Burning Dreams

Star Trek
Burning Dreams by Margaret Wander Bonanno
Published July 2006
Read April 30^th 2019

Previous book (The Original Series): Vulcan's Soul, Book Two: Exiles
Next book (The Original Series): Mere Anarchy: Things Fall Apart

Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Burning Dreams!

From the back cover:

Before James T. Kirk, another captain stood on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, spearheading its mission of exploration into the uncharted reaches of the galaxy. He was a man driven to perfection, a brooding soul whose haunted eyes reflected the burden of the impossible standards he set for himself, and for whom his longtime science officer, Spock, one day would risk everything. Yet, little is truly known about the enigmatic Christopher Pike, the events that defined him...or the secrets that consumed him. 

From the embers of his early childhood among Earth's blossoming interstellar colonies, to the terrifying conflagration that led him back to the world of his birth; from the mentor who would ignite young Chris's desire to return to the stars, to the career he blazed in Starfleet that would end in supreme sacrifice -- the path of Pike's astonishing life leads through fire again and again. But even amid the ashes of Talos IV, the forbidden world on which he would live out the remainder of his days, the dreams smoldering still within his aging, radiation-ravaged breast fan the flames of Pike's spirit to accomplish one final task....

My thoughts:

At the time that Burning Dreams was written, not much was canonically known about the history of Captain Christopher Pike. We have the original pilot episode, "The Cage" (re-purposed for the only TOS two-parter, "The Menagerie"), and that's it, canon-wise. Outside of canon Trek, there has been a bit more exploration, notably in the novels: Vulcan's Glory by D.C. Fontana and The Rift by Peter David being a couple of notable examples. But no one had tried to tell the life story of Pike, which is the ambitious goal of Margaret Wander Bonanno's Burning Dreams.

Christopher Pike's history is the focus of Burning Dreams.

The framing story has him arriving at Talos IV at the end of "The Menagerie" to live out the rest of his days in their care along with his former cage-mate, Vina. Getting to know one another, Pike begins to tell her his life story, beginning in his youth on the frontier world Elysium. Accompanying his mother and Heston Prescott, his step-father, young Chris spends his formative years helping Heston with his attempts to tame this new world and aiding a hired hand, Charlie, in raising horses. Tragedy strikes, and an out-of-control fire claims the life of his mother and step-father, and Charlie and Chris leave Elysium behind and return to Mojave on Earth.

Charlie, who is a crewman in Starfleet, inspires Chris to attend Starfleet Academy and become an officer. We see pieces of his Starfleet career as he ascends the ranks and becomes a model officer, eventually rising to the position of first officer under a questionable captain. Eventually, Pike learns that he was placed on that vessel to expose the crimes of his captain, showing how he would come to be known as an officer with impeccable moral character.

Burning Dreams was a fun novel to revisit, given the recent season of Star Trek: Discovery in which the classic character was played by actor Anson Mount. Reading this novel, I pictured both him and Jeffrey Hunter at various points. The Pike of Burning Dreams tended to echo the more brooding style of Hunter's portrayal, but both interpretations of the character seemed applicable to various parts of the novel.

Bonanno's characterization of Pike lent itself to both Jeffrey Hunter's and Anson Mount's portrayals of the character.

Overall, Burning Dreams is a fascinating study of the Pike character, delving into the experiences that turned him into the man we saw both in "The Cage" and Discovery. At times, a few of the plot turns and revelations felt a bit "soap opera-y," but Bonanno mostly does an excellent job of getting to the root of what makes this character tick. Pike's later life is one filled with tragedy, and his past reflects that same theme.

One aspect of the novel that I want to touch on is a part of the story set decades after Pike was left on Talos IV. Spock, receiving a telepathic summons from the Talosians, returns to Talos IV believing Pike to have passed away. His supposition turns out to be correct, and he is being summoned to take possession of Pike's remains for return to the Federation. This part of the novel ends on a surprising and very welcome note of hope, as not only have the Talosians done a great service to Pike by letting him live out his remaining years in their care, but he has returned the favor by putting Talosian society on a path to recovery from the holocausts of their past. Burning Dreams ends with the thought that Spock might argue for their admittance into the Federation due to the huge amounts of progress they have made as a society thanks to Pike's help. It's a wonderful note for the novel to end on and brought a big smile to my face.

