The adaptation to 2009’s Star Trek film by Alan Dean Foster has had seven printings so far and made its way to the New York Times Best seller list. It is appropriate then that his book is getting some royal treatment by Premiere Collectibles. TrekMovie has all the details in our review of their special edition boxed signed hardcover book.
Review: Premiere Collectibles Trek Book
Premiere Collectibles specializes in presenting best selling books in hardcover signed editions. Indeed, some fans lamented that the book was originally offered only as a trade paperback as all other Trek books have been available in hardcover (either from Book of the Month Clubs or when first sold by Simon and Shuster). The Premiere Collectibles edition deals with this concern.
The "Star Trek" collectible hardcover helps complete your collection of Star Trek adaptation hardcovers (my collection is still two short)
For $35, fans will receive the book in a special hardcover edition, with a special jacket sleeve based on the US movie poster. The book is also signed by Alan Dean Foster and numbered (only 1000 of these books will be made). Also included is a certificate of authenticity signed by Duane Ward, President of Premiere Collectibles. The certificate and book arrive in a leather display box featuring the delta insignia and Star Trek logo in silver against a black background.
The book and leather box
The collectible leather display box is an excellent item. It is well designed and handsome. It holds the book nicely and includes a ribbon for ease of removal of the text from the box. It is nice that the box has silver detailing and if you move the box in light it kind of looks like lens flares.
Trade paperback and collectible hardcover
The book itself is also very nice. There is nothing like a hardcover book for clarity of text and page quality and the Premiere Collectibles edition does not disappoint. The pages are a nice color of white unlike the trade paper’s more muted colors and the text is cleaner and easier to read. The removable dust jacket is a welcomed feature and it is good to have the movie art on the cover as did most of the previous Star Trek novelizations.
Certificate of Authenticity
Premiere Collectibles added a signing page in the book which is nice because it makes where the signature of ADF is more special. As an Autograph collector, it would have been nice if the interior real signature was written out in full like the one embossed on the box cover, instead of just Foster’s "ADF." However, my other Alan Dean Foster signed items (from Star Wars which he also novelized) also just have his initials, so that is his style, and it is nice to have Alan Dean Foster’s signature on his latest bestseller in a unique and limited edition.
Fosters signature (and limited book number)
The Conclusion:
Possibly the best feature of the "Star Trek" signed collector’s book is the price. Most hardcover books (without a certificate, autograph, or display box) are $25. This set costs $35, so for $10 more you are getting the autograph of an important Star Trek author and a very cool display box. For a comparison, a similar collectible edition of William Shatner’s "Movie Memories" (hardcover, display box, autographed, limited to 4,526 copies) originally sold for $100 in 1993.
The "Star Trek" signed collector’s book is an affordable and truly wonderful addition to any book enthusiast or Star Trek book fan’s collection.
The collector’s edition of "Star Trek" is available only at Premiere Collectibles for $35. You can also order just the hardcover book for only $25.
Here is a video showing off the entire package:
I’m buying one!
Sweet. I recall reading some of ADF’s Trek stuff when I was a kid. Probably still have them somewhere. This signed edition is nice for those who collect.
Hey, my First first :)
“There Can Be Only One”…..first. Sorry for mixing genres there for a sec :)
I’m not going to read it, so could someone tell me- could Alan Dean Foster, who’s been doing these adaptations since I was little, make any sense out of this story? The pointless time travel, thin characterizations, and ridiculous coincidences- did he fix or fill out anything?
I’m also curious how he feels about adapting a story that throws out all the Trek history that he spent so many years chronicling. Has he commented on this?
Just got mine yesterday & it’s as great as the review suggests. It’s such a nice presentation that I almost don’t want to remove the book from the box.
Does the novel address any of the ginormous plot problems in Star Trek by the Minute at http://structureddream.blogspot.com/ ?
WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO RELEASED A PUBLISHED SCRIPT OF THE FILM!! ARRRGHGHGHGHGHG!!!
I read the book in a couple hours. Boring is an understatement. Alan Dean Foster is a much writer than that. How about an indepth story instead of regurgitating movie into written form.
Oh #5:
That is one stupid blog-spot. I’m sorry, but if that what people are looking at to criticize… that’s just simply gratuitous.
I dispise the publication of film scripts, only because with the slapping-on of those two glossy covers goes the “tweaking” of the script to match what’s on-screen. I’ve read too many published scripts only to see they are transcripts. Case in point: every version of “The Empire Strkes Back” has Han responding to Leia’s “I love you” with “I know” — a line Harrison Ford, the director, George Lucas himself, and everyone else within farting distance of the soundtage knows Ford improvised because Han replying in kind sounded stupid to Ford and director Irvin Kirshner.
I’d keep check Roddenberry.com. I know through Lincoln Enterprises I bought a “First Contact” script replica.
#8 Steven
Gratuitous? Do you have an answer for why Nero would attack the guy who just told him that he can save Romulus? Why the Kelvin would report the looks of something before they report they are still out of visual range? Vulcans that are stupid and vindictive? Why are these are “gratuitous” criticisms?
