Best Star Trek author?

[sfroth]

Since this book will be advancing the DS9 timeline to 2382, I think DRG3 is probably the best person to tackle it. It will probably be really long, but will in turn please DS9-R fans as they will have a thick tome to ease their minds about the 4-5 year jump.

I don't doubt that it will please a lot of fans. Though I don't like his style, obviously lots of people do. I, however, think he's exactly the wrong author to write a story that spans a long time, when he gets so bogged down in the details of a scene. In my experience, his books are long because they use so many words to describe things that can be adequately, heck, even well described, with half the words he uses. With how long it can take him just to get into a particular scene, I can't imagine how he can string together enough scenes to make a 4-5 year story seem coherent within anything approaching a single novel, unless I'm misunderstanding the approach he's taking in the novel.

 

[stonester1]

Lots of good writers in the TrekLit U. Three off the top of my head and what I like about them...more later...

Christopher L. Bennet-He's the Carl Sagan of the TrekLit U. Writes about science while still maintaining that sensawunda. And he has an AMAZING knowledge of Trek Lore and manages to tie it into his stories without it seeming like fanwank.

Peter David-Same thing on the Trek lore, great characterization, high adventure.

Diane Duane-Good characterization, neat ideas and a sense of the mystical. Some Trek writers try to avoid that. She embraces it.

 

[Paris]

I don't doubt that it will please a lot of fans. Though I don't like his style, obviously lots of people do. I, however, think he's exactly the wrong author to write a story that spans a long time, when he gets so bogged down in the details of a scene. In my experience, his books are long because they use so many words to describe things that can be adequately, heck, even well described, with half the words he uses. With how long it can take him just to get into a particular scene, I can't imagine how he can string together enough scenes to make a 4-5 year story seem coherent within anything approaching a single novel, unless I'm misunderstanding the approach he's taking in the novel.

AFAIK, DRG3 will not be chronicling the whole 5 year gap. It's possible he will, but I believe that the intention is to follow characters from DS9's sphere of influence during the conflict with the Typhon Pact. We have almost a full year to wait and see...

 

[Mysterion]

Diane Duane. Her writing captures the "sense o' wonder" I felt watching TOS for the first time back in the '70s. She "gets it" concerning TOS about as well as I think anyone could have.

 

[Paris]

The only Diane Duane book i've read is Spock's World, which I quite enjoyed. I picked up her Rihannsu books, including The Empty Chair, in an really good ebay deal, but i've yet to read them. One of these days...

 

[sfroth]

AFAIK, DRG3 will not be chronicling the whole 5 year gap. It's possible he will, but I believe that the intention is to follow characters from DS9's sphere of influence during the conflict with the Typhon Pact. We have almost a full year to wait and see...

Right. I've heard so much conflicting information, it's hard to remember what the last info I heard was. I will likely pick this book up eventually, both for its place in the DS9 storyline and in the Typhon pact series, but I'm still not sure.

In the context of this conversation, I've been trying to figure out why I dislike his style, when he is so loved by other readers. It's not because of the length of the books - I read lots of long books. But I'm not a very visual reader. Other people seem to enjoy that the details he writes in help them visualize the scene. That doesn't do anything for me, because I'm not a visual thinker.

Anyway, my point when I started talking about DRG3 was that I can understand, and sympathize, that getting into his work is hard. I've seen people before get told that they simply must read and love his books, and I wanted to provide an alternate viewpoint.

 

[Paris]

Totally understandable, and I appreciate your opinion. I get where you're coming from with the overly large descriptions, but despite that, I'll try anything he writes. Sometimes stories, such as the previously mentioned Serpents & Iron/Sacrifice, it works for me. Others, such as Crucible:McCoy, I felt tired while reading. Hopefully we'll enjoy TRBOE .

 

[Thrawn]

AFAIK, DRG3 will not be chronicling the whole 5 year gap. It's possible he will, but I believe that the intention is to follow characters from DS9's sphere of influence during the conflict with the Typhon Pact. We have almost a full year to wait and see...

Right. I've heard so much conflicting information, it's hard to remember what the last info I heard was. I will likely pick this book up eventually, both for its place in the DS9 storyline and in the Typhon pact series, but I'm still not sure.

In the context of this conversation, I've been trying to figure out why I dislike his style, when he is so loved by other readers. It's not because of the length of the books - I read lots of long books. But I'm not a very visual reader. Other people seem to enjoy that the details he writes in help them visualize the scene. That doesn't do anything for me, because I'm not a visual thinker.

Anyway, my point when I started talking about DRG3 was that I can understand, and sympathize, that getting into his work is hard. I've seen people before get told that they simply must read and love his books, and I wanted to provide an alternate viewpoint.

You're actually the only other person I've seen so far that has this same problem. I really really tried to lose myself in the story in The 34th rule, but I just kept editing it in my head. "That paragraph was unnecessary. That paragraph could've gone. That description could've gone." It was driving me crazy!

 

[Mike_King]

For me, David Mack and KRAD can do no wrong. I enjoy Dayton Ward, James Swallow, Kirsten Beyer... and there are so many more! Also, I must especially mention David R. George III who wrote my all-time favorite Trek book, Provenance of Shadows.

