Spock, Messiah!

Spock, Messiah! is a Star Trek: TOS professional tie-in novel by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles Spano, Jr. See the Memory Beta wiki entry for details.
Cogswell had been an experienced author at the time of publishing, and invited Spano to co-author the book with him after he was approached by editor Frederik Pohl. It was later republished with new cover artwork in 1993. The novel was poorly received by fans and was criticised by critics for being exploitative and inaccurate.
Summary: When an experiment with telepathic implants goes wrong, Mr. Spock renounces his life on the Starship Enterprise to become the Messiah of the planet Kyros. In so doing, he launches a holy war on the rest of the world.
Spock Must Die! (1970) and "Spock, Messiah!" (1976) and "Vulcan!" (1978) were all tie-in books during what some fans refer to as "the Exclamation Years." comment by Michele Christian on Virgule-L, quoted with permission (November 16, 1995) 
==Production==
Prior to the publication of Spock, Messiah!, the only original book for adults set in the Star Trek universe was Spock Must Die! by James Blish. The book sold well, and it was intended that further books would be produced but following Blish's death, this was postponed. Frederik Pohl was hired as an editor in 1976 with the task of producing new novels based on Star Trek: The Original Series. The first book in this line was Spock, Messiah!, which was written by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr..Greenberger (2012): p. 81
Cogswell was an experienced science fiction author with numerous short stories in the genre to his credit, most of them humorous, and editor of the fanzine Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies in which professional SF authors reviewed one another's work. Spano contacted him hoping to have some of his work critiqued. Cogswell asked Spano if he would be interested in co-authoring a Star Trek novel for Pohl. Spano wrote most of the first draft in 1975, inspired by the 1973 oil crisis. He said that although it had roots in the rise of Islamism in the Western Hemisphere,Ayers (2006): p. 14Ayers (2006): p. 15 "the idea that a fanatical desert leader could arise to threaten a civilisation was a staple throughout history".
Cogswell rewrote several chapters that Spano described as unfocused and rambling; Cogswell also copyedited the work. They submitted the revised draft to Pohl, who requested minor changes. The book was published in September 1976. The book was later reprinted by Bantam Books in October 1993 with new cover art by Kazuhiko Sano.
==Fans and TPTB==
 Boldly Writing says "[Charles Spano] was the first author of a Star Trek pro novel to have a letter published in a letterzine." Spano writes of being on a panel at a con, his book, "Spock, Messiah" and writes: 
==Reactions and Reviews==
The initial fan reaction to Spock, Messiah! was poor, and sales were lower than expected following the earlier success of Spock Must Die!. The review in Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review magazine suggested that the plot was far-fetched, and described it as "Spocks-ploitation" (referring to the concept of an exploitation film).Ed. Barron & Reginald (2006): p. 153 In a review of the book on the Daily Kos website, Spock, Messiah! was described as "[the] single worst Star Trek story I have ever read, either fan or pro." The issues with the book included racism (where Uhura is called "a black" and Sulu "the oriental")Keeping in mind that these terms, especially "the blacks" or "a black", were acceptable at the time the book was published., and also parts where the novel ignored specific elements of the series such as giving Scotty red hair and removed the sonic showers from the Enterprise. It summed up the review by saying that the "book isn't just bad, it's shamefully bad." The first edition of the book was sold for $1.75 in the United States, and by 2006, it was valued at between $7 to $8.Kelley (2008): p. 54
There is a sarcastic recap of this book (with many photomanip comments) at Star Trek Book Re-Cap #5 - Spock, Messiah! at the Livejournal community ontd-startrek.
There is another sarcastic review at Brave New Blog.
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==References==
Category:Star Trek TOS Professional Works