Title Desperate Hours Author David Mack Cover Art --- Publisher Gallery Books - 2017 First Printing Simon & Shuster - 2017
	Title Drastic Measures Author Dayton Ward Cover Art --- Publisher Gallery Books - 2018 First Printing Simon & Shuster - 2018
	Title Fear Itself Author James Swallow Cover Art CBS Studios Publisher Pocket Books - 2018 First Printing Simon & Shuster - 2018
	Title The Way to the Stars Author Una McCormack Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title The Enterprise War Author John Jackson Miller Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Dead Endless Author Dave Galanter Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Die Standing Author John Jackson Miller Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Wonderlands Author Una McCormack Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Somewhere to Belong Author Dayton Ward Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title The Light of Kahless Author Kirsten Beyer Illustrator --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Succession Author Kirsten Beyer Illustrator --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Aftermath Author Kirsten Beyer Illustrator --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Adventures in the 32nd Century Author Mike Johnson Illustrator Ángel Hernández Publisher IDW Publishing - 2022 First Printing IDW Publishing - 2022
	Category Science Fiction Warnings None Main Characters Grudge!, Michael Burnham, Philippa Georgiou, Spock, Gabriel Lorca Main Elements Aliens, cat queens Website ---

Desperate Hours

Drastic Measures

Adventures in the 32nd Century

I wasn't impressed with the TV series for the first two seasons (I can't figure out why they need to keep messing with the look of the Klingons, was already weird enough between the original and Next Gen, but this one is practially at the same time as the original and they are even more alien looking than they look in later series), but I started enjoying it a lot more with the next two. I was hoping I'd also get a better appreciation for the first two seasons if I tried reading some of the books. With Simon & Shuster putting up a few Star Trek books for 99cents each month, I managed to get almost all the Discovery ones on my eReader!

Now...ever since COVID and working from home I no longer commute, so I pick up my eReader very sporadically, wanted to mention that since it means I may read a chapter and then not touch it for a week, even if the book is good I tend to favour physical books so that can skew some of my reviews. That said, here goes:

Desperate Hours - I had no trouble reading this one in spurts, the plot was straightforward enough I never forgot what had happened since last I read it. This story focuses on the dynamic between Michael (on the Shenzhou) and Spock (on Pike's Enterprise). They are forced to work together to speak with an ancient weapon designed to wipe out any species that fails its test, most of the story is about that test...in retrospect, maybe those spurts worked well, you know kind of reading one test at a time, might have gotten a bit repetitive having to read it all in one sitting as they pair go through yet another test.

Drastic Measures - Took me nearly two years before getting back to Discovery books! Here we jump back in time before Discovery in fact. Lorca is on a planetary outpost and Georgiou is a commander on another ship. Now it was fortunate I had just re-watched the entire TOS TV series, because this novel is the story behind “The Conscience of the King”. Once I figured that out (the name Kodos kept nagging at me till I looked it up, especially when Kirk appeared as a teenager, I thought they were messing with history) I really started to enjoy how this story tied into the TV episode. I enjoyed the blurbs that led into various chapters, seeing the massacre from different point of views, including the one where Kodos truly believes he is saving the people from a long drawn out death by killing half the population so their supplies will last long enough. Kill half to save the other, so they don't all die. 'Course...Kodos is part of the half that gets to live, so how do you chose who lives and dies? Interesting ethical questions, something Trek doesn't shy from.

Fear Itself - This book centers on Saru, diving a bit more into his biology and history of a prey creature, but also of how he was trying to grow beyond that, without losing those attributes that made him who he is. After all a little fear is good, it stops us doing stupid things, and bravery isn't lack of fear but rather that ability to deal with it. We also encounter the Tholians which are an interesting race though we don't get to learn too much about them, what with them being the mustache twirling villains and all. I Had to Google the Pelians and the were not what I pictured at all, but I like how the books can revisit alien cultures that are encountered once and then never again in the show, giving more depth to the Trek universe. The Gorlans having four arms would not have featured in the show.

Graphic Novels - I love Grudge, she just has catitude. I loved the scene where Burnham was going to pet her and the Queen is like "Don't". Plain and simple. The graphic novels are a great way to give attention to some of the secondary characters who are too often left out of the episodes such as Adira, Detmer (this one made me laugh as well, it was very cute) or Linus, and of course, seeing the world through Grudge's feline eyes.