Night of the Living Trekkies

Title: Night of the Living Trekkies
Authors: Kevin David Anderson, Sam Stall

Ratings
Score: 7/10


Review

Night of the Living Trekkies is a title that pretty much sums up the story. Unlike with some vaguer titles in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, with this one you really do get what it says on the metaphorical tin.

The same can't be said for the cover, as there are a few descrepancies between it and the book (The notable lack of the zombie's characteristic third-eye and the green skin, for example.), but it depicts the symbolic zombie in a Star Fleet uniform, so I guess it does give a clear indication of whats going on.

Firstly, I'm not sure I would class this as a work of parody, as it claims to be on the back cover, as it doesn't use characters or locations from the series. The main characters aren't even pretending to be any specific characters, they have their own Star Fleet positions and names. It's more a book about the "Trekkie" culture, with plenty of Star Trek references, the most obvious one is the first lines, which begin "Space, the final frontier...".

This is a good start, fantastic in fact, and completely removed any hestitance I had in reading the book. The characters in the prologue were fantastic, and I was disappointed that it turned out they... weren't major characters. But the main characters were fascinating to read, especially the Protagonist Jim, and the woman he rescues, Princess Leia. In fact, I think this second character, dressed in a Star Wars outfit for good reason, was my favourite character (Not so great in a Star Trek book perhaps) and I think the quotes and references to Star Wars was much better done than the Trek ones. Or perhaps just more obvious.

For example, I don't recall anyone ever saying "It's life Jim, but not as we know it." It's one of the most famous lines from Star Trek, and the main character had a name that was a clear set-up for such a quote. OK, so no-one actually said it EXACTLY LIKE THAT in Star Trek, but that's not the point. It would have made the book more... Trekky for non-major-fans. I would have concluded that this would have been to avoid putting off any Die-hard fans, but If that was the case, I would have called the book "Night of the Living Trekkers", since within the book it says "Trekkie" is an insult... But I'm not going to get into that debate any further, So I'll move on.

Wether it's a parody or not, It should be funny. And while it's quite amusing at first, towards the end it's less so. The change starts when the first zombies are around, and it quickly becomes a less humourous book. It's always lighthearted, and easy enough to read (I stayed up much of the night), but there are less laughs than I had hoped for.

And I think that's the only real problem with "Night of the Living Trekkies". It's a good book, but the only accurate thing about what it claims to be is the title, which is why I started the review with that. There are many zombie films about lately, and this one of those in book forms, with a little extra in it for Sci-Fi enthusiasts, Star Trek (and Wars) fans in particular. There ARE technical terms in it's pages, but they are mostly explained in the text. There was nothing I really felt I had missed by not being a die-hard fan (although maybe I just didn't know it). I wouldn't say you would need to have seen more than a little star trek - enough to know the most popular culture (as well knowing that Janeway is a person, not an obscure adjective) - to enjoy this book. I thought it was a well-written zombie-Horror, and I continued reading well into the early hours of the morning. It has an original take on the formation of zombies, and there are at least a few laughs.

If you enjoy Star-Trek, I would read this. If you enjoy Zombie Horror, I would read this. If you enjoy both... Well, this is your lucky day, you now know the perfect book to read in your next subspace journey!


More Information

Main Protagonist(s): 1 male, 1 female later on, with mixed semi-major companions
Main Antagonist(s):  Lots of Zombies
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Zombie Horror, Sci-Fi (loosely)
Blurb:

Journey to the Final Frontier of Sci-Fi Zombie Horror! 

Jim Pike was the world's biggest Star Trek fan—until two tours of duty in Afghanistan destroyed his faith in the human race. Now he sleepwalks through life as the assistant manager of a small hotel in downtown Houston. 

But when hundreds of Trekkies arrive in his lobby for a science-fiction convention, Jim finds himself surrounded by costumed Klingons, Vulcans, and Ferengi—plus a strange virus that transforms its carriers into savage, flesh-eating zombies!

As bloody corpses stumble to life and the planet teeters on the brink of total apocalypse, Jim must deliver a ragtag crew of fanboys and fangirls to safety. Dressed in homemade uniforms and armed with prop phasers, their prime directive is to survive. But how long can they last in the ultimate no-win scenario?

*This is an original work of fiction, horror, and parody, and is not officially sponsored by, affiliated with, or endorsed by the owners of the Star Trek® brand. 

ISBN: 978-1-59474-463-1
Website: www.irreference.com
Amazon Link: Night of the Living Trekkies (Quirk Fiction)
Pages: 253
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Quirk Books