The cover for the third tie-in novel to the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery was just released. Titled Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself, the book is written by veteran Trek author James Swallow and comes out in June.

Official synopsis for Fear Itself:

Lieutenant Saru is a Kelpien, a member of a prey species born on a world overrun by monstrous predators…and a being who very intimately understands the nature of fear. Challenged on all sides, he is determined to surpass his origins and succeed as a Starfleet officer aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou.

But when Saru breaks protocol in order to prove himself to his crewmates, what begins as a vital rescue mission to save a vessel in distress soon escalates out of control. Forced into a command role he may not be ready for, Saru is caught between his duty and the conflicting agendas of two antagonistic alien races. To survive, he will need to seek a path of peace against all odds, and risk compromising the very ideals he has sworn to uphold….

Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself will released on June 5th. You can pre-order it now on Amazon in large format paperback, eBook and audiobook.

More Discovery tie-ins

Fear Itself follows the two previously released Discovery novels, David Mack’s Desperate Hours (see TrekMovie review) and Dayton Ward’s Drastic Measures (see TrekMovie review).

On the comics side, the fourth and final issue of IDW first Discovery tie-in will be released later this month. The trade paperback collection for “The Light of Kahless” will be available in July.

IDW’s Star Trek: Discovery Annual featuring the backstory for Lt. Stamets was released this week (see TrekMovie review). You can order it at TFAW.

You can also pre-order the first three (of four) issues of the upcoming Mirror Universe-focused Discovery series, Star Trek: Discovery: Succession at TFAW.

Discovery writers treating EU as canon (until it’s not)

Traditionally the extended universe of Star Trek novels and comics are not considered part of the official canon; however, with the Discovery tie-ins, there is more of a concerted effort to keep the stories consistent with television show, and vice versa. One of the keys to this is that Discovery staff writer Kirsten Beyer is involved with the novels and co-writing the comics.

After the release this week of the Star Trek: Discovery Annual from IDW detailing the backstory for Lt. Stamets, Glen Oliver asked the Discovery writing team on Twitter how much should we consider these releases to be part of canon. Writer and co-executive producer Ted Sullivan replied, “…it’s canon unless we do something that invalidates it (b/c we find a story we NEED to tell that contradicts it). But we here at @StarTrekRoom think it’s a beautiful story and treating it as canon!”

Well, I look at things this way – it's canon unless we do something that invalidates it (b/c we find a story we NEED to tell that contradicts it). But we here at @StarTrekRoom think it's a beautiful story and treating it as canon! — Ted Sullivan (@karterhol) April 6, 2018

And John Van Citters of CBS Consumer Products weighed in, noting that those working on the books and comics “work hard to craft stories that tie into canon so nicely that [the Discovery writer’s room] will never have that need.”