The Fate of the Phoenix (1979)

by Sondra Marshak, Myrna Culbreath (Author)

Series: Star Trek Adventures (Titan) (9), Star Trek (novels) (1979.05), Star Trek Adventures (Bantam) (12), Star Trek (1970.05)

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The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak (Anonymous user)

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Confession: I tapped out on this one. I got about halfway through and couldn't bear to go on. I guess I'll have to come back to it. With whiskey. I know, I should like it - it's a sequel to one of the most hilarious, slashy Star Trek books ever - but I just...can't.

everystartrek | Jan 5, 2023 |

The first book in this duology was awful, but in an entertaining way. Its horrible writing was entertaining, and the overt slashiness even more so. (I love K/S, but these characters were pompous and so out of character that it could only be laughable.) And there were some interesting philosophical elements at play. So, I read the sequel, partly seeking entertainment and partly actually wanting to know how the story might carry on, what happened to Omne in the end.

Unfortunately, I did some Googling partway through, because I wanted to see what else the authors had written. I discovered that they're both staunch Objectivists, followers of Ayn Rand, and all of a sudden the books weren't much fun anymore. It's not just weird bad writing, it's that bizarre conviction that every character should be a pure elemental essence, and every conflict is a primal assessment between two unadulterated forces-as-people, and everyone just knows things by looking at each other, and everyone is a perfect specimen of something, and blah blah blah. No wonder the characters are so out of character; none of them were ever meant to be ultimate expressions of anything. Spock was never even implied to be "one of the best fighters in the galaxy," for instance, but of course he has to be because everyone here is THE BEST BAR NONE.

There were still some good elements, some sections where the writing actually got good. Some interesting stakes, and one long (literal) debate about the Prime Directive that worked really well. But it stopped being fun. (

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FFortuna | Jan 25, 2019 |

I loved The Price of the Phoenix, the book this is the sequel to, in all its cheesy glory and its slashy subtext. It might have helped I was a teenage girl when I first read it, and a fan of the original series before it was reborn in film and new franchises such as Next Generation. Back then, books like this were the only sign of life, unless you were hardcore enough to send your SASE and check for mimeographed fanzines. Also, unlike most Trek fans, I'm a Kirk fan, not a Spock fan, and say what you will about Culbreath and Marshak, but they give Kirk's heroic dimensions their due. And I think it takes a Kirk fan to "give" the Romulan Commander to Kirk--or rather a Kirk to her. I loved the end of the first book with them off together to change the Romulan Empire, that basically she gives to James the challenge Jim Kirk gave the Spock of the Mirror Universe to summon the future.

So, I think you might guess the problem I had with this book if you've read it. Big time. Like another reviewer, at the end of this I wanted to give "the book a nice heave across the room" when I read the last page. And there's no third book to redeem that ending. (

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LisaMaria_C | Oct 31, 2012 |

Picks up right where The Price of the Phoenix leaves off and starts well with an exploration of what it means physically and emotionally for James to live as a "princeling" in the Romulan Empire. Then Omne shows up again, things get plotty and talky, and the thing sort of stalls. Marshak and Culbreath continue with some of the themes from Price, but with Omne, Omne's double in a body that looks like Spock, James (who still looks like Kirk but with Romulan features), a real Romulan princeling named Trevanian who sometimes poses as James, Kirk, Spock, and the Romulan Commander all running around with their own motivations and honors to uphold, things get very sticky and very tricky to keep sorted very quickly. I sometimes lost sight of who was who and who wanted what from whom and why. (And this was a reread!) All told, the first third is compelling, the last third fascinating, and the middle third confusing. The thinky bits are just as interesting as in any other Marshak and Culbreath Star Trek undertaking, though they sometimes get mired down in too much talking this time. The end is incredibly unsatisfying in that it refuses to resolve the thing (this is intentional and pointed, I'm quite sure), and I gave the book a nice heave across the room at the close of the last page (as you do). (

