If you're a diehard trekker or just a casual Star Trek fan, then you've probably read at least one tie-in novel.

The first Star Trek tie-ins were episode novelizations of the original series were written by James Blish and published by Bantam Books from 1967 to 1978. James Blish also wrote the very first original Star Trek novel, Spock Must Die!, which was published in 1970. Bantam Books continued to publish Star Trek titles until 1991.

From 1974 to 2006, Ballantine Books (and Del Rey) published the Star Trek Log book series by Alan Dean Foster, novelizations of the short-lived Star Trek animated series.

From 1979 to 2017, all Star Trek tie-in novels, anthologies, and novelizations were published by Pocket Books (an imprint of  Simon & Schuster). The books are now published by Gallery Books, which is also an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

AMAZON

The newest Star Trek novel "The Captain's Oath" written by Christopher L. Bennett was published at the end of May and marked the first new story of "The Original Series" since 2016.

"The Captain's Oath" is a prequel spanning several years - 2261 - 2265. The prologue begins in 2265 on the very first day James T. Kirk is given command of the U.S.S. Enterprise and meets Mr. Spock. The novel jumps back and forth to tell how and why Kirk was given the U.S.S. Enterprise.

In the years 2261 to 2264, we see Kirk taking over the captain's chair of the U.S.S. Sacagawea and his brief stint overseeing the Starfleet archaeological station in Eagle's Landing. From early battles with the Klingons, encountering mysterious sphere ships, to saving endangered civilizations, Kirk learns the discipline he'll need to become a great captain.

Final Thoughts

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.

As the party moved through the high, curving corridors of the city spheres and the wide, cylindrical airlocks that connected them to one another, Kirk was struck by the abundance of windows and the relative thinness of the walls that encased them.

page 256, Star Trek: The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett

  My Thoughts

Reading, in any form, whether it’s the weight of a paperback in your hands or the sweet sounds of an audiobook filling the room or filling your car, can be heaven to your ears. I know it’s heaven to mine.

On long, or short road trips, kids want to keep asking “are we there yet?” Or they might get restless and bored with the coloring books and iPad games you gave to them to distract them.

When this happens, you might want to consider popping in an audiobook, turning up the volume, and letting someone else’s voice take you out of this world and into a fictional and fantastical realm.

It goes without saying to make sure that while you’re in this fantastical realm that you remember the rules of the road to make sure you and your family are safe, and to make sure your car insurance is up-to-date so you and your family are protected in case accidents happen.

Now, before we get into the best audiobooks, where are the best places to get audiobooks? Audible is the most well-known, but there are others such as OverDrive or Libby (best if you want to get your audiobooks from libraries), and Scribd. You can also go the traditional “retro” route and get audio CDs for your stereo player.

Wherever you choose to get your audiobooks from, let’s now talk about the best audiobooks that both kids and parents can enjoy together.

J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Books

The father of fantasy and the creator of the world of Middle Earth, Tolkien’s fantasy world has spawned several Hollywood movies. While this series might be the best for older kids, the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit will keep everyone on the edge of their seats. The adventures of Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship who seek to defeat Sauron in Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King will keep attention off of road signs and keep the kids from the question “Are we there yet?”

The Harry Potter Series

J.K. Rowling’s series is well-known worldwide, as are the movies that spawned from the books. Whether you or your kids have seen the movies or read the books already, it is worth it to hear them performed by the wonderful narrator, Jim Dale. He keeps you entertained and is never boring. There are seven books in the series: The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows, so make sure that you start with The Sorcerer’s Stone. This series will take you through several family road trips and into the Wizarding World of Hogwarts.

You can also delve into the audiobook of another J.K. Rowling creation, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The Fudge Series

Judy Blume reads the books about young Peter Hatcher and his little brother, Fudge. You can start with any of the books in the series, but my suggestion would be to start with the first in the series, Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing. These books are set in New York City, and the tales and wacky adventures of an everyday family might have you making comparisons to your own family, and will leave everyone in a fit of giggles.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Greg Heffley has a run of bad luck in the Heffley family. He has a diary, a gift that he got for his birthday and didn’t want in the first place. But it’s a gift he’s going to make full use of. Greg’s antics had me laughing when I read the books, and they will have you and your kids laughing as you listen to them.

Two of the biggest box-office draws this year have been produced by Marvel Studios - Avengers Endgame and Captain Marvel (PG-13; 125 minutes), which the latter is now available to own on Digital HD (Movies Anywhere), 4K Ultra HD (+Blu-ray +Digital), Blu-ray (+Digital), and DVD.

Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, the film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.

Set in 1995, the film centers on Vers (played by Brie Larson), the only human member of an elite Kree military called "Starforce." After a mission to take down a group of Skrulls, Vers crashes-lands in Los Angeles, where she intertwines with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (played by Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg) right before the shape-shifting Skrulls crashes the party.

Fast forward a few chase scenes, where Vers learns her real name is Carol Danvers, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who was supposedly killed in an explosion. In reality, the accident gave her superhuman strength (and memory loss). As she learns more about her past, the "Starforce" travel to Earth in the attempt to eliminate the Skrulls refugees.

Basically, Carol must choose which side to fight against - the Kree or Skrulls.


