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Star Trek Adventures #7
Vulcan!
CAPTAIN'S LOG, 6454.4
Due to a series of freak ion storms, the Neutral Zone separating the Federation from the Romulan Empire will soon shift—and the planet Arachnae will fall entirely within Romulan space. Our mission: seek out intelligent life there and, if it exists, offer full Federation protection.
To help us complete the necessary surveys, Dr. Katalya Tremain was assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise™. She is the Federation's foremost expert on the exobiology of this region—and, as I have just discovered, has a fanatical hatred of any and all things Vulcan... including my first officer.
I have logged an official protest with Starfleet Command. Her behavior towards Mr. Spock is not only a disgrace to both her uniform and the Federation but also threatens the success of our mission... a threat we cannot afford when the fate of an entire civilization may rest upon our actions in the coming hours.
Due to a series of freak ion storms, the Neutral Zone separating the Federation from the Romulan Empire will soon shift—and the planet Arachnae will fall entirely within Romulan space. Our mission: seek out intelligent life there and, if it exists, offer full Federation protection.
To help us complete the necessary surveys, Dr. Katalya Tremain was assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise™. She is the Federation's foremost expert on the exobiology of this region—and, as I have just discovered, has a fanatical hatred of any and all things Vulcan... including my first officer.
I have logged an official protest with Starfleet Command. Her behavior towards Mr. Spock is not only a disgrace to both her uniform and the Federation but also threatens the success of our mission... a threat we cannot afford when the fate of an entire civilization may rest upon our actions in the coming hours.
175 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1978
9 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Sky
19 books7 followersKathleen Sky is the pen name of Kathleen McKinney Goldin, an American science fiction and fantasy author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
January 10, 2014
“Loving a Vulcan is a disease; once it has been caught it is very easy to catch again with another Vulcan. I had to immunize myself with hatred. That was a wall, a shield, against love. And because I couldn’t love a Vulcan, I couldn’t love anyone…”
The boundaries of the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulan Empire are being changed by an ion storm. Yep. The zone of neutrality agreed upon to bring an end to a war has boundaries so nebulous they can be changed by a storm in space.
Anyway. There is a planet that is currently in Federation space that will soon be in Romulan space. That planet is named Arachnae and it is inhabited by creatures that are man-sized crosses between spiders and ants. (Never saw that coming with the name, did you?) These creatures may be sentient. Or maybe not. It’s imperative that the Federation determine their sentience before the Neutral Zone boundary changes because…I don’t know why, since regardless of their sentience, the planet will be in Romulan space and so I don’t know why we’re here and I hate this book so much.
To determine the sentience of the Arachnians, Starfleet assigns a new scientist to the Enterprise. The scientist is someone whose work is greatly admired by both Spock and McCoy. The scientist is Dr. Commander Katalya Tremaine. She is “brilliant, beautiful, and bigoted.” And a bitch. She hates Vulcans. But I don’t know if she hates Vulcans as much I hate this book. I hated this book when I first read it around 1980. I hated it when I re-read it 15 years later. I hated reading every single word of it just now. I hate it. I only keep it because I’m OCD and have a need for complete sets.
Sit back. This may take a while.
Random Thoughts written down as I read:
Kirk is jealous of Sulu because the Enterprise responds to his touch.
Spock and McCoy begin vying for the affections of Tremaine before she is onboard. McCoy takes over “the chemistry lab in an attempt to synthesize bubble bath” for her. Kirk considers entering the competition. If she’s pretty.
Tremaine hates Vulcans and is vocal about it. She practically introduces herself with “Doctor Katalya Tremaine. I hate Vulcans.” If questioned about her hatred she has hysterics. Or throws temper tantrums. Or tries to seduce the questioner. Yet she serves as a Commander in Starfleet and they try to assign her where she doesn’t have to deal with Vulcans.
According to Starfleet regulations, upon boarding the ship, a crewman must submit to one physical and one psychiatric exam. But only one. They can refuse to take another exam if the doctor has questions about the results.
Tremaine is on temporary assignment yet she travels with her books and art. She lets McCoy help her unpack her lingerie.
Apparently the Enterprise is crewed by horndogs.
Women are so messy and feminine when they cry.
Kirk is responsible for the crew! The entire crew! All of them.
Have I mentioned lately that Chapel loves Spock? She does, you know. She will engage in a catfight to protect him. But don’t worry, it doesn’t actually come down to blows.
McCoy realizes Tremaine is manipulative, but after 2 days, he loves her to the point of being torn in his loyalties.
It’s too bad Tremaine is such a bitch—she’s soooo PRETTY!
But her psychiatric disorder is common to women with a bad romantic past.
The Enterprise veterinary lab is “cluttered and reeking.” Also, the animals have fleas?
I guess Starfleet members can draw up a petition requesting the removal of an officer…
“Vulcans are so thoroughly unpleasant.”
Kirk is responsible for the crew! Being Captain is hard! BUT Kirk thinks if Tremaine dies, all his problems will be solved. So he tries to seduce her. She calls him rude! How rude!
Even though there is ostensibly nothing preventing the use of transporters or shuttles, a base camp to research from is established on the surface of the planet. This Pointless Base Camp (PBC) includes cooking pots, tents, no first aid kits, no computers, and no means of making fire.
Once the Pointless Base Camp (PBC) is established, a Romulan Warbird appears, stranding Tremaine and Spock. They are stranded because you have to lower the shields to use the transporter and the Romulan Warbird is just sitting there. Doing nothing. Oh, and they have to maintain radio silence so the Romulan Warbird can’t figure out where they are.
The Romulan Warbird is commanded by an “elderly, frustrated eagle of a man” named Maximinus Thrax. You figure out the underlying meaning of the name. He should be named Maximinus Ditherus. He’s too old for this shit. He misses his garden.
The Romulans can be there because the ion storm has changed the boundaries of the neutral zone affecting an ENTIRE PLANET so quickly there is no time to warn or beamout the landing party.
