Customer Reviews (52)

Book 5?
Just a note to all who have gotten this far, The War against the Chtorr, Book 5 is due out in Winter 2010/2011 (from what Mr. Gerrold has told the press); and, as he is also almost halfway done with Book's 6 and 7 (the series will be complete with 7 books), the last two books will probably follow not more than a year to three years afterwards.

Stay Tuned for A Method of Madness!

Still waiting......
This is more a comment than a review about Book 4 in the Chtorr series. About 8 years ago, I received an e-mail from David Gerrold saying he was close to finishing the next book in the series. I kept watching the book stores, but got distracted with life (my own special needs, adopted kids that I have parented as a single mom.)That being noted, I can really understand why David's not finished his novels.1) He's a perfectionist 2) Kids are a real detriment to concentration and 3) There is so much good stuff that's been written that I think David's just plain scared that he can't finish the book(s) with a bang. That being said,I wish someone would throw him into a room and not let him out until he did finish the series!

great series but lacking the finish
Jim has gone through so many things in all of his books. He has loved lost and become practically insane. He is a great character and the things going on around him are amazing. The entire series is great and well written but the great complaint about it is....when will we finally get the final books....the great fear is that the author might pass away and we might never get the books....

Too long a wait
Fans of this series have waited FAR too long for Gerrold to finish the series.

It is an excellent story but we have been waiting 15 years for the next book.

As others have noted, he has published other stories during that time.

According to his website he has been working on the last few books all at the same time.

Please just finish one of them so we will have something to read in the meantime.

Is David Gerrold still alive
Loved each of the 4 books. I would highly recommend reading any of the CHROTA sires.

But with one stipulation; once you read it you will what to know how it will end, and ending is the problem.
I have been wanting for over 10 years for the next book to come out. I check DG website about once a months, and have not seen an update in years.

Some say he will never finish, and others thank he must have passed away otherwise known as assumed-room-temperature. I don't believe that is the case, because I need to read the fifth book.

So if DG ever reads theses postings PLEASE FINISH the next book
.
... Read more

Product Description
The second installment in the acclaimed Star Wolf trilogy, this tale pits the captain of the limping Star Wolf space vessel against an "imp," a parasitic biocomputer that is creating havoc and pirating vital information from its position inside the ship. As the imp gathers information to aid the impending attack of the enemy Morthan fleet, Captain Korie struggles with both the internal problems caused by the imp, and the threat of an oncoming Morthan attack. Classics of military science fiction, the Star Wolf trilogy combines fast-paced action with powerful studies of the military character. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Second Half of an Okay Space Opera
Emerging victorious from another David-eats-Goliath encounter with the Morthan Solidarity, the Star Wolf licks its wounds and makes its way home.The ship's unwelcome reception at Starbase is no surprise to readers of David Gerrold's preceding book, The Voyage of the Star Wolf.The cast of now-familiar characters are joined by some new faces as they and their not-quite-yet-captain Commander Korie struggle to rebuild the ship.They face enemies on all sides as they deal with Morthan sabotage, attempts by the fleet to break up their ship for spare parts, and an impending Morthan attack that no one else sees coming.

This book really should have been packaged with The Voyage of the Star Wolf as a single offering.Although it stands on its own reasonably well, it fixes some flaws in the previous book.In Middle of Nowhere we finally see into the minds and cabins of the Star Wolf's crew and gain some sense of their motivations and concerns.It would be better still if less of this perspective were sexual, and more richly emotional or intellectual.But the main characters at least achieve a second dimension to their personalities, a dimension lacking in the previous book.And Commander Korie's flashbacks build a more credible emotional link with his lost wife and sons.

If you are hooked on the Star Wolf and its Star Trek seen-through-a-glass-darkly universe, this book is for you.If David Gerrold's first book in the series fell a little flat, this sequel could still save it for you.After reading it, I was convinced to move the next book in the series, Blood and Fire, a little higher on my recreational reading list.

Miserable Sequel
AFter the VOYAGE OF THE STARWOLF, I expected the crew to come back to base, get refitted and go after the bad guys. Instead, they remain stuck at Star Dock, savenging their ship to others and playing cat and mouse with a Morthan Imp.

One of the premises of the book is that the humans have superior technology to the Morthan wannabes, but if one Morthan can take down a complete starship, then why do you need all these power warships. All you would need are stealthy transports to get your monsters close.

I realize that any Sequel needs a certain amount of repitition tolink to a previous book, but it seemed like a good quarter of the books was the same thing said slightly different.

On whole an unsatisfying read.

Fantastic speculation on war in space
Although this book is a continuation of of another novel (The voyage of the starwolf), it easy to grasp the events that occurred in the first novel without reading it. the events take place onboard a star faring destroyer which is subjected to sabotage by the enemy, and how the crew deal with it. Although this does not seem exciting, but the speculation of the author on how a deep space faring ship would probably be built is appealing to SF fans who insist on finding new and original ideas in every novel they read

The STAR WOLF series defies the limitations of its genre.
"The Middle of Nowhere" accomplishes what few science fiction novels attempt, to explore the aftermath of the "great battle" and its lasting effects on survivors.The starship LS-1187 has limped back to starbase after surviving a battle which destroyed the entire armada to which it had been assigned.The crew, exhausted and elated by their survival against all odds, is treated to the coldest of receptions, while doubt and suspicion hang over the actions and dispositions of their ship.The author gives the reader an intimate view of his character's motivations and emotions, something often lacking in the genre.Add to this a more scientific rendering of space warfare (rather than the romanticised STAR WARS variety.)"The Middle of Nowhere" is engrossing and sometimes enlightening, always entertaining.You needn't have read the other books in the series "Voyage of the Star Wolf" and "Star Hunt" to enjoy this book... but when you are finished with "Middle of Nowhere" you will find yourself seeking them out! ... Read more

Product Description
McCarthy was drafted from his college biology studies and became a member of the Special Forces. Then he is given the opportunity to contact the Chtorr, but when a helicopter crash leaves him and his companions stranded in enemy territory, he must decide whether to communicate with the Chtorr--or kill them! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Last Chtorr War for me
It was good and still entertaining but the main character is getting very negative and the resolutions seems further than ever..and I can't find the next book!

A crazy rollercoaster on the way to nowhere...
and I'm taking you with me!

I read this one first, then read the other 3. I still found this to be the best one, and after reading some of the others and David's Gerrolds website, I worry about both the state of the Chtorr infested Earth and Mr Gerrolds mental state in equal measure! As an biologist, I could see the obvious effort made into creating a believable alien ecology and he uses this book to great effect to consolidate the ground laid in book 1 (indeed much like the chtorran invasion!). The description of the speeded up ecology witnessed by the hero and his squeeze in the downed gunship is beautifully realised and the quality of the writing runs throughout the book, and indeed the series. I would worry as to the direction of the series, however, overall the reader wants answers that are not forthcoming and you get the impression Mr Gerrold himself doesn't really know how to move the series forward. In the planned 5th/6th book, he appears to suggest if you write yourself up as a character and bung him a few quid, you will be a "star" of the book, and be killed off in a variety of interesting and imaginative ways! Which is a shame, because book 2 established some nice architecture to the overall plot and it would be a shame to see the whole thing disintegrate into a mess. Of course this could be an allegorical manifestation of the seemingly entropic nature of the Invasion.

Or am I wrong?

Spoiler warning - As I recall, by the end of book 4, there appears to be no indication of the rhyme or reason, or intelligence behind the invasion and there is a limit to the amount of navel gazing and "worm empathising" that the series can stand. So Mr Gerold, if Book 5 is rubbish, chuck it out, re-read this book and guide the saga (and this is a saga) back onto the high quality rails it started off on.

Crucial to the Saga, but not as good as the first.
This review is for book 2 only, not for the all four books like alot of the other reviews out there.This is the second book in The War Against the Chtorr series and we find our hero Jim Mcarthy and Duke leading a squad of bug killing marines until they get called away on a special mission.To make a long story short, there is a helicopter crash, a critical death, and a new Chtorran species discovered.Based on events in the book Jim finds himself believing that humans and the giant worms called chtorrs could live on earth in a peacful harmony.Can we?, or are we destined down the path of unavoidable war?You will have to read to find out!The book only gets four stars because there are spans of the book that get very boring and the action has decreased alot in this book.I would say this book is for story and building and to go into more detail of the vastness and the advancment of the Chtorran ecology over ours.I realy enjoyed the book except for those 2 or 3 spans I had trouble keeping my eyes open during.I haven't read the third book yet but the ending of this book has me pining to get the third.It isn't easy to find localy and on amazon it seems a little pricey for such and old book but maybe that's because they are so hard to get a hold of. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read A Matter for Men, like I need to, if you read A Matter for Men you are probably just as anxious to read this as I am to read A Rage for Revenge!!

Buy This Book and then Hang On- The Wait is Almost Over
Kill whomever you have to, but read this series. If you are in the joint, make sure that the prison library has this one in stock. If you have to take five books on a desert island, let this series be books one through four, with the Boy Scout manual or the bible (your preference, faith or survival) being number five.

