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Devil's Bargain

(Star Trek: The Original Series)

Tony Daniel

3.58 · Rating details · 286 ratings · 52 reviews

Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are sent to evacuate the Omega sector frontier colony Vesbius—a pioneer settlement that is on the brink of an extinction-level event threatening not only all of the colonists, but biological products that are vital to Starfleet. However, rescue efforts are being thwarted by the colonists themselves, who refuse to ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 303 pages

Published March 2013 by Pocket Books

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Average rating 3.58 ·

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· 286 ratings · 52 reviews

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Apr 11, 2013 Michael rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013, tie-in-novel, tower-team-challenge-b, pbrc-tower-challenge, star-trek

With what seems like hundreds of Star Trek tie-in novels published over the last forty-plus years, I understand that finding new, unexplored areas of the "final frontier" can be a bit difficult. I also understand there are only so many ways you can tie together elements from the original seventy-nine episode run and have it still feel fresh.

Much of Devil's Bargain has the feeling of "been there, done that," to it for the crew of the starship Enterprise. In many ways, it feels like a third-season With what seems like hundreds of Star Trek tie-in novels published over the last forty-plus years, I understand that finding new, unexplored areas of the "final frontier" can be a bit difficult. I also understand there are only so many ways you can tie together elements from the original seventy-nine episode run and have it still feel fresh.

Much of Devil's Bargain has the feeling of "been there, done that," to it for the crew of the starship Enterprise. In many ways, it feels like a third-season episode of the classic series and if you've watched the show, you know that isn't exactly a compliment.

The frontier world of Vesbius is facing destruction because a huge asteroid is bearing down on the planet. The population withdrew from the Federation years ago, but that doesn't mean the Federation is willing to let them all die in the coming catastrophe. They send Captain Kirk and company to try and evacuate the colony, but the colonists refuse to leave the planet. We eventually discover why they can't and won't leave as well as finding out that the population is a bit xenophobic. Ironically, it's Spock who comes up with a potential solution -- warp over to Janus VI and pick up a batch of Horta to mine the asteroid and break it up into chunks that will be more manageable for the Enterprise to take out or that won't cause as much damage upon impact to the planet.

Along the way, Kirk falls in love with the daughter of the planetary leader and spends a lot of time pondering this. There are entire passages in which one or the other reflect on their relationship and how its only going to be a limited thing, but by golly, they sure are in love. I can see what Tony Daniel was trying to achieve here, but the execution is a bit lacking.

Daniel's first Trek novel has some potential, but it never really all comes together.

Each time I pick up a new Trek novel, my memory is cast back to my teenage years when I couldn't get enough of the Pocket novels. I'm beginning to believe my memories of most of those books are better than the actual novels themselves. Or else my tastes have changed (in large part because of the output of one Peter David) and I don't find the standard, cliche ridden Trek novel quite as satisfying as I once did. Either way, I have to admit this one didn't so much disappoint as it's guilty of not living up to my memories and expectations. ...more

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Mar 18, 2013 David rated it it was ok

Shelves: star-trek

This original series book just didn't grab me at all. A predictable (and rather silly) romance for Kirk, prose that just sits there, wooden characters (including the main characters) and an uninteresting premise.

Cool to see the Horta again, and their story wasn't too bad, but it's the only thing that saves this one. ...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Douglas rated it did not like it

I'm sorry but I don't understand how this book is getting 4 and 5 star reviews. The writing style is flat, the characters don't *feel* right, the plot is dull and the resolution isn't exciting at all. You aren't made to care about the characters, motivations come from nowhere ("Oh look! This guys suddenly a bad guy! With vague reasons for being bad!") and there's a frankly icky romance for Kirk. Very, very poor...to be honest the last 25% of the book was a case of "please let this be over" for m ...more

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Jan 02, 2016 Andrew rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, science-fiction, star-trek

This is a typical Star Trek book, which is another way of saying "meh." It is pretty easy to see where the story is going, even though the situation itself was creative.

I thought that the "devil's bargain" in the last chapter was contrived. Kirk agrees to do something and feels like this promise has to power to radically change his career path. Really? I'm ok with Kirk being a man of his word, but this seems like a stretch.

