Books
Literary Treks 218: You Oatmeal-Headed Scotsman!
The Gold Key Archives Vol. 4, Part 2. We discuss the mysterious "black hole" phenomenon in "Siege in Superspace," a planet full of kids playing a deadly game in "Child's Play," and Kirk's shocking transformation in "The Trial of Captain Kirk!"
Literary Treks 217: Agree to Disagree
Captain's Peril. We discuss the murder mystery plot, philosophical differences between Kirk, Spock, and Picard, different ideas about risk, the Prime Directive debate, the huge left turn the story takes at the end, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.
Literary Treks 216: He Should Have Served Prune Juice
The Final Reflection. We talk about a truly alien culture, differences between the Klingons in the book and Trek canon since, the Perpetual Game, the Federation's duplicity, the novel within the novel, the inspiration for creators of Star Trek: Discovery, and our final thoughts and ratings.
Literary Treks 215: No Pointy Sideburns
The Gold Key Archives Volume 4. We talk about troubling behavior by Kirk in "The Haunted Asteroid," a spoiled rotten prince whom everyone wants to murder in "A World Gone MAD," and an ancient mystery that threatens to turn the Enterprise crew into cyborgs in "The Mummies of Heitius VII!"
Literary Treks 214: A Pair of Richards
Prometheus: Fire with Fire. We discuss the first original German Star Trek novel & its translation, the Prometheus & its unique abilities, the terrorism allegory, the book's relation to the on-going Pocket Books novel continuity, the role of the Klingons, wrapping with our final thoughts & ratings.
Literary Treks 213: Suck on That, Gaila
David Mack: Fortune of War. We talk about the links to TNG's "The Survivors," the Husnock, Admiral Riker's new role, the characters of Titan, "The Chase" on speed, and wrap up with what David Mack has on the go for future novels and where you can find him online.
The 602 Club 161: It's a Wonderful Lie
Canto Bight. We discuss our excitement for The Last Jedi, the book's setup, Rules of the Game, The Wine in the Dreams, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing, The Ride, ratings and should you read it.
Literary Treks 212: Slips, Strips, Bars, and Bricks
Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann: I, The Constable. We discuss the inspiration for the story, the research they did to capture the noir feel, societal changes on Ferenginar, the voices of the characters, Quark's seemingly newfound generosity, fun references, where to find Paula and Terry online.
Literary Treks 211: Team Garak!
A Stitch in Time. We talk about Garak's history, growing up on Cardassia Prime, the reason for his exile on Deep Space Nine, post-war Cardassia, The Oralian Way, the reliability of Garak's account of his life, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.
Literary Treks 210: Orange is the New Black
Echoes. We talk about the plot of the novel, the unique perspective of the story's events, the dreaded Voyager reset button, Tuvok's role in the story, the crews' doppelgangers, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.
Literary Treks 209: I'm in Love with Beverly Too
David A. Goodman: The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard. We discuss Picard's early years, his time aboard the U.S.S. Stargazer, his relationship with numerous figures throughout his life, context added to TNG, a surprising Star Trek: Discovery connection, and wrap up by discussing The Orville.
Literary Treks 208: Something Something Dilithium Crystals
Ethan Siegel: Treknology. We talk the of technologies covered in the book, the process of writing it, the influence Star Trek has had on our collective imaginations & the technology of modern society, where our technologies may go in the future, and wrap up with where you can find Dr. Siegel online.