The Wounded Sky
by Diane Duane 
Star Trek (Grijalbo) (14), Star Trek (novels) (1983.12), Star Trek: The Original Series (13), Star Trek (1983.12)
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Description
An alien scientist invents the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, an engine system that transcends warp drive -- and the "U.S.S Enterpriseâ„¢ " will be the first to test it! The Klingons attempt to thwart the test, but a greater danger looms when strange symptoms surface among the crew -- and time becomes meaningless. Now Captain Kirk and his friends face their greatest challenge -- to repair the fabric of the Universe before time is lost forever!Tags
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Member Reviews
I've become a Trekker in the last few years, having watched all of TNG, DS9, and Voyager. I've also seen a few episodes of the original series and do plan to check it out, but I had enough working knowledge of the characters of the original series to be able to enjoy this book.
This is my first Star Trek novel, and bloody hell it was fantastic. The ending was just fucking mind-blowing, with... well, I don't want to spoil this story. I'll just say that Kirk and his crew meet an entity, and their exchange is very thought-provoking, and leave it at that. 4.5/5 stars.
This is my first Star Trek novel, and bloody hell it was fantastic. The ending was just fucking mind-blowing, with... well, I don't want to spoil this story. I'll just say that Kirk and his crew meet an entity, and their exchange is very thought-provoking, and leave it at that. 4.5/5 stars.
Wow. This is an amazing book; it demonstrates the fun and depth that good science fiction writing can achieve. It had profundity, depth, and wonder encapsulated in a Star Trek novel. I finished it in about three days, part of which was on a plane from Rapid City to DFW. I was actually frustrated when the pilot announced we were landing because that meant I would need to stop reading.
One of the advantages of a science fiction book over a TV show or film is that books are not constrained by special effects budgets or the limitations of humans playing alien characters. Duane creates far more fantastic aliens that we have seen in Star Trek's on screen incarnations, including a felid, a transporter operator with multiple tentacles, and the show more book's main character, a sentient arachnoid (spider-shaped) glass-clear engineer named K't'lk. The apostrophes take the place of the only vowel in her species' language, "an E above high C, surrounded by shivery harmonics."
We also have alien genders. Most characters (including K't'lk) are easily categorized as male or female, but others are referred to as "it" and "hir" as a matter of course. Another species has 12 genders, all of which claim to be male, especially those that bear children.
The book takes us from a fairly ordinary beginning of the Enterprise testing a new drive system to the far side of another galaxy and an encounter with another universe; in fact, another kind of universe. As a physicist, I find the most compelling and fascinating sections of the book to be those that deal with the relationships among entropy (or the lack thereof), time, pain, death, and the nature of God.
I think I see the influences of C. S. Lewis in many sections of this novel, most obviously because of a ship named Malacandra. Other scenes remind me of The Magician's Nephew and Peralandra. show less
One of the advantages of a science fiction book over a TV show or film is that books are not constrained by special effects budgets or the limitations of humans playing alien characters. Duane creates far more fantastic aliens that we have seen in Star Trek's on screen incarnations, including a felid, a transporter operator with multiple tentacles, and the show more book's main character, a sentient arachnoid (spider-shaped) glass-clear engineer named K't'lk. The apostrophes take the place of the only vowel in her species' language, "an E above high C, surrounded by shivery harmonics."
We also have alien genders. Most characters (including K't'lk) are easily categorized as male or female, but others are referred to as "it" and "hir" as a matter of course. Another species has 12 genders, all of which claim to be male, especially those that bear children.
The book takes us from a fairly ordinary beginning of the Enterprise testing a new drive system to the far side of another galaxy and an encounter with another universe; in fact, another kind of universe. As a physicist, I find the most compelling and fascinating sections of the book to be those that deal with the relationships among entropy (or the lack thereof), time, pain, death, and the nature of God.
I think I see the influences of C. S. Lewis in many sections of this novel, most obviously because of a ship named Malacandra. Other scenes remind me of The Magician's Nephew and Peralandra. show less
Having now found my Star Trek books I am enjoying picking out the old favourites. 'The Wounded Sky' is definitely one of the best. Diane Duane is obviously a fan, knows the Trek world well and has an imagination worthy of the best SF writers. K't'lk, a spider like being, is a lovely creation. The descriptions of the other worlds, the astronomy and creative physics are outstanding. There's a meaty story and a lot to think about.
Only in SF, with a good writer, could you get ideas to make the reader ponder on religion, creation, gods and proto-gods, and the meaning of life, all wrapped up in an exciting story. K't'lk has invented the mathematics to make an intergalatic inversion drive to take the Federation beyond the galaxy. Enterprise is show more the spaceship chosen to first test the drive, but there are problems. First the Klingons have a go at seizing the ship, then the drive itself is causing problems. and what a problem. Not just threatening to blow up the ship, but much more serious and thought provoking, threatening the universe.
Diane Duane knows her characters too and there is some great dialogue, particularly between Bones and Spock, K't'lk and Scotty, and Captain Kirk gets to think some fascinating thoughts. His crew have nice cameo roles and they reflect the multi-cultural ideals of Star Trek well. It's a good read.
Duane writes well and gives the reader a lot of pleasure and much to think over. For fans this is a must read. For those who like SF to reflect the human condition and have things to think about then this is the novel to try. For readers who like a great story, fascinating characters, and ideas this novel is worth a read. Above all the book is fun! And that is something hard to find in many novels these days.
(less) show less
Only in SF, with a good writer, could you get ideas to make the reader ponder on religion, creation, gods and proto-gods, and the meaning of life, all wrapped up in an exciting story. K't'lk has invented the mathematics to make an intergalatic inversion drive to take the Federation beyond the galaxy. Enterprise is show more the spaceship chosen to first test the drive, but there are problems. First the Klingons have a go at seizing the ship, then the drive itself is causing problems. and what a problem. Not just threatening to blow up the ship, but much more serious and thought provoking, threatening the universe.
Diane Duane knows her characters too and there is some great dialogue, particularly between Bones and Spock, K't'lk and Scotty, and Captain Kirk gets to think some fascinating thoughts. His crew have nice cameo roles and they reflect the multi-cultural ideals of Star Trek well. It's a good read.
Duane writes well and gives the reader a lot of pleasure and much to think over. For fans this is a must read. For those who like SF to reflect the human condition and have things to think about then this is the novel to try. For readers who like a great story, fascinating characters, and ideas this novel is worth a read. Above all the book is fun! And that is something hard to find in many novels these days.
(less) show less
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is overcome with excitement when their vessel is selected to test out an experimental new drive, one that will allow the ship to travel instantaneously to other galaxies. When the ship sets out to test it, though, it is quickly beset upon by a squadron of Klingon warships determined to acquire the new drive for their empire. No sooner does the Enterprise crew deal with that threat, though, than they encounter a new crisis that they themselves created — one that endangers the entire universe.
Diane Duane's book is a notable addition to the Star Trek franchise for a number of reasons. A prolific genre writer, this was the first of her many novels in the series and enjoys the distinction of serving as the show more basis for a Next Generation episode, season one's "Where No One Has Gone Before." Yet for all of the novel's strengths of characterization and Duane's use of the freedom the novel format provided to her, I found the overall result disappointing. A major reason for this was the novel's progression in its later chapters into the metaphysical. While I'm not much of a fan of this approach in Star Trek novels, this one especially read like little more than a collective LSD trip by the crew, with much communing and willing an outcome. Perhaps if it hadn't led to a climax all too similar to many an episode of the show I might have been more accepting, but the beats were just too familiar for me to feel much suspense or surprise in the later chapters, making my first encounter with her novels a somewhat underwhelming experience. show less
Diane Duane's book is a notable addition to the Star Trek franchise for a number of reasons. A prolific genre writer, this was the first of her many novels in the series and enjoys the distinction of serving as the show more basis for a Next Generation episode, season one's "Where No One Has Gone Before." Yet for all of the novel's strengths of characterization and Duane's use of the freedom the novel format provided to her, I found the overall result disappointing. A major reason for this was the novel's progression in its later chapters into the metaphysical. While I'm not much of a fan of this approach in Star Trek novels, this one especially read like little more than a collective LSD trip by the crew, with much communing and willing an outcome. Perhaps if it hadn't led to a climax all too similar to many an episode of the show I might have been more accepting, but the beats were just too familiar for me to feel much suspense or surprise in the later chapters, making my first encounter with her novels a somewhat underwhelming experience. show less
A well-written Star Trek novel in which the ship tests a new drive designed to propel the ship instantly across vast distances, and inadvertently rips a hole in the universe through which another timeless universe is seeping. A good techno-novel, with Diane Duane's customary excellent character development, and a memorable guest alien in the jelly-fish like K't'lk.
