Thursday, December 11, 2014

The City on the Edge of Forever (graphic novel)

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Author ~ Harlan Ellison, Scott Tipton, David Tipton
Illustrator ~ J.K. Woodward
Publisher ~ IDW Publishing
Published ~ 3 February 2015
Genre ~ Graphic Novel | Sci-Fi
Pages ~ 128


My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble

The Star Trek Enterprise has a crazy man on board. He manages to escape to the planet below, but this isn’t any old planet and Captain James T. Kirk and crew are about to find out how different and mind-boggling it truly is.

Fans of the original Star Trek show most likely count The City on the Edge of Forever as one of their favorites. I know it’s in my Top Ten, maybe even in my Top Five. I’ve never actually sat down and catalogued them. Written by Harlan Ellison, it was one of the best episodes of the series in terms of story and acting. However, this graphic novel is a bit different than what aired. It’s still an excellent story, but I think I prefer the plot tweak the show had over this one.

The illustrations are wonderful. I would definitely seek out more stories illustrated by J.K. Woodward. Having seen the show first and now reading the novel, I’m having a hard time deciding if the story told in the novel is sufficient to get the point across. There do seem to be a few gaps, but the story is sufficient to get the point across. And the ending is as heart-rending as on the show.

I can’t remember if this quote was in the show, but it’s in the novel and I have to include it.

“No woman was ever loved as much, Jim. Because no woman was ever offered the universe for love.” ~ Spock


4 comments:

  1. I definitely prefer the version that was aired. This was interesting but not wonderful. The artwork was good. Frankly, after the all fuss that Ellison has made over the years, I expected more from the story.

    Oh, and it's all your fault I downloaded this in the first place. Evil woman. :P

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    1. I am so sorry, Bea! No, no I'm not! *rubs hands together and laughs maniacally*

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  2. Wow, great review! I was on the fence about this one. I loved the cover and IDW is doing an retry good job with the franchise and the new look (did u read the last Star Trek graphic novel?) I was Meh about the last one I read..BUT this sounds like it was really good. I don't remember the episode very clearly so I'll maybe enjoy it more.
    So glad u reviewed this!
    -Dee @ Dee's Reads

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    1. I haven't read very many graphic novels though I do enjoy them. I grab them when I can. :) It's still available on NetGalley. I hope you enjoy it!

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