Epic Trek novels.. and those not so epic..

[Paris]

If you want to compare Borg creation/destruction tales, I don't think the Destriny trilogy is nearly as good as The Return. Having said that, I haven't read Shatner's book in 10 years, so my judgement may have changed.

I remember liking Shat's The Return when it first came out but IMO, it's not even in the same realm as David Mack's Destiny trilogy. Destiny is arguably the best executed "event" we've seen in treklit history. The ramifications of this storyline will (hopefully) be felt throughout the 24th century trek books for years and years to come. It was a game changer.

I just gotta add that if Kirk's resurrection had been embraced by the main line of 24th century books and not just the books by Shatner, then that (his resurrection) may have been the game changer of all game changers...at the time anyway.

 

[SPCTRE]

I found the Invasion! miniseries to be pretty epic. Then again, it's been years since I first read the novels and I did so in German, so I'm not certain whether they would hold up to my current standards. I should probably revisit them sometime in the original version.

 

[RonG]

Paris - you took the words right out of my mouth I remember originally, that The Return fit in nicely between Generations and First Contact, providing a bridge between the two movies. Alas, as more and more Shatnerverse novels were added to the mix, it became both over the top and seperate from the main book line...

SPCTRE - I recently read Invasion!, and it was one of the stories on mymind when I started this thread... on paper, it should have been *the* TrekLit event of its time (maybe it was? I'm not aware of its reception in general..), but reading it reminds me of the Dominion War TNG novels - it felt.. small, somehow (compared to its backdrop/premise)

 

[JarodRussell]

Invasion and the Dominion War TNG novels were very, very disappointing.
Everyone wanted to know what the Enterprise-E was doing during the war. Oh yeah, she was in drydock all the time, while Picard was on a mission. So totally not epic.
And the TOS Invasion was great. The others that followed were pretty lame, the worst being the DS9 story.

 

[Steve Roby]

IMHO, the DS9 novel was the best in the Invasion series. It blew a lot of people away at the time.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

IMHO, the DS9 novel was the best in the Invasion series. It blew a lot of people away at the time.

I found the four "Invasion" books second-hand recently. DS9: "Time's Enemy" was brilliant , but the others were very disappointing.

 

[RonG]

I was wondering if anyone liked Genesis Wave (as a complete 3-4 part series, that is... I thought the 1st book showed promise, and didn't it introdce us to David Mack? ),
and Maximum Warp (which I thought read like a *synopsis* for a story, rather than a story with meat and substance...)

 

[Amaris]

My favorite "Epic" novels:

Sarek by A.C. Crispin (I have worn this book out. All the pages are worn thin. Just truly magnificent story telling)
The Devil's Heart by Carmen Carter (I have read this book so much there are fingerprint indents in the hardcover)
Federation by J&G Reeves Stevens (Loved, loved, LOVED this novel)
Strangers From The Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno (Great first contact story, would have loved to see it as a movie)
Prime Directive by J&G Reeves-Stevens (This novel was pure thrill from start to finish)
Best Destiny by Diane Carey (I love this telling of Kirk's younger days and what drove him to excel as he did)
Vendetta by Peter David (Best Borg Novel...EVER!)

J.

 

[Wes-Cutting]

One of my favorite Trek novels and one I'd certainly call epic is The Buried Age which basically has it all...awesomely galaxy-sweeping.

I loved this book, it was one I the best that I have read in the past few years(excluding David Mack books ). The way it just tied everything together worked perfectly for me.

I was wondering if anyone liked Genesis Wave (as a complete 3-4 part series, that is... I thought the 1st book showed promise, and didn't it introdce us to David Mack? ),
and Maximum Warp (which I thought read like a *synopsis* for a story, rather than a story with meat and substance...)

I thought Vornholt wrote the Genesis books?

I am a huge fan of David Mack, I have loved all his Trek books and am looking forward to finally reading The Calling. If I would have to pick an all time favorite Trek novel I would say Harbinger, the first installment in the Vanguard series by Mack. It was a long read, 300 plus pages, and I read it straight through, quite literaturally only stopping to sleep. It was compelling and kept my attention for the three times I have read it. It also falls into the Epic idea because it opens a new realm to authors and expansive growth on the TOS time frame. For those of you that have read through the Vanguard series you know just how a wide range this series includes.

 

[Defcon]

I thought Vornholt wrote the Genesis books?

