We are all here for a reason, because we love the various Trek Lit series. Does it matter which one is our favourite? No! That is not why I started this thread. My question is... If you could forget/wish you had never read a Trek book, which one would it be? However, here is the twist...not because it was badly written or you didn't like the plot, but because you were hoping to experience how brilliant you thought it was the first time around (I appreciate it may not be the case in reality). I have to say for me Immortal Coil is something special.
Off the top of my head, Mere Mortals. That was some powerful stuff. I forgot that I was reading a Star Trek book, if that makes any sense.
I'm going to cheat and pick a duology: Avatar by S.D. Perry. While perhaps not my top favorite, it's definately the one that made the biggest impact and kicked of an amazing series.
My instinct is to say Children of the Storm, by Kirsten MF Beyer, but honestly I read that book at the perfect time. That book told me how to be optimistic about a period in my life when I was having trouble with the idea; I needed it, and I wouldn't exchange that for anything. I'm going to vote for Serpents Among the Ruins by DRG3, I think. Once you know how it all unfolds, it's still amazing, but the experience of reading those last 50 pages for the first time is really something.
There's a few - Full Circle is the only Voyager novel I unreservedly love. Articles Of The Federation is wonderful. The entire Cold Equations trilogy (much better than Immortal Coil). Imzadi was the first Trek novel I thought stood up as a novel in it's own right. Rough Beasts/Plagues of Night/Raise The Dawn was terrific. Above all else, however, Una McCormack's unexpectedly brilliant Never-Ending Sacrifice just about beats her Crimson Shadow. The Never-Ending Sacrifice
I'll do one I just read: Mission Gamma 1: Twilight I've enjoyed the books I've read so far (especially Avatar), but the journeys that the characters, like Vaughn and Tenmei, Kira, and Quark take in Twilight is really something else. It was a long book, but it was worth it.
I'd have to say the Avatar duology. I was pretty amazed to be reading a new story that took place after the series, which was something I'd never come across before.
I have quite poor memory, so there are many books that I read again after years feeling as if it's the first time. Alas, it doesn't apply to the books that I really enjoyed or that impacted me; those stay in my memory. But I'm going to cheat and say "The Buried Age". I am not sure it is the book, but it's certainly one of those best.
Not sure if this falls into the Spirit of the Thread (there is a song there) and I am NOT trying to be a smart-ass, but I have really enjoyed reading the Bios and AutoBios of the various players. And, there HAS to be some fiction weaved into those Treatises.
There are quite a few good choices already listed, but the very first one that came to mind for me was "The Return". I was just so damned happy that Kirk was brought back after that miserable, miserable, useless, wasted death.
My choice(s) would be KMFB's VOY: Full Circle, and DRG3's Typhon Pact trilogy of RBoE/PoN/RtD. Fantastic stuff! I wish I had read DRG3's trilogy for the first time all in a row.
Now I know I have seen a lot of the episodes of the show Parks and Recreation but Thrawn I think you should change your avatar to Rob Lowe's character Chris Traeger, because I can't read this without hearing him. My entry might be Rise of the Federation A Choice of Futures because it's the first Enterprise novel I have actually loved. It makes sense of some of the absurdities of past novels in the series and gives hope of a better future for the series. I didn't enjoy Tower of Babel as much but I have a lot of hope for the next two by Chris. I hope he doesn't let me down. Kevin