On the day of James Kirk's birth, his father dies on his ship in a last stand against a mysterious alien vessel. He was searching for Ambassador Spock, who is a child on Vulcan, disdained by his neighbors for his half-human nature. Twenty years later, Kirk has grown into a young troublemaker. He is inspired by Capt. Christopher Pike to fulfill his potential in Starfleet, even though he annoys his instructors. Suddenly, there is an emergency on Vulcan...

In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly-sinking vessel. "There's nothing subtle about The Finest Hours, but much that is satisfying."--Globe...

Although he has been missing for several years and the entire town thinks her father has abandoned her family, Meg steadfastly believes the best and protects her younger brother, Charles Wallace, from the brunt of the rumors and taunting. It is he, however, who convinces her to join him, the school sports star Calvin, and three unusual women on an interplanetary voyage to rescue their father from a vast evil.