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lycomayflower | Nov 23, 2009 |

This sequel to "The Price of the Phoenix", while prey to the authors' customary wordiness and preoccupation with nobility, is every bit as fine as the original. Here our heroes must figure out how to combat a reborn Omne who is sowing immortality throughout the galaxy, while finding an honorable solution to the problem of Kirk's duplicate, James. All problems are resolved at the end by Kirk's courage and daring in defeating Omne with his own weapons - although at the end Omne pulls a coup of his own that virtually begs for a third book, although one has apparently not been forthcoming. A shame. This would have made a great trilogy. (

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burnit99 | Feb 6, 2007 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Marshak, Sondra	Author	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Culbreath, Myrna	Author	main author	all editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Star Trek (1970.05)

Star Trek (novels) (1979.05)

Star Trek Adventures (Bantam) (12)

Star Trek Adventures (Titan) (9)

Is a (non-series) sequel to

The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak

Is abridged in

Der Fluch des Phönix by Sondra Marshak

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Canonical title

The Fate of the Phoenix

Original title

Star Trek: The Fate of The Phoenix

Alternative titles

Star Trek: The Fate of The Phoenix

Original publication date

1979-05 (eng.)

People/Characters

Important places

USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Thorva

Voran

Razar

Null Maelstrom, Romulan Neutral Zone (the Anomaly, the Mouth, St. Helena, Elba)

Important events

Final Fate of Black Omne

Final Fate of zh'James

Final Fate of James

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For
Aliza Tornheim Brown and Rebecca Tornheim Shulkes.

Some people deserve immortality. If we had the Phoenix to give in more than words, we would give it to them.
Their lives and the life of their sister,
Anna Tornheim Hassan,

span the Wright brothers' first flight and man's first step/ onto the moon. And when their children dream dreams and see visions, and their grandchildren reach for the stars, it will be by their strength and love.

First words

He woke, dying.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Schelwokat, Günter M.

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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Wikipedia in English (1)

The Price of the Phoenix

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Book description

Kirk: In Danger
Omne: Reborn

Never Mourn Black Omne was the warning. Now through the Phoenix miracle of rebirth the dread enemy lives again/. Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise Crew must grapple hand to hand with the most dangerous arch villain in the galaxy. The giant, evil, immortal Omne who has vowed revenge.

--------------------------
CAPTAIN'S LOG, RESTRICTED VOICE-COMMAND ACCESS ONLY

I am taking the precaution of committing the following information to file in the event of my death or disappearance.

AS I record this, galaxy-wide instances of violence and political intrigue threaten to topple the Federation. the Romulan Empire stands poised on the boundaries of our territory. The Klingons threaten once again to breath the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty. Long-time friends change the convictions of a life-time ... and long-term allies the policies of generations.

Only one man can be responsible for this epidemic: Omne - a man I watched die. Omne - dead and now reborn. Recreated. His discovery of the Phoenix process enables him to construct duplicates indistinguishable from the original down to the last atom and memory impression ... and against him I am helpless. For what can I offer to compare with the promise of eternal life?

THE HOUR OF THE PHOENIX

Stardate 9722.4

Kirk launched himself against Omne with a knee smash and a body block. He didn't care if he were flattened in the next instant: Omne blocked with a muscled thigh and twisted him in an armlock to hold him helpless.

"I gave you warning," Omne said.

And after a long moment, "Kneel.."

Kirk felt the helplessness which would finally bring him to his knees. Omne could put him there in an instant. But that was not what Omne wanted.

It took a time which was counted in eternities.

But Kirk knew the end result. He went down, by inches, my millimeters ... but he went.

"Say it," Omne said.

Kirk found himself immersed in the nightmare of the Phoenix, nightmares in which Spockwas Omne ... nightmares in the dark - and in the daylight.

Omne had mastered him in both. And nightmare was here.

"My Lord," Kirk said.

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