When I first read this series, I was still living at home with my parents. My mother got it for me because I was laid up off of work from a fall compounded with electrical burns from a 12,000 volt line (I used to be an electrician...it wasn't that injury that caused me to leave). Knowing my love for good SF and SF series, and seeing the "creepy-bug-worm-things" on the cover, she picked it up, hoping the series would help keep my mind off of my injuries.

It worked...quite well, in fact. I was so engrossed in the books that I finished them all in a span of 3 1/2 days.

This is easily some of the best post-modern SF that I have ever read. Sicker yet, Gerrold's future is starting to look a lot like our own present...anyone seen any creepy worms yet?

And then the waiting began....

However, I have news!

Having just visited Gerrold's site, as of July 4th of 2004, he had more than 250,000 words done on book five: "A Method for Madness." However, upon telling the publishers that it would break 300K, he was told to split it up, so we're looking at 166K words on book five, not counting sideline stuff, 66K into book six, and it seems that he'll be finishing it relatively soon.

He has sample chapters available on his website, www.gerrold.com

So, rejoice...the time of deliverance is almost at hand!

I'm guessing that book five will hit the shelves sometime next year...then again, I haven't searched Amazon...there may be more updates.

And about that desert island...if book five hits, say goodbye to the bible or the boy scout manual, or sneak 'em in your daypack.

They're that damn good.

Gerrold Betrays Readers
The first 4 books of this series are one of the greatest achievements in Sci-Fi literature.That also makes it one of the greatest betrayals ever perpetrated by an author upon his readers.I don't know what the deal is, greed, illness, a lobotomy, but books 5 (A Method for Madness) & 6 (A Time for Treason) don't look like they will ever see daylight.I found the author's site where there is mention of a movie based on the series but I don't think it's going anywhere and he wouldn't reply to email.

There is a special place in **** reserved for authors of unfinished series, David Gerrold claimed his with this one.I recommend against reading this, it's too painful to stop so abruptly.An incredible tragedy. ... Read more

Product Description
With the human population ravaged by a series of devastating plagues, the alien Chtorr arrive to begin the final phase of their invasion. Even as many on Earth deny their existence, the giant wormlike carnivores prepare the world for the ultimate violation--the enslavement of humanity for food! Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

Cliched and simplistic writing yet a few interesting ideas
Gerrold's writing is probably on par with Stephen King or Harry Harrison, both mediocre writers, but sadly not as interesting to read.I was excited because of the whole "Trouble With Tribbles" endorsement but I didn't realize that the level of character and dialogue would be the same lowbrow caliber as that of a Star Trek teleplay.His characters are simplistic in their genders and his idea of drama is to have them continually yelling at each other.If a buddy wrote this when he was 15, I would have loved it and forgiven him for it.

The one redeeming feature of the first book is the thinly veiled subtext (or perhaps sub-scheme is more expressive) of Gerrold's moral instruction to the youthful male readers of science fiction novels.His social and political conservatism is dogmatic and yet eloquently expressed in several characters.Coming of age, indeed.

I will NOT be reading any more of this series as everyone else writes that the story and writing goes downhill.

Incredible Series But Not for the Squeamish or Faint of Heart
This series is absolutely incredible. It is unlike anything I've ever read before but be warned, it's not for the squeamish or faint of heart.Sometimes you love the main character and sometimes he sickens you. But he will always illicit an emotional response. Tons of action, twists and turns, humor and deep thoughts too. A must read for those who call themselves sci-fi fans.

It's not life changing
It's not life changing but its ok. The reason I gave it a 4 is because of the story idea, such a story idea deserves a five but the actual content that made up the story line dropped it down a star.

PROS:
Obviously the most intriguing part of the whole novel is the idea behind it, the idea that an unknown alien species is trying to irradicate all terran life, and replace it with chtorran life without any casualties on the alien side. The chapters in the book that explained a lot about the chtorran species and where they may have come from was very interesting.

CONS:
I think a unanimous con for most people was the fact that Jim McCarthy was so whiny and dare i say "bitchy" most of the time, even over stuff that made perfect since, he still complained and couldnt see the reasoning behind it. another character flaw ( a big and uncomfortable one for must of us) are the homesexual acts depicted in the book albeit not very bad, just kissing (one instance of mouth to penis), but i honestly couldn't see the imporatance of any of those scenes. They didn't advance the plot in any way, and served only to take up room and time, at one point i actually thought about stop reading because i had grown so tired of the all the man kissing. The other thing that got annoying (after a while) was McCarthy's highschool teacher mr.whitlaw. The whole whitlaw thing only served to push philosophy down the readers throat in between action when mr.gerrold couldnt think of anything else to write about.

I was really hoping this book would be the kind of thought provoking, and inspiring book I was looking for, but instead turned out to be just another ok book.

If the above is what your looking for then i would highly recomend the hyperion cantos (thats the first 2 books). On to the next book which is Anathem by neal stephenson, I'm sure I'll let you know what i think of that book when im finished.

David Gerrold's War Against the Chitorr
This series stands apart from your typical alien invasion: it is an ecological invasion.

On a stary night there were a number of unexpected meteor showers and given time, hundreds of aggressive new species began to emerge displacing the earth's ecosystem for one that was totally alien and deadly to human beings.

One of the first effects of the new alien microbes on earth were a series of devastating plagues that killed almost 2/3rds of the world population. Most of the survivors are walking wounded and all of them are traumatized.

Can the surviving humans fight off this unusual invasion? Only if they can understand it.

There are three books to this seiies and they are all great reading. Problem is, it isn't finished. I hope Mr. Gerrold releases the new three volumes soon. I would love to find out what happens in the end.

Minus one star for being an incomplete series.

Chtooooorrrrrrrrrrr!
This is probably the most addictive series of books I've ever read. A Matter for Men is in some ways the best of the entire Chtorr series, though it is shorter, more focused on action, and with less Heinlein-like interludes than the later novels. I'm sure everyone knows the basic premise: Earth is being terraformed by an alien ecology. This book covers a lot of detail about the first wave of the invasion, terrible plagues that wipe out two-thirds of humanity. And then the fun really begins: giant purple caterpillar-like creatures who feed on humans begin the next step in the invasion.

What makes this novel so fun to read is its accessible first person narration. The narrator, Jim McCarthy, isn't some superhero. He's just an average survivor with no special skills. We follow him through some really harrowing adventures as a biologist attached to the army special forces whose job is to erradicate Chtorrans. The novel is set in the near future, and Gerrold likes to make note of futuristic gadgetry and weapons. We even find out that by the time of the plagues mankind has setup moonbases and organized a "telepathy corps" which allows people to switch bodies by way of a device implanted in their head. These little details just add to the rich atmosphere.

The novel is a setup for the later books in the Chtorr series, so obviously it has no definite ending, but even on its own it is an incredibly entertaining read. I believe anyone who reads A Matter for Men will find it impossible to resist the next chapter in the series.

At the time of this writing, the fifth book is still being worked on. It will be released eventually, but it would be foolish to speculate on when at this point. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Darker and Darker
If you like Sci-Fi with a psuedo-realistic outlook then this is for you. Not for the squemish / young / or those offended or upset by adult themes.

The LGBT Angle
I originally bought these books after I saw a recommendation on an LGBT sci-fi book list. Most "apocalypse survivor" stories conveniently ignore the existence of LGBT people. The assumption is that we can't contribute because we won't breed. First off, I would be more than happy to make babies for the sake of the human species in the event of Z-Day, Alien Invasion, Armageddon, or whatever the doomsday situation! Then there's the other assumption that if you can't breed, then you're useless.Even if you're sterile, there's plenty to do! Foraging for the community, defending it, caring for children, etc. So I was happy to hear about a sci-fi series with a bi protagonist.

In an earlier version of this review, I was overly harsh.I made some assumptions regarding the author's personal views based on the portrayal of his characters (never the best idea).Gerrold's setting isn't neat, nice, or politically correct.His main character, Jim, isn't meant to be a flag bearer for the LGBT community.He's a complicated individual who has been thrown into extraordinary circumstances.He certainly isn't the hero I expected, but he's still the best chance that Earth has, flaws and all.

The War Against the Chtorr is quite different from most Sci-Fi alien invasion stories. So far there have been no space battles or even any sign of spaceships. The nature of the invasion is ecological. Somehow, an entire alien ecology has taken root on earth, ranging from bacteria to megafauna. The worst of these are the Chtorr worms, so named for their screeching battlecry. Actually, wait, the bacteria would be the worst, since they wipeout nearly 80% of humanity in a wave of plagues.

The scattered remnants of humanity struggle to put their lives back together, all while alien plants and animals begin to outcompete native species. The gigantic Chtorr worms are the most visible symbol of this takeover, with their voracious appetites for human flesh. Is this the precursor to a "real" invasion by an unknown sentient species? Or is this the true invasion itself? Questions like this make the book a great page-turner. Each new revelation of the Chtorran ecological infestation just makes you want to learn more.

