Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section.)
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Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
"Black Fire" by Sonni Cooper. It had a nice surprise ending.
"Ishmael" by Barbara Hambly. Liked the time travel aspect.
"The Galactic Whirlpool" by David Gerrold. Liked the humans on an ancient non-warp ship not knowing they are on a ship traveling through space.
"Black Fire" by Sonni Cooper. It had a nice surprise ending.
"Ishmael" by Barbara Hambly. Liked the time travel aspect.
"The Galactic Whirlpool" by David Gerrold. Liked the humans on an ancient non-warp ship not knowing they are on a ship traveling through space.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
My favorite older novels are Uhura's song. Diane Duanes novels The woundede sky and her Romulan trilogy.Spock's world.Imzadi.Strangers from the sky.Yesterday's son time for yesterday.A long list of novels too long to post here.The Enetrprise novel The Good that men do .
My favorite older novels are Uhura's song. Diane Duanes novels The woundede sky and her Romulan trilogy.Spock's world.Imzadi.Strangers from the sky.Yesterday's son time for yesterday.A long list of novels too long to post here.The Enetrprise novel The Good that men do .
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
I recall when it received a new cover and was republished, with three other fan favourite ST novels, that a lot of newer fans, reading it for the first time, really disliked that one.
But, in the early 80s when it first came out, TEE was like a breath of fresh air: I got into ST via the Roddenberry novelization of TMP, which I'd loved, and then I devoured many old Bantam novels in a row. I was certainly enjoying having new ST adventures to read, but they weren't all compelling or memorable. Suddenly, up popped the eagerly-awaited TEE, complete with a "How dare they kill off Kirk!" campaign, waged in fandom's many print newsletters and reported several times by "Starlog".
TEE felt like a solid science fiction novel, by a rising star novelist, Vonda McIntyre. If any of the TV characterizations seemed off, I certainly didn't notice. McIntyre had added several new alien crewmembers to the crew. The time travel aspect of the novel was exciting! The alternate timeline was intriguing. A few months later, after McIntyre did the ST II novelization, I made a point of finding "Dreamsnake", an original SF story which had won the author an award and some notoriety. I liked that, too. And then came the ST III novelization: a masterpiece.
But "The Entropy Effect" stays with me. It's only one of a handful of ST novels I've reread over the years, and I have played the greatly-abridged audio novel often, and yet so many TEE scenes have remained as vivid in my mind as that day I first read them.
But, maybe you just had to be there at the time?
Which bit is "turgid"? "The Entropy Effect" moves so fast!
"Turgid" is the word I apply to ST novels that move sloooooowly. "Into the Nebula". "Warped". "The Laertian Gamble". Shudder. "Rebels" trilogy. "Dark Matters" trilogy. "Gateways: No Man's Land".
I recall when it received a new cover and was republished, with three other fan favourite ST novels, that a lot of newer fans, reading it for the first time, really disliked that one.
But, in the early 80s when it first came out, TEE was like a breath of fresh air: I got into ST via the Roddenberry novelization of TMP, which I'd loved, and then I devoured many old Bantam novels in a row. I was certainly enjoying having new ST adventures to read, but they weren't all compelling or memorable. Suddenly, up popped the eagerly-awaited TEE, complete with a "How dare they kill off Kirk!" campaign, waged in fandom's many print newsletters and reported several times by "Starlog".
TEE felt like a solid science fiction novel, by a rising star novelist, Vonda McIntyre. If any of the TV characterizations seemed off, I certainly didn't notice. McIntyre had added several new alien crewmembers to the crew. The time travel aspect of the novel was exciting! The alternate timeline was intriguing. A few months later, after McIntyre did the ST II novelization, I made a point of finding "Dreamsnake", an original SF story which had won the author an award and some notoriety. I liked that, too. And then came the ST III novelization: a masterpiece.
