Night of the Living Trekkies

by Kevin David Anderson, Sam Stall

Jim Pike, the disillusioned manager of a hotel that is hosting a Star Trek convention, finds himself leading a ragtag crew of survivors as a strange virus turns the convention-goers into zombies...

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction, Humor, Star Trek, Fiction, Fantasy

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek + Zombies...

For...the...WIN!

This story more than delivered on everything I was hoping for going into it. It met or exceeded expectations in terms of both writing (crisp, polished and very funny) and characters (genuine, endearing, and smart), and the narrative was slick, fast paced and well laid out (i.e., twas nary a boring page). In fact, the overall quality was so surprisingly high that it made me wonder why this book isn’t better known, especially given its popular ingredients.

Speaking of those ingredients, this is where Kevin David Anderson’s novel truly shines. The Star Trek/SF culture references are well-devised, laid on molasses-thick and deployed with a real sense of comedic timing. And the Zombie mythology is fresh and clever and adds a degree of substance that sets this apart from your run of the mill gimmick book.

Even the end, where so many novels like this lose focus or run out of gas, was well handled. I left this story thinking I would pick up Mr. Anderson’s next effort sight unseen.

Anyway...here’s the set up...

PLOT SUMMARY:

An “incident” takes place at a top secret government research facility, unleashing a zombie plague all over downtown Houston. By virtue of a series of later explained occurrences, the epicenter of the infection turns out to be a massive Trek convention full of the hardest of hardcore trekkies. Despite the hokey, groan-worthy nature of this set up, Anderson does a nice job pulling it off.

Caught in the turbulence is Jim Pike (yes, Trek buffs, Jim....Pike), former unit commander in the famous 10th Mountain Division, whose carrying some heavy baggage from his tour in Afghanistan. When the fit hits the shan, Jim, along with a small cadre of in costumed conventioneers must fight their way through a horde of growing starfleet zombies.


THOUGHTS:

I thought it was terrific. I enjoyed the way that Anderson allowed the plague to slowly develop, giving us time to get to know the characters, and setting up a scenario that, while still fantastic, didn’t offend the suspension of disbelief. It was these touches of competence that started to clue me in that Anderson has the story telling gift.

Okay, now let’s break down the fun...

If you’re a Trekkie/Trekker...

This story will stroke all your sweet spots and give you a shuttering nerdgasm. In addition to actually describing the difference between “trekkie” and “trekker,” something I have always been fuzzy about, here are just a few of the highlights:

1. Every chapter heading is the name of a different Star Trek episode (e.g., "Space Seed", "Let That Be Your Final Battlefield", "Wolf in the Fold", "Dagger of the Mind", etc.), and the title used has some relation to that chapter’s subject matter. This is not as easy as it may sound, and I thought it was another one of those nice touches that Anderson used.

2. Trek references, trivia, and dialogue positively abound throughout the novel and will satisfy even the most severe trekophile. From iconic tidbits recognizable by even the most casual of fans (e.g., the title sequence of the show is put to good use) to obscure nuggets that will convince the hard core that the author knows his stuff (e.g., remember the lirpa from the episode Amok Time, or the creature known as a Horta from Devil in the Dark....if not, you should). These references litter almost every scene. It’s like a Trekkie brain shagging

3. A group known as the West Texas Red Tunic Club, who all dress as red shirts from the original series. What happens to them, and any fan of the show can guess their fate, is hysterical.

4. One of the characters is a giant metal shop worker who came to the convention dressed as Klingon officer named Martock. Martock’s side business is making real life, and real deadly, replicas of all of the various Star Trek blade weapons. From the afore-mentioned lirpa to Klingon bat’leths to kar’takins used by the Jem’Hadar.

5. One of the characters, seemingly unintentionally, is constantly quoting lines from the original Star Wars trilogy at exactly the right time. To add to the comedy, she does this while dressed, for most of the novel, in Princess Leia’s slave bikini...why is a very funny story.


If you are a Zombie fan...

This is another place where the book elevates itself, from what could have been just a fun bout of Star Trek masturbation, into a really terrific effort. I don’t want to give anything away regarding the nature of the dead heads because the solving of that mystery is at the heart of the novel. However, while the zombies display the characteristically slow, awkward ambulation and a taste for skull candy that are common to the genre, most everything else about them is fresh and unique. Their background is unusual, and there is a motivation and purpose to the “attacks” that is far different and more understandable than the mindless search for “braaaaaaaains.” These zombies are much more sophisticated.


Plus, they have and “eye-popping” addition that allows them to be far more organized and uniform in their activities...almost “Borg-like” you might say.

If you’re both a Star Trek AND a Zombie fan...

If this is the case, you probably stopped reading this review after the first 3 words, and speed-typed your way online to download a copy onto your kindle...so I’m not going to waste my breath on you, except to say that leaving like that was rather rude.

And...finally...

If you hate both Star Trek and Zombies...

I don’t know what to tell you. You obviously have made some wrong decisions in your life that have led you to this unfortunate circumstance. Maybe you should go and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and figure out where things began to fall apart. It’s not too late...the first step is admitting you have a problem.

ADDED BONUS:

If everything else above wasn’t enough, Anderson also ties into the story a government conspiracy involving scientific black ops, alien visitations and even a tactical nuke.

Bonus.

So, it’s a mash made in heaven for fans of trek and zombies...