As soon as the Romulans appear, the Arachnians attack the PCB, killing everyone except Spock and Tremaine. Spock clumsily ties to bandage one of the dying victims. Tremaine kills stunned Arachnians left in camp after attack. Even though they are there to determine the sentience of these beings, she just outright shoots the unconscious ones. Isn’t that murder? Let’s move on.
Kirk is unable to take action until he gets his orders from Starfleet. He considers beaming down McCoy, even though it’s been established that they can’t use the transporters because Romulans! Kirk punches the armrests of his chair.
Apparently communicators really are like cell phones. You can leave an ‘out of office’ voicemail message. Every time the landing party tries to contact the ship, they get a ‘maintain radio silence’ message. Which seems counter-intuitive. Except for the times they get answered. Or contacted. I guess I don’t understand how radio silence works.
The Romulans also use voicemail. Their message says, “You have 5 hours to surrender the planet.” It is not noted whether there is a countdown on this message.
I think I hear MUZAK.
Meanwhile, back at PBC, Spock spies on Tremain as she bathes, topless. He admires her out loud. He goads her. He indulges in sexual innuendo. He gloats: “Ah-ha!” He says, “I mean, consider…” He smiles quietly. She considers killing him because he is very annoying.
Spock gets bitten by an Arachnian and begins to die from the poisonous bites. Tremaine asks for a beamout after ripping her shirt apart to make bandages for Spock. She is not clumsy when she bandages him.
They can’t be beamed up because of the Romulans and Kirk sweats from nervousness when he talks to the dithering enemy. Kirk can’t withdraw from the planet without orders from Starfleet, which will take hours to get here.
MUZAK.
Kirk literally watches the clock.
McCoy literally paces behind the command chair.
Uhura literally opens hailing frequencies
Sulu and Chekov literally drive the ship and say nothing.
Scott literally calls to the bridge to find out what’s going on.
Chapel literally loves Spock.
Spock literally begins to die from the poison. But first! He mindmelds with one of the Arachnians in an attempt to determine their sentience, which will determine whether the Enterprise can stay or go because…I still don’t know why.
The mindmeld causes Spock to become ‘possessed’ by the creature, which is not intelligent, but is part of a hive mind. He attempts to rejoin the hive.
Tremaine contacts the ship and begs McCoy to come down and save Spock. But then she says not to drop the shields because she and Spock aren’t worth the loss of the Enterprise. But then she says if they aren’t beamed up she will initiate a mindmeld with Spock.
Spock tries to recite the Vulcan Code of Honor.
Tremaine makes a semi-conscious Spock mindmeld with her and the only thing missing from this scene is cigarettes in bed at the end.
During the mindmeld, the ghost of Selik appears. Selik was the Vulcan captain of the starship that was destroyed while Selik, Tremaine’s husband, and Tremaine’s parents were serving aboard it. Tremaine had not shipped out with them because she was in love with Selik and knew it was hopeless because Vulcans can’t love. He tells her to move on. So she’s not a bigot anymore. The End.
I hate this book so much.
WTF Quote: “Loving a ghost can be addictive. Necrophilia of the mind, my dear, can be far more lonely than simple masturbation.”
The boundaries of the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulan Empire are being changed by an ion storm. Yep. The zone of neutrality agreed upon to bring an end to a war has boundaries so nebulous they can be changed by a storm in space.
Anyway. There is a planet that is currently in Federation space that will soon be in Romulan space. That planet is named Arachnae and it is inhabited by creatures that are man-sized crosses between spiders and ants. (Never saw that coming with the name, did you?) These creatures may be sentient. Or maybe not. It’s imperative that the Federation determine their sentience before the Neutral Zone boundary changes because…I don’t know why, since regardless of their sentience, the planet will be in Romulan space and so I don’t know why we’re here and I hate this book so much.
To determine the sentience of the Arachnians, Starfleet assigns a new scientist to the Enterprise. The scientist is someone whose work is greatly admired by both Spock and McCoy. The scientist is Dr. Commander Katalya Tremaine. She is “brilliant, beautiful, and bigoted.” And a bitch. She hates Vulcans. But I don’t know if she hates Vulcans as much I hate this book. I hated this book when I first read it around 1980. I hated it when I re-read it 15 years later. I hated reading every single word of it just now. I hate it. I only keep it because I’m OCD and have a need for complete sets.
Sit back. This may take a while.
Random Thoughts written down as I read:
Kirk is jealous of Sulu because the Enterprise responds to his touch.
Spock and McCoy begin vying for the affections of Tremaine before she is onboard. McCoy takes over “the chemistry lab in an attempt to synthesize bubble bath” for her. Kirk considers entering the competition. If she’s pretty.
Tremaine hates Vulcans and is vocal about it. She practically introduces herself with “Doctor Katalya Tremaine. I hate Vulcans.” If questioned about her hatred she has hysterics. Or throws temper tantrums. Or tries to seduce the questioner. Yet she serves as a Commander in Starfleet and they try to assign her where she doesn’t have to deal with Vulcans.
According to Starfleet regulations, upon boarding the ship, a crewman must submit to one physical and one psychiatric exam. But only one. They can refuse to take another exam if the doctor has questions about the results.
Tremaine is on temporary assignment yet she travels with her books and art. She lets McCoy help her unpack her lingerie.
Apparently the Enterprise is crewed by horndogs.
Women are so messy and feminine when they cry.
Kirk is responsible for the crew! The entire crew! All of them.
Have I mentioned lately that Chapel loves Spock? She does, you know. She will engage in a catfight to protect him. But don’t worry, it doesn’t actually come down to blows.
McCoy realizes Tremaine is manipulative, but after 2 days, he loves her to the point of being torn in his loyalties.
It’s too bad Tremaine is such a bitch—she’s soooo PRETTY!
But her psychiatric disorder is common to women with a bad romantic past.
The Enterprise veterinary lab is “cluttered and reeking.” Also, the animals have fleas?
I guess Starfleet members can draw up a petition requesting the removal of an officer…
“Vulcans are so thoroughly unpleasant.”
Kirk is responsible for the crew! Being Captain is hard! BUT Kirk thinks if Tremaine dies, all his problems will be solved. So he tries to seduce her. She calls him rude! How rude!
