Non-fiction books covers and previews: Starships, Grudge, Nerd Search, and design

A new batch of covers and preview pages has been released for forthcoming Star Trek non-fiction books, spanning cat-based whimsy and a game book to starship catalogues and behind the scenes design. Continue below to check out all the latest.

First a newly announced book from Eaglemoss: Hero Collector and Penguin Random House is the latest in the Star Trek: Shipyards(ad) series, which aims to catalogue all the starships of the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: Shipyards - Alpha Quadrant and Major Races: Lysian to Zibalian(ad) will be the second of two books dedicated to the various aliens of the Alpha Quadran, following Acamarian to Ktarian(ad), and is set for release in April next year. 

Here's the new cover, featuring a wide variety of alien ships spanning the franchise, and a blurb which notes a few more of the featured species and starships:

Book bits: Kirk Fu cover, Enterprise War excerpt, and more

Got a few book bits today, including new covers and excerpts from several books. Continue below to check them out:

First up, we have the long awaited cover reveal for Insight Edition's forthcoming Kirk Fu Manual. This guide to "Starfleet's most feared martial art" is written by Dayton Ward (of course), with illustrations by Christian Cornia. It's been pushed back in the schedule from the original planned release, so you've got until March next year before you can start preparing yourself for self defense Kirk style:

Star Trek Little Golden Book previews, and Kirk Fu update

In a couple of weeks time the first Star Trek Little Golden Books will be arriving, giving us a charming interpretation of the Star Trek universe for younger readers. Two are coming in January, which I have previews of below. So continue below to check those out, plus an update on the equally nicely illustrated Kirk Fu Manual.

But first, just recently it was announced there will be a third Star Trek Little Golden Book, Too Many Tribbles. This one is due out in July; here's the cover and blurb:

Big Finish audiobooks, and other Star Trek book updates

Got a variety of Star Trek book news and updates today, including new previews and covers for forthcoming comics and novelty books. But first, the big news is a new publisher entering the literary universe.

This week Big Finish have not just announced, but released their first two Star Trek audiobooks! And there's another to follow; they have produced an unabridged audio release of the English edition of Bernd Perplies and Christian Humberg's Prometheus trilogy (which was of course the first Star Trek novel series published originally in German). The trilogy has been narrated by Alex Newman, who is known to Star Trek fans as Malik the augment, from the arc in the final season of Enterprise.

The Prometheus trilogy was originally published by Cross Cult in German (with German audio editions by Bastei Lübbe following a little later), and is currently being released in English print form by Titan Books - Presumably these unusual licensing arrangement for Star Trek novels gave Big Finish an opening to start doing something with Star Trek, where audio releases are more usually covered by Simon and Schuster Audio (who have indeed given us a revival of Star Trek audio releases the last couple of years, with many Star Trek novels getting simultaneous audio releases now). What I find exciting though is that Big Finish are encouraging fans to feedback on social media with what they'd like to see for future - I for one would like to see them take the route they have with Doctor Who and Stargate, and produce entirely original Star Trek audio stories, with full cats and sound effects (something Star Trek hasn't seen since the Captain Sulu Adventures and Spock vs Q in the 90s!).

Anywho, continue below to check out all the cover art (and a reminder of all the blurbs) for Big Finish's edition of the Prometheus trilogy.

Book Bits: Star Trek Little Golden Books, and previews from other non-fiction and novelties

Got quite a variety of Star Trek non-fiction and novelty book updates today, including more on Kirk Fu, Incredibuilds and the Lost Scenes book. But first, something entirely new...

Penguin Random House have revealed Star Trek will soon be joining the long running Little Golden Book series, with two TOS inspired books due for release next January.

Little Golden Books are charmingly illustrated childrens books, that traditionally include non-fiction introductions, fairytales and morality tales, as well as tie-ins to popular childrens media characters. More recently they have been getting into more popular culture and nostalgic media tie-ins, with some of their latest releases including adaptations of Jurassic Park and Back to the Future!

For their initial Star Trek offering they are going for character focused books, one featuring Captain Kirk, and one on Mr Spock.

Learn Kirk-Fu, with Dayton Ward

Maverick Star Trek author Dayton Ward may be officially out of control! From the writer that previously brought us the first new Gold Key comic in decades, travel guides to Vulcan and the Klingon Empire, and a secret history of alien encounters on Earth in the 20th century, we are now getting an official training manual for the classic martial art, of Kirk-Fu!

Due out in March 2019 from Insight Editions is Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual - An Introduction to the Final Frontier's Most Feared Martial Art. Here's the blurb:

As captain of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise, James T. Kirk engaged in his share of fisticuffs, besting opponents with a slick combination of moves and guile that remains unmatched. Is there anyone you’d rather have watching your back as you take on Klingons, alien gladiators, genetically engineered supermen, and even the occasional giant walking reptile?

