****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : AUDIOCASSETTES

“Star Trek: Strangers From the Sky” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” both read by George Takei and Leonard Nimoy. Simon & Schuster. (Abridged; one tape each.) Of these two tapes, the novelization of the film “Star Trek IV” is an easier story to follow (and will probably be familiar to buyers). If you can’t afford the videocassette, this $8.95 audiotape should keep you happy. Takei does most of the reading on both tapes, with Nimoy giving Mr. Spock’s overviews of the situation at various points. “Strangers From the Sky,” a long novel recently published by Pocket Books, is a bit unwieldy as a tale. It concerns the first contact between Vulcan (Mr. Spock’s planet) and Earth and there’s a little playing around with historical events. The story seesaws between the current time line of the Enterprise crew and what has (or has not) happened in the past. Takei is a marvel at doing the voices, most especially Chief Engineer Scott’s Scottish burr. He is understandably less effective doing female voice variations. But for Trek fans, these are the Vulcan’s ears. Information: (212) 698-7181. ***