Books for those new to Treklit!

[Elemental]

You can go either way, to be honest. In a perfect world, yeah, read Valiant before Gauntlet and Diplomatic Implausibility and The Brave and the Bold Book 2 before A Good Day to Die, but if you start with Gauntlet and A Good Day to Die, you'll be just peachy-keen.

Ok, thanks! I'll probably do as I originally planned and do those other books first.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

BURNING DREAMS is good for a newbie. Was it already mentioned? I'm half asleep.

Hell, it's good for an old bee.

See how I did that? That's a joke, son.

 

[KRAD]

See how I did that? That's a joke, son.

Only by the loosest definition of the word.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

See how I did that? That's a joke, son.

Only by the loosest definition of the word.

Th children understand me. It's all about the children.

 

[JeremyW]

As well, you can't go wrong if you want some juicy Romulan action is to also pick up Vulcan's Heart, which tells the story of Spock and Saavik and the wedding that Picard attended as a young officer. Things go horribly wrong soon thereafter as Spock's called to Romulus to assist the Romulan Commander (who we all know now as Charvanek) he betrayed in The Enterprise Incident in preventing the Romulan Empire from falling into total chaos! Very Romulan heavy, features Captain Garrett of the Enterprise-C, Picard and his crew on the Stargazer, and if you do read DeCandido's The Art Of The Impossible, the two books work together in forming a complete picture of the year 2344 and what happened. But being a Romulan fan as well, this book rocked!

 

[Bobatiel]

Yeah, if you like TOS and Romulans then try the Shwartz/Sherman books. I loved them!

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Susan_Shwartz

 

[Therin of Andor]

My favorite series is TOS and Romulans are my favorite aliens. I like relationship novels and am indifferent to sequel vs. standalone. I do prefer slightly heavier reading.

Well, everyone else has already chimed in with excellent recommendations, but it was my clarification request you've answered so i'll just add:

if you want an early Pocket novel with Romulans, try MS Murdock's "Web of the Romulans" (1983). I read it when it first came out and it's interesting in that Murdock spends as much time with the Romulans as she does with the Enterprise. At the time, that was quite unique for ST novels.

 

[DaveR]

My favorite series is TOS and Romulans are my favorite aliens. I like relationship novels and am indifferent to sequel vs. standalone. I do prefer slightly heavier reading.

Well, everyone else has already chimed in with excellent recommendations, but it was my clarification request you've answered so i'll just add:

if you want an early Pocket novel with Romulans, try MS Murdock's "Web of the Romulans" (1983). I read it when it first came out and it's interesting in that Murdock spends as much time with the Romulans as she does with the Enterprise. At the time, that was quite unique for ST novels.

That was the first Trek book I ever read. That, and seeing Star Trek II on HBO at one point back in 1981 or so is what made me a Trek fan.

Dave

 

[KRAD]

That was the first Trek book I ever read. That, and seeing Star Trek II on HBO at one point back in 1981 or so is what made me a Trek fan.

It would have had to have been later than that, as Star Trek II was released theatrically in 1982.

 

[DorkBoy [TM]]

My favorite series is TOS and Romulans are my favorite aliens. I like relationship novels and am indifferent to sequel vs. standalone. I do prefer slightly heavier reading.

Looks like a lot of good recommendations. Some of mine echo others'.

I highly recommend Serpents among the Ruins. One of my favorite Trek books of all time. And the Romulans factor into it as well.

That, and the Vanguard books you will probably enjoy. The Vanguard books are pretty amazing - I would hold them up as examples of very good "serious science fiction" that just happen to take place in the Trek universe (early TOS era).

As for older books, there are also the Diane Duane "Rihannsu" books. I would start with My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way. These were two of my favorites of that series. She has a bunch of newer followups to these that you can continue with if you liked the first ones.

The Rihannsu books are interesting because they fill in a lot of "unknown" details about the Romulan culture. They were written before TNG, and TNG kind of took the Romulans in a different direction. But those books really don't feel contradictory to me at all, and a lot of the newer novels have melded her take on the Romulans in with the rest of the "modern" Trek universe.

Also, for serious sci-fi, can never go wrong with John M. Ford's The Final Reflection.

 

[DaveR]

My favorite series is TOS and Romulans are my favorite aliens. I like relationship novels and am indifferent to sequel vs. standalone. I do prefer slightly heavier reading.

Well, everyone else has already chimed in with excellent recommendations, but it was my clarification request you've answered so i'll just add:

if you want an early Pocket novel with Romulans, try MS Murdock's "Web of the Romulans" (1983). I read it when it first came out and it's interesting in that Murdock spends as much time with the Romulans as she does with the Enterprise. At the time, that was quite unique for ST novels.

That was the first Trek book I ever read. That, and seeing Star Trek II on HBO at one point back in 1981 or so is what made me a Trek fan.

It would have had to have been later than that, as Star Trek II was released theatrically in 1982.

Ack! Mixed it up with Empire Strikes Back (that came out in 1980, right?)

And I remember that I read the book while going with my family taking my brother to college, so it would have to have been in August of 1983 (which would be an appropriate time for Star Trek II to be on HBO).

Thanks, KRAD

Dave

 

[KRAD]

Ack! Mixed it up with Empire Strikes Back (that came out in 1980, right?)

Yup, ESB was 1980.

 

[elaithin]

As a matter of fact, that was the first movie I ever saw in theaters. I was all of one month old.

 

[JWolf]

For those new to Treklit, I recommend the entire SCE/CoE series. Of course even if you are not new but have yet to read the series, go for it. But please please purchase the eBooks so maybe they can continue being written. Even if you get the omnibuses as eBooks, please do.