So Into Darkness has got me back in the TOS mood. The problem is i've been reading trek books for 20 years, and have never read a really good TOS book. Devil's Bargain was great cuz it read just like a tv show. I'm trying to read Entropy Effect but it is SO dated. what are some of the great TOS books?
Dated Try Yesterday's Son and Time For Yesterday, both by AC Crispin - you can't go wrong there (in my opinion).
I've liked a fair number of TOS books over the years. Shouldn't they feel dated? They are based on a 1960's TV series! One that springs to 'mind' immediately for me is Troublesome Minds. It really does have the feel of a TV episode and it has a relatively jarring conclusion.
I just finished "Yesterday's Son." Quite a fun book. STID also got me back into a trek TOS reading mood. What's more, as I was reading "Yesterday's Son" i kept picturing/hearing Pine, Quinto, etc in the roles.
Prime Directive by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane My Enemy, My Ally by Diane Duane Rules of Engagement by Peter Morwood The Galactic Whirlpool by David Gerrold
I'm not that keen on TOS novels but I would suggest Dreadnought, The Eugenics Wars novels, Ex Machina, Cast No Shadow, Devils Bargain and The Weight Of Worlds. I think the DTI novels count too. Troublesome Minds was recommended earlier. I disagree...
Crossroad by Barbara Hambly is my favorite standalone TOS novel. The recent Children of Kings (about the Pike crew) was very solid.
My Enemy My Ally is one of my favourites. I also always enjoy re-reading Memory Prime. It's based off a TOS episode, but you don't need to have seen it to enjoy the book because I never have
I really like Memory Prime it's a fast paced read and the Enterprise crew get a lot to do in this book another good TOS novel Choice of Catastrophies is a Great McCoy novel and other McCoy Novels Dreams of the Raven by Carmen Carter and Shadows on the sun By Micheal Jan friedman. The better man by Howard Weinstein. Weight Of World's by Greag Cox and Ring of Time are also good Tos books.There's also a Diane Duane novel where Dr. McCoy is in command of the Enterprise after Captain disappeeras mysteriously in the book and the Klingons join forces to fight space pirates.
How much are the TOS characters in those? I haven't read them yet myself, but I was under the impression that they were just in short framing sequences that set up the Kahn story, which took up the majority of the books.
The Final Reflection by John M. Ford - The best star trek book there is. Totally at odds with any trek from TNG onwards since it was written in the eighties. Not a typical tos book as kirk & the enterprise are barely in it, and used solely as a framing device. Federation(TOS + TNG), by Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens. -It spans three eras and focuses on Zefram Cochrane(based on his TOS appearance, First Contact hadn't come out at this point). It feels like the kind of epic "The Motion Picture" tried and failed to be. Memory Prime by Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens Great take on artificial intelligence and conspiracies. Yesterday's Son/Time for Yesterday by Ann C Crispin A couple of great books that focus on spock and a rather surprising relationship. Spock's World by Diane Duane Deals with Vulcan -its past and what they think it's future should be. Includes an absolutely barnstorming McCoy speech. Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane Kirk puts McCoy in the captains chair, and things spiral out of control from there. Some great aliens to boot. The "Errand" series by Kevin Ryan -It's made up of two trilogies, Errand of Vengeance and Errand of Fury, which tell the story of the TOS era conflict between the federation and the klingons, split into basically four viewpoints - a starfleet command officer on earth, a security officer aboard the enterprise who is a klingon infiltrator, an officer aboard a klingon warship, and finally kirk. One of the best flowing, and most satisfying trek sagas I've read. Book order if you're interested: The Edge of the Sword Killing Blow River of Blood Seeds of Rage Demands of Honor Sacrifices of War Also, not strictly TOS, but close - Where Sea Meets Sky by Jerry Oltion, which is a very enjoyable cap'n pike exploration tale with a nautical feel. Was part of the "captains table" series, but doesn't require reading any of them.