Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Reader

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Kertrats47, Sep 17, 2013.

  1. Kertrats47

    Kertrats47 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  2. Ktrek

    Ktrek Captain Captain

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    Nice article and I didn't see a title I would not agree with. I might have my own preferences not listed but the books Dayton does list I have fond memories for them. Thanks for posting the link!

    Kevin
     
  3. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I totally agree with all of those choices by Dayton, and my only quibble with the readers' suggestions would be "Enterprise: The First Adventure", simply because Vonda McIntyre's "The Entropy Effect" (a real page-turner) and novelizations for ST II and III are vastly superior.

    My other must-read for new readers would be "Strangers from the Sky" by Margaret Wander Bonanno. It is really epic in its scope, but touches base with TOS in so many ways.
     
  4. trampledamage

    trampledamage Clone Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    That list is brilliant - agree with all the ones I've read (and will definitely be reading the ones I haven't!)
     
  5. jpv2000

    jpv2000 Captain Captain

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    A great list, thanks for the link.

    I have to agree with Therin here. I wasn't impressed with "Enterprise: The First Adventure" which was odd as I've loved the vast majority of Vonda's Trek novels. Most especially "The Entropy Effect".
     
  6. Kertrats47

    Kertrats47 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I think Enterprise: The First Adventure is one of the only ones on that list I haven't read yet.

    Oh, and Articles of the Federation. But I'm doing a (slow) re-read of the A Time To... series, and will get to it eventually! It's one of my great shames that I've never read Articles...
     
  7. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    It's not my favorite Star Trek novel by any means, but I've enjoyed reading and rereading Enterprise: The First Adventure over the years.

    It's main problem is that it's awkward in the way that modern television pilots are awkward and it's narratively weak in the way that modern television pilots are narratively weak -- its actual plot is thin because the book spends its time heavy lifting on character rather than story, it introduces us to a lot of characters (in this case acting as though) we've never met before, and it plants character seeds and plot hooks for later works to pick up on. Compare E:TFA to Titan's Taking Wing or New Frontier's first four books; these works all spend a lot of time doing things before the plot, which is treated almost an afterthought, actually kicks into gear. In all three cases, if you edited out the pilot-specific elements, you'd end up with a much tighter work of about half the length. The main difference between the works is that Titan and New Frontier were launching new series out of their pilots, while E:TFA was a retrospective modern pilot for an already existing series. Thanks to the television series, we know how a lot of the elements introduced here will turn out years down the road.

    All of that said, E:TFA also reads as though there was a planned sequel to the book that never materialized. What became of the Phalanx and Koronin and all that? No idea, but the book was certainly laying the groundwork for more exploration of those ideas and characters, only that exploration never happened.
     
  8. CaptPapa

    CaptPapa Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I fully agree with your assessment of The Entropy Effect vs. Enterprise: The First Adventure. The plot for EE trumps all bets, even my own pet peeve with McIntyre - her gelding of Kirk.
    I'll also second your recommendation of Strangers From The Sky. And a personal favorite (pair), especially for those who enjoy a follow-up to a series episode and with a nod to the article. From the episode All Our Yesterdays, came the delightful Yesterday's Son and Time For Yesterday, by the late, great, and very much missed Ann Crispin.
     
  9. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    Although I've only read the novel twice (I recall a lot of fans really hating the first contact aliens and dismissing the circus troupe - especially Spock's blond cousin, Stephen, seemingly a forerunner of Sybok? - when the book first came out), it is interesting that I've probably played the audio book more often than any other ST audio book. At only 90 minutes, it is hugely abridged (later, many of the longer novels received longer audio productions), but it's a fun adaptation.

    Richard Arnold. By things both said and unsaid in the interviews in "Voyages of Imagination", it seems to me that Vonda McIntyre's ST IV novelization hit some major friction/resistance, and she departed the ST franchise.

    Was that also about the time she (and other Trek novelists) wrote a "Star Wars" novel?

    Agreed. I'd quite forgotten that.
     
  10. Maj. Kira Nerys

    Maj. Kira Nerys Ensign Red Shirt

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    Great list.

    While I have not read all of the books I totally agree with those I have read and I think I try to read the rest.
     
  11. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I've read an interview with McIntyre where she talked about how, midway through writing the novelization, Paramount suddenly demanded an outline. She had never had to submit an outline before, and she told her editor that she could either stop what she was doing and produce an outline or she could finish the book by the deadline, but she couldn't do both. The editor had her finish the book.

    The Crystal Star, of which I will say absolutely nothing out of politeness because I cannot say anything nice, came out in 1994, eight years after her last Star Trek work.
     
  12. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    Yeah, I was surprised by the reviews of The Crystal Star after seeing how much people seemed to like her Trek books. But I guess that just proves that just because people like an authors books for one franchise doesn't mean they'll like them for another.
    That's part of why I'm curious to see how John Jackson Miller's Titan E-novella turns out. Most people seem to like his SW books, but that doesn't automatically mean his Trek work will be good.
     
  13. Stevil2001

    Stevil2001 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I think Barbara Hambly got Star Wars more than McIntyre did.

    I really liked McIntyre's Rand backstory; would have been interesting to see someone pick that up at some point.
     
  14. Slyvon

    Slyvon Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    Wow this is a really good bunch of books! Of *course* an article like this would come out a few months after I start my own reading list! There's a few on here I hadn't heard of, like the Janeway book Mosaic. More books to read in the future I suppose!
     
  15. trampledamage

    trampledamage Clone Admiral

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    That's the great thing about coming to Trek Lit - there are always more books to read in the future :)
     
  16. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    If you're into Janeway, "The Captain's Table: Fire Ship" is a very strong solo Janeway novel, where she is lost to the "Voyager" crew for an extended period (between the episodes where she changes hairstyles.)
     
  17. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    Re: Article by Dayton Ward - Ten novels for the New Star Trek Novel Re

    I found Enterprise: The First Adventure to be awful. The story was just not worthy of Kirk's first voyage as captain of the Enterprise. Considering who wrote it, I'm surprised it is so bad.

    There is one book I would swap out. I'd swap Mosaic for Fire Ship. I think the latter is a better book.