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Star Trek #8
Star Trek 8
Includes six more adaptations of The Original Series episodes:
• Spock's Brain
• The Enemy Within
• Catspaw
• Where No Man Has Gone Before
• Wolf in the Fold
• For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
(from the back cover)
On their latest missions, Starship Enterprise and her crew journey to a glaciated wasteland where beautiful women rule; defeat the ferocious double of Captain Kirk on board the Starship; visit an eerie planet where it is always Halloween; and even dare to go beyond the edge of the galaxy.
• Spock's Brain
• The Enemy Within
• Catspaw
• Where No Man Has Gone Before
• Wolf in the Fold
• For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
(from the back cover)
On their latest missions, Starship Enterprise and her crew journey to a glaciated wasteland where beautiful women rule; defeat the ferocious double of Captain Kirk on board the Starship; visit an eerie planet where it is always Halloween; and even dare to go beyond the edge of the galaxy.
170 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1972
9 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
454 books327 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 2, 2019
More exciting adaptations of classic episodes. Now that I've read this, I need to see the original episodes on which these were based.
January 12, 2024
This is the eighth volume in Blish's adaptations of original series Star Trek screenplays to short story form. Amazingly, it is the final of the four volumes in the series that appeared in the same year, 1972. It does not have a table of contents or any introductory commentary from the author. Blish had suffered failing health for some time, and it's believed that this book was written in uncredited collaboration with his wife and her mother (both also accomplished writers), J.A. Lawrence and Muriel Bodkin Lawrence. As had become customary, it includes a selection of six episodes: Spock's Brain, The Enemy Within, Catspaw, Wolf in the Fold, and For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. I believe that most of the more popular and easily adaptable scripts had been used for earlier books in the series, but they did a good job here of translating the stories to the prose medium with care and clarity, as they always did. None of these were among my top-favorite episodes, but I liked both of the Robert Bloch stories, Catspaw and his Jack the Ripper story, Wolf in the Fold. Two of the episodes are among the most reviled in the series, Spock's Brain and For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky. The former isn't as bad as they say: it definitely has some cringy sexist moments, but also some charm that makes it near-likable. The latter -is- pretty bad, but to get the whole picture you take the bad with the good, right? Set your phasers on tolerant.
July 20, 2011
More literary comfort food from Blish in the form of adapted Star Trek shooting scripts. Some famous names wrote episodes of Star Trek, including Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch. These books must have been amongst the last Blish published before his death.
October 9, 2021
One of a series of collections of classic Star Trek episodes, adapted as short stories by James Blish. The odd thing about these collections--that I didn't notice when I first got them back in the 1980s--is that the episodes included are random. It would seem to me that it would have made more sense to put the stories together in production order and having volumes of season one and so on. Instead, Blish gives us two stories from each of the seasons. This volume includes the much maligned "Spock's Brain" (though I happen to think "And the Children Shall Lead" is much worse), "The Enemy Within," "Cat's Paw," "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "Wolf in the Fold," and "For the World Is Hollow & I Have Touched the Sky." We get stories where Spock's brain is stolen by a civilization that needs it to "control" their life support systems, Captain Kirk is split into good and evil version's of himself, the Enterprise crew finds themselves at the mercy of a magical pair of aliens who live in a castle, Kirk's original first officer receives god-like powers and quickly begins to abuse them, a serial killer stalks the women of Argelius and Scotty is set up as chief suspect, and McCoy finds himself with a rare disease and a hankering to settle down for what remains of his life.
It was nice to revisit episodes from my favorite TV show--even if all the stories aren't the absolute best of Trek. ★★★ for the entire collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's block.
It was nice to revisit episodes from my favorite TV show--even if all the stories aren't the absolute best of Trek. ★★★ for the entire collection.
First posted on my blog My Reader's block.
August 25, 2016
(Somebody actually requested "Spock's Brain"? Really?)
February 3, 2025
James Blish's 1972 Star Trek 8 contains 6 stories adapted by Blish from the screenplays of the 1960s television series.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"Spock's Brain" by Lee Cronin,
"The Enemy Within" by Lee Matheson,
"Catspaw" by Robert Bloch,
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" by Samuel A. Peeples,
"Wolf in the Fold" by Robert Bloch, and
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" by Rik Vollaerts.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: Spock's hyper-logical and organized brain is stolen by a beautiful and mysterious woman, a strange transporter glitch can split people--somehow--into their rapacious "bad" half and too-meek "good" half, a foggy world with a haunted castle and other trappings of classic Earth tales of terror traps Kirk and his landing party, a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy makes two crew members' latent psionic talents spike with literally worlds-threatening results, a dazed and amnesiac Scotty on shore leave appears to be a new Jack the Ripper, and a hollow-asteroid generation starship is on a collision course with a planet of 4 billion inhabitants. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
As usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be.