Even though there is ostensibly nothing preventing the use of transporters or shuttles, a base camp to research from is established on the surface of the planet. This Pointless Base Camp (PBC) includes cooking pots, tents, no first aid kits, no computers, and no means of making fire.
Once the Pointless Base Camp (PBC) is established, a Romulan Warbird appears, stranding Tremaine and Spock. They are stranded because you have to lower the shields to use the transporter and the Romulan Warbird is just sitting there. Doing nothing. Oh, and they have to maintain radio silence so the Romulan Warbird can’t figure out where they are.
The Romulan Warbird is commanded by an “elderly, frustrated eagle of a man” named Maximinus Thrax. You figure out the underlying meaning of the name. He should be named Maximinus Ditherus. He’s too old for this shit. He misses his garden.
The Romulans can be there because the ion storm has changed the boundaries of the neutral zone affecting an ENTIRE PLANET so quickly there is no time to warn or beamout the landing party.
As soon as the Romulans appear, the Arachnians attack the PCB, killing everyone except Spock and Tremaine. Spock clumsily ties to bandage one of the dying victims. Tremaine kills stunned Arachnians left in camp after attack. Even though they are there to determine the sentience of these beings, she just outright shoots the unconscious ones. Isn’t that murder? Let’s move on.
Kirk is unable to take action until he gets his orders from Starfleet. He considers beaming down McCoy, even though it’s been established that they can’t use the transporters because Romulans! Kirk punches the armrests of his chair.
Apparently communicators really are like cell phones. You can leave an ‘out of office’ voicemail message. Every time the landing party tries to contact the ship, they get a ‘maintain radio silence’ message. Which seems counter-intuitive. Except for the times they get answered. Or contacted. I guess I don’t understand how radio silence works.
The Romulans also use voicemail. Their message says, “You have 5 hours to surrender the planet.” It is not noted whether there is a countdown on this message.
I think I hear MUZAK.
Meanwhile, back at PBC, Spock spies on Tremain as she bathes, topless. He admires her out loud. He goads her. He indulges in sexual innuendo. He gloats: “Ah-ha!” He says, “I mean, consider…” He smiles quietly. She considers killing him because he is very annoying.
Spock gets bitten by an Arachnian and begins to die from the poisonous bites. Tremaine asks for a beamout after ripping her shirt apart to make bandages for Spock. She is not clumsy when she bandages him.
They can’t be beamed up because of the Romulans and Kirk sweats from nervousness when he talks to the dithering enemy. Kirk can’t withdraw from the planet without orders from Starfleet, which will take hours to get here.
MUZAK.
Kirk literally watches the clock.
McCoy literally paces behind the command chair.
Uhura literally opens hailing frequencies
Sulu and Chekov literally drive the ship and say nothing.
Scott literally calls to the bridge to find out what’s going on.
Chapel literally loves Spock.
Spock literally begins to die from the poison. But first! He mindmelds with one of the Arachnians in an attempt to determine their sentience, which will determine whether the Enterprise can stay or go because…I still don’t know why.
The mindmeld causes Spock to become ‘possessed’ by the creature, which is not intelligent, but is part of a hive mind. He attempts to rejoin the hive.
Tremaine contacts the ship and begs McCoy to come down and save Spock. But then she says not to drop the shields because she and Spock aren’t worth the loss of the Enterprise. But then she says if they aren’t beamed up she will initiate a mindmeld with Spock.
Spock tries to recite the Vulcan Code of Honor.
Tremaine makes a semi-conscious Spock mindmeld with her and the only thing missing from this scene is cigarettes in bed at the end.
During the mindmeld, the ghost of Selik appears. Selik was the Vulcan captain of the starship that was destroyed while Selik, Tremaine’s husband, and Tremaine’s parents were serving aboard it. Tremaine had not shipped out with them because she was in love with Selik and knew it was hopeless because Vulcans can’t love. He tells her to move on. So she’s not a bigot anymore. The End.
I hate this book so much.
WTF Quote: “Loving a ghost can be addictive. Necrophilia of the mind, my dear, can be far more lonely than simple masturbation.”
February 6, 2025
Wow, I've skimmed through the previous reviews of this book and there are some pretty negative ones here. Most of the people with a positive reaction must have just hit a star-number and not left any comments. (And then there are the hard-core Trekkers who just hit "5" 'cause it was Trek, but, well, you know...) I thought it was fun. It's not that bad! (The cover and the title page call it Vulcan!, but it's simply Vulcan on the top of the text pages.) Yes, it's kind of sexist, but that just makes it fit with how the original series was. It adds verisimilitude. The story is about a woman scientist who hates Vulcans sent to investigate the planet Arachne IV, which is soon going to slip into Romulan control, to see if the natives are sentient. Naturally, she has to work with Spock. The book appeared in 1978 and was among the first ten Trek novels that were published. (Actually, according to the cover, it's a Star Trek Experience, not a novel. Things were different back then, I guess.) Hard to imagine now that there are thousands of them across dozens of series, but this was before there was a Motion Picture, much less a Next Generation. This was before hard-core fans decided they'd rather be Trekkers than Trekkies. There's a kind of bizarre introduction by David Gerrold in which he explains that it's okay for Kathleen Sky to have written the book because she talked it over with her husband a lot and it's really more of a collaboration. Huh? (He also states that you know who he is and that he wrote The Trouble with Tribbles unless you've been living under a rock for a decade...) The scientist, Katalya Tremain, has to deal with Dr. McCoy, who, despite probably being old enough to be her father, is thinking of rigging a way to score with her by using her psych evaluations. The legendary horndog J.T. himself puts the moves on her and she explains she's already been kissed. (I suspect he had a more intimate activity in mind.) Down on the planet, when the chips are down, she faces her fears and saves the day and Spock and the mission, which really makes her a very strong and mostly sympathetic character in my estimation. The artist obviously didn't read the book, because the painting has Spock and a lady in a short blue dress facing a bunch of big black ants, and the description of the action and visuals in the story are very much different. As long as you remember that the book is from the era of "Boldly go where no man has gone before" you'll be all right. Set your phasers on smile.
