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Star Trek: The Original Series #28
Crisis on Centaurus
Massive computer malfunctions are plaguing the Enterprise™ when Kirk suddenly receives a shocking message from Star Fleet Command: Centaurus has been bombed and annihilated; thousands are dead. Give whatever help you can. Centaurus is a beautiful, peaceful planet, home to many humans—including McCoy's daughter Joanna.
The crew risks beaming down to investigate. But Kirk is thrown into a deadly struggle between violent enemy terrorists and vengeful Centaurians. Now Lt. Uhura, left alone in command, must jeopardize the cripple Enterprise™ to save Centaurus, Kirk—and Joanna McCoy!
The crew risks beaming down to investigate. But Kirk is thrown into a deadly struggle between violent enemy terrorists and vengeful Centaurians. Now Lt. Uhura, left alone in command, must jeopardize the cripple Enterprise™ to save Centaurus, Kirk—and Joanna McCoy!
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1986
19 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Brad Ferguson
38 books8 followersBrad Ferguson (born 1953) is an American science fiction author.
He worked as a writer, editor and producer for CBS in New York, and is the author of a number of Star Trek tie-in novels, several short stories, and the post-holocaust novel The World Next Door.
He is married to scientist Kathi Ferguson, with whom he collaborated on one novel.
He worked as a writer, editor and producer for CBS in New York, and is the author of a number of Star Trek tie-in novels, several short stories, and the post-holocaust novel The World Next Door.
He is married to scientist Kathi Ferguson, with whom he collaborated on one novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
April 15, 2023
Crisis on Centaurus by Brad Ferguson is the 28th Star Trek: The Original Series novel. The Enterprise begins experiencing multiple malfunctions meriting extended refit time at a Star Base when a cataclysmic event occurs on Centaurus: a world remarkably similar to Earth. It is populated mostly by humans but otherwise peaceful, and beautiful, with extended swaths of serene frontier lands. It also happens to be the home of Joanna McCoy (Dr. Bones McCoy's daughter). As it is currently the nearest Federation vessel to Centaurus, the Enterprise is tasked to immediately provide medical aid. When Kirk, and Spock are transported to the planet via shuttlecraft, Lt. Uhura is left in charge of the Enterprise. When everything falls apart, it is Lt. Uhura that must put things right. This novel features supporting characters being allowed to shine (just like Lt. Uhura), with an intriguing look at Dr. McCoy’s backstory. A fun, novel that could very easily seem like an episode of the original show.
January 8, 2023
A great space opera adventure.
April 3, 2010
I do not read Star Trek as often as I used to. However, every now and then I pick one up. In the case of Crisis on Centaurus, that was fortunate.
It is a good, solid three star rating. It fits nicely into the Star Trek Universe.
I particularly liked that all the characters--Sulu, Chekhov, Uhurua, McCoy had significant parts to play. Some Trek books are all Kirk and
Spock and nobody else. Mr. Ferguson avoids this. Admittedly, in a few cases, I disagreed with a particular portrayal of a character--I felt "he/she would not say/do it that way" but that is only MY interpetation---Brad Ferguson's interpetation is a valid as mine.
One really great scene to look for is how Spock finds a unique--and scary solution to a problem at the planet's Space Defence Center. I found it a very gripping part of the book.
If you are a fan of the original Star Trek series, and somehow missed this one--or read it years ago and do not recall, it is well worth your time.
It is a good, solid three star rating. It fits nicely into the Star Trek Universe.
I particularly liked that all the characters--Sulu, Chekhov, Uhurua, McCoy had significant parts to play. Some Trek books are all Kirk and
Spock and nobody else. Mr. Ferguson avoids this. Admittedly, in a few cases, I disagreed with a particular portrayal of a character--I felt "he/she would not say/do it that way" but that is only MY interpetation---Brad Ferguson's interpetation is a valid as mine.
One really great scene to look for is how Spock finds a unique--and scary solution to a problem at the planet's Space Defence Center. I found it a very gripping part of the book.
If you are a fan of the original Star Trek series, and somehow missed this one--or read it years ago and do not recall, it is well worth your time.
March 19, 2023
This book has the seeds of so much potential, and I believe it was wasted by what I perceive to be the author's inability to understand not only Star Trek, but his own narrative.
Essentially, Nazi terrorists on Alpha Centauri IV, a.k.a. Centaurus, have obtained an antimatter bomb and blow up the city of New Athens (the capital). Somehow or another, the Skynetesque computer which controls Centaurus's defense systems, a.k.a. about 2,000 nuclear warheads (really?), decides that anything over the size of a closed fist is an enemy to be destroyed and fires its missiles at anything that approaches. Eventually Kirk and Co. make it through and run into Sam Cogley, Kirk's former attorney from when he was put on trial for murder, and Sam says that he knows where the Nazis are and they want to meet Kirk because they'd rather be arrested by the Federation than local authorities. A shootout between Kirk and Co. and the "local authorities" ensues on Kirk's National Park, with the Enterprise coming to the rescue, and the situation resolves itself with the Nazis on the way to Earth for trial.
Okay, so my first nit pick with this story is that the author peppers it with so many brand names. There's Coca Cola, the Sheraton Inn, American Express, the Hilton, Newsweek, National "Cosmo"-graphic, and a few others, including Analog magazine (the science fiction magazine - that I guess he's trying to do a little, wink-wink-nudge-nudge-say-no-more, to). Which really pulls me out of the story. Also, the people of Centaurus apparently collectively decided that creativity was stupid as the continents are New Asia, New Europe, and New America, with such cities as the aforementioned New Athens, as well as New Amsterdam, and there were probably a couple of others in there that I'm forgetting. Also also, apparently we're still in the era of people getting paid (take that Star Trek IV and everything thereafter), with Captains getting paid king's ransoms, which Kirk has invested into huge swathes of land on Centaurus, eventually owning an entire valley as well as the entire length of the river that passes through it (source to mouth).
