When Heroes Die

You may be looking for Star Child, a Star Trek: TOS novel by Barbara Kitson.

Zine
Title:	When Heroes Die
Publisher:	Odyssey Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Joyce Tullock
Cover Artist(s):	Kate Maynard
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	August 1983
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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cover by Suzan Lovett

When Heroes Die has the subtitle, "A Starchild's Quest." It is a gen 142-page Star Trek: TOS novel by Joyce Tullock, illustrated by Kate Maynard, it has a cover by Suzan Lovett.

Summaries

"Odyssey Press published a novel-length story by Joyce Tullock called When Heroes Die: A Starchild's Quest. This fanzine ran 142 pages. Kate Maynard illustrated the story — Kate was later to become the head of Patrick Stewart's fan club. The story itself followed McCoy after he left Starfleet at the end of the five-year mission. Most of the story centers on his adventures in a faraway world."

"Leonard McCoy comes home at the end of the five-year mission, disillusioned with life on Earth and at odds with Jim Kirk. He feels lost without the supporting friendship of Kirk and Spock. Almost against his will, he accepts a a perilous task which takes him to Our-ri, a planet of water, mist, and mysterious creatures. In the swamps of the Mandois, he discovers a terrible and beautiful truth."

"At the end of the first five-year mission, a desperate plea for help takes McCoy to the misty swamps of A'hyre. Rebelling against Kirk's authority and Spock's logic, he makes a discovery that shatters the beliefs of an entire world."

"After the five year mission, McCoy answers a summons to a distant world to prove that a threatened life form, the Mandois, is sentient. There is romance, a long journey through a dangerous swamp, and the beautiful triumph as McCoy succeeds in communicating with the creature he has come to save.

Excerpt

"You don't get it, do you, Captain? I'm civilian now." Feeling the tightening pressure of Kirk's hand on his shoulder, he turned to meet him face to face. "Captain. Admiral. Whoever you are. I think it's time we faced somethin'. Out there in space, a million light years from where we are right now, we needed one another ... and we were good friends. Here, now, it's all different. You expect me to be a soldier, Jim, and I expect you to be a hero ... and neither of us is turning out very well. Please listen one last time ... you are no longer my commanding officer. Right now, I don't even think we're very good friends."

Gallery

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Reactions and Reviews

Cover: Suzan Lovett; Illustrated by Kate Maynard (some very nice illos here!.)

At the end of the five-year mission, McCoy seems to be doing his best to become estranged from Kirk and is constantly battling a general sense of rage. Fleet is analyzing and re-adjusting him to death to "help" him deal with the let-down of Earth life after the heady years in space. He resists both readjustment and the hero treatment he is getting. He has also taken up with Melissa, a young interior decorator sent by the Fleet to provide him with suitably re-adjusting surroundings, and of whom Kirk does not approve. Kirk seems to offer him a job investigating the possible sentience of the Mandois, swamp creatures of planet Our-ri, but then withdraws the offer, and McCoy has already resigned his commission anyway. A young and adoring Our-ri-an (Kunaan) presents him with a medal and kidnaps him to assist in his quest to show the sentience of the Mandois, and turns bitter when McCoy resists. A few days later the boy's ship is destroyed and McCoy takes on the mission. The quest to meet the rare and perhaps victimized Mandois takes him through arrest (for having forgotten to pay his hotel bill), suspicions that Kirk and Melissa are not only trying to treat him like a baby but perhaps sleeping together, a long and hazardous journey through the swamps with John Kevin O'Farland, attacks from supporters of joining the Federation - who don't want the Mandois to turn out to be sentient, and a sojourn with the Lady Jha-el, Kunaan's mother, who loves the Mandois and can communicate with them by means of an incense lamp. The writing is excellent. Particularly fine are the alien dialogue, full of a believable slang used by the "swampies,"and the descriptions of the wet, chilly environment and its creatures. The plot is compelling, but the denouement is unfortunately dependent on mystic poop. The Mandois are quite charming, if wet. They are telepathic but communicate more holistically than humans, whole blocks of thought pouring in at once, potentially causing brain damage. When McCoy loses all of his equipment, he has them plant their racial memories in his brain so that it can be decoded by psychotricoder later. So far, so good... but I hated the use of the incense lamp to have the entire Mandois population turn out and share thoughts. I am also ambivalent about the final healing - I both like and hate it. When McCoy sees himself through the eyes of the Mandois, he sees that he is truly bound to and part of Spock and Kirk. Millie is an interesting character and seems a good match for the doctor, sticking to him but giving him the fights he seems to crave here. A theme that runs through this one is McCoy running from everyone who loves him - shown here as a fear of betrayal so deep he makes sure no one gets the chance to get that close.

The wrap-up is quite nice. McCoy picks another fight with Kirk (Kirk knocks him on his ass) but is confident that all will be.