June 24, 2010
This book is dreadful. I'm sorry to be so blunt with this review, but there is not a nice way to say this. I am not trying to be rude, just merely trying to honestly state my obsveravtions. I stopped reading the book about a third of the way through then skipped to the last 20-30 pages to see how it all ended. I didn't miss much it seems, because I was able to pick up what was going on without any trouble.
The characterizations were way off base. Spock and McCoy--when together--were portrayed as horny adolescents fighting over a cheerleader. Seperately, McCoy became something of a creepy uncle while Spock's wildly emotional attitude made me think of a bad imitation of a drag queen. Dr Tremain's behavior was no better-she was a spoiled little princess the whole time. I find it ironic that the most infantalized portrayal of an adult woman that I have ever read was actually written by a woman.
Avoid this book.
The characterizations were way off base. Spock and McCoy--when together--were portrayed as horny adolescents fighting over a cheerleader. Seperately, McCoy became something of a creepy uncle while Spock's wildly emotional attitude made me think of a bad imitation of a drag queen. Dr Tremain's behavior was no better-she was a spoiled little princess the whole time. I find it ironic that the most infantalized portrayal of an adult woman that I have ever read was actually written by a woman.
Avoid this book.
August 8, 2020
I realize this is a provocative statement... but this is the worst book I have ever read. (And I've read Twilight.)
I think I had an upper lip curled with disgust 90% of the time. On several occasions, I closed the book and threw it down on the sofa. It took me 18 days to force my way through its 175 infuriating pages. I finished it only because I am a completionist and I'm going through all the Star Trek books.
I could never recommend this travesty to anyone.
I think I had an upper lip curled with disgust 90% of the time. On several occasions, I closed the book and threw it down on the sofa. It took me 18 days to force my way through its 175 infuriating pages. I finished it only because I am a completionist and I'm going through all the Star Trek books.
I could never recommend this travesty to anyone.
October 24, 2011
A classic Star Trek story, quite interesting and very entertaining. I'd especially recommend this novel to any female Spock fans.
I also found the introduction to this book by David Gerrold very interesting and definitely worth reading, especially if you, like me, haven't watched the original series in the sixties or seventies (I wasn't even born yet) - it gives you an insight to what it was like to be a Trek fan back then.
I also found the introduction to this book by David Gerrold very interesting and definitely worth reading, especially if you, like me, haven't watched the original series in the sixties or seventies (I wasn't even born yet) - it gives you an insight to what it was like to be a Trek fan back then.
December 28, 2012
Nasty. It seems clear to the reader that the author may be living out her erotic fantasies about Mr. Spock by writing this book. Yuck!
May 19, 2013
In spite of the glowing introduction by David Gerrold, this novel suffers from poor imagination, poor characterization, and poor plot development. It is on par with some of the worst episodes of the actual Star Trek series. Most of the main cast is seen in the background and has almost no "screen time". Spock and McCoy both act out of character for large parts of the book. The interactions between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are not well written, and the "guest star" character is poorly written and poorly developed. I was left with no sympathy for her suffering and no rational understanding for her motivations. The planet and aliens featured were poorly developed and poorly described, ironic considering the discussion of imagination at the front of the book. And to cap this all off, in my paperback edition on one page there is a line inserted out of place in the text.
February 19, 2020
The hate here in the Goodreads feed is undue--no, Tremaine isn't a Mary Sue, even if she is an author surrogate (Who cares? Lots of writers have author surrogates); no, the characters don't act especially different from their on-screen personalities (or at least not so different from the episode-to-episode variations on each character); no, just because the author is clearly horny for Spock doesn't make this novel ABOUT being horny for Spock.
Some interesting points about alien racism versus real world racism to be gleaned here. Basically Tremain, hot expert Federation biologist, really hates Vulcans and we're constantly reminded that it's probably some other trauma she's working through and the hatred of an entire race is just a cover. But then she has to work with Spock!
It's already kind of dubious and would completely fall apart if it wasn't alien versus human. The plot point though does nicely show how crucial power is in the dynamics of racism though--everybody reacts to the Tremain's racism more as a nuisance than a horrible systemic paradigm because Vulcans aren't discriminated against in the Federation the same way, y'know, real discrimination works.
But anyway. Despite some undeserved hate, Vulcan! is also not great either. It's just a middling Star Trek novel, but sometimes that's what you as a reader want.
Some interesting points about alien racism versus real world racism to be gleaned here. Basically Tremain, hot expert Federation biologist, really hates Vulcans and we're constantly reminded that it's probably some other trauma she's working through and the hatred of an entire race is just a cover. But then she has to work with Spock!
It's already kind of dubious and would completely fall apart if it wasn't alien versus human. The plot point though does nicely show how crucial power is in the dynamics of racism though--everybody reacts to the Tremain's racism more as a nuisance than a horrible systemic paradigm because Vulcans aren't discriminated against in the Federation the same way, y'know, real discrimination works.
But anyway. Despite some undeserved hate, Vulcan! is also not great either. It's just a middling Star Trek novel, but sometimes that's what you as a reader want.
April 14, 2022
Hay libros mucho peores. McCoy es terriblemente desagradable en este (un stalker muy creepy) y Spock es demasiado... humano hablando, pero por lo demás el ritmo está bien. La historia principal es una de amor imposible, y el contexto, un planeta en disputa entre Federación y romulanos, en el que hay unos seres que es necesario averiguar si son inteligentes o no. No es una maravilla pero ha mantenido mi atención y me ha entretenido, y ya es mucho más de lo que han hecho los tomos anteriores, así que me doy por satisfecha.
September 25, 2024
Very enjoyable Trek novel.
October 25, 2014
By far the best of the "Bantam" Star Trek novels. "Vulcan!" is #7 out of 15 Star Trek novels that Bantam Books published. Written by Kathleen Sky who would go on to write one more Star Trek book for Bantam. With the quality of writing she displays in "Vulcan!" I am very surprised she didn't continue her writing with Pocket Books when they took over the Star Trek book franchise. It might have been a contractual problem.