Enjoy

4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zombies...the Final Menace
These are the struggles of
a bunch of Trekkies trying to survive
when a zombie outbreak hits
a Star Trek convention,
to boldly go where no zombie has gone before!


This novel was FUN-tastic! and "creepy good" ;)


Honestly I didn't think that I'd enjoy so much this book and I don't know what made me to buy it but I am truly glad that I did it since it was a wonderful experience.

It was fun, it was entertaining, it was written with great style and inventive.

Most of all, the author must have truly the heart of a Trekkie since the way that he uses the Trek-babble and how he did the entire novel is a real tribute to the spirit of the fans of this sci-fi franchise.

To understand the mood of the book, it's like Fanboys colliding with Zombieland, however someone would argue that it must be Galaxy Quest instead of Fanboys, but in here, the phasers and space ships aren't real but the zombies are! And instead of making a parody tv series of Star Trek, the author made direct references of Star Trek, along with some other sci-fi series.

Also, the fun of geeky comments didn't affect that the menace of the zombies is truly deadly and real. So, it's also a terrific zombie novel.

However, if you want to enjoy the book as much as me, I have to mention that you will need a good knowledge of the entire Star Trek franchise, along with a fair knowledge of the original trilogy of Star Wars and a basic knowledge of popular sci-fi series like Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, etc...

Also, it wouldn't hurt if you have watched films like Dawn of the Dead (the newer one), and other similar zombie films.

So, you have to be a Trekkie with general knowledge of sci-fi series and enjoying zombie films, to embrace the full impact of this amusing novel.

If you checked those requirements... welcome aboard! You will enjoy a very good zombie novel with priceless references and comments about Star Trek and other pop sci-fi stuff. The author named each chapter on the book with titles of episodes of Star Trek, not only the original series but also all the TV spin-offs and even a movie title.

Also, I think that characters in the novel were created in a precise way. The main character, Jim Pike, he used to be a Trekkie but after some gruesome experiences in Afghanistan, he stopped to believe in the bright future that Star Trek conceived. He is not only the main character but his military knowledge is crucial to the surviving of the group.

You will have too, "Leia" (yes, you read right), mysterious pro cosplay model of conventions, with a priceless attire of Return of the Jedi slave outfit combined with Star Trek slippers with the shape of "Starship Enterprise" (only for that, you have to love this book!!!).

This odd couple will face danger while leading a bunch of Trekkies trying to survive a perilous journey through a hotel infested with zombies.

And yes, you can bet that there will be a Red Shirt wearing guy too ;) And don't be mistaken, in the middle of all this fun, you will get a smart novel presenting a very good zombie story.

I don't go around giving away 5-star ratings, so, honestly I think that this novel deserves this score, since I enjoy each page of the book and not only fulfill my expectations but it exceeded in big way.

It's the Star Trek novel that you can't believe it's not part of the Star Trek line of books.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can one expect from a book called Night of the Living Trekkies?

1. Freaky zombies ✓
2. Trekkies in homemade uniforms ✓
3. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, Trek references ✓
4. Serious, gory, Zombie slaying madness ✓
5. A Convention on the Edge of Forever ✓
6. Nuclear Blasts ✓
7. Twists and turns ✓
8. Plenty o' death ✓
9. A Kirk style hero and his buxom, leggy, scantily clad partner ✓
10. The obligatory, cheesy, happy-Trek ending ✓

Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall deliver on every expectation and then throw in some seriously cool twists:

1. The Zombies are from space!
2. Not all the uniforms are Trek. Can you say Princess Leia fighting zombies in her slave girl bikini?!
3. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, Star Wars references abound, driving our captain, Jim Pike, crazy!
4. Serious, gory, Zombie slaying madness with seriously cool Trek weapons (remember Amok Time?)!
5. A Convention within a Convention on the Edge of Forever!
6. Nuclear Blasts that turn out to be fusion bombs that put an end to USA's sixth largest city!
7. Twists and turns and octopus hands!
8. Plenty o' death to plenty o' red shirts!
9. A Kirk style hero with some genuine military training for that added flavour of believability ;)
10. 35 exciting chapters named after the best Trek episodes you can remember :)

I expected the book to end with me smiling a little -- maybe more of a smirk -- and shaking my head over the 17 bucks I wasted. I didn't expect to love it. And I did. It started to drag for about two chapters at the end, but even that couldn't wipe away the brilliance of Night of the Living Trekkies.

I don't know that people will like this book if they aren't fans of at least Zombies or Trek, but if you're a fan of both this book is a photon torpedo. It's slick, action-packed, wittingly hits all the right notes and plays by the rules of its sources, and it is ready, this minute, to be turned into an excellent film. I hope it makes it to the big screen, but even if it doesn't, I'll be returning to Houston and the problem of Third Eye Space Zombies real soon.

Beam me up, Kevin and Sam!

[Dan Schwent · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a zombie outbreak hits a Star Trek convention, it's up to Jim Pike, hotel manager, to get his sister and her friends out alive...

This showed up in my ebook deals a couple days ago. I'm a Star Trek fan and I liked zombies before the concept was run into the ground so this promised to be some brain-chomping good fun.

And it was. There are plenty of Star Trek references for the Trekkers and lots of zombie goodness for the fans of the reanimated. When you've got Klingons, a woman dressed like Princess Leia in the bikini from Return of the Jedi, and a red shirt named Willy Makit, you can't help but have a good time. While the Star Trek piece supplies the humor of the book, it doesn't go to a ridiculous level and the zombies still feel like a viable threat.

