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Which are the best Star Trek books you would recommend?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited May 2011 in Ten Forward
I have not read a Star Trek Book in over 10 years. This game has given me a rush where now I cannot get enough Star Trek. I'm watching re-runs on TV, reading about it online, playing a lot of STO of course, and now I want to get back into books.

Wow, so many books....

What are your favorite Star Trek books you would recommend? Also indicate if your choice has prerequisites (other books, certain movies, episodes) to appreciate the book.

Thanks!
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Imzadi's pretty popular.

    Of the recent stuff, I dug the Titan series a lot.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I really enjoyed the 3 book destiny series. There was also 3 books prior to destiny that came out and one after, they all flow along the same story/timeline (what happens in one affects the others)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I went on a binge at the used bookstores since I started playing this game, the few I found to be my current favorites are.

    TOS

    "Sorrows of Empire" by David Mack
    "Bloodthirst" by J.M. Dillard

    TNG

    "vendetta" by Peter David
    "Q-in-Law" By Peter David

    I also found the "Invasion" series to be enjoyable.

    "First Strike" by Diane Carey (TOS)
    "The Soldiers of Fear" by Dean Smith and Kristine Rusch (STNG)
    "Time's Enemy" by L.A. Graff (DS9)
    "The Final Fury" by Dafydd ab Hugh (VOY)

    From back in the day, Alan Dean Fosters "Log series" based on the animated series, and all of the Star Trek series by James Blish (TOS episodes) were fond memories.

    EDIT HOW CAN I FORGET!

    "Night of the Living Trekkies" by Kevin Anderson (not the famous one) and Sam Stall. Google the title and you can watch the fake movie trailer for the book, pretty funny. The book it's self is funny and the more you are into fandom the more you get out of it.:)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Anything by Keith R. A. DeCandido.

    His Klingon "I.K.S. Gorkon" series was absolutely marvelous.

    Also the Voyager String Theory series. Good stuff there.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    How much for just the Planet
    Final Reflection
    Loved these because for the first time the Klingons were the main characters. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I've never been into reading book, but I do have one Star Trek book called "The Physics of Star Trek" and I highly recommend it to all Star Trek fans.

    I suppose I should invest some money into buying some more Star Trek books and invest some of my time into reading them. I think they're pretty much the only books I would bother to read.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I'd start by avoiding any writen by Shatner...

    His series was ok during the first two books or so, later it jumps into timestream play and an army of Kirks and just gets plain weird...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I used to read Star Trek books and it's been so long, the only one that comes to mind for me is a TNG Novel called Crossover.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I found the Crucible series very well done, definitely recommended.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    "the Return" is a nice book, following on from the events of "Star Trek: Generations" has a good suprise too;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Well I do not know which of the tv series you like the most, but here are my favourite books:

    Star Trek New Frontier series by Peter David:
    A Star Trek series which only exist as books. The stories are all written by Peter David. The series exist for more than 15 years. I do not know if the first books are still available, but the stories are very very good.

    Star Trek The next generation relunch series:
    This books take place after the movie Star Trek Nemesis. Data is dead and Riker & Troi had left the Enterprise. The only persons left are Picard, Worf, Geordi and Crusher. There are also some new characters. The main story of the first 6 books is about the Borg. They start an invasion into federation space and this time they do not come for assimilation. They want revenge!

    Star Trek Destiny (3 books):
    A crossover story which takes place in the same story timeline as the Next Generation relunch series. Captain Picard, Captain Riker and Captain Dax work together to stop an borg invasion. They get help by a long lost starfleet captain.
    Very well written story.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    After seeing the S.C.E. mentioned in Destiny I've started reading all of the S.C.E. stories on my Kindle. I've grown to like the characters very quickly. I'm finishing book 6 'Wildfire' at the moment. Here is a list of the collections and the new books, read the list in order. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfleet_Corps_of_Engineers
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I liked Yesterday's Son quite well, bit campy though.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I'll second the New frontier series, and I am also currently reading all the relaunch books (post movie or TV series finales) to keep my Trek fix on.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    How much for just the planet (would love to see some adapt this in the foundry )

    Dreadnaught and its companion book I forget the title off my head.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    It's been a while since I read them, but -

    The Price of the Phoenix
    The Fate of the Phoenix

    - both by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Fans of the Romulan Commander from 'The Enterprise Incident' will surely enjoy these. The authors have a pretty good grasp of the way the characters speak.

