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Star Trek: The Original Series #8
Black Fire
When sabotage strikes the Enterprise™, Spock's investigation leads him into an alliance with the Romulan and Klingon empires against the Tomarii, a bloodthirsty race for whom war is life itself. Spock is declared a traitor and sentenced to the Federation's highest-security prison, and Kirk must choose between friendship and duty, with dire consequences for himself, Spock, and the entire Federation if he's wrong.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
Sonni Cooper
11 books7 followersSonni Cooper: Biography Author, artist, actor, anthropologist, and administrator--and that's just the "A"s! Sonni has always been known as a Renaissance woman, possessing many talents.
She is a published author, having begun at age nine, writing scripts for New York City's radio station, WNYC. One of her science fiction novels, Black Fire (Simon and Schuster) was on the bestseller list and was chosen the best Star Trek novel published in the first 25 years of Star Trek. She was a consultant-writer for the Star Trek films. She has published two romance novels, "Forbidden Love" and "Love Trap", for Proctor and Gamble's "As the World Turns".
She has three novels appearing this year as print and e-books. "Riding the Rainbow", a serious literary novel about a Pueblo youth in crisis, describes his coming of age and elucidates the contemporary Pueblo culture. "Ankh", is a romance/fantasy novel that brings ancient gods of Egypt into the modern world. "Xenovation", science fiction, explores the consequences of creating a human/alien hybrid who is a god-head on the alien planet.
Sonni graduated from The Cooper Union Art School, NYC, with a major in sculpture, has a BFA from the University of Colorado (painting), and graduate school at the University of Illinois (painting). She also attended Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado (graduate studies) with a major in Anthropology, specializing in the culture of the American Indian.
Her paintings have been shown in major galleries in New York City, Santa Fe, Taos, Austin, Scottsdale, Sedona, Los Angeles, and as well as in numerous juried shows in both the U.S. and Canada. Her work is represented in museums in the United States and Asia as well as in many private collections. She is currently working in acrylics, and her recent subject matter concentrates on southwest themes including the American Indian, animals, and landscapes.
As owner and President of Creative Enterprises she designed and produced multimedia projects, including the animation, illustrations, and documentation accompanying the computer programs. As a publicist for Star Trek's William Shatner, she designed, produced, and distributed merchandising items, and was designer and editor of publications which were distributed world-wide. Sonni has performed in plays, films and commercials.
She is a member of Screen Actor's Guild, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Mensa. Sonni was selected International Woman of the Year in the field of Art, 1999/2000 and as one of the outstanding 2000 intellectuals of the 20th Century by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England. She is listed in many "Who's Who"s, including Women, Executives, Entertainment, The West, and Information Technology.
She is a published author, having begun at age nine, writing scripts for New York City's radio station, WNYC. One of her science fiction novels, Black Fire (Simon and Schuster) was on the bestseller list and was chosen the best Star Trek novel published in the first 25 years of Star Trek. She was a consultant-writer for the Star Trek films. She has published two romance novels, "Forbidden Love" and "Love Trap", for Proctor and Gamble's "As the World Turns".
She has three novels appearing this year as print and e-books. "Riding the Rainbow", a serious literary novel about a Pueblo youth in crisis, describes his coming of age and elucidates the contemporary Pueblo culture. "Ankh", is a romance/fantasy novel that brings ancient gods of Egypt into the modern world. "Xenovation", science fiction, explores the consequences of creating a human/alien hybrid who is a god-head on the alien planet.
Sonni graduated from The Cooper Union Art School, NYC, with a major in sculpture, has a BFA from the University of Colorado (painting), and graduate school at the University of Illinois (painting). She also attended Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado (graduate studies) with a major in Anthropology, specializing in the culture of the American Indian.
Her paintings have been shown in major galleries in New York City, Santa Fe, Taos, Austin, Scottsdale, Sedona, Los Angeles, and as well as in numerous juried shows in both the U.S. and Canada. Her work is represented in museums in the United States and Asia as well as in many private collections. She is currently working in acrylics, and her recent subject matter concentrates on southwest themes including the American Indian, animals, and landscapes.
As owner and President of Creative Enterprises she designed and produced multimedia projects, including the animation, illustrations, and documentation accompanying the computer programs. As a publicist for Star Trek's William Shatner, she designed, produced, and distributed merchandising items, and was designer and editor of publications which were distributed world-wide. Sonni has performed in plays, films and commercials.
She is a member of Screen Actor's Guild, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Mensa. Sonni was selected International Woman of the Year in the field of Art, 1999/2000 and as one of the outstanding 2000 intellectuals of the 20th Century by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England. She is listed in many "Who's Who"s, including Women, Executives, Entertainment, The West, and Information Technology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 29, 2024
Total insanity! The story, set at a blistering pace, sees Spock doing all the wrong things for the right reasons, landing himself in a series of increasingly preposterous and perilous situations. I found it strangely compelling, stirring a need to see how he'll extricate himself from the quickly metastasizing mishegas. The author gets the crew relationships quite well, but otherwise plays it pretty fast and loose when it comes to technical details, Trek canon, overall consistency with the Trek world and even just plain logic. It's a wild ride, feeling slapdash at times, as apt to piss off some Trek fans as much as it delights others who can appreciate the artistic license.
