The Trouble With Tribbles free ebook at BenBella Books

Okay, so everyone who cares already saw the news story at TrekToday, right? You've already either got the paperback or you've downloaded the ebook from BenBella's website.

But if you haven't...

This is one of those books that anyone who has any real interest in the original Star Trek (or, for that matter, The Next Generation) needs to read. It's an outsider's insider's account of working on the original Star Trek. Insider because Gerrold introduces you to the people who made the show -- Gene Roddenberry, Gene Coon, and the rest. He describes the story pitches he came up with that didn't sell, one of which became the inspiration for a Star Trek novel and a series of science fiction novels (click here for a little more information). Outsider because Gerrold wasn't part of the show's staff; he sold the episode as a freelancer, so his perspective is inevitably different from that of the production staff.

In addition to the summaries of unsold episodes, behind-the-scenes observations on filming Star Trek, and the complete final draft shooting script, BenBella has added a little something extra. It's the introductory chapters of Gerrold's most recent Star Wolf novel, Blood and Fire, the book based on Gerrold's unfilmed Next Generation episode of the same name. If you consider yourself a serious Next Generation fan, you have to read Blood and Fire. So why not download the free ebook, get a taste, and then buy the book?

(Now playing: Harold Budd, "Dark Star," The Serpent (in Quicksilver)/Abandoned Cities.)