I seem to be a little stale on these episodes, so it's likely I missed certain differences. Interestingly, one place a difference could have appeared but did not was "Spock's Brain." When Sulu and his landing party are freezing to death in due to the malfunctioning transporter, the adapted text version mirrors the televised episode in that no one ever mentions why they aren't simply rescued by shuttlecraft...
One divergence I did particularly notice, though, was that in "Where No Man has Gone Before," in addition to the spooky silver eyes, Jim's old student and friend Gary Mitchell also eventually ends up with "his skin tones...altered," now "suggestion solid metal" (1972 Bantam paperback, page 105). This story shows an interesting continuity error as well, when before the Enterprise hits the storm, Mitchell's soon-to-be fellow mutant, psychiatrist Dr. Dehner, and McCoy stand-in Dr. Piper come to the bridge (page 87), yet on the next page they somehow are still Sickbay, with Piper calling calling for "permission to bring to the bridge [his] special assistant," after which we are told that "The two appeared within a minute" (page 88). Strange.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 8 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"Spock's Brain" by Lee Cronin,
"The Enemy Within" by Lee Matheson,
"Catspaw" by Robert Bloch,
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" by Samuel A. Peeples,
"Wolf in the Fold" by Robert Bloch, and
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" by Rik Vollaerts.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: Spock's hyper-logical and organized brain is stolen by a beautiful and mysterious woman, a strange transporter glitch can split people--somehow--into their rapacious "bad" half and too-meek "good" half, a foggy world with a haunted castle and other trappings of classic Earth tales of terror traps Kirk and his landing party, a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy makes two crew members' latent psionic talents spike with literally worlds-threatening results, a dazed and amnesiac Scotty on shore leave appears to be a new Jack the Ripper, and a hollow-asteroid generation starship is on a collision course with a planet of 4 billion inhabitants. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
As usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be.
I seem to be a little stale on these episodes, so it's likely I missed certain differences. Interestingly, one place a difference could have appeared but did not was "Spock's Brain." When Sulu and his landing party are freezing to death in due to the malfunctioning transporter, the adapted text version mirrors the televised episode in that no one ever mentions why they aren't simply rescued by shuttlecraft...
One divergence I did particularly notice, though, was that in "Where No Man has Gone Before," in addition to the spooky silver eyes, Jim's old student and friend Gary Mitchell also eventually ends up with "his skin tones...altered," now "suggestion solid metal" (1972 Bantam paperback, page 105). This story shows an interesting continuity error as well, when before the Enterprise hits the storm, Mitchell's soon-to-be fellow mutant, psychiatrist Dr. Dehner, and McCoy stand-in Dr. Piper come to the bridge (page 87), yet on the next page they somehow are still Sickbay, with Piper calling calling for "permission to bring to the bridge [his] special assistant," after which we are told that "The two appeared within a minute" (page 88). Strange.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 8 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
July 19, 2024
I devoured these books as a kid in the 70's. At that time the only other Star Trek around was the animated series and a couple of books and we were at the mercy of the 3 channel universe still!
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
July 6, 2025
Ok I finally hit the wall with these little novelization books by James Blish.
The only thing surprising is it wasn't Catspaw that did me in. This is, maybe, my least favorite episode and while this was a bad story, so was the material it was adapting.
No, what did me in was "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The classic episode about Gary Mitchell becoming a god. Now that episode had some issues, but this is a terrible adaption of it. It somehow manages to capture all of the flaws of the original episode and none of the charm. And as I was speed reading through the next story, "Wolf in the Fold", I realized I just didn't want to read this stuff anymore.
So I doubt I will ever come back to these. I heard someone recently say that there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 Star Trek books. So if I really want to read some Trek, I think I would rather go with something different rather than go back to meteorically slamming my head into a wall with these books.
The only thing surprising is it wasn't Catspaw that did me in. This is, maybe, my least favorite episode and while this was a bad story, so was the material it was adapting.
No, what did me in was "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The classic episode about Gary Mitchell becoming a god. Now that episode had some issues, but this is a terrible adaption of it. It somehow manages to capture all of the flaws of the original episode and none of the charm. And as I was speed reading through the next story, "Wolf in the Fold", I realized I just didn't want to read this stuff anymore.
