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    Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours
    Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours
    Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours
    Audiobook10 hours

    Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours

    Written by David Mack

    Narrated by Susan Eisenberg

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

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

    Aboard the Starship Shenzhou, Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it.

    She gets her chance when the Shenzhou must protect a Federation colony that is under attack by an ancient alien vessel that has surfaced from the deepest fathoms of the planet’s dark, uncharted sea.

    As the menace from this mysterious vessel grows stronger, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of halting the threat. To save thousands of innocent lives, Burnham must infiltrate the alien ship. But to do so, she needs to face the truth of her troubled past, and seek the aid of a man she has tried to avoid her entire life—until now.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateSep 26, 2017
    ISBN9781508237952
    Author

    David Mack

    David Mack is the multi-award-winning and the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-eight novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies. His extensive writing credits include episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and he worked as a consultant on season one of the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. Honored in 2022 as a Grand Master by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, Mack resides in New York City.  

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    Reviews for Star Trek

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    • 3/5
      I'm still now sure I like the TV show this book expands upon (Star Trek: Discovery) but I definetly liked what David Mack did with this universe here. It's definitely on a higher level than the TV show — or at least on a higher beat. I'd love to see this kind of pacing, structure and "startrekiness" on the TV show.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this novel! It gave much more background to the protagonists of Disco, and has enriched the television content even more.
    • 5/5
      I liked that the period of time in the Star Trek universe, before Kirk and the development of characters outside the hull of the Enterprise. The presentation of flawed persons that overcome their own private demons to do what needs to be done. Plus there are space battles! Who didn’t want there to be any space battles?
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyable accompanying novel to Star Trek: Discovery (STD!). Make no mistake, this is a novel of Michael Burnham and Spock. And to a lesser degree Captains Georgiou and Pike. Which is exactly what I wanted. More Burnham and Spock, and more Georgiou and Pike. The only downside is no Captain Lorca, who is, in my opinion, the most interesting and charismatic character from the show. I noticed a couple of very slight contradictions concerning Burnham's history with sarek. I think it was episode 6 of the first season of the show when they explored of history and rejection by the Vulcan Academy. No big deal there though. If the rest of the novels are of this quality I plan to read them all.
    • 5/5
      The more I think about this book, the more I love it. It really felt like an episode of ST Discovery, only more. The characterization was on point, the plot and secondary characters were well developed, and everything was masterfully paced and played out. I really got into the story and felt truly invested in what was going on, which doesn't always happen with me and Star Trek novels.

      My favorite sections were the Saru and Burnham sections, and seeing their relationship dynamic pre-series, knowing full well how it would end up developing as, was immensely interesting. Actually, that was true with a lot of the pre-existing characters' relationships in this book, and David Mack did a great job of making these dynamics fresh despite that, by now, we already know how they look on screen.

