Mudd's Angels

This isn't high literature by any means, but as a non-Star Trek sci-fi fan, I found the stories nicely thought out and well written. If I was more sensitive to that kind of thing, the objectification of the ladies might get to me a bit, but somehow in the context of Mudd, I didn't mind. Also, J.A. Lawrence is a woman, the widow of James Blish, another Star Trek novelist. Sometimes the characterizations were hammered in a little too hard (Spock's raised eyebrow, Scotty's accent, McCoy's bickering), but overall the book lives up to its cover.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2011/12/mudds-angels-by-ja-lawrence-1978.html ]

Three stories featuring Harry Mudd: "Mudd's Women", which adapts the episode of the same name written by Stephen Kandel; "I, Mudd", which again adapts the like-titled episode; and "The Business, as Usual, during Altercations", an original story by Lawrence.

Since the first two aren't originals, I'll leave aside discussing them, except to say that the adaptations are competent, like any of the better Blish novelizations (which were, apparently, often written by Lawrence as well).

The final story features a galaxy-wide shortage of dilithium crystals. Since these are necessary for spaceflight, this is a serious emergency, so the Enterprise, as well as all other available ships, are sent to investigate.

It hardly need be said that Harry Mudd show more turns out to be behind the shortage. In broad terms, the Enterprise searches for him, chases him around, eventually apprehends him, and returns him to face justice.

Notably, the story features discussion of whether androids (particularly those in "I, Mudd") count as 'alive' enough to have rights, or to join the Federation as a self-governing society. This question would get similar attention in TNG's The Measure of a Man. Of course, "I, Mudd" wasn't the only time we saw humanlike androids which might have raised this question. At least "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" and "Requiem for Methuselah" are relevant, off the top of my head.

There are some issues with the plot--particularly, it's simply unbelievable that the dilithium shortage could have reached such a critical stage galaxy-wide before anyone noticed, and the final resolution was simply too convenient. Still, it was enjoyable enough.

Honestly, the thing I like best about the book is that it finally marks the end of the TOS and TAS adaptations I have to read (though the adaptation of the movie is coming up shortly). After twelve books by James Blish and ten by Alan Dean Foster, I'm pretty well sick of TV novelizations. Onward, I hope, to better things. show less

Man, "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd" were not good episodes, and they were not made better by the addition of JA Lawrence's final story, which was real bad...but it's all bad in that classic TOS way, which I suppose is praise of a sort.

The first two stories are adaptations of the two Star Trek episodes featuring con artist Harry Mudd. The last novella is a fun little story in which Mudd has rendered the Federation helpless by cornering the market on dilithium, then leading the Enterprise on a merry chase which inadvertently throws them outside the galaxy. They eventually make their way back home, successful, and a neat little story that exploits the full measure of Mudd's capricious personality ends well.

This book includes short stories based on the two Harry Mudd episodes of original Trek, that had not been included in the Blish volumes. A third original, but not very good, Mudd story fills out the length.

Mudd's Angels has the novelization of two TOS episodes (Mudd's Women and I, Mudd) plus an original short story by JA Lawrence. Personally, though I don't mind I, Mudd, Mudd's Women is one of my least favorite TOS episodes, so the novelizations were a bit hard to get through. The short story was okay, but I didn't feel that it fit well into the Star Trek universe.

It's Star Trek and Mudd...what more need be said?