Kirk Fu is a series of unarmed combat techniques developed by one of Starfleet’s most celebrated starship captains over several years of encounters with alien species on any number of strange new worlds. A blend of various fighting styles, Kirk Fu incorporates elements of several Earth-based martial arts forms as well as cruder methods employed in bars and back alleys on planets throughout the galaxy. It is as unorthodox in practice as it is unbelievable to behold. In unabashed celebration of James Kirk’s singular fighting skills, Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual is an easy-to-use training guide for the new student, including excerpts from Kirk’s own notes and personal logs. With proper training and practice, every Starfleet cadet can become one with Kirk Fu.

Hopefully this will be entertainingly illustrated as well, but any such credit, and the cover, are still to come. We do know it will come in at 64 pages, and be a hardcover release.

Incredibuilds wooden starship model kits revealed

Insight Editions are adding two new Star Trek releases to their range of Incredibuilds book and model kits. Featured will be the USS Enterprise from TOS, and USS Enterprise-D from TNG, both rendered in laser-cut wood, and coming with a 32-page book detailing each ship written by Star Trek novelist Dayton Ward.

UPDATE: Dayton has now blogged about these releases, including a description of what he has done in the books:

For both Enterprise editions, I took a similar approach, so you’ll get a brief rundown of the ship and their place in Starfleet history, as well as a look at each filming model’s design and creation for their respective television series. Lots of pictures are jammed into both books, as well.

As for the models: The parts pop out of a sheet of wood, and snap together with ease, following the included instructions, which also have suggestions for further crafting projects using the models (some of which are pretty cool as you'll see below). StarTrek.com and Australian retailer Dicebox have released images of both kits, continue below to check them out.

We'll start with the Enterprise-D, which for something made out of flat bits of wood is a pleasingly solid and curvy:

Non-fiction round-up: Lost Scenes, biographies, obsession, posters, and cats

I've got an assortment of news on a very varied selection of Star Trek non-fiction books coming over the next few months, including new previews of the next Star Trek Cats and poster books, details of new in-universe biographies, and and update to Obsessed with Star Trek. But first...

Due out in August from Titan Books, is Star Trek: Lost Scenes, a new behind the scenes book by David Tilotta and Curt McAloney of StarTrekHistory.com, which presents their restoration of rare clips from the production of TOS in a new accessible format:

Fascinating compilation of previously unseen and fully restored stills from The Original Series, showing William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and other cast crew filming the iconic show.

Think you know everything about the Original Series? Think again. Star Trek: The Lost Scenes is packed with hundreds of never-before-seen color photos of the world's ultimate sci-fi series. Professionally restored images are used to chronicle the making of the series, reassemble deleted scenes, and showcase bloopers from the first pilot through the last episode. Whether you're a new Star Trek fan or a seasoned veteran, this book is a must-have.

StarTrek.com released the cover, and a whole load of preview pages - Alas at rather low resolution so we can't really take in what they're showing, but at least get a good idea of the format. They report the book will cover some fifty lost scenes, using photography and script excerpts. Other sections will cover optical effects, filming miniatures, makeup, exterior shooting locations, and bloopers. Over 700 photos will fill the 272 page book. It looks like quite the treat!

Blurb for second Discovery novel, and other Dayton Ward updates

The blurb for the second Discovery novel, which we now also know will be titled Drastic Measures, has been released by StarTrek.com. Written by Dayton Ward, the book is due out in February, and as the blurb reveals, will focus on a key moment from Star Trek history: The Tarsus IV massacre.

It is 2246, ten years prior to the “Battle at the Binary Stars,” and an aggressive contagion is ravaging the food supplies of the remote Federation colony Tarsus IV and the eight thousand people who call it home. Distress signals have been sent, but any meaningful assistance is weeks away. Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Lorca and a small team assigned to a Starfleet monitoring outpost are caught up in the escalating crisis, and bear witness as the colony’s governor, Adrian Kodos, employs an unimaginable solution in order to prevent mass starvation.

While awaiting transfer to her next assignment, Commander Philippa Georgiou is tasked with leading to Tarsus IV a small, hastily assembled group of first responders. It’s hoped this advance party can help stabilize the situation until more aid arrives, but Georgiou and her team discover that they‘re too late—Governor Kodos has already implemented his heinous strategy for extending the colony’s besieged food stores and safeguarding the community’s long-term survival.

In the midst of their rescue mission, Georgiou and Lorca must now hunt for the architect of this horrific tragedy and the man whom history will one day brand “Kodos the Executioner”….

Book bits: Discovery novels and comics, scheduling, non-fiction, and more!

