Farthest Star
You may be looking for the Star Trek zine, Beyond the Farthest Star.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Farthest Star |
| Publisher: | Asteris Novis Press |
| Editor(s): | Pat Nolan & Henry Betancourt |
| Date(s): | 1978-1981 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Farthest Star is a gen Star Trek: TOS fanzine.
Issue 1
Farthest Star 1 was published in January 1978 and contains 194 pages.
The art is by Pat Stall, Kathi Higley, Kathy Carlson , Suzanne Kirwin, and Virginia Lee Smith.
- Trekkie Dreamer by Brenda Schaffer (1)
- A Private Grief by Dayle S. Palko (2)
- Observer by Dayle S. Palko (2)
- Old Tara by Leslie Fish (3) (reprinted from Talos II #2)
- Integrity by Ellen Kobrin (41)
- My Life Decay by Ellen Kobrin (42)
- And Sorro by Ellen Kobrin (45)
- Kahswan by Jean L. Stevenson (46)
- Journey Into Obsession by Janet Rosenfeld (48)
- Untitled by Jean L. Stevenson (66)
- poem by Henry Betancourt (66)
- A Portfolio of Klingon Fashions by Amy Harlib (67)
- Light as a Feather by Ellen Kobrin (79)
- Live Long and Prosper by Henry Betancourt (77)
- Fragments by Ellen Kobrin (78)
- A Letter April Valentine (79) (based on The Rack)
- poem by Henry Betancourt (82)
- Practical Jokester by Patricia Stevenson (83)
- Bulletin Board by Leslye Lilker (89)
- poem by Henry Betancourt (90)
- poems by Dusty Sicotte (92)
- Ambassadors by Maggie Nowakowska (93)
- Totally Unique by Jean Stevenson (94) (reprinted from Starbase Operations #1)
- poem by Henry Betancourt (103)
- Questionings by Sarah Leibold (104)
- poem by Henry Betancourt (103)
- View from the Mirror by Sarah Leibold (104)
- All the King's Horses, All the King's Men by J. Emily Vance (sequel to "The Rack" (This story deals with the continuing tragedy as seen from McCoy's point of view, as well as exploring what too much power in the hands of the wrong people can lead. It also illustrates "victory in the face of tragedy," when it's already too late for the many people involved. This is the gen version. It was published in combination with "The Rack" a few years later: The Rack & All the King's Horses, All the King's Men) (106)
from issue #1, Kathy Carlson
from issue #1, Amy Harlib
from issue #1, Amy Harlib
from issue #1, Virginia Lee Smith
from issue #1, Pat Stall
from issue #1, Pat Stall
from issue #1, Pat Stall, an illustration of Brent and Collin
from issue #1, Pat Stall
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
Overall, I enjoyed this zine tremendously -- primarily, I think, because the editors chose to publish stories which dealt with new areas in ST fan fiction. ”Journey to Obsession” was the first Captain Garrovick story I had seen, and although I would have liked to have seen a bit more characterization attributed to James T. Kirk’s here, I found the experiment fascinating. I also enjoyed the Kevin O'Reilly story — mainly, I think, because of its obviously well-done research into Irish folklore.
In general, I thought all of the poetry throughout the zine was extremely well-done. I’d like to know how the editors got so many good pieces together! I also that that Amy Hartib’s Kllngon fashions were well-executed. They struck a responsive chord within me as relating to a military culture.
I was truly intrigued to read yet another sequel to "The Rack”. (NOTE: "All The King's Horses," which appears in FARTHEST STAR, is the authentic "RACK" sequel, having been written by the same author.) At this point, someone should do a collection. What struck me most about this story was the simple fact that J. Emily Vance created two new characters of her own, and both worked very well. There was one disappointment:. her ending provided an easy way out of a situation which I’d have liked to see developed further.
My one real criticism of the zine is the fact that — in the issue I read, at any rate — there were several pages where the print faded out. Readable, I assure you, but...
Total impression? Although I did not pay for the zine, having been sent a reviewer's copy, I would definitely say ”Well worth the price!” [1]
- Old Tara / Riley in the Easter Rebellion
- Journey Into Obsession / Young Kirk aboard the Farragut encounters the cloud monster from "Obsession."
- Untitled / Nice little vignette/soliloquy of Spock attempting to solve the equation that will tell him what to do in "All Our Yesterdays."