Borrowed from my local library. ...more

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Aug 08, 2016 Daniel Kukwa rated it liked it

Shelves: star-trek

After the Wagnerian opera of "The Art of the Impossible", this felt like attending a more laid back folk concert. A straightforward, linear story that makes for a pleasant & diverting tale -- "Star Trek" comfort food. That said, there are a few nice touches, particularly Sulu's moment of glory, and the best use of the Horta since Diane Duane's "Spock's World". But note to the publisher: your copy editors need to get their stardates in order...
...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Ken rated it liked it

Daniel’s takes The Horta and does something interesting with them.

A great story that fits seamlessly with the televised series.

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Jul 13, 2017 Tommy Verhaegen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paper_en, sci-fi, ebook_en

A great novel. Getting to know new species, finding a solution for a catastrophe on a planetary scale, action, humour, tension, romance and lots and lots of space flight. This book has it all. Star Trek at its best.

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Nov 19, 2020 Brandon Harbeke rated it liked it

This book is worth a read if you like Hortas a lot (which I do). Kirk's current love interest is written well, but you can find this sort of thing in other books, too. The xenophobic antagonists were merely okay and not that interesting. ...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Patrick Hayes rated it liked it

Shelves: star-trek

An average outing for the crew of the Enterprise during their original five year mission, this one taking place three and half years in. They have to help evacuate a planet that was a former Federation colony since a doomsday meteor is about to strike. The problem is that the people can't leave the planet, for a plot twist. This reason was sensible, and I bought into it.

What I didn't buy into was a terrorist cell that wants to leave the planet. It's solidly established that leaving the planet w ...more

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Jun 29, 2013 Roberto rated it liked it

Teenage Horta! A massive asteroid! I enjoyed this, it helped me through a particularly nasty urinary infection. Like the tv series my favourites bits were in the less actiony first half, it's awesome and comforting how familiar these characters are, and this was like watching a lost episode of the original series, but i especially liked the unnecessary reminders such as 'Chekov replied in his Russian accent, having trouble, as always, with the v sound.' I was less prepared for Kirk falling off h ...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Greg Lindsay rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

If you like the Horta you'll like this!
Right from the start this had that classic Star Trek episode feeling. And I could easily see this story as a episode. The overall story is good and doesn't really slow down. A must read for classic Trek fans! ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 David R. rated it it was ok

"Captain’s log, Stardate 6397.3. We have established orbit around the frontier colony Vesbius, a settlement just outside Federation jurisdiction in the Omega sector. On the planet below is a colony of nearly 20,000 people, including many families. The conjugated orbits of the planet’s moons have unexpectedly perturbed an asteroid and the huge rock is now on a path to strike the planet—and destroy the colony. Although the colony is outside the Federation, the colonists are human and have strong t "Captain’s log, Stardate 6397.3. We have established orbit around the frontier colony Vesbius, a settlement just outside Federation jurisdiction in the Omega sector. On the planet below is a colony of nearly 20,000 people, including many families. The conjugated orbits of the planet’s moons have unexpectedly perturbed an asteroid and the huge rock is now on a path to strike the planet—and destroy the colony. Although the colony is outside the Federation, the colonists are human and have strong trade and cultural ties to the Federation. Our mission is to offer assistance and support in the evacuation of Vesbius."

So begins the second novel in the Star Trek: TOS relaunch; this is the first Star Trek novel by author Tony Daniel. Set towards the end of the U.S.S. Enterprise's famed five-year mission under the command of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, the captain and crew are called to aid a former Federation colony, Vesbius, that is about to be destroyed by an asteroid (in a trope similar to the ST:TOS season three episode "The Paradise Syndrome").

What originally might seem like a simple rescue mission becomes problematic when it is discovered that the colonists neither will nor can be permanently removed from Vesbius. As Kirk quickly discovers, the colonists have linked their lifeforce to the planet. Basically, they have recreated their genetic make-up in a manner similar to the Augments from late 20th Century Earth (from the ST:TOS season one episode "Space Seed"); if the colonists evacuate, they will face a painful death. Kirk and Spock, therefore, are faced with the challenge of discovering a way for the colonists to survive an extinction-level event while remaining on the planet.