Lots of books bits today, including updates for Discovery novels and comics, scheduling updates, non-fiction books, and a journal. Continue below to check them all out:

First up, a little nugget regarding IDW's first Discovery comic: The series, written by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson, with art by Tony Shasteen, is set to be the first of several miniseries based on the series; with this one filling in the backstory of T'Kuvma. Until now though it has simply been referred to as Star Trek: Discovery; annoyingly indistinct from the series as a whole. Well good news folks, the Amazon listing for the series omnibus book (due in May), now lists it with a title! The Light of Kahless.

IDW have also recently released a promo video for their Star Trek comics, which includes the first look at a comic-book rendition of the USS Shenzhou:

Book bits: Latest Star Trek prose, comics, and non-fiction updates

Lots of Star Trek books bits and pieces gathered below, including news of a new Titan novel, new rare comic reprints, a look at the new Star Trek Encyclopedia, and some intriguing new titles. Continue below for details of all those and more!

First up, from the world of Star Trek comics, Amazon has now added a listing for the second book in the reprints of the UK comic strips, the rare early Star Trek comics which were originally published in several magazines in the UK in the sixties and seventies. Star Trek: The Classic UK Comics, Volume Two, is due out in November, and has this snazzy cover that shows off some of the glorious art within.

Vulcan Travel Guide cover and preview

Coming in July is the Hidden Universe Travel Guide: Vulcan, a handy guide to visiting the home of our pointy-eared friends. A really nice temp cover was released for this some time ago, but now publishers Insight Editions have revealed the final cover, with another snazzy bit of artwork, showing a Vulcan city awash in the familiar red-tinged light of the planet's skies.

Written by Star Trek novelist Dayton Ward, the book's artists have now been revealed too. They include Livio Ramondelli, a designer with a wide-ranging resume, including lots of work on various IDW comics, being particularly active in their Transformers titles. He is joined by Peter Markowski, who has worked for Lego, and on many animated television series, including various DC Comics series. If you're a regular reader here, you might recall the latter name, as Peter also created a wonderful concept for a new Star Trek animated series a few years ago.

StarTrek.com and Amazon have released preview pages from inside the book, giving us a nice sample of the variety of things we shall find inside, including beautiful landscapes, maps, infographics, and more. Check them out after the break:

New cover and preview pages from Redshirt's Little Book of Doom

Coming in July from Insight Editions is the latest Star Trek parody book, the Redshirt's Little Book of Doom. Written by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Anna-Maria Jung, the book features full page artwork chronicling the troubled life of a TOS red shirt, dealing with alien encounters, his crew-mates, and his everyday problems.

Amazon have now updated their listings with a brand new cover, and a load of preview pages, giving a nice idea of the humour and diversity of the book. Continue below to check them out:

Books bits: Rules of Accusation blurb, new novels, and non-fiction details

Lots of Star Trek books updates today, including a new blurb, news of several new novels on the way, and details of new non-fiction titles!

Quark's previous adventure

First up, in July Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann are returning to DS9 for their second ebook novella featuring Quark, Rules of Accusation. Simon and Schuster have now released a blurb for this:

On the space station Deep Space 9, Quark’s Public House, Café, Gaming Emporium, Holosuite Arcade, and Ferengi Embassy can’t legitimately be called an embassy until the Grand Nagus—namely, Quark’s brother Rom—dedicates it as such. Not that Quark really cares about Ferengi protocol, but a well-publicized dedication ceremony will naturally draw people to the bar. Everybody loves a good open house—free appetizers, half-price drinks, door prizes, etc.—all of which Quark can write off as Embassy expenses. It’s a win-win situation, with him on both sides of the win. There’s even a plan to display the original scroll of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition—which no one has seen for decades given that it’s been held in protective storage—and charge patrons by the minute to look at it up close. Nothing, of course, could possibly go wrong with this big plan. Absolutely nothing at all…

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp. 

Book bits - Non-fiction edition: Vulcan, mini-models, self help from Kirk and Spock, and more

We're in a bit of a golden age of Star Trek non-fiction lately, and this fiftieth anniversary year is a great excuse for even more books exploring Trek from both the real world perspective, and would-be non-fiction from within the universe. Continue below for news of all the most recently announced books, new covers, previews, and more.

