~ November 2014
"Once again, Cushman's book These Are The Voyages: TOS Season Two is an invaluable window into the making of classic Star Trek, with tons and tons of details about every single episode that were previously unknown to me. The personalities of the people working on the show come through, and you get a real sense of just how invaluable Gene Coon and Dorothy Fontana were to the quality control on Trek — and what a huge shift it was when John Meredyth Lucas replaced Coon. There are loads of quotes from memos and script notes at the time, plus interviews after the fact."
- Charlie Jane Anders. Read the entire review |
~ July 2014
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"Last year I discovered These are the Voyages Season One written by Marc Cushman, this was a book that would change my whole outlook on The Original Series. As a Star Trek fan for over thirty years I thought I knew pretty much everything about TOS but this book would soon show me I hardly knew anything.
These are the Voyages Season Two is a very informative book. From the very beginning I was discovering things that I never knew about the show, the writers, the cast and producers. In some ways the book has changed my perception of the show and many of those behind the scenes. Even before a scene was filmed for season two the show was in trouble and it just gets worse as the show progressed. Marc captures perfectly the tension that was happening on the set, how the passion of those behind and in front of the camera helped create some of the most enjoyable Star Trek episodes from the second season." - Michael Clark, Visionary Trek. Read the review |
~ June 2014
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"This is every breath, heartbeat and drop of sweat that went into the production of everything between Catspaw and Assignment Earth. Each page is a slice of Star Trek history with much of it never printed or glimpsed before. Here we get to find out why Gene Coon left, how John Meredith Lucas came on board, how high emotions really were running when it was announced that the show was being cancelled, then reprieved short-term and finally just what it meant for fans, the cast, crew and the network mail-room when Star Trek was renewed for the swansong third year.... On the whole this is a work that will stand the test of time and prove to be one of the three most valuable resources on The Original Series. The other two will be the volumes that sit on either side of the number "two"." - Clive Burrell, Some Kind of Star Trek.
Read the entire review |
~ May 2014
"Marc Cushman has done the amazing feat of tying all the creative elements that went into making the original Star Trek into a cohesive masterpiece. It has been like a trek with creative friends, all greatly loved and some no longer with us. A lovely journey." Judy Burns, writer, "The Tholian Web"
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~ April 2014
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"These are the Voyages TOS Season Two is a must-have for the original series fan.... There is something for everyone – evolution of the stories, conflicts and human drama, anecdotes, technical details, pictures, and statistics. I have to admit, I really liked this book and, even though it is a long book, I had trouble putting it down because it’s just so interesting! It was like stepping through the Guardian of Forever and going back in time, seeing what the world was like in 1967-1968 and how television was created back then." Read the entire review.
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Ralph Senensky, Director of six-and-a-half episodes of Star Trek: TOS.
"I have just finished reading THESE ARE THE VOYAGES (TOS) Season Two. The current book is written with the same meticulous eye for detail as the first volume.... Marc [Cushman] has written with a dramatic flair; he is not just bombarding you with facts; you feel as if you are taken into the production offices and onto the soundstages; you feel as if you are a fly on the wall.... STAR TREK was a phenomenon, and Marc Cushman’s two books (so far) shine a light that keeps the phenomenon glowing, while becoming a phenomenon in their own right. I’m anxious for Season Three." ~ April 2014
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW |
Bruce Mars, Actor from "Shore Leave" and "Assignment: Earth" "How Marc Cushman put these books together is nothing short of visionary! He took each episode, dissected all the moving parts, and then put them together in a sequential way that revealed not only the heart and soul of each show, but the thread that tied the entire series into one package. Awesome!" ~ April 2014
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John Dwyer, Emmy-winning Set Decorator for Star Trek.
"Reading "These are the Voyages" is a delightful nostalgic trip back to the sound stages, production meetings, and controlled chaos that was STAR TREK, the original series. Marc Cushman's depth of research and attention to detail is stunning and accurate. These books are a massive accomplishment; they will become the Bible for all Trekkers and should be required reading for those seeking a career in series television." ~ April 2014
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David A. Goodman, Executive Producer, Family Guy; Co-Executive Producer, Futurama; Consulting Producer, Star Trek: Enterprise
"Before I read Marc Cushman's "These Are The Voyages: Season One" I was sure there was nothing I didn't already know about Star Trek, and I am so glad I was wrong! This book is filled with one revelation after another, and isn't just the final word on the making of Star Trek; it's an incredibly detailed historical document on how dramatic television series were created and produced in the 1960's. A fascinating read! I hope Cushman lives long enough and prospers so that he can cover the history of the entire franchise!" ~ March 2014
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Mark A. Altman, writer/producer,
Free Enterprise. |
"If you thought Marc Cushman's exhaustive follow-up volume about the making of Star Trek's second season, These Are the Voyages, couldn't improve on the previous tome, you'd be wrong. This landmark work of Trek scholarship manages to supercede the previous edition, offering even greater insights and heretofore unrevealed details about the making of the original Trek's benchmark sophomore year. There is extensive exploration of the myriad unproduced episodes, the Shatner/Nimoy feud and salary dispute, extremely cogent observations by story editor D.C. Fontana, the acerbic wit of Robert H. Justman, and extensive exploration of Gene L. Coon's unsung genius in shepherding the series. Plus, if you've been wondering why the Trek misfire "The Omega Glory" was chosen by Viewmaster to represent the series, you'll finally get your answer - and it's a doozy..." -
Mark A. Altman, writer/producer, Free Enterprise. ~ March 2014 |
"... just as gripping as [Marc Cushman's] previous tome on the show's launch and first season ... These Are the Voyages - TOS: Season Two is ... the most important book of Star Trek journalism ever written." - Jeff Bond, Executive Editor, Geek Magazine
By Wesley Britton, BLOGCRITICS.ORG Published February 25, 2014
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"Readers who follow the entire story in sequence will come up with their own interpretations and reactions to the volume, but I am certain most knowledgeable fans will be even more appreciative of the work invested by Gene Coon and D.C. Fontana. Both Coon and Fontana have been far from unsung heroes in the Star Trek realm, but it's eye-opening to see an almost day-by-day account of how they read and doctored scripts, nurtured some, feared others, avoided repetition when possible, and kept the continuity straight. For me, the scriptwriting process is the heart of the book where we read how the staff took the proposed ideas and molded them into what the actors finally made flesh for the small screen. On nearly every page, we see the evidence of a production based on considerable care, dedication, and imagination. " Read the entire review.
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SPECIAL REPORT by Gerald Gurian
February 27, 2014 Worldwide Exclusive: Excerpt from Marc Cushman's
"These Are The Voyages: TOS - Season Two" - Presenting "Metamorphosis" Read the Excerpt |
"Yet as difficult as it might be to imagine, authors Marc Cushman and Susan Osborn have actually raised the bar a notch and surpassed the high standards that they demonstrated in the creation of the first book, with an unparalleled and thoroughly riveting account of the making of Season Two in this new and historic volume! Fans will be captivated again by the hundreds of new insights from previously unreported historical records and interviews; and they will not want to put down this engrossing narrative that places them in the Original Series offices and on the Desilu sound stages while their most beloved Star Trek episodes are filmed." Read the entire review. |
March 2014
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"You really must read this book, if you love STAR TREK. ... Just about everything about Season Two of STAR TREK is covered in here; it will engage and fascinate you! "
- MARK ALFRED, Mark's Super Blog. Read the entire review |