Jim Pike, a veteran of Afghanistan, denies the depths of his Star Trek fandom until it counts, and he steps into his Captain's tunic admirably. The book wound up feeling like Die Hard with zombies more than anything else.

Night of the Living Trekkies is a fun diversionary read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek and Star Wars fans battle Zombies.
A final nightmare for all Trekkies and Trekkers.

Jim Pike - ex-soldier manages a Houston hotel on a Star Trek convention weekend unaware that the citizens are being converted to Zombies.



Should we be worried? No, these things happen all the time
Little kids bite grown-ups every day, Jim told himself. And a drunk mime nipping a security guard was nothing to get worked up about. It was just a weird coincidence.
Yet his famed “spider sense” was tingling.

Enter the Princess
Meanwhile, in a distant level of the hotel far, far away, Princess Leia Organa lay handcuffed by the wrists to the headboard of a queen-size bed.
The man holding the key to her freedom was named Donnie Trill. He was a self-styled Web entrepreneur, videographer, and the closest thing she had to a confidant. They’d known each other for about a year. Whenever Trill needed a female model for one of his oddball Internet video projects—and had cash in hand—he gave her a call.



“Just lie there. The premise is that you’re a Star Wars groupie dressed as Princess Leia, and that I’m an obsessed Star Trek fan who’s kidnapped you, handcuffed you to a bed and then . . .”
“Nothing sexual.”
“Honey, have you forgotten who you’re with?” Donnie said. “I’m gayer than George Takei. All I’m going to do is stand around and berate you about how much the Star Wars universe sucks and how Star Trek is superior in every way.”
“And then what?”
“And then the Death Star explodes and the rebel base is saved. What do you think? I shut off the camera, unlock the cuffs, give you a thousand bucks, and we’re done.”

Gary meets his first Zombie
Now the only other car in the gas station is a Volvo station wagon. And while I’m standing there waiting for the RV to tank up, I realize the driver of the Volvo isn’t moving. She’s slumped over the steering wheel. Her window’s down maybe six inches. The stink coming out of this car is unbelievable.”
“What did you do?” Jim asked.
“I tap on the glass and there’s no response. So I figure she’s dead. I’ve found a dead body. I call out for Matt to come look, and in that split second the woman is suddenly grabbing me. Her hand’s through the open window and she looks nuts. Her face is smashed up against the glass and her mouth is snapping like a crocodile’s. That’s about all I remember.



“Maybe the zombie milf infected you,” Jim suggested.
“Dude, I never said she was a zombie. That’s you talking.”
“But think about it. She tried to bite you,” he mused. “She was obviously out of her mind. And at least some of that slime on your shirt is blood. I’ve seen enough to know the look. And the smell.”
“Now you’re freaking me out,” Gary said.
“I’m freaking myself out,” Jim said. “But I know two people who were bitten today. One of them developed a really strange rash on her shoulder. And a lot of my coworkers are calling in sick. Isn’t this how zombie movies always start? With lots of minor, seemingly unrelated incidents?”
“There’s just one problem with your theory,” Gary said. “Zombies don’t exist. Those movies are fiction.”
“I know,” Jim said, “but the data all points to the same conclusion.”

The philosophical difference
“Is there really any difference between a Trekker and a Trekkie?”
The table erupted in conversation. Several people tried to answer at once, but Rayna’s voice won out.
“Everybody’s got their own opinion about this,” she said. “Some people consider ‘Trekkie’ to be a derogatory term coined by those who don’t understand the scene. They think it denotes someone without social skills who gloms onto Star Trek as a sort of substitute life.”
“Trekkie,” Matt shouted, pointing at Gary.
“Asshole,” Gary responded, pointing back at Matt.
“I get it,” Jim said. “So what’s a Trekker?”
“A Trekker is someone who tries to live by the philosophy and ideals espoused in the Star Trek universe,” Rayna said.
“Like what?” Jim said. “Paint yourself blue?Wear shiny clothes?”
“Like, believe in the perfectibility of the human race,” Rayna countered.
“Or that tomorrow will be better than today,” one of the Klingons added.
“Or that by working hard, we can bring real and lasting change,” Gary said.



Hope and Fear
As Jim walked through the hotel’s offices toward the front desk, the banging from the entrance grew louder and louder. He got down on his hands and knees, crawled to the end of the check-in counter, and peeked around the corner.
He could just make out what he figured were the two pedestrians he’d seen on the street—a young man and woman, both fairly well dressed, looking something like a couple that had been out on a date. Now they pounded on the glass with bloody fists, creating large, smearing circles of red and black. Their loud, strange moans made Jim’s neck hair stand up.
But that wasn’t the worst.
There weren’t just two of them anymore. There were at least a dozen, all in roughly the same sorry condition as the first pair.
One, a middle-aged man wearing the remnants of a UPS uniform, had taken what looked like a point-blank shotgun blast. A vast, bloody crater had been scalloped out of his chest. Another seemed to have extricated herself from a flaming car wreck. Her clothes were charred and smoking, her hair singed away, her body covered with livid-red burns the exact shade of barbecued brisket. Crawling underneath them was a corpse with no legs, dragging itself along on its hands.
No such thing as zombies, my ass, Jim thought.
He knew now that his instincts had been right all along. Something had happened. This was Dawn of the Freaking Dead. The end of the world was upon them, and his poor kid sister had no idea.