If the colonists cannot be removed from the planet, the Enterprise must do something to divert or destroy the asteroid. The answer to this dilemma comes in the form the children of the native inhabitant of Janus VI, the non-humanoid Horta all-mother (from the ST:TOS season one episode "The Devil in the Dark"); of course this adds an additional challenge in that the Enterprise will have to travel to Janus VI, convince the Horta children to leave their planet for the first time, safely travel back to Vesbius, and successfully thwart the destruction of the colony by the asteroid.

Mr. Daniels, an award-winning science fiction author, creates an interesting story and provides Star Trek like suspense and excitement, but falls drastically short from creating a quality Star Trek novel. He fails to create the qualities that make Kirk and Spock the characters we have come to expect; they are basically two lead characters with nothing of the nuances that Shatner and Nimoy brought to the characters; the dialog between the two, and in their interaction with others, is horrible and sometimes painful. In a cute attempt to make the young Horta identifiable, he applies ridiculous names to them; in Spock's interactions with them, Daniels applies inappropriate emotional reactions from the Vulcan first officer. However, these errors might be overlooked in the face of the ridiculous fan-boy romance between Kirk and Hannah Faber, the daughter of the colony’s chancellor. If you remove the Star Trek aspect (and name) from this book, it might be palpable, but it is not a Star Trek novel.

I do not fault Mr. Daniels as much as I do the editors of this series that allowed these, and multiple other continuity issues this early in the relaunch. Sadly, I cannot recommend this novel to any long-standing fans of the franchise as I do not feel it brings anything new to the franchise. Simon & Schuster published a second Tony Daniels Star Trek novel, Savage Trade, in 2015, and I look forward to trying Mr. Daniel’s look at Star Trek again after reviewing the ten ST: TOS novels published in between. ...more

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Dec 29, 2019 Mark Oppenlander rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, star-trek

This book reads like a big steaming bowl of Star Trek: TOS comfort food . . .

I sometimes wonder what would have happened to the original Star Trek series if it had been allowed to continue for five or six or seven seasons. When I read a story like Devil's Bargain, I feel as though I get a glimpse of that alternate future.

The Enterprise travels to a remote frontier colony for a rescue mission. Vesbius faces destruction from an onrushing asteroid, but the colonists refuse to leave. Kirk and his c This book reads like a big steaming bowl of Star Trek: TOS comfort food . . .

I sometimes wonder what would have happened to the original Star Trek series if it had been allowed to continue for five or six or seven seasons. When I read a story like Devil's Bargain, I feel as though I get a glimpse of that alternate future.

The Enterprise travels to a remote frontier colony for a rescue mission. Vesbius faces destruction from an onrushing asteroid, but the colonists refuse to leave. Kirk and his crew eventually discover that the colonists have modified their own genetic code to allow survival on Vesbius, but now live in a symbiotic relationship with the doomed planet and cannot leave without growing sick and dying. They are tethered to the planet. The Federation officers must find another solution to defeat the deadly asteroid, and they only have days to do it.

First time Trek author Tony Daniel recycles plot elements from a half-dozen different TOS episodes in this one. The eugenics theme (and the insistence of genetic superiority by some of the colonists) echoes "Space Seed" while the solution to the asteroid problem requires the involvement of the Horta from "Devil in the Dark." There are also allusions to "Journey to Babel" and the general plot outline resembles that of any of a dozen different episodes - episodes wherein Kirk falls in love with a female leader from the planet they're all trying to save and then must make difficult choices because of said romance.

This overly familiar material could be trite or redundant, but instead just feels like a fun trip down memory lane. Daniel writes the characters in such a comfortable, easy way that the reader gets immersed in waves of warm nostalgia. His dialogue for the various core characters feels spot-on; the banter between Spock and McCoy is especially entertaining. Daniel clearly has studied TOS thoroughly and his replication of the themes, characters, motifs, and settings has the authenticity and clarity of a transporter-generated duplicate.