And then there's the Nazis. They are called the League for a Pure Humanity, or some such nonsense, and not only are they Human Supremacists, but White Supremacists as well. Sam Cogley describes their movement as "just redone national socialism, with a touch of racial prejudice for flavor"...um, what? I'm pretty sure the Nazis were, and are, intrinsically racially prejudice...it's sort of part-and-parcel to their whole philosophy. You do know that, right Mr. Ferguson? Also, Kirk only seems to be disgusted by them (and only in his inner monologue) when they start bad-mouthing "lesser Human races" in front of Sulu...no reaction to their alien hatred...sorry Spock. They also claim to have three more anti-matter bombs hidden away, concealed in cardboard boxes, which is why the first one was so hard to spot. Because, apparently, a person just sitting in a busy starport, holding a cardboard box on their lap, is very inconspicuous, right? Well, maybe like in the world of the 1980s, Brad, but I think it'd be a little weird these days...and very weird in the world circa 2270.
The idea of a rather compelling story is here, as the primary antagonists throughout are not really the bad guys, as it's the local government of Centaurus, who want the Nazis for themselves so that they can face "justice-proper", rather than be whisked off by the Federation who will undoubtedly give them a lighter sentence - they even complain about them being sent to some cushy rehabilitation center. It turns into a weird sort of triangle of motives, as both Kirk and Centaurus are on the side of stopping the Nazis, whereas the Nazis and Centaurus are both on the side of local vs. federal control, whereas the Nazis and Kirk are on the side of justice vs. vengeance. But, it's just played off as Nazis bad (which, yes, of course), but there's only like 5 of them, local government bad because they oppose Kirk, and Kirk right, because Kirk. Even the resolution at the end could be interesting, but no, as the Enterprise literally comes riding to the rescue, hovering just a couple of hundred feet above the ground over the Kirk vs. local government shootout/stand-off. Proving yet again, that the Federal government is right because they have bigger guns. And those in the government who opposed Kirk are later arrested by Federation authorities for obstructing justice and incompetence - which, I mean, they did, but it comes across as anyone who opposes Kirk deserves to be punished.
I feel like these story really needs to be expanded into something greater than it is. I mean, it has sweeping political ramifications, vis a vis, federal vs local jurisdiction. It has a struggle in which the two opposing sides are both the good guys and they are literally fighting over who gets to punish the bad guys. One side is personally invested in it, and the other is literally just following orders. And it takes place on a world which should essentially be like an Earth 2. Centaurus should have been the first world colonized by Humanity, outside of the Moon, Mars, and other bodies in the Sol system. Here's the first extra-solar, Earth-like planet to be colonized, who knows when in book canon, but probably shortly after first contact (2063) in later canon, with nearly 200 years of occupation and governance, and 100 years of Federation membership, and yet, the author seems to be treating it like a frontier colony, not the cosmopolitan world it should actually be, as it almost resents the Federation.
I can only imagine how interesting the resolution would have been under Picard. Imagine the speech he would have given...oh, Picard...*swoon*
As an aside, you can really get the feel of the mid-20th century Euro-centric viewpoint here with it's still somewhat love of colonialism, as when discussing the colonization of Centaurus, with its importation of Earth plants and animals, the author talks about how Centaurus has a policy of "Earth life over local" - meaning, screw the native plants and animals, wheat and cows takes priority. They even imported deer to populate the forests...but, why?
Essentially, Nazi terrorists on Alpha Centauri IV, a.k.a. Centaurus, have obtained an antimatter bomb and blow up the city of New Athens (the capital). Somehow or another, the Skynetesque computer which controls Centaurus's defense systems, a.k.a. about 2,000 nuclear warheads (really?), decides that anything over the size of a closed fist is an enemy to be destroyed and fires its missiles at anything that approaches. Eventually Kirk and Co. make it through and run into Sam Cogley, Kirk's former attorney from when he was put on trial for murder, and Sam says that he knows where the Nazis are and they want to meet Kirk because they'd rather be arrested by the Federation than local authorities. A shootout between Kirk and Co. and the "local authorities" ensues on Kirk's National Park, with the Enterprise coming to the rescue, and the situation resolves itself with the Nazis on the way to Earth for trial.
Okay, so my first nit pick with this story is that the author peppers it with so many brand names. There's Coca Cola, the Sheraton Inn, American Express, the Hilton, Newsweek, National "Cosmo"-graphic, and a few others, including Analog magazine (the science fiction magazine - that I guess he's trying to do a little, wink-wink-nudge-nudge-say-no-more, to). Which really pulls me out of the story. Also, the people of Centaurus apparently collectively decided that creativity was stupid as the continents are New Asia, New Europe, and New America, with such cities as the aforementioned New Athens, as well as New Amsterdam, and there were probably a couple of others in there that I'm forgetting. Also also, apparently we're still in the era of people getting paid (take that Star Trek IV and everything thereafter), with Captains getting paid king's ransoms, which Kirk has invested into huge swathes of land on Centaurus, eventually owning an entire valley as well as the entire length of the river that passes through it (source to mouth).
And then there's the Nazis. They are called the League for a Pure Humanity, or some such nonsense, and not only are they Human Supremacists, but White Supremacists as well. Sam Cogley describes their movement as "just redone national socialism, with a touch of racial prejudice for flavor"...um, what? I'm pretty sure the Nazis were, and are, intrinsically racially prejudice...it's sort of part-and-parcel to their whole philosophy. You do know that, right Mr. Ferguson? Also, Kirk only seems to be disgusted by them (and only in his inner monologue) when they start bad-mouthing "lesser Human races" in front of Sulu...no reaction to their alien hatred...sorry Spock. They also claim to have three more anti-matter bombs hidden away, concealed in cardboard boxes, which is why the first one was so hard to spot. Because, apparently, a person just sitting in a busy starport, holding a cardboard box on their lap, is very inconspicuous, right? Well, maybe like in the world of the 1980s, Brad, but I think it'd be a little weird these days...and very weird in the world circa 2270.
