Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours Volume 1

By: David Mack

Narrated by: Susan Eisenberg

An all-new novel based upon the explosive Star Trek TV series!

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.

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.