Less known star trek books

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

I don't hear the Invasion! series posted about much these days. I remember enjoying it ages ago.

The voyager book was one of the few times I could tolerate Neelix (and his boot of plenty). I have to say, it had probably the most clever use of a communicator badge as well. The idea that comm badges have onboard computers makes so much more sense given today's technology than the notion that they're just unitaskers (communications).

 

[bullethead]

TNG's entry into the Day of Honor minseries, Ancient Blood, was a pretty good book that fleshed out Worf and Alexander. I liked the whole "Worf goes undercover" angle, although I think the "Alexander and Picard explore Alexander's human ancestry" bit could've been tightened up a bit.

 

[F. King Daniel]

"Double Helix #3: Red Sector" by Diane Carey. After the first two lacklustre novels in the series, this one's a breath of fresh air. Carey's "bigger picture" of Starfleet is a little jarring (apparently only top-of-the-line starships are self-sufficiant in space, there's a fleet of "support tenders" for lesser classes like Destroyers) and there's a fairly big continuity error (the TNG-era Romulans are not ruled by an Empress and royal family), but I loved it nontheless. Lt. Cmdr. Eric Stiles (descendant of the guy from "Balance of Terror") stars, and he's helped along by Old Spock and Old McCoy. Very enjoyable.

 

[ATimson]

"Double Helix #3: Red Sector" by Diane Carey. After the first two lacklustre novels in the series, this one's a breath of fresh air. Carey's "bigger picture" of Starfleet is a little jarring (apparently only top-of-the-line starships are self-sufficiant in space, there's a fleet of "support tenders" for lesser classes like Destroyers) and there's a fairly big continuity error (the TNG-era Romulans are not ruled by an Empress and royal family), but I loved it nontheless.

It's a continuity "error" that other works have made too (the Dark Matters trilogy makes it too).

I don't think it's strictly incompatible with the canon of the time; Nemesis is the only work I can think of that would exclude an Empress from existing. Maybe it's a mostly ceremonial position, like the Queen of England?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm afraid not. It's explicitly stated that the royal family controls the Empire. The senate gets a token mention early on, but that's it.

 

[Therin of Andor]

"Double Helix #3: Red Sector" by Diane Carey. After the first two lacklustre novels in the series, this one's a breath of fresh air.

I agree. While I liked the first DH, the second one seemed to retread the same ground. "Red Sector was great!

My big shock was joining the old Psi Phi BBS, not long after finishing the book, and realising most ST readers seemed to detest Diane Carey's writings (and her politics), to which I had remained totally oblivious.

 

[Anika Hanson]

I'm not sure if these are lesser known books, but I really like:

Yesterday's son, A time for yesterday and Sarek by A.C Crispin
The Genesis Wave - John Vornholt

 

[Steve Roby]

My big shock was joining the old Psi Phi BBS, not long after finishing the book, and realising most ST readers seemed to detest Diane Carey's writings (and her politics), to which I had remained totally oblivious.

Most ST readers who posted there, maybe, but as far as John Ordover was concerned, her books sold very well so he kept bringing her back. She did quite well for someone who didn't understand some basic rules of grammar, who was very vocal about not liking GR's 24th century Trek, and who at times would evidently rather have been writing something else entirely.

 

[Therin of Andor]

She did quite well for someone who didn't understand some basic rules of grammar...

Mmmm, see this is a tricky one. As a reader/reviewer of professional children's literature, I've found many examples over the years where the author deliberately plays with the conventions of grammar (and any other element of book publication) for the purpose of making his/her style unique. That Carey's grammatical choices were not changed by her editors, subeditors and proofreaders at galley stage suggests that tweaking the rules of grammar was part of Carey's writing style.

 

[ATimson]

She did quite well for someone who didn't understand some basic rules of grammar, who was very vocal about not liking GR's 24th century Trek, and who at times would evidently rather have been writing something else entirely.

She may have rather been writing something else, but judging by her anemic post-Trek output (one novelization and two Alien novels) I suspect the choice was that or write nothing, which has the whole "food on the table" problem.

 

[Tiberius]

My best friend has just alerted me to what is possible the WORST published Star Trek novel ever written. "Spock, Messiah!"

It is basically about Spock trying out this brain implant thing and going mad, beaming down to a planet of primitives and pretending to be their God. After Kirk beams down with an away team (including a woman who thinks it's nice to be sexually harassed, shag Spock and perform strip teases in front of strangers), they find out that it was really an imposter manipulating things.

Oh, and the story compares Mohammed (as in the really important guy in Islam) to a "a mentally disturbed fanatic with low intelligence and an inability to order his thoughts". Yeah, can't see anything offensive there.

Have a read of the synopsis HERE. And prepare to cringe.

Has anyone actually read this book?

 

[7thsealord]

I was young. It was the 1970s.

.... And I would read anything with 'Star Trek' on the cover. What else can I say?

 

[Fer]

I started it around 30 years ago but never finished it. I guess that says something right there.

 

[F. King Daniel]

She did quite well for someone who didn't understand some basic rules of grammar...

Mmmm, see this is a tricky one. As a reader/reviewer of professional children's literature, I've found many examples over the years where the author deliberately plays with the conventions of grammar (and any other element of book publication) for the purpose of making his/her style unique. That Carey's grammatical choices were not changed by her editors, subeditors and proofreaders at galley stage suggests that tweaking the rules of grammar was part of Carey's writing style.

That's what I thought, too.

My best friend has just alerted me to what is possible the WORST published Star Trek novel ever written. "Spock, Messiah!"

It is basically about Spock trying out this brain implant thing and going mad, beaming down to a planet of primitives and pretending to be their God. After Kirk beams down with an away team (including a woman who thinks it's nice to be sexually harassed, shag Spock and perform strip teases in front of strangers), they find out that it was really an imposter manipulating things.

Oh, and the story compares Mohammed (as in the really important guy in Islam) to a "a mentally disturbed fanatic with low intelligence and an inability to order his thoughts". Yeah, can't see anything offensive there.

Have a read of the synopsis HERE. And prepare to cringe.

Has anyone actually read this book?

I have. It wasn't great, but there are FAR worse Trek novels out there.

 

[7thsealord]

My best friend has just alerted me to what is possible the WORST published Star Trek novel ever written. "Spock, Messiah!"

It is basically about Spock trying out this brain implant thing and going mad, beaming down to a planet of primitives and pretending to be their God. After Kirk beams down with an away team (including a woman who thinks it's nice to be sexually harassed, shag Spock and perform strip teases in front of strangers), they find out that it was really an imposter manipulating things.

Oh, and the story compares Mohammed (as in the really important guy in Islam) to a "a mentally disturbed fanatic with low intelligence and an inability to order his thoughts". Yeah, can't see anything offensive there.

Have a read of the synopsis HERE. And prepare to cringe.

Has anyone actually read this book?

I have. It wasn't great, but there are FAR worse Trek novels out there.

Just about anything co-authored by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath would be my pick for FAR worse.

 

[Timewalker]

As I stated upthread, Spock, Messiah! is one of my guilty pleasures. And as others have stated, the Marshak/Culbreath novels and anything by Diane Carey is FAR worse.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I love Diane Carey's novels. All except "The Great Starship Race", which bored me half to death.

Marshak and Culbreath's novels are awful. But kind of weirdly entertaining in a "so bad they're good" kind of way.

 

[Therin of Andor]

My best friend has just alerted me to what is possible the WORST published Star Trek novel ever written. "Spock, Messiah!"

Read it in 1980, not long after becoming an avid ST fan, and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I had very little to compare it to at that point.

 

[bbailey861]

I was young. It was the 1970s.

.... And I would read anything with 'Star Trek' on the cover. What else can I say?

Hear, hear!

 

[7thsealord]

As I stated upthread, Spock, Messiah! is one of my guilty pleasures. And as others have stated, the Marshak/Culbreath novels and anything by Diane Carey is FAR worse.

Actually, I quite like most of Carey's novels.