The idea of a rather compelling story is here, as the primary antagonists throughout are not really the bad guys, as it's the local government of Centaurus, who want the Nazis for themselves so that they can face "justice-proper", rather than be whisked off by the Federation who will undoubtedly give them a lighter sentence - they even complain about them being sent to some cushy rehabilitation center. It turns into a weird sort of triangle of motives, as both Kirk and Centaurus are on the side of stopping the Nazis, whereas the Nazis and Centaurus are both on the side of local vs. federal control, whereas the Nazis and Kirk are on the side of justice vs. vengeance. But, it's just played off as Nazis bad (which, yes, of course), but there's only like 5 of them, local government bad because they oppose Kirk, and Kirk right, because Kirk. Even the resolution at the end could be interesting, but no, as the Enterprise literally comes riding to the rescue, hovering just a couple of hundred feet above the ground over the Kirk vs. local government shootout/stand-off. Proving yet again, that the Federal government is right because they have bigger guns. And those in the government who opposed Kirk are later arrested by Federation authorities for obstructing justice and incompetence - which, I mean, they did, but it comes across as anyone who opposes Kirk deserves to be punished.
I feel like these story really needs to be expanded into something greater than it is. I mean, it has sweeping political ramifications, vis a vis, federal vs local jurisdiction. It has a struggle in which the two opposing sides are both the good guys and they are literally fighting over who gets to punish the bad guys. One side is personally invested in it, and the other is literally just following orders. And it takes place on a world which should essentially be like an Earth 2. Centaurus should have been the first world colonized by Humanity, outside of the Moon, Mars, and other bodies in the Sol system. Here's the first extra-solar, Earth-like planet to be colonized, who knows when in book canon, but probably shortly after first contact (2063) in later canon, with nearly 200 years of occupation and governance, and 100 years of Federation membership, and yet, the author seems to be treating it like a frontier colony, not the cosmopolitan world it should actually be, as it almost resents the Federation.
I can only imagine how interesting the resolution would have been under Picard. Imagine the speech he would have given...oh, Picard...*swoon*
As an aside, you can really get the feel of the mid-20th century Euro-centric viewpoint here with it's still somewhat love of colonialism, as when discussing the colonization of Centaurus, with its importation of Earth plants and animals, the author talks about how Centaurus has a policy of "Earth life over local" - meaning, screw the native plants and animals, wheat and cows takes priority. They even imported deer to populate the forests...but, why?
March 16, 2015
I think Brad Ferguson is a good sic-fi writer, I could feel some influences from very old classic sic-fi novels while reading this. The name of locations, some of the technology, and the descriptions would fit in perfectly with sci-fi pulp stories. On this fact alone, I won't rate it one star.
But that doesn't mean it was a good Trek book. Throughout the book were several contradictions to the show and other moments that just didn't fit well within the Trek genre.
Star Trek has taken many opportunities to tell it's audience viewers that this future is one without sexism and racism. Yet this book contradicted both of these crucial ideals. I can only assume this aspect made it's way into the book due to the fact Ferguson would have been growing up in the late 50's/60's.
Also, one of the major annoyances I had was I can understand that it'd be hard to double check facts at the time of publication, but that's a fairly big contradiction to the show!
Despite the back cover putting such an emphasis on Joanna McCoy, she Skip this book if you want a story about the McCoy family dynamic. With McCoy having such a personal stake in this mission, I was hoping to learn more about him as a character.
Although the book had a few good moments and I did enjoy the writing style, the style just doesn't fit Trek in my opinion. (Which is funny/unfortunate because this guy has only written Star Trek books.)
But that doesn't mean it was a good Trek book. Throughout the book were several contradictions to the show and other moments that just didn't fit well within the Trek genre.
Star Trek has taken many opportunities to tell it's audience viewers that this future is one without sexism and racism. Yet this book contradicted both of these crucial ideals. I can only assume this aspect made it's way into the book due to the fact Ferguson would have been growing up in the late 50's/60's.
Also, one of the major annoyances I had was I can understand that it'd be hard to double check facts at the time of publication, but that's a fairly big contradiction to the show!
Despite the back cover putting such an emphasis on Joanna McCoy, she Skip this book if you want a story about the McCoy family dynamic. With McCoy having such a personal stake in this mission, I was hoping to learn more about him as a character.
Although the book had a few good moments and I did enjoy the writing style, the style just doesn't fit Trek in my opinion. (Which is funny/unfortunate because this guy has only written Star Trek books.)
July 28, 2014
It's a very pleasant read, but not as all-conquering as it could be. It's simply too short, especially considering you have not one, but two competing plot lines (three, if you count Joanna McCoy), that could headline equally long books on their own. As they stand, the two plots are annoyingly mutually exclusive, and the disaster plot line is brought to a conclusion with such sudden swiftness that my head was spinning. Only the author's lovely command of the Enterprise crew keeps it all together, topped off with a scene at the climax that only "Voyager" has tried to achieve on television. A novel with too much packed into too little space; it's definitely less than the sum of its pleasant parts, and those parts are begging for more detail...and separate books!
October 22, 2015
Engaging story. Loses 1 star for the addition of money to the ST universe. No, just no.
July 12, 2014
Brad Ferguson's “Crisis on Centaurus” is a decent entry in the Pocket Books line of Star Trek tie-in novels. As is usually mentioned by reviewers of Trek novels: They are hit-or-miss - usually a miss. This book actually falls in between the middle.