December 5, 2008
Easily, hands-down, the
worst
Star Trek novel ever written (though, granted, I stopped reading the serializations about 10 years ago and it's conceivable something as bad - but not worse, trust me - has come out).
Just two things that were soooo wrong about this dreck:
1. It takes Enterprise, moving at high warp speed, three days to circle around a star (THREE DAYS!!!).
2. Spock infiltrates the Romulan fleet and almost immediately is put in charge of a ship. This despite the fact that "The Enterprise Incident" established that he is not the most trustworthy of turncoats.
It's been over 20 years since I've read this book and it still exercises me.
Just two things that were soooo wrong about this dreck:
1. It takes Enterprise, moving at high warp speed, three days to circle around a star (THREE DAYS!!!).
2. Spock infiltrates the Romulan fleet and almost immediately is put in charge of a ship. This despite the fact that "The Enterprise Incident" established that he is not the most trustworthy of turncoats.
It's been over 20 years since I've read this book and it still exercises me.
August 3, 2016
No, you don't understand. This book is bad. I mean it's pretty bad. It's so bad, it's sailed right into 'good' again. I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this novel. I'm pretty sure it covers all the squares on 'Badfic Bingo' and it's not even fanfiction. You can tell the author has some specific interests (To wit: Spock; Spock with a pierced ear; Spock as a pet; among others) and just embraces them wholeheartedly. It's impossible not to enjoy a book when the author is having this much fun.
January 14, 2023
The author may be a big-time Trekkie, but this story was a big-time letdown. Fans of Roddenberry's space opera can do much better.
June 9, 2020
This is a terrible, TERRIBLE book, that nonetheless made me very, very happy.
November 25, 2017
Objectively speaking, this book is terrible. It might even be one of the worst Star Trek books ever written, in the same realm as Spock's Brain and Tuvix. It's that bad.
That being said, I picked this up when I was 11, and I LOVED IT. This is why I don't judge people for enjoying crap like Twilight. My Twilight is Spock solving an interstellar mystery while being injured and kept as a "pet" by a rich alien woman, being wrongfully thrown into a Federation prison where he kicks ass and makes a new Romulan bestie, and dressing up a in shimmery black outfit while playing the part of the mysterious space pirate, Black Fire. There's even a ridiculous poem. It's unlikely. It's rampantly OOC. It's doesn't fit into the continuity at all. But almost 2 decades later, I still have my copy of Black Fire on my shelf and it's not going anywhere. It's absurdly fun! Thank you Sonni Cooper, you're the best!
That being said, I picked this up when I was 11, and I LOVED IT. This is why I don't judge people for enjoying crap like Twilight. My Twilight is Spock solving an interstellar mystery while being injured and kept as a "pet" by a rich alien woman, being wrongfully thrown into a Federation prison where he kicks ass and makes a new Romulan bestie, and dressing up a in shimmery black outfit while playing the part of the mysterious space pirate, Black Fire. There's even a ridiculous poem. It's unlikely. It's rampantly OOC. It's doesn't fit into the continuity at all. But almost 2 decades later, I still have my copy of Black Fire on my shelf and it's not going anywhere. It's absurdly fun! Thank you Sonni Cooper, you're the best!
December 27, 2021
I can't imagine the horrifying chain of events that could have gotten this published. Not one of the people responsible for writing, editing or publishing could be fans of the show. I stopped reading when Spock agreed to become a space-pirate.
I understood when he blew off McCoy's concerns for his health to research the cause of an explosion that ripped the Enterprise apart and critically wounded Captain Kirk. I understood when he got Scotty to help him steal a starship to follow a lead into unknown space. I began to question things when the writer didn't have Kirk step in at the court martial to help Spock.
My suspension of disbelief ended when Spock decided to escape from his five years in Starfleet work-farm prison. No good reason was given for *Spock* to leave a valid disciplinary action. I could have understood if the writer had said Spock was going after one of the commodores who presided over his trial, who was presumably corrupt by the new menace. I could have understood if he was going to work on a defense against the new menace, but he just got out and was gadding about, trying to decide what to do with himself.
Unacceptable!
I understood when he blew off McCoy's concerns for his health to research the cause of an explosion that ripped the Enterprise apart and critically wounded Captain Kirk. I understood when he got Scotty to help him steal a starship to follow a lead into unknown space. I began to question things when the writer didn't have Kirk step in at the court martial to help Spock.
My suspension of disbelief ended when Spock decided to escape from his five years in Starfleet work-farm prison. No good reason was given for *Spock* to leave a valid disciplinary action. I could have understood if the writer had said Spock was going after one of the commodores who presided over his trial, who was presumably corrupt by the new menace. I could have understood if he was going to work on a defense against the new menace, but he just got out and was gadding about, trying to decide what to do with himself.