Random Sci Fi quotes . . .

We mean you no harm, it whispered to Janice’s fragile consciousness.Lower your shields.

“Some rescue,” Leia muttered. “When you came in here, didn’t you have a plan for getting out?”

“Well, I’ll try not to disappoint.”
“Do, or do not,” she said. “There is no try.”

Suddenly Leia grabbed Jim’s face and kissed him. For half an instant, there were no zombies, no horrors, just soft lips and an effortless sense of togetherness. Then she pulled back and they both drew a breath.
“For luck,” she said.
“That’s from . . . never mind. Here we go.”

“If this were a Star Trek episode, we’d totally be going to a commercial break right now.”

"You know what I always liked? The inevitable moment when some horrible crisis threatened to destroy the ship, and there seemed no way out. And then, suddenly, at the last possible second, Scotty or Geordi LaForge or B’Elanna Torres or Chief O’Brien would get a faraway look in their eyes and spout some long, long line of techno-babble about venting the plasma from the warp nacelles or—”
“—recalibrating the dilithium crystals,” Willy offered.
“—ejecting the warp core,” added Gary, once more fully engaged.

“It’s never over,” she said. “Don’t you remember Aliens? Or Terminator? Whenever the main characters relax and the audience thinks it’s time for the closing credits, something else happens. You should know that.”

Jim, Princess Leia and a band of Trekkies must survive a night in the hotel surrounded by Zombies then escape the city. The US military will bomb Houston to remove all danger to the human race by dawn. We've all seen the movies, but still the action will keep you on the edge of your chair!


Enjoy!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Star Trek convention attendees are on their way to the Klingon Feast. Here is a snippet of their conversation:

"Now you're freaking me out," Gary said.

"I'm freaking myself out," Jim said. "But I know two people who were bitten today. One of them developed a really strange rash on her shoulder. And a lot of my coworkers are calling in sick. Isn't this how zombie movies always start? With lots of minor, seemingly unrelated incidents?"

"There's just one problem with your theory," Gary said. "Zombies don't exist. Those movies are fiction."

"I know," Jim said, "but the data all points to the same conclusion."

"The same highly illogical conclusion," Gary clarified.

Ah, Trekkies...



Though, apparently, the preferred term is "Trekkers."

Whatever you want to call them, you get a bunch of Star Trek fans together in a hotel and you're bound to see some pretty strange stuff. But people running around with missing limbs and bloodied Star Fleet uniforms?

Hang on to your Spock-ears...this is going to be a convention to remember!

Jim's two tours of duty in Afghanistan have left him wary and alert, traits that may just save his life when the convention he's working goes pear shaped. Hundreds of Trekkies have converged on GulfCon. Now, thousands of zombies will converge on them. And believe me, zombies are WAY more troublesome than tribbles!

This is fairly standard zombie fare - a small group of survivors, holed up inside a shopping mall hotel/convention center, surrounded by hungry hordes who want to eat their entrails.
The Star Trek references and inside jokes make this one fun and nudge it slightly ahead of the run-of-the-mill living-dead pack.

It's an enjoyable page-turner, recommended for anyone who doesn't take their zombie novels OR their Star Trek too seriously.

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a zombie outbreak that takes place in Houston in a hotel that is hosting a Star Trek convention.

Wait, I'm just going to say that again.

This is a book about a zombie outbreak that takes place in Houston in a hotel that is hosting a Star Trek convention.

Whatever you thought of when you read that sentence, whatever expectations entered your head at the sight of those words - hear me now. This book fulfills that promise times one hundred. I am not kidding. This is hilarious, this is scary, & it does a brilliant job of illustrating the buildup to the zombie/alien outbreak (if I hear "my cell phone isn't working" and "someone bit me" from anybody on the same day, I am so leaving town, I'm just sayin'). The characters are excellent & the random digressions into Star Trek canon are funny & enlightening ("Not now, Wesley!"). It almost lost a star because some people I liked died, but hey, it's a zombie novel so I can't be too picky.

[Rori · Rating 4 out of 5]

35 chapters! It was a fun read I loved all of the Star Trek references. I want to say more but I don't want to spoil the book, but if you like Zombies and Star Trek then definitely read it.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this in a charity shop and, as a long standing Star Trek fan, couldn't resist, although the premise - zombies run amok at a Star Trek convention - sounded ripe for a stereotyped corny storyline. I was pleasantly surprised. Although most of the story is tongue in cheek until it grows more and more serious towards the end, the main characters are well developed and even small walk-on parts are sympathetic and convincing, and the action is well described and smoothly written.

The set-up for the story is that Jim Pike (yes, a cross between two of the iconic captains of Classic Trek) is newly promoted to assistant manager of The Botany Bay, a Houston hotel which is hosting a Trekkie/Trekker convention (the book helpfully spells out the difference at one point). The snag is, Jim has spent most of his working life since leaving the Army - where he underwent two tours of Afghanistan and still suffers PTSD-related issues - avoiding responsibility. But it lands well and truly in his lap when he starts to become concerned about a spate of disappearances of hotel staff and guests as the convention begins on Friday night, possibly connected with the bites a couple have suffered: bites which mysteriously continue to bleed. If that isn't enough, his younger sister, for whom he feels responsible since the deaths of their parents, is due to arrive as a convention attendee .....

