Sarek

Star Trek Pocket Books, Book 69

By: A. C. Crispin

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, is dying, and Spock returns to the planet Vulcan where he and Sarek enjoy a rare moment of rapprochement. But just as his wife's illness grows worse, duty calls Sarek away, once again sowing the seeds of conflict between father and son. Yet soon Sarek and Spock must put aside their differences and work together to foil a far-reaching plot to destroy the Federation, a plot that Sarek has seen in the making for nearly his entire career.

The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise journeys to the heart of the Klingon Empire where Captain Kirk's last surviving relative has become a pawn in a battle to divide and conquer the Federation. With Sarek's help, the crew of the Starship Enterprise learns that all is not as it seems. But before they can prevent the Federation's destruction, they must see the face of their hidden enemy, an enemy more insidious and more dangerous than any they have faced before.

©1999 A. C. Crispin (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Almost Perfect!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would indeed recommend this audio version. The narrator was perfect in his ability to draw me into the Star Trek world. I read this book back when first published and this is the first time I've revisited it in all these years and in this format it was more enjoyable.

Which character – as performed by Nick Sullivan – was your favorite?

Sarek. Though no Mark Lenard, Sullivan has the gravitas to pull off one of Star Trek's most famous characters.

Story Telling and Star Trek at Their Best

Every aspect of this book is well crafted. I wish all science fiction developed plots and characters so well.

One of the best ST reads

I absolutely love Star Trek but usually avoid the books because they’re usually overly predictable and ridiculous. This one is my absolute favorite! It answers a lot of questions from the time period between the end of the TV series and the movies. A deeper look at Sarek and Amanda was long overdue!

The exploration of intimate relationships between people of different races/species is so relevant. Peter Kirk’s character really holds his own and is not overshadowed by the regulars.

Reader does a great job flipping between accents, which couldn’t have been easy.

Great story

This story takes place after the final movie with the original cast (Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country). Well written, and well narrated; made me start looking for other pocket books with no luck. Hope Audible produces more....

what a great book to listen to

I really enjoyed this book a great deal I love listening to it while I work and wine down when I got home from work I highly recommend this book even if you only listen to the audio

Great story

It's like a continuation of ST6 and the book Best Destiny, taking place after both by my reckoning. One critique, it would have been helpful if there was more of a break when the character POV changed, sometimes it was rather sudden and made for some confusing continuity moments since it seemed like the reader didn't pause at all.

Grief

If you need to express your grief, but cannot , read this book. It will take you down memory lane and shake loose those memories that will help you deal with the pain. Grief is not just about loss, but also about remembering the joys and holding those to your heart, rather than the pain.

Get it! You won't be sorry.

You get a great view into the Vulcan's heart. Also, the narration was superb. It has been a while since I listened to an audio book as great as this one.

Great story, wonderful narration

Very enjoyable! Fans of the original Star trek series will especially like this story. The narrator does a wonderful job with the voices for each character. Highly recommended!

Sarek's dignity and love for Amanda

This book was 70% amazing and 30% frustration. Amazing because the prose sparked of life and genuine dignity, detail, and unashamed description. This book brought Sarek to life for me, with his inherent dignity and his gentle, wise but still so human (sorry Sarek) personality. I got to experience a Vulcan bonding, dwell in Sarek's low-key but powerful love for Amanda, have my heart ripped out by Amanda's search for him. I die for all-consuming descriptions of someone's state of mind, and Crispin had me at the melds. Such beauty. The emotional climax of the book was definitely around halfway, but after that... things went downhill.

I had loved the quite-detailed and thought-out action plot this book had, especially how it connected quite integrally to The Undiscovered Country. The new characters like Valdyr were very well-drawn, and it was exciting to see Peter Kirk in action. However, three-quarters the way in I felt Crispin forgot the heart of her story as she geared over completely to the action plot and then crossed the Marty Stu line with Peter Kirk towards the end. I was quite miffed, to be honest.

But there's still so much to love about this book. The world, Amanda's journals, the Vulcan way of thinking, of feeling... and of course, Sarek and Amanda. Go listen to Tracy Chapman's "The Promise" and that's the quiet depth I felt out of their relationship. Four stars for that.