Unacceptable!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2014
Oh my. This is a hard one to review.
I totally agree with some other reviews I read: this book is so bad that actually turns out to be almost good.
Pretty mixed up, I know, but, really, more than once, while reading the book, I actually burst out laughing loud.
It just seemed a bad collection of terrible fanfictions fished trhough the net.
The Tomarii are hilarious. Spock as a renegade is pretty hilarious. Spock as a renegade pirate is definitely hilarious. Spock as a renegade pirate and Romulan officer is terribly hilarious.
I mean, at the beginning, and more or less till half of the book I went on reading with a puzzled expression (my eyebrows probably did some weird tricks, just like Spock's), but I went on thinking, "Well, it can't get worse than this, right?". And I trudged along.
And I was wrong. It did. It became so bad it was actually entertaining.
So. If you're a huge Spock's fan and if you're in serious need of some laughs, well, try this.
But, if you're a real Trekkie, hard-shell and unbending and old-school-Star-Trek-rules...well, in that case give it a miss.
My rating
It depends. I mean, should I rate it as a serious Trek book or a TOS parody?
By-the-book Trekkie rating: 1 star. Just because McCoy grumbles and Spock is Spock.
'Tis-but-a-joke Trekkie rating: 4 stars. Lot of laughs all along.
I totally agree with some other reviews I read: this book is so bad that actually turns out to be almost good.
Pretty mixed up, I know, but, really, more than once, while reading the book, I actually burst out laughing loud.
It just seemed a bad collection of terrible fanfictions fished trhough the net.
The Tomarii are hilarious. Spock as a renegade is pretty hilarious. Spock as a renegade pirate is definitely hilarious. Spock as a renegade pirate and Romulan officer is terribly hilarious.
I mean, at the beginning, and more or less till half of the book I went on reading with a puzzled expression (my eyebrows probably did some weird tricks, just like Spock's), but I went on thinking, "Well, it can't get worse than this, right?". And I trudged along.
And I was wrong. It did. It became so bad it was actually entertaining.
So. If you're a huge Spock's fan and if you're in serious need of some laughs, well, try this.
But, if you're a real Trekkie, hard-shell and unbending and old-school-Star-Trek-rules...well, in that case give it a miss.
My rating
It depends. I mean, should I rate it as a serious Trek book or a TOS parody?
By-the-book Trekkie rating: 1 star. Just because McCoy grumbles and Spock is Spock.
'Tis-but-a-joke Trekkie rating: 4 stars. Lot of laughs all along.
December 27, 2012
I am a loyal, die-hard fan of the original Star Trek series and, so far, haven't come across a book that I didn't like. I can't say this one was amazing and the best one I've ever read, but it was still enjoyable and kept my interest piqued all the way through.
Spock is one of my favourite characters (of course!), and this book was focused mainly on him and the lengths he would go to solve the mystery of the sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The premise was surprising and bizarre, putting Spock into situations that boggled the mind. But, through it all, he retained his trademark logic and stoicism, even when it seemed he was acting out of character.
Scotty also played a prominent role in this story and his character was well developed. Captain Kirk took somewhat of a backseat for most of the book, but added his own value to the plot. And, as usual, Dr. McCoy's cranky, southern doctor persona was also present and lent humour to the story.
Spock is one of my favourite characters (of course!), and this book was focused mainly on him and the lengths he would go to solve the mystery of the sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The premise was surprising and bizarre, putting Spock into situations that boggled the mind. But, through it all, he retained his trademark logic and stoicism, even when it seemed he was acting out of character.
Scotty also played a prominent role in this story and his character was well developed. Captain Kirk took somewhat of a backseat for most of the book, but added his own value to the plot. And, as usual, Dr. McCoy's cranky, southern doctor persona was also present and lent humour to the story.
July 17, 2017
Spock meets his doppleganger, gets an earring, a cloak that shimmers with black fire, turns rogue, becomes a pirate, joins the Romulans ... and that's just the first half of a truly insane book.
Black Fire is beyond bizarre, beyond ridiculous, and beyond satire. But despite having a labyrinthine and convoluted plot, the book is relatively well written. The characters are written with care.
Sonni Cooper clearly loves the Original Series of Star Trek, but not the version of the Original Series that casual fans remember. This is not the version of Star Trek whose reflection is evident in The Next Generation and Voyager. This is a version of Star Trek that includes Spock's Brain and Catspaw and Spectre Of The Gun and The Omega Glory.
To me, only Spock: Messiah can rival Black Fire for the greatest Star Trek novel of all time. It's a book for fans only, and really only for fans who revel in the deep cuts of Star Trek.
Fun fact: Author Sonni Cooper published her second science fiction novel in 2011. https://www.amazon.com/Xenovation-Son...
