It was the 1970s and Star Trek was adrift in the doldrums. The last original series episode had aired back in June 1969, the last animated series episode had aired in October 1974, and fans who were eager for new Trek had to retreat to the pages of various circulating fanzines. This was a freewheeling Wild West age of Star Trek literature. And for reasons that continue to elude me, fans at this time were obsessed with “slash fiction,” “Spirk,” and “shipping” themes (essentially the idea that various original series characters were engaged in secret unspoken romantic dalliances, often homoerotic in nature, with plenty of tender innuendo between Kirk and Spock). Imagine that! But this was what largely kept Star Trek fiction writing alive during the 1970s. Then Bantam Books picked up the rights to publish new Star Trek books and gradually a literary legacy was born that now spans hundreds upon hundreds of books, and endless debates over messy timelines and official canonicity.
Reading through these 16 quirky books is a strange experience. It’s sorta like getting your hands on a bewildering artifact from another time. There is lots of “spocks-ploitation” and rampant use of the exclamation point (e.g. “Spock Must Die!” or “Spock, Messiah!”). Among the “Star Trek Adventures” books there are short story collections, bits of Vulcan poetry, previously unproduced scripts, fan-written slash fiction, and there are also some very interesting novels written by top notch science fiction writers, like David Gerrold and Joe Haldeman. I could envision at least a few of these novels making compelling original series episodes. Recently I decided to rank them after finally finishing the “series” (I use quotes here because this is less of a series and more of a collection of one-off adventures later grouped together and called “Star Trek Adventures” by Titan Books when they republished the Bantam line in the ’90s). Did I like this reading experience? Not particularly. But I’m glad I did it. Now I can move on to other things. Spoiler alert: very few of these books pass the smell test.
16. The Fate of the Phoenix (1979) by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath (#12)
A barely readable sequel to The Price of the Phoenix (also by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath) The Fate of the Phoenix depicts the return of the fearsome hulking Vulcanoid “alpha male” known as Omne. He leads the Enterprise on a befuddling misadventure after inexplicably being appointed to a key political role (Lord Regent) of an important Federation star system (the Voran Dynasty Hegemony). Along the way, we encounter several confusing duplicates created by the Phoenix Process, plenty of odd romantic yearning, particularly from the Romulan Commander Di’on, and a strange vortex “Anomaly” that leads to another dimension. The Fate of the Phoenix is a lengthy, convoluted, tedious, and mostly incomprehensible novel. Between numerous meandering plot threads, a staggering number of confusing characters, and a laborious amount of forgettable dialogue, this one barely managed to retain my attention. I’m sorry to say this was an absolutely dreadful Star Trek read and I would not soon recommend it to anyone.
15. The Price of the Phoenix (1977) by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath (#4)
A textbook case of early Star Trek “slash fiction,” The Price of the Phoenix is a fairly ridiculous novel in my view. It was based on a reworked piece of 1970s fanfiction, and in those days, Star Trek fanfiction was rife with all manner of goofy subplots, nudity, and erotica. In The Price of the Phoenix, a rescue operation on an outlaw planet near the Romulan Neutral Zone goes sideways when Kirk winds up dead at the hands of a huge hulking Vulcanoid named Omne. Amidst a great deal of veiled homoeroticism, and a new transporter-inspired invention called the “phoenix process,” it’s left to Spock to track down the captain’s murderer through an underground labyrinthine maze of hidden passages and hopefully save both the captain and the ship.
A second anthology of early Star Trek fanfiction, The New Voyages 2 was published to help build support for NASA, which was facing financial strife in the late 1970s. This unique potpourri of Trek literature features a memorable cropping of stories that explore familiar plotlines about godlike alien beings and inorganic living machines, but there are also sillier tales, such as a short story about the crew throwing a birthday party for Kirk, a short story about Nurse Chapel naked and battling giant snakes in a gladiatorial ring on a remote planet, and there is even some poetry. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of sexualized “slash” fiction tropes employed here but there is also an unused script published for the first time, as well as an avant-garde dialectic from the perspective of Spock. Would I recommend it? Not really unless you are interested in exploring the founding days of Star Trek fanfiction.
13. Mudd’s Angels (short story collection) (1978) by J.A. Lawrence (#7)
A collection of three short stories focused on everyone’s favorite galactic con-man Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd: the first two stories are J.A. Lawrence’s adaptations of the original series episodes “Mudd’s Women” and “I, Mudd,” thus completing her late husband James Blish’s cycle of episode adaptations, and the final story is an original work by Lawrence entitled “The Business, As Usual, During Altercations” which continues the Harry Mudd saga. In it, the Enterprise investigates a critical dilithium crystal shortage which quickly leads to a wild adventure that extends beyond the galaxy as the crew tracks down Harry Mudd. It’s an amusing, albeit slightly convoluted story, but I have always had a bit of a nostalgic sweet spot for the silly Harry Mudd adventures, even if they’re just not very good.