    I'd read them again but my copies are old and somewhat musty and they make my eyes water. :(
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I've found the audiobooks to be better than the written versions, the infantile writing of most the current trek books cans sometimes be saved by talented voice acting, I'd reccomend anything read by Tim Russ, especially the genesis series.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Mc_Douglas wrote:
    Star Trek New Frontier series by Peter David:
    A Star Trek series which only exist as books. The stories are all written by Peter David. The series exist for more than 15 years. I do not know if the first books are still available, but the stories are very very good.

    There are also two Comic stories.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Mc_Douglas wrote:
    Well I do not know which of the tv series you like the most, but here are my favourite books:

    Star Trek New Frontier series by Peter David:
    A Star Trek series which only exist as books. The stories are all written by Peter David. The series exist for more than 15 years. I do not know if the first books are still available, but the stories are very very good.

    Star Trek The next generation relunch series:
    This books take place after the movie Star Trek Nemesis. Data is dead and Riker & Troi had left the Enterprise. The only persons left are Picard, Worf, Geordi and Crusher. There are also some new characters. The main story of the first 6 books is about the Borg. They start an invasion into federation space and this time they do not come for assimilation. They want revenge!

    Star Trek Destiny (3 books):
    A crossover story which takes place in the same story timeline as the Next Generation relunch series. Captain Picard, Captain Riker and Captain Dax work together to stop an borg invasion. They get help by a long lost starfleet captain.
    Very well written story.

    I despised Destiny. It's also out of continuity with STO.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Kasensal wrote:
    I despised Destiny. It's also out of continuity with STO.

    Well if STO was canon that would mean something, but since it isn't.....
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Well if STO was canon that would mean something, but since it isn't.....

    It's as close to canon as it gets these days for a lot of people here.

    And Destiny was still a shambles.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Kasensal wrote:
    It's as close to canon as it gets these days for a lot of people here.

    And the books are as close to canon as other people get these days, so your point is what exactly.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    A few books I really liked were from Diane Duane.
    Final Reflections was also superb. I like his Klingons more than the one we finally got in TNG.

    Overall, at the time I read Startrek novels, most of the books I read where TOS, and I enjoyed a lot of them, which I cannot really say for the TNG novels at the time.
    I don't remember it's name, but there was one involving Tasha Yar's background, that was pretty enjoyable.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    And the books are as close to canon as other people get these days, so your point is what exactly.

    Apparently so you can start an argument with me about it over the internet >.<
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    Kasensal wrote:
    I despised Destiny. It's also out of continuity with STO.

    Troi's kid was birthed through the very direct intervention of characters from Destiny. Otherwise the kid and Troi would have died.

    So ... it's sadly a paradox. STO Novel has contradictory elements claiming Destiny didn't happen and then uses a character that was born IN Destiny.

    It's Star Trek so obviously this isn't an issue. But the point is ... STO hasn't closed the book on Destiny.

    That being said, that series had the worst ORIGIN story for the Borg I think anyone could ever conceive. I liked Roddenberry's suggestion that they're related to V'Ger more than I like what Destiny suggested. /shudder
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    And the books are as close to canon as other people get these days, so your point is what exactly.

    Destiny series was great. one of the best reads i have ever had. a perfect wrap up and origin story to the borg which paved the way for the typhon pact. Honestly sto could learn something about dramatic storytelling.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I really dig Peter David's New Frontier series
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    superchum wrote: »
    Troi's kid was birthed through the very direct intervention of characters from Destiny. Otherwise the kid and Troi would have died.

    So ... it's sadly a paradox. STO Novel has contradictory elements claiming Destiny didn't happen and then uses a character that was born IN Destiny.

    It's Star Trek so obviously this isn't an issue. But the point is ... STO hasn't closed the book on Destiny.

    That being said, that series had the worst ORIGIN story for the Borg I think anyone could ever conceive. I liked Roddenberry's suggestion that they're related to V'Ger more than I like what Destiny suggested. /shudder

    I actually liked the origin story i found it unique and interesting. i always liked that we had a hand in making the borg through wierd and crazy time paradoxes.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2011
    I would have to reccomend the Star Trek: Vanguard books! I'm on the third at the moment, and I can hardly put it down. It has a well-concieved plot and introduces a slew of new, imaginitive characters. The series is set in the TOS era, onboard Starbase 47 - or "Vanguard"; a fast-tracked station built to research and discover more about the Taurus Reach, a region of space bordering the Federation, Klingon Empire and Tholian Assemply.

    I would also point you towards the Destiny series, and the Titan novels. Whilst they're not everyone's cup of tea, I found them highly appealing and well-written.
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