Black Fire is beyond bizarre, beyond ridiculous, and beyond satire. But despite having a labyrinthine and convoluted plot, the book is relatively well written. The characters are written with care.
Sonni Cooper clearly loves the Original Series of Star Trek, but not the version of the Original Series that casual fans remember. This is not the version of Star Trek whose reflection is evident in The Next Generation and Voyager. This is a version of Star Trek that includes Spock's Brain and Catspaw and Spectre Of The Gun and The Omega Glory.
To me, only Spock: Messiah can rival Black Fire for the greatest Star Trek novel of all time. It's a book for fans only, and really only for fans who revel in the deep cuts of Star Trek.
Fun fact: Author Sonni Cooper published her second science fiction novel in 2011. https://www.amazon.com/Xenovation-Son...
December 28, 2015
Okay, this is so bad that it's good. I enjoyed it very much, my brain ran away. Fascinating.
November 26, 2014
Black Fire is one of the few truly horrid Star Trek novels I've ever read. A vague and hirsute alien race with a lot of strange tech blows up the Enterprise's bridge, which leads Spock on a trek that ends up with him falling in love with a Romulan Commander, being court-martialed as a traitor, imprisoned, escaping to become a legendary space pirate, and eventually joining the Romulan Empire. It's like a really bad fan fiction (not slash, thank Raptor Jesus!) come to life. Awful, with inadequate explanations, characterizations, and no real purpose. I was actually hoping this entire story would turn the Bobby Ewing corner and be a fever dream Spock or Kirk was having while they recovered from their injuries in the opening salvo, but no such luck. Avoid this novel like the plague!
December 17, 2020
The best Trek book ever, or the best book ever? I can't say. But this book cares less for canon than I do. Is ti slash? Probably. Is it incredible? Yes. Sonni Cooper shouldn't have gotten a Hugo, she should have gotten a Nobel Peace Prize.
January 13, 2023
‚„Ich habe ja immer gewusst, dass Sie im Grund Ihres Herzens ein Pirat sind, Spock!“‘
June 29, 2018
During a shift in which the crew is training a group of cadets an explosion suddenly tears through the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Though weakened and suffering from a shard of shrapnel lodged next to his spine, Spock refuses medical treatment as he launches an investigation into the cause of the blast. Enlisting Commander Scott's help, Spock traces a missing yeoman to a barren planet, where the two men encounter small parties of Romulans and Klingons before the three groups are captured by an previously unknown aggressive species. In the months that follow Spock undergoes arrest, imprisonment, and a succession of exploits that will end on the bridge of a Romulan warship as it prepares to destroy the Enterprise and his former crewmates.
Sonni Cooper's book starts off with a bang and never lets up, as she races her readers through a series of twists and turns, burning through plot enough for three novels in the hands of other authors. The pacing is so rapid that it is easy to overlook the problems with Cooper's story and the lack of development of the secondary characters, many of whom are distinguished more by their names and physical descriptions than by anything distinctive that they bring to the narrative. In the end this is very much Spock's novel, and fans of his character likely will enjoy the many adventures on which the author sends him.
Sonni Cooper's book starts off with a bang and never lets up, as she races her readers through a series of twists and turns, burning through plot enough for three novels in the hands of other authors. The pacing is so rapid that it is easy to overlook the problems with Cooper's story and the lack of development of the secondary characters, many of whom are distinguished more by their names and physical descriptions than by anything distinctive that they bring to the narrative. In the end this is very much Spock's novel, and fans of his character likely will enjoy the many adventures on which the author sends him.
January 4, 2014
Um, No
It may have a flattering intro by Mr. Sturgeon, but this is not a good book, no matter what he said. It's wooden, unlikely, and out of character; all due respect to the author, but she didn't tell a story, she related a string of incidents with no motivation to back them up. Not to mention that the Enterprise really isn't that fragile...
It reads more like a synopsis than a story--told, not shown.
It may have a flattering intro by Mr. Sturgeon, but this is not a good book, no matter what he said. It's wooden, unlikely, and out of character; all due respect to the author, but she didn't tell a story, she related a string of incidents with no motivation to back them up. Not to mention that the Enterprise really isn't that fragile...
It reads more like a synopsis than a story--told, not shown.
April 21, 2018
Re-reading the whole series after about 25 years. It is quite an interesting experience. I remember having rather liked the book when I was 13 or so. It has some nice ideas, but on the whole, it is really bad. Basically three fan fictions rolled into one, none really thought through and all kind of out of character. The whole thing is simply unbelievable and I went "WHAT?!" all the time, but not in a good way.
January 11, 2021
This book is basically a crazy season of TOS if TOS ever did long-form storytelling throughout an entire season. It's so ridiculous, it's good—in the way that ridiculous TOS episodes were good.
It's silly, it's fun, it's packed with fanfiction tropes, it's adventurous, it's inconsistent and slapdash in the classic Star Trek manner, and it's written in a very quick, easy-to-read, uncomplicated fashion, so it was a breeze to get through.
