Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh (Adapted)

By: Greg Cox

Narrated by: Anthony Stewart Head

Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Even centuries later, the final decades of the 20th century are still regarded as one of the darkest and most perilous chapters in the history of humanity. Now, as an ancient and forbidden technology tempts mankind once more, Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise must probe deep into the secrets of the past, to discover the true origins of the dreaded Eugenics Wars - and of perhaps the greatest foe he has ever faced.

1974 A.D.: An international consortium of the world's top scientists have conspired to create the Chrysalis Project, a top-secret experiment in human genetic engineering. The project's goal is the creation of a new super-race to take command of the entire planet.

Gary Seven, an undercover operative for an advanced alien species, is alarmed by the project's objectives; he knows too well the apocalyptic consequences of genetic manipulation. But he may already be too late. One generation of super-humans has already been conceived. Seven watches as the children of Chrysalis - in particular, a brilliant youth named Khan Noonien Singh - grow to adulthood. Can Khan's dark destiny be averted - or is Earth doomed to fight a global battle for supremacy?

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An entertaining Trek book

This was a fun listen. Although the story focuses primarily on characters other than the crew of the Enterprise, it was very engaging. I was highly entertained by the well-paced plot and particularly enjoyed Anthony Steward Head's various characterizations. Well worth the price.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

More Setup Than Plot

I have listened to Part I, but have not yet purchased Part II. Frankly, I'm a bit hesitant after this lukewarm entry. It shows how full the <i>Star Trek</i> universe has become when everything seems self-referring:

<blockquote>Khan meets - and is nearly recruited by - Gary Seven. Khan and Seven meet "Flint" from the later TOS show <i>Requiem for Methuselah</i>. Kirk meeting Captain Koloth from <i>The Trouble with Tribbles</i> (are there really only three Klingon commanders??). Gary Seven constantly refers to other experiences such as meeting Romulan commanders, his knowledge of Klingon language and geography, Bajoran camps, etc.</blockquote>

If you like your <i>Trek</i> novels to neatly give you several coincidences, then you won't mind this. I find it more distracting than anything else.

Also, I was really expecting more - as implied by the title - of the "rise" of Khan. This book focuses primarily on Seven and gives little attention to Khan as a youth - except a couple of quick events to show him disliking world powers and corporations. Very little other background is given to someone who is supposed to be the focal character. The book ends just as Khan is beginning to make moves towards taking control.

I suppose Part II has much more about his actual rise to power and subsequent fleeing of Earth, but Part I has left me underwhelmed to the point that I'm not sure I'll continue.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

excellent but it's an abridged version.

basically the Best of TOS combined with classic James Bond and a bit of Men in black. unfortunately while everything else is excellent the story is in abridged form and sliced into three parts which I find dishonest. this is why I give it three Stars overall.

Excellent Story! Need more Gary Seven.

I've always wanted more Gary Seven. This book and its sequel are excellent. I highly recommend it.

disappointed

not as interesting as I thought it would be, too bad for this Trek fan

You have to pay for part 2

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This is actually a very good book but I'm giving it 2 stars because this is only part one of the book--just 3 hours. You have to buy part 2 separately. I've had many books over 10 hours that did divide up the book into two separate portions that require purchase of both.

Good stuuf

At parts, some of the music made it a little difficult to hear the narrator, but over all it was enjoyable.

Not Long Enough!!!

Story was great, as was the narrator. Just to short :-)
Needs more parts involved!!!

Easy to Listen To & Very Engaging

Would you listen to Star Trek again? Why?

I found myself re-listening to the book. The story is rich and the characters come alive. The Eugenics Wars are the most superb audio I've even listened to. Some tell Audible to include Vol III To Reign in Hell.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Star Trek?

Any scene with Khan.

What does Anthony Stewart Head bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Atmosphere the allows the reader to visualize what's happening.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Characters come to life

If you remember the old series then you remember Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln(played by Teri Garr). Later in the series we meet Khan in the episode "Space Seed". The author Greg Cox has put together these two shows and has interwoven the history of the late 60s thru the late 90s in what I feel is a spectacular making for an epic movie feature. I bought the CD set and I bought the eBook. I LOVE IT!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful