It’s a concept that shouldn’t have worked: excerpts from the best of the Star Trek novels, grouped under such categories as The Crew, Visions of the Future and Aliens, and Allies and Enemies. After all, these segments of Trek narratives were designed to be read in context, weren’t they? It’s a tribute to Mary P. Taylor’s editing skills, however, that this turns out to be a truly delightful volume, with the various extracts chosen so cannily that the final effect is of an exhilarating, world-spanning saga, with each section adding fresh insights. Of course, the segments that grip most compulsively are those by the most authoritative writers (such as Sherman and Schwartz’s wonderful study of Spock in Vulcan’s Forge and Steven Barnes’s adaptation of a TV episode, Far Beyond the Stars. But such is Taylor’s skill at picking the best: there are no episodes that are less than rewarding. It’s also an intelligent touch to strip-mine the galactic derring-do with passages on the creation of the various TV series and movies. Here again, enthusiasts will find much to cherish (not least in the section by The Man himself, Gene Rodenberry). The final effect of the book, though, is to confirm the continuing vigor of a concept that shows every sign of lasting until the futuristic era it depicts. –Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk

Description

The name of Zephram Cochrane is revered throughout the known galaxy. As the man responsible for the breakthrough that lifted humanity from its planetary cradle, Cochrane made possible the starship that would one day lead to the formation of Starfleet and the Federation.

But Cochrane was born into a world ravaged by war — a world in which his miraculous discovery represented hope to some, and a weapon to others. His struggle to preserve warp technology as an instrument of peace leads to relentless pursuit that spans centuries…and propels the captains and crews of two Starship Enterprise toward a rendezvous with destiny across the mists of time.

FEDERATION A Classic Novel Celebrating The Fortieth Anniversary of

STAR TREK ®

Find out more: Read an excerpt

Product Details

Star Trek, September 2006
Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages
ISBN-10: 1-4165-3099-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-3099-2