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Uhura's Song (Star Trek: The Original Series #21)
by
Janet Kagan
Years ago, Lt. Uhura befriended a diplomat from Eeiauo, the land of graceful, cat-like beings. The two women exchanged forbidden songs and promised never to reveal their secret.
Now the Enterprise is orbiting Eeiaus in a desperate race to save the inhabitants before a deadly plague destroys them. Uhura's secret songs may hold the key to a cure--but the clues are veiled in...more
Now the Enterprise is orbiting Eeiaus in a desperate race to save the inhabitants before a deadly plague destroys them. Uhura's secret songs may hold the key to a cure--but the clues are veiled in...more
Mass Market Paperback, 373 pages
Published
1985
by Pocket Books
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Anthropological sci-fi is often excellent, and "Uhura's Song" is no exception. Solid, real characters and a fascinating imaginary culture studied in a deep probing way. Janet Kagan has managed to capture the characters in an innovative and extremely complex story that manages to be held together only by uniquely talented writing and insightfull characterization.
The premise of the story is simple enough. The planet Eeiauo is devastadet by a plaque that hits it's feline inhabitants once every few...more
The premise of the story is simple enough. The planet Eeiauo is devastadet by a plaque that hits it's feline inhabitants once every few...more
So Janet Kagan's a cat person, then. I had not read any Star Trek books in a while, so I picked up where I left off with this. Despite the overwhelming goofiness of this book, it did not make me regret my decision to read it or get back into Star Trek books. The book is a great example of the freedom and, again, goofiness of the early '80s numbered series era, in which authors could create new characters and do bizarre things provided they didn't change the "status quo" of the Star Trek universe...more
Rating-- 2.5
I picked this book up after I watched a round table discussion of Urban Fantasy writers that included Jim Butcher. One of the authors, I can't remember who now, mentioned this book in response to a question about enjoyable debut novels for authors they loved now. I had never read any Star Trek extended universe novels, so I figured it would be fun.
And it was. Reading characters you know so well from the TV Series was a lot fun, I could hear Dr. McCoy, Spock, and Checov's voices in m...more
I picked this book up after I watched a round table discussion of Urban Fantasy writers that included Jim Butcher. One of the authors, I can't remember who now, mentioned this book in response to a question about enjoyable debut novels for authors they loved now. I had never read any Star Trek extended universe novels, so I figured it would be fun.
And it was. Reading characters you know so well from the TV Series was a lot fun, I could hear Dr. McCoy, Spock, and Checov's voices in m...more
I absolutely adore Hellspark and Mirabile by Janet Kagan. I picked up Uhura's Song simply because it was by Kagan, but never read it until now because I am not much into Trek anymore. But recently I was reminded how much I love Kagan's work and decided it was time to read this book.
I loved it. Loved. I'd forgotten how it can be so nice to already know the characters and the universe and just get down to the story. I see a lot of Hellspark in this book, with the meeting and communication with a n...more
I loved it. Loved. I'd forgotten how it can be so nice to already know the characters and the universe and just get down to the story. I see a lot of Hellspark in this book, with the meeting and communication with a n...more
I don’t think anyone who has watched The Original Series can forget the moment in “Charlie X” when Uhura is singing in the rec room while accompanied by Spock on the Vulcan lyrette. Her voice and songs are a reminder of beauty in an environment built for functionality and protocol. It is no surprise then, that a tie-in novel focuses on the power of Uhura’s songs and features worlds and aliens of equal power and beauty.
The Enterprise is orbiting Eeiauo (I pronounce this in my head like meow minus...more
The Enterprise is orbiting Eeiauo (I pronounce this in my head like meow minus...more
I'm a Trek fan, but even so, this book is AMAZING!
each of our beloved characters is important, and acts totally as we expect them to - no weird out-of-character moments. The new characters are fully fleshed out and you just fall right in love with them. There are no bad guys, just complex realistic situations. Kirk and the crew respond to the situation not be imposing human values on their hosts, but by learning about their culture and trying to fit themselves to it. Many many good lessons to b...more
each of our beloved characters is important, and acts totally as we expect them to - no weird out-of-character moments. The new characters are fully fleshed out and you just fall right in love with them. There are no bad guys, just complex realistic situations. Kirk and the crew respond to the situation not be imposing human values on their hosts, but by learning about their culture and trying to fit themselves to it. Many many good lessons to b...more
I have read this story at least five times. It is my favorite Star Trek novel. A very self-reliant people finally ask the federation for help after a devastating plague has wiped out much of their population. A clue among the stars and within their oral traditions sends representatives among these people on a quest to find the world from which their ancestors were cast out. With the Enterprise crew's help, this world is found, but a custom there requires the members of the crew and to prove that...more
There are so many reasons to recommend this book. It has everything - a huge problem, adventure, humor, suspense, wonderful writing and a variety of interesting & exciting characters.