      I'm looking forward to reading more of the Discovery novels, including the comics series. Thank you, CBS, for continuing the time honored tradition of having a line of original novels with every new Star Trek series (and it looks like Picard is getting the same!).
    • 3/5
      The first tie-in novel for the new Trek series is set two years before the events of the series itself and is designed to be a primer on the series lead characters, as well as creating relationship with the pre-Kirk era Enterprise. Unfortunately most of the characterization, relationships, and some backstory details presented here are superseded by Season Two of the show itself and as a result a lot of what’s in this text no longer rings true. Having said that the central yarn of an ancient judgement-ship from a lost empire being awoken on a Federation colony world is a pretty solid sf action story.
    • 3/5
      Not a terrible novel but lacking in terms of meaningful development of plot. I don't blame Mack for this as he had to write a novel for a show that doesn't even quite know what it is yet. With that taken into account, I think this is a great addition to the show's characters in such a way that adds depth once you return to the show.Overall, the story feels like it drags on at times, such as with the constant puzzles and side plot of the colonists kidnapping officials. These felt like their main point were to drag the novel on longer than it needed to be.Had it been slightly shorter this novel would have been a lot better suited for reading. Overall, if you have an itch for a light Star Trek novel to read, then you can't go wrong with Desperate Hours.
    • 4/5
      The novelization of the newest entry in the Star Trek universe gets off to a great start with Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours by David Mack. Desperate Hours follows Lieutenant Michael Burnham aboard the Starship Shenzhou. The Shenzhou is called to a federation colony that is under attack from an ancient alien spaceship that has risen from the planet’s ocean. As the threat from the alien ship increases, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of ending the threat and sends Enterprise to the planet to reinforce its decision. If the alien ship is going to be stopped and the colonist saved, Burnham is going to have to find a way onto the ship, and confront some inner demons along the way. Mack does a great job of fleshing out the backstory of some of the principle characters from Star Trek Discovery, while at the same time honoring characters from the original series that we already know, especially Spock and Captain Pike. The portrayal of Spock is particularly tricky and David Mack pulls it off brilliantly. There is perhaps no more familiar character than Spock, yet here, it is a much younger Spock before he has even met James Kirk or gained much of the wisdom for which he is known. Mack manages to paint a character that is both familiar, and yet unfamiliar in his knowledge, confidence and sense of self.Mack also adds a lot of depth to Michael Burnham, through whom the bulk of the story is told. We get to see a glimpse of what it was like to be raised as a human on Vulcan and how that has made her feel like an alien among her own people. Burnham has been provisionally promoted to first officer, but she has to convince both herself and her captain that she is capable of it. Part of that is managing her difficult relationship with Science Officer Saru, who we get to know a little better here as well.The plot is twisty, with duplicitous colonial leadership, shady corporations, and trying to fathom the motives of an ancient alien civilization. The ticking clock aspect of the threat posed by the alien ship, as well as the strong personalities of two Starship captains keeps the tension steady as Burnham and crew members from both the Shenzhou and the Enterprise work to avert disaster. It’s worth mentioning that Captain Philippa Georgiou comes across as an exceptionally strong character on the page, much like she does on screen. I would love to see more of her.Susan Eisenberg narrates the audio version of the book and does an outstanding job. Her character voices are distinct and she does a good job of conveying the mood and the pace. Vulcan characters with their emotions kept under wraps can be difficult to portray, but Eisenberg manages to convey both their restraint and the turmoil and conflict in their innermost thoughts.This is a great entry in the Star Trek universe. Mack has written an exciting story with both an interesting plot and wonderful character development. Eisenberg helps bring it to life with excellent narration that complements the story. Highly recommended.I was fortunate to receive a copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
    • 5/5
      David Mack's Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours takes place one year before the Star Trek: Discovery pilot episode and one year after the U.S.S. Enterprise visited Talos IV. The story begins with Captain Phillipa Georgiou offering a conditional promotion to Lieutenant Michael Burnham as first officer. This places Burnham in conflict with Kelpien science officer Lieutenant Saru, who was the more seasoned officer and only receives a promotion to second officer. Georgiou, Burnham, and Saru must take the Shenzhou to Sirsa III where a mysterious craft, dubbed the Juggernaut, is attacking the colonists. When it becomes clear that the Juggernaut may pose a threat to the Federation should it leave the planet, Starfleet sends Captain Christopher Pike and the Enterprise to destroy it, with the colony as collateral damage. The story focuses on the conflict between the two ships and their crew, with both trying to do what they think is best for the galaxy.Along the way, Mack includes interesting character studies through combined boarding parties, such as Una from the Enterprise and Saru, but particularly through Burnham and Spock. After the death of her parents, Spock's father Sarek raised Burnham on Vulcan, where she attended the Vulcan Science Academy. In this way, she is like a distorted reflection of Spock, who was estranged from his father while struggling to balance his human and Vulcan ancestry, eventually leaving Vulcan to attend Starfleet Academy. Their interaction drives the story and, as this focuses on a younger Spock, Mack has the ability to present a character still developing into the more familiar iteration of the character. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this part of the narrative.Mack includes some fun references, such as Pike invoking the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" (pg. 227). Like the new series, the Starfleet character speak more in the vernacular, with one of Georgiou's bridge crew warning of "some serious shit" (pg. 231), which may be a Back to the Future reference. As Bryan Fuller, co-creator of the new series, specifically requested Mack write this story featuring the new ship and the most iconic Star Trek ship, it can be considered more canonical than other Trek novels and a good introduction to the new series for fans and newcomers alike.