In my (very) limited experience, I'd say A.C. Crispin for "Yesterday's Son." I haven't yet read "Sarek."
Who is yours?
Who is yours?
Your favourite Trek author & why?
- Thread starter Chrisisall
- Start date
Scott Pearson. Because he sometimes invites me over and feeds me.
No, really?
It's a tie between Keith R.A. DeCandido and David Mack. To me, these guys are almost like two sides of the same coin - DeCandido perfectly captures the optimism and hope of Trek, with a dark undercurrent, whilst Mack captures the darkness and despair in the Trekverse with an undercurrent of hope.
I've sometimes thought that the contrast between their novels reminded me of the contrast between two different Broadway musicals. KRAD is Jonathan Larson's Rent -- an inspirational, energetic show with a hard edge. David Mack, on the other hand, is Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening -- a mournful, heartbreaking story with an incredibly hopeful, utopian finale.
Honorable mentions go out to David R. George III, James Swallow, Una McCormack, Peter David, and Diane Duane.
I've sometimes thought that the contrast between their novels reminded me of the contrast between two different Broadway musicals. KRAD is Jonathan Larson's Rent -- an inspirational, energetic show with a hard edge. David Mack, on the other hand, is Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening -- a mournful, heartbreaking story with an incredibly hopeful, utopian finale.
Honorable mentions go out to David R. George III, James Swallow, Una McCormack, Peter David, and Diane Duane.
Probably Christopher Bennett. His books pretty much have everything- great worldbuilding, fascinating aliens (both his own inventions and previously established races/cultures), good character work (with real character development and little arcs for most of them even within just one novel), engaging themes and interlinked subplots, real science, and great continuity (as the Deranged Nasat demands! 
), not just in terms of specific details but in linking it all into one big universe in terms of general "feel", for want of a far less vague and poorly defined word. Plus the annotations he writes on his website serve as a bonus after you've finished.
There are several authors whose best works surpass Bennett's, but overall he's probably my favourite. Honourable mention to KRAD, David Mack, Heather Jarman, Una McCormack, James Swallow, and several others I'll leave off to stop this list getting ridiculous (there are a LOT of Trek authors I love). Special mention to Andrew Robinson and Ilsa Bick, who wrote my two top Star Trek novels.
), not just in terms of specific details but in linking it all into one big universe in terms of general "feel", for want of a far less vague and poorly defined word. Plus the annotations he writes on his website serve as a bonus after you've finished. There are several authors whose best works surpass Bennett's, but overall he's probably my favourite. Honourable mention to KRAD, David Mack, Heather Jarman, Una McCormack, James Swallow, and several others I'll leave off to stop this list getting ridiculous (there are a LOT of Trek authors I love). Special mention to Andrew Robinson and Ilsa Bick, who wrote my two top Star Trek novels.
No, really?
Chrisisall, meet William Leisner, author of the awesome Star Trek TNG Losing the Peace. Bill, meet Chrisisall.
I just googled:
- "Gods, Fate, and Fractals" in Strange New Worlds II
- "Black Hats" in Strange New Worlds IV
- "The Trouble with Borg Tribbles" (Third Prize Winner) in Strange New Worlds V
- Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers #57: Out of the Cocoon
- "Ambition" in Constellations
- Slings and Arrows #3: The Insolence of Office
- "A Less Perfect Union" in Star Trek: Myriad Universes - Infinity's Prism
- Losing the Peace
AWESOME!!! I didn't know we had real professional writers showing up here!!! Holy crap! Now I know what to read first!!!
Oh, they're everywhere...we're infested with 'em. You'll be amazed when you realize how many of the posters here are authors.
(I'm NOT one, just to clarify).
I'm one. Y'know, like in a mirror universe.(I'm NOT one, just to clarify).
Wannabeisall
I'm one. Y'know, like in a mirror universe.(I'm NOT one, just to clarify).
Wannabeisall
Seriously, though, one of the great things about this place is that we get to interact with a lot of the authors. You've probably already "met" several without realizing it.
That's so cool.
I was a stuntman on several small films (a just a for-fun thing) including Toxic Avenger IV, but a friend of mine did big stunt stuff - Spike even killed him in an ep of Buffy!
It's fun work when you can get it!
But writing is the thing- words... that's where ideas begin. The hardest thing to get right. And the most respected part of the entertainment industry (or SHOULD be) IMO.
Hmm, how many pages can this be.. ok, I'll try to narrow it down. Now all of these people are awsome writters, and all of them have done at least one of my favorite books, so I'm gonna focus on the one that I think they do the best. If I don't list one specific element then I just like them overall.
In no order
KRAD: Always writes tons of great characters.
David Mack: Does amazing action.
Chris Bennett: Great worldbuilding, amazing science.
Wardimore
SD Perry
Heather Jarman
William Leismore
David R George III
Mangels & Martin
Jeffrey Lang
The rest are people who will probably be on the list once I've read more than one.
