From science fiction writer John Blish comes the novella Star Trek Adventures: Spock Must Die taking place during the era of Captain James T. Kirk. It was published in 1972 by Bantam and it has been re-released throughout the years.

Captain Kirk leads the USS Enterprise on a secret mission into enemy territory. While surveying the planet, First Officer Spock beams down, but during the return transport, the beam malfunctions creating two versions of the Vulcan officer. At first, the two Spocks get along, but when Klingons enter the picture, the two start to get desperate determining who is the real deal. This creates on the Starfleet flagship and Captain Kirk is caught in the middle.

Blish (Cities in Flight, A Case of Conscience) does a good job of making this short novel feel like an episode. While accidental duplicates are not unique to Star Trek, this one definitely had an interesting spin. As the Enterprise is floundering deep within enemy space, they are also contending with two Spocks, each claiming to be the original and no scientific way to determine which is telling the truth.

I do wish the Klingons had a bit more time and a larger role. They are some of the best antagonists for Starfleet, but this was a minor detail. Otherwise, it built up a lot of tension and made for an enjoyable read for Trekkers or nerds everywhere.

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