The Galactic Magnetic Field is moving and it is causing problems. It is this field that determines the boundary of the Romulan Neutral Zone. But its shifting will soon take the planet Arachnae into Romulan space and the Federation powers are in a tizzy. Having never cared much about the planet before, Federation officials want immediate action to find out what the wishes of the planets citizens want. The Arachnians are spider like creatures, but are they animals or are they sentient peoples that have the right to self determination. To that end Kirk and the Enterprise crew are sent to a nearby Star Base to pick up noted scientist Dr. Katalya Tremain, an expert in exobiology.
Katalya, along with Spock, will beam down to the planet to determine what the state of the Arachnians really is. However, upon beaming up to the Enterprise it is found out that Katalya has a severe bigotry against Vulcans in general. An ugly character trait that taints the good Dr. Tremain's reputation. Dr. McCoy tries his best to get to the core of her hatred but fails in his efforts. And like it or not, over much protestation, Katalya is forced to share responsibility for the mission to the planets surface.
On the planets surface Spock and Dr. Tremain go off to explore a cave that has been discovered and may lead to the Arachnians. While gone the rest of the landing party is attacked and all are lost leaving Spock and the Dr. alone. They can't be beamed up because the Romulans have arrived to take possession of the planet. And now Spock has been attacked and he will die unless shields are lowered so he can get medical help. It is during this time that Dr. Tremain must face the true origins of her bigotry or Spock will die and most likely herself as well.
A well written story done in the tradition of Star Trek:TOS. Taking a close look at a topic that most people are not comfortable with: bigotry, prejudice and the nature of racial hatred. A very well written book.
The Galactic Magnetic Field is moving and it is causing problems. It is this field that determines the boundary of the Romulan Neutral Zone. But its shifting will soon take the planet Arachnae into Romulan space and the Federation powers are in a tizzy. Having never cared much about the planet before, Federation officials want immediate action to find out what the wishes of the planets citizens want. The Arachnians are spider like creatures, but are they animals or are they sentient peoples that have the right to self determination. To that end Kirk and the Enterprise crew are sent to a nearby Star Base to pick up noted scientist Dr. Katalya Tremain, an expert in exobiology.
Katalya, along with Spock, will beam down to the planet to determine what the state of the Arachnians really is. However, upon beaming up to the Enterprise it is found out that Katalya has a severe bigotry against Vulcans in general. An ugly character trait that taints the good Dr. Tremain's reputation. Dr. McCoy tries his best to get to the core of her hatred but fails in his efforts. And like it or not, over much protestation, Katalya is forced to share responsibility for the mission to the planets surface.
On the planets surface Spock and Dr. Tremain go off to explore a cave that has been discovered and may lead to the Arachnians. While gone the rest of the landing party is attacked and all are lost leaving Spock and the Dr. alone. They can't be beamed up because the Romulans have arrived to take possession of the planet. And now Spock has been attacked and he will die unless shields are lowered so he can get medical help. It is during this time that Dr. Tremain must face the true origins of her bigotry or Spock will die and most likely herself as well.
A well written story done in the tradition of Star Trek:TOS. Taking a close look at a topic that most people are not comfortable with: bigotry, prejudice and the nature of racial hatred. A very well written book.
December 27, 2020
To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to reading Kathleen Sky's book. The reviews on Goodreads are almost uniformly negative, dismissing it as a Mary Sue novel with a lousy plot and poor characterizations of the central crew. And after reading it for myself, I found that the criticisms are largely well founded, especially when compared to the many other works written since that do so much better of a job of crafting a story that is true to the elements of the original series. The plot is premised on a ridiculous notion that the border of the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulans that can shift under the influence of space storms, which is an implausible concept that is refuted by the very episode that introduced the Romulans and the Neutral Zone to begin with. The characterizations are indeed poor, with Spock less controlled and logical than he should have been, and McCoy almost predatorial in his romantic aspirations. Worst of all, though is the central character of Katalya Tremain, who comes across as far too petulant and unprofessional for someone who is ostensibly a member of a professional organization like Starfleet.
And yet in spite of all that I found myself enjoying the novel much more than I expected I would. While the premise of a shifting border may be ridiculous, the mission itself to establish whether a species on a key world is sentient or not was an interesting concept that is surprisingly underutilized in the franchise. And for all of the flaws in the characterization of the central crew and her key creation, Sky does provide an interesting examination of crew dynamics that is refrishingly nuanced, addressing it in a way that is far truer to life than Roddenberry's overly-idealized premise of numerous species all working happily together and as later works would demonstrate would prove a fruitful source of storytelling. Perhaps it was a case of having my expectations lowered to a point where I could appreciate the book despite its flaws, but whatever the reason it resulted in the end in a better reading experience and a more balanced assessment of what Sky's book has to offer.
And yet in spite of all that I found myself enjoying the novel much more than I expected I would. While the premise of a shifting border may be ridiculous, the mission itself to establish whether a species on a key world is sentient or not was an interesting concept that is surprisingly underutilized in the franchise. And for all of the flaws in the characterization of the central crew and her key creation, Sky does provide an interesting examination of crew dynamics that is refrishingly nuanced, addressing it in a way that is far truer to life than Roddenberry's overly-idealized premise of numerous species all working happily together and as later works would demonstrate would prove a fruitful source of storytelling. Perhaps it was a case of having my expectations lowered to a point where I could appreciate the book despite its flaws, but whatever the reason it resulted in the end in a better reading experience and a more balanced assessment of what Sky's book has to offer.
March 27, 2020
This book made me uncomfortable at times, leaving me questioning a lot of the classic Star Trek series.
The premise is solid: Arachne IV is soon to be part of the Romulan Empire, due to fluctuating Neutral Zone boundaries, and it may have intelligent life on it, so the Enterprise is sent to investigate and plead their case for having the natives ask for their protection from the Romulans. Dr. Katalya Tremain, the Federation's foremost expert on exobiology, is beamed aboard for their mission, but she has one tremendous flaw--she hates Vulcans. In fact, "despises" is a better word for how she feels. Once on board she demands to be beamed off the ship because she cannot serve on the same ship as a Vulcan. Kirk gives her a dressing down for her inappropriate behavior and disappears for much of the book until the last third.