5 & 10
Blah blah blah.
A quick correction: the novelization of STAR TREK VI did not have a hardcover, not even a book club edition. STAR TREK V did, although it’s rather scarce.
I’m confused. Is the book any good or not??
From what I’ve heard, not so much.
I love reading, even books of movies I have seen. Waiting for mine in the mail so I cant really comment on the product. It is where I am going to keep my 6 star trek movie ticket stubs, a nice momento of the epic scope of what star trek has become in 2009. I have seen the movie 6 times and its still not enough. I hope the movie wins at least one award at the oscars. I just know the second movie will blow this one out of the water, which is going to be nuts because this movie blew me away!
The Craftmenship looks so perfect, I’d be afraid to ever take the book out of the box in fear that I’d damage it. Maybe I should were so operation gloves to protect the book from my grimy, greasy fingers.
Or how about leave the book framed and read the close captioning on the DVD, if I wanted to read the novel.
When they make the 50th Trek movie will the book come gold plated on every page?
As for the contents I’ve read parts from a PDF file, the big difference between the book and movie is in the book you are more in the heads of the characters and you here that voice all have in our head that lets us think and not to emotionally react.
(side note: if you do not have that voice are you sure you are a human from Earth)
I ordered this very early on (#101!), before I’d even read the paperback. Sadly, it’s not a good novelization. ADF phoned it in. It’s a nice collectible, but probably one of his worst books. It would have been nice had he fleshed out the story some more, but there are just a very few tidbits here and there.
yes but you do get to find out what happens to Admiral Archers beagle on the last page–i got my collectible hardcover a few days ago also and its really a good deal…
LOL, I wonder how much my signed “Mission to Horatus” hardback would go for…
This is a nice collector’s set, however for the price they ask. I’d hate to be an author and have to spend however long signing these (how long does it take to sign 1000 books anyway?). I read the book in a hour, it reminded me of those light novels currently in vogue in Japan: mediocre in terms of literary value, more of a curio than a novel. Made me wish that James Blish was still alive…
ADF’s original works are very good (ie, the Icerigger series) and one of my fave cinema novelizations is his “Dark Star” effort. His Trek novelizations are usually better than this, but one can only do so much with the material given. The other issue is that the movie was visceral to the degree that the novelization seems flawed in comparision.
I hope that someone films the final drabble-scene in the ADF adapt and flicks it on the upcoming DVD set as an Easter Egg. That would be amusing…
This doesn’t make up for the severe shortage of these books immediately following the release of the film, and hopefully Par won’t make the same blunder next time around. There’s whole displays of unsold Watchmen graphic novels, posters, movie tie-ins and such at my local bookstore; meanwhile, the only way to get the Trek movie novelization is to special order it…
My book is set to arrive any day now. Nice youtube movie :)
Saw the movie 8 times. Might go a few more in the coming weeks.
Jim could you please tell those of us who are not going to buy the novel, what happens to admiral archers prize beagel
19.
Paramount needs to find a new publisher. The ball was dropped (big time) on books connected with this film. No making-of, no book of the production designs, no NOTHING except for a boring novelization!
I do agree that there could of been quite a bit more done with the “written word” other then just a Novel. But it is not too late. I would still look into Making of books conected with the movie that come out in connection with the DVD release. That would be a good thing for Paramount to do.
The book is total and utter sh*te. Don’t buy it.
Once you strip away the fast paced direction and SFX the underlying story is the biggest load of b*llocks, and that’s what you get in the book. No attempt to create any sense out of it all, fill in any gaps, expand any characterisation. In fact it seems purposefully to screw up certain lines and scenes, has blatant contradictions within a few pages of each other…. god, it is such a pile of cr*p. IMO.
11. Oh look, it’s the captain of the Fox News Debate Team! Sorry, cheap shot.
Whether the slavish fans want to admit it or not this movie is riddled with holes and questioning these things make us no less a fan or our opinions less valid. Before the movie came out I was so pumped and anyone who dismissed it outright as “Trek 90210” or some such other nonsense I took to task. Then I saw it and to me, it wasn’t all that good. Here’s hoping the next one is better.
Got my copy of this book early this week, and it really is a fantastically packaged book. I’ll read it, but based on how quickly Foster had to work on getting the novelization ready, I’m not expecting one of his normally better works (including the Star Trek “Log” series).
I think mine was #161out of 1000.
Very nice collectible. Got mine earlier this week too. Pity that the book itself isn’t better. Foster phoned this one in – his adaptations of the animated series had more thought and characterization than this did. It felt very, very rushed – which may have been the problem. But whatever the reason, this is nowhere near the caliber I had hoped it would be.
#21 capn jake–(beagle spoiler!)-basically the beagle re-appears on the enterprise transporter pad when no one is looking and runs outta the room and nobody knows where the beagle with the funny ears came from
Just got mine in the mail and I must say what a great little piece. I am very happy with this item, first time I purchased a star trek book based on the movie. I have purchased other star trek books but not movie adaptations. Again, a great collectable.