Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours by David Mack

The novelization of the newest entry in the Star Trek universe gets off to a great start with Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours by David Mack. Desperate Hours follows Lieutenant Michael Burnham aboard the Starship Shenzhou. The Shenzhou is called to a federation colony that is under attack from an ancient alien spaceship that has risen from the planet’s ocean. As the threat from the alien ship increases, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of ending the threat and sends Enterprise to the planet to reinforce its decision. If the alien ship is going to be stopped and the colonist saved, Burnham is going to have to find a way onto the ship, and confront some inner demons along the way.


Mack does a great job of fleshing out the backstory of some of the principle characters from Star Trek Discovery, while at the same time honoring characters from the original series that we already know, especially Spock and Captain Pike. The portrayal of Spock is particularly tricky and David Mack pulls it off brilliantly. There is perhaps no more familiar character than Spock, yet here, it is a much younger Spock before he has even met James Kirk or gained much of the wisdom for which he is known. Mack manages to paint a character that is both familiar, and yet unfamiliar in his knowledge, confidence and sense of self.


Mack also adds a lot of depth to Michael Burnham, through whom the bulk of the story is told. We get to see a glimpse of what it was like to be raised as a human on Vulcan and how that has made her feel like an alien among her own people. Burnham has been provisionally promoted to first officer, but she has to convince both herself and her captain that she is capable of it. Part of that is managing her difficult relationship with Science Officer Saru, who we get to know a little better here as well.


The plot is twisty, with duplicitous colonial leadership, shady corporations, and trying to fathom the motives of an ancient alien civilization. The ticking clock aspect of the threat posed by the alien ship, as well as the strong personalities of two Starship captains keeps the tension steady as Burnham and crew members from both the Shenzhou and the Enterprise work to avert disaster. It’s worth mentioning that Captain Philippa Georgiou comes across as an exceptionally strong character on the page, much like she does on screen. I would love to see more of her.


Susan Eisenberg narrates the audio version of the book and does an outstanding job. Her character voices are distinct and she does a good job of conveying the mood and the pace. Vulcan characters with their emotions kept under wraps can be difficult to portray, but Eisenberg manages to convey both their restraint and the turmoil and conflict in their innermost thoughts.


This is a great entry in the Star Trek universe. Mack has written an exciting story with both an interesting plot and wonderful character development. Eisenberg helps bring it to life with excellent narration that complements the story. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

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