I truly and unironically enjoyed it.
It's silly, it's fun, it's packed with fanfiction tropes, it's adventurous, it's inconsistent and slapdash in the classic Star Trek manner, and it's written in a very quick, easy-to-read, uncomplicated fashion, so it was a breeze to get through.
I truly and unironically enjoyed it.
July 27, 2016
Someone sabotages the Enterprise, Spock is determined to find out who it is. This felt more like fan fiction than a normal Star Trek novel. The author definitely has a thing for the character. Spock becomes a gladiator, slave, pirate, falls in love ish, its all about Spock. The ending explanation is a bit of a cop out though. An ok read.
September 9, 2023
This was... not great. Particularly the first two, very long, chapters, where everything seemed to happen very fast and very perfunctorialy. It got better after that, especially the Enterprise/Kirk-focused chapters, but overall not one of the better outings, despite (or perhaps because of) its huge ambition.
August 20, 2022
Seriously, who wouldn't love Spock as a pirate? No wonder he had women swooning for him. His actions don't measure up with the man we all know and love but the writer manages to pull it off at the end of the novel. A light, fluffy, fun read.
May 1, 2018
This has an excellent beginning but that's about all that can be said for it. I've never read anything from this author before, but it's clear she is very fond of Spock - this entire book is basically a panegyric to his supreme wonderfulness. It gets so over the top in places that it borders on the ridiculous - Spock as a pirate with a jewel in his ear and a fancy cloak, saving maidens and having famous (terrible) poetry written about him, and all of this is a too-lengthy blind for a very obvious twist. Basically, this book relies on the idiot plot - people not figuring out what's going on because they've suddenly and inexplicably lost half their IQ. There's Spock, who suffers heroically from an untreated injury, for which I felt no sympathy because he had the chance to get treated and chose not to - it's not as if the treatment time would have lost him much. After the wound is exacerbated almost unto death, it takes 3 days after McCoy has healed him for Spock to be up and about, which tells me if he'd only followed medical orders when they were given his recovery time would have been significantly less... and would not have affected his mission, but there's that suffering heroically like a numpty to show off with. (Idiot.) There's the court-martial panel, which is blatantly and obviously having their own agenda, which no-one picks up on. (Idiots.) There's the fact that Spock and Scott go missing and none of the Enterprise crew really bothers to tell Kirk, or even give that much of a shit, frankly. (Idiots.) I could go on, but this is mostly cringe-worthy romanticising of Spock interrupted with idiot plot, and you are better off going to read The Wrath of Khan.
December 18, 2023
Back in 1983, it was a little more wild out on the final frontier. Well, at least as far as Sonni Cooper's Black Fire was concerned.
I read this one back in high school but couldn't recall much about it as I approached this novel for my "Re-Read the Trek novels of 1983" project. Reading it forty years later, I can't believe this one ever saw the light of day as an officially sanctioned tie-in novel. I'm not the one one since this one seems to have created more than a few ripples among Trek fans at the time.
Opening with an explosion on-board that Enterprise that cripples the ship and kills multiple crew members, Black Fire hits the ground running and never looks back. Kirk is critically wounded and Spock gets a piece of metal stuck in his back that could paralyze him at any time but can't be removed for -- well, reasons. Spock doesn't let the fact that he could be paralyzed at any moment with one wrong step stop him from mind-melding with Sulu to find the culprit behind the explosion, tracking down where she went, and then enlisting Scotty to steal a ship and pursue them.
If you're worried I'm giving away huge spoilers, I will say don't be. All of this happens within the first thirty or so pages of the novel.
Once they arrive at the planet, Spock and Scotty find a Romulan and Klingon ship there. Turns out both empires were also attacked and led here. Everyone is captured by a new group called the Tomarii, a bloodthirsty race for whom war is life itself. The Tomarii capture everyone and put them into some type of camp to see if they're worthy adversaries that feel like a fan-fic version of "Gamesters of Triskelion." And don't forget that the Tomarii feel like an early, more aggressive version of the Binars from TNG where they assimilate a lot of technology but don't necessarily understand how it all works.
It's while in captivity that Spock has not one but two ladies fall for his Vulcan sexiness. Spock is having none of this, despite later being kept as a pet by the female leader of the Tomarii. Spock realizes that Scotty will never leave him behind so he tries not once but twice to commit suicide (because it's the logical thing to do) -- once by getting stabbed by a fellow prisoner who is in love with him and later by consuming a deadly berry. Luckily, both attempts are thwarted, the second because Kirk and company show up with the Enterprise at the exact right moment for McCoy to save Spock.
