First Flight

Nicole Shea #1

by Chris Claremont

Drifting farther and farther from any hope of rescue after a band of marauding space pirates leave her defenseless ship a wreck, Lt. Nicole Shea and her desperate crew make contact, humankind's first contact, with alien life forms. Reissue.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Military Fiction, Aliens, Space Opera

243 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Chris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.

Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.

Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.

Reviews

[Cyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my God this book was so fucking boring, you guys. it was so boring I can't even bring myself to do a proper review, I don't really know what to say besides "it's boring".

I mean, it seemed cool on paper: female lead, multicultural cast, space exploration. I've been hankering for a good space lady tale post Ancillary Justice and Mass Effect, and it started off okay.

But then we got to introducing the cast and things got weird. Like, I appreciate Claremont having a kind of surprisingly progressive cast for 1987 - three lady commanders, one Hispanic, a bisexual Japanese lady scientist, a Hispanic co pilot, an Israeli scientist, a gay Russian scientist - that kind of diversity is hard to find now, so it's almost bizarro world to see it in a book this old. BUT, man, apparently nobody told Claremont that repeatedly referring to your character by only their nationality (i.e. "the Japanese" - Japanese WHAT, dude, it's not a species name!) or clinically describing AIDS-based discrimination against "homosexual males" is kind of dehumanizing? Also he pulls the old "blue-eyed Asian woman, such exotic beauty!!!" shtick, and yknow, that's always great to see.

So that was awkward, and then my excitement crashed even more when the older, white, male, dickhead, Brawny-man looking love interest was introduced and a great deal of the focus of the story was set on that - the heroine's conflict over her feelings for Brawny and their relationship and where it fit with her career, etc. While this >could< all be really compelling stuff, it just...wasn't, here. I wasn't engaged by the characters, no one really leapt off the page or got me invested in the story.

All of that is bad enough, right, but even the world building wasn't terribly interesting, and the plot was completely up in the air for almost half the book. I thought when it finally showed up in the form of - I shit you not - alien CAT PEOPLE straight off of Deviant Art, things might be looking up - and they did, briefly.

For a precious few chapters, there were bizarre hallucination-filled cat people funeral rites on the cat person holodeck, and Brawny got turned into a cat person shaman against his will, and it was kind of beautifully wtf, but then the villain showed up, and just like that, poof, shit was tedious and boring again, this time for the rest of the book.

There's just nothing that particularly sticks out about First Flight, except for the alien furry wank fodder, which isn't weird or present long enough to make the book worth reading for the lulz, or developed enough to make me take it seriously. I'm not even tempted to read the sequels, despite being told the relationship between the heroine and her bi best friend who she has way more chemistry with ends "ambiguously". Gotta say pass on this one.

Also for Chrissakes Claremont, pick a pov and stick with it. Randomly tuning in to other characters' perspectives for half a paragraph just to communicate some thought that can't be worked in otherwise is bad form, man.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw another reviewer mention this but Nicole Shea reminded me a lot of a pulpy Carol Danvers and she really did. It was hard to decide what to rate First Flight (Nicole Shea #1) by Chris Claremont, but I'm rounding down from a 3.5. It doesn't quite have what it takes to be more, but it's still a cool ride. I think I'll have to look for the rest of this series.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Nicole Shea series by Chris Claremont. Chris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties. These books are a departure for him but this one, First Flight, is very good. I am looking forward to reading the next two books.
In this one Lt. Nicole Shea is fresh out of the Naval Space Academy. Her last test was a simulation involving an almost unwinnable scenario. Even though her test is a total disaster her superiors decide to give her a second chance. She is to be given command of a space ship for a flight to Pluto. It is considered a minimal-hassle milk run for her and a mostly untested crew. As her ship, the Wanderer, enters the asteroid belt they are attacked by a group known as the Wolfpack. Three of her crew are killed and her ship is left a blasted wreck with little chance of rescue for the survivors. Unexpectedly a ship appears. As it approaches the survivors realize that no human could have constructed it. Nicole's second chance is about to become mankind's first contact with alien life.
First Flight is a wonderful book that approaches first contact in an enjoyable and original manner. With treachery and betrayal added to the mix, you have a book that will keep you spellbound from the first to the last page.

