Signature Edition: Worlds In Collision, by Judith ReevesStevens, Garfield ReevesStevens
Book Review by Jeff Edwards
Have you read this book?
Worlds in Collision is a special signature edition reprinting two Star Trek novels - "Memory Prime" (1988) and "Prime Directive" (1991).
In "Memory Prime," the Enterprise carries a delegation of prize-nominated scientists to the Nobel and Z. Magnees ceremonies. With his ship being used like "a holiday liner in safe waters," Captain Kirk is restless for action - but he soon has his hands full trying to thwart a saboteur and would-be assassin. After Mr. Spock becomes the chief suspect, Commodore Wolfe throws the Vulcan into the brig - and when Spock escapes, the commodore orders her troopers to set their phasers to kill.
In "Prime Directive," Captain Kirk once again feels like his starship "had turned into a cruise ship," as the Enterprise is sent to Starfleet's First Contact Office outpost on the moon of Talin IV. But when nuclear war breaks out on the planet, Kirk faces one of the most difficult decisions of his career: does he stand by and do nothing, or does he deliberately disobey orders and try to save a world?
Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are masters of gripping plots and clever endings. For instance, "Memory Prime" features a (literally) breath-taking trip to the center of an asteroid, as Kirk, Spock and McCoy use portable transporter pads in a race against time to stop a killer. And while most readers will be surprised to learn who actually hired the assassin, they will realize that the authors played fair: subtle clues are sprinkled throughout the story.
Although they strive to give "screen time" to all of the main characters, the Reeves-Stevenses firmly place Captain Kirk's god complex at the heart of both novels. When Kirk can't get a straight answer about Spock's imprisonment in "Memory Prime," McCoy reminds him, "You're not a god. You're a starship captain." But in Kirk's mind, the terms are synonymous. With an entire world on the brink of genocide in "Prime Directive," Kirk vows to prevent the planet's destruction: "He was a starship captain. He would not allow it." The authors do their best to teach the indomitable captain some humility: Kirk injures himself at the end of "Memory Prime" and must watch helplessly from the sidelines, unable to aid his crew. And as "Prime Directive" opens, Kirk is no longer a starship captain - he's been forced to resign from Starfleet. His battered ship adrift in space, his name reviled across the universe, Kirk must draw on his inner resources and make his way back to the scene of his disgrace in order to restore his honor.
Worlds in Collision proves that Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are two of the premier novelists working in the Star Trek universe. Their writing embodies what has kept the franchise alive for nearly four decades: well-drawn characters and engaging stories celebrating the resilient nature of the human spirit.
In "Memory Prime," the Enterprise carries a delegation of prize-nominated scientists to the Nobel and Z. Magnees ceremonies. With his ship being used like "a holiday liner in safe waters," Captain Kirk is restless for action - but he soon has his hands full trying to thwart a saboteur and would-be assassin. After Mr. Spock becomes the chief suspect, Commodore Wolfe throws the Vulcan into the brig - and when Spock escapes, the commodore orders her troopers to set their phasers to kill.
In "Prime Directive," Captain Kirk once again feels like his starship "had turned into a cruise ship," as the Enterprise is sent to Starfleet's First Contact Office outpost on the moon of Talin IV. But when nuclear war breaks out on the planet, Kirk faces one of the most difficult decisions of his career: does he stand by and do nothing, or does he deliberately disobey orders and try to save a world?
Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are masters of gripping plots and clever endings. For instance, "Memory Prime" features a (literally) breath-taking trip to the center of an asteroid, as Kirk, Spock and McCoy use portable transporter pads in a race against time to stop a killer. And while most readers will be surprised to learn who actually hired the assassin, they will realize that the authors played fair: subtle clues are sprinkled throughout the story.
Although they strive to give "screen time" to all of the main characters, the Reeves-Stevenses firmly place Captain Kirk's god complex at the heart of both novels. When Kirk can't get a straight answer about Spock's imprisonment in "Memory Prime," McCoy reminds him, "You're not a god. You're a starship captain." But in Kirk's mind, the terms are synonymous. With an entire world on the brink of genocide in "Prime Directive," Kirk vows to prevent the planet's destruction: "He was a starship captain. He would not allow it." The authors do their best to teach the indomitable captain some humility: Kirk injures himself at the end of "Memory Prime" and must watch helplessly from the sidelines, unable to aid his crew. And as "Prime Directive" opens, Kirk is no longer a starship captain - he's been forced to resign from Starfleet. His battered ship adrift in space, his name reviled across the universe, Kirk must draw on his inner resources and make his way back to the scene of his disgrace in order to restore his honor.
Worlds in Collision proves that Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are two of the premier novelists working in the Star Trek universe. Their writing embodies what has kept the franchise alive for nearly four decades: well-drawn characters and engaging stories celebrating the resilient nature of the human spirit.
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