Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews Volume 2 of Cushman's Star Trek 1970s

These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s Volume 2 (1975-77).

Author: Marc Cushman

Publisher: Jacobs/Brown Media Group 
Release date: July 1, 2020
Number of Pages: 650 pages 
ISBN-10: 1733605320
ISBN-13: 978-1733605328

Purchase at Amazon

 

 

 

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

Volume Two of Marc Cushman's three volume coverage of everything that happened in the Star Trekuniverse during the 1970s is the tenth of Marc's books I've read and reviewed to date.   Starting with his single volume book on I Spy, I've read everything from Marc's first three books on Star Trek: The Original Series, his three volumes on Lost in Space, not to mention his explorations of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Moody Blues. All these books share one major attribute.  Comprehensive is too mild a descriptor. Exhaustive is much more on target. Marc is the master of never leaving any stone unturned, no memo unread, no potentially useful data is left out of any of his tomes.

 

In the case of Cushman's Star Trek journalism, Marc was given unprecedented access to apparently every scrap of paper associated with Gene Roddenberry and everyone involved with the original franchise.  In this volume, this resulted in a very comprehensive overview of all the scripts and stories we never saw in the never filmed Star Trek Phase 2 TV project. These chapters were my favorite passages in this history, reading about some adventures I'd like to have seen, some I'm glad were never produced. No Star Trek fan will want to miss these descriptions.

 

In addition, we get detailed histories of Roddenberry's lesser-known TV attempts like The Questor Tapes, Genesis II, Spectre,  and The Nine. On top of that, Cushman tells us about projects featuring Star Trekcast members like Leonard Nimoy's In Search Of . . .  documentary series and William Shatner's short-lived Barbary Coast. We hear about how cast members fared in their lives outside of Star Trek, like the sparring between Nimoy and Roddenberry involving Nimoy's possible participation in any Star Trekrevivals. 

  

A healthy portion of the book explores the growing fan support for Star Trek including the nationwide success of the show in syndication, the beginnings of Star Trek conventions, the expanding bonanza of Star Trek merchandise, and the public speaking tours of Roddenberry, Nimoy, and Shatner. Cushman also talks about the state of science-fiction television shows of the era, most notably a detailed overview of Space 1999, a program clearly influenced by Star Trek.    Toss in generous samplings of contemporary reviews of all these items and it's no wonder the book reaches 650 pages.

 

As Cushman told me in a recent interview, he doesn't target his books to the casual fan but instead aims for the serious aficionados of his various subjects. In the  case of Star Trek, that's a pretty hefty audience who will treasure this authoritative history of a cultural phenomenon.  Sure, even this readership will likely find chapters and sections to skim over, other sections will be devoured for all the information never made available before.   If you're a Star Trek lover, casual or serious, you won't want to miss any of Marc Cushman's extraordinarily researched studies.  No previous histories match him for detail, fresh insights, corrections to popular myths; every possible stone is turned over and examined.

 

As I write this, I'm about to dive into Volume Three of this set which means one last long summer read. That's before Marc dives into all the movies and later series in the '80s and beyond.  Stay tuned . . . six books later and the voyages have just begun . . .

 

 

To hear Karina Kantas and Wes Britton interview Marc Cushman about his Star Trek books, here's a link to Karina's "Behind the Pen" Podcast: https://youtu.be/kchFuD9p64o  

 

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

 

 Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of The Beta Earth Chronicles and contributes regularly to BookPleasure.Com and #TheNewBookReview blog.  Learn more about him at 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

 

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

 

Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

 

Enjoy the videos at Wes Britton’s YouTube Channel:

 

MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Dr. Bob Rich Praises New Self-Help Book: "Lyrical Language," "Transparent Honesty"

Title: Awakening to a New Reality

Subtitle: Conscious Conversations across the Horizon of death.

Genre: Spiritual, Self-help, After-Death Conversation

ISBN (Paperback): 978-1-8380152-0-6

Reviewer website:  https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/

Publisher:  Sleepy Lion Limited  

Some Purchase links:

Waterstones
Barnes and Noble

Amazon 

Direct from Publisher Sleepy Lion Limited 

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich 

I have the benefit, and used to have the handicap, of a scientific training. I don’t believe anything, but have created a tentative and always evolving model of reality. As new evidence came in, my reality progressed from complete scepticism to seeing the Universe as alive, and made of the unconditional Love all the great religions and philosophies describe. 

Janice Dolley’s account of her conversations with her friend Ursula Burton, before and after Lady Burton’s death, fit perfectly into my current model. I cannot treat it as evidence, because it is a personal claim that is only hearsay in the scientific sense, but it is the kind of thing that fits my understanding of Reality. 

If you are open to a more complex yet simple, holistic and sacred view of reality, if you agree with me that death is not the end of a book but the end of a chapter, then Janice’s (and Ursula’s) book will speak to you. 

