the end of the book, at which point all is revealed).  Spock admits that actually teaming up with his pirate friend wasn't actually part of the plan... then what was the plan?  Why did they not have Spock's back healed and risk paralysis of a valuable officer and undercover agent?  Why didn't they tell Kirk?!  Additionally, we get much of the narrative from essentially Spock's POV, but even so he never reacts / thinks as if he's aware he's undercover.  I feel like Cooper get's to the end of this big mess and then reaches around for the quickest, simplest way of explaining why Spock went solo for this story, became a pirate, and defected to the Romulan Empire etc.

Strike two!

In essence, don't think about this one too hard.  Black Fire is a romp, it's enjoyable, it's generally well written but it's not one that tries very hard to make sense - even in a Trek way.  Obviously this is a Spock centric story, and a part of me wants to say, the characterisation is good, but the other part of me disagrees because the narrative pushes him in a direction I don't think is natural to the character.  It's like Cooper wants something to happen, forces an action (which isn't normal to the character) but then characterises well when it isn't a plot point.  This kind of goes against some narrative theory I hold quite dear, so I can't quite forgive it for that.

I quite liked Scotty going against the grain and teaming up with Spock to steal a ship though, that was completely in character!

The main 'villains' of the story were quite, strange.  For one thing they had a society based on the fact they bred prolifically on a home planet that couldn't support them.  This resulted in a warlike, suicidal race with next to no respect for life.  They somehow got themselves off their planet and started taking over others... secretly it seems, as nobody else seems to have heard of them previously.  They integrate the technology of the species they subdue with their own, but they do not seem to develop scientifically at all otherwise.  They seemed... I don't know, very unlikely villains especially since they ended up being defeated relatively easily.  This made little sense to me because they were essentially besieged but that was only their home planet, they have scores of other planets as I understand it, why would besieging their dying home planet cause their empire to wave the white flag when socially they are suicidal and have little respect for life?

Strike three!  Black Fire is out! (That's what happens right?)

One of the little furry villains ends up falling in love with Spock *groan*, at least this puts Spock in an uncomfortable position a couple of times.  He deserves it after not being truthful with his space husband Kirk!

I honestly think the lack of exposition from Spock is where the book falls down a bit, it's like Cooper is trying so hard to keep the secret that Spock is undercover that it all comes across a bit disingenuous.  So example, if the narrator is constantly telling us what Spock is thinking and his reasoning, why aren't we made aware that it's all a deception anyway.  Concealing the truth stops us from actually learning the Federation's motivations.  It stops us actually learning what Spock actually thinks / feels about the events, instead we are essentially fed half truths.  Perhaps we should be grateful, it's more information than Kirk gets!

Not wanting to be too much of a stick in the mud, I have to confess that I did enjoy the pirate Spock and his adventures with the Romulan, that section alone was almost worth reading the book for.

Finally, should you read it?  Well... I'm going to give it a solid 3/5.  There's nothing particularly bad about it, but there also isn't anything that really makes me go 'wow' either.  It was just enjoyable, quite silly at times, a little bit melodramatic.  I find some of the TOS novels could plausibly fit in the continuity, Black Fire just doesn't.

3/5 - Ka-boom.

URGH - Just corrected some errors where text was out of place.  It's when I post on my tiny laptop with a touch pad - I'm sorry!

Guest blog is up on trekfanproductions.com!

Hello Hello!

I just thought I'd share with you that a little while back I wrote a guest blog for trekfanproductions.com which has just gone live today!

It's an essay on an alternative reading of Turnabout Intruder, ditching the 'sexist'/'sexism' commentary and instead positing that a better reading is one of 'gender fluidity' and exposition of mental illness.

Anyway, if you're interested and would like to read something other than a book review by me, please follow the link:

Turning About Turnabout Intruder

Star Trek - The Abode of Life

Two nearly simultaneous explosions from the humanoids' handguns shook the glade.  There was the solid sound of a projectile hitting one of the trees, followed by the whistling of another projectile ricocheting off some surface to warble off into the distance.

White smoke having the smell of rotten eggs, the characteristic odor of exploded black gunpowder, filled the air.

Oh dear, it has been a while!  I'm afraid I was on a bodily enforced hiatus - it was either mild flu or a cold with delusions of grandeur!  Either way it wiped me out for weeks (I'm only now feeling awake enough to write again!), and considering I'd pretty much finished The Abode of Life when I came down with it, I'm now having to stretch my Trek addled brain far further back than I'd like in order to review it!

The Abode of Life (Pocket, Titan) by Lee Correy was a welcome break from the overly dramatic silliness of Marshak & Culbreath and also allowed me to legitimately avoid reading another two that I'm not very excited about, to say the least.  Ok, what I really want to say is that I needed a man's literary touch and Lee Corey managed to scratch that itch.  I've often said that there is a definite difference between male and female writers and it couldn't be more exemplified than in the comparison between the emotional writing of Marshak and Culbreath and the succinct prose of Lee Correy.  The Abode of Life is spartan and Correy is generally uninterested in emotional exposition or character development (he in fact seems to have difficulty expressing emotion at all -Vulcan?-, I'll talk about that later), instead his interest lies in writing an expanded episode, showing us a whole new culture and having Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise make first contact with a technologically advanced species so cut off from the rest of the galaxy that they believe they are the only sentient life and whose culture is built around that belief.

