Desert Island Trek Books

[F. King Daniel]

You’re to be left on a desert island (presumably to die). You are allowed to bring five Star Trek books along. Which do you choose?

(Omnibus editions are cheating! Not allowed!)

Here are my choices and why…

The Final Reflection
The best Klingon story ever told. If they do a Klingon story for Trek XII (assuming XI doesn’t tank) they should use these guys instead of the TNG ones.

The Romulan Way (re-reading currently)
It was either this or Spock’s World. I picked this one because I found both the main story and the Romulan origins more exciting than SW’s somewhat more sedate Vulcan equivalents. Let’s hope they sneak a reference into the new film:

NERO: blah blah blah Rihannsu blah blah

KINGDANIEL: FUCK YEAH!!

Final Frontier
Captain April and George Kirk’s secret first Enterprise (nee ‘Duchess’) mission. Earned its place for ‘I.M.Pulse engines’ alone. And Captain April, who had to turn the ship over to George when it came time to fire the phasers because he didn’t have the heart to do it himself.

Prime Directive
Although I’m not entirely sold on the aliens at the end (evolved to start nuclear wars? WTF?), the storytelling is brilliant. These lot should have been writing ENT from the beginning…

Dreadnought!
I loved this book – the ultra-vivid descriptions of the huge Dreadnought (which, as someone around here said, are indeed evocative of the new Enterprise), the unique perspective and the rest. The cover art (re-imagined version of the old Treknical Manual dreadnought) is brilliant, too. I’d love to see a CGI version of that ship.

Anyone else? Five books. One island. No part of any book may be used to attempt escape…

 

[Mysterion]

The Wounded Sky - Duane
Prime Directive - Reeves-Stevens
The Entropy Effect - McIntyre
How Much for Just the Planet? - Ford
The Galactic Whirlpool - Gerrold

 

[RonG]

if we're talking complete stories then my list would be:
Destiny Trilogy
Millennium Trilogy
Lost Era: The Art of the Impossible
Spock's World
Articles of the Federation


Honorabe mention (meaning I'd find a way to bring these along):
Vanguard books 1-3
Prime Directive
Federation
New Frontier books 1-4
Final Reflection
Crucible Trilogy

if we're talking books then this would be my list (as I won't take incomplete series along..):
Destiny *3
Lost Era: The Art of the Impossible
Spock's World

 

[Idoliside]

My five favourites, tricky but they'd have to be...


Reunion - Good murder mystery with the stargazer crew
Unity - gives all the ds9 backstory along with a good ending to the first part in DS9-RL adventure
Ashes Of Eden - Although being shatnerverse, explains alot of the gap between UC and Gen
Articles Of The Federation - although this may be replaced with A Singular Destiny depending on how good the new book is.
Mirror Universe Book 1 - Simply for spocks story, brilliant.

 

[JD]

Hmmm, my list would be
Unity
Orion's Hounds
Reap the Whirlwind
Articles of the Federation
A Time For War, A Time For Peace

 

[Marie1]

DS9R Abyss MG1 Twilight Unity Warpath (!!!!!) And either the Soul Key or a Stitch in Time Notice I picked the longer ones...

 

[Paris]

my tops are:
Articles of the Federation - KRAD
The Art of the Impossible - KRAD
Taking Wing - Martin & Mangels
Home Coming - Golden
New Frontier #1-4 (like one big book) - PAD

 

[Trent Roman]

Only five? I guess I'd bring along the Millenium trilogy, which are thick, tell different kinds of stories in each volume but still form a greater overall narrative. For the other two slots, Articles of the Federation (which is also thick, and has tons of details one could compile to pass the time) and either Orion's Hounds or Buried Age, whose sense of epic scale should help conteract the claustrophobia of being trapped on a desert island. Probably the latter, if only for having more sexuality (which I thought was pretty dry, but after years trapped on a desert island, I figure I'd be grateful for any form of external stimuli).

...I wonder if I'm over-thinking this?

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Jim Johnson]

Hmm, only five Trek books...

The Deep Space Nine Companion. Huge word count and a great read. Lots of stuff in there to read and reread.

Ditto the Star Trek Encyclopedia (latest edition).

Then Voyages of the Imagination, since that too is a hefty product.

Probably also Prophecy and Change, since that was overall a great anthology.

And then, finally, Strange New Worlds VII, since it contains my first published Trek story, and if I'm going to be on an island for the rest of my life, I'd like to remember that at least.

 

[RoB]

I'd choose:

Articles of the Federation
Tales of the Dominion War
S.C.E.: Wildfire
Worlds of Deep Space 9: Volume 3
Q-Squared

 

[Therin of Andor]

Yeah, the thick ones would burn longer when you had to create that signal fire...

 

[ialfan]

The Good That Men Do
Kobayashi Maru
Destiny Trilogy
Orion's Hounds
Unity

Honorable Mention:
Avatar
Pathways
Greater Than the Sum
Crucible Trilogy
Glass Empires
Imzadi
Infinity's Prism
Echoes and Refractions

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Diane Duane--The Wounded Sky
John M. Ford--The Final Reflection
Janet Kagan--Uhura's Song
Andrew Robinson--A Stitch in Time

Last slot...if I were allowed to bring a complete story even if it's in three books, I'd take the Terok Nor series. But if I'm restricted to just one...I'd take Lois Tilton's old DS9 book, Betrayal.

 

[21Spike65]

My first four would be Articles of the Federation and Q&A, both by KRAD, The Buried Age by Christopher, and Glass Empires (three in one!) by Ward/Dilmore, Mack, and Cox.

Then, just to make myself feel better, I'd take along To Reign in Hell by Cox, because then I can at least read that and say, "At least my situation isn't as bad as that!"

 

[KRAD]

I'd bring a Kindle, so I could have TONS O' BOOKS!!!!!

 

[William Leisner]

You’re to be left on a desert island (presumably to die). You are allowed to bring five Star Trek books along. Which do you choose?

I think the five titles I would pick are:

- Don't Leave Me on This Island to Die!
- Why Are You Leaving Me on This Island to Die?
- What Difference Does It Make, Which Star Trek Books, If I'm Going to Die?
- What Right Do You Have to Strand Me on a Desert Island in the First Place?
- Why Just Star Trek Books Anyways, Not That It Matters Since I'll Be Fucking Dead Soon!

Honorable Mention: In the Name of Honor.

 

[Corran Horn]

I'd bring a Kindle, so I could have TONS O' BOOKS!!!!!

Oh yeah? How's the battery life?

 

[KRAD]

I'd bring a Kindle, so I could have TONS O' BOOKS!!!!!

Oh yeah? How's the battery life?

In the fantasy world where you get to pick the five books you bring to a desert island that you're being stranded on, Kindles have an endless battery life.

 

[Greg Cox]

My first four would be Articles of the Federation and Q&A, both by KRAD, The Buried Age by Christopher, and Glass Empires (three in one!) by Ward/Dilmore, Mack, and Cox.

Then, just to make myself feel better, I'd take along To Reign in Hell by Cox, because then I can at least read that and say, "At least my situation isn't as bad as that!"

But watch out for those eels!

 

[CDP]

Vendetta
The 34th Rule
Millenium
Serpents amonst the ruins
The Vulcan Academy Murders