Just when you think it can't get any more batpoop crazy, Cooper kicks things up a notch. For one thing, everyone conspires to shield Kirk from the news that Scotty and Spock have gone rogue, up to the point that he's surprised not to see either of them when he takes back over command of the newly repaired Enterprise. Then, once rescued, Spock makes good on a promise made to the Romulans to warn the Empire of the impending threat and is drummed out of Starfleet and sent to prison for treason. (Scotty is demoted because he was simply following orders). Spock is sent to prison where he meets another Romulan agent who he bonds with in such a way that he's soon telling Kirk to take a long walk off a short pier because he's got a new BFF.
The two eventually escape and become pirates on dual ships known as the Black Fire. Their thought process is that two ships will create a legend on the frontier and help their various governments pay attention to the threat the Tomarii represent.
It's at this point that things are completely off the rails --and yet somehow I couldn't stop turning the pages, wondering what twist Cooper would pull out next.
It's not spoiling much to say that everything has to reset to status quo by the end of the story -- and it does so in one of the more contrived, tacked-on two pages ever. If you've ever rolled your eyes at how late first and middle second season TOS ended on a "funny" moment, you're going to hate how this one ends. I could almost hear the musical queue to indicate it was time to laugh.
Cooper's novel was initially so polarizing that some fans were calling for a boycott of the professionally published Trek novels. I can kind of see where they're coming from because reading it now, it feels like an incredibly dashed-together piece of fan fiction. I keep wondering which of the two females who fall for Spock is the Mary Sue of this one, though part of me suspects it's both. If you've ever wanted to see Spock cosplay as a pirate or the kept pet of a female leader, this is your book.
Reading the novel, there's a good bit that feels off about it. Part of this is the dynamic of Kirk and Spock, which doesn't quite always ring true given that this is supposed to be set between the end of season three and TMP. It thankfully never reaches the overtones that it will in the original version of Killing Time but there is a huge undercurrent of jealousy when Spock ditches Krik for his new Romulan buddy.
Black Fire starts with a huge bang and rockets along at a warp nine for its entire run time. It's kind of like a season of 24 where the less time you think about how the latest development or plot twist could impact the larger picture, the better. The times when I stopped to go, "Now what is this twist and what does it mean" only helped reduce the novel's standing with me.
And yet, despite all the criticisms you can level at this one (and there are a few), there are still some fun moments. The early stages of the attack on the Enterprise work well and a scene where Chapel sees the disgraced Spock going to his trial and weeps for him takes on a new meaning with the nuances introduced by Strange New Worlds. I would give money to see SNW try to adapt some of this story for a future season. We could drop the "every woman he meets falling in love with Spock" aspect and it maybe too much of a reset button for him to go rogue and be drummed out of Starfleet, but I can't admit this wouldn't be fun to see.
I can't see Black Fire is the worst piece of Trek tie-in fiction I've ever read. There are multiple books I can cite as being dull and predictable -- something this novel never is.
But I can see why it caused such a debate among fandom and along with Killing Time probably made Paramount and Pocket Books take a harder look at the final frontier in the printed page.
Read this one at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.
I read this one back in high school but couldn't recall much about it as I approached this novel for my "Re-Read the Trek novels of 1983" project. Reading it forty years later, I can't believe this one ever saw the light of day as an officially sanctioned tie-in novel. I'm not the one one since this one seems to have created more than a few ripples among Trek fans at the time.
Opening with an explosion on-board that Enterprise that cripples the ship and kills multiple crew members, Black Fire hits the ground running and never looks back. Kirk is critically wounded and Spock gets a piece of metal stuck in his back that could paralyze him at any time but can't be removed for -- well, reasons. Spock doesn't let the fact that he could be paralyzed at any moment with one wrong step stop him from mind-melding with Sulu to find the culprit behind the explosion, tracking down where she went, and then enlisting Scotty to steal a ship and pursue them.
If you're worried I'm giving away huge spoilers, I will say don't be. All of this happens within the first thirty or so pages of the novel.
Once they arrive at the planet, Spock and Scotty find a Romulan and Klingon ship there. Turns out both empires were also attacked and led here. Everyone is captured by a new group called the Tomarii, a bloodthirsty race for whom war is life itself. The Tomarii capture everyone and put them into some type of camp to see if they're worthy adversaries that feel like a fan-fic version of "Gamesters of Triskelion." And don't forget that the Tomarii feel like an early, more aggressive version of the Binars from TNG where they assimilate a lot of technology but don't necessarily understand how it all works.
It's while in captivity that Spock has not one but two ladies fall for his Vulcan sexiness. Spock is having none of this, despite later being kept as a pet by the female leader of the Tomarii. Spock realizes that Scotty will never leave him behind so he tries not once but twice to commit suicide (because it's the logical thing to do) -- once by getting stabbed by a fellow prisoner who is in love with him and later by consuming a deadly berry. Luckily, both attempts are thwarted, the second because Kirk and company show up with the Enterprise at the exact right moment for McCoy to save Spock.