[Ben Arispe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. Now having read Chris Claremont's stories since I was kid in the pages of Uncanny X-men, this book has some small things that could have been better. First off, we needed to see a lot more detail in the description of the aliem ship and the alien beings themselves. While the author gave us a good idea of what we should be visualizing, it seems like this is something he would have told an artist to draw (like in a comic storyboard) and continued with his plot. The reason I point this out is because at the beginning of the book he does a great job describing the ship Nicole and the others are crewing, as well as a great description of the asteroid and the pirate ship. It seems like we see less and less of the descriptive text as the story comes to an end.
Overall, I think we had some good and memorable characters with a great premise of a story. I think the action scenes could have been a little better, and there wasn't really any humor to speak of. That being said, I'll definitely be reading the second book in the near future!

[Evan McB · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Flight by Chris Claremont is the tenth search result on Amazon for books titled "First Flight." However, the first nine are all about lame subjects like the Wright Brothers or hummingbirds, and this one is about alien space cats and zero-g hookups, which are awesome subjects and make me wish I had gotten around to reading this at the age of 10 instead of putting it off for literally two decades. The main character, Nicole Shea, is an Outer Space Air Force pilot who plays by her own rules but also the actual rules. Her lover is a Karate Master with a mustache and her archenemy is essentially Zapp Brannigan. Also, there is a Japanese character that somehow anticipated every reason you would fall in love with Rinko Kikuchi by a quarter of a century. If your favorite X-Men characters are Storm with a mohawk, Hepzibah, or Lila Cheney, then this is the sci-fi novel for you.

[Joni West · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this novel as a major fan of Claremont’s work on X-Men between 1975-1992; I’ve read every issue of that run, and this book was authored right smack in the middle of it. In fact, there’s an Easter egg during this era where one of the mutants—Storm, I think—is shown reading First Flight on-panel. X-Men fans will note that many of Claremont’s most enduring tropes are here: tough, kick-ass women who shoot guns and fly planes; distant, mysterious men, world-wise from past experiences that still haunt them; an international cast of horny, bisexual characters; nonconsensual body transformation taken in stride; and fast, pulpy patter, chum. It’s a soap opera in deep space, where the stakes escalate quickly but the personal drama remains in focus. It was fun to read Claremont’s dramatic, thoughtful prose in book form versus the usual text boxes, well-suited for this medium. As always, he’s a master of world building and melodramatic internality, entrancing me with the setting, bonding me with the protagonist, and investing me in her journey. Like all young people, Lt. Nicole Shea (think an unpowered Carol Danvers, who Claremont also wrote prolifically as Ms. Marvel) has something to prove and plenty of obstacles in her way—she’s relatable and likable, and watching her grow was a pleasure. She scores big wins and suffers staggering losses, sees wondrous sights and witnesses moments that will haunt her for a lifetime. What more can one expect, or even demand, from pulp sci-fi?

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for gratuitous self-indulgence and what I got was...weird. This book starts off fairly promising, but soon devolves into nonsense - right around the time where the cat-people aliens show up, it takes a steep header into the deep end. Then there's the fact that many of the action scenes are impossible to follow, several plot developments come totally out of left field, all the characters mostly talk the same and the characterization is inconsistent, everything is exceedingly dramatic, and there's just a dash of dated casual racism sprinkled throughout.

It was a fun enough study distraction, but I feel no need to ever read it again -- or indeed, to continue on through the sequels.

[Michele Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Chris Claremont.

This was a reread; I first read these books when they came out, years ago. When I saw the first one was available on kindle, I couldn't resist.

It's still a fun read: action! peril! indomitable female protagonist!

But man, did this book ever need an editor to work out the typos, sentence structure awkwardness, PoV shifts, and clarity of action.

Turn off your editor brain and enjoy it anyway.

[Kivrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice old-fashioned sci-fi read. I lost interest in the story about 3/4 of the way through but soldiered on until the finish. I think if it had stayed true to its original premise--a woman's first flight into space as captain of a mission--I would have liked it better. Nothing really outstanding about it.