He wrote them. But David Mack contributed a chapter to it:

My big break (which did not seem like it at the time) was when John asked me to write a 5,000-word piece, in the style of a top-secret Starfleet report, about the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was intended to be a supplement of some sort to John Vornholt’s novel The Genesis Wave, Book One. It was such a hit with the editors that it became chapter fourteen of the novel, and John Vornholt graciously penned a framing sequence to incorporate it into his tale.

(from a David Mack Interview with Comicmix.com in 2008)

 

[BolianAuthor]

The Trek novel I personally consider the most epic would have to be the TNG novel "Vendetta", by Peter David. It's also the single piece of Trek literature that inspired me more than anything else, to begin writing Trek fiction myself.

 

[Wes-Cutting]

I thought Vornholt wrote the Genesis books?

He wrote them. But David Mack contributed a chapter to it:

My big break (which did not seem like it at the time) was when John asked me to write a 5,000-word piece, in the style of a top-secret Starfleet report, about the Genesis Device from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was intended to be a supplement of some sort to John Vornholt’s novel The Genesis Wave, Book One. It was such a hit with the editors that it became chapter fourteen of the novel, and John Vornholt graciously penned a framing sequence to incorporate it into his tale.

(from a David Mack Interview with Comicmix.com in 2008)

I remember that chapter, I actually liked the detail that it went into. It is good to know that Mack wrote that, thanks for the find

 

[seigezunt]

I remember enjoying Ashes of Eden, raising a brow but still enjoying The Return and Avenger, moving uncomfortably in my chair whil reading the Mirror Universe trilogy, and cringing at Captain's Peril, Blood and Glory...

yep, that's basically how I reacted, too.

 

[RonG]

I was wondering if anyone liked Genesis Wave (as a complete 3-4 part series, that is... I thought the 1st book showed promise, and didn't it introdce us to David Mack? ),
and Maximum Warp (which I thought read like a *synopsis* for a story, rather than a story with meat and substance...)

Of course, by mentioning Genesis Wave, I'm also including Genesis Force...

..also, still waiting for the brave souls who read Maximum Warp

 

[Amaris]

I was wondering if anyone liked Genesis Wave (as a complete 3-4 part series, that is... I thought the 1st book showed promise, and didn't it introdce us to David Mack? ),
and Maximum Warp (which I thought read like a *synopsis* for a story, rather than a story with meat and substance...)

Of course, by mentioning Genesis Wave, I'm also including Genesis Force...

..also, still waiting for the brave souls who read Maximum Warp

I liked Maximum Warp, and still read it from time to time.

J.

 

[D Man]

I'll go against the grain a little here and respond to the "not so epic" part of the topic...I have to admit I don't think Vendetta is all that wonderful. It might be that I read it for the first time looong after it came out--just a few months ago, actually. The prose and characterizations seemed simplistic and the story didn't grab me at all. But I was comparing it to things like the Destiny trilogy which may not have helped. Had I read it back in 1993 my opinion could be different, though. It's funny to see it billed as THE GIANT NOVEL when by today's Treklit standards it's really not all that impressive. That said, the first line about Picard running his hand through his full head of hair was hysterical and classic Peter David.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I'll go against the grain a little here and respond to the "not so epic" part of the topic...I have to admit I don't think Vendetta is all that wonderful. It might be that I read it for the first time looong after it came out--just a few months ago, actually. The prose and characterizations seemed simplistic and the story didn't grab me at all. But I was comparing it to things like the Destiny trilogy which may not have helped. Had I read it back in 1993 my opinion could be different, though. It's funny to see it billed as THE GIANT NOVEL when by today's Treklit standards it's really not all that impressive. That said, the first line about Picard running his hand through his full head of hair was hysterical and classic Peter David.

That's your opinion, and that's fine... but the question posed is what novel each of us considers the most epic, and that was mine.

 

[RonG]

actually, my original question was a bit wider.. discussing both epic and not so epic Trek novels

 

[BolianAuthor]

actually, my original question was a bit wider.. discussing both epic and not so epic Trek novels

Well, since I consider "Vendetta" to be the most epic, I guess it would be logical to conclude that all other novels fall into the not-so-epic category for me.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

though The Return is on of the better Shatnerverse novels IMO, it has *nothing* on Destiny.

In fact, the Shanterverse novels are (again IMO) *hyped* as epic, but most of the time are over the top, hero-worshipping and outlandish, in a bad sort of way

I remember enjoying Ashes of Eden, raising a brow but still enjoying The Return and Avenger, moving uncomfortably in my chair whil reading the Mirror Universe trilogy, and cringing at Captain's Peril, Blood and Glory...

I disagree.