James Swallow
Kirsten Beyer
Margaret Wander Bonnano
Dave Galanter
In no order
KRAD: Always writes tons of great characters.
David Mack: Does amazing action.
Chris Bennett: Great worldbuilding, amazing science.
Wardimore
SD Perry
Heather Jarman
William Leismore
David R George III
Mangels & Martin
Jeffrey Lang
The rest are people who will probably be on the list once I've read more than one.
James Swallow
Kirsten Beyer
Margaret Wander Bonnano
Dave Galanter
And just to be perfectly clear, Scott Pearson is also a professional Trek writer.AWESOME!!! I didn't know we had real professional writers showing up here!!! Holy crap! Now I know what to read first!!!
Holy crap, I've been absorbed into the Wardilmore Gestalt Entity!!
by sheer number of books read and enjoyed: Peter David.
As long as he feeds you, dude.
Seriously, it's so cool to be conversing with you. I will run out & get your novel! If it sucks, I'll tell ya (but the reviews say I won't have to).
^ For the record, the authors of almost all of the books published since the Destiny Trilogy all post here under their real names, so look for them too. The screennames are:
David Mack - Destiny trilogy
KRAD (Keith R. A. DeCandido) - A Singular Destiny
Christopher (Christopher L. Bennett) - Over A Torrent Sea
Kirsten Beyer - Full Circle
Dayton Ward - Open Secrets
DaveGalanter - Troublesome Minds
David Mack - Destiny trilogy
KRAD (Keith R. A. DeCandido) - A Singular Destiny
Christopher (Christopher L. Bennett) - Over A Torrent Sea
Kirsten Beyer - Full Circle
Dayton Ward - Open Secrets
DaveGalanter - Troublesome Minds
In no particular order, my top 3 are David Mack, KRAD, and CLB.
I can't really register much of an opinion on the last few generations of Trek Lit writers, because it's been so long since I've read a book by most of them. Same goes for several of the writers on here who have only done short stories, or just one book. It's hard to develop an opinion after so little source material.
However, I've made it clear in the past that Peter David should stick to his NF series, and stay away from the rest of the Trek Lit universe (see: Before Dishonor for a prime example). I also thought that John Vornholt should have ended the 'Genesis Wave' series after the second book. The final two were uninspired, dull, and didn't really add anything to the story.
I can't really register much of an opinion on the last few generations of Trek Lit writers, because it's been so long since I've read a book by most of them. Same goes for several of the writers on here who have only done short stories, or just one book. It's hard to develop an opinion after so little source material.
However, I've made it clear in the past that Peter David should stick to his NF series, and stay away from the rest of the Trek Lit universe (see: Before Dishonor for a prime example). I also thought that John Vornholt should have ended the 'Genesis Wave' series after the second book. The final two were uninspired, dull, and didn't really add anything to the story.
KRAD never lets me down. How can one not love an author who can destroy the Federation (in "Echoes and Refractions") yet somehow manage to make it such a great story? I was also blown away by "A Time for War, A Time for Peace" which gave us such a great goodbye to the classic TNG crew. Worf's Die Hard action in the Federation Embassy was also superb. This book makes Nemesis a better movie, creatively but logically filling in the blanks and giving us the character motivations that Stuart Baird couldn't be bothered with.
David Mack consistently hits home runs and Destiny was absolutely awesome. He also gave me that wonderful scene in "A Time to Kill" where Perim pilots the Klingon ship. Another scene I loved was in "Vanguard: Reap the Whirlwind" where Quinn explains that he isn't a hero because no one has ever asked him to be one. And let's not forget (indeed, how could we?) Ensign Therieault, whom I am looking forward to seeing much more of!
William Leisner is a new favorite. "Losing the Peace" should have been a horribly depressing book but he managed to make it awesome despite page after page of death and despair. An indication of how much I like a particular author's work is in how fast I read their books. "LtP" was read cover to cover the same day I bought it.
Peter David is an old favorite (Vendetta, Rock and a Hard Place, Imzadi) although he's pretty hit and miss these days.
David Mack consistently hits home runs and Destiny was absolutely awesome. He also gave me that wonderful scene in "A Time to Kill" where Perim pilots the Klingon ship. Another scene I loved was in "Vanguard: Reap the Whirlwind" where Quinn explains that he isn't a hero because no one has ever asked him to be one. And let's not forget (indeed, how could we?) Ensign Therieault, whom I am looking forward to seeing much more of!
William Leisner is a new favorite. "Losing the Peace" should have been a horribly depressing book but he managed to make it awesome despite page after page of death and despair. An indication of how much I like a particular author's work is in how fast I read their books. "LtP" was read cover to cover the same day I bought it.
Peter David is an old favorite (Vendetta, Rock and a Hard Place, Imzadi) although he's pretty hit and miss these days.
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