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book in my shelf since Chris Claremont was famous. Or known. He reached almost unanimous acclaim with his overhauling of the X universe, creating an all new X-Men and other X groups like Excalibur and New Mutants. I read and collected many of these titles, and assumed I could not go wrong buying this cheapo paperback novel written by the same. 59 year-old JJ calling 26 years old JJ: you were wrong.
Scripting a comic book is as apart from writing a novel as drawing a novel is from directing a movie. With superhero comics, character shallowness is a given, plots do not have more levels than grab the bad guy and haul them their ass, and they are considered excellent if gadgets and superpowers are cool, never mind plausibility.
It does not work in a novel, even in a genre with such loose requirements for quality as sci-fi. Even the title, FirstFlight all together in a single word, capitals in the middle, flunks and makes no sense altogether. What's the deal with that? A portmanteau that's not even a portmanteau, but two words that work separately perfectly fine thrown together?
The plot is a paint-by-numbers one. Nicola Shea makes her first flight in mission perfectly defined by gobbledygook, and uses a lot of seudo-military-spaceperson terminology. But they find a wreck in their course, and go to research. Of course, they don't think about informing base, even if they are not more than a couple light-minutes away from them. Why should they? What can go wrong in a space filled with raiders and something called WolfPacks (of course, all together)? Why should anyone give you a couple of escorts? A good spanking and hand-to-hand training by a "marshall" (a single one, of course) is all you need.
She's accompanied by a "astrogator" called Paul, or Paolo, Da Cuhna.Get it? The "h" before the "n". I got irritated every single time with this typo. This is one of the characters that's a thin façade over some X character, in this case Sunspot or Roberto da Costa. Of course, the main character is totally Wolfsbane, and the aliens look a bit like her, too. He even blink, blink, nudge, nudge, uses Lila Cheney, a New Mutants time-travelling super-heroe/singer, as a non-playing character in this book.
Plus there are scenes that are simply absurd, namely, the musical ones. I mean, really.
Takes its three stars by simply being a correctly, albeit a bit hurriedly, wrapped book. But as the first one in the trilogy, I wouldn't recommend the next installments or any other novel by the author. Stick to the superheroes.
This might be another case of my-age-me bashing young-age me for buying trash. I guess that if I had read it back then, I would have had a better rapport with the material, and found it vaguely amusing. So I guess this is rather a recommendation to read what you buy before you become a member of the previous, or the one previous to that, generation.

[Edwin Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for a long while but only recently read it. Chris Claremont, more known for his sixteen year writing gig for Marvel's “Uncanny X-Men” comic series, proves to me that comic writers back in the late 1970s and 1980s knew how to deliver on female characters. The “strong female character” in today's comics and by extension, films and books based on modern comics, is the result of no-talent hacks that miss the points that make such a character relatable and believable. Claremont's “First Flight” was first published in 1987, a decade which was the heyday for strong female characters that were not “Mary Sues”. We had Marion Ravenwood (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Princess Leia Organa (Star Wars), Sarah Connor (Terminator), and of course Ellen Riply (Aliens) among others.

Lt. Nicole Shea, the main protagonist in “First Flight,” falls into that category of believable, strong female characters of that time. She is skilled but doesn't know everything. She exudes confidence but at times has internal self-doubt. She isn't always right. She acknowledges she is physically weaker than a man and in combat, relies on other tactics to battle superior strength foes. She isn't afraid to learn from a man and accept him as a mentor. She isn't afraid to express emotions such as sadness, self-criticism, and affection. She is not a “do it all” person and is a team player, understanding her limits and not afraid to delegate important tasks she knows she cannot do.

The writing gives a sense that it could easily be converted into a comic series. Each chapter is like a self-contained issue. No doubt this comes from Claremont's comic background. Each chapter is a smooth read and most of the chapters end in a cliffhanger, driving you to move into the next chapter instead of putting the book down.

I do have a minor nit-pick with plot pacing but to discuss it would get into spoilers. It isn't a big enough issue to distract from enjoyment of the read overall.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading through Chris's original X-Men run recently, and kinda found out about these books on accident. Being a fan of his writing in the comics I figured these would be well worth my time, and uh, yeah, while not as super hype as I expected, I think I had a decent enough time with the first book in the series.

That said, this clearly reads like a comic at times, which I'm sure puts some people off. It really doesn't help that the entire first chapter feels almost lifted from a Star Trek film either. These appear to be the only real flaws for me personally, and the former one only lightly so. I had a really good time reading this. It does all of the things I expect of his writing in the comics, just without the obvious dumbing down that happens because of the Comics Code Authority. The writing clearly has room to explore mature themes a bit more, and while this does mean a romance that is not exactly needed, it's interesting to see where he can take things when not encumbered by a need to keep things kid friendly.

I suppose I should also mention that I loved the aliens when they were finally revealed. They really do feel like his sort of creation. A bit absurd, but also well thought out in regards to their culture and mannerisms. There's also the big focus on female characters, which any fan of his comic writing knows he seems to enjoy a lot.

Oh, and a silly thing, but this has probably the most entertaining dedication I've seen in a long time. I don't know anyone else who, alongside a family member or two, has dedicated a book to their other creations. Chris did it though, thanking the X-Men for their continued support.

So yeah, not the most amazing book ever, but a fun little niche find that I'm honestly glad I picked up. I'm super curious how the rest of the series plays out now, so onward to book two!