So I doubt I will ever come back to these. I heard someone recently say that there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 Star Trek books. So if I really want to read some Trek, I think I would rather go with something different rather than go back to meteorically slamming my head into a wall with these books.
May 8, 2019
I read these adaptation books when I was young, getting them at a local library. Recently, I picked a bunch up at a book sale to see if they were as good as I remember them. I enjoy these books for several reasons; the writing is good, the stories (and books) are pretty short (at around 130 pgs). There is humor involved in the stories as well.
This selection involves a tale where a female race takes Spock's brain from his body, a story where Bones is supposedly dying and encounters a spaceship that is disguised as a planet, a great Halloween themed tale called "Catspaw," and a great mystery tale where Mr. Scott is the murder suspect (" Wolf in the Fold.")
You don;t have to be a Star Trek fan to like these books to enjoy some great short story writing.
My blog page (where I review 2 of the books) is at : www.lancewrites.wordpress.com
This selection involves a tale where a female race takes Spock's brain from his body, a story where Bones is supposedly dying and encounters a spaceship that is disguised as a planet, a great Halloween themed tale called "Catspaw," and a great mystery tale where Mr. Scott is the murder suspect (" Wolf in the Fold.")
You don;t have to be a Star Trek fan to like these books to enjoy some great short story writing.
My blog page (where I review 2 of the books) is at : www.lancewrites.wordpress.com
December 3, 2015
A few more months brings us to the final Trek book of the year: James Blish's
Star Trek 8
, published in November 1972. This volume adapts "Spock's Brain", "The Enemy Within", "Catspaw", "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Wolf in the Fold", and "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky".
The first story in this book is the execrable "Spock's Brain". Good news, though! If you've seen the episode, then you'll recall that they wire Spock's body up and drive him around like an RC car. None of that in the adaptation--the body remains safely in sickbay for the duration. Blish deserves a medal for that.
It's still not a very good story, unfortunately. Although Blish reduced the story's stupidity substantially, he didn't do anything to improve its women-in-power-are-evil-and-incompetent message. If anything, he exacerbated that problem. Some choice quotes:
To be fair, the thrust of the last two is that the women were helpless because the machinery cared for them too well. It's unfortunate, all the same.
Of course, if you know Trek, you can guess what happens. Kirk's solution to his present dilemma is to disable the miraculous, life-giving machinery and encourage the women to survive by trading sex for food. Really. McCoy and Scott explain:
"The Enemy Within" has a point, but I was never sure that it was a very good one. Kirk is split by a transporter accident into an exaggerated evil version and a uselessly indecisive 'nice' version. It is, apparently, the opinion of Trek that the strength to act decisively springs from the same source as violent, base urges and that we therefore need these darker impulses. And also transporters are magic. Anyway, the main interest of this one, as with "Turnabout Intruder", was in seeing Shatner playing a different kind of Kirk, so it's not as interesting on the page. Tolerable, but nothing to write home about. Yeoman Rand's "I don't want to get you into trouble. I wouldn't even have mentioned it if technician Fisher hadn't seen you, too, and..." is as disturbing and unfortunate here as it was on the screen. The fact that this passes without comment shows the age of the story, indeed. And need I even mention how stupid it is to have her providing this testimony while Kirk is standing there protesting?
"Catspaw" and "Wolf in the Fold" are both rather bad. The former has little else going for it than being set in a castle, of all things, which worked better on the screen. As for the latter: it features our heroes deciding that a small series of murders must have been committed by Jack the Ripper, who must have been some kind of alien that feeds on emotions. This theory is considered to be logical by almost everyone, and Jack the Ripper is taken as a serious suspect, even when placed up against the woman-hating man who was found with the bloody murder weapon in his hands. Of course, that man was Scotty, so Jack the Ripper seems a more likely suspect to the readers, too. Naturally, the theory is correct, and said evil alien is conveniently on hand to be despatched by a combination of absurd computer handwaving and drugs followed by a one-way trip through the transporter. A deeply stupid story.
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" has a concept with potential. But it, like its television counterpart, fails to convince me. Gary Mitchell, granted enormous mental powers, succumbs to extreme megalomania and Kirk is forced to kill him. The most unbelievable part of this is that everyone simply acts as though this insanity is an absolutely normal and expected reaction to gaining a new ability. Mitchell, a day or two after learning that he can get a drink of water without standing up, decides that he wants to play god and possibly squash his former friends like bugs. Why? Because he's insane, obviously. But no one is particularly surprised by this. It mystifies me.