Love the series EXCEPT this book
Wow. When I finished reading this book I almost gave up on the series (Book 4 was much better). While I have always found Jim to be a bit whiny, this book took him so far past my annoyance level that I was tempted to put it down after every chapter. While the "est" training was interesting at first, I did not enjoy having it shoved down my throat over the course of half of this book. Gerrold should have had more respect for the intelligence level of his readers. Find a good summary online and then skip to the next one; this book is a tremendous waste of time.

Best of the series!
For those of us who actually have the intellectual capacity to READ the & grasp the whole book without getting a migraine and start whining about "psychobabble," this is by far the best of the series.

The villain of the story is, in many ways, an good example of the philosophy that all knowledge is just a tool - whether is it good or evil is simply how it is applied.The villain himself is Modie, a process of the same training that McCarthy undergoes later in order to understand how he was brainwashed - and how to never let it happen again.

To be campy, it's almost like comparing the Jedi to the Sith - both are users of The Force, but it is how they use it that makes them so different.As a hero, McCarthy uses Mode Training to get things done, to be more efficient, to help save the Earth from the Chtorrans.Using the same training, but a different mindset, the villain forms a renegade cult group working with the Chtorran invaders.

Remember, the Chtorr series is not and never was just about big hungry caterpillars.It was also about the human experience, our species, our behaviors as a species brought to the forefront by comparing it to that of the completely alien Chtorr.This book takes a new stab at an idea relevant in ALL the books - it compares our species to itself, what we are, what we can be, and there are more battlefields being fought on than just the Chtorran infested jungles.

The most vicious, ruthless, and costly battle humanity faces in this & every other book is always with itself."A Rage for Revenge" brings this issue into the limelight, and really makes you think hard - not about the alien invaders so much as about our own species, which you realize as you go along can be just as terrifying & alien itself at times.

Hugely disappointing
I rank the first two books of this series as being amongst the most engrossing that I have ever read. So I picked up book 3 with a great degree of excitement. Unfortunately, it's not justified.

Big spoilers follow...

A Rage For Revenge is a horrible, horrible book. There's virtually no action in it; instead we are treated to literally hundreds of pages of talking. This is not in and of itself a bad thing; talk can be utterly engrossing, if what the characters are talking about is interesting! Alas, this is not the case here.

What we get, for chapter after endless chapter, is psychobabble, on the part of what might best be termed a cult leader and some sort of self improvement guru. The two stories take place one after the other but they are intertwined in the book. Each is irritating in its own special way.

The guru's "mode training" is by far the most irritating; it's essentially a set of preposterously silly techniques and arguments used to support a mix of simply wrong and true but blindingly obvious conclusions. As an example of how daft it gets, at one point the guru more or less threatens to kill one of his 'trainees'. It's utterly clear to the reader that this isn't going to happen, and I cannot for the life of me understand how we can be expected to think that the trainees would buy it, but buy it they do. Why? Because the author says so. And the end result of all this training? It's along the lines that most people want to stay alive, and it's a pretty good idea to do what you have to do to ensure that. Wow, the mystery of the ages solved!

Stuff like that happens all the way through this book. The Hero falls under the influence of that cult leader, becoming a willing follower. Why? Pretty much because he has nice eyes and a very sincere voice. So he says things and you believe them, no matter how absurd those things might be.

The end result of all that is that the hero (and pretty much everybody else in the book for that matter; virtually every character is under the influence of the guru or the cult leader) is left looking like a weak-minded fool. I liked the McCarthy character of the first two books; he was smart and competent, but also flawed and immature in many ways. By the end of this book I HATED him. He blindly accepts almost all of the idiocy thrown his way; most of it strikes him as so profound that he collapses into a sobbing wreck. And I'm being literal when I say that - for instance, he's the guy threatened with death by the guru, and he faints because of it. A hardened veteran who has survived combat with Chtorran worms, literally falls down in a faint because a man threatens him with a gun. It's not even much of a threat. And this is the kind of reaction he has over and over again - it's virtually his standard response to anything he finds shocking.

I could go on, but I won't. But one last thing; this book begins with an author's note which is, essentially, an apology for the content. It's written like it's NOT an apology; in fact it's written as virtually the exact opposite of an apology. But when an author takes a few pages at the start to say "hey, I've written a book in this way, and I did it for this reason, and I'm not sorry about it!" - well, that is an apology whether you admit it or not.

He also seems worried that somebody might try to make the mode training a reality. I would say that we shouldn't worry about that, because the mode training is so breathtakingly silly that surely nobody would ever go to it. But then the word has never had a shortage of idiots, so he's probably right to worry about that.

Book 4 is sitting on the shelf right now - I bought 3 and 4 together. I honestly don't know as I write this whether I am ever going to pick it up. But at this point, if I do it will not be with the sense of anticipation and excitement that I had at the start of book 3. Right now, the only thing making me look at book 4 is a sense of morbid curiosity - can it possibly be any *worse*?

A final note. I am STILL a fan of David Gerrold's work, taken in total. I respect him as an author; even this effort is certainly way, way better than anything *I* could write on my best day ever. But for all that it's a bad, bad book and I'm not going to sugar-coat that just because it comes from the pen of a good writer. ... Read more

Product Description
This classic work of science fiction is widely considered to be the ultimate time-travel novel. When Daniel Eakins inherits a time machine, he soon realizes that he has enormous power to shape the course of history. He can foil terrorists, prevent assassinations, or just make some fast money at the racetrack. And if he doesn't like the results of the change, he can simply go back in time and talk himself out of making it! But Dan soon finds that there are limits to his powers and forces beyond his control. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

valley girl does time travel and self-romance
my copy has a foreword by robert sawyer (whose books i admire) that reads like yet another sycophantic Oscar's speech.

the afterward has a "philosopher" vainly trying to justify the preceding, pointless waste of pages. he must be a philosopher - he quoted wittegenstein, descartes and aristotle.

i guess that mr. gerrold is embarrassed by this novel and has dragged some colleagues into the fray to justify its reprinting. dear mr. gerrold at least your protagonist knew when to die, don't put off readers of your other works by letting this pointless writing exercise live again.

but if you must then at least repackage it for what it is a valley girl romance. clones dating clones, talking clothes, hanging around a shopping mall, admiring "2005 vettes".

best line
".... cleopatra was ugly."

Time Travel Book Worth Reading
I have read Three other time travel books: "Replay", "All you Zombies", and "Slaughterhouse Five".

"The Man Who Folded Himself" was quite short, about 115 pages. It picks up quite fast in the sense of explaining Time Travel and the character actually making "jumps". It was not all that mind stimulating, but it did satisfy my time travel fiction craving.

If you like Time Travel. This is definately worth your time. It may not be epic, character is not that cool, but its time travel (you cant really go wrong).

It is adult(has conversations about sexual themes). Just a warning.

the man who folded himself --- book
this book arrived in a timely manner as promised and was in brand new condition.i applaud the service and the product being as advertised.as for the book... i dont recommend reading it. its worthwhile if you've never heard of time travel before

As Good As I Remembered
I initially read this book shortly after its publication when I was a teenager. At that time, I found it to be quite compelling.

A few years later, I read it again, and enjoyed it again.

And, just a few days ago, as a middle-aged man pushing 50, I read it again -- and enjoyed it again.

It's amazing to me that from both a technical and social perspective, the book has aged very, very well. It is well-written, and raises a variety of interesting questions.

I would strongly recommend it to anybody who has the slightest interest in time travel.

Time Travel as Self-Indulgence
Dan inherits a time machine, stylishly fashioned into a belt, from his uncle.He figures out how to use it by actually reading the manual.(This alone challenges our suspension of disbelief!)Then his adventures begin.As the book unfolds, Dan does all of the usual time traveling things.He uses knowledge of the future to place winning bets at the track.He expands this strategy into buying stock in companies that will hit it big, freeing him from financial worries.Dan also visits significant events in history, but says little about them.We are teased with snippets like his passing observation that Cleopatra wasn't very pretty.

And Dan runs into himself.He establishes a working partnership between Dan--his younger self--and Don--his older self--that each falls into whenever two versions of him meet.They begin by passing information to "edit out" actions with negative consequences, such as winning too much money and attracting attention.Dan trusts Don and his information from the future.Their relationship grows into a close friendship as they spend time together.Eventually it becomes a physical relationship.The implications of this step for Dan and his various versions of himself play out.This is very well thought out and skillfully presented.There is a moral message here about self-indulgence that does not descend into gender or sexual politics.It is a line nicely walked for such a nonlinear story.

My favorite parts of the book take place during a party that has many Dans and Dons in attendance, all with different levels of knowledge from their own and alternative timelines.The author keeps all of this straight through skillful writing and timely references to the journal that the protagonist(s) keep and quote from.Dan and the reader are both able, with not too much difficulty, to figure out Dan's life and his roles in it.

