Friday 12 February 2021

Book bits: New blurbs for Discovery, TOS, and TNG novels, plus other prose updates

Simon and Schuster have released a rather exciting selection of new titles, blurbs, and other details, for forthcoming Star Trek novels, revealing some interesting sounding new books on the way, and filling out much more of the 2021 release schedule. Continue below for all the details.

First up a very promising sounding new Discovery novel from Una McCormack. Due out in May is Wonderlands, which is set to fill in the details of Michael Burnham's first year in the 32nd century waiting for Discovery to show up. 

UPDATE: Here's the cover (possibly not final per the Simon and Schuster online catalog):

And here's the blurb:

An all-new novel based upon the explosive Star Trek TV series!

In a desperate attempt to prevent the artificial intelligence known as Control from seizing crucial information that could destroy all sentient life, Commander Michael Burnham donned the “Red Angel” time-travel suit and guided the USS Discovery into the future and out of harm’s way. But something has gone terribly wrong, and Burnham has somehow arrived in a place far different from anything she could have imagined—more than nine hundred years out of her time, with Discovery nowhere to be found, and where the mysterious and cataclysmic event known as “the Burn” has utterly decimated Starfleet and, with it, the United Federation of Planets. How then can she possibly exist day-to-day in this strange place? What worlds are out there waiting to be discovered? Do any remnants of Starfleet and the Federation possibly endure? With more questions than answers, Burnham must nevertheless forge new friendships and new alliances if she hopes to survive this future long enough for the Discovery crew to find her....

Very exciting for this one; hopefully we'll get a much wider understanding of what the 32nd century is like than has so far been sketched out on-screen.


Following in June, Christopher L. Bennett will be continuing his TOS movie era adventures in Living Memory:

An all-new Star Trek movie-era adventure!

While attempting to settle in as commandant of Starfleet Academy, Admiral James T. Kirk must suddenly contend with the controversial, turbulent integration of an alien warrior caste into the student body—and quickly becomes embroiled in conflict when the Academy controversy escalates to murder. Meanwhile, Captain Spock of the USS Enterprise and Commander Pavel Chekov of the USS Reliant are investigating a series of powerful cosmic storms seemingly targeting Federation worlds—unstoppable outbursts emitting from the very fabric of space. Endeavoring to predict where the lethal storms will strike next, Spock and Chekov make the shocking discovery that the answer lies in Commander Nyota Uhura’s past—one that she no longer remembers….

Bennett has confirmed on his blog this will take place after his previous novel The Higher Frontier, and before his older novella The Darkness Drops Again, from the Mere Anarchy series. This is the book previously listed as Untitled OATW, which Bennett noted on the TrekBBS was a placeholder used by the editor, for the title Of All the Wonders, from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; that title didn't fit the book in the end though.


One more new blurb is for new Star Trek author Cassandra Rose Clarke's TNG novel Shadows Have Offended. This is now expected in July, pushed back from an earlier April listing:

An original novel based on the acclaimed Star Trek TV series!

The USS Enterprise has been granted the simple but unavoidable honor of ferrying key guests to Betazed for a cultural ceremony. En route, sudden tragedy strikes a Federation science station on the isolated planet Kota, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard has no qualms sending William Riker, Data, and Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher to investigate. But what begins as routine assignments for the two parties soon descends into chaos: Picard, Worf, and Deanna Troi must grapple with a dangerous diplomatic crisis as historic artifacts are stolen in the middle of a high-profile ceremony…while nothing is as it seems on Kota. A mounting medical emergency coupled with the science station’s failing technology—and no hope of rescue—has Doctor Crusher racing against time to solve a disturbing mystery threatening the lives of all her colleagues….


New listings have also revealed a TNG trilogy on the way later in the year. Currently listed with placeholder names as Untitled C1, Untitled C2, and Untitled C3, due September, October, and November respectively. There's no other details for these yet, no authors or blurbs.

UPDATE: Jim of Jim's Star Trek Books has spotted the ebook listings in Simon and Schuster's digital catalogue do confirm the authors, with C1 by Dayton Ward, C2 by James Swallow, and C3 by David Mack.


Also due in September is the paperback edition of Picard: The Dark Veil, James Swallow's recently released Riker/Troi on the USS Titan novel, which has initially been released in hardcover. For some behind the scenes discussion with James Swallow on book, do check out recent podcasts from Literary Treks and Positively Trek.


So along with other known books for the year, we seem to be back to monthly releases starting from May. Here's 2021 for Star Trek novels:

  • January: Picard: The Dark Veil, by James Swallow
  • May: Discovery: Wonderlands, by Una McCormack
    • Burnham's first year in the 32nd century.
    • Pre-order: Bookshop(ad), Amazon(ad)
  • June: TOS: Living Memory, by Christopher L. Bennett.
    • Movie-era featuring Kirk at Starfleet Academy, Spock on the USS Enterprise, Chekov on the USS Reliant, and Uhura.
    • Pre-order: Bookshop(ad), Amazon(ad).
  • July: TNG: Shadows Have Offended, by Cassandra Rose Clarke.
    • TV-era featuring Doctor Crusher, Troi, and Worf.
    • Pre-order: Bookshop(ad), Amazon(ad)
  • August: Picard: Untitled RE, by unknown author.
    • No details yet, other than being a hardcover release.
    • Pre-order: Bookshop(ad)Amazon(ad).
  • September: Picard: The Dark Veil, by James Swallow (paperback reprint).
  • September: TNG: Untitled C1, by Dayton Ward.
  • October: TNG: Untitled C2, by James Swallow.
  • November: TNG: Untitled C3, by David Mack.
  • December: DS9: Revenant, by Alex White.
    • TV-era featuring Jadzia Dax and Kira Nerys.
    • Pre-order: Bookshop(ad)Amazon(ad).

To keep track of all the latest releases, hit the books button on my 2021 schedule page. You can also find series reading lists and author bibliographies on my dedicated Star Trek lists site.

PS. Credit to TrekCore's always helpful screencap galleries for some of the images above.  



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