While this novel is not mind-blowing, it’s good for a one-time read (maaaybe a second read). This book was simple – in a good way – and not bogged down by technobabble as if the author wanted to showcase his or her knowledge of science, or showcase how lyrical or descriptive they could be with their prose without actually moving the story along.
The story: An individual, who is part of a terrorist group, has exploded a literal bomb in a highly populated city on the planet Centaurus. The Enterprise is ordered to help and bring those involved to justice.
Ferguson adds some clever and interesting things in the course of the novel such as: Newsweek still being read in the 23rd century, Kirk reads one of Isaac Asimov's “Foundation” novels, Sears Roebuck exists on Centaurus, Samuel Cogley from the classic Star Trek episode 'Court Martial' returns, and Uhura is put in charge of the Enterprise for a great deal of the novel!
Furthermore, while Joanna McCoy - Dr. Leonard McCoy’s daughter - appears on the front of the novel, she doesn’t factor a great deal in the novel. I think it is due to her not only being a relative of a main character, but one who lives on the Centaurus of the title.
Too, it's very interesting that Ferguson has the terrorists be racists who want to create a society that is not only free of aliens/non-humans....but free of NON-WHITE humans. Now, some might argue that this doesn't jive with the so-called 'Roddenberry ideal.' However, Trek has always shown that humanity and other non-human races still need a ways to go – and those who are able to overcome their prejudices or bigotry rise to a better level. For example, we've seen bigoted characters in the classic Star Trek episode 'Balance of Terror' and even hints of bigotry in the classic episode 'Galileo 7.' “Star Trek VI” even had crewman on the Enterprise making comments on the smell and cultural habits of Klingons, and the “Enterprise” episodes 'Demons' and 'Terra Prime' had a faction of humans trying to drive off non-humans from the Earth.
The franchise, when it's good, has always shown the 'Roddenberry ideal' was just that: An ideal. It's about working towards that ideal and, if need be, challenging that ideal – as that ideal can be viewed differently depending on the individual or individuals.
Unfortunately, there is one particular bit where Ferguson doesn't remember his Trek lore. He has Kirk incorrectly remembering Scotty to be the one that saved the crew of the missing shuttlecraft Galileo from the aforementioned classic episode 'Galileo 7.' (In the episode, Scotty was with the missing crew, and it was Spock – not Scotty – that saved the missing crewman by releasing the fuel so the Enterprise would have a trail to find them so they would be beamed out by whomever was manning the transporter on the ship at the time).
Another gripe is the amount of over-reaction from the crew of the Enterprise when it is found out that Centaurus has been hit with the bomb. Uhura is said to be weeping, and many of the people around the ship were hinted to be taking the news hard. However, this doesn’t make sense because we never saw the crew get over-emotional when other planets in the Federation were hit with catastrophes or if they came across planets with catastrophes. (It makes sense that some of the crew who have family from the planet would be emotional, but it is kinda cheesy and farfetched if the entire crew were to react over-emotionally whenever they hear about a planet that was - as aforementioned, ‘hit.’The emotional balance of the crew would be in question). Too, Ferguson doesn’t explain the significance of Centaurus to have the entire crew, rather than a few, act the way they do.
Overall, ‘Crisis on Centaurus’ is recommended for at least one read. It moves at a good pace, and it doesn't insult the reader with the execution - save the over-emotional bits and the inaccuracy of certain bits of Star Trek lore.
While this novel is not mind-blowing, it’s good for a one-time read (maaaybe a second read). This book was simple – in a good way – and not bogged down by technobabble as if the author wanted to showcase his or her knowledge of science, or showcase how lyrical or descriptive they could be with their prose without actually moving the story along.
The story: An individual, who is part of a terrorist group, has exploded a literal bomb in a highly populated city on the planet Centaurus. The Enterprise is ordered to help and bring those involved to justice.
Ferguson adds some clever and interesting things in the course of the novel such as: Newsweek still being read in the 23rd century, Kirk reads one of Isaac Asimov's “Foundation” novels, Sears Roebuck exists on Centaurus, Samuel Cogley from the classic Star Trek episode 'Court Martial' returns, and Uhura is put in charge of the Enterprise for a great deal of the novel!
Furthermore, while Joanna McCoy - Dr. Leonard McCoy’s daughter - appears on the front of the novel, she doesn’t factor a great deal in the novel. I think it is due to her not only being a relative of a main character, but one who lives on the Centaurus of the title.
Too, it's very interesting that Ferguson has the terrorists be racists who want to create a society that is not only free of aliens/non-humans....but free of NON-WHITE humans. Now, some might argue that this doesn't jive with the so-called 'Roddenberry ideal.' However, Trek has always shown that humanity and other non-human races still need a ways to go – and those who are able to overcome their prejudices or bigotry rise to a better level. For example, we've seen bigoted characters in the classic Star Trek episode 'Balance of Terror' and even hints of bigotry in the classic episode 'Galileo 7.' “Star Trek VI” even had crewman on the Enterprise making comments on the smell and cultural habits of Klingons, and the “Enterprise” episodes 'Demons' and 'Terra Prime' had a faction of humans trying to drive off non-humans from the Earth.
The franchise, when it's good, has always shown the 'Roddenberry ideal' was just that: An ideal. It's about working towards that ideal and, if need be, challenging that ideal – as that ideal can be viewed differently depending on the individual or individuals.
Unfortunately, there is one particular bit where Ferguson doesn't remember his Trek lore. He has Kirk incorrectly remembering Scotty to be the one that saved the crew of the missing shuttlecraft Galileo from the aforementioned classic episode 'Galileo 7.' (In the episode, Scotty was with the missing crew, and it was Spock – not Scotty – that saved the missing crewman by releasing the fuel so the Enterprise would have a trail to find them so they would be beamed out by whomever was manning the transporter on the ship at the time).