Pike's legacy includes possible redemption for the Talosian species.

Final thoughts:

A touching novel that explores the life of Christopher Pike with a depth not achieved by any other work featuring this character. While some parts seem a bit on the melodramatic side of things, for the most part, Burning Dreams is a wonderfully written biography of what has become one of my favorite characters in Trek. It doesn't completely mesh with what we've come to know as canon with Pike's portrayal in Discovery, but that doesn't make it any less worth reading. Bonanno does an excellent job bringing this character to life from just one prior appearance in canon. Definitely recommended!

More about Burning Dreams:

• Podcast: Literary Treks 267: That Word "Sacrifice" Keeps Coming Up

Also by Margaret Wander Bonanno:

• Star Trek: Mere Anarchy, Book Six: Its Hour Come Round (2007)
• Star Trek: Unspoken Truth (2010)

My next read:

Next up is my review of the second Star Trek: Titan novel, The Red King by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin.

Its Hour Come Round

Star Trek
Mere Anarchy, Book Six
Its Hour Come Round by Margaret Wander Bonanno
First Published April 2007
Re-published in the omnibus collection Mere Anarchy in March 2009
Read December 16^th 2015

Previous book (Mere Anarchy): The Blood-Dimmed Tide

Original e-book cover

Trade Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Kindle E-book: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Its Hour Come Round and the rest of the Mere Anarchy series!

From the back cover:

Captain James T. Kirk is dead, lost during the launch of the U.S.S. Enterprise-B. His former shipmates are not the only ones who mourn his passing: Raya elMora and the people of Mestiko are stunned to learn that the man who has played such a pivotal role in their lives over the past three decades is now gone.

But Kirk’s passing comes as Mestiko is on the threshold of a new era, as they have come from near-destruction to contemplating membership in the Federation. The surviving crew of the Starship Enterprise gather together at this strife-torn world one last time as its future hangs in the balance...

My thoughts:

Here it is at last: the final entry in the Mere Anarchy series, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Trek back in 2006 and 2007. Over on the podcast, Literary Treks, co-host Matthew Rushing and I have been talking about each of the books over the past few months. Now, we are finally at the end.

And what a way to end this series! Veteran Trek novelist Margaret Wander Bonanno has crafted a beautiful and bittersweet finale to Mere Anarchy. The year is 2293, and Captain Kirk has recently been lost, presumed killed during the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B. As the former crew of the Enterprise mourns the loss of their intrepid captain, Mestiko debates whether or not to join the United Federation of Planets.

The loss of James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Generations weighs heavily on the events of this story.

In Star Trek fiction, we haven't gotten many stories dealing with the aftermath of the loss of Kirk in Generations. While reading Its Hour Come Round, it occurred to me what a huge impact this loss would have on the galaxy. We see the effect it has on Mestiko, but there would be hundreds of worlds that Kirk influenced deeply during his Starfleet career. How would they react to his supposed death?

We also see the effect the Kirk's death has on his former crew, most notably Dr. McCoy. His depression following the loss of his friend was very poignant, and rang very true to the character. The author is able to draw an interesting parallel between the experience of the Payav people of Mestiko and the experiences that Kirk's crew are going through. Both have suffered a tremendous loss, but by the end of their respective stories, both are on the path to recovery. The future is bright for Mestiko, and with time, things will be brighter for Kirk's former crew as well.

Chancellor Azetbur leads the Klingon delegation to Mestiko in Its Hour Come Round.

The idea of shared hardships bringing people together is an interesting theme that appears in Its Hour Come Round. Most notably, the Klingons are used to good effect in this story, having themselves recently gone through a world-changing cataclysm. The destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis (in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) has given the Klingons their own experience with extreme hardship, and we find them actually learning from the Payav in this story. It was fascinating to see a different take on the Klingons in the time period immediately following the signing of the Khitomer Accords. Under Chancellor Azetbur, the Klingons and the Federation are on the road to a very interesting partnership indeed.

