General Information
===================
 Title:                  Star Trek (2009) Movie Tie-In
 Author:                 Alan Dean Foster
 Read By:                Zachary Quinto (Spock)
 Copyright:              2009
 Audiobook Copyright:    2009
 Genre:                  Audiobook

File Information
================
 Number of MP3s:         100
 Total Duration:         8:01:07
 Total MP3 Size:         553 MB
 Parity Archive:         Yes
 Ripped With:            Itunes 8.1.1
 Encoded At:             CBR 160 kbit/s 44100 Hz Joint Stereo
 ID3 Tags:               Set, v1.1, v2.3

Posting
=======
 Posting Plan:           One Post w/10% PARS
 Reposting Rules:        One Post w/10% PARS

Book Description
================
Star Trek Movie Tie-In [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)
by Alan Dean Foster (Author), Zachary Quinto (Reader) 

Book Description

"Are you willing to settle for an ordinary life? Or do you think you were meant for something better? Something special?"

One grew up in the cornfields of Iowa, fighting for his independence, for a way out of a life that promised only indifference, aimlessness and obscurity.

"You will forever be a child of two worlds, capable of choosing your own destiny. The only question you face is, which path will you chose?"

The other grew up on the jagged cliffs of the harsh Vulcan desert, fighting for acceptance, for a way to reconcile the logic he was taught with the emotions he felt.

In the far reaches of the galaxy, a machine of war bursts into existence in a place and time it was never meant to be. On a mission of retribution for the destruction of his planet, its half-mad captain seeks the death of every intelligent being, and the annihilation of every civilized world.

Kirk and Spock, two completely different and unyielding personalities must find a way to lead the only crew, aboard the only ship, that can stop him.

"The wait is over."

Product Description

The origins of James Kirk, Spock and the crew of the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series and how these iconic characters came together.

# Audio CD: 7 pages
# Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (May 12, 2009)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0743598342
# ISBN-13: 978-0743598347
# Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.3 x 1 inches 

REVIEW - ‘Star Trek’ Audio book version

review by John Tenuto

Prologue – When thinking about whether an audio book of a feature film is successful it must be remembered that many people are responsible for the adaptation. There is the author of the novel itself. The author is not responsible for the overall story (unless it is an usual instance such as Gene Roddenberry who by all accounts actually did write the novel for Star Trek: The Motion Picture himself). That belongs to the teleplay or feature film writers. A good author should craft a narrative that takes advantage of the format of a novel providing insights into the motivations and experiences of the characters. This is accomplished by authors adding new scenes or lines which help the narrative in a way possible in the format of a novel. Films usually do not offer insights into the internal monologues of characters, yet novels definitely could. The fun of novelizations is that they also include scenes that were filmed yet not included in the final edit, also helping the enjoyment of the narrative. Then there is the narrator. The narrator must maintaining the interest of the listeners and provide distinct voices for each of the characters. Does the narrator of the audio book engage the theater of the imagination? Then there is the company that produces the audio book which is responsible for packaging and other quality control issues.

The Star Trek audio book is excellent, succeeding on almost all of these concerns.

The Adaptation by Alan Dean Foster

Alan Dean Foster has credentials as both a talented and prolific adaptor to Star Trek and a writer of original science fiction, plus he has his own contributions to the Trek universe (including story credit for The Motion Picture). Foster wrote the amazing adaptation to the first Star Wars film and started the entire Star Wars extended universe with his Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. These experiences and talents are clearly helpful to his adaptation of Star Trek. Foster’s adaptation provides expanded scenes and important character motivations that improve the experience of the film itself. For example, his adaptation of the bar scene between Pike and Kirk and the internal monologue of Kirk as he appreciates the manufacturing of the USS Enterprise provide much needed information. In the film, Pike merely mentions that Starfleet needs people with Kirk’s personality again. In the book, we get a discussion of the conflict between new Starfleet (educated and competent) and old Starfleet (mavericks and history makers) which is a real issue faced by many militaries today (and symbolized in the Star Trek-referencing film Crimson Tide). It is this that is really motivating Pike which is very reasonable. A good adaptation is both a good book in its own accord, yet also helps makes experiencing the film a better engagement and that occurs because of Foster’s text.

The Narration by Zachary Quinto

I cannot offer enough accolades to Zachary Quinto’s narration. He is simply the best audio book narrator in the history of Star Trek, and that is saying quite a great deal considering the formidable and venerable talents of George Takei and James Doohan. Yet, Quinto shows all his acting abilities in the audio adaptation and he has a thoughtful style as narrator. He performs Scotty and Chekov flawlessly (watch out Anton Yelchin!). He also has a subtly in his voice while performing Kirk that is very good and displays the assuredness of the character without being a parody. One of the fun things about listening to audio books is to hear how various narrators act out characters of the opposite sex (think William Shatner in "Turnabout Intruder"). Quinto does very good at hinting at the femininity of characters without lisping to exaggerations or stereotypical imitations. In the film, Eric Bana uses several voices as he performs Nero (compare his voices when welcoming back Spock with talking to Pike). Quinto does a very good job of staying consistent and sounding like Bana. Quinto is a true master of various accents.

As the generic narrator, Quinto also displays excellent qualities. His tonation and energy help maintain interest during the 8.5 hours of the audio book. His abilities as narrator and character actor are especially seen in the scenes on the USS Kelvin. With only his voice (no sound effects or music accompany his reading of the text), Quinto is able to convey all the sadness and tragedy of those moments. In fact, he is so good that as a father and fan, I am not embarrassed to say there were tears in my eyes while listening to Quinto’s heartbreaking reading of the scenes between Winona and George Kirk. That he is able to engender this kind of emotion in an audio book speaks volumes about Quinto’s talent.

The Production Value by Pocket Books

There are some problems with the production value by Pocket Books. The box art is great for the CD versions, yet the packaging is very flimsy (the internal packaging isn’t a jewel case but paper holders sure to be a problem no matter how careful the consumer is with the audio book). Also, it would have been nice to include some sound effects and music. However, Quinto is so talented that these are not as much of a concern. It is great though that the audio book is unabridged which was a good decision by Pocket Books and the audio adventure is an amazing 8.5 hours long. Because it is so good, it is hoped that Pocket Books continues to utilize Zachary Quinto and does indeed bring back the audio book to the world of Star Trek more often.

The audio version of Star Trek is very recommended and a welcomed addition to the library of Trek adventures. It is also available in some stores now, but will be in wide release (and at Amazon) on May 12th.
