10 Years of the Novelverse

[JD]

While I was skimming through Voyages of the Imagination, I noticed that the DS9 Relaunch started 10 years ago this May. Since most people seem to consider that the beginning of the big 24th century story, I thought it might be fun to look back at what those 10 years have given us.
I've always been a big Trek fan, but it was the books that really made me an even bigger Trek fan. Honestly, if it weren't for the books, I don't know how much I would even be into Trek today. I started reading the books when I was about 13 or 14, and really played a big role in turning me into the avid reader I am today, and I will be forever grateful for his.
This was about the same time that I first started having medical problems, which I am still trying to get answers about, and I really think Trek Lit helped me get through some of these difficulties.
Some of my favorite things the Novelverse has given us in no particular order:
The USS Titan and her crew
The Titan series
Vanguard
the Borg's transformation in Destiny
Elias Vaughn
KRAD
David Mack
The Ward/Dilmore duo
Christopher L. Bennett
The DS9 Relaunch
The Voyager Relaunch
The USS Da Vinci and her crew
The SCE series
Mirror and Myriad Universes series
T'Ryssa Chen
The TNG Relaunch

 

[Elias Vaughn]

Elias Vaughn

 

[ialfan]

Also my favorite series ENT Relaunch.

 

[Thrawn]

1) David Mack, and all the arcs he's been largely responsible for (Vanguard, Destiny, MU)
2) Kirsten Beyer, and the 20 more Voyager relaunch novels she'll be writing, if I have any say in the matter
3) most other things Marco commissioned - Lost Era, Christopher's deeper science-y stuff, the majority of the DS9 relaunch, the interconnected serialized storytelling in general - tied for third

Or, in other words: I pretty much love it all, but Mack and Beyer have been a cut above even the otherwise excellent rest.

 

[ryan123450]

Kirsten Beyer's Voyager series
The DS9 Relaunch
Destiny

That's my top three. I'm also very grateful to the Lit-verse for making me an avid reader. I doubt I take the time to read as much as I do if it wasn't for the Lit-verse.

 

[JD]

Oh yeah, I forgot about The Lost Era, that definitely goes on the list two.

 

[BrotherBenny]

The DS9 Relaunch (though it has stalled)
Titan
Vanguard
Beyer's Voyager relaunch
TNG post-Destiny
Anything by Mack, Wardilmore, Bennett, KRAD, Cox, Schuster/Mollmann etc.

 

[Warp Coil]

Things I am thankful for in Treklit from the past 10 years:

- The DS9 relaunch, at least from Avatar up through Warpath (things got messy with Fearful Symmetry and The Soul Key, and now the series seems to have been abandoned)
- Destiny
- The Titan series
- The Vanguard series
- Kristen Beyer's VOY relaunch novels
- All of the incredible authors who have become important members of the Treklit community and who have played a significant role in shaping the universe (David Mack, KRAD, Christopher L. Bennett, David R. George III, Martin/Mangels, and many more)

 

[Reanok]

I'm glad we had the Ds9 relaunch novels and Enterprise novels .Also the Titan novel as well.There certainly have been alot of talented authors i was so excited Diane Duane finished writing her series of TOS romulan novels.

 

[MagGu]

The DS9 relaunch! (I plan on reading it again soon!!!)
Kristen Beyer's VOY relaunch
Titan
Destiny Trilogy
Shar and Prynn, may they find their way back to each other!

I appreciate all the authors for continuing the stories of our favorite characters, and introducing us to new ones! Thank you, Trek authors!

 

[bok2384]

I've had a bit of a strange decade when it comes to the novelverse. For the first few years of the decade, I missed it in its entirety as I was going through the TOS novels in chronological order, so for the last seven or eight years I've been playing catch-up.

