Star Trek Novels

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Anybody want to recommend a good Star Trek author? I've read all of Peter David's books, but I'm looking for something else. I think it would be nice to get a good page turner in the Star Trek universe.

[Deathstroke]

I liked A.C. Crispin's Sarek novel.

And the Deep Space Nine novels that are set after the end of the series started off pretty good. The two Avatar novels are excellent. I can't remember who wrote it though.

[hitman]

And the Deep Space Nine novels that are set after the end of the series started off pretty good. The two Avatar novels are excellent. I can't remember who wrote it though.

S.D. Perry wrote them.

She also wrote two other books in the DS9 relaunch series, Rising Son & Unity.

[Slappy san]

S.D. Perry wrote them.

She also wrote two other books in the DS9 relaunch series, Rising Son & Unity.

I wish she had written all of the new DS9 books.

[Kirayoshi]

No votes yet for "Q Squared"? Brilliant confrontation between Q and Trelaine("The Squire of Gothos") by Peter David. Lots of alternate universe fun.

Not the best ever, but a lot of fun from a fanboy perspective; the two-part "Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Kahn Noonian Sighn" by Greg Cox. An ambitious effort to retro-fit the Eugenics wars into the modern Star Trek timeframe, by making them more of a covert war. Lots of easter eggs referring to past Treks(original, NG, DS9), plus Gary Seven in a prominent role.

"Prime Directive" by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Great little conspiracy piece, in which Kirk's bending of the PD finally catches up with him.

And from DS9, "A Stitch in Time" by Andrew Robinson. Taken from a backstory Robinson created for Garak when he became a recurring cast-member. Garek reflects on his past as he prepares for his role in the restoration of Cardassia after its decimation during the Dominion Wars.

Oddest Trek novel recently; "The Case of the Colonist's Corpse". A locked-room mystery in space, featuring Kirk's lawyer Sam Cogsley from 'Court Martial'.

[Solaris]

I just remembered another one that was pretty neat: The Kobiyashi Maru. Don't remember the author. Kirk, Scotty, McCoy, Chekov, and Sulu are stranded in a shuttlecraft amid some weird gravitational fields that messed up their engines (and going to die if they can't get out). While they're trying to fix the problem, and trying to fix the equipment so they can send a signal to Spock of where they're at (so he can bring the Enterprise to the rescue), they end up talking about each of them's experience with the Kobiyashi Maru test. (Except for Bones, who was medical and didn't take it.) I think Sulu's was the sweetest, Chekov's the most surprising, Kirk's the most typical (of him, anyway), and Scotty's the most hilariously fun. It's worth reading for the story of Scotty alone. Damn he's good.

Not the best ever, but a lot of fun from a fanboy perspective; the two-part "Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Kahn Noonian Sighn" by Greg Cox. An ambitious effort to retro-fit the Eugenics wars into the modern Star Trek timeframe, by making them more of a covert war. Lots of easter eggs referring to past Treks(original, NG, DS9), plus Gary Seven in a prominent role.

I have to admit these two thoroughly rocked---not so much from a Star Trek viewpoint, but from reading a book by a culture-hound who LOVES putting in various references into the story. Finding them, and laughing over them, was the very best part. (Spoiler hint: he found a way to include the Bionic Woman in the story, as a tiny cameo... it just rocked, when you realize WHO she is!)

And not only that, but you get a lot of great info on Khan Noonian Singh and on Gary Seven, Roberta, and Isis. It's just a great couple of books, and well worth the read.

[Michael P]

No votes yet for "Q Squared"? Brilliant confrontation between Q and Trelaine("The Squire of Gothos") by Peter David. Lots of alternate universe fun.

What's really fun about that one is in one of the alternate universes, he practically bases the continuity around fanfic wish-fulfillment: Data's human, Geordi can see, Riker and Troi are together, Picard and Crusher are together, Wesley's dead, Worf was raised by Klingons, etc., etc., etc., and really, their lives are just as screwed up as they were in the "real" universe. I enjoyed that.

[Athena Bast]

No votes yet for "Q Squared"? Brilliant confrontation between Q and Trelaine("The Squire of Gothos") by Peter David. Lots of alternate universe fun.

Not the best ever, but a lot of fun from a fanboy perspective; the two-part "Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Kahn Noonian Sighn" by Greg Cox. An ambitious effort to retro-fit the Eugenics wars into the modern Star Trek timeframe, by making them more of a covert war. Lots of easter eggs referring to past Treks(original, NG, DS9), plus Gary Seven in a prominent role.

Cox' Khan books are now a trilogy with the third book detailing Khan and his followers lives in exile on the planet. Pretty good.

I loved Q Squared too. It made my head hurt after a while keeping who's who straight.

[rick]

And the Deep Space Nine novels that are set after the end of the series started off pretty good. The two Avatar novels are excellent. I can't remember who wrote it though.

Ack!!!!

I hate to say it, but personally I loathe the DS9 novels that take place after the end of the series.

All of them are dominated by the truly revolting character of Elias Vaughn, about as close to the perfect example of a Mary Sue that you are ever going to run across.

Just an awful character who brings down the level of every story he appears in.

Also as much as I love Peter David's Star Trek novels that take place in the "real" Trekverse, I just have not enjoyed a single one of his Star Trek: New Frontier books.

His hero, the swrod fighting alien whose name translates ioto Mackenzie Calhoun, is another one of those who gives a fuck characters that just are so overdone to be unreadable.

Still to give David his due, he wrote my two favorite of all the Star Trek novels, Vendetta and Imzadi, both of which I can't recommend enough.

[Roquefort Raider]

His hero, the swrod fighting alien whose name translates ioto Mackenzie Calhoun, is another one of those who gives a fuck characters that just are so overdone to be unreadable.

I wonder if David Mack didn't have fun at Peter David's expense regarding the Calhoun character. In Gods of night, as the Borg are ripping the Federation a new one, we learn off-handedly that Calhoun's little ship just managed to destroy a Borg cube single-handedly. Picard isn't even interested in learning how he did it, because he's used to miracles from that guy.

[Typo Lad]

I wonder if David Mack didn't have fun at Peter David's expense regarding the Calhoun character. In Gods of night, as the Borg are ripping the Federation a new one, we learn off-handedly that Calhoun's little ship just managed to destroy a Borg cube single-handedly. Picard isn't even interested in learning how he did it, because he's used to miracles from that guy.

I quite enjoyed that moment.

I like the NF books despite Calhoun.

[Chris N]

Still to give David his due, he wrote my two favorite of all the Star Trek novels, Vendetta and Imzadi, both of which I can't recommend enough.

I loved both of those, as well as Q-in-Law (which I found to be hysterical) and Q-Squared

[Rabid Trekkie]

Also as much as I love Peter David's Star Trek novels that take place in the "real" Trekverse, I just have not enjoyed a single one of his Star Trek: New Frontier books.

His hero, the swrod fighting alien whose name translates ioto Mackenzie Calhoun, is another one of those who gives a fuck characters that just are so overdone to be unreadable.

Still to give David his due, he wrote my two favorite of all the Star Trek novels, Vendetta and Imzadi, both of which I can't recommend enough.

I actually really love the New Frontier series. It's just a crazy space adventure that expands on some of the crazier ideas from TOS. Some of the jokes can get repetitive and I don't think every idea has been a winner, but overall its the most consistantly good (considering the number of books in the series) of the Trek series that I've read.

But I get that it might not be for everyone.

[Michael P]

Probably one of the best Trek novels ever written was Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

[Solaris]

Favorites:

Spock's World, by Diane Duane---my favorite. Gives highlights of Vulcan evolution, on a backdrop of Vulcan's proposed secession from the Federation, and a modern day scandal.

Strangers from the Sky, by Margaret Wander Bonanno. Humans first met Vulcans long before the "official" meeting... and Kirk, Spock, Gary Mitchell and other crewmen were in the middle of it. One aspect I love about this book is that you learn about Amanda Grayson's grandfather... the woman who married Sarek, and was Spock's mother.

The latter book is out of print, but limited copies are available through Amazon, or your library *might* have a copy.