I was really happy to hear last summer that we’d get a new Star Trek: TOS novel titled Harm’s Way in December and that it would also be released as an audiobook. After the Star Trek: Coda trilogy of 2021, I was under the impression that there would be no more TOS, TNG, DS9, or Voyager books in the near future. Star Trek books would continue only for currently ongoing TV series such as Discovery, Picard, and the latest and most excellent Strange New Worlds. Judging by the upcoming publishing schedule for the next six months, I’m thinking this TOS book is a one-off, but either way, I’m glad it exists. Written by David Mack, the audiobook is narrated by Robert Petkoff and was published on December 13th, 2022.
Here’s the book’s official
synopsis: “Captain James T. Kirk and the
crew of the Starship Enterprise go in search of a missing Federation
scientist--only to become trapped between a Klingon warship and Starfleet's
mysterious Operation: Vanguard. In eons long past, alien hegemons known as the
Shedai ruled thousands of worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy. They were thought to
be dead and gone--but for a Starfleet landing party and a Klingon strike team,
the race for the secrets of the Shedai turns into a fight for survival. Can
they put aside their conflicts and cooperate, if that is the only way to
survive?”
I’ve been a Star Trek fan as far
back as I can remember, growing up watching Kirk and the gang on our black and
white TV set on Sunday mornings. One of my fondest Trek memories is of watching
Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the
middle of a crowded mall in December of 1979 while shoppers walked around. A very
unique experience that was a lot of fun for a five-year-old kid. The Original Series remains my favourite
crew, followed closely by Voyager. All
right, enough trekking down memory lane, let’s talk about this new book. Harm’s Way is penned by Star Trek
veteran David Mack who’s given us many great Trek books over the years and is a
well-loved writer among Trekkers. This book is supposed to be a new entry of
sorts into the Star Trek: Vanguard book
series written by Kevin Dilmore, Dayton Ward, and David Mack which ran through eight
books from 2005 to 2012 and until now was considered complete. For the record,
I’ve never read any of the Vanguard books and wasn’t confused or lost at any
point during Harm’s Way. So, they’re
not required reading in order to go into Harm’s
Way, but I would assume that if you’re familiar with them, you might get
some extra enjoyment out of this latest book. Another bit of a tie-in for this
book is that it takes place shortly after the events of two classic Season 2 Star Trek episodes: Amok Time, where Spock returns to Vulcan for a wedding ritual
pitting him against Kirk, and The
Doomsday Machine, where the Enterprise crew battles a mighty planet-killing
machine from another galaxy. Again, these episodes aren’t required watching
prior to reading/listening to Harm’s Way,
though I’m sure most Trekkies are familiar with them. The book refers to them
and Mack summarizes the events’ impact on Spock and Kirk more specifically. I’ve
seen the episodes so many times (especially Amok
Time) that it was a cool tie-in for me.
Harm’s
Way
moves at a rapid pace and feels like a genuine Star Trek adventure, probably
more like a movie than a longer episode. In fact, many parts to me felt
reminiscent of Star Trek III: The Search
for Spock. I say that in a good way as I have affection for that film, but
I know it’s not generally one of the more popular Trek movies. The action in
the jungle with the alliance between the crew and the Klingons reminded me of
the setting on Planet Genesis in Trek III.
My only gripe is that I would’ve loved to see more of Kirk and McCoy. I know we’ve
seen plenty of them in other novels, but the book focused more on the away team
comprised of Spock, Chekov, and Sulu rather than the squad left back on the
Enterprise with Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura. The Klingons act a little out
of character for Klingons from time to time, but it didn’t detract from the
overall enjoyment of the story. It can get pretty gory at times and sometimes feel
like a horror novel, so that may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I had no
problem with that. Mack’s characterization of the classic crew is spot-on as
usual. A great book can get lost as an audiobook without a competent narrator, but
when you have an experienced Trek narrator like Robert Petkoff at the helm, it’s
an absolute pleasure to listen to. His portrayal of the various Enterprise cast
members is wonderful, especially his voicing of Chekov, and his reading pace is
pitch-perfect.
Harm’s
Way
is a must-have Star Trek novel for fans of all things Trek, TOS, and those
younger readers/listeners who might’ve only been introduced to Star Trek in
recent years. Go back to the original, as they say. There’s nothing more fun
than a classic Star Trek adventure. I look forward to picking up the just
released, very first Star Trek: Strange
New Worlds novel, The High Country,
by John Jackson Miller (also read by Robert Petkoff). Here’s hoping we get more
TOS novels and that David Mack
continues to write in the Star Trek universe.
Rating:
Four stars out of five
Get your copy on Audible
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