But "The Entropy Effect" stays with me. It's only one of a handful of ST novels I've reread over the years, and I have played the greatly-abridged audio novel often, and yet so many TEE scenes have remained as vivid in my mind as that day I first read them.
But, maybe you just had to be there at the time?
Which bit is "turgid"? "The Entropy Effect" moves so fast!
"Turgid" is the word I apply to ST novels that move sloooooowly. "Into the Nebula". "Warped". "The Laertian Gamble". Shudder. "Rebels" trilogy. "Dark Matters" trilogy. "Gateways: No Man's Land".
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
Vonda McIntyre's ST work was almost universally brilliant. I loved how she fleshed out so many of the main characters' pasts and added so much richness to the universe we knew at the time (who remembers the name of Kirk's command BEFORE the Enterprise?).
Granted, so much of it has been completely wiped away by subsequent canon, but I still greatly enjoy reading those books and seeing that alternate vision of Trek. I sometimes wonder what she could do in today's TrekLit world.
Vonda McIntyre's ST work was almost universally brilliant. I loved how she fleshed out so many of the main characters' pasts and added so much richness to the universe we knew at the time (who remembers the name of Kirk's command BEFORE the Enterprise?).
Granted, so much of it has been completely wiped away by subsequent canon, but I still greatly enjoy reading those books and seeing that alternate vision of Trek. I sometimes wonder what she could do in today's TrekLit world.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
The Entropy Effect wasn't terrible, i just felt it starts quite slow. It's an alright time travel story, just never blew me away.
The Entropy Effect wasn't terrible, i just felt it starts quite slow. It's an alright time travel story, just never blew me away.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
I loved that book
there was a string of early numbered DS9 books I liked very much when I was younger - The Big Game, Fallen Heroes (which referenced the Big Game IIRC) and Betrayal which was IMO a nice "political" story (much like the first couple of DS9 seasons).
Other early (i.e. pre-2000/2001) favorites of the top of my head:
Spock's World (TOS)
The Entropy Effect (TOS)
Spock Must Die (TOS / Bantam)
Foreign Foes (TNG)
First Frontier (TOS)
Echoes (VOY)
Timetrap (TOS)
Enterprise the First Adventure (TOS)
Shadows on the Sun (TOS)
Final Frontier (TOS)
Kahless (TNG)
Q-Squared (TNG)
Vendetta (TNG)
Imzadi (TNG)
Q-In-Law (TNG)
Immortal Coil (TNG)
In the Name of Honor (TOS)
I loved that book
there was a string of early numbered DS9 books I liked very much when I was younger - The Big Game, Fallen Heroes (which referenced the Big Game IIRC) and Betrayal which was IMO a nice "political" story (much like the first couple of DS9 seasons).Other early (i.e. pre-2000/2001) favorites of the top of my head:
Spock's World (TOS)
The Entropy Effect (TOS)
Spock Must Die (TOS / Bantam)
Foreign Foes (TNG)
First Frontier (TOS)
Echoes (VOY)
Timetrap (TOS)
Enterprise the First Adventure (TOS)
Shadows on the Sun (TOS)
Final Frontier (TOS)
Kahless (TNG)
Q-Squared (TNG)
Vendetta (TNG)
Imzadi (TNG)
Q-In-Law (TNG)
Immortal Coil (TNG)
In the Name of Honor (TOS)
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
FWIW, DC comics' version of Kirk's prior command was the Baton Rouge class USS Saladin.
I loved Enterprise: TFA and Entropy Effect. Although the main plot of the former wasn't great, I thought the pre-Kirk backstories given the TOS characters and how they all got together was excellently done. Some cite poor characterization, but IMO the point is, these are younger versions of the TOS characters (by quite a few years, IIRC Kirk is 28 here and 34 at the start of TOS). They're not "there" yet.
USS Lydia Sutherland. I remember because my mind always goes "USS Donald Sutherland" first!
