Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The High Country

By: John Jackson Miller

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

The first novel based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds!

When an experimental shuttlecraft fails, Captain Christopher Pike suspects a mechanical malfunction—only to discover the very principles on which Starfleet bases its technology have simply stopped functioning. He and his crewmates are forced to abandon ship in a dangerous maneuver that scatters their party across the strangest new world they’ve ever encountered.

First Officer Una finds herself fighting to survive an untamed wilderness where dangers lurk at every turn. Young cadet Nyota Uhura struggles in a volcanic wasteland where things are not as they seem. Science Officer Spock is missing altogether. And Pike gets the chance to fulfill a childhood dream: to live the life of a cowboy in a world where the tools of the 23rd century are of no use.

Yet even in the saddle, Pike is still very much a starship captain, with all the responsibilities that entails. Setting out to find his crewmates, he encounters a surprising face from his past—and discovers that one people’s utopia might be someone else’s purgatory. He must lead an exodus—or risk a calamity of galactic proportions that even the Starship Enterprise is powerless to stop....

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Fantastic

This is a very well crafted story even if you took out all the Star Trek characters plus references and in there place made up random characters like another random space opera it would still be excellent. One of the best Trek novels I've ever listened to you should definitely check it out if your considering it, it starts out ok and gets better and better as it goes.

One of my new favorite Star Trek audio books

I was a bit skeptical having listened to two other books by the author, which I felt meh and so-so about. This was great!

I rolled my eyes a lot at the beginning. The alternative earth where technology didn’t progress is so overdone, as it an old west theme. But I quickly saw this was different. There’s a bit of a mystery that unfolds over time and the four crew members that land on the planet land in four different places and experience different pieces of the puzzle. I especially likes Uhura’s adventures and what Spock gets up to.

Also, thank you to the author for short chapters. It makes finding spots to pause the book to attend to the rest of my life so much easier.

I commend the author for almost meeting my expectations for inclusion of female characters. Of the Enterprise crew members who play a central role, I count three male and three female. Of the new characters that play a central role, I count three female and three male. Now, most all the other characters were male, but this is really quite close for a male author. The female characters were also not stereotyped, varied in their roles and personalities, and their physical characteristics are not described in a gross way.

The narrator. Well, I think my main frustration with this guy is he narrates nearly all Star Trek novels. He’s not terrible, other than some of his impressions. His M'Benga is the worst I’ve of his impressions I’ve heard yet. Petkoff’s strategy seems to be to give himself laryngitis before doing M’Benga’s lines. I also find myself questioning the appropriateness of a white guy doing a Nigerian English accent. But that’s really part of the problem with Petkoff doing all the books. Part of what’s so great about the new series is they aren’t 90% white dudes. But 90% of Star Trek novels are still being narrated by a white dude.

Sprawling New Worlds

This novel, drawing several characters through the course of quite a bit of time and a long journey across several days, was expansive and engaging. The tenor of this story is exemplified by the provision of the PDF maps. When I first discovered them, it brought me back to years of poring through successive entries in fantasy novel series, so that was the way I approached the story. This very much worked, and it was nice to have Star Trek existing in an intersection with a magic-free fantasy world. These are the reasons I rate the story a five.

As far as my overall rating of four for this book, I did feel that the voice of some characters were lost in the telling. As I write this, I am also, however, considering the fact that this novel was likely written during the run of the first series, and that perhaps the author had not had the opportunity to fully connect with the characters as portrayed by the actors, vice as they existed on paper, or partially through the first and/or second seasons. It is for these reasons that I have now adjusted my rating for "overall" to a five.

Last, I will discuss the performance. Robert Petkoff does a good job differentiating the voices of the characters, and of keeping and engaging clear tone throughout. Five here as well.

Great work all around 🖖🏾

Just OK, not great. The story is a wee bit hokey.

I found this to a bit of a strugle to get through. Some parts are underdeveloped, and the story was thin. We have come to know and love the characters from the TV show. The characters in this book were lacking in depth and rather boring compared to the TV series. The performance was just OK.

great story

Great story will be listening to it again. I feel the book is very good.

It's Strange New Worlds!

And I think that's about all you need to know. If you enjoy the show, this well written novel is like an episode straight from the first season. I found the characters consistent with the show, the story is very Star Trek, and the pacing is that of a novel. Everything I want in a Star Trek book.

great plot and narration

the story fealt just like another episode of strange new worlds, and the narrator did a pretty good job imitating the characters voices!

Always a great listen

The Star Trek series, no matter which one you choose, always ends up being a great read, listen, or viewing opportunity. Star Trek continues to show humanity and great problem solving. Not just a story but the dilemmas that individuals face both big and small or planetside or in space. This was enjoyable all the way around.

Fun read!

I loved the setting for this - I could just see it in my mind. The voice acting matches the characters really well too.

Nice to hear some new TOS!

Well written and entertaining dive into the Skagarans and a few other new species! Keep the new TOS books coming!