Another gripe is the amount of over-reaction from the crew of the Enterprise when it is found out that Centaurus has been hit with the bomb. Uhura is said to be weeping, and many of the people around the ship were hinted to be taking the news hard. However, this doesn’t make sense because we never saw the crew get over-emotional when other planets in the Federation were hit with catastrophes or if they came across planets with catastrophes. (It makes sense that some of the crew who have family from the planet would be emotional, but it is kinda cheesy and farfetched if the entire crew were to react over-emotionally whenever they hear about a planet that was - as aforementioned, ‘hit.’The emotional balance of the crew would be in question). Too, Ferguson doesn’t explain the significance of Centaurus to have the entire crew, rather than a few, act the way they do.
Overall, ‘Crisis on Centaurus’ is recommended for at least one read. It moves at a good pace, and it doesn't insult the reader with the execution - save the over-emotional bits and the inaccuracy of certain bits of Star Trek lore.
May 22, 2018
The Star Trek franchise is filled with thrilling tales of Starfleet crews exploring strange new worlds, battling hostile alien species, and even resolving personal conflicts. What you don't see too many stories of, though, are ones about the politics of humanity in their far-off future. Sure there are some (the "Terra Prime" storyline from the Star Trek: Enterprise series comes to mind), but they stand out for their rarity and for understandable reasons. After all, just how appealing is a novel about politics in a world of starships and aliens?
Brad Ferguson's novel demonstrates the falsity of such assumptions. On the Earth colony of Centarus, a political extremist detonates a device that wipes out an entire city. Though plagued with a series of computer problems, the Enterprise is dispatched by Starfleet to provide assistance. They arrive to find a planet coping with an unprecedented crisis, with hundreds of thousands dead and the technological infrastructure upon which Federation citizens had come to rely wiped out, forcing the Enterprise crew to overcome a variety of technological problems as they attempt to aid the population, all while dealing with planetary leaders with a slightly different agenda.
Like so many stories from the first quarter-century of the franchise, Ferguson's novel incorporates elements of the Cold War into it, serving as both commentary and cautionary tale. Yet the novel's great strengths are in its plot and Ferguson's portrayal of a starship crew rising to the challenge by addressing the problems before it. In that respect it invokes the idealism of the franchise by showing humanity at its best while also criticizing those elements which fly in the face of the values at the heart of Gene Roddenberry's creation. It is these elements which make Ferguson's novel one of the best produced in the Pocket Books series, as well as demonstrating the rich possibilities that exist in developing other, less-frequently explored aspects of the Star Trek universe.
Brad Ferguson's novel demonstrates the falsity of such assumptions. On the Earth colony of Centarus, a political extremist detonates a device that wipes out an entire city. Though plagued with a series of computer problems, the Enterprise is dispatched by Starfleet to provide assistance. They arrive to find a planet coping with an unprecedented crisis, with hundreds of thousands dead and the technological infrastructure upon which Federation citizens had come to rely wiped out, forcing the Enterprise crew to overcome a variety of technological problems as they attempt to aid the population, all while dealing with planetary leaders with a slightly different agenda.
Like so many stories from the first quarter-century of the franchise, Ferguson's novel incorporates elements of the Cold War into it, serving as both commentary and cautionary tale. Yet the novel's great strengths are in its plot and Ferguson's portrayal of a starship crew rising to the challenge by addressing the problems before it. In that respect it invokes the idealism of the franchise by showing humanity at its best while also criticizing those elements which fly in the face of the values at the heart of Gene Roddenberry's creation. It is these elements which make Ferguson's novel one of the best produced in the Pocket Books series, as well as demonstrating the rich possibilities that exist in developing other, less-frequently explored aspects of the Star Trek universe.
October 27, 2017
OK, this was a little bit unusual for a Star Trek: TOS book. The computer suffers a major computer failure and things are messed up all over the ship. The gravity is messed up, communication are not functioning as they should, and the warp engines have given up the ghost and the cherry on top is that the city of New Athens on Centaurus has been destroyed by a annihilation device. Millions have been killed and the Enterprise is sent to give aid and find the people responsible for this disaster.
We finally get to meet McCoy's daughter, Joanna. Uhura takes command of the Enterprise while Kirk is looking into what happened and Spock is trying to convince the Defense System computer on the planet that it needs to quit destroying every ship that get close to the planet. Scotty is trying to fix all the systems that have quit functioning because of the computer failure. It is a mess from the every beginning to almost the every end of the story.
I enjoyed this story. While I always want to see Spock in a story but it is nice to see Uhura, Sulu and Chekov and some secondary characters play an important part in this story. While this isn't the very best of the Star Trek: TOS books it is a good book and well worth reading.
We finally get to meet McCoy's daughter, Joanna. Uhura takes command of the Enterprise while Kirk is looking into what happened and Spock is trying to convince the Defense System computer on the planet that it needs to quit destroying every ship that get close to the planet. Scotty is trying to fix all the systems that have quit functioning because of the computer failure. It is a mess from the every beginning to almost the every end of the story.
I enjoyed this story. While I always want to see Spock in a story but it is nice to see Uhura, Sulu and Chekov and some secondary characters play an important part in this story. While this isn't the very best of the Star Trek: TOS books it is a good book and well worth reading.
May 23, 2017
This books is very anachronistic.I mean , there is a group of terrorists that blasts an entire town on a federal colony , just because they hate african and asian people. Seriously ? I mean , we are in the future, where the bad guys are klingon and romulans not black or yellow humans …sounds so neo nazi! Not to add that the writer is also sexist :In fact when Uhura takes the con of the ships she acts like an idot !This is not the uhura i know!!!!!!! If you can overlook these flaws the book is very funny.There is Joanna McCoy the mythological daughter of our favorite doctor. And Sam Cogley , do you remember the lawyer from “Cout Martial”? The story flows quickly with action and some romance between Chekov and a nurse .