This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys time travel.It's one of the very best.It deals with the paradoxes of time travel believably and entertainingly.Buy this one and keep it around to read again.You may well discover something different the next time through it.And each time after. ... Read more

Product Description
Worlds of Wonder showcases the range and power of the human imagination, transported across strange worlds, lost civilizations, and brave new realities.Now, with the help of David Gerrold, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author, readers will learn, step-by-step, how to turn their words into works of wonder.

Drawing on a career spanning three decades of writing and teaching, Gerrold also uses examples from numerous classic books and films to support their growth within the genre. Readers will gain insight into the craft as well as practice techniques that will immediately improve their writing as they are charmed and challenged by Gerrold's infectious passion for his craft and profession. Worlds of Wonder will ignite the engines of readers' enthusiasm in ways that will astonish them.

* Written by one of the biggest, most-recognized and most-honored names in the field!
* The science fiction and fantasy genres are currently riding a new wave of popularity
Amazon.com Review
While both science fiction and fantasy evoke "a sense of wonder in the audience," says David Gerrold in Worlds of Wonder, science fiction "is about what's possible," while "fantasy is about what's not." Writing for both these genres is a lot like "playing with a set of Lego bricks," Gerrold says: you're creating your own world, but you have to work within a logical framework. Like other forms of storytelling, says Gerrold (best known for his "Trouble with Tribbles" Star Trek episode), science fiction and fantasy rely on mysterious first sentences, effective exits, and surprises in every sentence in between. The difference is that your characters inhabit whole worlds of your own making, worlds that may be "marvelous and surprising to the reader," but must remain ordinary to the story's characters. To carry this off, says Gerrold, "you have to write each moment"--no matter how improbable--"as if you lived it yourself." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Disappointing
Let me start by saying that I don't mind the notion of someone referring to his own work.If I'm reading Orson Scott Card's book, and he refers to a sentence or paragraph from Ender's Game, then I'm glad to see his advice and technique in action.When Gerrold refers to the Trouble with Tribbles episode of Star Trek, it works.

But when he quotes his unsuccessful works, I simply wonder who cares.Moreover, he doesn't quote a mere sentence or paragraph all the time.Sometimes it will be PAGES of his work, with little analysis afterwards about what does/doesn't work.

The chapters are short, which I thought would be a good thing.It's because some concepts are so elementary, such as the chapter on similes.He emphasizes that you shouldn't use phrases like "as big as a football field" and such in a scifi book.The other reason chapters are so short is because he provides few literary examples.Every other how-to scifi book I've read will show you the same passage written different ways to show you what works and what doesn't.Gerrold does this at times, but sometimes his examples will just be random sentences that don't pertain to scifi at all (see the section on adverbs and the sentence about a barking dog written 5 ways).

Finally, I personally didn't find a lot of his writing exercises helpful or relevant.At times they seemed downright flaky.Pretending to have a conversation with my character, asking him questions, and having him do the same seemed odd to me.But when Gerrold mentions that he did this exercise and a character jumped across the table at him with a knife, I felt like I was listening to some deranged man's rambling.

Not all is lost with Gerrold.He does give you good tips on how to build a world, how to set your own rules, etc.A lot of the advice seems to be for hard scifi, so if you're not interested in biology intricacies or gravitational rules then you'll find yourself skipping over a lot of the book.Moreover, he does the most important thing that all how-to scifi things do, and that's teaching you to exercise cognition to know every corner of the world you're making.Not every detail needs to be written, but if you've truly built your world from the ground up, it will show.

Overall this book was a pain for me to get through.I don't consider myself a scifi veteran, nor a total amateur, and I got very little out of this book.It's not completely worthless, but I'd advise you look elsewhere if you're starting to right some scifi.

Don't let the sub-title fool you
Don't let the "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy" sub-title fool you! Yes, that's in here, but this is possibly the best book about writing that you'll ever come across. Friends who have read the book agree. It's a pity that the book is out of print, but don't let that stop you. Find a good used copy from one of the Amazon sellers and enjoy this marvelous book!

World Of Wonder
Worlds Of Wonder

Worlds Of Wonder is a very useful book for writers wishing to explore science fiction and fantasy. David Gerrlod manages to keep this book fun and informative.

I love the way David starts this book, a tribute to his college professor. "He was a bleary eyed, red-nosed, overstuffed, walking elbow wrinkle of a human being." How's that for descriptive writing? Too many adjectives you say? I think it paints a clear picture of his professor and anti-hero. David claims that five words his professor spoke to him changed his life. "You'll never be any good." I guess his professor was wrong.

Worlds Of Wonder is so informative that I do not have time to cover all the information offered in this book, so I will try to condense and most likely butcher the advise this author offers.

Let me start by naming a few chapters from this novel: The Literature Of Imagination, Inventing Wonder, If-The Most Powerful Word, Science, Science Fiction, ... and Fantasy, What Is A Story, A Story Is, Crises and Challenges, and so forth. Each chapter contains insights to the given title and some chapters offer helpful writing exercises. My favorite chapter where about world building and building aliens, you can only imagine the fun these chapters contained. Dr. Jack Cohen a British biologist is given credit for working with many authors including David Gerrold, so the information in these chapters is quite informative.

These simple words from David Gerrold have stuck with me long after reading the book. "The literature of the fantastic is about awakening the feeling of awe- and exercising it."

This is a very good book and a must read for writers of every level. I wish I had the time and energy to explore this book in depth, but that would take much too long.

World of Greatness
I got this book after going to a seminar done by David Gerrold at this year's Wonder Con. The book was worth the effort. Smart and full of personal insight, it is great guide for anyone involved in the craft of writing fiction. I would recommend it highly.

Helpful
David Gerrold appears to know what he is talking about in his book Worlds of Wonder. He exercises a well developed understanding of the science fiction and fantasy genres, giving advice on a variety of subjects. Gerrold attempts to help the reader write better stories by aiding them in a step by step process of developing characters, worlds, conflicts, a variety of situations and scenes, and much more. His knowledge of the fantasy and science fiction fields make his suggestions particularly useful to a beginning writer. However, Gerrold is writing from a perspective of how he has written in the past, thus giving advice that may or may not work for everyone else. Therefore, one should definitely read this book and one will be able to find plenty of helpful advice, but if something does not work for oneself, one should just follow one's instinct while holding Gerrold's advice in one's mind. Overall, this book was very helpful and was a delightful read. ... Read more

Product Description
Inside a huge, dark object of strange design is a long-lost colony from the planet Earth--primitive human beings convinced that Kirk's landing party are demons and unaware of their own approaching demise. Reissue." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Galactic Whirlpool
The last, and by far the best, of the Bantam paperbacks. The author is Star Trek veteran David Gerrold, who by this time had already written scripts for the series ("The Trouble With Tribbles") and the animated series ("The Pirates of Orion") as well as written a book about the series, with both praise and criticism ("The World of Star Trek"). Gerrold was also one of the developers of the Next Generation series. So obviously, he had an intimate knowledge of the characters. That knowledge shows, and shines like a beacon.

Our story: While on patrol of the Klingon border, the Enterprise encounters an odd sensor reading. Closer investigation reveals a slower-than-light ship, built on a huge scale--a self-contained world. Obviously a ship built to ferry thousands of colonists, for many generations, to a new star system. The questions follow: who built it? Where did they come from? Where were they going, and how long have they been travelling? Contact with such a ship is problematic, because they may not be aware that any other civilizations exist to contact them, and to do so may be a violation of the Prime Directive.

Soon, that point becomes moot, as they are found to be on a collision course for the Galactic Whirlpool: a twin black hole, rotating slowly through the galaxy and drawing everything in its path into the immense gravity well. If the Enterprise crew do not interfere, the ship will be destroyed in a matter of months. Now the problem becomes one of how to interfere, so as to cause the least panic and disruption to the peoples' lives.

Gerrold handles the characters expertly here, and finds a full role for Kevin Riley, an officer who had major roles in two TV episodes. Gerrold also impresses some of his own ideas about the series, many of which were also used in the Next Generation series. Gerrold has also researched his science, and brings us many tidbits about the 22nd century and the events that led up to it. He fills in many details that cannot be used in a TV show, due to time constraints. And he even places himself into the story, in the person of an historian nicknamed "Specks."

This is a wonderful novel to read, not just a good Star Trek novel. I can recommend this one highly.

One of the original adventures.
Before the Pocket Books numbered series, several novels were written by noted authors involved in the series.This is a novel that never became an episode but was written nearer to the actual series timeframe.

