Selections from the Book of the Dead

Fanfiction
Title:	Selections from the Book of the Dead
Author(s):	Lyrastar
Date(s):	2004
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	online here
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Selections from the Book of the Dead is a Kirk/Spock story by Lyrastar.

It was published in the con zine KiScon 2004.

Summary

"Kirk tries to rebuild his and Spockʼs shattered lives after Spockʼs return from the dead."

Reactions and Reviews

"Selections from the Book of the Dead" is set during the events of "Star Trek IV". Kirk and Spock return to find that Starfleet Security has ransacked their apartment in its search for evidence to use against Kirk at his upcoming court-martial. They sift through the damage done to the possessions they shared. As they do so, Lyrastar highlights everything they have lost and will likely continue to lose. The miracle of Spock's renewed life contrasts with the loss of the connection between them, and they must face the probability that Kirk will be sentenced to a long prison term.

Then Spock, searching for the remnants of what they once possessed, decides to take Kirk on a most interesting journey. Lyrastar has a genius for creating a specific image which carries the emotional weight of a scene. The wording of an inscription on a gift, a child's heartless comment, an abandoned toy - each one of these details adds to the impact of this story. A striking image of the Nile River, which has breached its banks under the influence of the alien probe, shows exactly how close the Earth came to destruction. It also emphasizes how very much James Kirk accomplished even as he lost everything else. Finally, she uses an image of ruin to express hope.

Lyrastar writes with subtlety and with strength. Every time I read her work, I feel I know more about these characters than I ever knew before.