July 26, 2021
This was a decent ST:TOS novel, though it felt dated like a season 2 episode even though it had been written in 1986, so the movies ST1, ST2, and ST3 had already been released. The plotline was straight forward, and all the characters stayed in character. It actually became a little overdone with Scotty & Chekov's accents. Additionally, the Chekov romance subplot seemed too rushed and unrealistic. I did like the use of Uhura - and she was actually given a more prominent role. I think the use of name brands sprinkled throughout the novel was part of the reason it felt dated - there was even a reference to Sears! Due to all the ST movies, some of the timelines mentioned in this book are not consistent with the overall timeline - but that's a minor gripe.
May 27, 2020
Der Schreibstil selbst ist größtenteils angenehm, aber der Plot war schlicht unschön. Weltraumnazis, die ihre politischen Ziele mit Massenvernichtungswaffen durchsetzen wollen, eine Regierung, die dagegen steht, aber die Föderation angreift, als die die Nazis vor Gericht stellen will, und damit theoretisch einen kriegerischen Akt vollzieht, und fast ein Totalversagen der Computer der Enterprise, das nur in einem Nachsatz und auf völlig abwegige Weise erklärt wird.
Darüber hinaus hat der Autor irgendwo einen wichtigen Denkschritt übersprungen. Kirk trifft die Regierung, findet, der eine Minister wirkt militärisch und als sei mit ihm nicht zu spaßen, und in der nächsten Szene wird Sulu betäubt und Kirk ist sich sofort sicher, dass der Minister dahinter steckt? Warum? Das ergibt absolut keinen Sinn. Ja, es trifft im Endeffekt zu. Aber auch das ergibt keinen Sinn, weil der Typ mit dem Angriff einen Krieg der ganzen Föderation gegen seinen Planeten provoziert, während der Notstand herrscht und man dringend auf Föderationshilfe angewiesen ist.
Dieser ganze Abschnitt des Buches ist komplett irrational und ein riesiger Denkfehler, der mich wütend macht, dass da nicht wenigstens vernünftige Konsequenzen gezogen wurden.
Und hinzu kommt die Zerlegung von Trek selbst, die hier stattfindet. Die Erde wird immer noch von Nationalregierungen bestimmt, die Föderation ist eigentlich nur ‚fiktiv‘, wie die Vereinten Nationen (alleine das sagt schon viel über den Autor, wenn er die UN so wahrnimmt), es gibt immer noch Bankautomaten, Coke, ... und andere Konzerne, die sich lustig eine goldene Nase verdienen, ... Und natürlich ist Starfleet rein militärisch. Weshalb das Buch auch eher an Military SciFi und nicht an die Star Trek-typische Utopie erinnert.
Also nein. Es lässt sich gut lesen, aber gefällt mir nicht wirklich.
Darüber hinaus hat der Autor irgendwo einen wichtigen Denkschritt übersprungen. Kirk trifft die Regierung, findet, der eine Minister wirkt militärisch und als sei mit ihm nicht zu spaßen, und in der nächsten Szene wird Sulu betäubt und Kirk ist sich sofort sicher, dass der Minister dahinter steckt? Warum? Das ergibt absolut keinen Sinn. Ja, es trifft im Endeffekt zu. Aber auch das ergibt keinen Sinn, weil der Typ mit dem Angriff einen Krieg der ganzen Föderation gegen seinen Planeten provoziert, während der Notstand herrscht und man dringend auf Föderationshilfe angewiesen ist.
Dieser ganze Abschnitt des Buches ist komplett irrational und ein riesiger Denkfehler, der mich wütend macht, dass da nicht wenigstens vernünftige Konsequenzen gezogen wurden.
Und hinzu kommt die Zerlegung von Trek selbst, die hier stattfindet. Die Erde wird immer noch von Nationalregierungen bestimmt, die Föderation ist eigentlich nur ‚fiktiv‘, wie die Vereinten Nationen (alleine das sagt schon viel über den Autor, wenn er die UN so wahrnimmt), es gibt immer noch Bankautomaten, Coke, ... und andere Konzerne, die sich lustig eine goldene Nase verdienen, ... Und natürlich ist Starfleet rein militärisch. Weshalb das Buch auch eher an Military SciFi und nicht an die Star Trek-typische Utopie erinnert.
Also nein. Es lässt sich gut lesen, aber gefällt mir nicht wirklich.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2021
You know what Star Trek is missing and absolutely doesn't need? White supremacy.
I never honestly thought I would read a Star Trek novel that wasn't fully aware that human-to-human racial prejudices do not exist in this future. The closest thing to it that 23rd century humans sometimes exhibit is xenophobia (and I would not complain if that was the plot here), but the idea of skin colour being a target for hate by humans, toward other humans, is incredibly antiquated and does not belong in a Star Trek novel unless there's time travel involved.
This book is also much more violent than most Star Trek books I've read, which at first seemed quite daring and attention-grabbing. But when the plot unfurled its ugly leaves into a white supremacist terrorist group, it all fell apart.
In addition to that, there are several ridiculous and glaring anachronisms in this book. Newsweek is still in publication. Sears still exists. American Express is still a thing. You can still stay at a Hilton hotel. What is even happening? When are we?
Here's an especially fun one: A Starfleet standard-issue weapons case has a self-destruct mechanism built in that, if someone tries to break into it, will destroy everything in a radius of fifty meters. That's half a football field. Wiped out of existence. Because you jostled a suitcase. Watch out for your curious toddlers, folks!
I am truly flabbergasted at the positive reviews and the star rating average (3.66 as I write this), because this book—while it had some potential at the start and even a few nice moments here and there—seems to have missed some of the most basic tenets of the Star Trek universe, including what year it occurs in, and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone.
