Boldly go with a fun Star Trek story

The book is a fun action adventure story with a Star Trek message. Looking forward to the next audiobook

6 people found this helpful

Star Trek UNABRIDGED. Like watching STO TV.

The Narrator Petkoff keeps getting better with the character voices. His Kirk has become a treat to any fan of the original series. The story was well written and felt true to the original. I hope they will continue these unabridged books.

4 people found this helpful

Good Book, Poor Narration

Would you try another book from Christopher L. Bennett and/or Robert Petkoff?

Chris Bennett's book is excellent. It is very "Trek". It's well written and just what McCoy ordered if you are in the mood for a good Star Trek yarn.

Petkoff's narration, on the other hand, is bland, uninspired, and boring. He reads the book like he is reading the news.

I would have enjoyed the experience much more had I read the book normally instead of being put to sleep by Petkoff's single-octave droning.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Face of the Unknown?

Finding the planets hidden inside the Gas Giants! Awesome!

How could the performance have been better?

I won't be buying another book read by Petkoff. Somebody more suited to reading a Trek book should be used on future works. A narrator is needed with drama in his delivery--not the dead pan, flat tones of Petkoff. It would also help if the narrator was more familiar with the delivery of the original actors that play the original crew. Petkoff tried. He's just no good at this type of book.

Did The Face of the Unknown inspire you to do anything?

Read more Trek books by Christopher L. Bennett. He wrote an excellent Star Trek tale (and that's not easy to do).

Any additional comments?

Star Trek book should also have a few sound effects--like what you get with a Star Wars audiobook. We should hear the hum of the ship as the narrator reads, or phasers being fired, or the whirrr of a medical tricoder when it is used.

6 people found this helpful

Great adventure for any Star Trek lover .

Loved every minute of it. It has all of the hallmarks of the classic Star Trek adventures with a few new ones thrown in. Easy to just kick back and enjoy.

2 people found this helpful

Very well written.

True and enriching to the characters outside the main cast, in the related episode. I could picture them clearly in my minds eye. Narration also brilliantly executed. I'd like to be specific, but that may create spoilers for who did not view the original series. Watch the original related episode before listening! You won't be disappointed! It really brought me back!

2 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable for Trek fans

A fun work, really does a good job looking into the First Federation. Get 4s start because it's good, not blow you away amazing. Great for road trips. It has enough action to keep your attention, but not so many characters you can't keep up.

1 person found this helpful

Good, But The Ending Was Annoying (no spoilers)

I'm a big star trek fan, especially the original series, so this was a treat, spending some more time on the Enterprise with the original crew. The story was fun, and tied in nicely with some of the tv episodes, which made it even more fun. The narrator was excellent.

In terms of the story, I loved the first 2/3 of the book, but wasn't a fan of the 3rd act. Too many people doing things that they didn't seem like they had any motivation to be doing, too many people launching into cringe-worthy monologues, and some really ridiculous stuff for Ohura, which was just way too over the top silly and contrived, like they tried way too hard to give her something to do. But all-in-all it was good, and I'm glad I took that journey, and will certainly get more of the books.

1 person found this helpful

Love Letter to Classic Trek

This is an excellent book if you're pining for original Star Trek (in every sense of the word). Like a good Star Trek episode, it speaks to modern issues and forwards a believable optimism. All of the characters are written in a well rounded and eminently believable way. If you miss Star Trek... this book is for you.

1 person found this helpful

It's okay.

Great voice characterization by Robert Petkoff. Really captures the essence and the idiosyncrasies of the crew. The story is fine, but fairly run of the mill Trek fare. Nothing groundbreaking for me here. Nothing terribly captivating, but I will probably listen to it again.

1 person found this helpful

Followup to Corbomite Manuever

Watching the Corbomite Manuever with my dad is one of my earliest memories. Getting this novel followup was a nice surprise. The puppet that Balok uses in the episode turns out to be a real alien and they are attacking outposts. The Enterprise is sent to figure out who they are and that leads them to catching up with Lieutenant Bailey and Balok. The book is decent but you can see where the plot is going to end up a few hours in and it overstays it's welcome as a result. The reader is fine, but his speaking slightly feminine for all the female characters confused me at which alien was who after a while. I kind of wish he would have not tried the voice in the end and done it more straight. Overall it's not a bad book and I recommend it if you love the episode and have an Audible credit burning a hole in your pocket. I would give it 3.5 if I could give it half stars.