If there's a downside to the book, it comes in Daniel's occasional use of inside jokes. When he winks at the reader, the nostalgic moment gets undercut. The effect is like the way one feels when someone tries to explain the joke they just told - it's never as funny when the comedian is working so hard.

I could also argue that Kirk's romance, although true to the style of the series, doesn't add to the story in any meaningful way. The plot would work just fine, with or without a female love interest for the Captain. And Daniel also makes certain things explicit than would have been inferred under 1960's censorship standards. Do we need to know this much detail about Kirk's love life? I doubt it.

Still, this book will stimulate all of your TOS nostalgia centers, leading to a nice little jolt of dopamine. This story could easily have found its way into season four of TOS . . . had that season ever been filmed. So if you're a Trek fan, sitting around sad and lonely on a damp winter day, sip some of what Tony Daniel serves up in Devil's Bargain. As the good Doctor might say, "It'll be good for what ails you." ...more

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Mar 30, 2019 Gilbert Stack rated it liked it

The Enterprise is on a mission of mercy to the Vesbius system which is about to be hit by a killer asteroid, but the people are not worried about the cataclysm about to hit them. They have built underground bunkers which they feel will protect them from the coming disaster even though the Enterprise’s calculations decisively show that the entire planet’s biosphere will collapse after the collision. In addition to their unwillingness to consider evacuation, about a third of the colonists express ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Edwin Howard rated it liked it · review of another edition

DEVIL'S BARGAIN, by Tony Daniel, is a tie-in novel involving the Star Trek TOS who are trying to rescue a colony on Vesbius before an asteroid wipes out the entire planet. The colonists strangely don't want to leave, and Captain Kirk and the crew must found out why and then work with the Vesbius colonists to find a solution.
Always fun to read about the adventures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and rest of the crew. The story is rather simple and the same story could have been told with about 100 pages ...more

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Aug 16, 2020 Kosar7480 rated it it was ok

Shelves: star-trek

The most interesting thing about this book was the the Enterprise crew doesn't completely succeed in their mission to save a planet from collision with an asteroid. Aside from that it was a bit of a slog. It felt like 200 pages of set up before anything really significant started to happen. Let's meet the people on the colony. Kirk fools around. Let's go off to Janus and find some Horta. Now it's back to the other planet. Sabotage. So much of the book was spent setting the pieces in place for th ...more

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Nov 23, 2020 Leigh added it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy, kindle-app, star-trek, adult-fiction, books-i-own, love-the-cover

An interesting story about a colony world struggling to figure out how to survive an approaching disaster. The science is accessible, the writing is good, and I especially liked how the book brought Scott, Sulu and Chekov to the front, showing how support staff is critical to any mission.

I would have given it five stars but the romantic subplot is silly and the "power-obsessed maniac who nearly wrecks the plan" cliche is getting old. It appears in a lot of Trek novels.

Still, I do recommend this ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 V rated it liked it

Shelves: media-tie-in

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 31, 2019 GlutenFreePixels rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, star-trek

3.5

Papa Spock and teenage Horta. I really loved this aspect of the story! The Horta fascinated me in the original series and continued to do so in this book.

This book certainly felt like an episode of the tv series. Kirk had his unnecessary flirting/romance bits and the plot was predictable, but seeing Spock in a father role really delighted me. Also Horta deserve more attention. They are adorable.

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Nov 18, 2020 David Palazzolo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Didn’t like this as much as Savage Trade, but it was a quick read that held my attention all the way through. Tony Daniel captured the spirit of TOS beautifully and I could easily see this as a two part episode in a mythical fourth or fifth season of the show. Also be on the lookout for the Easter eggs of Daniel dropping fragments of Kirk’s “These Are The Voyages...” speech from the opening credits sprinkled all throughout

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Aug 31, 2018 RUBEN B rated it liked it

I say the story was bland, but what I found kind of interesting was how the character of Horta was portrayed and used in the story. I say the Hora should have been portrayed differently. Instead of teenagers maybe shape shifters, some kind of unknown new secret quality or gift bestowed upon them that the readers would not expect, an eye-opener.

