When it comes to Star Trek, we fans have access to many different types of media, including book tie-ins. These books have been around almost as long as the original series, and fans-turned-writers still publish them in many different universes, from the original series to Star Trek: The Next Generation and even Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. As a lifelong fan of the franchise and a book lover, (thanks mom,) I've read dozens of Star Trek paperbacks and hardcovers, but the one I find myself going back to most often is Uhura's Song, by the late Janet Kagan.
Cats, cures, and classic characters!
Uhura's Song was published in 1985 by Pocket Books, and the publisher lists it as #21 in their line of Star Trek fiction selections in paperback. I remember the book's cover catching my eye, as it featured Uhura, Spock, and a large, sentient-looking cat. Even as a young person barely out of my teens, I was a cat person, so I took the book home with me, hoping for a decent adventure, and boy, did I get one! The plot revolves around the original crew traveling to a distant planet to find a possible cure for a disease called ADF Syndrome, which affects the cat-like beings of the planet Eeiauo and humans as well.
Can I pet that cat?
Star Trek books are sometimes hit or miss, especially when it comes to original characters who interact with the crew. Janet Kagan, who sadly passed in 2008, found the ideal balance between adding characters who held my attention without forcing them into the plot. The cat-like aliens of Sivao, far-flung relatives of those on Eeiauo, still stand out in my mind as some of the most unique ever put to paper and into the Star Trek universe. They have many feline qualities that cat lovers will enjoy but also a rich and interesting culture that fascinates the crew and their planetside medical officer, Dr. Evan Wilson.
The major themes of Uhura's Song
Uhura's Song features 3 major themes: The universal language of music, differences in cultural perceptions and, surprisingly, how a "loose cannon" original character often represents the well-known trope of a trickster. In this novel we have Dr. Evan Wilson, who is small in stature but large in personality. She is humorous, curious, sometimes temperamental, and highly intelligent. She dives into the Sivaoan culture completely, and it is the differences between how humans and Sivaoans view adults and children that hold the key to the cure for ADF Syndrome.
Adventure awaits on Sivao!
Uhura's Song is one of those Star Trek novels that I return to when I want to imagine my three cats with the ability to talk, tell stories, and toss fruit around with prehensile tails. It's also a great adventure most readers could finish in a few days. The book is still widely available online and in secondhand bookstores, where I bought my most recent copy (my third one). At 373 pages, it's an easy read and, in this reader's opinion, the cat's pajamas of early Star Trek book tie ins!