Each book contained a half-dozen or so such adaptations, and each volume went through multiple reprintings. Upon his death, his wife, Judith Ann Lawrence, finished adapting the remaining episodes, which were published in Star Trek 12 and Mudd's Angels (containing adaptations of "Mudd's Women" and "I. Mudd," along with an original Harry Mudd tale) in 1977.
Blish also penned the very first original Star Trek novel, Spock Must Die!, in 1970, and regardless of what modern fans may think of it now, it kicked off an unprecedented publishing phenomenon that continues unabated to this day. While original novels based on television shows existed prior to Spock Must Die!, they were limited to tying into shows that were still on the air. An original based on a cancelled TV show would have been unthinkable before Trek.
The author lived in England at the time, and when he was writing early volumes, Star Trek had not yet started airing in the U.K. He worked from scripts provided by Paramount, and this led to occasional inconsistencies between his versions and the aired episodes. But, overall, he did a fine job capturing the voices of the characters, and the short story form was pretty much a perfect way for fans to re-enjoy the series in those pre-home video/unpredictible rerun days.
Indeed, for many Star Kids, Blish and Bantam's Star Trek paperbacks were the first genre merchandise we collected. I may have had a Planet Of The Apes coloring book or Mego action figure before I discovered Blish's books - but they were probably the first books I ever bought with my own money... and I still possess every single one of them.
I remember doing a book report in 4th grade on Spock Must Die! I had all these plus the venerable Starfleet Technical Manual.
ReplyDeleteI like the Intro to Star Trek Voyager because it looks like the covers of the Blish novels!
ReplyDeleteThe Blish books were certainly the first sci-fi books I ever read. I found #3 at the school library when I was in the 7th grade, and received the rest that were available when I had my appendix out and was in the hospital the following year. I even remember complaining to the doctor that I would miss Star Trek because of the surgery. Afterwards, when I was finally walking, I waddled out to the reception area to watch Trek each day. Must have been around 1975 or so.
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Sometime when I was in third grade, my mother discovered copies of Blish's Star Trek 7 and 8 in the paperback spinner rack of our local 7-Eleven. Thinking that I might be interested, having become obsessed with the television series and animated spin-off in first and second grade, she bought them for me.
ReplyDeleteThose were my first "grown-up" books of my own.
You rick Chris!!! :D
ReplyDeleteThis collection of novelized chapters of TOS is my next purchase after having read the whole animated series LOG chapter books by Alan Dean Foster!
Thanks for the memories and keep up the good work dude!
Check out my own similarly related blogs! :)
When it comes to Star Trek, I enjoy the other iterations of the show which have developed over the last few decades (the new movies are pretty damn entertaining), but I really only savor and collect things related to the classic original.
ReplyDeleteLike you, these volumes were in those bygone days, the rare way in which someone could have in hand an episode. Like the Gold Key adaptations too, I found either enhancements (distinctive characterization mostly) or alterations from the television version fascinating.
Thanks for reminding me of these gems which still lurk in a box in a closet near me.
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Jeez, pretty much the same history here, sir.. I collected ALL of these when I 'discovered' Trek back in '73. I went nuts and bought everything my allowance could afford. AS SOON as I had 50 or 75 cents, I'd RUN down to the store and pick another one up. I thought 5 and 6 had the coolest sci-fi covers ever, edgy, creepy, yet shimmering in coolness.
ReplyDeleteI remember the cover of 10 so well, loved how 'icey' the Klingon ship looked on that cover. I believe I actually bought it with my AMT Klingon ship, which came molded in black. NEVER had a model molded in black before (the decals were useless, unless I just cut them out and glue 'em on..), but it just looked so awesome.
As for the stories..? Blish worked off the scripts, which I believe he worked solely from, having seen only a handful of televised episodes, so you can easily forgive him for ignoring certain nuances that was ultimately filmed. 'Spock Must Die' was a tough book to really get interested in, but it was nevertheless cool to read.
One of 'my hunts' now is to pick up 'first editions' of books like 'Making of Star Trek' with the '68 Kirk/Spock photo cover; my copy (with the Enterprise firing phasers..) wore out way too quickly.
My Klingon ship model was molded in that pale green... I wish I'd gotten one of the black ones. :)
DeleteIt was actually awesome, now that I look back on it. I loved the contrast with the white Enterprise, that when I bought the smaller AMT 'threesome' set, I immediately painted my D7 flat black.
DeleteI still have it in a drawer in my government office here. The other two small ships eventually got tossed after 30yrs or so, but still have that Klingon cruiser.
The very first published Star Trek novel was MISSION TO HORATIUS by Mack Reynolds. It was a children's novel that came out 2 years prior to SPOCK MUST DIE. But I never saw HORATIUS in stores when we were all buying the Blish books.
DeleteYeah, but HORATIUS (which I can see on my shelf from here), was published while the show was still on the air and not aimed at an adult readership.
DeleteI had them!
ReplyDeleteThese helped get me into Star trek and reading when I was in six grade. I read them over and over and still have a set plus a few doubles.
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My sister had the lot..the Blish adaptations and novel as well as the Foster "Logs". An aunt (I think) gave her the second original Trek novel, Spock - Messiah! for Christmas one year; our mother took a riffle through it and promptly confiscated it for the next several years. (It was, shall we say, well beyond what NBC would have allowed on-screen for the original show, and at least in Mom's opinion not suitable for a 10-year-old...and Mom was a stone Star Trek fan.)
ReplyDeleteThese were such great reads when I was 10 or 11! I remember collecting these meticulously in the late 70s and early 80s and then somewhere along the line they disappeared, probably in a yard sale (except for the bantam photonovels which I've guarded with my life). For the last year or so, I've been working on re-collecting all of the 1st printings of the old Bantams, bot Blish and others. The stories ranged from great to down-right strange, but the cover art is second-to-none on these old books.
ReplyDeleteThey are a little harder to read as an adult. Not only the small typeface but the writing is a little stiff. We have all read better books since then and it is hard to go back to that style of writing that we thought was so adult when we were 11. But I love them like everyone else here. Especially the cover art.
DeleteI think my Dad bought me the first novel at a yard sale sometime and it sat in a rack for a year or so until I caught Star Trek fever after finally getting to see an episode at my grandmother's (she had cable). I read it and was so proud of myself for reading a grown up book. From there I went on to read one or two others of that series and a couple other Trek novels that I have forgotten the titles of. But looking back I see that the cover art was the thing I really loved of all the bantam paperbacks i used to read. Whether Doc Savage, Louis L'amour, Max Brand, or Star Trek, it was those beautiful covers many of which were done by James Bama.
ReplyDeleteActually found volumes 1-12 at a Goodwill this morning, along with both New Voyages anthologies. Not a bad way to spend 14 bucks.
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