Blood and Fire [Paperback]

David Gerrold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 2003

Executive Officer Korie had faced and defeated seemingly invincible Morthan battleships, elusive bio-computer imps, and dreaded Morthan assassins. It would be on the starship Norway, however, that he would meet his greatest challenge—a challenge that could change the outcome of a war and the destiny of humankind. The latest installment of the Star Wolf series, this third galactic struggle concludes the popular trilogy with a rescue mission that is far from routine. Never before published, Blood and Fire is the long-awaited conclusion to the Star Wolf series.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gerrold, who wrote the famous Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," originally pitched this story as an AIDS metaphor to Star Trek: The Next Generation. It almost got made but died because of staff objections. Nearly 20 years later, Gerrold has reworked it for his own sf series chronicling the adventures of the starship Star Wolf. Ship's commander Jon Korie serves under Captain Parsons (Star Wolf captains tend to meet ill fates), whom he likes and respects. When Star Wolf stumbles across the starship Norway, apparently adrift on a collision course with a star, Korie takes a team to investigate and search for survivors. What they find are blood worms, parasites so deadly that, according to Alliance law, infected ships are to be destroyed. Parsons isn't willing to give up on the crew, even if it means risking her command. An exciting space adventure with a poignant metaphor at its core. The TV series' loss is Gerrold's novel's gain. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"An exciting space adventure with a poignant metaphor at its core..." -- Booklist.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: BenBella Books; BenBella Books Ed edition (December 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932100113
• ISBN-13: 978-1932100112
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Gerrold is a figment of his own imagination.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars newest Star Wolf novel different--not worse, March 23, 2004

By 

"law241" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood and Fire (Paperback)

The first two books in this series were written in an earlier era of science fiction-- and they read like it. (Which is not, at all, to say anything against them: <i>Voyage</i> was probably my favorite of the three.) <i>Blood and Fire</i> is a different kind of book, written at a different time, with a different kind of story arc.

The book was based on an unproduced episode of <i>Star Trek: Next Gen</i> . . . and it reads like an episode. Neither better nor worse-- just different. The story plunges you far more quickly into the action, there's more of an ensemble feel, and the duration of time in which the story takes place is much shorter.

It's still David Gerrold though-- still the same easy, competent fluidity of writing that's a joy to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars But how does Gerrold REALLY feel about Gene Roddenberry?, June 5, 2004

By 

Jeff Cross "His Illustriousness" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood and Fire (Paperback)

Based on the rather reiterative fore- and afterwords by DC Fontana and Gerrold, respectively, this installment of the Star Wolf's misadventures is a bit of a catharsis for Gerrold regarding the headaches he received trying to get this story filmed as an episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. The book is interspersed with sharp jabs at the Star Trek franchise, such as Captain Parsons' previous posting, the "Big E" (the US Navy's nickname for the Enterprise) being too valuable to risk on the front lines due to potential morale problems if it's destroyed, and one of the Norway's doomed crewmembers being named M. Okuda, after TNG production staffer Michael Okuda; I also suspect that the Norway's AI "LENNIE" is named after Roddenberry's lawyer who shot down the episode in preproduction. The death of one recurring character wasn't a surprise if you'd read the Star Wolf Briefing Book, which had marked said character for death. The complaints about it not reading like the earlier Star Wolf books do have merit, since this is technically a novelization of a teleplay, but I was able to shrug it off because I've been experiencing similar with novelizing a screenplay of my own.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Star Wolf novel!, June 2, 2004

By 

Ronald R. Allen Jr. "chizotz" (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood and Fire (Paperback)

Blood and Fire is another great book, in a wonderful series, from one of America's most underappreciated authors.

I do not understand where the criticisms of some are coming from. The characters and story of Blood and Fire have all of the depth and breadth that those of us who read Gerrold have come to expect from one of his books. In this book, perhaps, Gerrold places a bit more emphasis than he usually does on the subject matter rather than on the internal lives of the characters; the unsophisticated reader may not appreciate that this is a perfectly valid and, in this case, appropriate approach. But don't be surprised to find significant character development here too; Gerrold is, after all, Gerrold.

Blood and Fire is a fantastic continuation of the Star Wolf story and should not be missed.