An interesting aspect of the end of the story is that we never actually learn whether or not Mestiko joins the Federation. I have seen a few reviews online that show a great deal of annoyance with this seeming oversight. However, I have a different view. The whole point of the story of Mestiko is not whether or not they will join the Federation, but whether or not they will recover and be "alright" in the long run. With this story, we know that they will. It doesn't matter if they ultimately join the Federation; Mestiko will prosper regardless.

Final thoughts:

A very fitting and excellent ending to the Mere Anarchy series. The story is at times contemplative and reflective, but necessarily so given the events that immediately precede it. Margaret Wander Bonanno has crafted a very touching story to finish off this series, one that definitely celebrates what was great about the original Star Trek.

The Mere Anarchy series as a whole:

This has been a very interesting book series with some definite highs and lows. While the storytelling was at times a little uneven, what is abundantly clear is that each of these stories was a labor of love for the author telling it. A fun and generally exciting examination of the entire range of settings and time periods that were experienced by the original Star Trek crew, Mere Anarchy was a fitting celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, and I'm glad to have read it now on the cusp of the 50th.

More about Its Hour Come Round:

• Podcast: Literary Treks 133: Brother From Another Mother

Also by Margaret Wander Bonanno:

• Star Trek: Burning Dreams (2006)
• Star Trek: Unspoken Truth (2010)

Star Trek: Mere Anarchy:

• Things Fall Apart by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
• The Centre Cannot Hold by Mike W. Barr
• Shadows of the Indignant by Dave Galanter
• The Darkness Drops Again by Christopher L. Bennett
• The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Howard Weinstein
• Its Hour Come Round by Margaret Wander Bonanno

Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

The final book in the Q Continuum trilogy: Q-Strike by Greg Cox!

Unspoken Truth

Star Trek: Unspoken Truth by Margaret Wander Bonanno

Published April 2010

Read May 28^th, 2011

Previous book (The Original Series): Inception
Next book (The Original Series): The Children of Kings

Click the cover to purchase Unspoken Truth at Amazon.com!

Spoilers ahead for Unspoken Truth!

From the back cover:

A social experiment was conceived. Its goal was to breed the best, the brightest, the most malleable and most loyal soldiers to ever serve. To this end, the Romulan Empire used its own children, blinded by the belief that anything that would bring glory to the praetor was justified. And when the winds of politics changed, these children were abandoned, left to die on a world so horrifying that it was dubbed—by those who dared to cling to life—Hellguard.

One wild child, Saavik, was rescued by Spock. He took the half-Vulcan, half-Romulan child home to his parents, knowing that if anyone could reach and rescue Saavik, it was them.

Now a Starfleet officer, Saavik has striven to honor her mentor and her Vulcan heritage. But recent events have shaken her. Left behind on Vulcan while the rest of the Enterprise crew goes to face court-martial for stealing and destroying their ship, the young science officer is adrift when two men from her past confront her. Tolek, another Hellguard survivor, tells Saavik that the survivors are being killed one-by-one and only they can discover who and why. The other, a Romulan who claims to be her father, swears it is the Vulcans who are eliminating the Hellguard survivors because they are an embarrassment to all of Vulcan, but that she has the power to stop it, by bringing down the Vulcan ambassador, Sarek.

Not knowing where to turn, not knowing whom to trust, Saavik must find her own answers, and discover who she truly is.