FWIW, DC comics' version of Kirk's prior command was the Baton Rouge class USS Saladin.
I loved Enterprise: TFA and Entropy Effect. Although the main plot of the former wasn't great, I thought the pre-Kirk backstories given the TOS characters and how they all got together was excellently done. Some cite poor characterization, but IMO the point is, these are younger versions of the TOS characters (by quite a few years, IIRC Kirk is 28 here and 34 at the start of TOS). They're not "there" yet.
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Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
Baton Rouge, not "Baton Rogue." Rouge is French for red, rogue is a scoundrel or vagabond, or an X-Men member when capitalized. (Funny, I usually see that spelling mixup done the other way, like "rouge planet.")
What gets me about DC Comics's Who's Who in Star Trek is that it includes backstory info from both DC's own continuity and Enterprise: The First Adventure even though they contradict each other. But then, comics continuity has always been a flexible thing.
Baton Rouge, not "Baton Rogue." Rouge is French for red, rogue is a scoundrel or vagabond, or an X-Men member when capitalized. (Funny, I usually see that spelling mixup done the other way, like "rouge planet.")
What gets me about DC Comics's Who's Who in Star Trek is that it includes backstory info from both DC's own continuity and Enterprise: The First Adventure even though they contradict each other. But then, comics continuity has always been a flexible thing.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
Whoops! That was a mere typo, not a misunderstanding of the name.
Whoops! That was a mere typo, not a misunderstanding of the name.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
By turgid I meant overblown. Specifically the relationships between kirk & hunter(?) and sulu and mandala(?), as well as sulu's joining hunter's crew or somesuch.
None of that worked well for me, and I didn't think a great deal of the main plot either.
Felt a real letdown too, as I specifically bought it after finishing First Adventure, where I really loved the worldship concept.
I didn't feel "Into the Nebula" moved that slowly, though I agree with the rest(will never understand why rebels was three books). Warped I felt was justified as it seemed to me to be trying more at building creeping tension, like possesion or intellivore. Whether it succeeded or not is another matter of course.
By turgid I meant overblown. Specifically the relationships between kirk & hunter(?) and sulu and mandala(?), as well as sulu's joining hunter's crew or somesuch.
None of that worked well for me, and I didn't think a great deal of the main plot either.
Felt a real letdown too, as I specifically bought it after finishing First Adventure, where I really loved the worldship concept.
I didn't feel "Into the Nebula" moved that slowly, though I agree with the rest(will never understand why rebels was three books). Warped I felt was justified as it seemed to me to be trying more at building creeping tension, like possesion or intellivore. Whether it succeeded or not is another matter of course.
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
So many good older "numbered" ST books. Just a few randomly that I've enjoyed:
the Yesterday saga
Prime Directive
My Enemy, My Ally
Chain of Attack/Final Nexus
Memory Prime
Sarek
Federation
First Frontier
Could probably keep naming books, but suffice it to say they're a lot of fun, and I've read most of them to the point I've worn them out. They didn't have the same cohesiveness that they do these days, but still fun jaunts with the characters, and for a while, they did share some continuity bits, even if the 5YM ended up being about 30 years when you add all the stories in
So many good older "numbered" ST books. Just a few randomly that I've enjoyed:
the Yesterday saga
Prime Directive
My Enemy, My Ally
Chain of Attack/Final Nexus
Memory Prime
Sarek
Federation
First Frontier
Could probably keep naming books, but suffice it to say they're a lot of fun, and I've read most of them to the point I've worn them out. They didn't have the same cohesiveness that they do these days, but still fun jaunts with the characters, and for a while, they did share some continuity bits, even if the 5YM ended up being about 30 years when you add all the stories in
