Cybersnark's Required Star Trek Reading List

POSTED BY: Cybersnark
UPDATED: Friday, February 8, 2008 13:24
VIEWED: 1189
PAGE 1 of 1

CYBERSNARK

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 10:01 PM

Based on peoples' reactions over in the "best Trek episodes" thread, I decided to cook this up (last week, then everything went to hell, and it got shelved until now 9_9 ).

I've long been a firm believer that the best Trek comes from the novels. Unencumbered by budget, production issues, casting, or television's rules (including those set forth by Roddenberry himself --much as I love what he created, some of Roddenberry's rules for the series [Starfleet crews only, human Captains only] end up hobbling it right out of the gate).

I tried to pick out the best of the best --the "required reading" for any Trek fan, but even then, the list is huge. If there're any other Trek bibliophiles around, feel free to argue or suggest others --but try to avoid spoilers, both for the sake of anyone who might pick up one of these in the future, and for myself (I'm recommending several books sight-unseen, on the basis of past work or place in continuity).

I'm also sorting them by subline, chronological order within the line, and as close as I can come to overall chronology (many of them take place "simultaneously"). I've also included a few movie and episode titles, just to give an idea of where some books fall (when it matters --there are a few direct sequels to TV eps). Some books are listed multiple times (because they link two or more series).

Some backstory: it used to be that each Trek novel was its own little sub-universe, unrelated to anything else. DS9 (and the Dominion War arc) changed that, and established that an ongoing continuity could work in Trek. After DS9's success, Pocket Books pulled a "Star Wars," and started organizing a continuing, overarching universe for the official fiction --what this ultimately means is that the novels were finally allowed to change things. New characters, new relationships, new situations --anything can happen. Things started to actually matter.

I apologize for the dearth of TOS-era books; I'm more of a 24th-Century Man; I grew up with Next Gen.

The Eugenics Wars
(pre-Star Trek, but post-"Assignment: Earth." Gary Seven does X-Files.)
The Rise & Fall of Kahn Noonien Singh, vol 1 (Greg Cox)
The Rise & Fall of Kahn Noonien Singh, vol 2 (Greg Cox)
To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Kahn Noonien Singh (Greg Cox)

Enterprise
(both of these are set after the finale, so don't watch unless you've sat through "These Are The Voyages")
Last Full Measure (Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin)
The Good That Men Do (Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin) (haven't read yet)

The Next Generation
Crossover (Michael Jan Friedman) (it doesn't change anything, but does mark the first "on-screen" reunion of Spock, McCoy, and Scotty in the 24th Century).
Section 31: Rogue (Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin)
First Contact
Immortal Coil (Jeffrey Lang)
The Battle of Betazed (Susan Kearney & Charlotte Douglas)
Gemworld, pt. 1 (John Vornholt)
Gemworld, pt. 2 (John Vornholt)
Insurrection
Diplomatic Implausibility (Keith R.A. DeCandido)
Maximum Warp: Dead Zone (Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur)
Maximum Warp: Forever Dark (Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur)
Gateways: Doors Into Chaos (Robert Greenberger)
A Time To Be Born (John Vornholt)
A Time To Die (John Vornholt)
A Time To Sow (Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore)
A Time To Harvest (Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore)
A Time To Love (Robert Greenberger)
A Time To Hate (Robert Greenberger)
A Time To Kill (David Mack)
A Time To Heal (David Mack)
A Time For War, A Time For Peace (Keith R.A. DeCandido)
Nemesis
Death in Winter (Michael Jan Friedman)
Resistance (J.M. Dillard) (haven't read yet)
Q&A (Keith R.A. DeCandido) (haven't read yet)
Before Dishonor (Peter David) (haven't read yet)

(Think of "A Time To. . ." as a full TV season [as with Buffy S8], leading up to Nemesis, with the post-Nemesis novels as another season.)

Deep Space Nine
The 34th Rule (Armin "Quark" Shimerman & David R. George III)
Hollow Men (Una McCormack) --a direct follow-up to "In T

CHRISISALL

Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:19 AM

WOW! A big THANK YOU is in order. CS!!!

Appreciative Chrisisall

THATWEIRDGIRL

Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:50 AM

Well done.

After DS9, I was excited about the followup story line. I too had hoped that Unity would be the next Trek on screen. I think the Corps of Engineers and Section 31 series are a lot of fun. We get a chance to follow those supporting characters we met once upon an episode.

Select to view spoiler:

Who knew Andorian mating was so complicated?!

---
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charlie Brown

CHRISISALL

Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:

Death in Winter (Michael Jan Friedman)
Resistance (J.M. Dillard) (haven't read yet)
Q&A (Keith R.A. DeCandido) (haven't read yet)
Before Dishonor (Peter David) (haven't read yet)

Homecoming (Christie Golden)
The Farther Shore (Christie Golden)
Spirit Walk, pt 1: Old Wounds (Christie Golden)
Spirit Walk, pt 2: Enemy of my Enemy (Christie Golden)

I believe I will begin with these....

Sucker for continuations Chrisisall

CYBERSNARK

Friday, February 8, 2008 1:24 PM

Bumping because Keith R.A. DeCandido's 4th Gorkon book has been released; Klingon Empire: A Burning House.

With this, the "IKS Gorkon" series has been rebranded to "Klingon Empire" (so Pocket can use it for stories that don't directly involve Klag and his crew), but the story does follow directly from "IKS Gorkon: Enemy Territory."

KRAD has promised that

Quote:
we'll get to see several different (and previously unseen) aspects of Klingon life -- an opera company, a farm, a medical conference, a poor urban area, and much more

Go buy it.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.