12. Planet of Judgment (1977) by Joe Haldeman (#5)
While transporting a famous astrophysicist named Dr. James “Jim” Atheling to the Academy, the Enterprise encounters a rare rogue planet teeming with all manner of fearsome creatures and governed by a superior race of beings who torment the crew with nightmarish hallucinations. After a landing party is attacked (including a redshirt whose face is brutally ripped off by a hostile plant), the crew must find a way to prove themselves capable of survival to these unknown godlike aliens who rule the planet. I found the first half of Planet of Judgment to be an immensely intriguing horror thriller but the book changes its tone in the second half, leaving some plot threads unresolved. It felt a bit inconsistent and difficult to reconcile.
11. Death’s Angel (1981) by Kathleen Sky (#16)
After a spore infection outbreak on Delta Gamma Four, the Enterprise is urgently whisked away for an important diplomatic mission: negotiating a détente with the Romulans. Along the way the crew transports a rowdy group of diverse alien ambassadors to the conference (a nod to the classic episode “Journey to Babel”), but one-by-one several key ambassadors mysteriously turn up dead in their quarters. Alarming rumors swirl about an “Angel of Death” on the Enterprise and a beautiful new Starfleet bureaucrat from the Special Security Division (SSD) is sent to investigate the case (guess which character falls in love with her?) I was really drawn to the first half or so of Death’s Angel, but eventually it went completely off the rails. In my opinion Death’s Angel is a step down from Kathleen Sky’s previous Star Trek novel Vulcan!, but it does feature an inviting cameo from Sarek and all the raucous alien ambassadors are pretty hilarious (some of the creatures include: snakes, snakes, lobsters, cats, a slimy aquatic creature, and even a koala bear!)
10. The New Voyages (1976), short story collection edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath (#2)
A quirky curated anthology of early Star Trek fanfiction originally published in fanzines. Many of the short stories featured here concern “shore leave” plots, technology malfunctions, amusing erotic “slash” fiction, and there is even a unique Vulcan poem at the end of the collection! Each of the eight short stories is coupled with a unique introduction written by a key Star Trek figure like Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and others.
9. Spock, Messiah! (1976) by Theodore Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. (#3)
An early example of the “Spocks-ploitation” genre of Star Trek literature, in Spock, Messiah! (note the exclamation point), the Enterprise tests out new doppelgänger (“dop”) telepathic personality “cephalic implants” while observing the planet Kyros and retrieving trilithium crystals from the surface. But naturally the dop implants malfunction and the crew members begin adopting false personas –especially Spock who ends up believing he is actually a fanatical religious messiah named Chag Gara. The Enterprise crew must recover their insane science officer while also retaining the vital trilithium crystals. While there were some elements of Spock, Messiah! I found to be mildly entertaining, albeit filled with sorely dated tropes, in general this falls into the more ridiculous vein of Star Trek literature. I would recommend skipping this one.
8. Perry’s Planet (1980) by Jack C. Haldeman II (#14)
The Enterprise is dispatched for a diplomatic mission to Perry, a remote planet with a 300-year-old colony established by a charismatic scientist named Wayne Perry. The colony recently made contact with the Federation. But when the Enterprise arrives, the crew is immediately infected with a mysterious virus that prevents people from engaging in acts of violence, and to make matters worse, a vengeful Klingon named Korol arrives after having sworn a blood oath against Kirk. Perry’s Planet is one of the shorter Star Trek novels. It offers an amusing, albeit entirely predictable little adventure (reminiscent of any number of TOS episodes like “The Return of the Archons” or “The Apple” among others). All in all, this is another middle-of-the-road Bantam era Star Trek novel.
7. Spock Must Die! (1970) by James Blish (#1)
In the debut Bantam Star Trek novel, the Organians have mysteriously disappeared! With no one to enforce the Organian Treaty, the Klingons reignite a hot war with the Federation and, in response, the Enterprise uses new experimental transporter technology to send Spock at a great distance in the hopes that he can resolve the issue. But, of course, there is an unexpected malfunction and two Spocks are accidentally created: one good and one evil. I found Spock Must Die! to be a fairly bland, techno-babble heavy book but an interesting enough adventure all the same. Today, Spock Must Die! enjoys a fairly mixed reputation from fans and I would generally agree with this assessment.
6. Devil World (1979) Gordon Eklund (#13)
After attending a magician’s performance during shore leave on Starbase 13, the crew of the Enterprise crosses paths with a renowned artist named Gilla Dupree. She explains that her father, widely regarded as a traitor to the Federation, has become trapped on a quarantined planet populated by a demonic-looking alien race. It’s then up to the Enterprise to visit this dangerous world and hopefully retrieve Gilla’s long-lost father. I was fully prepared for Devil World to be a fairly forgettable silly TOS adventure to a remote planet ruled by a Satanic alien tyrant, but admittedly I was slightly surprised by this one (at least in contrast to other Bantam era books, many of which run the gambit from somewhat mediocre to utterly atrocious). I liked this horror-themed story and the concept of the Danon alien race, a once proud species who are now tragically dying out.