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
Off the top of my head in no particular order
Off the top of my head in no particular order
- Entropy Effect
- TMP Novelization
- ST II-IV novelizations
- Spock's World
- Prime Directive
- Final Frontier
- Best Destiny
- Enterprise: The First Adventure
- Star Trek Logs (TAS Novelizations)
- Yesterday's Son
- Time for Yesterday
- Strangers From the Sky
- Vulcan's Glory
- Imzadi
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
My favorite older (Pre 2000) ST books:
The Q-Continuum Trilogy by Greg Cox (TNG)
The Vulcan Academy Murders (TOS)
The Captain's Daughter (TOS)
Fallen Heroes (DS9)
Dreadnought/Battlestations (TOS)
Q-Squared (TNG)
The Eyes of the Beholders (TNG)
My favorite older (Pre 2000) ST books:
The Q-Continuum Trilogy by Greg Cox (TNG)
The Vulcan Academy Murders (TOS)
The Captain's Daughter (TOS)
Fallen Heroes (DS9)
Dreadnought/Battlestations (TOS)
Q-Squared (TNG)
The Eyes of the Beholders (TNG)
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
A few of my favourites:
TOS - The Return
TNG - Imzadi
TNG - The Soldiers of Fear
TNG - Dark Mirror
TNG - Q-in-Law
VOY - Mosaic
VOY - Section 31: Shadow
VOY - Echoes
A few of my favourites:
TOS - The Return
TNG - Imzadi
TNG - The Soldiers of Fear
TNG - Dark Mirror
TNG - Q-in-Law
VOY - Mosaic
VOY - Section 31: Shadow
VOY - Echoes
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
At least it's not the USS Kiefer Sutherland:
- Chronometer appears in big yellow numbers on all viewscreens and can't be turned off
- Computer takes care of intruders itself: "DROP THE PHASER! DROP IT NOW!!!"
- Every damn week, there's a different Federation President
- Captain can somehow get from his own quarters to the bridge in like 10 seconds without using the transporter or turbolift (give you all a few minutes to work that one out...
)
- Any crew members who won't eat the chef's special, he shoots them in the thigh and yells "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!?!?"
- Way too many senior officers (than necessary) are obscure Canadian character actors
- It's Chief O'Brian, not O'Brien
- Every time you think you know who's behind the alien takeover of the week, turns out it's somebody else
At least it's not the USS Kiefer Sutherland:
- Chronometer appears in big yellow numbers on all viewscreens and can't be turned off
- Computer takes care of intruders itself: "DROP THE PHASER! DROP IT NOW!!!"
- Every damn week, there's a different Federation President
- Captain can somehow get from his own quarters to the bridge in like 10 seconds without using the transporter or turbolift (give you all a few minutes to work that one out...
)- Any crew members who won't eat the chef's special, he shoots them in the thigh and yells "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!?!?"
- Way too many senior officers (than necessary) are obscure Canadian character actors
- It's Chief O'Brian, not O'Brien
- Every time you think you know who's behind the alien takeover of the week, turns out it's somebody else
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
Re: Favorite older ST novel? (Accidentally submitted to gaming section
(Side-note: I'm always amused that Jack Bauer, that symbol of American militarism and fury, is played by a Canadian whose grandfather introduced single payer health care to his country.)
At least it's not the USS Kiefer Sutherland:
- Chronometer appears in big yellow numbers on all viewscreens and can't be turned off
- Computer takes care of intruders itself: "DROP THE PHASER! DROP IT NOW!!!"
- Every damn week, there's a different Federation President
- Captain can somehow get from his own quarters to the bridge in like 10 seconds without using the transporter or turbolift (give you all a few minutes to work that one out...
- Any crew members who won't eat the chef's special, he shoots them in the thigh and yells "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!?!?"
- Way too many senior officers (than necessary) are obscure Canadian character actors
- It's Chief O'Brian, not O'Brien
- Every time you think you know who's behind the alien takeover of the week, turns out it's somebody else
(Side-note: I'm always amused that Jack Bauer, that symbol of American militarism and fury, is played by a Canadian whose grandfather introduced single payer health care to his country.)
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