Reasonable episode adaptation
This novel was actually an adaptation of an unproduced two-part episode that Gerrold wrote prior to "The Trouble With Tribbles."The build-up of multiple problems makes it an interesting story, but it bogs down here and there. ... Read more

Product Description
The first work in David Gerrold's Star Wolf trilogy, this tale pits the human members of the Star Wolf space vessel against the superhuman Morthan crew. Captain Jonathan Korie, hampered by the loss of most of the human fleet to the Morthans and a nearly disabled ship of his own, faces the Morthan threat driven by the need for survival and the desire for revenge. A classic of military science fiction, the Star Wolf trilogy combines rapid action with powerful studies of military character. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Passable Space Opera, Cardboard Crew
This is the story of the disastrous first mission of the star ship LS-1187 and its long limp home to an ungrateful reception and refit.The second mission is equally fraught with disaster.

The book is of historical interest to Star Trek fans because of its author's major influence on the Star Trek:The Next Generation television series.Its cleverly named "Morethan" bad guys closely resemble Star Trek Klingons.There is even an offsides Morethan security officer serving aboard the LS-1187, stoically enduring the prejudices of his crewmates.He comes off a little tougher than TNG's Lieutenant Whorf, although the overall resemblance is very close.

The characters were disappointingly shallow, especially for a book praised for its psychological complexity.The most painful example came when one character flew into a multi-chapter rage and depression over the deaths of his family.The readers had been through half the book with him by this point and this was the first indication he even had a family.One officer recommends that he handle his personal issues in the privacy of his cabin.We might have greater empathy for this character if we had occasionally seen him in his cabin, writing to his family or looking at their pictures.Or doing anything.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, especially after reading The Man Who Folded Himself.It was enjoyable, but mostly for the historical connection to Star Trek.I do plan to read the sequels, The Middle of Nowhere and Blood and Fire, for similar reasons.But they aren't as high on my list as they were, sad to say.

A decent pulp sci-fi read
A friend suggested this book, and it turned out to be entertaining.It feels like pulp military sci-fi, and since Gerrold's background is Star Trek TOS (The Trouble With Tribbles) & TNG - you can immediately see references and character traits similar to Star Trek. The storyline was quick paced, and kept me engaged. There are no strong, developed female characters though - so it is definitely geared for guys.

After reading this 1st novel of the Star Wolf trilogy, I'm eager to continue reading the series.

Passable Space Opera, Cardboard Crew
This is the story of the disastrous first mission of the star ship LS-1187 and its long limp home to an ungrateful reception and refit.The second mission is equally fraught with disaster.

The book is of historical interest to Star Trek fans because of its author's major influence on the Star Trek:The Next Generation television series.Its cleverly named "Morethan" bad guys closely resemble Star Trek Klingons.There is even an offsides Morethan security officer serving aboard the LS-1187, stoically enduring the prejudices of his crewmates.He comes off a little tougher than TNG's Lieutenant Whorf, although the overall resemblance is very close.

The characters were disappointingly shallow, especially for a book praised for its psychological complexity.The most painful example came when one character flew into a multi-chapter rage and depression over the deaths of his family.The readers had been through half the book with him by this point and this was the first indication he even had a family.One officer recommends that he handle his personal issues in the privacy of his cabin.We might have greater empathy for this character if we had occasionally seen him in his cabin, writing to his family or looking at their pictures.Or doing anything.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, especially after reading The Man Who Folded Himself.It was enjoyable, but mostly for the historical connection to Star Trek.I do plan to read the sequels, The Middle of Nowhere and Blood and Fire, for similar reasons.But they aren't as high on my list as they were, sad to say.

Just OK
While admitting its shortcomings, I was a fan of the Chtorr series. I decided to see what else Mr. Gerrold has to offer.

The sci-fi elements of the book are excellent. The faster than light travel is explained in an especially imaginative way and the ships are described in detail.

Unfortunately, I must agree with some of the other readers in that the characters are not multifaceted in any way. Some characters include the engineer (who really wants to be Scotty from Star Trek), Brik (Worf from ST:TNG), and "the Bad Guys" (any of the evil Klingons).

While I really wanted to like this story, I found myself distracted by the cliches. Characters were introduced and killed (much like the random guy on the away teams) and the other characters would say "Oh, well" *shrug*. The story was just too close to a really bad Star Trek episode for me to be entertained.

Good Read
I liked this book very much and plan on reading more of his work. Thanks for the great read.Rick ... Read more

Product Description
This funny and insightful science fiction classic introduces Shoogar, the greatest wizard ever known in his village. His spells can strike terror in the hearts of even his most powerful enemies. But the enemy he faces now is like none he has ever seen before. The stranger has come from nowhere and is ignorant of even the most basic principles of magic. But the stranger has an incredibly powerful magic of his own. There is no room in Shoogar's world for an intruder whose powers match his own, let alone one whose powers might exceed his. So before the blue sun can cross the face of the red sun once more, Shoogar will show this stranger just who is boss. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

terrible Kindle edition
i liked the book -- i'm a Niven fan so i'm not sure how i missed this title.i've always enjoyed Niven's light-hearted stories.

however, the Kindle edition was horrible, with pervasive "typesetting" errors.i couldn't get more than a few pages without running into a random word in superscript/subscript, or a whole line in a different font size, or dropped characters or punctuation, and, at least once, an entire paragraph in right-justification.granted these are minor errors, but each mistake hit me like a brick wall, bringing my reading to a dead stop.

whoever translated this to the Kindle simply did a terrible job.=(

The Flying Sorcerers
I am a Larry Niven fan, and have gone out of my way to track down out-of-print copies of his older books.When I saw this title, I was looking forward to another fine book in Niven's style.

This isn't one.Niven's style is almost not present in the book.When I received the invite to review the book, I had to think hard about what the book was...it left that little of an impression on my memory.

Normally I keep books and re-read them.I traded this one in.

Perplexingly bad
Gerrold and Niven are both excellent SF writers.I usually enjoy their books, and both have built up large and high-quality bodies of work.That's why the badness of "Flying Sorcerers" is so baffling.It's like they banged this out in a weekend on a bet.

Much is made of the alleged humor of this novel.Fannish jokes and puns belong at Worldcon, not in a book put out for sale to the general public.Their humor value fails to rise over the level of Granpa's thighslappers.For example, two young alien boys who build a flying machine are called "Wilville" and "Orbur."Ho, ho.My sides!And the gags go downhill from there.

So why 2 stars instead of one?Despite all of its flaws, this is still an amiable book."Ringworld Throne" aside, both Niven and Gerrold have enough talent to make this book at least somewhat interesting, and to keep the thin plot moving.

If you're interested in these authors, and you should be, pick out almost anything from their extensive catalogs before you purchase this.

Fine work
This book is really a great work if you realize what it is, comical sci-fi. And it is not a Niven story but a Gerrold one, if you liked The Trouble With Tribbles episode of Star Trek then this for you.

To dananbethany> It's a pun, As a mauve. Asimov.

An overlooked treasure
This is one of the funniest SF books out there.I've got an old tattered copy, and I will order the new edition when it comes out.The book is full of cultural, SF and fandom references.Some might be a little dated (for example, the symbol of the sheep, the horned box, is a reference to a TV with antenna, and how many people have seen one of THOSE lately?), but overall, this book holds up very well.

To answer another reviewer's question would be a spoiler, but anyone who wishes to know who Purple was based on can email me at my nickname at hotmail. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A more realistic Star Trek
A rescue mission for a crippled medical research starship in orbit around a red giant and in the path of a stream of plasma being torn from the red giant by its orbiting blue dwarf, provides the dramatic physical backdrop for this exciting novel.However even more interesting human ethical questions soon dominate the plot.What research was the crippled starship working on that was so dangerous that the starship was placed in such a dramatic "self-destruct" orbit, should it ever be needed?What went wrong and can the Star Wolf crew find out while locating and rescuing any survivors in the limited time available?

Given the multiple revisions this story has been through (the introduction and afterword explain why), this novel should be an enjoyable read and it doesn't disappoint.

Star Trek the Next Generation Gone Bad
Set sometime after the events of The Voyage of the Star Wolf and The Middle of Nowhere, this story finds Commander Korie, his captain and their crew on a secret rescue mission to an isolated medical research ship, the Norway.They quickly determine that the Norway hosts an infestation of deadly bloodworms, an incurable and highly infectious parasite.Their problems multiply as they confront constraining fleet regulations, military secrets, corrupted artificial intelligence, and morale-straining quarantine procedures.

This book was originally written as a script for the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series.It has a long history of controversy, being rejected either because it contained a committed gay couple as supporting characters or because the bloodworm parasites were too "distasteful" for the TNG audience.In Forward and Afterward chapters, D. C. Fontana and author David Gerrold present their version of these events and other interesting details about the oft-praised, but never-produced Star Wolf TV series.

The book is a good read and recommended to both Star Wolf and Star Trek fans.The bloodworm plague is interesting as a literary treatment of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and as good storytelling in its own right.I can understand why some might find the story too dark for TNG, but think it would have worked very well as a Deep Space Nine episode.I really would have enjoyed seeing that Star Wolf series...

But how does Gerrold REALLY feel about Gene Roddenberry?
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.

Another great Star Wolf novel!
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.

Different writer?
One of the best books I've ever read in Sci-Fi, was The Voyage of the Star Wolf. In fact, I had re-read it in anticipation of the final book of the trilogy.

