MovieChat Forums > Here Come the Brides (1968) Discussion > I found closure for the series in this n...

I found closure for the series in this novel!

posted 18 years ago by adawn42
19 replies | jump to latest

I loved this show, and the only complaint I had was the lack of closure for the series. I couldn't help wondering how it all worked out.

Now this may seem ridiculous, but back in 1985 Barbara Hambly wrote a novel titled "Ishmael" that takes place during the last few weeks of the year that the Bolt brothers had to get the brides married off. I found it to be a very satisfying closure for the series. For me, anyway - it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Because here's what you might find ridiculous: it's a "Star Trek" novel. No, seriously. I think what probably inspired it was that Mark Lenard (Aaron Stemple) also played Spock's father in "Star Trek".

Here's a link (copy and paste into your browser): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671554271/sr=8-10/qid=1141691119/ref=pd_bbs_10/104-6222009-0751105?%5Fencoding=UTF8

And here's the premise:

The Klingons go back in time (to Seattle) to assassinate a man who will somehow make things difficult for them in the future. Spock gets trapped on their ship and goes along for the ride. He is left for dead in the woods, but found and nursed back to health by a man named Aaron Stemple. Aaron is no fool - he realizes that Spock ain't from 'round here.

Hambly must have been as big a HCTB fan as a ST fan, because the two shows are very well balanced in this story, and I think HCTB fans will thoroughly enjoy the novel.

If you have read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If not, give it a try and let me know!

[–] dougglenn1215 18 years ago

Having been fond of both Star Trek and HCTB, the novel Ishmael was definitely a guilty pleasure for me. Yes, the premise is ridiculous, but the book is a fun read.

I read it when it was originally published so I'm trying to dredge up specific memories. Part of what was fun about it was that Ms. Hambly also peppered the background with many of the staple western and sci-fi characters of the sixties. Seems like I remember Richard Boone's Paladin character from Have Gun Will Travel in a chapter that takes place in San Francisco. I've never been well versed enough in the genre to spot all of them, but I was told several other Western characters are in there as well.

I also seem to recall a scene on a space station that may have included Dr. Who as a patron. These characters are never named, of course (that would be copyright infringement I guess), but described well enough to be recognized.

David Soul (Joshua Bolt ) also did a guest role in the Star Trek episode, The Apple.

[–] judywine 18 years ago

Ishmael is one of my favourite Star Trek novels! I am a Star Trek fan AND a huge Here Come the Brides fan. For me, this novel was a dream come true. I would agree with you for HCTB fans to try to get a copy. The novel's ending is worth the price of the book alone, fans will not be disappointed. If memory serves, Star Trek, Here Come the Brides and Mission Impossible were all sister shows and actors from each guest starred on the other show. Besides Mark Lenard, David Soul and Robert Brown each guest starred in the original Star Trek series. And we all know that Leonard Nimoy co-starred in Mission Impossible.

There is another Here Come the Brides sequel novel. I was lucky enough to find a reasonable copy through amazon.com's used marketplace. It's not as well written as Ishmael, and is rather thin, but is also very true to the original plot and characters. It is a historical romance novel called Spirit of the Northwest and the author is Charlotte Fox. It takes place 20 years after the show ended, and it is from the perspective of the next generation of Bolts.

I anxiously await the HCTB DVD's release in May. Thanks for posting.

[–] casey-shoemaker 18 years ago

I thought I was the only one who loved this book. IT is by far and away my favorite Star Trek novel. I am so glad to see this show coming out on DVD. No one I know seems to remember it or believe me when I tell them about the ST novel. Nice to know I am not crazy after all!

[–] MEEdmo42 18 years ago

I have an old VHS tape with a number of the episodes on it. Must have been from reruns because we didn't have a VCR until the middle seventies. Just watching, takes me back to a simpler time and all those lovely men!

Mary

"Believe in the magic of your dreams"

[–] zaphod08 18 years ago

It aired on CBN, the channel that became the Family Channel back in the mid 80's. That's where I got my episodes, which I can happily toss now.

[–] Jinx-to-Ennien 18 years ago

This is one of my favorite Star Trek books too!

[–] kevink45 18 years ago

I've been watching the season 1 episodes on DVD and I just finished reading the book. The book is good and enjoyable, and of course the show is fun to watch again.

[–] kevink45 18 years ago

Oh, dougglenn, I just checked, there is no scene on a space station in _Ishmael_ But in San Fransisco , in a gaming den(h*ll) one of the people in the crowd watching Spock play chess with Paladin(I think) is 'an older man in a frock coat with a flute in his pocket.' Sounds like the Doctor to me.

[–] dougglenn1215 17 years ago

kenink45 - Thank you for the correction. I may have to see if i can find a copy of Ishmael and reread it. It has been a looong time.

[–] woldnewton-232-98362 9 years ago

Incorrect, there is a scene on the starbase. The Doctor, Apollo & Starbuck, Han Solo, and Hokas appear. The Hokas are even named; the others are implied through description, due to copyright. It's implied that the station is almost some sort of inter-dimensional node due to the effects of the nearby Tau Eridani Cloud--the strange effetcs of the Cloud is the very reason the starbase is there, to study the Cloud. The bar on the station in which all these characters are seen is called the Wonder Bar. See pages 12-13 of the paperback.