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the very naff, 80's style cover with the bad makeup and worse hair; this is surprisingly not a bad book at all.

It is dated, does contain a lot of tropes but nevertheless is a fun space opera read with a very decent first contact story complicated by (obligatory) space pirates.

Nicole Shea is heading out as captain on her 'First Flight' which is meant to be a bit of a milk run. This does not actually happen until further in the book when she and her buddy have aces some exams and a few other things have occurred. The milk run ends up being far from as planned and we end up with a fun space adventure.

the first contact is with aliens who are trying to reach Earth to make treaty with us, having encountered some combative aliens elsewhere in the universe, so that is probably where the next books will take us. I did think the feline aliens were well done and the first contact description was really well done.

The writing is a little dates and a little predictable at times but overall is professional, engaging, well done and far better than I had any expectation of finding it. The story and the characters also deliver well and I have no regrets of purchasing or reading it. I probably would go so far as actively seeking out more by the author.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reler o trabalho de Claremont nos X-Men recordou-me destes livros do mesmo autor, editados nos anos 80. É um artefacto típico da edição de FC de entretenimento da época, o princípio de uma trilogia onde acompanhamos as aventuras de uma personagem. Claremont mete-se na FC militarista, seguindo uma jovem aspirante a piloto na sua primeira missão espacial. E, claro, nada irá correr como esperado. O que supostamente seria uma missão de baixo risco aos limites do sistema solar, acaba por ser uma tremenda aventura com combates espaciais, vinganças tenazes e até um primeiro encontro com uma civilização alienígena.

É um daqueles livros que durante uma boa porção nada parece acontecer, até explodir em ação frenética. Mostra bem as qualidades que fizeram de Claremont um argumentista marcante nos comics, a sua capacidade para crescendo de ação. Mas, também, mostra que ser bom a escrever comics não se traduz necessariamente em ser bom romancista. A narrativa é linear, e quem conhece o trabalho nos X-Men apanha durante a leitura muitos vícios linguísticos e narrativos. O livro diverte, de forma datada, mas não passa de um romance de qualidade média.

[Dubzor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I want to give this a four, out of principle alone. I mean, it's Chris Claremont writing Pulp science fiction with a female protagonist that is just shy of being Carol Danvers I'm still not convinced this isn't his fanfiction that somehow got published.

That said, all the stuff you love about Claremont is there. Characters stand out from each other, act on emotion and their own personal drive and emotions. Hell, they tsoe tome to reflect on events and heal each other instead of being bombarded by non-stop action schlock.

It's like reading classic X-Men, where every once and a while they take an issue to play softball together and be real people. The only real flaw is the messy plot. At no point do you have any idea what's going on or where it's supposed to be going until the very end. A single paragraph in the last 40 pages wraps all events up in a "too neat" little bow.

You should absolutely still read it. Especially if you are like me and hold great reverence to arguably one of the most influential comic book masters in the history of the medium.

[Jeanne Hedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in paperback seemingly eons ago, and was very happy to see it out in ebook format. The story follows novice astronaut Lt Nicole Shea, the command pilot of a routine scientific mission within the solar system. It's definitely space opera, but it's fun space opera: deeds to do, obstacles to overcome, villains to vanquish. This is obviously (from this edition's title if nothing else) book 1 of a series, but the other two have not been published in ebook format.

[P.B. Obeng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was a preteen and I loved it. It has a lot of the common "Claremont-sims" that you see in the X-Men books ("e.g. Think fast, act faster etc.) but I enjoyed it. Definitely a great read but it can get a little slow in the mid-point of the book. I would still recommend this read.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recent Rereads: First Flight. Chris Claremont brings his X-Men soap opera to space opera in this SF novel. Cheap FTL left the Solar System a wild west. Nicole Shea's first mission, a mapping flight to Pluto, is interrupted, first by pirates and then by first contact. Space cats!

[Tobin Elliott]

Nope. Couldn't do it.

I loved Chris Claremont's Marvel output. His Iron Fist was really good. His Star-Lord was mind-blowing. And I literally lived for the days the next X-Men comic landed in the spinner rack.

But this? God no.

[daneelolivaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

quite unreadable ...

[Troy Lefman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claremont. 80s space.

[Tim Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some twists and turns in a piece of science fiction that is not as good as some od the authors work - but still fun.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dopey, and a bit perfunctory at times, with an annoying tendency to skip over big scenes and just depict their aftermath.

I guess I was in the mood for something basic.