I never honestly thought I would read a Star Trek novel that wasn't fully aware that human-to-human racial prejudices do not exist in this future. The closest thing to it that 23rd century humans sometimes exhibit is xenophobia (and I would not complain if that was the plot here), but the idea of skin colour being a target for hate by humans, toward other humans, is incredibly antiquated and does not belong in a Star Trek novel unless there's time travel involved.
This book is also much more violent than most Star Trek books I've read, which at first seemed quite daring and attention-grabbing. But when the plot unfurled its ugly leaves into a white supremacist terrorist group, it all fell apart.
In addition to that, there are several ridiculous and glaring anachronisms in this book. Newsweek is still in publication. Sears still exists. American Express is still a thing. You can still stay at a Hilton hotel. What is even happening? When are we?
Here's an especially fun one: A Starfleet standard-issue weapons case has a self-destruct mechanism built in that, if someone tries to break into it, will destroy everything in a radius of fifty meters. That's half a football field. Wiped out of existence. Because you jostled a suitcase. Watch out for your curious toddlers, folks!
I am truly flabbergasted at the positive reviews and the star rating average (3.66 as I write this), because this book—while it had some potential at the start and even a few nice moments here and there—seems to have missed some of the most basic tenets of the Star Trek universe, including what year it occurs in, and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone.
April 9, 2020
A terrorist group has set off an antimatter explosion, destroying up to a million people on Centarus. The Enterprise is instructed by Starfleet to go help the survivors, even though the ship is suffering a series of unexplainable computer mishaps. There are difficulties in orbiting the world, as well as getting to the surface. Once on the world, two teams encounter different obstacles.
This was a decent read. I was surprised by the terrorist angle, was incredibly moving with how different characters reacted to the destruction. Spock and his team were much more believable than what happened to Kirk and his pilot--which has the pair encounter a character from a classic original series episode. This person is always fun to encounter in a book, but seemed forced into this plot. I also wasn't keen on the new engineer aboard, which came across as overkill. The solution to Kirk's dilemma in the last pages of the penultimate chapter was perfection.
Of note is Kirk's previously undisclosed home, vast as it is, and the name dropping or "spot the sponsor" of 20th century products that pop up throughout, including Coca-Cola and American Express Traveler's Checks in the opening chapter!
This was a decent read. I was surprised by the terrorist angle, was incredibly moving with how different characters reacted to the destruction. Spock and his team were much more believable than what happened to Kirk and his pilot--which has the pair encounter a character from a classic original series episode. This person is always fun to encounter in a book, but seemed forced into this plot. I also wasn't keen on the new engineer aboard, which came across as overkill. The solution to Kirk's dilemma in the last pages of the penultimate chapter was perfection.
Of note is Kirk's previously undisclosed home, vast as it is, and the name dropping or "spot the sponsor" of 20th century products that pop up throughout, including Coca-Cola and American Express Traveler's Checks in the opening chapter!
June 6, 2023
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this. It was a good mission story with high stakes and lots complications with the Enterprise having severe technical issues and not being up its normal standards. I really liked the exploration of Kirk, and the beginning of his friendship with McCoy, and McCoy's daughter Joanna. The Spock storyline was also interesting, and he had some nice moments with McCoy and Kirk. The drawbacks are that it feels dated and doesn't quite fit within the modern sense of the Star Trek universe, but this was written before TNG so the author had less to go on. There is one point where American Express is mentioned, and money, this kind of takes you out of the sci-fi feeling of the story. The first half of the novel is well done, there's high stakes action, Spock using his logic to come to creative solutions, Kirk being diplomat, etc. but it lagged in the second half, and the story went in a direction that wasn't as interesting. I wish they continued to focus the rescue efforts, or even investigating the terrorist attack, I think that could have been a lot more interesting. That being said, I did like this a lot, and if you like something Kirk focused you might too.
May 11, 2025
Warmed-over national socialism, with an unhealthy chunk of racial hatred leads to a planetary catastrophe. Comparatively, a compromised Enterprise doesn’t seem to have much to offer such an overwhelming recovery effort, but goes anyway. En route, a few demoralized medical personnel aren’t sure they’ll make any difference at all. After all, what’s the point when faced with no-end-in-sight suffering? Perhaps it might help to consider that every forest is made up of individual trees. Doesn’t it seem the most profound impact comes to individuals one on one?
”Spock gestured slightly. “I do not see that you have a moral dilemma here, Dr. M’Benga. You cannot possibly treat half a million people. This ship cannot accommodate that many. Yet this ship is bound for Centaurus, and she will do her best once she is there. You must come to realize that a healed, healthy patient is just that — a healthy patient, one who has benefited from your skill. He does not represent a number of patients you could not help; he represents only himself. If all of us do not see the situation in this light then there is no reason for this ship to go to Centaurus at all”.
January 12, 2018
A book with a lot of potential that not really get exploited to the fullest during reading. A new science question pops up: what happens when a spaceship flies into a miniature black hole at warp 2? The saddest lesson it shows us though is: the mass murdering criminals get protected by the federation at huge costs, the victims just have to pay the prize. Sounds a lot like current EUSSR politics.
Although all the main heroes take center stage somehow action, tension and humor fail to raise above normal, despite all ingredients being there.
All in all a good average for a rescue mission of the Enterprise on a planet that just experienced one of its big cities being annihilated by an impossible antimatter explosion.
Although all the main heroes take center stage somehow action, tension and humor fail to raise above normal, despite all ingredients being there.
All in all a good average for a rescue mission of the Enterprise on a planet that just experienced one of its big cities being annihilated by an impossible antimatter explosion.
