Star Trek Spectre [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

William Shatner (Author), Judith Reeves-Stevens (Author), Garfield Reeves-Stevens (Author), George Truett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Trek: Voyager | Publication Date: May 1, 1998

William Shatner has once again brought his unique blend of talents as actor, writer, director, and producer to continue the saga of Jim Kirk's remarkable second life, as an insidious menace from his past threatens a new generation of heroes...

Retired and in a happy relationship, Kirk believes his adventuring days are over. But as he returns to Earth for the first time since his apparent "death" upon the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-B, events elsewhere in the galaxy set in motion a mystery that may provide Kirk with his greatest challenge yet.

The Enterprise-E, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, is exploring an unstable region of space on a mission of vital concern to Starfleet when they discover the last thing they ever expected to find: a battle-scarred vessel that is instantly recognizable to every member of Picard's crew. Five years after being presumed lost, the Starship Voyager has come home!

The commander of Voyager, Tom Paris, explains that Captain Kathryn Janeway and half the original crew is dead, but if that is true, who is the mysterious woman who has kidnapped Kirk back on Earth, demanding that he assist her against a threat to the entire Federation? All is not as it seems, and soon Kirk is forced to confront the consequences of actions taken thirty years before, as well a his own inner doubts.

An unforgettable saga peopled by old friends and ancient enemies, "Star Trek: Spectre" propels Kirk on a journey of self-discovery every bit as harrowing as the cataclysmic new adventure that awaits him.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In his fourth contribution starring his alter ego, Shatner (The Return, Audio Reviews, LJ 12/95; The Avenger, Audio Reviews, LJ 1/97) once again deposits Capt. James T. Kirk into the center of a highly intricate plot, where only he can save the universe. Co-written with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, the author provides everything a Trekkie could ask for: two Mr. Spocks; a 150-year-old Dr. "Bones" McCoy; a time-displaced "Scotty"; a generous helping of action balanced by a pinch of camaraderie and sentiment; and topped off with contributing efforts by Captain Picard and Captain Janeway and their crews from The Next Generation and Voyager, respectively. This latest installment doesn't have quite the emotional investment in the family of characters as his last offerings. No matter; bestowed upon the reader are Kirk's heroics and love life, Spock and McCoy's acerbic bantering, and a crossover among three different casts. Shatner does his usual adequate job, offering a melodious reading with a hint of apathy. Recommended for all sf collections.ACharlie Weiss, formerly with "Library Journal"
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

William Shatner is the author of three previous Star Trek novels, Avenger, The Return, and the Ashes of Eden. In addition to his ongoing role as Captain James T. Kirk, he has also appeared in such hit plays as The World of Suzie Wong and A Shot in the Dark, in such notable films as The Brothers Karamazov and Judgment at Nuremberg, and on television in T.J. Hooker and Rescue 911. He is also the author of several other novels, including the popular TekWars novels, which inspired a hit television series. Shatner lives in Los Angeles.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audioworks; Abridged edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671579983
• ISBN-13: 978-0671579982
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,948,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Books on Cassette > Horror
  • #89 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( S )

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *Captain Kirk and the Kitchen Sink*, March 18, 2002

By 

OhSayCanYouSee1 "ohsaycanyousee1" (Elmhurst, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek: Spectre (Hardcover)

"Spectre" is an excellent read. Book one of William Shatner's Mirror Universe Trilogy has nearly everything for the Star Trek fan. An exciting story line; practically everyone's favorite characters; non-stop action; events predictable and totally unpredictable. This book has everything. And of course, since it's written by Shatner, the protagonist is Captain Kirk.

This novel takes the reader back to one of the ten greatest episodes in the entire Star Trek television history, "Mirror, Mirror". The author weaves a story of what occurred after Kirk's appearance there influences the Mirror Universe Spock. Fast forward that event through more than 100 years of history, and bring the Mirror Universe characters into our universe for action and revenge, and you'll get the gist of the story.