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" is the best story in this volume. Like most Trek, it doesn't fully explore its premises, but it's entertaining. It is startling how quickly the characters can fall in love, though. Five minutes around any reasonably attractive alien woman is all it takes.
Star Trek 8 is a thoroughly average entry in the series. Some bad stories and some good, and generally readable if not gripping.
The first story in this book is the execrable "Spock's Brain". Good news, though! If you've seen the episode, then you'll recall that they wire Spock's body up and drive him around like an RC car. None of that in the adaptation--the body remains safely in sickbay for the duration. Blish deserves a medal for that.
It's still not a very good story, unfortunately. Although Blish reduced the story's stupidity substantially, he didn't do anything to improve its women-in-power-are-evil-and-incompetent message. If anything, he exacerbated that problem. Some choice quotes:
The five male bodies, helplessly stretched at her feet, pleased the lady. When the girl Luma joined her, the spectacle pleased her, too.
Beside each woman knelt a man, sleek, well fed, docile as a eunuch. Occasionally a woman stroked a man as one pats a well-housebroken pet.
They are retardates, Kirk thought. Getting through to whatever gray matter existed in that beautiful head was going to be tough.
The women around her, infected by her panic, twittered like birds at the approach of a snake.
To be fair, the thrust of the last two is that the women were helpless because the machinery cared for them too well. It's unfortunate, all the same.
Of course, if you know Trek, you can guess what happens. Kirk's solution to his present dilemma is to disable the miraculous, life-giving machinery and encourage the women to survive by trading sex for food. Really. McCoy and Scott explain:
"[...] However, the aid parties have provided the ladies with a tool for procuring food, furs and fuel from the men."
"Oh?" Kirk turned from one to the other. "Money?"
"No, sir," Scott said. "Perfume."
"I'm not given to predictions, gentlemen, but I'll venture one now," Kirk told them. "The sexual conflict on Planet 7 will be a short one."
"The Enemy Within" has a point, but I was never sure that it was a very good one. Kirk is split by a transporter accident into an exaggerated evil version and a uselessly indecisive 'nice' version. It is, apparently, the opinion of Trek that the strength to act decisively springs from the same source as violent, base urges and that we therefore need these darker impulses. And also transporters are magic. Anyway, the main interest of this one, as with "Turnabout Intruder", was in seeing Shatner playing a different kind of Kirk, so it's not as interesting on the page. Tolerable, but nothing to write home about. Yeoman Rand's "I don't want to get you into trouble. I wouldn't even have mentioned it if technician Fisher hadn't seen you, too, and..." is as disturbing and unfortunate here as it was on the screen. The fact that this passes without comment shows the age of the story, indeed. And need I even mention how stupid it is to have her providing this testimony while Kirk is standing there protesting?
"Catspaw" and "Wolf in the Fold" are both rather bad. The former has little else going for it than being set in a castle, of all things, which worked better on the screen. As for the latter: it features our heroes deciding that a small series of murders must have been committed by Jack the Ripper, who must have been some kind of alien that feeds on emotions. This theory is considered to be logical by almost everyone, and Jack the Ripper is taken as a serious suspect, even when placed up against the woman-hating man who was found with the bloody murder weapon in his hands. Of course, that man was Scotty, so Jack the Ripper seems a more likely suspect to the readers, too. Naturally, the theory is correct, and said evil alien is conveniently on hand to be despatched by a combination of absurd computer handwaving and drugs followed by a one-way trip through the transporter. A deeply stupid story.
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" has a concept with potential. But it, like its television counterpart, fails to convince me. Gary Mitchell, granted enormous mental powers, succumbs to extreme megalomania and Kirk is forced to kill him. The most unbelievable part of this is that everyone simply acts as though this insanity is an absolutely normal and expected reaction to gaining a new ability. Mitchell, a day or two after learning that he can get a drink of water without standing up, decides that he wants to play god and possibly squash his former friends like bugs. Why? Because he's insane, obviously. But no one is particularly surprised by this. It mystifies me.
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" is the best story in this volume. Like most Trek, it doesn't fully explore its premises, but it's entertaining. It is startling how quickly the characters can fall in love, though. Five minutes around any reasonably attractive alien woman is all it takes.
Star Trek 8 is a thoroughly average entry in the series. Some bad stories and some good, and generally readable if not gripping.
October 25, 2021
I always enjoy reading these collections of short stories adapted from the original series. This is a must-read for people seeking nostalgia who grew up watching the old show. I told my 21-year-old daughter which episodes were included in this book and she was compelled to watch the corresponding series. I have nerdified my poor offspring.
