What did y'all think of them. I always liked the MU and was never crazy with what they did on DS9. I have read Dark Mirror and remember really enjoying it.... granted that was when it first came out and I was a teenager.
The TNG novel "Dark Mirror" was a lot of fun, but I was also a kid when I read it. I really loved the first book in Shatner's MU trilogy (which I think was "Spectre"...?). I was a kid when I read all of the Shatnerverse novels, and I really enjoyed all of them, though I never got around to reading the third trilogy; I was kind of burnt out on Star Trek novels at that point.
You have to remember that Dark Mirror was written before the DS9 take on the Mirror Universe, so the Terran Empire is still around in the book. William Shatner's Mirror Universe Trilogy was a take-off of what occurred on DS9 with the fall of the Terran Empire, but Mirror Kirk was still alive and orchestrated the fall and was controlling both the Klingons and Cardassians. However I remember picking up Spectre in paperback at the bookstore due to the mention of Voyager on the back cover and wondering how the ship got back to the Alpha Quadrant so fast. I still think that the Shatner books did a better job with the Mirror Universe, and it's to bad that Shatner isn't writing stories anymore.
I don't think that's Shatner's choice though . . . if I remember correctly. I think Collision Course did not sell as well as Pocket Books hoped - and there was also some conflict between the two as far as an audiobook edition; he wanted to do it, and they didn't . . . sorry, but we're delving into an old memory. I sure Christopher B can give the lowdown, but I seem to remember there was originally plans for Academy to be a trilogy . . . ME
The Shatner novels are really good. I also recommend the Millenium (SP?) DS9 trilogy by Shatner's co authors, the Reeves-Stevens. You might enjoy Susan Wright's Dark Passions duology for another MU tale. That one is focused on the women of 24th century Trek, and as you might expect for the MU it's pretty racy. It's a fun guilty pleasure that I've read a couple of times. Seeing the MU versions of the women from TNG, DS9 and VOY scheaming, plotting and seducing against each other is fun and distinctively different in style and theme from standard Trek fare.
I only read Spectre, but I remember liking it. I think that was one of the last books I read before I got burnt out on Star Trek for about 5 years. When I started reading again, there was so much that I HAD to read that they fell by the wayside.
I planned to re-read all the Shatner novels, but after The Return I couldn't stand any more. Such a shame, I had really fond memories of all the books, especially the MU trilogy and it's explanation for Trek's duplicate Earths.
Great concepts, but I wasn't a fan of the way the characters were written or described. The Sign/mirror/preservers ideas and history was fascinating though, I'd like more of that. The idea of the preservers as Spoiler: preservers in shatnerverse A race that has been around for over a billion years, is still active in the physical realm and considers the prime directive arrogant was particularly interesting and one I wish was developed more past Preserver.
Only read the first one, wasn't a fan. Maybe because I do like what both DS9 as a show and DS9 in the relaunch did with the MU. But also..... When it comes to the Shatner books, only Ashes of Eden really stood out as a nice read to me, the others mostly felt to forced, making Kirk the hero of all heroes once more. Meh, couldn't be bothered really.
(Spoilers) Read the trilogy about two years ago and freaking loved it. So many crossovers, so much awesome. Though I admit I can't quite recall what the big device in the asteroids at the end of the first book really was (an interdimentional transporter, but not really?), and as I recall the big metaphysical climax doesn't really make any sense (the Preservers take Tiberius and decide not to reboot the universe for some reason). Of if it does make sense, I don't remember it doing so. But then there's a post-credits scene that ties the MU into First Contact that's so cool I don't mind.
As I've said before, I've never understood the tendency to inflate the Preservers into some ultra-ancient godlike race. There's nothing in the evidence we have to support that. Nothing that they were shown to do was beyond the technology of the 24th-century Federation -- relocating populations (something the Enterprise did in the execrable "Homeward"), building really big tractor beams, wiping memories (cf. "Pen Pals"). And they don't seem to have been very good at their job, since their idea of "preserving" an endangered community was to drop it in the middle of an asteroid field with a defense system that only one person at a time knew how to operate. As conservationists go, they pretty much suck. Not to mention that the only known instance of Preserver activity was no earlier than the 17th century, since Native Americans wouldn't have been endangered until then. So they're a modern civilization, not one from the misty depths of time.
they knew kirk would be there to save them they also know what you're having for lunch tomorrow From memory, it was Spoiler: dark victory an interdimensional replicator. Only the complex bits (and picards chair) were transported with regular interdimensional transporters. A lot shakier on this one, but I think Spoiler: preserver the decision point went kirks way - although the preservers can influence events, they can't predict absolutely which way they're going to go, and he stopped the transdimensional dilitheum explosion. Preservers don't take Tiberius, he goes on his own with starfleets blessing to fix the mirror universe. A preserver agent challenges the arrogance of the prime directive and teleports away.
I know how you feel. I read The Return upon it's release in 1996 and loved it, but that was a whole different era of Trek Lit. A few years ago (2009?) I picked up Shatner's MU trilogy based on a recommendation. I took the first two with me on a beach vacation, never expecting to get through both so quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed both and kicked myself for leaving the third at home. However when I got back home, life took over again and I never got around to beginning the third. Flash-forward to 2014 and I decided to read the entire Shatnerverse run from the start. Ashes Of Eden was OK, but The Return felt like a chore. It just paled in comparison to the quality of current titles. I still plan to continue the series, but not as excited as I once was...
I've read all of Shatner's Trek books, except "Ashes Of Eden". I started it and found that I just could not get through it.
I remember liking Spectre but not liking the way that the sequel was so disjointed-- half of it tying up loose ends from Spectre, then there's a time jump and the second half is all about setting up things for the next book.
I enjoyed the first book in the Mirror trilogy as it was early on in my Trek reading and found it exciting having Voyager and DS9 in it. I also liked the CSI-type holodeck recreation that Kirk did with the EMH. But as the trilogy went on I found it less interesting. I think Spectre represents the climax of the Shatnerverse for me.
I read the paper versions of Ashes of Eden and The Return when they both came out, and enjoyed them. Since then, i've never read any of the others, but HAVE listened to all the audio books of the first 7. Overall, not bad, but very "Kirk is a God", if you know what I mean. I've been looking for his 10th book, but haven't been able to find a copy for a decent price. Hopefully one day