Striking a nice balance between dialogue and narration, Kagan is a star. If it wasn't a Trek novel, it may have had wider readership and become more beloved, even on the level of the great epic stars of Sci-Fi.
I like that there are no discernible gender roles and the women depicted are smart and strong. There is...more
Striking a nice balance between dialogue and narration, Kagan is a star. If it wasn't a Trek novel, it may have had wider readership and become more beloved, even on the level of the great epic stars of Sci-Fi.
I like that there are no discernible gender roles and the women depicted are smart and strong. There is...more
Apr 15, 2009
Mdavis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction-fantasy
I am a serious Trekkie and have read almost all of the novels set in the Star Trek Universe. Most are okay, but this novel can almost stand alone.
The plot centers around the characters of Spock and Uhura trying to find the location of a planet using old songs and legends from a race of intelligent cats. These cats are suffereing from a terrible plague that is spreading through the rest of the Federation. There may be a cure on this legendary planet.
Kagen tells a fast paced story but develops al...more
The plot centers around the characters of Spock and Uhura trying to find the location of a planet using old songs and legends from a race of intelligent cats. These cats are suffereing from a terrible plague that is spreading through the rest of the Federation. There may be a cure on this legendary planet.
Kagen tells a fast paced story but develops al...more
This is a re-read of a novel that I read as a really little kid. As with most of these that people do, I remember the book being better than it was. Thing is, the book still isn't bad. Kagan drags out scenes that don't need to be extended, though. Worse, at times the "my aliens are giant cats" bit gets a bit precious. The "my new character can do anything better than anyone else in the universe" aspect of the character Kagan introduces gets bothersome, especially toward the end of the novel. Sti...more
About 25 years ago (1986 - 1989) I read several of the STOS tie-in books. The vast majority of them were very m'eh, but one stood out as being really good while another stood out as being really bad. This was the good one. I had to look at the list of STOS books to remember the title. Do you think it means something that I could remember the title of the one I hated (Vulcan Academy Murders) but couldn't remember the title of the one I loved?
Oct 08, 2011
Kathryn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
sci-fi-fantasy
Okay, yes, it's not a concept to be taken seriously: the crew of the Enterprise travel to the Planet of Cat-People and go on a ceremonial quest (read: extended hiking trip) so they can be accepted as adults by the tribe and win the secret vaccine that will Save The Day. It's something right out of a fan fiction written by furries. And I LIKED it. So there.
(I probably shouldn't read this one again, unless I want to downgrade my rating a couple of stars. Twenty or so years have probably done a lo...more
(I probably shouldn't read this one again, unless I want to downgrade my rating a couple of stars. Twenty or so years have probably done a lo...more
I'm having a hard time with this review; I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I was really looking forward to an Uhura-centric story, and I absolutely loved her in this, on her own right and also in her interactions with Spock. (By comparison, I found the human OC kind of annoying. She was a little too...something.) And I enjoyed how thoroughly the author created her world, with a complex culture and interesting philosophical points - but I agree with the other reviewer that it got a l...more
Easily one of my favorite books of all time. I enjoyed this author so much, I immediately gobbled up all the books I could find by her. Sadly, there are only three and she is no longer with us, but all three are some of my most enjoyed books ever. All of them are character-driven, with amazing depth given to characters in a relatively short period of time that had me invested in their well being almost immediately.
I first read this while quite young and whenever I think about it or read it agai...more
I first read this while quite young and whenever I think about it or read it agai...more
I can describe this in two ways. The first is "Star Trek does Lord of the Rings...with cats!" The second is "Roddenberry-esque". This is "Star Trek's" vision of peaceful first contact & exploration, captured to near perfection. A damning snub to anyone who thinks we will only believe in a dystopian future...and a reminder of why we all fell in love with "Star Trek" in the first place. The detail is exquisite, the regulars are expertly characterized, and the plot is breathtaking. In the spiri...more
This is something I first read many years ago. It seems to be caught in a slightly uncomfortable position between being a tie-in and between being something with interesting original characters. As a tie-in novel, perhaps it's not the best. There are some interesting thoughts about Kirk as a character, though, sort of presaging Diane Duane's take on him in My Enemy, My Ally.