It was as fresh and engaging as the first time I had read it. I had forgotten some of the plot, so it was fun to see how Brik and Korie would out smart the terrifying Morthan assassin. Characters were well developed and smartly defined, with fast paced action. The reader is left on the edge of the seat to the very last minute; even past the very last minute.

Blood and Fire reads like a NASA narrative of a Mars mission. Some of the story seems intended to fill pages. Take this passage:

"On the Bridge, Captain Parsons watched the progress of the docking procedure with deep concern."

No, this is not a NASA narrative, this is one of those silly soliloquies one expects from the mouth of an airhead blond on "Days of Our Lives".

Why couldn't Gerrold show us Captain Parsons' concern?

Compare that with this passage from The Voyage of the Star Wolf:

--------

"Korie looked to the captain. The old man was frozen.

"Sir-?"

Captain Lowell started to lift a hand, as if he was about to say something. A thought flashed through Korie's mind. He's never been in a real battle.

Korie whirled. ""Targeting-? Get a lock on her. Battle stations! Stand by to fire.""

HARLIE replied instantly. "Targetting now."

Captain Lowell blinked, as if abruptly realizing where he was: "Uh- what did the flagship say?"

-----

See the contrast? We don't need the author to tell us Captain Lowell was completely freaked out by the Morthan attack, we could feel what was going on in the Captain's mind. We were on the deck of that ship with the attack of the dreaded Morthans underway.

This is Gerrold at his best. Which is why Blood and Fire is a real disappointment. It's as if a really good story concept, Star Wolf, was being used to generate a sequel, and the job was handed off to a team of contract script writers because the original writer was fighting over a contract.

Come on David, you can do better then this.

Two stars only because I admire the author. ... Read more

Product Description
WHERE THE ADVENTURE BEGAN...

CAPTAIN'S LOG, STARDATE 41254.7: The U.S.S. Enterprise™ is en route to Cygnus IV -- the edge of the known galaxy. There, we will rendezvous with the ship's new first officer and the other command personnel and proceed with out mission: discover the truth about Farpoint Station, a starbase facility built by the inhabitants of Cygnus IV, a starbase of unparalleled size and complexity...and infinite mystery.

And the success or failure of this, our first mission together, may well determine the course of human exploration across the galaxy for centuries to come... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Decent Book for a Weak Episode
I remember watching "Encounter at Farpoint" when it first aired with several high school friends, and the great groans of derision we all uttered when Deanna cried out, "I sense joy, Captain!Great joy!"The rest of the premier episode was hardly encouraging.It wasn't *terrible*, but it did not inspire great hopes, either.

David Gerrold took a generally weak episode and fleshed it out as best as anyone could do, but not even Shakespeare could have turned "Encounter at Farpoint" into a gripping read.There are, of course, a few problems with changed premises (for example, William "call me Bill" Riker and Picard's obsession with some woman named "Celeste"), but one can hardly blame Gerrold for that.

Great novelization!
David Gerrold did a wonderful job with the novelization of the episode that started The Next Generation!After purchasing the first season of TNG on DVD and watching Encounter at Farpoint I thought it would be interesting to go back and read this book again.If you want to get the few details of episode that weren't in it, read this.This is the Genesis of Star Trek The Next Generation!

Encounter at Farpoint - Where No Man Has Gone Before
This book was very good.If you're interested in learning some new information about the crew of the Enterprise-D, this is the place to start.I have been a trekkie for about 6 years, and I have read many books, but David Gerrold did a great job with this novelization.There are extra scenes and more information that in the TV episode.

Overall, this is a great book.A recommendation to anyone who wants a good read.

A good supplement to the TV episode
A good book, which copies the TV episode closely, with a few additional scenes. A good book to start with for all TNG newbies, if there is such a thing.

It's where it all begun for TNG
It's a good book, you get the chance to read what was going through some characters's minds but in this case, it is better just to watch the Episode.It's a classical... where it all begun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Kirk Re-wrestling a Gorn, It Ain't
David Gerrold, a writer and actor, wrote a great book about the original Star Trek series in 1973 and updated it in 1984. This is unusual because most of the books written about the show or based on the Star Trek are total drivel. They often feature hypothetical blueprints for transporters or ray guns, dull stories about Cap'N Picard chasing Borg out of his shirt sleeves or even worse: Kirk re-wrestling a Gorn he'd already drop kicked in the scaly green snout twenty years ago - really uninspired genre stuff. I think the operational logic behind this concept in mass publishing trade paperbacks is: "%@*# 'em! They'll buy anything". Hey, maybe they're right. Abdom-o-sizers, blue Pith Helmets emblazened with Dr. Who logos and Snuggies featuring Twilight characters don't exactly sell themselves.

As a counterpoint to consumer vapidity, in 1973 David Gerrold, the writer of The Trouble With Tribbles and frequent contributor to the series, sat down to write an intelligent account of the years of development and the strain of production. His book details the unique individuals involved in the first real sci-fi series on American network television. The novel is both a documentary of the series and actors as well as a sometimes wry and sometimes light-hearted look at writing for television and writing in general.

Although The World Of Star Trek is a hard to find classic is a great book accompanied with 100 production and PR photos from the three years Star Trek was actually on the air prior cancellation by brilliant NBC executives. The show's ressurrection, through the wonders of syndication, has driven interest in pointy ears and befuddling electronic gadgetry to an all-time high.

The writer of "The Trouble with Tribbles"
David Gerrold chronicles the beginnings of Star Trek, as well as its growing pains, and its evolution up to and including "The Search for Spock."

This is an insider's look at the show, with a great deal of discussion on what Gene Roddenberry had in mind:the characters as they came to him, how the USS Enterprise came about, and the constraints that a commander would have to work under in deep space.

Just getting a show, any show past treatment form to the executives is tough enough;despite Roddenberry's proven track record as a creator and writer, this one was not an easy sell, as Gerrold points out.The network was not pleased with the creation of Spock, nor did they like the idea of a woman being First Officer (Majel Barrett, the later Nurse/Dr. Chapel and Mrs. Roddenberry).It was either the alien or the woman, and one had to go.

Gerrold also points out the scientific errors, such as people falling out of their chairs (MIT students can do a better than us of explaining it), and there's other holes big enough to drive Enterprise-E through, but Star Trek was also supposed to be fun in its own way.

Actors, writers, and many of the behind the scenes people speak openly and freely about their experience, and all agree it was one they'd trade for nothing.

Gerrold also pays tribute to the determined efforts of Bjo Trimble, the lady who pretty much single-handedly saved the show from extinction after season two.He looks into the fans themselves, and how their love of the show translated into their real lives.

All in all, a book I've read and enjoyed many times.The show will never die, no matter what.

An insider's look behind the making of Star Trek
As someone who viewed the original Star Trek series when it aired for the first time, I can be considered an original Trekkie. While the science segment of the science fiction was often weak, the ideas and the vision for the future that it represented extended beyond what anyone could have imagined at the time. It represented a future where humanity had finally been able to end the conflicts on Earth, build a mighty fleet of star ships and find species on other planets that became allies. However, the future was not altogether rosy.
In episodes such as "The Space Seed" there were allusions to a ghastly, incredibly destructive nuclear war on Earth. It was hinted that this was the event that finally galvanized the human race to end conflict and join together. There were also the continuous conflicts between the Federation and the Romulans and Klingons. However, while there was the mention of a brutal war having been fought between the Federation and the Romulans, war is averted in the two episodes where the Enterprise and the Romulans meet.
Gerrold was the writer of "The Trouble With Tribbles" considered by many to be the best episode in the original series. He takes us behind the scenes in the creation, piloting and filming of the original series. He pulls no punches in his description of Star Trek, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the series. When something was done poorly, he explains that some of the failures were a consequence of the time. The late sixties was a time when women and minorities were not given strong roles, what you see in the original series was ground-breaking for the times. Any attempt to go any farther than what was done was blocked.
Gerrold also mentions how the show began to show signs of fatigue, as the story lines began to be repeated in an attempt to save money. Star Trek was a high budget show, so there was every attempt to save production costs, often to the detriment of the show. Finally, Gerrold also describes the development of the first three Star Trek feature movies and the fits and starts that took place before the first one was ever made. Given the success of the series of Star Trek movies, it is amazing to read how much time and effort it took to get the first one made.
Gerrold has an insider's view of the Star Trek phenomenon and he tells his stories very well. If you want to go beyond the basics of the series and learn something about how things were really done, then this is a book you need to read.

Behind the scenes of TOS
One of the first books written about the behind the scenes activities of TOS.Pictures, interviews, and anecdotes from the original production run.

GREAT JOB!!!
"The World of Star Trek" is a masterpiece! With episodes, interviews, pictures, and TONS of information about the cast, sets, makeup, etc., it's no wonder that it's my favorite Star Trek book. I highly suggestthat any Star Trek-or even science fiction in general-fan should READ THISBOOK! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (23)

Science Fiction with soul
Let me start of by saying this book touched me.I didn't expect it to, but there you go.