The cover is... ok?
I kind of like Kirk and Spock
being full length instead of
floating heads though...

I don't want to give the wrong impression, I really did like The Abode of Life, it was just what I needed and that's all right with me.  As much as I like character driven stories full of exposition and relationship / character building, sometimes I just need to be reminded just why I like the series in the first place.  Essentially, it's very easy to get bogged down with 'fanon' (which is wonderful) that you forget just why it was love at first sight.  I didn't get annoyed, I didn't get emotional, I just got taken on a Trek adventure

The author is worth mentioning before I move on.  Lee Corey is a pseudonym of G. Harry Stine who as well as an author is one of the founding figures of modern model rocketry.  He has a physics background and worked at the Naval Ordnance Missile Test facility.  The Abode of Life is his only Star Trek novel, however he wrote a number of novels including his 'Warbot' series.  He has also published non fiction books on model rocketry and a number of space / space travel related books.  His non-fiction writing style peeks through in The Abode of Life, economical with language, a general lack of emotional description but a really in depth creation of a world and a culture and the possible science behind it.  Lee Correy writes plausibly, everything is believable from the science to the reactions of the characters.

The Enterprise is asked to scout a dangerous area of space full of spacial gravitational distortions.  Naturally, in an encounter with one of these distortions the Enterprise gets thrown across space to a sector of the quadrant which has not been yet discovered / explored by any other known race.  Badly crippled by the ordeal, the Enterprise limps under impulse engines to a lone planet circling a lone star, the readings of which defy even Spock's understanding of star behaviour.  It soon becomes clear that the star and the planet were victims of the same phenomenon that the Enterprise experienced, albeit many years previously, explaining the odd behaviour of the star.

Due to the state of the Enterprise, Kirk makes the decision that he must make contact with the people on the surface of the planet.  Scans indicate they are technologically advanced and use a transporter system though they have not developed space travel.  Kirk finds himself in a first contact situation with a people who have no concept of any other life in the universe except for their own, and whose unique society could be irrevocably changed by contact with aliens...  Of course, the situation becomes more urgent when it is revealed that the unstable sun is due to start a cyclical event which will cause it to throw out lethal amounts of radiation, enough to destroy a crippled starship and her crew.  Kirk must decide whether to break the cycle and change a planet's society forever, or save the Enterprise from certain destruction, all the while playing the part of Federation ambassador and tactician.

It's pretty much a no-brainer, isn't it?  I mean, even those of us who will defend Kirk to the ends of the Alpha quadrant know that there are certain things he won't allow:

1) Destruction of his woman the Enterprise (unless it involves Spock, see 3))

2) Loss of his best bro, McCoy

3) Loss of his space husband first officer, Spock.

So once the negotiations inevitably break down, Kirk has to take action.  In doing so he changes Mercan forever, which of course means that the story doesn't stop there.  The Abode of Life is unusual as it continues on well after the main event has occurred, Kirk has to take responsibility for his actions, and that means helping to mend the rifts between the various factions on the planet and try to bring the isolated planet into the Federation for protection and for strategic purposes.

Much of the action The Abode of Life comes from the conflict between three factions which can probably be described simply as conservatives, liberals and military.  In this case the conservatives hold the power in the Mercan society being part of a 'church of science' (?) and they hold the knowledge of how to predict their sun's behaviour and have control of the bunkers which the people have to hide in to survive.  The liberals represent 'new-science', challenging old views and trying to work out what the conservatives know in order to shift the balance of power.  The military are pretty self explanatory, they work for the conservatives but only want to act for the good of Mercan.

Pretty standard fare isn't it?  The meat of the story itself is not original, but the setting is.  I think the real strength comes from the Correy's world building.  His new characters are average, but the well thought out world with it's interesting martial society and mix of new technology (world wide transporter system) and old (black powder pistols) is really interesting.  I actually liked the idea of this isolated, advanced society having this duelling system that uses old pistols to settle disputes.  The 'mythology' of the planet was really interesting too, after all, there had to be a reason they didn't ever bother developing space travel and such. 

One of the points I had to laugh at was the characterisations, they were accurate I think, but because Correy's weakness is description you get funny repetitions like 'Kirk snapped'.  'Kirk snapped' was used so many times that it kind of becomes a joke.  Does Kirk do nothing else but 'snap' as his crew?  It's like he's suffering a sugar low or something!!

It was nice having Kirk just being a captain and demonstrating how capable he is.  You know showing you just why he's is the captain of a starship charged with not only the responsibility of the 400 or so lives on board, but as a soldier and as a negotiator and representative of the Federation - a diplomat able to initiate and preside over first contact situations.  Correy really emphasises Kirk's sense of responsibility and his wisdom. 

Correy used a wide selection of the main cast, including Rand, who gets to be part of the landing party.  I'm actually rather fond of Janice Rand and when she is written into a story it tends to be rather satisfying for me.

The Abode of Life is really worth the read, it's just good, solid, Trek.  What more do you want?

4/5 - Kirk snapped.