The story is an enjoyable page turner. Jim and the main female character, a woman dressed as Princess Leia of Star Wars for a promotional video to help pay her way into medical school, are both engaging. As the odds against them stacked up, I wondered if they would survive long enough for their kindling romance to develop, or for Jim and the reader to find out her real name. There is an undercurrent of humour through most of the tale and clever asides to Star Trek, with for example, each chapter being named after an episode. And even the rationale behind the zombie outbreak is well thought-out with an unusual twist. So a well deserved 5-star rating from me.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up to this stardate I've managed to avoid the zombification/vampirization-of-beloved-literary-icons genre (though I have enjoyed the GR reviews of these works) but based on Brad's review and the fact that it's Trek...well, "resistance is futile," as they say.

I'll probably warp through this over the weekend.
________________________________________________________________

A surprisingly good Zombie-Star Trek adventure. You actually kind of really care about what happens to the people in the book: Jim Pike, ex-Army Afghan vet, reluctantly accepting the burden of leading the survivors of the zombie plague; Rayna, his sister; "Princess Leia" (aka Shelley), convention model and kick-ass amateur zombie killer; Gary, overweight software-company owner; "Willy Makeit" (aka Kenny Dyes), hapless redshirt; "T'Poc," a Vulcan from the "Mirror, Mirror" universe; and "Martock," a Klingon weapons smith. I have a feeling it will join The Havard Lampoon's Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on my shelf - to be read every decade or so as a pleasant diversion.

I shouldn't, upon reflection, use the word "surprisingly" in the paragraph above because I came across this little gem via Brad's review and his eye for quality material - even if brain candy - is pretty good.

As he points out, this is fun for any Trekkie or Zombie fan or both, and really should be made into a movie.

* My favorite riff on the "Red Shirts Are Expendable" trope is the West Texas Red Tunic Club - Half the club dies in a car accident on the way to the convention, the other half succumbs to the zombie plague and the last survivor's real name is "Kenny Dyes" - and he does.

** Also, I might mention that though "Princess Leia" does spend much of the novel slaughtering zombies in her gold bikini, she also sports a smashing pair of slippers shaped like the USS Enterprise.

[Sarah Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely silly book...but isn't that the point? :D

The blurb says it all. Our hero is Jim Pike (yes, Trekkies -- that's his real name) & he's a young army vet suffering from PTSD after two disastrous tours in Afghanistan. His newest job is glorified bellhop at a Houston convention center named the Botany Bay (yes, Trekkies -- THAT Botany Bay), which is currently playing host to a weekend Star Trek geekfest. But between hosting Klingon dinner parties & chasing face-painted morons with plastic phasers, Jim notices something afoot. There's an oddly high number of bitten hotel employees, & conventioneers are disappearing whenever they head out back for a smoke. Jim tries to dismiss his paranoia, but soon he's confronted with the ugly truth: bitten employees & guests are turning into undead cannibals, & it's all courtesy of a government space program gone horribly wrong. Now Jim & a small band of survivors -- including an overly-sensitive Klingon, a doomed Red Shirt ensign, & a misplaced Princess Leia clone (yes, she's in the wrong hotel) -- are fighting to escape the Botany Bay before Houston is nuked for the good of the world.

Clearly this isn't a Serious Book. It's a gory love letter to sci-fi geeks, especially Trekkies (mostly TOS & TNG, which is good because I never got into Voyager or DS9), & as such contains episodic-appropriate, neatly-contained emotions. There were plenty of in-jokes & gentle mockery of all the series; some jokes were overt & others more subtle, such as this one:

The GulfCon organizers had prepared an entire playlist that was tailored exclusively to Trekkie conventioneers; there were pop songs covered by Leonard Nimoy, film scores by Jerry Goldsmith, and the occasional warbling song of a humpback whale.

...Yes, I LOL'd at that. (What can I say? One of the earliest distinct memories from my theatre-going childhood is Star Trek IV.) But despite (or because of?) the Trek humor, it does touch (very) lightly upon one issue that's heavily explored in serious zombie offerings like George Romero movies & The Walking Dead: i.e., people don't stop needing leadership & comfort even if you wish they'd look somewhere else.

A quick, enjoyable read that made me giggle. I was hoping for a head-explosion scene like the TNG episode "Conspiracy," but no such luck. :P

[Cliff's Dark Gems · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really had fun with this book, which is great considering I know very little about Star Trek. I do love Zombies though and the story was sufficiently fresh, original and gory resulting in an enjoyable read.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever since zombies invaded the pages of Jane Austen with great success, publishers have been searching for the next great mash-up novel. Earlier this year, we got "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter," a funny take on the historical biography that asked what if Honest Abe was really a vampire slayer? On the other end of the spectrum is the Hugo-nominated zombie/steampunk novel "Boneshaker."

And then, somewhere in the middle is the mash-up, "Night of the Living Trekkies." The story is a satire, bringing the horror of the zombie apocalypse to a "Star Trek" convention.

"Trekkies" is a clever satire that works well enough in small gulps. Each chapter title is cleverly taken from the title of an episode of "Star Trek," and each chapter is packed with in-jokes and one-liners for fans of each generation of "Star Trek."