December 11, 2019
I watched the original series when it first came out (when I argued with my dad to be allowed to stay up late enough to see it). It’s a pleasant stroll down memory lane. The book is basically a synopsis of episodes of the show.
June 18, 2024
Another great edition of Star Trek novelizations. Some of these episodes I had almost forgotten. My two favorites of this 8th book by Blish are Spock's Brain and Where No Man Has Gone Before.
Next Hardcover: "Star Trek 9" by James Blish (1973)
Next Hardcover: "Star Trek 9" by James Blish (1973)
August 13, 2025
These are some of my favorite ST:OS episodes. All here in s convenient paperback that probably once sold for no more than a buck or two. And I'd say retelling the story of the episode brings back a strong recollection of the episode in my mind. It's terrific.
March 16, 2021
5 stars because it includes Spock's Brain (take your complaints elsewhere I don't want to hear them "Brain brain, what is brain?!?)
December 20, 2023
It was a decent book. Short stories straight from the series.
June 18, 2025
Good old fashion tales of the trek.
July 17, 2025
Excellent read.
July 28, 2025
Esotico. Conflittuale. Surreale.
November 12, 2024
Two stars just for historical interest. The adaptations of the screenplays are not well-written. The book is not well reflective of the revolutionary ideas the original series dared to explore. While understanding that these times were different, I grew up in them, the amount of misogyny in the writing and plot subsumes all else. I got to the point where I played a mental game of anticipating the next incidence. The women are not Lt Uhuru, but poor naive fools, their appearance being the initial characteristic being introduced, and seemingly the only value they possess. Not a worthwhile read.
November 27, 2013
“Star Trek 8” by James Blish was the eighth collection of Original Series Star Trek series scripts adapted into short story form. One thing to note is that neither the various collections nor the stories contained are in any sort of chronological order so it has been an interesting experience for me in trying to decide what order I should read them as part of my chronological reading challenge.
This collection includes adaptations of the following episodes:
Spock's Brain (3rd Season)
The Enemy Within (1st Season)
Catspaw (2nd Season)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1st Season)
Wolf in the Fold (2nd Season)
For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (3rd Season)
As you can see this collection contains 2 stories from each of the 3 original series seasons but I have ended up reading this collection as part of the 2265 period due to the inclusion of the pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” which is referenced in several other books from this period.
In all honesty the stories themselves are probably only as good or as bad as they were when shown on the TV screen. There are some really enjoyable stories in this collection such as “Where No Man Has Gone Before” or “Wolf in the Fold” but there are also some real stinkers such as “Spock’s Brain” and “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”.
One thing I noted is that the novelizations are very straight forward and workmanlike with hardly any added material. In addition Blish has been quite extreme in the way he has rigidly stuck to the scripts which results in very little insight into the characters beyond what is shown in the action and dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, the stories do capture what happened on the screen very well but dedicated fans of the show are unlikely to find anything in the stories to be engaging or suspenseful as there is quite simply nothing new. However, if you are someone who came to love Star Trek via the more modern series and have never really watched the Original Series this this collection does offer an enjoyable diversion and a nice way to quickly experience these classic stories.
Overall, these are very competent adaptions of some Original Series episodes although they are lacking anything new or insightful. I can imagine these were superb back in the days before DVD’s enabling people to watch episodes as many times as they wished but these days I don’t think they mean as much beyond offering a quick way for someone to explore the original episodes without sitting down and watching them.
This collection includes adaptations of the following episodes:
Spock's Brain (3rd Season)
The Enemy Within (1st Season)
Catspaw (2nd Season)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1st Season)
Wolf in the Fold (2nd Season)
For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (3rd Season)
As you can see this collection contains 2 stories from each of the 3 original series seasons but I have ended up reading this collection as part of the 2265 period due to the inclusion of the pilot episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” which is referenced in several other books from this period.
In all honesty the stories themselves are probably only as good or as bad as they were when shown on the TV screen. There are some really enjoyable stories in this collection such as “Where No Man Has Gone Before” or “Wolf in the Fold” but there are also some real stinkers such as “Spock’s Brain” and “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”.
One thing I noted is that the novelizations are very straight forward and workmanlike with hardly any added material. In addition Blish has been quite extreme in the way he has rigidly stuck to the scripts which results in very little insight into the characters beyond what is shown in the action and dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, the stories do capture what happened on the screen very well but dedicated fans of the show are unlikely to find anything in the stories to be engaging or suspenseful as there is quite simply nothing new. However, if you are someone who came to love Star Trek via the more modern series and have never really watched the Original Series this this collection does offer an enjoyable diversion and a nice way to quickly experience these classic stories.