The first third of the book has some cringe worthy moments as McCoy constantly makes plays to the female doctor. His constant badgering of her to make an inroad to couple with her made me uncomfortable. Not helping was that, after being unsuccessful, he then submits her to "Sigmunding" a psychological test that's more in line with 1984 than Trek. The individual is drugged for the final part of the examination! For him to ask her personal questions in the third part of the examination was creepy. I know what author Sky was intending for the story--expanding the character and creating mystery--but it came across as completely against Star Fleet policy, even with what was known up to 1978.
Thankfully, once down on Arachne IV with Spock things improved dramatically. I enjoyed the pairing of Spock and Tremain, with their dialogue terrific, and the developments with the natives outstanding. I wish the novel had gotten to this part of the story sooner.
As much as I liked the last half, that first half really bothered me. I wonder if my age has me approaching Trek novels differently than when I first read them?
The premise is solid: Arachne IV is soon to be part of the Romulan Empire, due to fluctuating Neutral Zone boundaries, and it may have intelligent life on it, so the Enterprise is sent to investigate and plead their case for having the natives ask for their protection from the Romulans. Dr. Katalya Tremain, the Federation's foremost expert on exobiology, is beamed aboard for their mission, but she has one tremendous flaw--she hates Vulcans. In fact, "despises" is a better word for how she feels. Once on board she demands to be beamed off the ship because she cannot serve on the same ship as a Vulcan. Kirk gives her a dressing down for her inappropriate behavior and disappears for much of the book until the last third.
The first third of the book has some cringe worthy moments as McCoy constantly makes plays to the female doctor. His constant badgering of her to make an inroad to couple with her made me uncomfortable. Not helping was that, after being unsuccessful, he then submits her to "Sigmunding" a psychological test that's more in line with 1984 than Trek. The individual is drugged for the final part of the examination! For him to ask her personal questions in the third part of the examination was creepy. I know what author Sky was intending for the story--expanding the character and creating mystery--but it came across as completely against Star Fleet policy, even with what was known up to 1978.
Thankfully, once down on Arachne IV with Spock things improved dramatically. I enjoyed the pairing of Spock and Tremain, with their dialogue terrific, and the developments with the natives outstanding. I wish the novel had gotten to this part of the story sooner.
As much as I liked the last half, that first half really bothered me. I wonder if my age has me approaching Trek novels differently than when I first read them?
July 22, 2017
I'm not usually prone to hating books, but wow. Nothing about this book was appealing to me. Badly written, all of the characters were completely OOC, except maybe Kirk - his care for Spock is the only thing that rang canonically true. McCoy would not be so swayed by a pretty face if she was that disgustingly bigoted, and honestly I find it hard to believe that Starfleet would allow someone in their ranks that was so openly prejudiced. While Vulcans are a fictional race, Roddenberry has always used his ficitional aliens as allegories for racism when he couldn't otherwise talk about it, and having an original character have such a flimsy excuse for espousing racist rhetoric and a nice, tidy "it's okay, I'm not a racist anymore!" ending, just goes entirely against the very real social issues that Star Trek discusses at times. If this book hadn't been so short, I absolutely wouldn't have finished it.
August 1, 2019
Okay, I only skimmed this, because after the first two *paragraphs* I knew it was going to be fangirl twaddle, but I was bored out of my gourd (which happens when you throw out your back and have nothing better to do). This one is a stinker on ever level ... I'm not going to waste time writing a review, because it's all been said in the pages of 1-star reviews here at Goodreads. Often, I wildly disagree with 1-star reviews, but not this time. You have to wonder how/why this was ever printed; and you must question the sanity of Mr. Tribble himself, David Gerrold, who, in the intro, promised me a terrific read. WTF? Maybe he got paid to write the intro?!
Harrumph. You'll have to excuse me if I throw this against the wall and start in on the Hellgate series. For the third time.
Harrumph. You'll have to excuse me if I throw this against the wall and start in on the Hellgate series. For the third time.
January 31, 2013
This was a pretty good Star Trek book. I felt that the characters were pretty developed, even though I would have liked to see more relationships between characters. I felt that the story did not follow the Enterprise crew as much as it did Katalya, and I wish the story did not focus so much on the 'secondary' character. I felt that there was not much to explain her hatred of Vulcans, and even when we did find out I did not really understand that hatred or the resolution. I felt that the plot moved too fast in some spots and I wish that there was more expansion of actions and emotions of the characters. Overall it was an okay, quick read.
September 22, 2023
Oh, God, the internalized misogyny finally got the better of me and I had to give up. I was terrified where the book might go. Also just some weird ideas that didn't fit in Trek, in my opinion. My favorite parts were some of the cringiest: Bones grappling with whether he could still bed this beautiful, intelligent woman now that he knew she was a cruel bigot. He was pretty sure he could look past it. LOL.
May 17, 2020
What a strange story. The guest character, Katalya Tremain, exhibits some really racist views towards Vulcans. Spock, I feel, was way out of character. The sexual overtones seemed dated and out of place. I realize this was written in 1978, and I take it for what it is.
“Necrophilia of the mind, my dear, can be far more lonely than simple masturbation.” What?
“Necrophilia of the mind, my dear, can be far more lonely than simple masturbation.” What?
July 27, 2020
Garbage. It's dull and it's disappointing and plenty of it is just uncomfortable to read. Spock's master plan is to sexually harass Dr. Tremain until she's angry enough to reveal her secrets. Seriously?
I've put more details on Barba Non DB.
I've put more details on Barba Non DB.
October 23, 2022
Better or worse than Spock, Messiah!? Worse.
I dinged that one for unabashedly sexist, and this is the same. Add bigotry on top of that, along with extremely questionable pseudo-science (a wandering neutral zone?)
I dinged that one for unabashedly sexist, and this is the same. Add bigotry on top of that, along with extremely questionable pseudo-science (a wandering neutral zone?)