First up, from Insight Editions, is a Hidden Universe: A Travel Guide to Vulcan, by Dayton Ward. A preliminary cover for this has been floating around, featuring a lovely new image of Vulcan with a very nuTrek-styled Vulcan city:

The release of this has been pushed back a few months than was earlier suggested, with it now expected in July. Here's a reminder of the blurb:

Redshirt's Little Book of Doom preview pages

It's not due out until next July, but Insight Editions have their landing parties well planned it seems, as they have already released (via Amazon) a bunch of preview pages for their forthcoming Star Trek parody book, the Redshirt's Little Book of Doom. Illustrated by Anna-Maria Jung, and written by Robb Pearlman, the featured redshirt seems to have even less luck than your average Enterprise security officer, facing not just landing party perils, but everyday disasters, and even fairytale fatalities. Continue below for a few preview images (which judging by the note on the cover, might not be finalised quite this far in advance of publication):

Star Trek non-fiction and novelty books aplenty in 2016

Time to buy some new bookshelves, with the fiftieth anniversary on the horizon, 2016 looks set to be a bumper year of Star Trek non-fiction books! Several new titles have recently been listed by online retailers, offering a diverse range of formats and styles. Continue below to check out the latest offerings:

From National Geographic, Andrew Fazekas brings us Star Trek The Official Guide to Our Universe: The True Science Behind the Starship Voyages, a cosmological tour of real places in space, as seen in Star Trek. This book will be released in hardcover format in June.

While starship captains have been exploring the final frontiers of the Star Trek universe, this book takes you for the first time to the edge of our real galaxy and beyond. Stunningly illustrated with hundreds of full-color, futuristic star charts, illustrations and astronomical photos, explore the real-life deep space destinations as seen on television and film screens.

Over its 50-year history, Star Trek has treated generations of viewers to a dazzling assortment of unforgettable images of the cosmos. Multiple star systems, alien worlds, supernova explosions, emission nebulae, and, of course, voracious black holes, just to name a few.

Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe introduces you to the astronomy of Star Trek and takes you on a voyage of discovery, examining the true astronomical counterparts that can be found in the night sky. From Altair to Vega and from red giants to white dwarfs, readers can visit over 50 real celestial objects visible in the night sky, as known to the Starfleet Academy.

No warp driven starship or even a telescope required to go on these voyages, as most destinations are bright enough to be seen just with the naked eye. This guide is for anyone ready to launch their own mission into space—the final frontier. Your personal voyage to explore strange new worlds begins here.

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.jp.

Star Trek Costumes preview pages

Due out in October is Star Trek: Costumes, a new in-depth and richly illustrated guide to five decades of costume design from the series, written by Star Trek behind-the-scenes books powerhouse Paula Block and Terry Erdmann.

The book is the first of several planned Star Trek titles from Insight Editions, and since it was first announced had been full of promise, with the expectation it will be packed full of new and archival imagery and a insights from Star Trek costume designers from across the ages. Now we have our first look at that promise wholly fulfilled, thanks to a selection of sample pages Insight Editions have released. Continue after the jump to check them out:

More new covers! Costumes, TOS and COE.

The avalanche of new book cover continues! And the latest new releases come from a diverse range of forthcoming titles.

Insight Editions have plans for several non-fiction Star Trek books, and the first of those will be comprehensive exploration of costume design throughout the history of the franchise, in Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann's Star Trek: Costumes - Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier. The book is due out in September, and StarTrek.com released the cover:

I think this is likely to be one of the most interesting non-fiction books in some time, and I hope it does well, as it might open the door to exploring other aspects of Star Trek production in the same fashion. Here's the blurb:

From the classic Starfleet uniforms and daringly provocative outfits of The Original Series, to flowing Vulcan robes, flamboyant Ferengi fashions, and formidable Klingon wedding attire, Star Trek: Costumes explores how these designs have played a key role in transporting fans to distant worlds and alien cultures over the last five decades.

Filled with exclusive photography, stills from the saga, rare concept art, and other striking visuals, Star Trek: Costumes also focuses on the talented individuals who have brought the Star Trek universe to life, including original costume designer William Ware Theiss and his successors, Robert Fletcher, Robert Blackman, and, most recently, Michael Kaplan.

Featuring extensive information on the creation of each featured costume, with insight and anecdotes from interviewees including Blackman, Kaplan, J.J. Abrams, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes and Ronald D. Moore, this book is a comprehensive and captivating celebration of the incredible artistry that has made Star Trek’s costumes as innovative and imaginative as its futuristic technologies.

Pre-order: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.co.jp.

Also newly released is the cover Child of Two Worlds, Greg Cox's Pike-era TOS novel. This book is due out in December, and with the release of this cover, all the 2015 novels have now been revealed! Continue after the jump for a reminder of the blurb, plus the latest Cross Cult cover art.

Book bits: Voyager covers, new releases, and annotations

A few bits of books news today, starting with some new cover art from German publisher Cross Cult. Posting on the German Star Trek books Facebook page, they revealed the artwork for Kirsten Beyer's third Voyager relaunch book, Children of the Storm, aka Kinder des Sturms. The ship staring on this cover is the USS Curie, as designed by Mark Rademaker:

Kinder des Sturms is due out in August. Cross Cult also released an updated version of another of their covers. Continue after the jump to check that out, plus a few other Star trek book updates: