Avenger is a Star Trek novel written by William Shatner, depicting the events shortly after the feature film Star Trek: First Contact and the previous novel The Return. It is a direct sequel to the latter, and forms part of the "Shatnerverse" collection of novels, being the third novel written by William Shatner for the Star Trek series of novels. It was published in 1998 by Pocket Books. In the novel, the Federation must contain a plague that is eradicating the plant life on several vital systems that collectively supply food for the entire Federation. The book opens with the Federation trying to maintain a strict quarantine to contain the spread of the disease, while the Federation's reserves run low. It is soon discovered that this outbreak was created intentionally by a group of eco-terrorists who have links to Captain Kirk's past. The resurrected Kirk, along with Captain Picard, and their respective crews, must unite to uncover the conspiracy that caused this before it undermines the Federation. Ambassador Spock is on a mission of his own, a deeply personal one at that. He is determined to find the murderer of his father, for that is what he believes the true fate of his father was. He and Kirk reunite to avenge Ambasador Sarek's death. During this time, Spock lets go of all the self-control that makes him Vulcan. It is later said that his insides were sabotaged by the Vulcan Bendii disease, the one that supposedly killed his father. They find out that the people who killed his father are now after him, injecting a disease very much like Bendii, the same thing that killed his father. In the end, it is Jim Kirk who avenges Ambassador Sarek's death, while Spock is taken away for further treatments.