Add to that the beautiful, clear, lyrical language, and a transparent honesty, and you can enjoy having your eyes opened (or, as with me, your established beliefs confirmed) in a most pleasant way.
All the same, the basic claim of conversations with a dead friend made me entertain the possibility that the book is a cleverly done fantasy. Even if it were, it presents Truth, and joining Janice’s Reality will make you into a better person. However, a simple internet search provided many bits of corroborative evidence, so I am confident that Janice honestly believes her account. As I said, my scientific training prevents me from saying more, but her account is so inspiring that it honestly doesn’t matter."

About the Author

Janice Dolley is the co-author of The Quest: Exploring a Sense of Soul, Awakening to a New Awareness: Stories of Contemporary Christians and Christian Evolution. She is Development Director of the Wrekin Trust, which started as a spiritual education charity by Sir George Trevelyan in 1971 and she now travels the world, such as arranging the international conference on The Emerging Spirituality Revolution: Embodying the Spiritual imperative of our Time and has been a lecturer at the Open University for thirty years. Furthermore, she is director of the Findhorn College and Trustee of the Findhorn Foundation. Finally, she is the President of CANA, or Christians Awakening to a New Awareness, and she is striving to bring a holistic spirituality and positive message to many in the newly emerging future. As a Trustee of WYSE international, she aims to promote co-creating and encourages young leaders to rise to a greater potential. Bridging old and new faiths, her latest book aims to encourage everyone to create a better future and to reach authentically within themselves for truth and personal growth. Find her at:

https://www.facebook.com/sleepylionpublishing/

https://www.instagram.com/sleepylionpublishing/

https://twitter.com/sleepylionLtd

https://sleepylionpublishing.com/

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Bob Rich is a visitor to this planet. At home, he is an historian of horrror which is why Earth is his favorite place in all the universe. It is the only place where sentient beings play a game where points are scored for the number of civilians killed (they call this “war”), where child-raising practices are designed to damage the children, and above all, where the global economy of an entire species is designed to destroy their life support system. This background is why he is interested in the opinions of another traveler, who has left, but still chatting with one of her friends. You can learn all about Bob at his popular blog, Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com and find him on Twitter, too, @bobwriting.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning

Dining Out Around the Solar System Book 2 by Clare O'Beara Review

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Dining Out With The Ice Giants (Dining Out Around The Solar System Book 2)

Clare O'Beara

Print Length: 222 pages

ASIN: B00MW8IQXG

As we know from book one, the protagonists, Donal and Myron, are modest journalists and avid reader heroes who live in London. Myron reviews adult entertainment and Donal reviews restaurants. They use coded words to protect their information when speaking in public. In book one, they introduced the Ambassador of the Mercurian people to their news editor. They have many friends from other plants and enjoy ethnic restaurants. The book has information about London and its history, which is revealed as the journalists work through a wide variety of issues. There are moments of learning as well as laughter for the reader. As the book is written in British English, there is a glossary of London/Cockney terms at the end of the book for those not familiar with such.

Please see also the reviews for book 1, book 3, and book 4.

The story begins with New Year’s Eve and a party including Antigrav barges and fireworks. Donal, being hypersensitive, has to look away from the lights from time to time. One of the snacks of this future life is soup cups that are self-heating and recyclable. Scents are rolled over the crowd, as do waves of heat during the celebration. We find out why Donal was adopted in this book, as well.

I like the focus on climate change which is mentioned during the story, and it is well explained. The author is a tree surgeon in real-life and has expertise in this area. The Thames has barriers which are raised during times of high water. Much of the country is underwater in this future setting. Other scientific information is discussed, as well. I learned a thing or two by reading this text.

Donal and Myron befriend Neptunian divers and kept in touch, which proves beneficial later in the story. Fashion is another thread so clothing is described, and knowing the fashion editor helps them understand a few things. 

Donal uses futuristic technology to try to track a girl who has red hair like him. We know the girl is not from Saturn because she has ears. When Donal meets the red-head girl, Tania, things become interesting, and the mystery begins. She earns a living by running a mushroom farm. A friend of Donal's wants to date Tania, Donal helps them meet, and Zeke and Tania begin to date. This becomes fateful for Zeke.

Book titles are mentioned by the characters, and one book I had not heard of was Penguins Stopped Play. I looked it up, it is a real book as are the others mentioned, and it looks interesting.

Donal and Myron notice employment violations, are able to meet sources for stories, and help some situations with immigrants. Issues of overcrowding, new immigrants, unfair wages, racism, and poverty are all story threads. Tania’s underground mushroom farm figures into these problems as the mystery is solved by the end of the story. The journalists work carefully with zine news rules and editors to be able to write their award-winning stories.

Clare reads extensively and reviews books for Fresh Fiction.com. Her energies are focused on volunteering at WorldCon during August, 2019. She is a Facilities staff person and the MacGuyver for the Hugo Awards. 

Check out her books and sign up to her quarterly newsletter on:

http:// www.clareobeara.ie

I will be writing reviews of the other two books in this series this summer. See the post about book one in this series at this link.

Thank you for reading,
Carolyn Wilhelm

Wise Owl Factory

You might also like the review of book one in this series: