What's a good stand alone novel featuring Data?
- Thread starter Freman
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Immortal Coil
it is full of continuity, but done in such a way that it's a bonus to those familiar with it, and not detrimental to those who aren't.
it is full of continuity, but done in such a way that it's a bonus to those familiar with it, and not detrimental to those who aren't.
Or you could go way back and get her a copy of METAMORPHOSIS. Though it's been forever since I read this, and I have no idea how it'll read all these years later.
Although Metamorphosis isn't quite a standalone, since in some respects it's a sequel to Survivors by the same author. It brings back guest characters from that book and makes reference to its events. And Survivors is a pretty strong Data story too (though it's mainly a Tasha Yar novel), allowing for the fact that both novels were written before the show retconned Data as being incapable of emotion, so their portrayal of him may seem odd for readers today. Anyway, I think if you get one, you should get the other too for the full experience.
"Immortal Coil" is wonderful, although when some TNG-only readers found out how much continuity came from TOS they got very angry. I still think it works extremely well as a standalone.
I loved "Metamorphosis" but, again, it made some fans very angry. Fans are funny like that. I does have some follow up with original characters from "Survivors", the early novel that ties into "Skin of Evil" at its conclusion.
I loved "Metamorphosis" but, again, it made some fans very angry. Fans are funny like that. I does have some follow up with original characters from "Survivors", the early novel that ties into "Skin of Evil" at its conclusion.
Agreed. Plus, it has anime references!
Another vote for Metamorphosis. Although re-using some characters from Survivors, you don't need to have read that first. I didn't, and I didn't feel I missed anything.
I enjoyed Metamorphosis. I didn't even know it used the same characters from Survivors.
I'm going to mention Double Helix: Infection; it's not solely a Data novel, but I really like the role he plays in it and the things that it says about his friendship with and possible romantic attraction towards Tasha (as set up in The Naked Now).
I'm putting in another vote for Immortal Coil. I just read it last year, and found it to be amazing. It is one of my favorite books, and one of the best Data stories in any medium.
I would love to see Rhea McAdams pop up again somewhere, she was a great character and I would love to know what she's been up to since the events of the book.
I would love to see Rhea McAdams pop up again somewhere, she was a great character and I would love to know what she's been up to since the events of the book.
I can't remember, was she actually a Starfleet Officer, or did they just fake all of her background before she came aboard the Enterprise? It's been a few months since I read the book so I don't really remember her whole backstory.
Maybe not for continuity alone, but it's certainly just as worthwhile as Metamorphosis, if not better. Frankly I'm startled that so many people haven't read Survivors. It was one of the most popular and important of the early TNG novels, because it was the definitive Tasha Yar novel, at least until "Legacy" came along and contradicted aspects of it (though you could still kinda make it fit if you assumed that "New Paris" was a local name for Turkana IV). And as I said, it's a pretty major Data story too, even if Data's the secondary focus after Tasha.
So I'm not saying that if you skip Survivors, you couldn't understand Metamorphosis. I'm saying that if you only read Metamorphosis, you're missing out on an equally worthwhile book in Survivors.
Christopher is right. Survivors is totally rad.
Thanks for the input Christopher! Having not read metamorphisis yet I will certainly include survivors with it.
Survivors is excellent. One of the few early TNG-novels that still holds up today, imho (That one and Strike Zone are the only two, I think). It may help that it focuses on Tasha (who didn't had time to get fleshed out so much that there was a lot of contradictions later). I though Metamorphosis was ok. It works better as a continuation of the superior Survivors than a standalone novel. If I'm not mistaken, Metamorposis was the first TNG Giant Novel.
You are not mistaken.
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