Others have given good summaries of the plot, so I won't bother.

The science and the world that David Gerrold built were very interesting, but it was the family relationships that gave this book soul.It took a while to develop a sympathy for this family, but it was very powerful at the end.I think it touched me because it wasn't the happy ending we all expect at the end of a novel, with all the loose ends tied up.It was messy, just like real family relationships are.

Sometimes I forget just how good of a write Mr. Gerrold is.

I've just ordered the other two books in the trilogy, and can't wait to read how the boys do.

Jerry Springer in space.
Where to begin?We have the unlikeable characters.The dithering father. He's divorced from a shrewish mother who seems to exist only as a caricature in the background.Eldest child, who could potentially be an interesting person, except that the only things we ever really find out about him are his sexual preferences and the fact that he's a lousy student.Middle child, who could be interesting if he'd ever stop feeling sorry for himself and youngest child who seems to be a never-ending temper tantrum on legs.

Believable?Yes, I've met people that could be the models for these characters.Interesting?Not really, unless you're also into the tabloids and "Divorce Court" on TV.Likeable?Not in the least.

Next we have the uninteresting story.Evil, paranoid mom tries to cut off dad's visitation because she thinks he's planning to kidnap the kids.Except that we're supposed to forget that she's right.Dad really is trying to kidnap the kids, and actually sell both himself and them into what is described in the book as "slavery".Kids stuck in the middle between two warring parents that seem to be willing to do absolutely anything to strike out at each other.

Ok, since the characters are one-dimensional and the story drags, we've got to add in some irrelevancies to get people to think that the story is daring, or brave, or something.Let's try mixing up the sexual preferences of some of the characters.I won't say which ones (although if you've read some of the other reviews, you'll already know).The fact that their sex lives have little to do with the story or even that those bits read as if they had been added in after the story was completed won't stop some folks from applauding the "courage" of the author for including them.

The few characters that are supposed to be the "bad guys" are simply trying to uphold law and decency.Yes, they have ulterior motives for doing so, but so what?One is trying to stop a huge multinational corporation from massive illegal smuggling, and another trying to stop a parent from kidnapping his children and selling them into slavery.Yes, these are the bad guys.The good guys want to give the kids the choice of becoming either street people or slaves on the moon.

Some authors develop worlds where I would like to live.Most create characters that I would like to know, either at my back in a fight or at the bar, over a beer.This world and these characters deserve each other.I'll be as far away as I can get.

Before the Chtorr
This book is hard to classify but if you have read Gerrold's War Against The Chtorr books you will be familiar with the style.

The story concerns three brothers spending a visitation with their father.He suggests a trip to the Moon and, against all previous behavior patterns, actually seems to follow through on the idea.

Getting to the Moon involves using a space elevator located in Ecuador at Sheffield Clarke.This is one of two currently in operation.

But nothing is quite so simple.Mom thinks Dad is trying to kidnap the children.Where did Dad get the money?What about all of the strange characters who are interested in the family?Needless to say, it gets quite complex.

The whole story is seen through the eyes of the middle son (Charles or Chigger).Because of this, events and characters often seem more incidental than they really are.

The story is also fleshed out with loads of discussions on planetary economics, physics, biology, etc.There are also complications from the overcrowded Earth.Plagues are starting to spread over vast sections of the planet and there have been reports of giant pink caterpillars that can eat horses (Chtorr?).

Kids may star in this book, but it is really aimed at the thinking reader.This is not a fluff piece or an action yarn.But it is very entertaining and a good first piece to the series.

There's no Jack in this Beanstalk
Back in the fifties Robert Heinlein pretty much perfected the science fiction 'juvenile' (which merely means that his protagonists were normally adolescents - not that the novels do not deal with difficult, complex, 'adult' themes and ideas). Few authors have had the temerity to write works that use the Heinlein model as their basis, but Gerrold has attempted it here.

As a starting point, Gerrold takes a very dysfunctional family consisting of three brothers, all of whom have various highly anti-social character traits, and their divorced parents, who are constantly squabbling over custody and visitation rights to their children. He places them in a reasonably near-term future, where the multi-national corporations have pretty much taken over, 17 billion people are voraciously consuming what little resources planet Earth still has, and the defining technological development is the 'beanstalk', a massive wire hung from geosynchronous orbit all the way down to the planet surface and extending upwards nearly as far for balance.The father, at the end of his wits and finances, decides to 'kidnap' his children and take them up the 'beanstalk' as the first part of a journey to the moon and beyond in an attempt to leave his troubles (and legal jurisdiction) behind.

The story is told from the viewpoint of the middle 13 year old brother, who feels 'left out', that his parents and brothers never really talk to him or deliver on their promises, leaving him cynical and withdrawn. As the story progresses, he begins to develop his own sense of responsibility for his actions and depend less on the 'that's not fair' type argument. Unfortunately, most of this development is somewhat hidden from the reader till near the very end of the book, where the statements he makes seem to almost come from nowhere, as too little of his underlying thinking has been previously shown. Starting as a complete techno-geek with few defining human characteristics, the eldest brother is only slowly developed, so that only at the end of the book does he come to the point where he seems like a real person worthy of your notice. The youngest brother starts as and remains a near cipher, a tool for showing the need for parental discipline and allowing brotherly responsibility to be exhibited.

Still, Gerrold is better in his characterizations than while trying to explain the technology of his world. While the ideas are good, sometimes exemplary, such as his concepts on the flow of various types of money, his exposition is too often dry, near academic in tone. Here he definitely suffers in comparison to Heinlein, who could write twenty page essays on the care and feeding of space suits and remain entertaining and continue to further his story line during the exposition.On the other hand, the courtroom scenes that Gerrold presents are just as good (and very similar in tone and action) as any of Heinlein's, and his societal ideas (such as being able to divorce your parents) are very much in the Heinlein tradition.

There are some items touched on here that Heinlein could never have gotten by the editors of his time, such as homosexuality (of both sexes) and certain bodily functions. While these items play a role in the story development, they are not gone into in any detail, though it might have made a better, deeper book if they had been. But with these items, it makes the book unsuitable for very young readers.

Even with these flaws, this is still a good, very readable book that brings the old Heinlein model into the world of today. Today's teens may find this book more relevant, more in tune with their world, than the older Heinlein works.

...
...He's not a musical genius, his dad wasn't an orchestra conductor, he's not a middle child, his parents were never divorced, he doesn't have a gay sibling, and he didn't come from a dysfunctional family.But he was a teenager once, if that counts.He also said that his only experience with custody issues was the adoption of his son, which he said was a lot of fun.(Read his book, The Martian Child.)Oh, and he said that the character of Howard the lawyer was based on a real lawyer who tried to hit him with a nuisance action, and made so many mistakes in his own preparation that eventually it became a joke.But I liked Jumping Off The Planet for two reasons.First, the people and their relationships seemed very real, so real that I can understand why some folks think the author had to be writing from experience.Second, I liked the courtroom scenes.When David Gerrold gets into a moral argument, it's always surprising.He gives me things to think about.In these books, the courtroom scenes are necessary as a way of demonstrating that teenagers are still under the control of adults, and that no matter what a kid does, right or wrong, eventually adults are going to decide what happens next.Yes, it would be nice if there were a nice neat ending where the good guys win and the bad guys get punished, but in real life, life goes on, and I think this is what Gerrold is trying to show, that each of these books is not a complete advenjture as much as it's one more step in the long journey of life. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

good juvenile (Heinlein would proud)
This was a good story, the first of a trilogy.The books are in the new large format paperback so they cost a little more.The story is about an "extended" family moving to another, more primitive planet. Instead of showing up like the typical missionaries of old, they are going to try to blend into the primitive society until that society "grows up.It might work.

Being David Gerrold
I've often wondered what it must be like to live in David Gerrold's brain, a brain that creates such complex worlds, ecosystems, creatures, species of higher intelligence, etc."Child of Earth" follows the story of Kaer and Kaer's family, through their preparation for moving to the world of Linnea, earth-like, but not exactly.

Gerrold brings in all the elements you'd expect from a Gerrold novel--bad puns, redheads, creatures and characters from former Gerrold works, friends from Gerrold's real life, political commentary, more bad puns, and chocolate, all framing the main photograph, which is the action surrounding Kaer's family, the giant horses of Linnea, and leaving one wondering how many years it will take for book 2 of this trilogy to hit the shelves.

I'm not sure why this is classified as a "young people's" book, since it involves some pretty complex scientific descriptions which I am either too old or too dense to follow thoroughly.

I managed to finish this book on an 8-hour drive from one end of California to the other and will now twiddle my thumbs until the sequel gets written.But then I've been doing that about Gerrold's Chtorr series for decades, so I'm used to it.

Good read.Buy it.

