Your Star Trek Summer Reads for August

This article was originally published on August 7, 2020.

August is here! As I write this, we’re just a little over a week away from the premiere season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. The first episode of this new animated series dropped just yesterday, with new episodes coming each week through October 8. Then exactly one week later comes the highly-anticipated third season premiere of Star Trek: Discovery. Lots of questions linger after that second season finale, and the answers start coming Thursday, October 15!

Between now and then? We’ve got some new reads from the final frontier to tide you over.

First comes More Beautiful Than Death, the latest Star Trek novel from Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books imprint. Written by New York Times bestseller and veteran Star Trek novelist David Mack, this new adventure returns to the “Kelvin Timeline” versions of Captain Kirk and his crew with a story that takes place soon after the events of Star Trek (2009) feature film and its first sequel, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.

Kirk and the Enterprise, escorting Ambassador Sarek to trade negotiations on the planet Akiron, arrive to find the planet under siege by creatures believed by some to be “demons.” While Kirk and Sarek deal with this crisis, Spock is being targeted for assassination… by the ambassador’s aide! The book will go on sale on August 11, with the paperback going on sale for $16.00, the eBook for $11.99, and the unabridged audio download for $17.99.

Elsewhere, IDW Publishing has you covered in the 23rd and 24th Centuries with the latest Star Trek comics. First, the final year of the Starship Enterprise’s historic five-year mission continues with STAR TREK: YEAR FIVE #13. Captain Kirk and his crew have made it back to Federation space, but things aren’t the same as they were at the start of their mission. Meanwhile, Gary Seven and his mysterious benefactors, the Aegis, continue to push forward their grand plans, the consequences of which promise to be staggering! Writers Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly and artist Angel Hernandez bring us this thrilling tale, will will be on sale for $3.99.

Way out beyond Federation borders in the Bajoran system, Constable Odo continues a difficult murder investigation in STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - TOO LONG A SACRIFICE #2. The murderer is still running loose on the station, the inhabitants of which are beginning to split into factions. The situation escalates when the Ferengi government gets involved; and to make matters worse, conflict between Constable Odo and the Federation’s hand-picked criminal investigator threatens to derail the entire investigation. Written by Scott Tipton and David Tipton, with art from Greg Scott, the issue will be on sale for $3.99.

Capping off IDW’s Star Trek wares for the month is Star Trek: Picard – Countdown, the entire three-issue miniseries now collected in trade paperback format. A prequel to the new series, this story from Picard writer and producer Kirsten Beyer and longtime Star Trek writer Mike Johnson show us how one mission changed Jean-Luc Picard’s life forever. What could make Starfleet’s most renowned, decorated officer question his calling and walk away from a legendary career? With art from Angel Hernandez, you can purchase a copy for $15.99.

Modiphius Entertainment delighted fans and players of its Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game last month with the surprise release of The Klingon Empire Core Rulebook. This massive, self-contained reference book includes everything you need to get started with a campaign experienced completely from the viewpoint of Klingon characters. The game’s base rules are included here along with numerous updates and accompanied by all-new material detailing Klingon history, culture, military organization, technology, the empire’s relationships with the Federation and other interstellar rivals and allies, and much more. All aspects of play are focused around the Klingon characters you will create and take on dangerous missions and quests for the glory of the Empire. The book is currently available in digital form for immediate purchase for $19.95 and download, and a hardcover edition will be available later this year for $57.99.

Also available now as a free digital download is a new adventure module for the game,Kobayashi Maru. This standalone scenario allows Starfleet cadets to test their skills in the most demanding challenge of their Academy training. When a disabled freighter near the Klingon Neutral Zone sends out a distress signal, you and your crew must respond. How will you fare during one of the most infamous tests in the history of Starfleet Academy?

Finally, Titan Magazines has released their latest issue of Star Trek Magazine! Get all the latest news from the sets and writers rooms on each of the Star Trek series currently in development and production. You’ll also find new interviews, product reviews, and retrospective articles from across the Star Trek universe. Get a sneak peek at what Discovery’s third season might bring, and the first news of Picard’s second season and the upcoming premiere of Lower Decks! You can get a copy on July 29 for $9.99.

Dayton Ward (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author or co-author of numerous novels and short stories, including a whole bunch of stuff set in the Star Trek universe, and often working with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore. As he’s still a big ol' geek at heart, Dayton is known to wax nostalgic about all manner of Star Trek topics over on his own blog, The Fog of Ward.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively in the United States and Latin America on Paramount+, on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan, India and more, and in Canada on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Star Trek: Discovery currently streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Internationally, the series is available on Paramount+ in Australia, Latin America and the Nordics, and on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Distribution Group.

Star Trek: Picard streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed concurrently by Paramount Global Distribution Group on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.