Sounds like your basic Star Trek episode, but it really comes across as more than that. This novel is the best Star Trek novel I have read and I have read quite a few. Just when you think you've seen the last character that can be squeezed in that allows the book to retain continuity, and BANG, here is another surprise that fits right in. Or is it a Mirror Universe duplicate of that character? Read the book and find out for yourself.

I rate this book at a very enjoyable 4.70 out of 5.00 stars, rounded up to 5.00. If this is your kind of book, you won't want to put it down. I'd tell you more but that would ruin the surprises. Perfect for several hours of get your mind off life and serious stuff reading. It is also a good jumping on point to check out Shatner's Kirk based stories. No one understands Kirk better than Shatner. The author proves what a terrific fan he is of the Star Trek history too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Star Trek, October 17, 2004

By 

Kelly Rox (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek: Spectre (Hardcover)

Only someone closely affiliated with Star Trek can truely write a story fans would love and adore and that's exactly what William Shatner has done. Well done and keep it up! We can't have another series, or film, with the original team in, so books will have to suffice.

William uses his knowledge of James T and crew and goes further than any series. It's just a shame TV and Film will never equal the descriptive stories of his books. The human mind is a powerful tool and the images it creates are unequal to any screen visualists' power. Star Trek - Live Long and Prosper!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shatner or Kirk, who is this character?, October 1, 1999

By 

Harvey H. Meeker (Shelton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spectre (Star Trek) (Mass Market Paperback)

Another Trek novel. Yes, I just can't get enough of these. They are kind of like the Bud Lite of SF, they go down easy and after you have read about five of them you don't notice the bad taste they sometimes leave in their wake.

Well, I am a Star Trek fan and after reading Shatner's Get A Life book I do find myself with a bit of affection for the potbellied former Captain of the Enterprise. Unfortunately while this book has good pacing and has a bevy of interesting characters, I often didn't feel like I was seeing Kirk portrayed properly. It feels like Shatner is exploring his own feelings about age and love more and more with the Kirk character. There are endless scenes in the book where we find Kirk mooning over his love for Teilani, the exotic Klingon, Romulan hybrid that Kirk fell in love with in past books. In fact much of what motivates Kirk in the book is his endless love for this woman. That's all fine and dandy, but really, that isn't the Kirk that we have known up till now. In the The Return and Avenger, Kirk wasn't this dreamy eyed, (granted in one of those he was the brainwashed pawn) this book takes this to a whole new level. That said and done it was probably the main thing that irked me about the book, that and the ending.

The beginning of the novel finds Kirk trying to settle down with Teilani, but she convinces him that he needs to go out and explore some more and find out whether he really wants to settle down with her or not. Of course, Kirk agrees to this and goes off to a few Starfleet functions to shoot the breeze with his old comrades in arms. While he is attending said functions he is kidnapped by mysterious forces. Cut to the Enterprise-E where Picard seems to have found the Voyager, the ship thought lost in the Delta Quadrant, or is it?

The story gets a bit twisted and convoluted from there. It brings back the Mirror Universe plot-line which was first explored in the original Star Trek television show. Later the idea was further explored on episodes of Deep Space Nine and in other books including Dark Mirror by Diane Duane. While the ideas are a rehash, the plot is engaging and fast moving. Picard and his crew seem thrown in and aren't used very effectively, but then again what would you expect when Shatner writes a Star Trek novel? Of course Kirk gets top billing. There are quite a few characters that make a return in this novel including Spock, Scotty and Mccoy. Talk about the geriatric patrol. Amazingly, through luck, good breeding or just plain stubbornness they have all been able to survive into the time of the Next Generation. While the plot moves along there are a lot of melodramatic moments from Kirk either reminiscing about how good it is to be back with his crew or about his love for Teilani.

The book is fast paced with a lot of action, it did keep me turning the pages, but the Kirk melodrama and some cookie cutter characters (read Next Generation) thrown into the mix bring the book down a few notches. Also just an FYI the ending is a "to be continued" one. So if you were thinking about picking this up in paperback, you might want to wait until the sequel Dark Victory is out so you can get the whole story.

3 out of 5 Bias: +1 if you are a rabid Star Trek fan. -1 if you hate Kirk or Shatner.