Used price: $12.00
Collectible price: $16.89
Buy one from zShops for: $17.28
The story takes place in early summer, mostly at Camp Ka Nowato, in the woods near a lake. Joe, Sam and David (from the Wishbone T.V. series) are counsellors at the camp. Someone starts playing pranks and it's up to them and Wishbone, the guard dog, to find out who is playing the pranks. I enjoyed reading the book. I was curious to see what would happen next. I recommend it for kids who like to read chapter books. This Super Mystery has longer chapters than the Wishbone Mysteries Books, but it is no harder to read.
Used price: $0.90
Collectible price: $4.24
Buy one from zShops for: $0.95
The reporter in this one is a not very veiled Harlan Ellison, IMO, and I found that amusing. I also found a copy of _Black Like Me_ at a used bookstore after reading this. Telling _Black Like Me_ in a sf mode is interesting, well done, worth reading if you don't end up paying too much for it.
Although the title "Slag Like Me" made me wary, the book is definitely a keeper. Like the series, it tackles important issues: racism, sexism, justice, etc. in an entertaining and thoughtful way. If you find a used copy, BUY IT!!!
Used price: $0.49
Collectible price: $2.28
Buy one from zShops for: $0.50
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $5.00
Buy one from zShops for: $0.50
Used price: $4.16
Buy one from zShops for: $4.11
Unlike the last book, the author gets to the main action and interest of the story fairly quickly. After having an encounter with the Special Unit while traveling through Washington state, the group drives down a deserted logging road and finds a spooky old manshion to hide in for the night. During their stay, things happen to convince them they are not alone in the house, and the group end up encountering an evil from their past.
The plot of this book is a great mixture of character exploration and suspense. I'll start by analyzing the character development:
Max is really shown as being tired of having to take the lead all the time in this book, taking the time for the group to vote on even small decisions. He is determined to protect his friends, sister, and the girl he loves, but finds failure in his past efforts to do so, and wants to make up for it in the present. Liz is also exploring her powers more, and how they may be used to help Max and her friends.
Michael and Maria are really explored well in this book. Michael is shown as having felt freer than ever before. Now, he has firmly concluded that Maria is his future. Just as this happens, Maria is deliberately pushing Michael away. But, the reason she is doing so is logical. She knows about Liz's premonitions about how Max, Michael, and Isabel, all die in the future during some alien attack. She is afraid to let Michael get close to her again because she is afraid of the pain she would feel in losing him.
Isabel is really shown to be at a crossroads. She is stepping into a new life, but is looking back at the one she is leaving behind. She spends a lot of thought on how Alex's death has affected her, and how it may relate to her marriage to Jesse that she has given up. The events of this story allow her a chance to explore some of her emotional baggage and confront some of the feelings she has been suppressing for a long time, since Alex's death. Kyle doesn't get much play in this book, but he is shown as wanting to be closer to Isabel, and risking his life to save her from a powerful enemy.
Now, for the plot. This is really a suspense/mystery novel. It almost reminds me of a classic haunted house story, but with a twist regarding who is shown to be behind some of the spookiness of the house. The atmosphere of the old house they end up in has a sense of otherwordly presence, but one that is rather sophisticated, not relying on chains rattling and moans in the night. Isabel also connects with the unseen forces she thinks are may be at work in the house in ways that really draw out her emotions and aid in her exploration of her past, especially her loos of Alex.
As they explore the house, I was really interested in just why certain things are the way they are in the house. The reader continues to be drawn into the spooky and mysterious atmosphere, and can't wait to read on to see what the answer to all of it is. Then, in an action packed climax of the book, the group is in an all out battle for their lives against an evil foe who has occupied the house. All extremely well carried out by Kevin Ryan in his story.
There are also some funny moments along the way, such as when Max and Michael chase away some Special Unit guys who try to capture them before they even get to the old mansion. Plus, I am convinced Kevin Ryan must be an Andy Griffith fan. In the last book, he had a mechanic named Gomer. In this book, the group runs into a Sheriff named Taylor. All that was missing was a deputy named Barney and a little boy named Opie.
I highly recommend reading "Nightscape". It was trully an excellent book. Just give yourself a few hours, though, when you pick it up. Once you do, you are not going to want to put it down.
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $1.05
Buy one from zShops for: $1.39
Used price: $2.99
Collectible price: $10.59
Written by Allan Asherman, the book is a fun trip through the early years of the saga, created by former arline pilot Gene Roddenberry. The book takes readers from the original pitch to NBC-TV, through both pilots (The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before), all of the 78 other episodes from 1966-1969, syndication and the growing fandom of the 70s, the short-lived animated series ('73-'74), the aborted Phase II television series, and all six motion pictures featuring just the "Classic Cast" The book has episode/film synopses, behind the scenes stories, and fun trivia. The guide has over 125 black and white photographs and a total of 182 pages (including index)
The compendium is highly recomended to any generation of Trek fan
Used price: $3.00
Buy one from zShops for: $4.00
This story centers around a newly graduated group of Security personell assigned to the Enterprise but one of them has been killed and replaced by an Klingon named Kell. Kell's mission is to kill Kirk and disable the Enterprise because the Klingons are gearing up to resume their war against the Federation. There are also things happening at Star fleet command and on a Klingon ship where Kell's brother is stationed. How Kell doesn't gets detected when he is transported or when a tricorder is used by his landing party trying to find human settlers and Orion pirates is beyond me (although he does avoid exams by Dr McCoy) but I quess he can not be detected early for the story to happen.