And yes, there are more Western references later in the book, including Paladin, Bonanza, and Struan and Sons from James Clavell's "Asian Saga."

Great book!

[–] Vicky844 17 years ago

I too was thrilled when I got a copy of "Ishmael" and found the crossover. It was great to see some loose ends tied up, though I still wish Jason would have found a woman to fall in love with. None the less, it's a great book and one I would recommend highly. I am thrilled with the DVD's of HCTB First Season and can't wait to get season 2.

[–] ripperslover 17 years ago

Funnily enough, I wasn't around for either 'Trek' or 'Here Come the Brides', but I became a Star Trek fan in the late eighties, reading the novels voraciously. I loved Ishmael, rereading it many times, then one day came home from school and turned on the TV and found characters that sounded suspiciously familiar to those from the novel! I had found a new show, loved it, then, alas it was taken off the rotation. Now, I look forward to getting the DVD's of the few episodes and watching them from first to end.

I found the novel followed the show quite well, from what I had been able to watch at least.

And like a few others who'd responded here, 'I can't believe I'm not the only one to like this novel!'

Marlene

[–] forsyth 17 years ago

I too am a huge Trek fan and though I don't remember HCTB all that well, I do remember seeing a few reruns of it back in the 70s. But "Ishmael" is far and away my favorite Trek novel and now I wish I could find HCTB to remind myself what it's all about. Read "Ishmael", whether you're a Trek or HCTB fan it'll rip your heart right out!

[–] chippion 16 years ago

I have met Barbara Hambly on several occasions over the years and had a chance to talk to her about ISHMAEL. She was never a HCTB fan and had never even seen the series. She simply took what she heard from other fans and wrote the book.

Interestingly enough, when she went to Paramount, owner of the ST copyrights, about doing the book and asked who owned HCTB, Paramount said they did! So the book was published to pretty decent reviews. However, this brought it to the attention of Columbia, whose TV division -- Screen Gems -- was, of course, the owner of the show. There was a court battle in which the decision was made that Paramount could not do another print run unless they include Columbia's copyright in the copyright page and share the profits. Needless to say, Barbara was not thrilled with this turn of events, as she'd done all her due diligence with regard to the copyright and Paramount (protector of the great copyrights) screwed up.

Needless to say, as there was not supposed to be another print run, if your copy shows more than one copyright date . . .

[–] kenburke0627 15 years ago

I remember reading the novel.

I liked the clever way it connected Here Come The Brides and Star Trek.

Love long and prosper - but don't touch them trees!!!!

[–] TransWarpDrive 13 years ago

I just finished rereading this book! I recently unearthed it while clearing out a spare room in our house so a relative could move in.
Anyway, I didn't know it was a ST/HCTB crossover until after I'd first read the book all those years ago. Nor had I known Mark Lenard had been on HCTB as well as ST. But the book works, mostly because Ms. Hambly did a wonderful job of making the characters so well-rounded and three-dimensional. Spock, as Ishmael, was made to feel as much at home in the HCTB extended family (while he was there) as he was amongst the crew of the Starship Enterprise. She also successfully conveyed the theme of the outsider in a society (a "Stranger in a Strange Land," to borrow a line from Robert Heinlein), which is a common thread between HCTB and Star Trek - both shows were about people from different backgrounds making a home together in difficult surroundings and becoming a "family" of their own in the process.
I'm guessing Ms. Hambly was a Mark Lenard fan, considering how she made Aaron Stemple a more sympathetic character in her book than he was in the series. Of course, she had to, because he was the story's chief protagonist in the chapters of the book set in 1867 Seattle. Obviously, the reader had to feel sympathetic towards him, especially given what happens in the novel's climax (Sorry; no spoilers! Buy the book and read for yourself!). And they wouldn't be rooting for him if he were as nasty as he was on the TV series.
I guess if the series had been canceled before the story arc came to an end (with all the women married or engaged) - which, I suspect, was the case given the nature of the television industry - then yes, I can see where you'd consider this a closure of sorts for "Here Come The Brides."

[–] russedav 12 years ago

Yes, it was a good book, to me better than both series, being more serious that either was inclined to be, though all things considered, I don't find the book's premise really any more ridiculous than most of sci fi that is really mostly fantasy and hardly any sci, e.g. how today's cell phones do far more after 40 years than Star Trek communicators did after fictitious centuries, proving sci fi to be quite absurdly arrogant in imagining either that society in general or real technology in particular actually owes them when it comes either to the inspiration or practical matters of advancement, though they'd no doubt be denial about that since if you look at the childish groupie nature of the conventions even in their '70s.
Anyway, as to where you can find HCTB episodes, I just found a new-to-me one and finished watching the pilot episode I never saw before (I was only a casual HCTB watcher and probably saw no more than 1/3 to 1/2 of the episodes) at http://veehd.com
specifically http://veehd.com/video/4645290_Here-Come-the-Brides-s01e01
for the pilot. There are also several other episodes if you do the following title search, http://veehd.com/search?q=Here+come+the+brides
To watch you have to install the "DivX" program that lets you see all kinds of old shows. I've seen the show "Search" and the movies Genesis II & Questor Tapes and others and the quality's fairly good, at least as good as Youtube. Hope you enjoy.