Star Trek Into Darkness Novelization by Alan Dean Foster

Title: Star Trek Into Darkness
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Read by: Alice Eve
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Length: Approximately 8.5 hours (7 CDs)
Source: Simon & Shuster Review Copy – Thanks!

My husband and I sadly don’t get out to many movies these days, but we did get to see Star Trek Into Darkness this summer, and we both greatly enjoyed it.  I was more than a little excited to also get to review the audio CD novelization of the movie by Simon & Shuster.  Listening to the audiobook allowed me to fill in some of the gaps that I hadn’t realized when I was watching the movie.  The novelization was by Alan Dean Foster.  I have enjoyed his books in the past, especially in the Star Wars universe.

The story has a riveting beginning with Kirk flying in the face of the Prime Directive in order to save a civilization and his friend, Mr. Spock.  After Spock files a report with the entire story told, Kirk is demoted to first officer.  When a new threat to Star Fleet looms and disaster occurs, only Kirk, Spock, and crew can save the day.

I enjoyed the story and thought the movie and audiobook were very well put together.  I loved the nods that were made to lifelong Star Trek fans, but also loved the new direction that the story took.  I didn’t like the mass destruction of San Francisco at the end.  I feel that movies like to show how much cool special effects they can do, while the audience is horrified on the loss of life that it would entail.

Alice Eve (Dr. Carol Marcus) was the narrator of this audiobook.  She did a fair job.  I enjoyed listening to her, except for when she was doing the voices for Admiral Marcus or Khan.  She had a very strange cadence with those characters and the result was like scratching nails across a chalkboard for me.

Overall, I found Star Trek Into Darkness to be a great complement to the movie and a very enjoyable audiobook for my trips into work this summer.