TOS Novel #20: The Vulcan Academy Murders

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TOS #20: The Vulcan Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah

Book Jacket’s Summary:
     “Kirk and McCoy accompany Spock to the Vulcan Academy Hospital, seeking experimental treatment for a badly wounded Enterprise crew member. Spock’s mother is also a patient in the hospital, and Kirk soon becomes involved in the complex drama of Spock’s family…
     Suddenly, patients are dying, and Kirk suspects the unthinkable - murder on Vulcan! But can he convince theVulcans that something as illogical as murder is possible? Until the killer is caught, everyone is in danger!”

Yeaka’s Notes:
     The Vulcan Academy Murders takes quite a while before people even realize murders are happening, though it’s obvious from square one who the murderer is. At that point, it does become something of a murder mystery—a frustrating one, though, given that the characters are oblivious to the clear motive and Kirk even goes so far as to suspect T’Pau, simply for her misconduct during Amok Time
    Until that roughly halfway point, this is a quaint little tale of Kirk and Bones staying at Spock’s house on Vulcan. Amanda spends almost the entirety of the book in stasis, so Sarek is their host, and he’s quite a gracious one. He’s since reflected on his and Spock’s trouble in Journey to Babel (which really should be seen before reading this book) and decided he was wrong to shun Spock. He spends much of the story regretting his coldness in Spock’s youth and hoping to understand Spock better and form a stronger bond. Spock remains skeptically distant, while Kirk and Bones alternatively enjoy Sarek’s hospitality and haunt the hospital for clues. The majority of the book takes place either in Sarek’s house or the Vulcan Science Academy’s medical facility. A Vulcan-human doctor team make for prevalent original characters, the Vulcan always trying to marry off the human and both working well in harmony. Much of this book focuses on Vulcan-human relationships. There is action when things hit the fan—and it’s well written, engaging action, too—but the joy in this book definitely comes from the characters, and most of all, Sarek’s relationships.
    None of the other regular Star Trek characters appear, though this touches on Bones finding and recruiting Dr. M’Benga. If you ever wanted to read about Kirk and Bones crashing at Spock’s place, or Sarek being particularly paternal, or just Vulcans in general, this is the book for you. And it’s an excellent one.
    …By the way, the scene on the cover never even remotely happens, so don’t bother waiting for it.

Noteworthy moments:

• p1 Klingon battle that kills several crew members and leaves an ensign paralyzed, Spock mind melds to find out he’s still conscious; Bones, Kirk, and Spock drink together and learn Amanda’s also suffered severe nerve damage, Spock was going to ask for leave and take Bones with him and now invites Kirk
  
• p10 Sarek gets out of the shower; “Sarek highly approved of his son’s choice of friends”: “the crusty doctor and the brave, if impetuous, captain”
  
• p13 Sarek teaches a beginner’s computer course to Vulcan and aliens; he has a human woman secretary
  
• p17 Sarek visits an unconscious Amanda in the hospital and talks with a Vulcan doctor who works with a human doctor as Vulcan’s best medical team, they helped deliver Spock
  
• p40 Vulcan courtship and bonding
  
• p44 memory of Miranda Jones (TOS: “Is There No Truth In Beauty?”) at a Vulcan academy/hospital
  
• p50 Sarek ponders the metaphor “mending fences,” “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, and that he’d like to be closer to Spock, though Spock’s avoiding him
  
• p58 Kirk’s staying in Spock’s room, Bones the guest room, Kirk wakes up first, gets coffee and finds Sarek in the garden; Sarek says Kirk and Bones can use Amanda’s water shower, which Kirk jumps on
  
• p64 Kirk flirts with Sarek’s assistant but is brushed off (for now)
  
• p68 Bones meets M’Benga and wants to recruit him; Vulcan memorial with T’Pau
  
• p72 Kirk confronts T’Pau, who snubs him
  
• p83 Kirk gets out of the shower, Bones is dressing in the master bedroom, there’s a picture of Amanda with baby Spock on the dresser; Sarek says he can’t tell them about the time Amanda almost traded him for a handful of dilithium crystals; Kirk teases Bones about when they visited a nudist planet, Bones says Kirk was the one insisting on holding the tricorder and did so in a certain spot; Sarek recalls stumbling into an alien orgy and beating up the host for Amanda’s honour
  
• p104 Sarek mentions Spock pranking other students as a child by hacking their terminals
  
• p122 Sarek remembers teaching Spock not to cry and now feels guilty for making him think Sarek didn’t accept him
  
• p138 Kirk, Spock, and Sarek fight a fire
  
• p169 Bones explains mint juleps to a Vulcan and promises a sample
  
• p171 Bones comes home to find Sarek playing a Vulcan harp in Amanda’s rocking chair for Kirk; Sarek recounts taking Amanda to a ball and waltzing with her; Bones has to put Kirk to bed, Sarek asks if he frequently does so, Bones says sometimes
  
• p185 Kirk goes to accuse T’Pau of murder
  
• p238 Childhood memory of Spock saving another boy on his Kahs-wan
  
• p253 Bones and M’Benga heal Kirk, Bones recruits M’Benga
  
• p277 Sarek gives Spock the Vulcan harp his grandfather made