I would recommend the book to any Star Trek fan as it was a good book with a somewhat stand alone story although the main thread will be continued into the other 2 books. My main objection was the somewhat excessive overthinking on Kell's part - granted some is needed but not that much. I also think it would be much better to have a bigger book with less filler than dragging it out as a trilogy, particularly since I am ready to read the rest of the story and have no ideal when I will be able to - plus I know it will then be the middle and I will still have to wait longer for the conclusion.
So imagine my pleasant surprise when we actually had a story that finished one full plotline, and ended at a perfectly acceptable point, even if there was an overarching continuing subplot in the background, and one that dealt with the Klingon element in a way that could almost make me, a diehard Original-series, Klingons-are-stereotypical-bad-guys kind of guy, appreciate them.
There are several very large holes in the basic concept, that require a bit more suspension of disbelief than I can manage: the central character, Kell, aka Jon Anderson, is a Klingon infiltrator disguised as a human, much like the character in the episode "Trouble With Tribbles". He is surgically altered to "appear" human, even to the point of having his blood's color changed from lavender to red. But he won't be able to pass any examination from a doctor, as his internal anatomy is essentially unchanged and so he has to go to great lengths to avoid sickbay.
Now, how many ways is this silly? Can a person really expect to be assigned to a starship and NOT get a routine physical exam within 48 hours? Given that the answer to this question is "no", would the Klingons really be dumb enough to try this scam? And if this happened BEFORE "Trouble With Tribbles", and if Kell is eventually discovered (granted, he isn't by the end of this book) wouldn't that have caused the Federation to be more diligent in finding disguised Klingons, thus making it even less likely that THAT infiltrator could have succeeded as far as he did? On the other hand, if it happens AFTER that episode, wouldn't they be even more on guard here? All of this makes the main concept EXTREMELY dubious, but it's such a fun story that I'm at least mostly willing to give it a free ride on the issue. It would have been better, though, if it had been explained that the disguise was good enough to fool a routine physical, but a THOROUGH exam would reveal the deception. That would have been plausible, and have made the suspension of disbelief a LITTLE easier.
Well, enter the diplomat, Jean-Luc Picard. The story starts out with a younger Picard on the Stargazer. They encounter the Gorn, and Picard transports over to their ship and eventually to their homeworld. With very little known about the Gorn, except for accounts from Kirk's encounter, Picard somehow figures them out.
This sets up the current time, where the Gorn want to establish diplomatic relations with the Federation. Picard is the only one who is fit for this of course. While traveling there, the Enterprise comes upon a huge space station. While investigating it, power surges take place, and some of the crew manage to get transported back to the Enterprise, but Picard. Then, he is caught in a blinding beam, and wakes up 100 years or so in the past in an infirmary. Guess where? Cestus III, although the captain is not aware of this yet.
Eventually, he learns where he is, and in the meantime, is considered suspicious by all the colonists there, except the doctor, who he becomes attracted to. Going by the name of Dixon Hill, he finds out what Stardate it is, and knows it will not be long, before the Gorn invade and destoy this colony. He plans his escape, but before he even has a chance to move out, they find out he is not who he says he is.
Picard then reveals some information to the doctor about who he really is, since she is the only one who trusts him. Picard manages to save the colony from a reactor core overheating, but has to use force to do it, as everyone things he is sabotoging it. After doing this, he runs away into the canyons, trying to find his communicator, in the only hope of being found 100 years in the future. The Enterprise 1701-D, get the help from Bajoran pirates. As Picard is being pursued by the colonists, the Gorn invade. Being torn between obeying the Prime Directive, or helping the colonists, and the doctor who he cares about, he decides to help them, hoping it will not affect the future timeline. While helping them, he is beamed away back to the future, or his time. Toward the end of the book, Kirk, Spock and Bones appear.
All in all a great book. Was mislead a little, thinking Picard would be facing one on one with a Gorn like Kirk did.
This book starts out on the U.S.S. Stargazer Captain Jean-Luc Picard's first command, twenty-five years prior to his command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Picard works on negotiations with the Gorn, but as we know the Gorn are sneaky for lizards and can hardly be trusted. But the Enterprise and her crew are now sent to finish the negotiations with the Gorn some twenty-five years after Picard's initial contact. While on their way, the Enterprize comes into contact with an alien space station, as the crew begins to evacuate, Picard is caught in a blinding light and is transported 100 years back in time to Cestus III.
At first Picard does not know where he is, then befriends the Doctor on the colony. All this time that Picard has been missing, Riker and the Enterprise crew have been searching , but to no avail, and the Gorn negotiations are going to hell in a hand basket. While on Cestus III, Picard witnesses the Gorn invasion and is in a position to change history.
This is classic TREK at its very best. You will not be disappointed reading this book, as it keeps the reader well engrossed with a tale written for the trekker in mind. You will be thouroghly entertained as war looms over the galaxy.
Picard is the key, the challenges are great, only now will the future of the Federation be held in the past?