The story finds Jim Pike, a former special forces soldier who quit the military after stints in Iraq, working at small hotel that is hosting the local "Star Trek" con. After Iraq, Jim wanted a quiet job where he wouldn't have to think too much and working at the hotel seems to fit the bill. However, as the con gets up and running, Jim finds that things are slowly getting more and more bizarre, leading up to the discovery that zombie are attacking the hotel. Jim becomes the reluctant leader of a small group of survivors who work their way through the hotel, trying not to become zombies themselves and to escape.

One of the big problems with satirical genre stories is the author or authors try too hard to emulate the style of two of the greats in the field--Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Both men make being funny, satirical and witty look easy as you read it, but anyone who's tried to emulate their style knows it's not easy to do. "Trekkies" isn't in the same stratosphere of an Adams or Pratchett story, but authors Kevin David Anderson, and Sam Stall are able to keep the jokes coming at a reasonable pace and to have the story keep moving. My big fear picking up the novel was that it could become like an "SNL" skit and overstay its welcome. And while the story, as a whole, loses a bit of momentum from the time we figure out zombies are attacking the con and our team of heroes getting together to try and escape, the story and jokes never go hopelessly off the rails.

Reading "Trekkies," I kept having flashbacks to Sharon McCrumb's two classic murder-at-genre-convention novels, "Bimbos of the Death Sun" and "Zombies of the Gene Pool." And while "Trekkies" isn't quite as entertaining as those two novels, it's still a fun little read. It's a far more specific genre satire than either of McCrumb's novels.

If you love and know your "Trek," there are a wealth of in-jokes and fun to be had here. The novel may not be as clever as some of the other zombie mash-ups, but it's still a fun read and well worth picking up if you like zombies and you like "Star Trek."

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this one and while it's a bit of a mixed bag (seems to be a phrase I use a lot lately) on the whole (as is that one) this is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

This is a sort of cross genre parody seriocomic tale of the zombie apocalypse...at a Star Trek convention. There are places where the novel touches on many, many...many books and movies that you almost undoubtedly have seen and read. The best part of the book in my opinion was/is the parody. The cliches from zombie, science fiction and horror genres had me laughing out loud on several occasions:

"I just realized people have been going out front all evening....and none of them have come back!"
"Okay, I'll go out front and have a look."

With jokes and cliches from Star Trek as well as every zombie apocalypse movie and book out there (not to mention a few miscellaneous lines and cliches from Star Wars and other sources) it works well. What worked less well for me were a few of the attempts at "real world" parts on "significant topics". Jim (that's Jim Pike for all us nerds) and his periods of "woe is me I got my men killed so now I should die" episodes wore thin quick. I think the book might have been better had the writer simply written for the laughs and not tried to use that plot line. Just me I thought the angst from Jim and Leia (no I didn't get that wrong) just slowed things down.

So, as I said overall a good and enjoyable read. Lot's of imagination, good story line nice little twist...all in all I like it and recommend it hardily for a few laughs. I know I was in need of some.

[Sarenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. The geek in me loved the idea of a zombie outbreak at a Star Trek convention. I'm not a Trekkie by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the Star Trek movies and the original series. How can you not love Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Lt. Uhura? And, of course, Mr. Sulu (George Takei is just awesome).

But I digress. This was a fast, fun read. It had the right amount of cheese, gore, one-liners and general geekiness to make this sci-fi nerd happy.

I probably would have given it a full 5 stars for the cheese and fun factor, but there were some fact checking issues that knocked it down to a 4. This is my pet peeve, I know this. A simple google search would have corrected these mistakes. And that's what irritates me. If an author isn't sure about something, look it up, or just leave it out. Especially if it's not integral to the plotline.

Again, clips are not magazines and magazines are not clips. Glock firearms do not have an external safety that you flip or click or switch. You also do not have to feed a round after you fire the weapon if there is still ammo in the magazine. Unless there's a stove-pipe, or a misfire of some kind.

For folks that aren't as picky about details like that as I am, details like this probably don't matter. If you're looking for a quick, fun, geeky read, definitely give this a try. Lots of fun, even if the research left something to be desired.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, gross, twisted good fun. I enjoyed the banter, the geek talk and the crazy action. If you like zombie books and have even a passing affection for Star Trek, check this one out.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to the audio which is pretty good. I'd forgotten a lot of the inside jokes. And I really enjoyed seeing every chapter titled with an original Star Trek episode title which was cleverly tied into the action.

Original review below.

===========

I remember seeing this book when it came out and then it slipped my mind. Stephen's review put it squarely back in the middle of my radar. To be fair, Stephen's reviews are always good reading, but this one was so darned enthusiastic that I paid extra attention.

If you hate both Star Trek and Zombies...

I don’t know what to tell you. You obviously have made some wrong decisions in your life that have led you to this unfortunate circumstance. Maybe you should go and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and figure out where things began to fall apart. It’s not too late...the first step is admitting you have a problem.

At about 5 bucks on Amazon (and me with Amazon Prime) it was a no-brainer (yes, that was intentional).

A quick litmus test is if you smile upon reading Jim Pike's name. Which I suspect anyone picking up this book did. You don't have to get every reference, but the more you understand the more enjoyable the book will be. It spans the gamut of Star Trek movies and series (and as a Deep Space Nine fan, I appreciate that).

Super-quick summary: Jim Pike felt he failed as a leader of men in Afghanistan. Retreating to a hotel security position at home, he finds himself facing first a Star Trek convention and then a zombie apocalypse. As a Trek fan, he's able to tread water. As a horror fan, he's on less solid ground when it turns out that zombies actually do exist. As someone eschewing any responsibility, he's in full retreat when people keep turning to him for leadership in combat situations.