Classical Gerrold
Which is to say, this is a novel in which you'll find many elements that you'll have loved if you've read any of his other works, particularly the most recent ones: alternate social experiments, a first person narrator (with a twist!: there is one particular detail you never get to know about this character!), the emphasis on commitment, education, family ties, etc..
I don't understand why, together with his Dingillian saga, this novel has been billed as "fiction for young readers". Although, if you think of it... If being an adult means you cannot immerse yourself in the world of someone else's imagination and chew on the implications of the ideas and scenarios thereby presented, you must definitely be of a certain age to enjoy this. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Interesting but tasteless
Others have explained what this book is about, but I would just warn you that it's sometimes crude. Who did David Gerrold think he was--Philip Jose Farmer?

Great!
I am thoroughly enjoying this book! I love the grammatical errors and misspellings.
The absolutely impossible story line is pure gold! LMAO!

When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One (Release 2.0)
I looked for a long time for "When Harlie Was Two" (a title promised in the book "When Harlie Was One").Never found it.

There was a good reason!That book was never written.

I finally found it at Worldcon 63 (Noreascon 4) in the huckster's room where I ran across the author himself at a booth selling "When Harlie Was One (Release 2.0)".

It may be out of print, but it is not unavailable.Try his home page.

http://www.gerrold.com/

When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One (Release 2.0)
Simply one of the best pieces of speculative fiction I've ever read. It has flaws, but it still takes the breath away, the sheer audacity of its vision. Warning, this book will make you think and could change the way you see yourself and others...

Once read, never forgotten. It's a crime it's out of print, track down a copy and see for yourself.

When Harlie was one
I read the book maybe 25 years ago, and it is one of the few books that have always stuck in my memory.The main reason I am writing this review is that I hope the publisher will consider a reprint! As I found - readingthe other reviews - that there are more people like me for whom this bookwas an unforgettable experience. (And of course I would like to find out ifit has retained its magic over the years.) ... Read more

Product Description
"More Trouble" will be a high-tech special effects episode of Deep Space Nine airing in mid-October, where the characters from Deep Space Nine join in the action with an episode from the original series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A great novel!
This novelization of the popular DS9 episode is a great read. I'm not a big fan of the Original Series, mostly because I enjoy the high-tech graphics of todays entertainment, but after reading this book, I sat down to watch the Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and found it most enjoyable to see it after I had read the book. I focused more on the plot than I did the graphics and it helped me to better understand and savor the episode. The DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" is a celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Star Trek and, as a special tribute, the cast was digitally put into the old Original Series episode, progressing through their story while the Original Series cast continues through their plot around them. I won't go into the plot itself, as other reveiwers have done so, but I will say that this novel is a must read.

Go Star Trek!!!

DS9 Trials and Tribble-Ations - An excellent novelization!
When it comes to novelizations of the more popular or special episodes of any of the Star Trek series, Pocket Books usually calls on Diane Carey to cover it, as they did with this exceptional novelization.Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Trials and Tribble-Ations is the novelization of Star Trek Deep Space Nine's fifth season episode that is Deep Space Nine's tributary episode in honor of Star Trek's thirtieth anniversary.

In honor of Star Trek's thirtieth anniversary the producers and writers cooked up this special episode which actually involves footage from the original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and threw in the majority of the Deep Space Nine crew to make a very special episode.

In addition to being a wonderful novelization by Diane Carey, this novel also contains an introduction by David Gerrold, who wrote the Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," which is extremely entertaining and informative.

The premise:

Captain Sisko finds himself being visited by members of Starfleet's DTI (Department of Temporal Investigations), which is paramount to a present day tax audit.The purpose of their visit is to have him explain the recent time travel incident in which Captain Sisko and the crew of the Defiant found themselves in the twenty third century and staring face to face with the original USS Enterprise NCC-1701, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk himself.

What follows from there is most certainly one of the more special episodes in all of the Star Trek series and an exceptional novelization by Diane Carey who quite deftly handles all of the proper aspects of writing a novelization!

I highly recommend this novelization to any and all Star Trek fans who enjoy the Deep Space Nine series and who just enjoy good Trek fiction!{ssintrepid}

Another novelization by Diane Carey
Diane Carey is a multiply-published author of Star Trek novels, and is frequently the one called upon to write novelizations of popular episodes. This is unfortunate, because her strengths as a writer lie in her ability to create interesting plots and characters, abilities which do not come into play when novelizing someone else's story. Granted, she is also good at pacing and the building of tension, which DO come into play here, as does her ability to make characters come to life, if not as much as it would were she writing her own story.

Her weakness, unfortunately, is in her nuts-and-bolts use of the language. She tries desperately to make creative and original use of the language; generally, all she manages is to distract the reader by misusingwords clumsily. This isn't ALWAYS the case; there were very few examples of misused words in "Ship of the Line" and "Day of Honor, Part 1". On the other hand, "The Search" and "Descent" were practically unreadable due to the frequency with which she butchered the language.

This book falls about midway between her two extremes; nowhere near as bad as "The Search" and "Descent", but nowhere near as good as the previously mentioned books. Better than "Way of the Warrior", but not as good as "Battlestations" or "Dreadnought", it is probably closest in quality to "Flashback", although the writing is not quite as good as the writing there.

Which is a real shame, because this is perhaps THE best story in the Star Trek franchise, certainly in the top ten. It deserved better than the mediocre handling it received here; it seems to me that, even ignoring Diane Carey's weird use of language, the story was much better fitted to Peter David's style, and would have worked much better if he'd been the one writing the novelization.

Trouble with Tribbles
Many have seen or may not have seen the orginal Star Trek, where these little creatures make there first appearance.Since that time, tribbles have been everywhere.The book & TV melds the orginal series with DS9 very well.In fact, the show on TV looks so good.Many have called this the best ever done.I call it GREAT...Read for your self.

Hilarious
Diane Carey strikes again.

This book is delightful to read. It is a must-read book.

You'll enjoy it because this novelization is more worth than the money paid for it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This should be back in print. Maybe.
These stories have a very late-60s/early-70s time-warped feel...but that's not really a bad thing. The title story is a silly bit of wordplay that appeared in the 2nd Dangerous Visions anthology, and it's the weakest piece here. A guy wakes up without an eye, or something, and his tiresome search for answers begins. It's a misfire -- but the rest of the stories are solid, with several real standouts. "All of Them Were Empty" is an acid-drenched trip about two hippies seeking "the new kick"; it feels dated, yet manages to resonate anyway and the ending packs a nice punch. "Oracle for a White Rabbit" was the first HARLIE story later expanded into When HARLIE Was One, probably the author's best-known novel. It's intriguing to see how the sentient computer classic got its start. "Into the Deadlands," by far the longest piece, more like a novella, is experimental in technique, telling the disjointed tale of recon parties who venture into a vast, growing "dead zone" from which few return, and from which "something" may emerge. As in Gerrold's other fiction there's some pretense to sexual allegory -- but the tale works best "straight," so to speak, as a poetic futuristic horror fable. It's quite special and unforgettable in its way.

Diverse collection of well-written stories.
This collection of short stories displays Gerrold's early writing.The stories vary from hilarious (With a Finger in My I) to huanting (In the Deadlands), but are always original and captivating.Some may findGerrold's unique style hard to follow in a couple of the stories, but mostshould have no trouble.This is the perfect book for those who seek adifferent perspective on the universe. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (41)

Good Read of the Martian Child
I happened to see part of this movie and wanted to read the book.
Its a simple but sweet story, and I enjoyed it a lot.I will pass
this on to my daughters to read.

Book is a better way to pass the time than the movie!
I enjoyed the way this was written; it was well constructed, an easy flowing read.
Not melodramatic, more understated, yet it managed to explore the enormity of the emotions felt by David and Dennis.
I found it interesting that the movie focuses on the negative in a bigger way than the book does and the climax in the movie is on a larger scale. The Dennis presented in the movie is skewed, as is the focus on David's work life (which is semi-absent in the book), that it is a big thing in the movie, changes the way you perceive David and his parenting skills; which I know is done to create tension and drama but the book is more effective and moving (they would have done better to stay a little closer to it).
If you have watched the movie and enjoyed it, you should still enjoy the book. If you haven't watched the movie, read the book first...

Martian Child, book review
great book in excellent condition, seller was fast to ship and accurate in description.:)

Way better than the movie
This book really has some clever references and humor in it, and I am frankly amazed at the stuff the author puts up with for his adopted son.It is a very realistic and moving look at the results of child abuse.I cried several times during the story, and greatly admire the author's strength and creative methods of dealing with his son.I was also surprised about how much I related to the author, who I expected to have a different perspective than I do as a married straight female.He feels the same way about his son as I would feel.It is a good argument for allowing people other than the Cleavers to adopt.

PS The author wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" so you know he's hilarious!

A GREAT book!
I was pleasantly surprised that this book felt so right to me. I have seen the movie and I enjoyed this book much more. A few things are the same as the movie, but this book actually seemed so much more personal and interesting that I finished reading it in one sitting. This is a keeper. ... Read more