Decent Voyager Books

[LutherSloan]

I have read many VOY stories (although some I hardly remember because it was nearly 10 years ago). However, the best one so far has been a short story, that being the recent entry in the first Myriad Universes collection, titled 'Places of Exile'. One of the better ST stories I have read, period. It almost makes you wish that was the fate of Voyager, rather than what really happened after the divergence point in the story on the show.

 

[Christopher]

^^Thanks! But PoE is actually a short novel, not a short story.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I wish authors didn't feel the need to contrive a reason to visit the past - just tell us the story you want to tell!

It's not always the authors. Some novels have framing stories to root a more offbeat story closer to the current ST of the day. After the success of "The Final Reflection", MWB was encouraged by her editor to add a framing story to "Strangers from the Sky", to "keep it on the same timeline as 'Enterprise: The First Adventure'." ("Voyages of imagination".)

The thing about tie-ins is that newcomers expect to see the current TV show/movie they watch to be reflected in a tie-in they've chosen to buy. That's why the novels and comics followed cast changes, such as Pulaski for Crusher (and vice versa), Worf arriving at DS9, and "Pathways" being delayed several months so that Seven of Nine could be added, at least to its framing sequence.

 

[Johnhead99]

The Dark Matters Trilogy by Christie Golden is where it is at. Homecoming and The Farther Shore is also worthy of a read.

I remember quite liking Dark Matters. I wasn't so impressed by Homecoming and The Farther Shore. My opinion once again: Golden picked a couple of the weakest story elements of Voyager and put them front and centre. Not to mention the strange decision to spend a lot of the book on a character we mainly saw in one episode in an alternate universe.

I do not understand this arguement. Your first arguement seems to be based on using something that was overused in the tv series (the holographic rights and borg technology) and the second for something that was too rarely (one episode from eye of the needle).

I found that series so well done precisely because it wasn't involving only the main characters, but brought in a character we had seen once but then developed a deeper story around him.

I agree with Homecoming and The Farther Shore, but compared to Endgame, these were great. Homecoming's first dozen chapters or so are solely on the charactres and how their lives are now back on earth. It's actually not until mid book does the whole bord thing pick up.

 

[Steve Roby]

I do not understand this arguement. Your first arguement seems to be based on using something that was overused in the tv series (the holographic rights and borg technology) and the second for something that was too rarely (one episode from eye of the needle).

The problem with the holorevolution wasn't that it was overused. It's that it was really poorly thought out, on TV and in these books.

 

[Starbreaker]

I nominate Fire Ship. It's an excellent novel that deviates away from the standard episode format.

#3 Ragnarok - boring
#4 Violations - boring
#16 Seven of Nine - entertaining
#17 Death of a Neutron Star - good
#18 Battle Lines - good I remember talking with Dave Galanter after this one was released and telling him I enjoyed it. Don't expect a lot with the character description though. I still remember 8 or 9 years later that the aliens were said to "look like Kes" and that was about it.
Mosaic - good
Pathways - good

I thought the Dark Matters trilogy was excellent.

Homecoming and the Farther Shore were interesting, but I've forgotten most of it now.

 

[Deano2099]

Are the first two Voyager novels really all about holographic rights and the Borg tech? Because, that sounds fascinating to me and even though I'm not a Voyager fan I might buy them.

But this board is prone to over-exaggeration and I'm wondering if it's just a small part of the book that people are using as a petard to hoist it with... (yeah that doesn't work does it?)

 

[BillJ]

I actually liked Homecoming/The Farther Shore. I felt it told a far more compelling Borg story that the TNG relaunch has. Although the whole Holo strike was stupid.

 

[Johnhead99]

Are the first two Voyager novels really all about holographic rights and the Borg tech? Because, that sounds fascinating to me and even though I'm not a Voyager fan I might buy them.

But this board is prone to over-exaggeration and I'm wondering if it's just a small part of the book that people are using as a petard to hoist it with... (yeah that doesn't work does it?)

Homecoming is about 75% family/friends/reaction to them making it home and 25% holo/borg. Basically, setting it up. Last few chapters get really involved. Then, the Farther Shore, its about 75% holo/borg. There is also some Klingon crap in between; but I just ignored it and didn't let it ruin what was otherwise a darn good series.