 

[Christopher]

Christopher L. Bennet-He's the Carl Sagan of the TrekLit U. Writes about science while still maintaining that sensawunda.

That's a very flattering comparison. I'll have to work something into my next book about being made of starstuff...

(Two T's in my surname, though, please.)

AFAIK, DRG3 will not be chronicling the whole 5 year gap. It's possible he will, but I believe that the intention is to follow characters from DS9's sphere of influence during the conflict with the Typhon Pact.

Unless plans have changed, that's correct. The idea is to jump forward and reveal things about the gap later on.

 

[KimMH]

Diane Duane and Vonda McIntyre for sucking me into TrekLit a jillion years ago.

More recently KRAD, DRG3 and Kristen Beyer - love some of PADs - a little meh about some other of it though.

 

[stonester1]

Let me include Stephen V Cole in this discussion. He's the creator of the long lasting tabletop Star Trek wargame Star Fleet Battles. For those of you unaware of it, it's a SUPREMELY detailed game dealing with Star Trek starships from the TOS era and forward (this was pre-Next Gen, so their future TrekU is for all intents and purposes, and alt timeline). The Federation, the Klingons, Romulans, Gorn, Tholians, they are all there. Though you won't see a ship captain named Kirk, a Vulcan names Spock, etc, because of the weird copywrite terms that SFB exists under.

Lots of starships of all sorts, it's own well developed version of the TrekU, and a system that has maintained a fanbase and support for a couple decades now, it's worth checking out for gamers, starship enthusiasts and Trek fans.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Let me include Stephen V Cole in this discussion. He's the creator of the long lasting tabletop Star Trek wargame Star Fleet Battles.

The "battles" aspect of early semi-licensed ST wargames and RPGs made them only very pale approximations of TOS. I bought some manuals for the FASA and Last Unicorn versions, but never felt the need to actually play the games.

Nothing in those things makes me think "best" ST author, except maybe the fact that elements of LUG's rather cool Andorians "Among the Clans" sourcebook made it into a few ENT episodes!

 

[Dayton Ward]

And perhaps a novel or two......

 

[Therin of Andor]

And perhaps a novel or two......

Mmmmm, thought it might.

 

[Bobatiel]

I must especially mention David R. George III who wrote my all-time favorite Trek book, Provenance of Shadows.

What he said!

 

[stonester1]

Let me include Stephen V Cole in this discussion. He's the creator of the long lasting tabletop Star Trek wargame Star Fleet Battles.

The "battles" aspect of early semi-licensed ST wargames and RPGs made them only very pale approximations of TOS. I bought some manuals for the FASA and Last Unicorn versions, but never felt the need to actually play the games.

Nothing in those things makes me think "best" ST author, except maybe the fact that elements of LUG's rather cool Andorians "Among the Clans" sourcebook made it into a few ENT episodes!

Well, there was LOT's of cross-polination between FASA's game and the novels during that era. The sourcebooks of that game have been held up by many, including a few of the writers (Mr. Bennet) being one, as good reference material.

Star Fleet Battles is a wargame, and it's intended to look at TOS from that perspective. Don't go in expecting all the non-combat aspects of Trek, because that's simply not what it deals with. It is intended to be a combat simulator, using the original Star Trek Technical Manual as a starting point. Which it does, going into excrutiating detail about these ships, how they fly and how they fight.

 

[Christopher]

Well, there was LOT's of cross-polination between FASA's game and the novels during that era. The sourcebooks of that game have been held up by many, including a few of the writers (Mr. Bennet) being one, as good reference material.

I never had much familiarity with FASA's stuff. I guess maybe you're referring to my use of information from their ST IV sourcebook for various alien species, but I don't think I'm the first to do that.

 

[stonester1]

Well, there was LOT's of cross-polination between FASA's game and the novels during that era. The sourcebooks of that game have been held up by many, including a few of the writers (Mr. Bennet) being one, as good reference material.

I never had much familiarity with FASA's stuff. I guess maybe you're referring to my use of information from their ST IV sourcebook for various alien species, but I don't think I'm the first to do that.

Yeah, I saw that on your web site, I believe. Sorry about mispelling your name again, btw. I shall be treated to the gnawing of a thousand rabid tribbles for it.



And no, you aren't. The FASA stuff was GOOD, and for awhile, was a big part of Trek fandom. Because much of the movie era, it, SFB, the books, as well as the movies and TOS, were all we had. It wouldn't suprise me if several of the writers didn't refer to them at one point or another.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Star Fleet Battles is a wargame, and it's intended to look at TOS from that perspective. Don't go in expecting all the non-combat aspects of Trek, because that's simply not what it deals with. It is intended to be a combat simulator, using the original Star Trek Technical Manual as a starting point. Which it does, going into excrutiating detail about these ships, how they fly and how they fight.

That's my point. What's it doing in a "best author" thread? "Excruciating detail" about tech? Yep. Ick.

Stephen V Cole? Sorry, never noticed his name before, even though I have many RPG manuals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_V._Cole