July 17, 2022
Bigotry on board the Enterprise? Imminent Romulan attack? A new hot chick assigned to the crew and Captain Kirk’s not boning her? This is Star Trek like you’ve never seen it before!
Actually, no, it’s pretty much like every episode of the original Star Trek series. Kathleen Sky’s 1978 novel “Vulcan!” is basically an unfilmed episode, written a year before the release of the Robert Wise film, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.
An anomalous ion storm threatens to alter the boundaries of the Neutral Zone, and the Federation is tasked with determining whether planet Arachne IV is worth protecting from Romulan takeover. The insectoid creatures that inhabit the planet appear to have some intelligence, but certain parties are unsure if they are sentient, so the Federation has sent Dr. Natalya Tremain, a brilliant xenobiologist, to work with the Enterprise’s brilliant science officer, Spock, to determine if the Arachnaeans are sentient enough to be protected by the Federation. There’s one catch: she hates Vulcans!
Dr. “Bones” McCoy takes on the job of playing psychiatrist to figure out why she harbors an irrational hatred of Vulcans. In the process, he falls in love with her, despite her virulent racism. To Kirk’s credit, he wants nothing to do with the racist bitch.
When the away team is attacked by Arachneans, Spock and Tremain are stuck on the surface of the planet, while Kirk must deal with a Romulan bird of prey threatening to attack.
Oh, the excitement! The drama! As with all Star Trek novels, there is an underlying “message” being addressed underneath all of the action and intrigue. Sky’s novel is a quick read, and it’s entertaining, but the end-reveal of the source of Dr. Tremain’s bigotry is a bit of a letdown. Still, if you’re hankerin’ for some old-school OG Trek, this will definitely wet the whistle.
Actually, no, it’s pretty much like every episode of the original Star Trek series. Kathleen Sky’s 1978 novel “Vulcan!” is basically an unfilmed episode, written a year before the release of the Robert Wise film, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.
An anomalous ion storm threatens to alter the boundaries of the Neutral Zone, and the Federation is tasked with determining whether planet Arachne IV is worth protecting from Romulan takeover. The insectoid creatures that inhabit the planet appear to have some intelligence, but certain parties are unsure if they are sentient, so the Federation has sent Dr. Natalya Tremain, a brilliant xenobiologist, to work with the Enterprise’s brilliant science officer, Spock, to determine if the Arachnaeans are sentient enough to be protected by the Federation. There’s one catch: she hates Vulcans!
Dr. “Bones” McCoy takes on the job of playing psychiatrist to figure out why she harbors an irrational hatred of Vulcans. In the process, he falls in love with her, despite her virulent racism. To Kirk’s credit, he wants nothing to do with the racist bitch.
When the away team is attacked by Arachneans, Spock and Tremain are stuck on the surface of the planet, while Kirk must deal with a Romulan bird of prey threatening to attack.
Oh, the excitement! The drama! As with all Star Trek novels, there is an underlying “message” being addressed underneath all of the action and intrigue. Sky’s novel is a quick read, and it’s entertaining, but the end-reveal of the source of Dr. Tremain’s bigotry is a bit of a letdown. Still, if you’re hankerin’ for some old-school OG Trek, this will definitely wet the whistle.
March 26, 2025
I laughed out loud a great deal throughout this book, but not because the author wrote any good quips. I laughed because it was horrid. One star for the characters being so wildly out of character, one star for McCoy getting nicknamed "Len" not more than two chapters in, and one star for Kathleen Sky successfully marketing a self-insert fanfiction.
This novel includes some real gems such as McCoy becoming weirdly super into psychology, even though in the tv show, he states many times that he's a surgeon, not a psychiatrist, and nurse Chapel claiming that Mr. Spock "probably" has feelings too.
It's truly a classic "everyone loves her" story; both of Kathleen Sky's Star Trek novels are. Mr. Spock is written as illogical so that our guest character, Katalya Tremain, can constantly get in the last word edgewise. McCoy is written as a useless therapist (and dabbles in hypnosis??) who quickly dismissed his deep friendship with Spock in favor of a very prejudiced guest character against Spock, and Kirk is hardly ever seen at all.
From a storyline & character writing stance, zero stars. From a wtf stance, 3 stars.
Edit: after a re-read, it's so, so much worse than I remember. It's very racist, but since Vulcans are fictional, it's seen as perfectly reasonable and even dismissed. I was disappointed to see a woman writer dismiss her woman lead's feelings as "histrionic" and "for attention", and to have her only "cure" be Dr. McCoy. Yes, it was written decades ago. But I've read Star Trek books that were written years before with far less sexism. I can't say much else without spoiling it, just know that the "twist" you expect from the beginning is even more unbelievably ridiculous than you think.
This novel includes some real gems such as McCoy becoming weirdly super into psychology, even though in the tv show, he states many times that he's a surgeon, not a psychiatrist, and nurse Chapel claiming that Mr. Spock "probably" has feelings too.
It's truly a classic "everyone loves her" story; both of Kathleen Sky's Star Trek novels are. Mr. Spock is written as illogical so that our guest character, Katalya Tremain, can constantly get in the last word edgewise. McCoy is written as a useless therapist (and dabbles in hypnosis??) who quickly dismissed his deep friendship with Spock in favor of a very prejudiced guest character against Spock, and Kirk is hardly ever seen at all.
From a storyline & character writing stance, zero stars. From a wtf stance, 3 stars.
Edit: after a re-read, it's so, so much worse than I remember. It's very racist, but since Vulcans are fictional, it's seen as perfectly reasonable and even dismissed. I was disappointed to see a woman writer dismiss her woman lead's feelings as "histrionic" and "for attention", and to have her only "cure" be Dr. McCoy. Yes, it was written decades ago. But I've read Star Trek books that were written years before with far less sexism. I can't say much else without spoiling it, just know that the "twist" you expect from the beginning is even more unbelievably ridiculous than you think.