Digital Exclusive Special Features:

• Journey into Visual Effects with Victoria Alonso – Experience how filmmakers' visions of the MCU come to life on-screen through the skill of the Visual Effects team.
• What Makes a Memory: Inside the “Mind Frack” – What does it take to craft an action-packed sequence for a Marvel Studios film? Nothing short of an epic team effort!
• Concept Art – Explore artwork from “Captain Marvel” and trace the visual development of characters.
• On-Set Images – Uncover a trove of behind-the-scenes and production photography.

Digital & Blu-ray Special Features:

• Alternate Movie Versions
• Movie with Intro – An introduction by directors/screenwriters Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.
• Movie with Commentary – Commentary by directors/screenwriters Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.
• Featurettes:
• Becoming a Super Hero – Follow Brie Larson's journey as she joins the MCU, and see what it takes to be a Marvel Super Hero in every sense of the word.
• Big Hero Moment – Explore how impactful Captain Marvel's entrance into the MCU is, and how she inspires audiences around the world.
• The Origin of Nick Fury – Witness some of the MCU’s most significant events through Nick Fury's eyes, and see how his influence helped shape the MCU.
• The Dream Team – Discover why Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck are the perfect pair to direct Marvel Studios’ most powerful hero.
• The Skrulls and the Kree – Take a deeper look into the Skrulls and the Kree, their ongoing conflict, and the importance of shifting perspectives in the film.
• Hiss-sterical Cat-titude – The cast and crew dish on working with Goose and the raw talent it takes to portray such a complex character on-screen.
• Deleted Scenes
• “Who Do You Admire Above All Others?” - Kree Commander Yon-Rogg must answer to the Supreme Intelligence, who questions his leadership ability.
• Starforce Recruits - Yon-Rogg lectures a roomful of students on the Kree's mission to defend all nations from the scourge of the Skrulls.
• Heading to Torfa - Vers (Danvers) and her fellow Starforce members banter as they prepare for their rescue mission to Torfa.
• “What, No Smile?” - In this alternate version of a scene from the movie, Vers is consulting a map when she receives a dubious offer of assistance.
• Black Box - Keller attempts to track Vers and Fury after their escape in a quadjet from the Joint USAFA Facility.
• Rookie Mistake - Novice S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson helps Director Keller out of an embarrassing situation.
• Gag Reel – The fate of the universe hangs in the balance as the cast battles props, flubs and Flerkens in these outtakes from the set.

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @  Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

Here's a little fun fact for everyone: I used to be a Trekker! I grew up watching reruns of the original series, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine. Then I quickly left the franchise right after the campy Voyager series debuted in the mid-1990s. While I would no longer consider myself a Trekker by any means, I do occasionally watch an episode or two of the old series on Netflix. This year, I've found myself in a Star Trek mood after watching the first season of Star Trek: Discovery (I don't recommend it to anyone!), which resulted in me buying a few $.99 old Star Trek tie-in eBook. As you can see from the photo above I'm going to be reading Star Trek: The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett, which I'd received a review copy from Gallery Books just a few days ago. Pockets Books used to publish the Star Trek books, but this year Gallery Books took over the franchise. "The Captain's Oath" looks like a fun read.

Next, I'm planning on reading The Son by Philip Meyer, which is a title I'd mentioned about in last week's post. Originally, I wanted to read it at the end of last week, but I ended up reading an eBook instead.

In the Mail

AMAZON

Believe it or not, there are now eight films in the horror-comedy Leprechaun series, which began with the 1993 cult classic (filmed in 1991) which starred a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston. Warwick Davis played the wisecracking villain for six films, with the last being 2003's straight-to-video Leprechaun: Back 2 the Hood. The franchise was rebooted in 2014 in the-name-only Leprechaun: Origins and the less I talk about that disaster the better!

The franchise got another reboot with Leprechaun Returns ($14.99; R; 93 minutes), which ignores the original sequels and the 2014 reboot. It's a direct sequel to the 1993 film with Linden Porco taking over role as the Leprechaun! The film was released to VOD in December 2018 and premiered on SyFy in March 2019. It'll be making it's way on Blu-ray (+ Digital) tomorrow from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Directed by Steven Kotanski, the film is set 25 years after the original and centers around college student Lila (played by Taylor Spreitler) who's joining the sorority house Alpha Upsilon. The sorority recently decided to go "green" and moved their house to an old farmhouse (the same one from the original movie). After getting a ride from Ozzy (Mark Holton reprising his role from the 1993 film), Lila meets her new sisters - Rose (played by Sai Bennett), Meredith (played by Emily Reid), and Katie (played by Pepi Sonuga), as well as Katie's boyfriend Andy (played Ben McGregor) and the tech-geek Matt (played by Oliver Llewllyn Jenkins).

After getting a bit too close to the farm's old well, Ozzy weirdly and grossly resurrects the Leprechaun. Once again, the Irish killer is on a deadly mission to retrieve his pot of gold. And, of course, he's going to have a little bloody fun with the college students.

Special Features include:

• Going Green with Director Steven Kotanski
• Leprechaun Returns Behind-the-Scenes Footage
• Still Gallery

 

  Final Thoughts