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Feb 06, 2020 Mrs L.A. Bailey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Really enjoyable

So nice to meet the Horta again. An ecological and genetic based tale, meaning it keeps to the Trek tradition of addressing relevant issued within the Trek universe. And this was done well. A book which made me smile and think. Good portrayal of familiar characters too, especially Spock.

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Feb 22, 2021 Ed Obarowski rated it did not like it

I just can't get past author's bad prose and style of writing. Three pages in and I know I will never be able to suffer through all 303 pages. I've read literally hundreds of Star Trek novels in the past 45+ years, and there was only one other than this that I could not make it far into the book because of the writing style. I am wondering now if it's the same author. ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Daniele rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek-tos

Surprisingly astonishing!
I am a big fan of Star Trek, but I had never read a ST book. This went beyond all my expectations. The author was extremely prepared on the subject and revisited a few places and stories from other missions. Simply a must for a Star Trek fan :-)

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Apr 25, 2018 Judith Paterson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Better than average Star Trek story. Nice to see the Horta making an appearance. And Captain Kirk fallsin love - again!

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Feb 17, 2019 David Hamilton rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Love the Horta. Not so thrilled with Captain Randypants Kirk. He needed a bit more shore leave.

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Mar 29, 2019 Keith Bell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tony Daniel wrote a clever novel. Nods to Classic Star Trek culture and stories and even a vague Star Wars reference.

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Mar 12, 2019 Mrklingon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: star-trek, sf, space-opera

Nice set of ideas and concepts. The characters felt a little "off" of how I picture them from video/film/books, but the story and ideas were fun and an interesting imagining of Horta culture. Perhaps we know how Ensign Naraht came to be! ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 James rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, star-trek

I've read a lot of Star Trek novels over the years. Some of them are amazing adventures that still manage to break new ground in a setting that has had thousands of stories already written about it. Others are a bit formulaic. This one is extremely formulaic. It breaks no new ground. It isn't even super exciting. It is a basic adventure for the crew of the USS Enterprise. However, it gets the formula of the series so well that it ends up being a delight to read.

This could have been a lost episod I've read a lot of Star Trek novels over the years. Some of them are amazing adventures that still manage to break new ground in a setting that has had thousands of stories already written about it. Others are a bit formulaic. This one is extremely formulaic. It breaks no new ground. It isn't even super exciting. It is a basic adventure for the crew of the USS Enterprise. However, it gets the formula of the series so well that it ends up being a delight to read.

This could have been a lost episode. Tony Daniel not only gets the voice of the characters very well during the book, but he also seems to get all of the "moments" right.

The book also references a lot of elements from previous episodes of the original Trek series. When the characters are trying to stop an asteroid from hitting the planet, they think about and compare the situation to when they tried to stop a similar asteroid from hitting Miramanee's Planet (AKA Amerind) in "Paradise Syndrome." When talking about Starfleet's ban on Eugenics, Kirk and crew talk about their encounter with Khan Noonian Singh.....and there are the Horta! I don't think I am alone amongst Star Trek fans in my love for the Horta. They are one of my favorite Star Trek races, and I have always lamented that we saw so little of them on screen. Tony Daniel uses them very well in this book and writes them with such a great amount of voice and personality. The presence of the Horta pushed what was going to be an average book in to well-above average book.

Most of the Enterprise crew get good moments to shine during this story. I felt like the author planned carefully to make sure of this. It is fitting that Spock takes the cover, though. His role as the communicator with the Horta really gives him some great moments.

Kudos to the author for delivering a very well-planned Star Trek novel. He obviously did his homework. I couldn't help but feel that the author probably wrote this book after binge-watching all three season of the original series. It was obviously written by an author who "gets it." ...more

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Jul 28, 2014 Pippin rated it really liked it

The first book in a while I've found easy reading- whether it's because of the style or because it's actually something I like- it was a joy to read.

It flowed nicely, the plot was good and had a particularly nice twist, although those with more know in them may find it predictable. I also found some moments laugh out loud funny, so that's good.

Although at moments the characters were OC, which was frustrating.
(Prepare for my two cents) Especially Kirk- I never like the idea that Kirk is a womani ...more

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