For me the personal highlights would be:-

• The DS9 Relaunch - I drifted off with the first installment of Mission: Gamma, but have read from Warpath onwards. Truly the core of the novelverse.
• Starfleet Corps of Engineers - A truly brilliant series and is well missed by yours truly (and many, many others, I'm sure)
• The Janus Gate / Errand of Vengeance / Errand of Fury - A fantastic set of novels that not only explore the central characters of TOS but also shines a light on the lower decks characters. The way the episodes are weaved into the narrative is wonderful. It's nice to see that A Choice of Catastrophes has continued in this direction.
• Stargazer - Not a favourite of everyone, but I enjoyed reading the tales of Picard's first command and the people that helped shape the man he became.
• VOY relaunch - A bit of a shaky start, but Christie Golden held my attention so it wasn't all bad. An absolute must-read series under Kirsten Beyer though, long may it continue!
• IKS Gorkon - About bloody time we had a series that didn't focus on the USS Whatever. Excellent characters, brilliantly written by KRAD. A shame there was only four novels + Diplomatic Implausibility.
• A Time to... - Recently finished this and I loved it too a large degree.
• Vanguard - Just because.
• Provenance of Shadows - The rest of the Crucible series left me cold but this McCoy-centric installment was just... WOW!
• Mere Anarchy - Interesting to see an alien planet be a constant as we see the Enterprise visit at various points in time.
• TNG Relaunch - Again, a shaky start, but got so much better.
• Mirror Universe
• Myriad Universes

That's it so far. We've seen brilliant work from the likes of KRAD, Christopher L. Bennett, David Mack and many, many others. Heres to the next decade!

 

[Reanok]

I forgot to add to my list the Ds9 Millenium books and Strange New worlds books story I always looked forward to getting these books. Also Myriad Universe novels the Mirror Universe novels. Mere Anarchy ,Stargazer and alot of Startrek books TOS fortieth anniversary trilogy Constellations and TNG 20th anniversary stories.My fovorite of the crucible series the McCoy story from that trilogy was my favorite of the 3 books.The Deanna Troi novel about the Dominion invading Beta zed and her secret mission with Elias Zaughn to stop the Dominion any way they could..

 

[JD]

• IKS Gorkon - About bloody time we had a series that didn't focus on the USS Whatever. Excellent characters, brilliantly written by KRAD. A shame there was only four novels + Diplomatic Implausibility.

There was also the second half of the second book in The Brave and The Bold duology.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I do hope the DS9 relaunch is eventually returned-to.

 

[ryan123450]

snip
It's nice to see that A Choice of Catastrophes has continued in this direction.

How so? I haven't read it yet and didn't know it had anything to do with that.

 

[bok2384]

snip
It's nice to see that A Choice of Catastrophes has continued in this direction.

How so? I haven't read it yet and didn't know it had anything to do with that.

It's not directly tied into those series no, however, Michael Schuster and Steve Mollmann have really given a focus to several lower decks characters such as Salvatore Giotto, as well as managing to include almost every background character seen in TOS including DeSalle, Leslie, Brent, Nurse Thomas. You name them, they're probably in this.

I'd definitely check it out, it's a great read. Judging from the review thread, it's not to everyone's tastes, but I'm enjoying it.

 

[Relayer1]

I do hope the DS9 relaunch is eventually returned-to.

I would think we will probably get a single book - a sort of 'Lost Era' filling in the gap.

Having seen how well Ms Beyer did bringing Voyager up to date, I'd give it to her...

 

[DorkBoy [TM]]

Didn't a lot of the current crop of really good writers get their start in the Strange New Worlds anthologies, about 10 years ago? I always thought that was a fantastic way to discover new blood; people who are real fans but not necessarily professional writers. Seems to have paid off.

I always wanted to write a story for those but I never got past the "word document with several story ideas" stage. Writing is hard!

It's nice that most of the writers these days are die hard trek fans. It seems like many (not all) of the writers in the 90s were random professional tie-in fiction writers that didn't necessarily know much about Trek. Or established TOS novelists who didn't seem to know anything about the newer shows.

 

[Christopher]

Didn't a lot of the current crop of really good writers get their start in the Strange New Worlds anthologies, about 10 years ago?

Not many. The most prominent Trek authors to come out of SNW are Dayton Ward, William Leisner, Geoffrey Thorne, and Ilsa J. Bick. About a dozen other SNW authors went on to do other short Trek fiction, either e-books or anthology stories -- Kathy Oltion (who also co-wrote one novel), Christina F. York, Kevin Killiany, Phaedra M. Weldon, Robert T. Jeschonek, Jeff D. Jacques, Kevin G. Summers, Kevin Lauderdale, Kim Sheard, Louisa M. Swann, Peg Robinson, Mary Scott-Wiecek -- but nothing recent.

 

[TheAlmanac]

Didn't a lot of the current crop of really good writers get their start in the Strange New Worlds anthologies, about 10 years ago?

Not many.

...

About a dozen other SNW authors went on to do other short Trek fiction, either e-books or anthology stories ... but nothing recent.

Well, now, I'm just depressed.