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aroraback's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’ve been a Star Trek TOS fan for a number of years now, so I’m predisposed to liking this book haha
I would recommend to anyone who wishes for more Star Trek.
The Abode of Life was a quick, but enjoyable read. The characters and universe followed along with what show had already set up. (In bad ways too, women aren’t very prominent and had small not very important parts).
It felt like I was reading an episode of the show. The plot was simple, easy to follow, and didn’t meander into much descriptions on place or people. Enough information to be fulfilling, but skimpy enough to not go on and on and on.
I would recommend to anyone who wishes for more Star Trek.
The Abode of Life was a quick, but enjoyable read. The characters and universe followed along with what show had already set up. (In bad ways too, women aren’t very prominent and had small not very important parts).
It felt like I was reading an episode of the show. The plot was simple, easy to follow, and didn’t meander into much descriptions on place or people. Enough information to be fulfilling, but skimpy enough to not go on and on and on.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence
graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Each time I pick up a Star Trek: TOS novel...I want to know what timeframe I about to be reading in. On the cover, the book looks like it is Star Trek: TMP era, but within the book, the timing is more accurately stated as 2268, which was perfect for me...for that is about the time I've been reading in.
This story revolves around First Contact and the Prime Directive. As we well know, Captain Kirk is a frequent abuser of General Order #1.
This time, I felt for him and his crew.
I had a good time with this one-off "episodic" like novel.
The "foes" were interesting and their tech was similar in some instances (transporter tech), but used vastly differently.
The story was well told. I'm not sure if this book was/is well received, but I can say that I enjoyed it.
It would've been a good bit of TV.
This story revolves around First Contact and the Prime Directive. As we well know, Captain Kirk is a frequent abuser of General Order #1.
This time, I felt for him and his crew.
I had a good time with this one-off "episodic" like novel.
The "foes" were interesting and their tech was similar in some instances (transporter tech), but used vastly differently.
The story was well told. I'm not sure if this book was/is well received, but I can say that I enjoyed it.
It would've been a good bit of TV.
leland_hw's review against another edition
1.0
Awful book. I couldn't even get past chapter 6. The characters bore no resemblance at all to Star Trek characters. It's like the author stuck them randomly into a story already written. I just can't go on right now.
[Edit]
I can't leave these things alone. I just can't stand to NOT finish a book once I've started. Even if it's painful. Even if I can only do it 2 or 3 pages at a time.
This story never improved even at the finish. UGH Steer clear.
[Edit]
I can't leave these things alone. I just can't stand to NOT finish a book once I've started. Even if it's painful. Even if I can only do it 2 or 3 pages at a time.
This story never improved even at the finish. UGH Steer clear.
vesper1931's review against another edition
5.0
A gravitational turbulence sends the Enterprise far out into unexplored space where they find the planet Mercan, the Abode of Life in the Universe.
An enjoyable re-read.
An enjoyable re-read.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
1.0
One star is too generous. This is genuinely dreadful, on a level that I don't expect from Star Trek. I know that every franchise has their stinkers, but this book is so contrary to the humanism and principles of the series that I can't believe it ever got published. I'm not talking about the low-level annoyances here: the sexism, the piss-poor editing (in one place, it's stated it'll take the ship 100+ years at Warp 2 to get back to Federation space, a few pages later it's suddenly "several years" away at the same rate). I'm not even talking about the asininely stupid world-building, in which a civilisation capable of developing transporter technology on a par with that of the Federation has no concept of time and has only managed weapons technology sufficient for a gun which would be antique even by our standards. No, I'm talking about how Kirk and crew (because none of them ever object) bulldoze the Prime Directive into the ground with not one iota of self-awareness, rather an abundance of hypocrisy, violence, and absolute obnoxiousness. Kirk destroys the culture of a planet (and very nearly the entire planet itself) purely for his own benefit, and doesn't even have the decency to be honest about it. It's your choice, we won't use force! he says, having kidnapped, phasered, and otherwise browbeaten and threatened the people of this world to get his own way. He's an absolute disgrace, not within ten million light years of the Kirk I know, and I can only hope in some horrible mirror universe, which this can only be, the real Kirk appears and kicks his disgusting arse.
I sincerely hope this was the only Star Trek book this author ever wrote.
I sincerely hope this was the only Star Trek book this author ever wrote.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
3.0
Overall a pretty solid Trek tale. I thought the situation they wound up in was unique and the characters were handled correctly. The resolution seemed a little tidy, but not a deal breaker.
reeshadovahsil's review against another edition
3.0
It's not good. But it is a quick and easy read. I flew threw it in a few hours. 2.5 stars if I had the option.
There are a myriad of problems with the plot, from the hilariously named Mercans (GEE I WONDER WHAT THAT COULD STAND FOR) to an overexaggerated version of Spock's typical pedantry to Kirk making the shockingly selfish and career-ending decision of risking supernova of a people's star on a half-assed attempt to stabilize it—without their permission or request—to sexism so ingrained that women are admittedly FORGOTTEN to be mentioned. Whoopsie! I forgot you girls existed, sorry!
