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A review by lamphouse
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home by Vonda N. McIntyre
4.0
why must everyone be such downers!!! this WAS fun—sure, more somber than the movie at parts, but on what planet does a little seriousness mean things can't still be fun, geez.
I personally really loved how this dug more into the aftermath of spock's resurrection and his and mccoy's bond from the katra transfer, the real lack of that was the one thing from the movie that disappointed me most. the bits that were added (or maybe weren't, I'd have to rewatch if they could just be descriptions of actual acting, but I'm thinking abt the spock-esque head tilt bones does at one point) where there's a grey area between their characters were well done, and it brought all that to an emotional/character-driven conclusion that the film just doesn't.
I also thought the traveler stuff was interesting, if in an extra-canonical way (like, I think it's funny that the movie never bothers to get into it, but I also like this interpretation, and they coexist in my mind, not one usurping the other.) same with the other one- or two-off characters, like the other captains, the garbagemen, etc.
plus, gillian's introspective Mood triggered by a bruce springsteen song... representation matters.
(I agree the characterization of sulu is a bit weird, and if that's to jive w/ mcintyre's other novelizations I understand, but yeah it didn't make much sense here. sulu is very cool and very handsome and fun, let him be cool and handsome and fun.)
("keaton, why have you shelved this with your university readings?" well friends that's because I read it for university. "how on earth—" well when you're a teacher's pet they let you do basically whatever you want for papers and so I'm writing about the mini trilogy (films 2-4) through the lens of paradise lost. read it and weep, bitches.)
I personally really loved how this dug more into the aftermath of spock's resurrection and his and mccoy's bond from the katra transfer, the real lack of that was the one thing from the movie that disappointed me most. the bits that were added (or maybe weren't, I'd have to rewatch if they could just be descriptions of actual acting, but I'm thinking abt the spock-esque head tilt bones does at one point) where there's a grey area between their characters were well done, and it brought all that to an emotional/character-driven conclusion that the film just doesn't.
I also thought the traveler stuff was interesting, if in an extra-canonical way (like, I think it's funny that the movie never bothers to get into it, but I also like this interpretation, and they coexist in my mind, not one usurping the other.) same with the other one- or two-off characters, like the other captains, the garbagemen, etc.
plus, gillian's introspective Mood triggered by a bruce springsteen song... representation matters.
(I agree the characterization of sulu is a bit weird, and if that's to jive w/ mcintyre's other novelizations I understand, but yeah it didn't make much sense here. sulu is very cool and very handsome and fun, let him be cool and handsome and fun.)
("keaton, why have you shelved this with your university readings?" well friends that's because I read it for university. "how on earth—" well when you're a teacher's pet they let you do basically whatever you want for papers and so I'm writing about the mini trilogy (films 2-4) through the lens of paradise lost. read it and weep, bitches.)