- A Letter / based on "The Rack"
- Practical Jokester / Spock & tribbles
- Totally Unique / Kirk, Spock get acquainted
- All the King's Horses, All the King's Men... / sequel to "The Rack" [2]
This was a crazy magazine and... this publisher always had a hard luck story of how difficult it was to produce. [3]
Issue 2
Farthest Star 2 was published in August 1981 and is 84 pages long.
The covers were meant to have been by Alice Jones but they were lost in the mail. Instead, the covers were by Mary Stacy-McDonald. The calligraphy is by Juanita Salicrup and lettering by Kathi Spivey.
None of the artists are credited, something that was corrected in an errata. They are Kathy (spelled "Cathy" in the errata) Carlson, Alice Jones, Merle Decker, P.S. Nim, Virginia Lee Smith, Kathi Spivey, and Mary Stacy McDonald.
From the editorial:
Well, here it is at last, and only eighteen months late. I guess I will just never learn. It thought I had everything all figured out this time and could get this issue off the ground without any problems. Oh! Will I never learn.
As you will notice Fire in the Mind by Juanita Salicrup is conspicuous by its absence. Ms. Salicrup was unable to finish the story even with my extended deadlines. Personal problems and a professional novel have interfered with her fannish writing. Good luck Juanita, I cannot wait to see that novel.
Alice Jones had done the covers and the illustration for Heroes of of the Sunlit Sky and mailed them off in plenty of time for my last previous printing date. However, the great big bantha that lives in the Post Awful must have gotten hungry and eaten the artwork because it never arrived in New York. Instead Mary Stacy MacDonald came to my rescue and did the covers you now see on this issue. Thanks Alice and Mary.
The calligraphy for the Table of Contents and titles was done by Juanita Salicrup while the lettering for Farewell, Stranger's Nativity, and Child of the Universe was done by Kathi Spivey. Ms Spivey is also the creator of the fill-in cartoons you will see in this issue.
I do have plans for doing a Farthest Star Three but they all depend on my getting contributions. I do have one or two Star Trek stories of my own in progress but they are nowhere near enough to fill up a zine by themselves. I also have one or two promises from other writers but so far nothing definite. Please remember, however, that I will not accept anything that deals with the K/S relationship. I have no objections to anyone writing on that subject but I do not believe such a relationship exists between those two men and will, therefore, not publish such pieces. In addition, I would rather not publish any X-rated stories as I want to keep this zine as general-interest as possible.
My next two publishing endeavors will be Star Wars. I am hoping to publish a Luke Skywalker novella. Out of the Fire, sometime next spring and Bespin Times, a general Star Wars fanzine, sometime late in 1982 or early in 1983. I am also working on a Star Wars series. The Rebellion Chronicles, which I may publish as a collection in 1983.
Anyway, until next time: Peace, live long and prosper.
- All Past is Prologue by Diane Guzzo (a Surak story) (43)
- This Above All by Jean Stevenson (Sarek with Romulans) (53)
- Heroes of the Sunlit Sky by Pat Nolan ("Kirk and Spock travel back in time to 1940, by orders, to stop Klingons from helping Germany.") (1)
- There He Sits, poem by Henry Betancourt (17)
- Questionings, poem by Sara Liebold (18)
- Time of Smoke by Eileen Roy (Mirror Spock and bondslave) (19)
- Outcast, poem by Dale Barker (21)
- The Farthest Star, poem by Carolyn Venino (22)
- Poem for My Lad, poem y by Tishri (23)
- To Edith, poem by Henry Betancourt (24)
- Mahko, poem by Sara Liebold (26)
- Tonias's Song, poem by Dayle Barker (28)
- His First Command by P.S. Nim ("(This story is dedicated to Sahaj and Jai. Someday, their fathers just might let them read it...)" ("Kirk’s memory of a toy starship bringing back when he and Spock met when they were each 5 and 7.") (29)
- Unto the Utmost Bound, poem by Dale Barker (36)
- Dust of the Dead, poem by Crystal Ann Taylor (37)
- Gone Away, poem by Sara Liebold (39)
- The Sport of It, poem by Sara Liebold (40)
- Under the Surface Sheen, poem by Crystal Ann Taylor (It is mistakenly credited to Sara Liebold.) (42)
- Golden Nightmare, poem by Sara Liebold (48)
- Stranger's Nativity, poem by Lucy Miner (50)
- Child of the Universe, poem by Lucy Miner (52)
- This Above All, fiction by Jean L. Stevenson (53)
- Farewell, poem by Pat Nolan (81)
- Star Notes, zine listings (82)
from issue #2, accompanying the poem The Farthest Star, Mary Stacy-McDonald
from issue #2, accompanying the poem Poem For My Lady, Mary Stacy-McDonald
from issue #2, Merle Decker