But Star Trek TOS was full of Kirk making crappy decisions, Spock being intentionally pedantic for the giggles, and women being discriminated against (though admittedly not usually forgotten to exist). So as annoying as it all is, it's similar to one of the original episodes in many ways.
It also isn't very exciting and doesn't follow a typical plot. There's no real climax, no twists, very little action, and the new characters aren't developed at all—to the point where their names could be interchanged and I don't think we'd notice. But I didn't mind all that for an easy, mindless read on a Sunday afternoon.
One thing that was spot on? Spock and McCoy hounding each other over nothing in the last two pages. And maybe that's the crux of my feeling about this one: In spite of, or perhaps because of, all this book's truly terrible flaws, it felt kind of nostalgic.
Very happy to not read anything by this author ever again, though.
There are a myriad of problems with the plot, from the hilariously named Mercans (GEE I WONDER WHAT THAT COULD STAND FOR) to an overexaggerated version of Spock's typical pedantry to Kirk making the shockingly selfish and career-ending decision of risking supernova of a people's star on a half-assed attempt to stabilize it—without their permission or request—to sexism so ingrained that women are admittedly FORGOTTEN to be mentioned. Whoopsie! I forgot you girls existed, sorry!
But Star Trek TOS was full of Kirk making crappy decisions, Spock being intentionally pedantic for the giggles, and women being discriminated against (though admittedly not usually forgotten to exist). So as annoying as it all is, it's similar to one of the original episodes in many ways.
It also isn't very exciting and doesn't follow a typical plot. There's no real climax, no twists, very little action, and the new characters aren't developed at all—to the point where their names could be interchanged and I don't think we'd notice. But I didn't mind all that for an easy, mindless read on a Sunday afternoon.
One thing that was spot on? Spock and McCoy hounding each other over nothing in the last two pages. And maybe that's the crux of my feeling about this one: In spite of, or perhaps because of, all this book's truly terrible flaws, it felt kind of nostalgic.
Very happy to not read anything by this author ever again, though.
markk's review against another edition
1.0
There's an episode in the fifth season of Mad Men when the pretentious Paul Kinsey (who had left the ad agency a couple of years previously) reappears and asks Harry Crane, the head of the firm's television operations, to use his Hollywood connections to get NBC to look at his Star Trek spec script entitled "The Negron Complex" about a world in which a group called the Negrons are enslaved by people of different skin color. When Harry reads it he is appalled by how terrible it is, particularly with the clumsiness of its parallels to civil rights issues. "The twist is that the Negron is white!" he marvels sarcastically.
Ever since I laughed at Harry's deadpan declaration, I keep coming back to it when I encounter other heavy-handed examples of the franchise's commentary on contemporary society, as it came to mind again as I read this book. Written by "Lee Correy" (the pen name for G. Harry Stine), it transports the Enterprise crew to the planet Mercan, where a priest-like leadership known as the Guardians exploit the periodic radiation outbursts from their sun to maintain control over the population. Resisting them are the Technics who, in addition to developing prohibited technologies, are promoting the heretical idea that the Mercans are not the only beings in the universe.
You can guess how that turns out once the Enterprise shows up. And that for me was the big problem with this book, as the author is more focused on criticizing intellectual oppression than he is on developing distinctive characters or writing a suspenseful novel, At no point is there any real sense of narrative tension; the danger to the crew is minimal (the Guardians are very lackadaisical in their handling of Kirk and company), and all it takes to expand the civilization's horizons is a quick trip to the ship. Perhaps if Stine was focused less on setting up such flimsy straw men he might have done more with some of the more interesting ideas he introduces, such as the concept of a teleporter-based civilization. Instead all we have is another weak example of a Star Trek writer who prioritizes their opinionating over telling a good story.
Ever since I laughed at Harry's deadpan declaration, I keep coming back to it when I encounter other heavy-handed examples of the franchise's commentary on contemporary society, as it came to mind again as I read this book. Written by "Lee Correy" (the pen name for G. Harry Stine), it transports the Enterprise crew to the planet Mercan, where a priest-like leadership known as the Guardians exploit the periodic radiation outbursts from their sun to maintain control over the population. Resisting them are the Technics who, in addition to developing prohibited technologies, are promoting the heretical idea that the Mercans are not the only beings in the universe.
You can guess how that turns out once the Enterprise shows up. And that for me was the big problem with this book, as the author is more focused on criticizing intellectual oppression than he is on developing distinctive characters or writing a suspenseful novel, At no point is there any real sense of narrative tension; the danger to the crew is minimal (the Guardians are very lackadaisical in their handling of Kirk and company), and all it takes to expand the civilization's horizons is a quick trip to the ship. Perhaps if Stine was focused less on setting up such flimsy straw men he might have done more with some of the more interesting ideas he introduces, such as the concept of a teleporter-based civilization. Instead all we have is another weak example of a Star Trek writer who prioritizes their opinionating over telling a good story.
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