Sci-Fi Review: Night of the Living Trekkies

Let it be known that I, Stefan Slater, am not a fan of Star Trek. Give me a lightsaber, and I'd chop that chubby Captain Kirk in half faster than you could say "live long and prosper." With that said however, I willingly risk my Jedi street cred’ to say that Night of the Living Trekkies is a fun read and is definitely well worth picking up—for Trekkies and Han Solo wannabes alike. Sure, if your like me, you might miss the majority of the Star Trek jokes, but any fan of Space Sagas (or Zombies) will appreciate the fanboy aspect of the novel. Plus, how could the evisceration of scores of costumed Trekkies by cannibalistic zombies ever be boring?

Written by Kevin Anderson and Sam Stall, the plot follows the exploits of Jim Pike: a former die-hard Star Trek fan who lost his desire to follow in the foot steps of Captain Kirk after two bloody tours in Afghanistan. Looking to avoid any responsibility, Jim gets a mundane job as an assistant manager at a small hotel in Houston.

Lucky for Jim, Houston hosts the annual “Gulf Con” (a convention for Star Trek Fans), so hundreds of Borgs, Klingons, Vulcans, and Captain Kirks end up staying at his hotel, complicating his ploy to bypass any sort of work. To make matters worse, during the convention there is a strange viral outbreak, and most of the fanboys and girls are transformed into the living dead. Jim then has to lead a small group of survivors—including a convention model dressed in Princess Leia’s famous metal bikini—in an attempt to escape the grisly confines of the hotel. Unfortunately, zombies are the least of Jim’s worries, as the hotel is also playing host to a terribly evil entity with aspirations for world domination, and it’s up to Jim and his rag tag band of Trekkies to save the human race from almost certain doom.

Quirk books is the publisher (they're the same delightfully sick bunch who brought us Sense, Sensibility and Sea Monsters as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) so Night of the Living Trekkies inevitably carries with it that same feeling of humorous satire that they love so much. The humor is pretty much one giant Star Trek inside joke (like Jim yelling out “KHAN!” as he decapitates an undead Ricardo Montalban look alike), so folks completely unaware or impartial to Star Trek may be left in the dark. Space/zombie aficionados are obviously the target audience of the book.

The playful humor never really dissipates, as there are only a few serious moments, and only when they are deemed necessary. It's a very easy, and very quick read. The plot is not all that special or original, as it's been seen before in countless other zombie movies and books. The only really differentiating concept is the addition of the fanboy culture, which—when placed in the setting of a zombie apocalypse—makes for an amusing story. Night of the Living Trekkies is not Richard Matheson’s I am Legend, as it’s not a critical or enthralling read. Instead is a comical, lighthearted story that nerds of any age will most likely get a kick out of.