New member looking for help with Star Trek books

Hi,

I have just joined the forum. I have been a Star Trek fan for years and love the shows but I would like to try the Star Trek books. Could anyone recommend a good jumping on point? I would like to start with the original series and next generation to begin with.

Thanks

 

The link below is to an excellent Trek lit site with timelines, recommended jumping on points, etc. The Original Series is largely stand alone novels, so you can jump in and out as you want.
Among my favorite TOS novels are Ex-Machina (set after the first movie and beautifully expanding on a rarely explored era), the novels written by Shatner that explore Kirk's adventures after Generations, which begins with Ashes of Eden, Kirk's last adventure in the 23rd century (these novels are in their own continuity from the rest of the novel range), and the Crucible trilogy which is amazing in his depth, scope and is a great story but also isn't in continuity with the rest of the novel series.

The Next Generation, there are lots of great novels out there. Older novels like Imzadi, Imzadi II: Triangle and Q Squared are cinematic in scope and explore the character's history and relationships that are built upon in the newer novels.
A Time to be Born is considered the primary jumping on point for the modern novels, the beginning of a series of novels set before Nemesis.

http://startreklitverse.yolasite.com/

 

Weclome! This is a great site http://startreklitverse.yolasite.com/ , will give you some good lists.

For TNG I think the A Time To... series is a good place to start, it takes place before Nemesis.

With TOS there is not anywhere particular, but Prime Directive, Shadows on the Sun, Ex Machia are a few of my absolute favorites.

Lastly I am the host of a podcast called Literary Treks were we talk about the books and comics of Star Trek as well as interview authors, you might enjoy.

 

Love that we gave the same advice at almost the same time.

 

Obviously this is the right answer then.
For what it's worth I'm about to start reading Shadows on the Sun for the first time soon, glad to hear you like it so much. I do like Prime Directive too - the Reeves Stevens novels are overall all really good.

 

Hi Borgboy and Enterprise Rules that is really helpful thanks. I have just ordered Ex-Machina seeing as you both think highly of it. Enterprise Rules I am going to start listening to Literary Treks and sounds like it would be useful going forward. Thanks again both

 

Welcome to the family!

 

Thanks. I am currently watching next generation season 3 on bluray at this very moment. oh how I hope for a new tv series!

 

That would be great! I would really like to have trek back where it belongs, on TV. We do have shows on Trek.fm for all the Star Trek series and beyond.

 

I'm doing a massive multi media Trek marathon - I've watched TOS blu rays and movies, and am now switching back and forth between TNG season 6 and DS9 season 1, while reading select Trek books that were published in the same era - more or less publication order not necessarily chronological. I'm really enjoying the immersive experience, with the intention of continued thru with Voyager and Enterprise and then select fan films/fan series.
I am dying for a new Trek tv series. One movie every three years or so is just not enough.
Down the road you might consider checking out some of the orignal Trek series novels, like New Frontier and Vanguard/Seekers. With original crews having new adventures in the Trek universe they can give you a lit version of the new series experience, and are arguably as good or better even than tv Trek.

 

I will check those out

 

It makes me even more thankful for the quality in the books we get, kinda makes up for no new tv show.

 

Thanks Borgboy. I think I will move on to them. I finished the entire run of Enterprise on Bluray a couple of years ago. I still love Enterprise it got some bad press but I still really like it.

 

Yeah I think that is why I wanted to get into the books. I miss having new episodes on each week and just want to explore this area to enjoy them and of course a new TV series will eventually turn up!

 

Sorry Borgboy I meant couple of weeks ago not years

 

The relaunch books for DS9, Voyager and Enterprise are all really good if/when you ever get into that.
There are lots and lots of great novels out there, they really do help fill the void of no new tv series. And honestly, as much as I love every Trek tv series, overall the books are better.

 

Really looking forward to the books. I loved DS9 and Voyager so I will get around to those.

 

The first book of the DS9 relaunch is Avatar. It's really great.
The first book of the Voyager relaunch is Homecoming. It's not as great, unfortunately. Christie Golden writers the first 4 Voyager relaunch novels. The series is relaunched with Full Circle, which is much better, and you can jump on there without much foreknowledge.
There are some crossovers, characters switching to other series over time.
Post Nemesis Riker and Troi have their own spin off series Titan.

 

In the Trek publishing schedule these days, there are basically two kinds of novels published - standalone Original Series novels that aren't connected to the other novels much, and then all the rest, which fit into a huge web of Trek novels that have been connecting to each other since Deep Space Nine ended and was relaunched in novel form in 2001. (Before that, the novels were all largely standalone, like the original series novels now, with only a few exceptions.) This huge set of interconnected novels has established a ton of fascinating additions to canon, and they're consistent with each other so it's like reading a fantastic huge universe that's pretty far above and beyond the shows. Around here we call this huge set of connected novels the "LitVerse", and it can be kind of intimidating, but it is just so freaking good.

You've already been linked to one site; another, in my signature, is a flowchart that I started (and has now been expanded quite a bit) that explains exactly how the novels and storylines interconnect.

Don't think it's overwhelming; you can really start anywhere and most books are new-reader-friendly. But if you get in deep (which might happen, the books are pretty great) it'll help you keep everything straight.

 

Thanks for the mentions guys!

Have fun getting into TrekLit, Timelordsboots! Welcome to the community.