Just when you think it can't get any more batpoop crazy, Cooper kicks things up a notch. For one thing, everyone conspires to shield Kirk from the news that Scotty and Spock have gone rogue, up to the point that he's surprised not to see either of them when he takes back over command of the newly repaired Enterprise. Then, once rescued, Spock makes good on a promise made to the Romulans to warn the Empire of the impending threat and is drummed out of Starfleet and sent to prison for treason. (Scotty is demoted because he was simply following orders). Spock is sent to prison where he meets another Romulan agent who he bonds with in such a way that he's soon telling Kirk to take a long walk off a short pier because he's got a new BFF.
The two eventually escape and become pirates on dual ships known as the Black Fire. Their thought process is that two ships will create a legend on the frontier and help their various governments pay attention to the threat the Tomarii represent.
It's at this point that things are completely off the rails --and yet somehow I couldn't stop turning the pages, wondering what twist Cooper would pull out next.
It's not spoiling much to say that everything has to reset to status quo by the end of the story -- and it does so in one of the more contrived, tacked-on two pages ever. If you've ever rolled your eyes at how late first and middle second season TOS ended on a "funny" moment, you're going to hate how this one ends. I could almost hear the musical queue to indicate it was time to laugh.
Cooper's novel was initially so polarizing that some fans were calling for a boycott of the professionally published Trek novels. I can kind of see where they're coming from because reading it now, it feels like an incredibly dashed-together piece of fan fiction. I keep wondering which of the two females who fall for Spock is the Mary Sue of this one, though part of me suspects it's both. If you've ever wanted to see Spock cosplay as a pirate or the kept pet of a female leader, this is your book.
Reading the novel, there's a good bit that feels off about it. Part of this is the dynamic of Kirk and Spock, which doesn't quite always ring true given that this is supposed to be set between the end of season three and TMP. It thankfully never reaches the overtones that it will in the original version of Killing Time but there is a huge undercurrent of jealousy when Spock ditches Krik for his new Romulan buddy.
Black Fire starts with a huge bang and rockets along at a warp nine for its entire run time. It's kind of like a season of 24 where the less time you think about how the latest development or plot twist could impact the larger picture, the better. The times when I stopped to go, "Now what is this twist and what does it mean" only helped reduce the novel's standing with me.
And yet, despite all the criticisms you can level at this one (and there are a few), there are still some fun moments. The early stages of the attack on the Enterprise work well and a scene where Chapel sees the disgraced Spock going to his trial and weeps for him takes on a new meaning with the nuances introduced by Strange New Worlds. I would give money to see SNW try to adapt some of this story for a future season. We could drop the "every woman he meets falling in love with Spock" aspect and it maybe too much of a reset button for him to go rogue and be drummed out of Starfleet, but I can't admit this wouldn't be fun to see.
I can't see Black Fire is the worst piece of Trek tie-in fiction I've ever read. There are multiple books I can cite as being dull and predictable -- something this novel never is.
But I can see why it caused such a debate among fandom and along with Killing Time probably made Paramount and Pocket Books take a harder look at the final frontier in the printed page.
Read this one at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.
May 20, 2018
Kind of torn on this one. It started out really strong but from there it just kind of went downhill for me. I commend the author for putting Scotty up as a more central character and for making it such a Vulcan heavy story but that's about the best I can say. There's just not much dramatic impact to a story that seems to awkwardly hop from one point to the next. And while much attention is given to Spock, Kirk is written in an almost superficial fashion, making him oddly moody and flying off the handle in more than a few uncharacteristic situations. And the whole crux of the book involving Spock is wiped clean in a few ham-fisted pages that gave the whole thing a fan-fictiony feel to it.
I read the kindle edition of this and there are a lot of typographical errors in here. I'm willing to accept that some errors will happen when transferring an out-of-print edition into the digital but if they're going to charge $6.99 for it, I'd like to think that someone could have done a proofreading pass.
One last point, this author really seemed to have it in for the Enterprise. The book opens with the ship nearly destroyed and then, later on when they are finally able to take her out they end up crashing the car again.
It's not a completely terrible book but unless you're a big fan with a fairly completionist attitude, I'd give this a pass.
I read the kindle edition of this and there are a lot of typographical errors in here. I'm willing to accept that some errors will happen when transferring an out-of-print edition into the digital but if they're going to charge $6.99 for it, I'd like to think that someone could have done a proofreading pass.
One last point, this author really seemed to have it in for the Enterprise. The book opens with the ship nearly destroyed and then, later on when they are finally able to take her out they end up crashing the car again.
It's not a completely terrible book but unless you're a big fan with a fairly completionist attitude, I'd give this a pass.
April 16, 2019
So much happens in this story that any one plot could be expanded to a novel-length story. That's a problem because everything that happens in Black Fire tends to be half-baked. You could even call this novel "Everything Including the Kitchen Sink."
We start out with sabotage on the Enterprise...a compelling story in and of itself. A new alien race, court martial proceedings, pirates, blockades...there's so much going on here it's pretty comical in the long run. The beginning of the novel, the aftermath of the explosion on the Enterprise, is compelling and sets up the story to be pretty wonderful. And then everything else tends to make it more outlandish.