5. Trek To Madworld (1979) by Stephen Goldin (#10)
The Enterprise transports a pair of diplomats from Babel back to the Epsilon Delta 4 colony. But the crew suddenly discovers a dangerous radiation exposure that has been affecting the colonists. As they race toward Epsilon Delta 4 to treat the colonists, the Enterprise plots a risky route that winds up sucking the ship into a rift in space leading to a mysterious floating world run by a playful impish godlike gnome (a former Organian) who is reminiscent of Trelane or Q. Here, the crew are invited to play a quirky game of riddles and face-off against rival Klingons and Romulans. Despite my usual quibbles with Star Trek novels, I actually enjoyed this one far more than expected. It takes readers on some fairly silly twists and turns, and it is an open homage to the sillier episodes of TOS, but it is still mercifully better than other Bantam novels. Plus the satirical introduction by David Gerrold is not to be missed!
4. World Without End (1979) by Joe Haldeman (#11)
After a routine survey mission, the Enterprise comes upon a gigantic space ship in the form of a hollowed-out planetoid hurtling through space. The ship has been on a 3,000 year journey but now it appears to be heading toward a perilous destination. When a landing party beams aboard the mystery ship, the crew is met by hordes of furry humanoid winged creatures called Chatalia, in addition to a crashed Klingon ship, and a mysterious leader called the “Father Machine.” In spite of Joe Haldeman swearing off Star Trek novels after finishing this one, I quite enjoyed World Without End (his second Trek novel after after Planet of Judgment). But I would say this book goes a bit off the rails when the main antagonist is introduced. Still, World Without End is an action-heavy, engaging adventure and it is most certainly a stand-out novel in the Bantam era.
3. The Starless World (1978) by Gordon Eklund (#9)
Near the Galactic Core, the Enterprise encounters a shuttlecraft from the missing USS Rickover carrying Thomas Clayton, a man who just so happens to be Kirk’s old Starfleet Academy roommate. However, Clayton is not as Kirk remembers him. He seems to have gone stark-raving mad. When we first meet him, he is wildly shouting about a god who intends kill them all. From here, the Enterprise becomes unwillingly ensnared in the orbit of a rogue planet called “Lyra” (a Dyson Sphere) which is governed by a maniacal deity called Ay-nab, who seems to be leading the planet on a suicide mission straight into a black hole. This is hardly among the worst Star Trek books I have encountered in the clumsy Bantam era of “Star Trek Adventures.,” and in fact, it is one of the better installments. I would imagine The Starless World would have fit-in nicely with the low-budget Season Three episodes of TOS.
2. The Galactic Whirlpool (1980) by David Gerrold (#15)
Written by Star Trek legend David Gerrold (famous for penning the classic episode “The Trouble With Tribbles” along with a couple other Trek episodes), The Galactic Whirlpool was originally conceived as a two-part episode for the original series. In it, Starfleet dispatches the Enterprise to a remote sector of the galaxy after receiving reports of a Klingon ship near a few mining colonies. But the crew quickly finds a massive colony ship instead called “The Wanderer” that is carrying the descendants of humans who left earth many years ago. But aboard The Wanderer, the people are locked in a bitter feud after many years of civil war and mutiny. Also the clock is ticking because The Wanderer is headed straight toward a volatile pair of black holes known as “the galactic whirlpool.” The Galactic Whirlpool is filled with in-jokes and wordplay inserted by Gerrold. It presents a very familiar premise –the Enterprise happens upon a large ship filled ancient earth technology and two warring factions in need of a peaceful resolution. The Galactic Whirlpool has far too many lengthy exposition passages and all the in-jokes quickly become a bit bewildering, but this is another quirky Bantam Star Trek novel that I quite enjoyed. Plus fan-favorite character Kevin Riley plays a major role!
1. Vulcan! (1978) by Kathleen Sky (#8)
Initially written as a script for The Original Series, Vulcan! is another fairly ridiculous early Star Trek novel, though I will confess I enjoyed this one far more than the other books in the “Star Trek Adventures” series. In Vulcan! rolling ion storms have caused the huge magnetic field along the Romulan Neutral Zone to shift, pushing a remote system called “Arachnae” from Federation space into Romulan territory. The Enterprise has been assigned to chart this unusual shift and possibly stop it from happening. For the mission, the crew is joined by a beautiful exobiology expert named Dr. Katalya Tremain, who immediately tries to leave the ship when she spots Spock (she is deeply prejudiced against Vulcans). Predictably things go awry when Spock and Dr. Tremain are assigned to the landing party together and they become trapped on the surface of Arachnae IV where they must learn to work together and fend off hordes of huge ant-tarantula Arachnian creatures. Vulcan! is riddled with little absurdities but it’s my favorite from the Bantam era. I recommend giving it a shot!
Well that about wraps it up! I will plan to dive into the Pocket Books in the future. Feel free to follow along for more nonsense like this. Do you have a strong opinion about my ranking? Feel free to drop me a comment below.