February 16, 2022
It's not as bad as some of the reviews on here, but there is some inexplicable material to wade through in this novel. It earns its two stars through a spot-on version of Kirk and Spock, and a basic plot that actually chugs along nicely, and could have been done on TV...even in the late 60s. But there is so much muck to wade through: (1) how is someone so emotionally damaged and bigoted allowed to be an on-duty officer? (2) Why are there Terra-Prime-style racists in Starfleet to begin with? (3) Why does the Romulan side of the story feel like an after-thought...and one that pushes the Roman parallels a bit too far? (4) Why is McCoy NOT being characterized as the only other person in the universe as close to Spock as Kirk? We all know that...why doesn't the author? So much in here goes against all manner of life in the 23rd century as we know it...almost as if it's trying too hard to replace it with 20th century tropes in order to make a point. The ultimate point it does make is that the ingredients are present for something far stronger than this novel...I would love to see what Christopher L Bennett could do with this premise.
August 15, 2021
Vulcan! started as a script outline approved by Gene Roddenberry and shelved when the show went off the air. Almost a decade later, Kathleen Sky got the chance to expand it into a novel. First impression: I was disappointed it didn't take place on Vulcan with a title like that. Putting that minor qualm aside, Sky proves to have a light, comic touch and a talent for crisp dialogue. There are moments when the cast isn't quite in character (Kirk especially), and I found all the sex talk and innuendo largely gratuitous, but those are my only real objections. Sky has a real interest in psychology which is used to good effect not only in McCoy's tests, but in the final, climactic mindmeld. I usually hate hate hate mind trip/hallucinatory/virtual reality/surreal sequences, but Dr. Tremain's bigotry is such an engaging mystery, you can't wait to see what's driving her. The Arachnians' level of intelligence is likewise a well-designed mystery, and the few descriptions of their ecology interesting. And the Romulans get some cultural color too.
June 7, 2024
The Bantam era of original series novels are not exactly known among the fans as being ones that we tend to even count as official novels let alone count among things that could be tied into canon. Kathleen Sky's "Vulcan!" is a book with a simple premise in the fact that the Enterprise is sent to visit Arachne IV to determine if the lifeforms on it are sentient as the world itself is being swept toward the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone. Enter Katalya Tremain who is a scientist assigned to help out on this mission who has one big problem - she hates everything to do with the Vulcan race making it repulsive for her to even think about working with Spock. Sky's story while meaning well spends a bit too much time on Tremain's phobia to reach even the point of a potential mutiny on ship. When we do reach Arachne IV things get a bit more Trek-like from a story standpoint which does make things a bit more bearable. Either way this is a book for the fans alone & not someone with a casual interest in the series.
October 7, 2019
The aliens had the great potential to be interesting. An insectoid species, and how it would communicate, its culture, and political structure would have been a better exploration, and more true to the Star Trek mythos. However, this book spends too much time on a character’s hatred of Vulcans, and the reason why is not just disappointing, but amateurish. Plus, Spock is very emotional and speaks in contractions, two things that just don’t represent the character. Kirk is not decisive, and doesn’t exhibit leadership, not to mention he’s barely in the book. The introduction mentions it’s the author’s first novel after a lot of false starts. Perhaps this should be considered another false start.
June 25, 2024
CN: ableist slur (from an incidental character identified as a bigot)
The premise of this one is pretty wild, but I found it surprisingly readable, and a lot like a TOS episode would be. Maybe not one of the best (or least sexist) episodes, but still, not out of the realm of possibility. (I love TOS with all my heart soul and mind, but yes, this is how Chapel acts all the time, and this is how McCoy acts when he's attracted to a woman.) I hoped the revelation about why Katalya hates Vulcans would be unexpected, and it was not, but through a 60s-70s camp lens, I wasn't really offended. People do actually react like that, on a less obvious scale.
I liked the plot with the Arachnians, that much at least didn't go how I thought it would!
The premise of this one is pretty wild, but I found it surprisingly readable, and a lot like a TOS episode would be. Maybe not one of the best (or least sexist) episodes, but still, not out of the realm of possibility. (I love TOS with all my heart soul and mind, but yes, this is how Chapel acts all the time, and this is how McCoy acts when he's attracted to a woman.) I hoped the revelation about why Katalya hates Vulcans would be unexpected, and it was not, but through a 60s-70s camp lens, I wasn't really offended. People do actually react like that, on a less obvious scale.
I liked the plot with the Arachnians, that much at least didn't go how I thought it would!
June 16, 2022
The reviews on here really don't give the book a lot of credit: the writing is actually pretty good. Sure, the characters aren't entirely who they are in the series, and our main character, Dr. Tremaine is a stereotype that would go on to inspire a whole genre of character types, but the writing was fairly decent. I also found myself vaguely enjoying the plot. I wasn't too impressed with the constant innuendo's, but I was impressed with how overall good I found the book to be. So, I'd say this isn't THE Star Trek book for a fan to read, but it's interesting in the sense that you get a sort of history lesson on fan fiction.
October 11, 2020
At least it was short. Otherwise, I don’t think it had much going for it. The premise of the expanding magnetic fields extending the Neutral Zone was interesting, but the characterization was spotty at best and not at all true to the television series, at least to me. Spock and McCoy in particular were way off. And the Tremain character was boring. There was nothing to her except her ridiculous petulant unprofessionalism. For her to be some genius exobiologist, she spent most of her time acting like a child. Felt like advanced fanfic rather than a real Trek story.
April 20, 2023
I didn't expect to actually enjoy or even finish the book. But I did finish it, and I did enjoy it!
There's some sexual revolution, "I'm a strong woman, who is also a sexual being," stuff. This is particularly uncomfortable due to how the rest of the crew responds to that. The main thought of most of the men was just how much they wanted to sleep with Tremain all the time. It was creepy.
Aside from that, the story is pretty good! I thought the plot was intriguing without being convoluted. I liked it :)
There's some sexual revolution, "I'm a strong woman, who is also a sexual being," stuff. This is particularly uncomfortable due to how the rest of the crew responds to that. The main thought of most of the men was just how much they wanted to sleep with Tremain all the time. It was creepy.
Aside from that, the story is pretty good! I thought the plot was intriguing without being convoluted. I liked it :)
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