Characterizations, at times, aren't what they should be (which is a problem, considering it was published after TOS and TAS and two movies-these characters aren't new to creatives or audiences) and the personal relationships are non-existent, outside the main characters. Do I regret spending the time on Black Fire? No. It's not a terrible read; it's fairly quick and enjoyable. Just don't think too hard about it.
We start out with sabotage on the Enterprise...a compelling story in and of itself. A new alien race, court martial proceedings, pirates, blockades...there's so much going on here it's pretty comical in the long run. The beginning of the novel, the aftermath of the explosion on the Enterprise, is compelling and sets up the story to be pretty wonderful. And then everything else tends to make it more outlandish.
Characterizations, at times, aren't what they should be (which is a problem, considering it was published after TOS and TAS and two movies-these characters aren't new to creatives or audiences) and the personal relationships are non-existent, outside the main characters. Do I regret spending the time on Black Fire? No. It's not a terrible read; it's fairly quick and enjoyable. Just don't think too hard about it.
February 18, 2019
I love Star Trek. I grew up on Star Trek and Star Trek is indeed in my veins. Cut me open and my blood whispers "she's a trekkie" before it puddles onto the floor in the shape of the Vulcan characters that say "live long and prosper, mf-ers."
Seriously, I love Star Trek. So of course I am aware of Star Trek's love by women and our fandom fore-mothers who brought us the amazing gifts of these extended universe novels, and this was my foray into Sonni Cooper's work, Black Fire.
The plot is campy. My eyebrows raised at times. I nearly threw the book at times. It isn't exactly what I thought it would be (when I made it to the part of the book in which it earned it's title I audibly said REALLY? My cat wasn't appreciative of my outburst) but honestly, it's fun. If you want something a little less serious and a little more space-opera, go for it. I'm glad I did!
Seriously, I love Star Trek. So of course I am aware of Star Trek's love by women and our fandom fore-mothers who brought us the amazing gifts of these extended universe novels, and this was my foray into Sonni Cooper's work, Black Fire.
The plot is campy. My eyebrows raised at times. I nearly threw the book at times. It isn't exactly what I thought it would be (when I made it to the part of the book in which it earned it's title I audibly said REALLY? My cat wasn't appreciative of my outburst) but honestly, it's fun. If you want something a little less serious and a little more space-opera, go for it. I'm glad I did!
May 11, 2022
Yes, this is not really a good Trek book. Every bad thing said about it is true, takes a bit to get going, reads like kinky Spock fan fic..,the subplots not involving Spock go nowhere or are rushed..the Klingons appear in the story and then disappear..
However, this book is never boring and and thinking of Spock as a romantic Pirate makes me giggle. I also think for all the faults of the writing, it captures the voices pretty well..its just the writer tends to lean into the melodrama of Kirk and Spock too much
On my Trek novel journey, I will read dozens and dozens of better novels but I imagine few will be as insane and engaging.
However, this book is never boring and and thinking of Spock as a romantic Pirate makes me giggle. I also think for all the faults of the writing, it captures the voices pretty well..its just the writer tends to lean into the melodrama of Kirk and Spock too much
On my Trek novel journey, I will read dozens and dozens of better novels but I imagine few will be as insane and engaging.
June 4, 2010
I'd read this book a while ago, so I'd forgotten a lot of the details except for the attack at the beginning. I thought the story was interesting as it followed Spock's search for the attacker, his capture and escape from the Tomariians, and his courtmartial. Although the end was not a complete shock, kinda figured he hadn't *really* turned pirate and then joined the Romulan Empire although it appeared that way, I still enjoyed it. Especially the poem that was written about him as the pirate "Black Fire". A good read!
September 3, 2017
The main thing I remember about this book is a bit near the end where Kirk exclaims, and I just howled with laughter. Because... omgwtfwaffles.
It took me a moment to be sure that Kirk didn't mean , because at this point, I would not have put anything past this book. He didn't, but the mental image just made me laugh harder.
It was already not a good book, but that made up for a lot of it.
It took me a moment to be sure that Kirk didn't mean , because at this point, I would not have put anything past this book. He didn't, but the mental image just made me laugh harder.
It was already not a good book, but that made up for a lot of it.
October 12, 2018
A story with a fairly complext plot that does not entirely feels 'true'. A sentiment that may make you feel uneasy but that proves to be correct, only not as expected.
Spock is the main character around whom - even mortally wounded - everything else gravitates.
An easyreading novel with quite some psychology and not as much space action as i prefer. Several technical question like what Scotty's small engine brings to the Enterprise stay unanswered.
Not a very satisfying story for me though with some excellent bits in it.
Spock is the main character around whom - even mortally wounded - everything else gravitates.
An easyreading novel with quite some psychology and not as much space action as i prefer. Several technical question like what Scotty's small engine brings to the Enterprise stay unanswered.
Not a very satisfying story for me though with some excellent bits in it.
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