Book Review: ‘Ishmael’ by Barbara Hambly

September 21, 2023 at 5:34 am | Posted in Books, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Star Trek | 1 Comment
Tags: barbara hambly

Star Trek: Ishmael is a Star Trek (The Original Series) #23 novel written by Barbara Hambly and was released by Pocket Books in May of 1985.

This is a very classic Star Trek book, and it worked for me on many levels.

The first thing about this book that works so well is that it’s a time travel novel. Hambly deftly writes a Star Trek time-travel story before the most famous Star Trek time travel stories (The Voyage Home and First Contact) were made. It focuses on Spock, who get thrown into the past and doesn’t remember who he is, why he is there, or really anything else. 

The whole storyline with Aaron Stemple and “Ishmael” is what really made the book! This story felt fresh and unique in the science fiction genre, and felt like a blending of historical fiction with an alien encounter. The dialogue, the story, and the characters were all fascinating and intriguing. If the book had entirely been this storyline, it would have been a top shelf Trek novel.

Interestingly, the weakest part of the book was the stuff with Kirk and the Enterprise crew. It seems like Hambly didn’t have much of a story for them, but felt obligated to include them and make them a central part of the book. It really felt mediocre and a lot like other Trek novels that I’ve read. The mystery here wasn’t that strong, and the characters were just fine. It needed more of a storyline to really feel impactful. 

In many ways, this book serves as a similar book to Dayton Ward’s From History’s Shadows. Both books have time travel/historical elements as well as alien invasion/first contact elements. I think both books are really well done!

The themes about Spock having to decide how he will live in this new land was really strong. His discussions about helping the women near the mountain in Seattle was just heartfelt and really in character.

The humor was also great when it was present, especially when Spock was juxtaposed with the people of Seattle. 

The reveals near the end of the book (literally on the last page) were brilliant and I absolutely didn’t see it coming…but it totally makes sense. For that alone Hambly has earned applause for surprising me so much. Don’t spoil yourself if you haven’t read the book, the last page should really be a treat!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The stuff with Spock in the flashback was amazing, top tier Star Trek storytelling. Unfortunately, the Kirk/Enterprise storyline was weak and mediocre, and thus dragged down the book a bit. I’ll give the overall book an 8 out of 10! Great work Hambly.

Reviewed By: Jonathan Koan for Roqoo Depot.