Too weird for me to give high praise to. ?áMetaphysical, w/ references more to mythologies than to sciences, implying that they are actually two faces of the same studies. The bibliography in the back is clever, in this book from 1983; it references works published in 1970, 1982, 1996, and three more in 'star-dates.' ?á
As a bit of btw, I gleaned advice from one of the first pages of this: ?á... the old cadet exercise of 'making-it-worse'; he stood there and considered all the reasons he had to be mad, and concentrated on getting madder and madder.... ?áHe got mad, and madder. ?áHe ground his teeth. ?áAnd, as usual, the mad abruptly vanished, replaced by a sense of silliness at the situation -- ... gritting over what show more couldn't be hurried, or helped, or fought."
I also like some of Duane's ideas of the inner natures of the r'ships between the characters. ?áFor example, at one point she believably manages to make Spock say "Leonard, please stop disagreeing just to have something to say."
I suspect if this weren't a STTNG novel I'd rate it even lower. ?áBut I am a sucker for them, and I never once considered putting this down, nor do I regret reading it (even though it's longer and more ambitious/ pretentious than most early entries in the franchise)." show less
As a bit of btw, I gleaned advice from one of the first pages of this: ?á... the old cadet exercise of 'making-it-worse'; he stood there and considered all the reasons he had to be mad, and concentrated on getting madder and madder.... ?áHe got mad, and madder. ?áHe ground his teeth. ?áAnd, as usual, the mad abruptly vanished, replaced by a sense of silliness at the situation -- ... gritting over what show more couldn't be hurried, or helped, or fought."
I also like some of Duane's ideas of the inner natures of the r'ships between the characters. ?áFor example, at one point she believably manages to make Spock say "Leonard, please stop disagreeing just to have something to say."
I suspect if this weren't a STTNG novel I'd rate it even lower. ?áBut I am a sucker for them, and I never once considered putting this down, nor do I regret reading it (even though it's longer and more ambitious/ pretentious than most early entries in the franchise)." show less
This is an early Star Trek Trek original novelisation and follows the adventures of the starship and her crew as they test a new type of space drive developed by the Hamalki and their Vulcan co-developers. The senior hamalki scientist on the programme, K't'lk, represents one of the more interesting abilities of the book forms of the franchise as she's a sort of crystalline spider-like life-form. Also unusual is the fact that Scotty gets a fairly central role without having to worry about the ship being blown up if he doesn't repair it in time (well, except for the major plot point of course!). K't'lk's physics are so new that they are way over any edge that Federation science had thought of and when the crew of the Enterprise find their show more new drive has had a deleterious effect on the laws of Space-Time, they make their way to scene of the damage to repair it, and as a result, create a new universe. At this point, the story gets a bit too metaphysical for my tastes and I don't feel it pulls it off all that well. Otherwise it's an interesting take on the star trek universe show less
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Author Information
Author Diane Duane was born in New York City on May 18, 1952, and grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island. She is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Duane studied nursing in college and became a psychiatric nurse. She began writing full time in 1980 and has published numerous novels, including several with her husband, Peter Morwood. She show more also writes screenplays, served as senior writer for the BBC-TV education series "Science Challenge," and writes scripts for CD-ROM computer games. Her "Young Wizards" series won a special commendation in the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize in Children's Literature, 2003. She currently lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Diane Duane is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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Series
Star Trek (Grijalbo)
14 works (14)
Star Trek (novels)
626 works (1983.12)
Star Trek: The Original Series
97 works (13)
Star Trek
1004 works (1983.12)
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Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Wounded Sky
- Original title
- Star Trek, No. 13.: The Wounded Sky
- Alternate titles
- Star Trek, No. 13.: The Wounded Sky
- Original publication date
- 1983-12 (eng.) (eng.); 1987 (deu.) (deu.)
- People/Characters
- James T. Kirk; Leonard McCoy; Spock; Montgomery Scott; Pavel Chekov; Hikaru Sulu (show all 9); Nyota Uhura; Lia Burke; K's't'lk (as K't'lk)
- Epigraph
- ...Two great powers are on our side: the power of Love and the power of Arithmetic. These two are stronger than anything else in the world.
- E. Nesbit, The Island of the Twelve Whirlpools - Dedication
- This book is for Tom Swale and Duane Poole - stalwart instructors in screenwriting, experts in the care and feeding of other people's characters, and much-beloved friends;
and for the wonderful Linda Wright, fellow han... (show all)dler of tribbles and other peculiar alien creatures at Starfleet's Northridge Annex - First words
- The problem with waiting around in space to see a starship go by is that, when a ship is in warp drive, she's hardly there at all.
- Quotations
- "I would kill the respected superior," the growly voice said from behind Mayri, "except that I would only be promoted into her position, and still have to finish this job."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Spock raised a tolerant eyebrow, and followed his captain out into their world.
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- Reviews
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- (3.97)
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- English, German, Japanese, Spanish
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- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
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- 8