About the novel:

Unspoken Truth chronicles the direction that Saavik’s life takes concurrent with and following the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.  After the HMS Bounty lifts off from Vulcan carrying the crew of the late Starship Enterprise to Earth to face trial, Saavik is contacted by an old friend and fellow survivor from Saavik’s former home, Hellguard.  This old friend, Tolek, informs Saavik of a plot to kill all of the survivors of Hellguard.  Several of them have been killed already and Tolek fears that he and Saavik may be next.  Saavik agrees to provide assistance through access to the Starfleet database and shortly leaves for her next assignment aboard the USS Chaffee.  While aboard the Chaffee, Saavik meets a Tiburonian scientist named Mikal.  Despite his eccentricity and emotionalism, Saavik is drawn to him and they become romantically involved.  The first half of the novel deals with their burgeoning relationship and the discovery and exploration of a planet that plays host to a species of intelligent “worms.”

The second half of Unspoken Truth begins when Saavik returns to Vulcan following the Chaffee’s mission.  Saavik discovers that Tolek has been killed, and Saavik begins a journey to discover the person or persons behind it.

My thoughts:

Margaret Wander Bonanno is one of Trek Lit's premiere writers.  I can remember reading Strangers From the Sky as a child, thoroughly enjoying a unique and engrossing story that was well-told.  Unspoken Truth is interesting, competently written, and provides much-needed insight into a character that was sadly never fully explored in the on-screen Star Trek universe.  I've always been fascinated by Saavik, especially with what makes her different from the typical Vulcan.

Expanding on previous backgrounds written for Saavik including the original script for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Carolyn Clowes' novel The Pandora Principle, Unspoken Truth delves further into Saavik's past as a feral child on the abandoned Romulan colony Hellguard.  This begins to explain the emotionality displayed by Saavik in The Wrath of Khan, such as using expletives and crying at Spock's funeral.  Here we find out more about that past and how it has affected Saavik in her adult life.  This exploration was very welcome, as a void opens up in the character's life after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.  After the Bounty departs and leaves her behind on Vulcan, what happened?  Where did Saavik go afterwards?  Unspoken Truth fills in that gap admirably.

The character of Mikal is a bit of a conundrum.  At the beginning of the book, I found him to generally be an insufferable ass.  However, as the book drew to a close, I found myself caring about him somewhat.  I still wouldn't say that I liked him per se, but I no longer loathed him.  I feel that a better job could have been done with his character.  Bonanno does link him and Saavik thanks to shared childhood suffering, but I feel that more could have been made of that connection.

One complaint I have is that the motivation for Saavik's actions is hidden from the reader until the very end of the novel.  Normally, this can be an effective stylistic choice.  However, in this instance, because the entire book is told from her perspective, it seems odd that the reader would remain unaware of why she was doing what she was doing until the end.  The revelation as to why Saavik was acting as she was came as a complete surprise to me, and rather than a pleasant one, it was quite jarring.  Another "unspoken truth," I suppose?

Finally, I am going to make a proclamation that may make me a pariah in the world of Trek-fandom.  I much preferred Robin Curtis' portrayal of Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home to that of Kirstie Alley in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  Margaret Wander Bonanno would seem to agree with me, as she seems to have based the Saavik shown in Unspoken Truth more on Curtis than Alley.  Robin Curtis played Saavik as more mature and collected, but still with a hint of deep emotion just beneath the surface.  Her reading of the line, "Admiral.  David is dead." in Star Trek III never fails to get to me.  Many people say that she was too wooden and emotionless, but I think that that appraisal doesn't give Robin Curtis enough credit.

Kirstie Alley as Saavik...

... and Robin Curtis as Saavik.

Final thoughts:

Feeling a little disjointed and cheating in failing to reveal things to the reader doesn't take too much away from an enjoyable read about a fascinating and under-used character.  I give Unspoken Truth 7.5/10.  Not the best Star Trek novel, but certainly enjoyable and entertaining.

More about Unspoken Truth:

• TrekBBS Review and Discussion Thread

Also by Margaret Wander Bonanno:

• Star Trek: Burning Dreams (2006)
• Star Trek: Mere Anarchy: Its Hour Come Round (2007)

Next review:

While waiting for Star Trek: Voyager: Children of the Storm to become available on the Kobo e-reader, I read a classic work of Trek fiction, Diane Duane's My Enemy, My Ally, the first book in her "Rihannsu" series of novels.  Look for a review of that book coming soon!