Best of all, however, is that this is a true horror novel. Salted with Trek references and turning on several necessary Trek points, nonetheless you don't need to be a Trekkie (or Trekker) to enjoy the book. I admit it definitely will help, but the authors make it worthwhile with their fresh take on the zombie genre while maintaining solid ties to both Trek and Star Wars worlds. It's a survival story, it's an apocalypse story, it's an "us against the world" story, it's a geek story, and there's even a bit of a mystery thrown in.

A deeper litmus test is this which should make you laugh aloud and then want to read it aloud to someone.

"Have you been able to reach the outside world?"

"I've tried, but so far, no dice. Nothing but snow on the TV. Phones are toast. And no Internet, which is really strange. It was originally designed to serve as a fail-safe communications mode during a nuclear war, so it's very, very resilient. To lock it down this tight, you'd have to have someone very smart and powerful actively denying service."

"Or maybe it's gone," Jim said.

For a moment the line was silent.

"What?" Gary finally said. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it doesn't exist anymore. Maybe it suffered some sort of catastrophic, worldwide failure."

"Oh, no," Gary said with disturbingly brittle finality. "That's not possible. Somebody's keeping us from getting to the Internet, but the Internet is still there. It will always be there."

Jim decided to back off. ...

Night of the Living Trekkies is a light, summer read and one that I will be saving on my "stress rereading" shelf for an enjoyable adventure in a world where no man has gone before.

[Sesana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a proud second-generation Trekker, and everybody knows that zombies are awesome. So when somebody writes a book about a zombie outbreak at a Star Trek convention, my only response has to be, "Shut up and take my money."

Here's the thing: Night of the Living Trekkies works equally well as an affectionate parody of Trekkies/Trekkers and as a zombie book. Seriously. The zombies are frightening, gruesome, and even have an original touch. (Alien parasites! How very Trek.) There's good action, with fantastic Trek weapons. (Who doesn't want to decapitate a zombie with a lirpa? Besides people who don't know what a lirpa is, of course. Hint: You want to decapitate a zombie with one.) Anderson is very affectionate in his portrayal of Trekkies (he must be One of Us) in a Galaxy Quest sort of way, which makes for an especially fun read for a Trekker.

Most of all, there are developed characters here that are easy to care about and get invested in. Jim Pike (what a fabulous name!) is our viewpoint character, and he's interesting, believable, and somebody that I really liked by the end of the book. The supporting cast is varied, fun to read about, and a realistic spread of characters that might be at a Star Trek convention.

In a way, Night of the Living Trekkies reminded me of Shaun of the Dead. There's that same balance of humor and credible zombie action. When Jim stumbles across a group of zombies feeding on the brains of a fallen conventioneer, it's grotesque and creepy, as it should be. But when you realize that the corpse is dressed as Spock and the zombies were dressed as the brain thieves from Spock's Brain, it's also hilarious. I think that one scene is a perfect description of everything that the book does, and does well.

[Mary JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a spoof all the way through. I was plesantly surprised to find it much better written than I had expected. Not an award winner---but definitely worth reading once.

The slow build-up of how Jim Pike pulls a diverse group of fans together to survive is well done. I liked the ending. And I do not want to say much because I do not want to spoil things for readers.

It starts a little slow, but I recommend keep reading for a bit. I thought it improved as it went along. It is defintely a bit 'different' than some Star Trek novels, but I enjoyed that difference.

Btw, not recommended for real young Trek fans as the violence level--particularly descriptions of zombie destructions--is a little high.

Recommended for Star Trek fans; those who have attended any Sf convention; and any Sf reader looking for something a bit different.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

You cannot fault a book that does exactly what it says it will. You can judge this book by its cover. You can judge this book by its name.

I mean c'mon, if you are not immediately enticed by that sick & silly cover, then this book probably just isnt for you. Its for people that love Star Trek, and who love zombies*, and just want to ready some brain candy and have some fun. The book is predictable, but the writing is solid, and you will grin your whole way through.

* I dont love zombies. I am neurotically afraid of them. They are my number one greatest phobia, which is totally fine, because it just really doesnt come into play that often. I only decided to read this book because its Halloween.... and even soooo I had to stop reading this after dark because I am a massive wimp.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Star Trek and zombies? Well, despite the shelf, I am not all that fond of zombies. They lack a certain something. But this book isn't too bad, and makes good use of fan trophes, movie trophes, and so on. You do care a bit for the characters, sterotypes that they may be based on.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, brain-less novel. It is a zombie story set at a Star Trek convention, which is an interesting mix. It felt a little bit like the authors were like, "Hey! What if we write a book about my favorite thing and your favorite thing!?" Bam! Zombies meet Star Trek.

That said, neither element was terribly developed. I am not a huge Star Trek fan and given the choice between meeting Mark Hamill and William Shatner, I'd choose Mark Hamill just about every day. Although, I bet William Shatner would be a hoot and a half to meet. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the deeply committed Star Trek nerd elements of the story, even if I couldn't relate. My favorite bits were Leia's (un?)intentional Star Wars quotes, though. Those I thoroughly appreciated.

