The Face of the Unknown, by Christopher L. Bennett

The Corbomite Manoeuvre is possible the most famous episode of the Original series, so it’s a little surprising that the past sixty-odd years have offered so little in the way of follow-up. That’s where The Face of the Unknown comes in. It’s a very direct sequel that uncovers the details of Balok’s civilisation, and why they chose such an ungual disguise during their first contact with James Kirk.

Christopher L. Bennett is on fine form here. An experienced Trek novelist, he has a firm grip on all the main characters, and seamlessly includes a few from the Animated Series too. There’s plenty of narrative for all involved, but this book just flies by.

A special mention must also be made of some phenomenal set pieces in this story that would have been impossible for a show in the 1960s to accurately portray, but which get right into the sense of wonder that good Trek inspires.

Devil’s Bargain, by Tony Daniel

Continuing the theme of sequels to Original Series episodes, Devil’s Bargain is a less obvious follow-up to Devil in the Dark. When a remote colony is threatened by a rogue comet, the rock-eating Hortas may be the colonists’ only hope. This potential doomsday scenario is complicated by the fact that the colonists have dabbled in illegal genetic manipulation.

That’s a lot of story threads to unpick, which makes this book’s 303 pages feel far too short. The ideas are fine, but nothing is really explored or given room to breathe. I also have to say that the characterisation isn’t particularly good. Aside from Kirk coming across as hopelessly lovesick, none of the regular crew make any impression, and even the original characters feel flat.

There’s a decent story here, but it feels like the framework of a much better one. Not a strong first impression for Daniel.

Savage Trade, by Tony Daniel

It was at this pointy I realised that all four of these books are sequels in one form or another to episodes of the Original Series. This time around we’re catching up with everybody’s favourite shapeshifters from The Savage Curtain. In that episode, Kirk met ‘Abraham Lincoln’ – along with a few fictional historical figures.

This time around, all the historical figures are real, and the overwhelming majority are American. Yes, this is the one where Kirk gets to meet the Founding Fathers (while McCoy gets a sideplot involving Voltaire’s lover). Star Trek is a US invention, of course, but the nationalism disguised as humanism does wear thin after a while, and matters aren’t helped by Kirk’s latest love interest in the form of a Vulcan ambassador.

Despite the idea being absolutely nonsensical, the plot itself is a fairly fun piece of spacefaring action, and the antics of Spock, Sulu, and Chekov serve to keep things interesting.

Serpents in the Garden, by Jeff Mariotte

At the end of A Private Little War, Kirk gave guns to a primitive people to balance out the fact that the Klingons were doing the same. This being Star Trek, he never went back to check on them. Until this book, set just before The Motion Picture.

This isn’t an episode I remember terribly well, but luckily Serpents in the Garden works well on its own terms. Plus some memories came flooding back once the mugato arrived on the scene. This is a fast-paced and brutal novel that, ironically for a book featuring a slave mine, takes no prisoners.

Like a lot of Star Trek, this is basically the Captain Kirk show, but having a slightly older Kirk makes for a nice change of pace, and Mariotte captures the character well. The side plot featuring Scotty and a few other Trek regulars is also well-done, but has so little impact on the main story it could have been removed entirely and the book would be just as strong.

Bonus Review: Discovery, Season 5

Since I’m talking about Trek sequels, I’m going to throw in some quick thoughts on the fifth and final season of Discovery, which inexplicably centred its main arc on a sequel to TNG episode ‘The Chase.’

The fifth season is good science fiction, and good Star Trek, continuing the strong run of the show’s latter seasons. Yes, the constant raising of stakes to galactic proportions grows wearisome, but the individual episodes remain in fine form. The performances are universally great, from show stalwarts to new additions.

With the exception of a very indulgent final fifteen minutes, this doesn’t feel like a final season. Of course, it was not intended to be one, which means Discovery leaves us not on its own terms, but with one more season of adventure in the far future.