Good (new) standalone?

[RoJoHen]

I've suddenly, after a few years of not reading anything Trek, got an urge to read a Star Trek book again.

I know that there are a lot of series going on right now. I read the first books in the DS9 Relaunch, but for some reason I wasn't feeling that series as much as I would have liked. (I think I just prefer the DS9 characters on screen).

I would prefer to read a new(ish) standalone novel, preferably of the TOS or TNG persuasion. I just don't have the time to invest in a whole new series.

So what do you got for me? I think the last standalone novel I read was that one about Data (I can't remember the name, but it was good stuff).

 

[Rosalind]

Article of the Federation by Keith R. A. Decandido -- a year in the life of president of the Federation, although you might not prefer it, as it pretty much contains all new characters. Set after Nemesis.

The Buried Age by Christopher L Bennett -- focused on Picard, set in the years after Stargazer and before Enterprise.

Serpent among the Ruins by David R George III -- adventure of the Ent-B, years after the Nexus incident. explaining the event of the 'Tomed Incident'.

The Art of The Impossible by KRAD again -- 18 years hostility between the Klingons and the Cardassians. set just before TNG started, I think.

(while these two books might not be what you had in mind, they are great reads, two of the best Trek books in recent years.)

Ex Machina by CLB again -- Enterprise's first advanture after the motion picture

Crucible by DRG3 again -- this is a set of three books focusing on the lives of McCoy, Spock and Kirk from the original series to 'present' day, they can be read individually.

that's probably enough for now.

 

[JD]

FYI Articles is standalone and can easily be read and enjoyed without reading anything before it, but it does build off of the events of the A Time TO series. Now you don't have to read them, but I just thought it would helpful to be aware of that. I read it before ATT, but I was aware of the series and I knew that it's events were referenced. I just want to finish off by saying that it really is a great book and I highly reccomend it.

 

[Kopernikus]

Stand-alone Novels have indeed been quite rare in the last 2 or 3 years. Some good of them have already been mentioned, some others I'd like to recommend are:

Burning Dreams by Margaret Wander Bonnano, the life of Christopher Pike

Hollow Man by Una McCormack, the aftermath of the DS9-episode "In the Pale Moonlight"

And If you're interested in Short-Stories, take a look at "Constellations" (TOS 40th Anniversary-Anthology) or one of the last Strange New Worlds-Anthologies.

 

[Ethros]

Rosalind said:
The Buried Age by Christopher L Bennett -- focused on Picard, set in the years after Stargazer and before Enterprise.

Just wondered, does one have to be familiar with the Stargazer series of books to fully enjoy this or not? Because I've never read any, but I enjoyed the other books in 'The Lost Era' er, era

 

[Smiley]

The book takes place mostly between the Stargazer and Enterprise years, and anything you need to know about Picard's old crew is supplied by the author.

 

[JD]

Kopernikus said:


And If you're interested in Short-Stories, take a look at "Constellations" (TOS 40th Anniversary-Anthology) or one of the last Strange New Worlds-Anthologies.

There's also Prophecy and CHange for DS9's 10th, Distant Shores for VGR' 10th, and the upcoming the Sky's The Limit for TNG's 10th.

 

[Christopher]

Ethros said:
Just wondered, does one have to be familiar with the Stargazer series of books to fully enjoy this or not?

Not in the least. The existing Stargazer books (at least those with that series title) all take place in the first six months of Picard's command of the ship in 2333, while The Buried Age begins fully 22 years later and depicts the decisive end of that command in its first chapter. It is no more a Stargazer novel than DS9's "Emissary" is a Saratoga episode.

 

[Scott Pearson]

JD said:the upcoming the Sky's The Limit for TNG's 10th.

That should be TNG's 20th. I've just started watching TNG with my daughter--at twenty years old, the VHS tapes are holding up pretty well. Sure wish I could afford the big new boxed DVD set...

 

[JD]

Gahhh, I just got writing 10 so many times it slipped out.. I'm having a bit of a crazy day , so I'm not exactly quick to pick up on mistakes here. It is days like today that I am thankfull for this site, because you guys are all really cool, and hanging out here really helps me calm down.

 

[William Leisner]

If you're looking for something a little off-format in the TOS era, try The Case of the Colonist's Corpse, a Perry Mason-type mystery starring Samuel Cogley.

 

[captcalhoun]

what about Resistance. new. post-NEM TNG.

 

[Defcon]

^ I haven't read it, but Resistance is part of the post Nemesis novel series and as far as I understand it those are interconnected, so it doesn't really fit in the standalone category.

 

[Christopher]

^^Well, yes and no. There is a continuity running through the post-NEM TNG novels, but they aren't outright serialized. They're more like episodes with a loose arc underlying them. And both Resistance and Q & A can be considered standalone novels, I'd say, in that you could read either one and get a complete story that doesn't depend on any prior storylines other than those in the TNG TV series and films.

 

[Defcon]

^ O.K., thanks for the clarification.

 

[JWolf]

JD said:
FYI Articles is standalone and can easily be read and enjoyed without reading anything before it, but it does build off of the events of the A Time TO series. Now you don't have to read them, but I just thought it would helpful to be aware of that. I read it before ATT, but I was aware of the series and I knew that it's events were referenced. I just want to finish off by saying that it really is a great book and I highly recommend it.

AoTF will give some spoilers for Titan. So it's best to read the first two Titan novels first.

 

[JD]

Yeah, but she/he doesn't want to get into any series, so I don't think that's going to be an issue for him/her