Overall, these are very competent adaptions of some Original Series episodes although they are lacking anything new or insightful. I can imagine these were superb back in the days before DVD’s enabling people to watch episodes as many times as they wished but these days I don’t think they mean as much beyond offering a quick way for someone to explore the original episodes without sitting down and watching them.
February 19, 2019
✭½
“Spock’s Brain”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Gene L. Coon (as by Lee Cronin) (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Enemy Within”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Richard Matheson (Teleplay Author). ✭✭
“Catspaw”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author). ✭½
“Where No Man Has Gone Before”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Samuel A. Peeples (Teleplay Author). ✭✭✭
“Wolf in the Fold”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author). ✭✭½
“For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Rik Vollaerts (Teleplay Author) (1972). ½
All stories published 1972.
“Spock’s Brain”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Gene L. Coon (as by Lee Cronin) (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Enemy Within”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Richard Matheson (Teleplay Author). ✭✭
“Catspaw”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author). ✭½
“Where No Man Has Gone Before”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Samuel A. Peeples (Teleplay Author). ✭✭✭
“Wolf in the Fold”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Robert Bloch (Teleplay Author). ✭✭½
“For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”, James Blish (Adaptor) & Rik Vollaerts (Teleplay Author) (1972). ½
All stories published 1972.
August 18, 2017
When i was a kid, my older sister's friend GAVE me the entire collection. (I know!) Over the next few years, I read them all in order, starting the first one the day after I finished the last one. Loved them. I'm not sad that I didn't hang onto them and can only hope they still exist to make some other fan happy. (But I doubt it because...well, paperbacks, you know?)
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
August 15, 2015
A collection of episodes from TOS, it's a good reminder of how fun TOS could be as well as how sexist it was. This book was definitely written for the days before video recording, providing fans a way to recall episodes that they may have only seen at first airing.
It starts off with "Enemy Within," which may be my least favorite TOS episode. Kirk gets split and immediately tries to rape crewman Rand, which was a frequent theme in the first season. Kirk kind of feels bad about it afterward, but everyone's pretty casual about it, proving that the sixties probably fucking sucked. Hey baby-boomers: Fuck you!
The rest of the book is okay, if thoroughly non-essential.
It starts off with "Enemy Within," which may be my least favorite TOS episode. Kirk gets split and immediately tries to rape crewman Rand, which was a frequent theme in the first season. Kirk kind of feels bad about it afterward, but everyone's pretty casual about it, proving that the sixties probably fucking sucked. Hey baby-boomers: Fuck you!
The rest of the book is okay, if thoroughly non-essential.
May 1, 2023
Every so often, these adaptations are more sexist than the original episodes. I’m almost impressed that Blish managed that with Spock’s Brain (an episode I happen to enjoy a lot, for all its many, many flaws). Some things are just better off barely stated in dialogue, rather than expanded on in longer form. The descriptions of people generally in this series are quite dated, and it’s strange to see where the TV show holds up while prose versions don’t.
July 28, 2010
These are Blish's novelizations/storyizations of the original Star Trek episodes. Sometimes they are slightly different from the final episode since they were written from shooting scripts as I understand. Although I enjoyed them, it's because of the tie in with the TV series episodes. The writing here is fairly workmanlike and this is really bare bones kind of work.
May 25, 2010
More prose adaptions of original TV show episodes.
Not a lot of depth, but a nice intro to the show or reminder if you haven't seen them in awhile.
I liked reading these in high school, back in the dark ages before you could get every episode on DVD, this was the only way to experience the episodes.
Not a lot of depth, but a nice intro to the show or reminder if you haven't seen them in awhile.
I liked reading these in high school, back in the dark ages before you could get every episode on DVD, this was the only way to experience the episodes.
October 2, 2013
When these early novels and stories to Star Trek came out I bought them all, devoured them and loved them. It's been a long time, so today I couldn't even say which of them were really good and which of them I only loved because they were Star Trek. ;)
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
February 1, 2013
Another good Blish outing, with fan favorite episodes "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "Wolf in the Fold" included in this collection, as well as the almost universally-derided "Spock's Brain". Well-written adaptations as always.
March 26, 2013
As someone who was never really a big Star Trek fan and given this book randomly, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the stories were entertaining and I'd say I'm more open to Star Trek as a whole now.
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