The zombies were okay. I'm also not a big zombie fan. These were pretty run of the mill. Well, except for the that one thing, but, while it was a valiant attempt at adding their own ideas to zombie lore, there wasn't much to it. And the Big Bad was...underwhelming.

There were some fun characters, even though none of them were developed and they all felt a bit cookie-cutter. The disillusioned hero and his sister (who really serves nearly exclusively as a motivational tool for the main character). There's the douche-bag, the uber-nerd, the hot-girl-geek, the con vendor (a true geek as well as a talent who makes money off fans), and a Red Shirt. Can't have a Star Trek homage without a Red Shirt.

It is a pretty easy read and the chapters fall into one another nicely. They're short, but easily lure you from one to another. Reading went quickly for me, until I did not finish it in time for book club. After which I did not have any strong desire to pick it back up again. But, in cleaning up my book lists, I picked it up again and finished the other half in the span of a couple hours.

If you like zombies and Star Trek, THIS IS YOUR BOOK. If you like either, but not both, or are just a general nerd-culture aficionado, it'll probably feel like a 3-star read to you. Worth it, but nothing special.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with low expectations. It was on my kindle, I had finished my previous book, and I was out of wifi range on a boat so I was unable to download anything else. I thought, I’ll give it a chance for a few chapters. And after a few chapters I was hooked.

I would probably be best described as a Trekkie alumna. I loved Star Trek in my teens. I read all the novelizations of the original series, had seen all the episodes several times, went to a convention, owned a real tribble, and for a while could probably have done pretty well in a trivia contest. But that was before the post-“Voyage Home” original cast movies, before “Deep Space Nine,” “Voyager,” and “Enterprise,” before “Discovery,” before "!@#$%^&* My Dad Says," and before the current movie reboot featuring an entirely new set of actors. I am enjoying the reboot well enough, but at this point Star Trek is just another science fictional franchise in a universe crowded with them. I have graduated from that phase of my life, and moved on to the next shiny object.

This book took me back to what I loved about Star Trek. Structured like a good TV episode or one of the better movies, it has all the tropes and character types you have come to expect, and more. It takes place at a hotel called the Botany Bay, and each chapter is named for a different TV episode. I noticed a few clever in-jokes as I read through them, enough to know that there must have been many more embedded in the text that I missed due to having been away for so long. There is little point to summarizing the plot because that would spoil the ride. But I will say that it has one of the best explanations for how zombies are turned and develop that I’ve read in a while. (This may be faint praise, as I’m not a zombie connoisseur.) And Houston, we really have a problem . . .

I will go out on a limb here and speculate that one of the reasons the modern manifestations of the Star Trek franchise seem less special to me now is that they have become darker, grittier, and more morally ambiguous, with visual effects so polished that they have taken on a life and story of their own. The original Star Trek was a rag-tag child of the 1960’s, motivated by the promise that science and technology can be a force for good, and optimism that humankind has the capacity to better itself and transcend its worst impulses. The first movies and the TV series of the 1980s and 1990s were in this mold too. Night of the Living Trekkies draws on this optimistic tradition in a way that is surprisingly touching in the midst of chaos, death and destruction. I don’t know if this book will convert any newbies to Trek fandom who weren’t already here, but it’s great fun for those of us who love the universe and still hope that it has something to teach our cynical age.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night of the Living Trekkies is categorized as a parody, but it's still an entertaining, suspenseful zombie story that takes place at a Star Trek Fan Convention. I rarely read Science Fiction, although I enjoy the Star Trek movies and series. This is a fun, but suspenseful story for fans of Star Trek or Zombie stories. It's also great for infrequent sci fi readers like me who are looking for something different to read for Halloween or other times.

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not call this book good. The book decidedly needs some editing. But it was exactly what I wanted from a book about zombies attacking a Trek con.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a large Star Trek convention in a big Texas city and add a zombie apocalypse to it along with some delightful characters and you've got a really enjoyable read. The Star Trek (and some Star Wars) references here were thick and fun. It contains a bit of graphic horror but I don't think it's enough to turn most weak stomachs off. All the chapters were named after well known Star Trek episodes. The final couple of concluding chapters were very well done and wrapped up the story quite nicely. You get to know the main characters and pull for them as they fight for their lives against the hoard of zombies throughout their convention hotel. Some of the dialogue and situations in this book are laugh out loud funny and can even bring you to tears. This book is good medicine for any Star Trek fan feeling the blues. Go ahead, have a good laugh at fandom and our own nerd-dom. Side note: this makes a great co-op read if your partner is also into this genre and is at least somewhat a Trekkie.

[SuperHeroQwimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this because I love Star Trek and zombies so the idea was awesome but it was much better then I anticipated. The "zombies" were actually infected with an alien parasite (a similar idea to Stephen Kings Dreamcatcher) and have an inner networking system so they can work together. The story takes place at a hotel hosting Gulfcon or as I like to think of it "Gathering of the Trekkies" (star trek fan cosplay) where a man who works there tries to go from room to room avoiding zombies to find his sister.

[Shannara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely hilarious! I like Star Trek, but I’m not really well versed in the Trekkie world. Yet, this short novel still made me laugh out loud more than I can ever recall another book doing. If you like Star Trek, Star Wars (it’s in there too, I’m not generalizing the two very different themes), or comedic books, this one is for you. It’s such a short read, just go for it!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than you'd think.

[Moon Light Amethyst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Video: https://youtu.be/DHQIXTufIEQ?si=LkQ4C...