from issue #2, Kathy Carlson
from issue #2, Mary Stacy-McDonald
from issue #2, P.S. Nim
from issue #2, P.S. Nim
from issue #2, Alice Jones
from issue #2, Alice Jones
from issue #2,
from issue #2, Kathy Carlson
from issue #2, Mary Stacy-McDonald
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2
The trend of tardiness at the time, led to this issue being 18 months late. But they strove to create a touchable world of the mind. [4]
Scheduled [to be in this zine] was the long awaited 'Fire in the Mind,' of Juanita Salicrup's Christine and Spock [fourth chapter in the Crossroads begun in Stardate: Unknown] series. Unfortunately, according to the editorial, it is not in this volume and may never see print due to Juanita’s other commitments. This is disappointing, but FS2 stands up well without it. Entirely readable, somewhat reduced print make the 84 pages/7.65 FC price quite reasonable. Typos are few, the printing clean, the illos profuse and generally good. There is a nice, unified feel to it. One quarter of the zine is poetry and accompanying illos, and the layout varies from good to excellent… Some of the art is unsigned or unaccredited. The cartoons by Spivey are funny, the Mary Stacy-MacDonald illos are the best I’ve seen her do, and there are Alice Jones portraits of Kirk and Spock, stunning as always. The first of the five fiction pieces is ‘Heroes of the Unlit Sky,’ fatally flawed because it is never explained satisfactorily whey the Klingons make such elaborate plans to aid Hitler and destroy Earth’s future, or why Kirk and Spock (a Vulcan?) had to be the ones to go back and involve themselves in an equally elaborate and unlikely plan to counter them. Spock and Kirk are Royal Air Force pilots who manage to save the day. Spock shooting down other planes is disquieting, and there is the question of what he, a vegetarian, ate during the months of training while he was passing as a human. The saving grace of this story is the interaction between Kirk and Spock – there are some passages that give interesting insights into their relationship and almost save the story.
‘Time of Smoke’ was a well-written three-page mirror mirror universe story that seemed incomplete – just enough of a glimpse into the story to intrigue, not enough to satisfy. It was followed by ‘His First Command,’ a hilarious Kirk-and-Spock-meet-as-children tale. While not all the havoc they manage to create in an afternoon seems logically possible, the author has caught the essence of two little boys excellently. ‘All the Past is Prologue’ is a Surak story that considers his wife and child as well as the change he must bring to Vulcan. The plot is clear, the historical background interesting, and the ending is hopeful. The last story, the longest, is ‘This Above All.’ It blends Sarek with the secret new star drive, the Klingons who want it, Spock tortured to wring the truth from his father, and the Rom-Com, here named Selicia, to save the pair of them. The Romulan culture shown here is developed and believable, as is the Klingon culture we also get a glimpse of. The plot is complex, slightly disjointed at the beginning but quickly falling into place. Towards the end, it begins to waver as the author apparently can’t decide which of several excellent themes to emphasize, but all loose ends are wrapped up, and the ending is thoughtful.
This is a pretty good zine, of interest to Kirk and Spock fans, and well worth the price. [5]
This would be a good zine to recommend to the neofan, has several long stories by such well-known writers as Jean L. Stevenson, Eileen Roy, and P.S. Nim, a modest art folio which does not illo stories, numerous bits of poetry lavishly laid out with suitable artwork, and one good long story by the editor.
Imagine Kirk and Spock flying Spitfires with the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII! Logical reasons necessitate their presence during this period to intercept a Klingon effort at changing history -- but I would sure love to see the "computer treatment guaranteed to disguise your ears and soften the shape of your eyebrows," as Kirk assures Spock. No doubt computers will be able to do some magical things in two hundred years, but this is stretching credibility to a breaking point. Once you swallow this though, the wondrous detail surrounding this adventure leaves no doubt that Pat knows her subject first hand, and it will hold your interest right up to the story's hairbreath conclusion.
A class zine, long awaited, and a good mate for the well-received #1 issue. [6]
References
- ^ from Right of Statement #1 (1978)
- ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
- ^ from a 2007 ebay seller
- ^ from a 2007 eBay seller
- ^ from Datazine #16
- ^ from The Clipper Trade Ship #35/36