[Chris]

I remember reading & looking this in high school but don't remember many of the details.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatly enjoyed this trilogy. Unfortunately only the first book is available in a digital format, but if you can find the paperbacks well worth the read!

[Drew Perron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Claremont is good at characterization, at space adventure, and at badass ladies, so I was looking forward to this book.

That said, it starts off in a weird place for him - a very military example of milSF, full of touchy, uptight characters that rattle off long speeches about how the world is tough and you gotta be tough to face it and we're being assholes to you because we like you. Once they get into space, though, it gets much looser and more characterization-based; eventually, we shift fully into a mode of hard SF exploration that doesn't lose its sense of wonder.

In addition, it focuses on characters who don't usually get as much attention in either milSF or hard SF. All of the authority figures who get focused on are female, each getting to be badass in their own ways. As well, half the book focuses on a cast of four characters, two of whom are explicitly queer. (There's one line early on that's very 80s-cringeworthy, but otherwise, their relationships are treated the same, emotionally and in narrative weight, as everyone else's.) That's great representation even now, but startlingly good for 1987.

Overall, recommended if you like heroic-Air-Force-in-space type tales featuring badass ladies.

[Dragondreamsjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge Chris Claremont fan while he was writing the Uncanny X-Men comics and grabbed this book when it was first published in paperback format in 1987. I'd been prowling my bookcases, hunting for something to read next when First Flight and the sequels caught my eye.

Any comic book or sci-fi fan will enjoy the references to stuff scattered throughout this fast-paced riveting tale of a female astronaut's first venture into the inky depths of space. Claremont is no stranger to writing strong female characters and it shines in this story. The magnificent tolerance and inclusiveness of other cultures and lifestyles that pervaded his comic writing also translates magnificently to novel format.

With vivid technical description, gripping action, deft handling of emotional scenes and witty dialogue, this captivating tale should also be read by anyone looking for a great escape.

Do I miss the artwork? Ok... Perhaps now and then, I pictured how John Romita Jr. Might have pencilled a key scene... but Chris Claremont proves that his words can more than hold their own without the graphics!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a long-time "X-Men" reader, and a fan of Chris Claremont's long stretch as writer for that series. It's interesting to see his style come through in a novel: the snappy dialogue, female bonding, flight control jargon, even a few off-hand references to characters from the comics.

That said, this book was enjoyable, but not perfect. There are some awkward scene transitions, and certain parts, such as the combat sequences, are a bit confusing. Not surprisingly, they'd probably benefit from being put into a comic format, but without that I found it sometimes hard to visualize exactly what was going on, or how one scene transitioned to the next.

Still, there's a lot of interesting stuff here -- the technology seems surprisingly realistic, including both the ships and weapons; the characters are complex enough to get past their similarity of dialogue (a reaction I also have to Joss Whedon); and the story moves along at a fairly good clip, somewhat predictable but with some fun suprises along the way.

[Zulma Rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primer vuelo nos lleva a una aventura por el espacio, donde conocemos a Nicole Shea, ella acaba de terminar su preparación como astronauta, todos dicen que es la piloto mejor preparada que ha salido de la academia en varios años, despues de una serie de pruebas en el simulador la mandan a la que sería su primer misión en el espacio, todo parece salir a pedir de boca para ella, pero lo que no sabe es que existe una conspiracion en la que sin querer se ve involucrada,pero hay algo mas alla algo, que ni siquiera sus jefes tienen la mas remota idea de lo que esta a punto de pasar.

"La supervivencia del mas apto es un hecho, existe una frontera Shea, y en cierta forma siempre existirá, las distancias son demasiado inmensas, la gente demasiado escasa, las apuestas demasiado altas. Al final seguimos siendo jodidamente humanos y seguimos padeciendo las mismas viejas debilidades. Cometemos crímenes por pasión o por codicia"

Mira la reseña completa en: http://historiasdepaginas.blogspot.mx...

[Pippa DaCosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this story around 15 years ago, in my early teens. It was my first sci-fi. I can't remember how I got my hands on it, but something about Lt. Shea stuck with me; and even to this very day, fifteen years later, I often think of this book. I write UF, with a kick-ass female lead. I come from the Buffy generation. I adore Firefly. Shea is the precursor to all of that. If I went back and re-read it, maybe it wouldn't be as good to my thirty-year old mind, maybe it'd be better? But some books speak to us at the right time, and First Flight did that for me. Fifteen years later and I remember Shea as bad-ass, with a vulnerable side. There's a hint of romance. Action. Aliens. And cool spaceships. What more do you need?