Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours

By: David Mack

Narrated by: Susan Eisenberg

An all-original novel based upon the explosive new series on CBS All Access!

Aboard the Starship Shenzhou, Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it.

She gets her chance when the Shenzhou must protect a Federation colony that is under attack by an ancient alien vessel that has surfaced from the deepest fathoms of the planet's dark, uncharted sea.

As the menace from this mysterious vessel grows stronger, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of halting the threat. To save thousands of innocent lives, Burnham must infiltrate the alien ship. But to do so, she needs to face the truth of her troubled past, and seek the aid of a man she has tried to avoid her entire life - until now.

©2017 David Mack (P)2017 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

An excellent prequel to the series

When audiences are first introduced to Michael Burnham and Captain Philippa Georgiou in the opening scenes of Star Trek: Discovery, the captain mentions that Burnham has served under her for seven years—implying that there are seven years of stories aboard the Shenzhou before the series even begins. By the time the two-hour premiere of Discovery was over, I was certain I wanted to see more of those stories, get to know Capt. Georgiou better, witness Burnham’s development from cold student of Vulcan to the fascinating character she had become by the time of the Federation/Klingon War. Luckily, I got to begin that exploration only a few days later, as “Desperate Hours” chronicles one such chapter of life aboard the Shenzhou in peacetime.
“Desperate Hours” is an excellent opportunity to spend more time with Georgiou and the crew of the Shenzhou, while also learning much more about Burnham’s connection to Sarek, Amanda, and Spock. Here, in a novel, is the best place to explore that relationship, vs. on the TV series where it would feel like a distraction or a stunt for ratings.
Recommended for any fan of the new series, or of the original—particularly The Cage/Menagerie.

Nice story

I enjoyed the series so it's nice to have more stories. Sometimes was a bit slow but overall I liked this book. I would have preferred a more elaborated end but it's ok.

It would be awesome if these stories could be more immersive with different voices, sounds and so on.

A Good Trek Read

Overall it was a good listen, but my major complaint was the writing for Pike. The Saru and Una interactions along with Spock and Michael's were the highlight of the book. Why do colonists have to curse so much?

Far far better plot wise than I expected.

Definitely concentrated on plot development and intrique instead of the usual mindless homage to all things Trek. Great development of secondary characters plotlines. I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Ohhhh...and great narration to.

Great story, Spock and Burnham together at last.

I have always loved star trek even though I am not an evolutionist, I think it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it takes to believe in God. However, I really enjoyed this audio book, Spock and Burnham together at last. The timing of Star Trek Discovery throws me off because it happens prior to the original Star Trek series but it has better ships better space drive systems than the original. But if you ignore the history, it makes a great story.

Loved It

This story has some pretty big character history differences from the TV show. It was interesting to read thru the story line from a slightly different perspective but thru the same characters eyes. After finishing the book i wish that the TV show Spock and Michael has this same history. I'ts more more nuanced and interesting than the TV version i think.

At any rate, If you like the TV show you will probably enjoy this book and find the story refreshed by the character differences.

Great Story and a Great Listen

This was a compelling story and it was exciting to see the crossover of two crews. The was not enough distinction between the narrated voices of the characters, IMO. However, overall the performance was good.

Awesome Character Background Info!

After watching the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery I really wanted to have more information on the lead character Michael Burnham. This book exceeded all expectations on offering just that.

Now I am looking forward to the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery with a much better understanding of who Michael Burnham is. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that you get a lot more character understanding the rest of the Walker Class starship crew commanded by Captain Philippa Georgiou as well. In addition, another Federation starship joins in on this mission, which adds a nice depth of additional characters, some you may be already pretty intimate with if you have watched The Original Series or read/listened to any of the TOS novels.

I thought the book had lots of character depth, great pacing and a wonderful action packed sci fi story.

As for the audio version: I enjoyed listening to Susan Eiseberg perform this novel. The first chapter I had to adjust to her voice (the more recent Trek books have been done by a different male pretty consistently) and after that, I was sold. She did a lovely job with her performance of this lovely Trek story.

This is an excellent prelude to Star Trek Discover

I loved and enjoyed : the interactions between Burnham and Spock, the mysteries behind the juggernaut, the colonies, Captain Philippa Georgio and Captain Pike.

You will get some of the back stories behind the characters and enjoy this opening into the Star Trek Universe.

I’ve devoured that book!

Loved It!

This is the first Star Trek novel I've ever read/listened to and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm a fan of Discovery and this helped add another layer of depth and context to the characters which makes the series make more sense.