Black Fire

Honestly, even though I've only read a handful of Star Trek novels, this must be one of the best. It is a very early entry (#8 in the Timescape/Pocket book original series) and the author clearly gave us a treat. The characters in here rang very true and did so even in unconventional settings. Fans of Spock must love this book! Theodore Sturgeon, the great science fiction author who gave us the classic episode "Amok Time" writes a long and engaging introduction to the book and author. It is really too bad we didn't have more from Sonni Cooper.

The story set its hook from the first page and I'm not going to spoil the plot, except to say that Spock and Scotty "borrow" a starship and take it to the far side of the galaxy. Sound like an show more adventure? This story is full of twists and surprises. For those who like Star Trek novels or enjoyed the original series I'd say this was a must read. This would have made a great two-part episode of the original series. This also serves as a way to explain why the Enterprise of the original series looks a bit different in the first film. show less

I think this was the very first Star Trek book that i loved. You know those silly posters in school hallways 'bout how you make friends in books? Well, in 1983, i was 10, and i think my life-long love affair with Vulcans began right here :).

The best books make well-developed characters step out of their comfort zones, and the best authors walk the narrow ledge of keeping them in-character in uncharacteristic situations. And there is nothing quite as challenging or as entertaining in the Trek Universe as pushing Vulcans to their limits. How marvelous that all of this comes together here. Spock is declared a traitor, banished from Starfleet, and has to develop an alliance with dangerous and unsavory people to survive. Kirk is not a major show more player in this well-told tale, which is pushing the reader out of a comfort zone, too.

Lovely all around. One i repeatedly wished would have been made into a movie. But then I'm certain i would have said that the book was better, anyway. show less

During a shift in which the crew is training a group of cadets an explosion suddenly tears through the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though weakened and suffering from a shard of shrapnel lodged next to his spine, Spock refuses medical treatment as he launches an investigation into the cause of the blast. Enlisting Commander Scott's help, Spock traces a missing yeoman to a barren planet, where the two men encounter small parties of Romulans and Klingons before the three groups are captured by an previously unknown aggressive species. In the months that follow Spock undergoes arrest, imprisonment, and a succession of exploits that will end on the bridge of a Romulan warship as it prepares to destroy the Enterprise and his former show more crewmates.

Sonni Cooper's book starts off with a bang and never lets up, as she races her readers through a series of twists and turns, burning through plot enough for three novels in the hands of other authors. The pacing is so rapid that it is easy to overlook the problems with Cooper's story and the lack of development of the secondary characters, many of whom are distinguished more by their names and physical descriptions than by anything distinctive that they bring to the narrative. In the end this is very much Spock's novel, and fans of his character likely will enjoy the many adventures on which the author sends him. show less

Yeah this one’s a little off the rails. First of all the writing is very uninviting and is written in such a blunt and un-detailed way that it reminded me of stories I wrote in elementary school. The first half is kind of weird but seems like it could be in Star Trek and then the second half explodes into insanity. Pretty sure the author read Captain Blood, watched a Star Trek marathon, then ate a garden of magic mushrooms to create this plot. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration as in the grand scheme of storytelling it’s not that crazy but in the scheme of Star Trek it is. Oh also the author would clearly give up their first child for a smooch from Mr Spock. So to recap, prose is bad, plot is outlandish and unbelievable, and show more author’s wish for Spock to be sexy is distressing. 5 stars: makes me realize how good I have it when I read other Star Trek books. Changed my whole outlook.

It’s really impossible to get across the experience of reading this, but hey if you want to read a Star Trek book unlike any other this is it. show less

Well, they can't all be "My Enemy, My Ally," I guess. The best thing I can say about it is that with the pirate Black Fire, it embraces the Horatio Hornblower/Royal Navy aspects of Trek more than most later books would.

An engaging but preposterous Star Trek story with several unbelievable events. Spock's investigation of a sabotage aboard the Enterprise leads him into an alliance with the Romulan and Klingon empires against the instigator race. Branded a traitor and imprisoned by the Federation, he later escapes, twice attempts suicide when the situation seems to call for it, and becomes a renegade space pirate. All is revealed to be well at the end in a scenario that probably certainly comes as no surprise to the astute reader. Fun read, though.

Flawed, yes. Clearly an early entry in the franchise. But so much fun!