If it had a little more leeway with the characters — i.e., if it had not been a Star Trek tie-in — it might have been an ev...more
If it had a little more leeway with the characters — i.e., if it had not been a Star Trek tie-in — it might have been an ev...more
This ranks among my top five Star Trek books. Kagan gives us a mix of drama, cultural food-for-thought, and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. Her writing wears a little thin at points, especially when she tries too hard to emphasize the pathos of a given situation, but since it's otherwise very good and the plot is excellent I'm inclined to cut her a little slack.
The story captures everything I love about TOS - the idealist belief that human beings can be learn to be open-minded, to rejoice in...more
The story captures everything I love about TOS - the idealist belief that human beings can be learn to be open-minded, to rejoice in...more
Aug 26, 2008
Kam Oi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
original Star Trek fans
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In the days before personal computers, there were books like these! Janet Hagan's Uhura's Song is classic Star Trek that will never be made into a movie. There are no star ship battles, no phaser duels, no time time travel--just fantastic characters struggling against impossible odds to do something you really care about. Why would the knee-jerk jerks at Hollywood ever want to make a movie like that?
Read this and re-discover what made Star Trek great and why we miss it so much.
Read this and re-discover what made Star Trek great and why we miss it so much.
Jun 03, 2013
Elysa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
favorites
This was my second Star Trek novel, and I loved it. I liked it much better than the first one I read, because Spock was no longer in his Kolinahr funk. The writing keeps you involved in the story, and it is hard to put down. Kagan's descriptions of emotion and physical reactions to those emotions gives the story an interesting dynamic that makes the reader feel along with the characters.
Probably one of the most Mary Sue of all Star Trek novels (the author even wrote in engineering terms named after her real last name, and one main character is obviously her Mary Sue counterpart) and yet it's one of my favorite TOS novels of all times. It's a fun adventure, it has prehensile-tailed cats, and a good storyline. I've read this one several times, much to my shame.
I remember a looooooooong time ago that I liked this book. I just re-read it and I absolutely love it! Very well written, very thought out. The things written about the Sivaoan culture, etc., make it seem SO believable! Not to mention I love cats, so that made it even better. :)
I would have liked a TINY bit more of an explanation for Evan, but other than that, I think it was great. Made me laugh. :) Have to read it again sometime soon. :)
I would have liked a TINY bit more of an explanation for Evan, but other than that, I think it was great. Made me laugh. :) Have to read it again sometime soon. :)
This was one of my favorite books in high school, and upon a more mature reading of it, I still adore it. Sure, you've got to like Star Trek and cats to enjoy it, but if you do, Kagan soundly deposits you into an interesting world with your favorite ST characters. Worth a read on a rainy day!
The premise, plot and execution were very well done. I thought the author portrayed the character dialogue perfectly. I did think the relevant ending to the book was not paced very well. The leading up to the action was fine, but once the crisis was resolved we spent 100 pages "wrapping up" the loose ends. It was a bit off pace with the rest of the book. But again, the characters (The original crew) was spot on.
I really liked this book, because it isn't often in the Star Trek world that we get stories where Uhura plays more than a background role. Here she is more like Uhura from the latest Star Trek movie (2009) smart, sexy and in the mix.
I absolutely love this book. The Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Kirk, along with feline charactors Sunfall, Jinks, Brightspot and Rushlight. The charactors have some wonderful off the cuff one liners that I tend to quote alot.
This is my favorite Star Trek book ever, for the same reason that "Darmok" is my favorite TNG episode. There's your riddle. You'll have to watch and read to figure it out.
One of my favorites. I have a real fondness for the early Trek novels...before Star Trek became such big business and so many people wrote just for the love of Star Trek.
Feb 10, 2012
Leisuresuitlarry
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
110-in-2012
It's a great story and one of my favorites, but the characterization was a bit juvenile sometimes. Captain Kirk should not be as nice as he's portrayed in this book.
Wasn't blown away, but at the time it came out it was rare that a book spotlighted anyone besides 'Kirk, Spock, and McCoy', so it was a pleasant change of pace to have Uhura in the spotlight.
Good, but not great read.
Good, but not great read.
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“so who's more adult- somebody who works like mad to avoid a problem or somebody who works like mad to solve it?”
—
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“You have no tail!" said Brightspot. her own whipped suddenly forward; she stared, first at it, then at Wilson."How do you manage?”
—
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Jan 09, 2013 09:36am