Favourite SNW-Story?

[Kopernikus]

Soon I'm gonna get a big bunch of books: 8 Volumes of Strange New Worlds (All except 7 and 10 which I already had, Bought them used via Amazon.com Market Place, let them being shipped to the place of a friend of my future parents-in-law in Florida who are currently on vacation there, after I saw the prices in Euro I had to laugh loud and they looked even small in Dollar )

So, enough of the family-stories, back to topic: I was thinking to approach that big pile of paper by doing the highlights first (Really looking forward to The Million Year Mission and the Borg-creation-ones), but what are, apart from those mentioned, recommendable? Judging from the two volumes I already read, I presume the Speculations-parts are going to be most entertaining?

 

[trampledamage]

Can't remember which volume it's in - but the Chinese Monkey Puzzle Box by Kevin Killaney (writing from memory, hope I have that right) is one of the best stories I have ever read, Trek or otherwise.

 

[TGTheodore]

I swear to God I didn't start this thread under another name!

I do have a number of favorites. I think "Our Million-Year Mission" is near or at the top of that list. It's virtually a Trek alloy in story form.

--Ted

 

[Dayton Ward]

I have soft spots for:

"A Private Anecdote"
"Whatever You Do, Don't Read This Story"
"Isolation Ward 4"
"Assignment: One"

There are others, but these are the first ones off the top of my head.

 

[Defcon]

I've only read Volumes I, VII, 8 and 9.

Most of my favorites come from VII so you know them already and I'll leave them out of the list:

Reflections (SNW I)
Life's Lessons (SNW I)
Of Cabbages and Kings (SNW I)
Ambassador at Large (SNW I)
Don't call me tiny (SNW 8)
Staying the Course (SNW 9)

 

[KLauderdale]

(SNW 3) "The Aliens are Coming!" - I'm not just scratching Dayton's back when I say that this showed me of possibilities of what you could do with old, favorite characters.

(SNW 9) "Choices" - Trek is at its best when it's contemporary issued filtered through this fictional universe. Susan didn't win 2nd prize for nothing.

(SNW 6) "Our Million-Year Mission" - yeah, yeah, yeah, so they created a whole new SNW category just to have a place to put this. Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . this goes to 11 on the Cool Scale.

 

[Trent Roman]

A number are quite good, but the ones that always stick out when I look back are:

"Personal Log", Kevin Killianey, IV
"Isolation Ward Four", Kevin G. Summers, IV
"Guardians", Brett Hudgins, VII

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Turtletrekker]

Our Million-Year Mission.

 

[Jim Johnson]

Kevin Summers' "Isolation Ward Four" in SNW IV was the story that inspired me to enter the contest in the first place. I think it's also the only SNW story to make it to the preliminary Nebula ballot, which isn't inconsiderable.

 

[William Leisner]

"A Private Ancedote" in SNW I

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I can't remember which SNW volumes these were all from, but my favorites are:

-The Immortality Blues

- Our Million Year Mission

- Concurrence

That one about V'Ger coming back to find the entire universe assimilated by the Borg

-Guardians

That one about the alternate timeline in "Twilight" and how Khan reacted when he encountered it

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. "Our Million Year Mission."

 

[Mistral]

Is "Guardians" the one about the Horta? 'Cause that one just won't get out of my head.
Wish I had my copies here because there were at least 2-3 that left me contemplative for the rest of the day after reading them.

 

[Amy Sisson]

The ones that jump to mind immediately are:

SNW (I) - "Of Cabbages and Kings" (second prize winner) by Franklin Thatcher. This is the one that got me interested in the whole concept of SNW. There's a single WORD in this story that blew me away with its implications.

SNW III - "Ninety-Three Hours" by Kim Sheard. Dax. What's not to love? Lump-in-the-throat last sentence.

SNW VI - "The Beginning" by Annie Reed. Drop-dead brilliant Borg origin story.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The Immortality Blues is definitely my favorite SNW story. No question.

Spoiler: SNW

Flint is just so cool in it, with his secret compound beneath Grand Central Station, and the way he casually moves from one identity to another (he has a whole storehouse of identities just ready for use; as World War III breaks out, he determines that his old identity must die and so he moves to the next one on the list). It was definitely not surprising to learn that Flint is, at least partly, responsible for how quickly Earth recovered after the war. And I loved seeing Colonel Green get his final comeuppance.

 

[LightningStorm]

SNW VI - "The Beginning" by Annie Reed. Drop-dead brilliant Borg origin story.

Couldn't agree more, and this is my pick for favorite. (Keeping in mind I've only read like 4 SNW stories at all).

 

[Defcon]

Since everybody else seems to include SNW VII stories, her are a few I liked in that volume:

Guardians by Brett Hudgins
Future Shock by John Coffren
The Low of Averages by Amy Sisson
Full Circle by Scott Pearson
Indomitable by Kevin Killiany
Life's Work by Julie A. Hyzy

 

[KevinK]

Can't remember which volume it's in - but the Chinese Monkey Puzzle Box by Kevin Killaney (writing from memory, hope I have that right) is one of the best stories I have ever read, Trek or otherwise.

Wow. Thanks for the high praise.
You will not be at all surprised to know that I had more fun writing "The Monkey Puzzle Box" than any other story I can think of.

 

[KevinK]

"What Ever You Do, Don't Read This Story"
"Isolation Ward 4"
"Research"
And this other one I can't remember the name of but it had a bunch of Star Trek people in it.....

 

[Scott Pearson]

Since everybody else seems to include SNW VII stories, her are a few I liked in that volume:

Guardians by Brett Hudgins
Future Shock by John Coffren
The Low of Averages by Amy Sisson
Full Circle by Scott Pearson
Indomitable by Kevin Killiany
Life's Work by Julie A. Hyzy

Thanks!