November 8, 2018
This book started off very strong in my opinion and then fell on its face for about 100 pages and then ended well. The problems with the Enterprise were an interesting element and something they could have never done on the show at the time and their arrival and dealing with problems there was some good Trek. Once they get down to the planet, however, it seems like they jump back into a time capsule from 200 years before and the author forgets he's writing a Star Trek novel. I got really annoyed for quite some time and if it wasn't for how everything gets resolved I might have rated this lower. In the end, it was a pretty decent book and I liked the idea behind it and most of the story elements. Uhura being in command of the ship was a pretty cool moment too.
November 23, 2020
Seatbelts on the bridge, the first mention of The Enterprise's toilets and Sulu running around the corridors in nothing but a towel! This story was off to such an amazing start, full of potential, but I found my interest in the actual events waning as I progressed through the pages.
There were some fantastic moments but the overall story didn't impress me in the end. Chekov's love interest was totally cringeworthy and Uhura's command was a little shakier than it should have been.
There are some very large departures from canon but that's something we should expect and accept when visiting these older classics.
I would summarise this story as a fun one but not a great one.
There were some fantastic moments but the overall story didn't impress me in the end. Chekov's love interest was totally cringeworthy and Uhura's command was a little shakier than it should have been.
There are some very large departures from canon but that's something we should expect and accept when visiting these older classics.
I would summarise this story as a fun one but not a great one.
February 28, 2022
A fun little Star Trek book with the cast of the original series.
Based on the cover and the description on the back, I thought that McCoy's daughter was going to play a much larger role but she's only really around for a few pages here and there. I don't think this is one that I will want to revisit, but I'll take any chance I can to go on another adventure with some of my favourite characters.
Some of the "modern" stuff that made it to the future in this book are strange, the crew buys a coffeemaker in Sears at one point and Kirk stays at a Hilton Hotel. It felt very strange to see those referenced in Trek like that.
Based on the cover and the description on the back, I thought that McCoy's daughter was going to play a much larger role but she's only really around for a few pages here and there. I don't think this is one that I will want to revisit, but I'll take any chance I can to go on another adventure with some of my favourite characters.
Some of the "modern" stuff that made it to the future in this book are strange, the crew buys a coffeemaker in Sears at one point and Kirk stays at a Hilton Hotel. It felt very strange to see those referenced in Trek like that.
March 22, 2022
I initially picked this book up because it involved Dr. McCoy and his daughter however, this book turned out to be so much more than that - in fact Dr. McCoy ended up having a minor role in the novel. This book was written in 1986 when the cold war was coming to an end but sadly with the current state of affairs it is still relevant today. This book deals with a minority extremist party that tries to take control with the help of nuclear weapons that has a deadly affect on a major city. Great book, hard to put down.
January 15, 2021
Almost great but probably could have done without the ship malfunctions. They don't add much to the plot and are "resolved" in a moment of really hack technobabble.
Also its honestly tragic to me that Hilton and American Express are apparently still entities in Trek according to this book.
Hiccups aside, it's like you smashed Threads together with a spy thriller with enough procedural government drama sprinkled in to hook you. Solid.
Also its honestly tragic to me that Hilton and American Express are apparently still entities in Trek according to this book.
Hiccups aside, it's like you smashed Threads together with a spy thriller with enough procedural government drama sprinkled in to hook you. Solid.
March 27, 2022
When Enterprise receives word that an antimatter explosion has caused massive deaths on Centaurus (home to Joanna McCoy), they race to help.
This was a decent 1980's Star Trek story. The characters acted like they should and Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu all get some time spent on them in addition to the big three. The added glitch of having the Enterprise's computer acting up adds some nice tension.
This was a decent 1980's Star Trek story. The characters acted like they should and Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu all get some time spent on them in addition to the big three. The added glitch of having the Enterprise's computer acting up adds some nice tension.
April 25, 2022
"Crisis on Centaurus" is one of my favorite Star Trek novels. I liked the terrorist plot and the jurisdiction issues that came up with it. A new engineer showed up to work along Scotty, and that was a funny dynamic. There's a problem with the ship at the beginning of the novel, and the solution to that problem has sparked my curiosity to see if it's actually possible. The story was surprisingly emotional as well.
April 6, 2023
3.5 stars-this was a good one overall but took me FOREVER to finish-I wasn't as motivated once we got to the last third of the book. Kirk and crew head to Centaurus to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist exploding an "annihilation device" (think nuclear bomb but way bigger since it was made of antimatter). Despite the blurb, Joanna McCoy is only slightly featured in the book, but she's enjoyable the few times we see her.
August 13, 2023
I’ve mostly enjoyed the last few books, but it was good to get back to some Trek basics. Mr Ferguson’s simple and effective prose puts the crew front and centre in a story that feels like an episode of the show. I like it when an author tries to push some boundaries of the universe but I also like it when we get a good, fun Trek adventure even if the conflict is over legal jurisdiction rather than moral dilemmas.
January 6, 2019
A terrorist attack leaves hundreds of thousands dead on Centaurus. On their way to assist with recovery, the 'Enterprise' is devastated by a freak power outage and near catastrophic damage.
Kirk must uncover the truth behind the attacks, before more lives are lost.
Ferguson has written a good story, even if it is flawed by some anachronistic references.
Kirk must uncover the truth behind the attacks, before more lives are lost.
Ferguson has written a good story, even if it is flawed by some anachronistic references.
June 5, 2019
Retreading this I was reminded of how well the story would have worked as a Star Trek episode in itself. It has all the right elements, a fast-moving plot, some interesting scientific ideas and a good characterisation of the crew, not something all ST novels achieved. I particularly like the focus on Sulu, Chekov and Uhura as well as Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
September 17, 2022
Overall, a pretty enjoyable little TOS read, would recommend. However, I removed one star for a possibly picky reason…at the end, when Kirk said in his log he was including commendations for certain crew members, he did not include Uhura. Seemed like an odd oversight. Anyway, it’s still worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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