Reminded of it in a discussion over on Reddit, I happened to go back and re-read a particular action sequence in Diane Duane’s The Wounded Sky that I had always remembered: the Klingons jumping the Enterprise as it prepares to test a new drive. In my Kindle copy, it’s locations 708 - 869. Damn, but that is some thrilling writing. I’ve always wished Duane hadn’t stopped doing Trek novels, or had continued to do more future-sf in general.
Diane Duane’s excellent Trek novels
- Thread starter FredH
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If you're on Tumblr, Diane Duane is a great follow.
If she were still writing ST fiction today, she'd be right up there with CLB and GC.
Whoa. I never expected anyone to use me as a yardstick to compare Diane Duane against. That feels entirely backward to me. She was one of my inspirations.
You're being unnecessarily modest. We may frequently find ourselves on opposite sides of arguments, but I can't think of any work of fiction you've ever written that I didn't like.
But yes, DD is definitely the one who set a very high bar.
Her "All twelve Sulamid sexes claimed to be male. Especially those who bore the children" is right up there with ADF's "The Flinx was an ethical thief, in that he only stole from the crooked" and Tolkien's "In a hole in the ground lived a Hobbit." And unlike the ADF and Tolkien quotes, it wasn't even an opening line, just a bit of unnecessarily brilliant throwaway.
But yes, DD is definitely the one who set a very high bar.
Her "All twelve Sulamid sexes claimed to be male. Especially those who bore the children" is right up there with ADF's "The Flinx was an ethical thief, in that he only stole from the crooked" and Tolkien's "In a hole in the ground lived a Hobbit." And unlike the ADF and Tolkien quotes, it wasn't even an opening line, just a bit of unnecessarily brilliant throwaway.
(Well, she and John M. Ford. Together, I’d call them the pinnacle.)
Doctor's Orders is one of my favorite Star Trek books, too.
I loved My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way. And Dark Mirror! I thought The Wounded Sky decended way too far into absolute worship of our heroes for my tastes.
I see it as basically Star Trek as mythology, larger-than-life heroes on an epic quest. It's a beautifully written, highly imaginative tale that just requires getting into the right mindset.
One of my favorites. And when the opportunity arose to trade up to a book club hardcover, I took it.
For that matter, Spock's World (which I have in publisher hardcover) and The Romulan Way could also count as "Star Trek as Mythology."
For that matter, Spock's World (which I have in publisher hardcover) and The Romulan Way could also count as "Star Trek as Mythology."
No, I'd call those historiography. Half of The Romulan Way was literally the main character's monograph on Rihannsu history.
That certainly works. Although the more ancient the timeframe, the more the two tend to merge.
As the holder of a BA in history, I have to disagree. Ancient sources may be unreliable (as, indeed, are modern ones), but that is taken into account by scholars of history, who strive to approach sources objectively and present existing evidence in its wider context and without presuming the correctness of any single version. Mythology, by contrast, is not concerned with objective, temporal reality, but freely manufactures events and characters as symbols to convey an intended philosophical or moral idea. The two differ in intent and approach.
As the years have gone by Spock's World has become my favorite Duane book. And one of my favorite Star Trek books in general. As far as I'm concerned this is the "real" history.
I did try to finish Swordhunt a couple years back but it got too dense for me. I might have another go this year.
I did try to finish Swordhunt a couple years back but it got too dense for me. I might have another go this year.
I wasn't as fond of Swordhunt and The Empty Chair as I was of Duane's earlier books. They had too much politics and war, which were not particularly interesting to me.
I only wish she'd done more TNG books! I'm glad "Dark Mirror" was the first Trek novel I read because it set the bar high, but not so high that I can't find something to enjoy even in the weird ones lol
Theoretically, there's nothing stopping her from writing more ST, other than herself.
If you're talking about fanfiction, sure. If you're talking about professional licensed fiction, it's not her decision. It's up to the editors and higher-ups at Simon & Schuster and Paramount to decide if they want to hire her. And there aren't a lot of slots available these days.
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