I'll still vote for Planet of Judg(e)ment - I can still pick that up and enjoy it, which is more than can be said for a lot of the books from that era...
Less known star trek books
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I'll still vote for Planet of Judg(e)ment - I can still pick that up and enjoy it, which is more than can be said for a lot of the books from that era...
I always enjoyed The Galactic Whirlpool. And I confess... one of my guilty pleasures was Spock, Messiah! 
In fact, I remember exactly where I bought that book, and how much I paid for it... $1.75, all in quarters, and that was a fortune in those days since I was a teenager earning 50 cents an hour babysitting. I was with my mother, and she was extremely disapproving, not only that I'd buy a Star Trek book, but that I'd PAY SO MUCH MONEY for it!!!
"You don't really want that, do you?" she asked, trying to talk me out of it.
My mother never understood any books except for westerns or romances, although she didn't mind me reading mysteries or fairy tales when I was a kid. What she would have said if she'd only known about all the Sex and Violence and Naked People in that novel...
In fact, I remember exactly where I bought that book, and how much I paid for it... $1.75, all in quarters, and that was a fortune in those days since I was a teenager earning 50 cents an hour babysitting. I was with my mother, and she was extremely disapproving, not only that I'd buy a Star Trek book, but that I'd PAY SO MUCH MONEY for it!!!
"You don't really want that, do you?" she asked, trying to talk me out of it.My mother never understood any books except for westerns or romances, although she didn't mind me reading mysteries or fairy tales when I was a kid. What she would have said if she'd only known about all the Sex and Violence and Naked People in that novel...
Well, of course, The Galactic Whirlpool was Gerrold's chance to finally implement his very first Star Trek story premise, from before "The Trouble with Tribbles," before "The Protracted Man" or "Bandi."
He'd previously tried to do it as an original novel called Yesterday's Children, but that novel ended up veering off in a totally different direction that no longer had anything to do with that title. (When he expanded it and reissued it in 1980, around the same time as The Galactic Whirlpool, it was renamed Star Hunt in some editions.) He then reworked YC's characters and ship into a TV series proposal called Voyage of the Star Wolf, which never made it to the air but which spawned three novels. So Gerrold's gotten at least six books out of this single rejected pitch -- and TGW is the only one that actually bears any resemblance to the original story.
There's a fair amount of blather on Tomorrow Was Yesterday/Yesterday's Children/Galactic Whirpool developments at http://www.well.com/~sjroby/lcars/starwolf/ for anyone not familiar with all the backstory. Needs to be updated to include the filmed version of Blood and Fire, but I haven't seen that yet.
One of my favorite of the older Trek books is Julia Ecklar's Kobayashi Maru.
Yeah it was gimmicky, and the framing story was not particular interesting. But seeing how each of the crew fared against the no-win scenario was a hoot.
Yeah it was gimmicky, and the framing story was not particular interesting. But seeing how each of the crew fared against the no-win scenario was a hoot.
I liked that novel I read it recently.I just read Trek to Madworld by Steven Golden this was an old TOS novel i hadn't read before I bought it at a used book store recently.
IMO, John M Ford's 'The Final Reflection' was outstanding. As a dedicated RPGer, I also liked how it tied in with the Klingon material for FASA's 'Star Trek' role-playing game (John M Ford also wrote that). Canon soon took both the Klingons and Federation history on a different path but, for me, this has always been THE Klingon book.
Also enjoyed his 'How Much For Just The Planet'. Lots of fun. Scottie's "duel" with one Klingon was absolutely priceless.
'Trek To Madworld' brings back fond memories.
As does 'The Galactic Whirlpool'. I particularly liked the story-in-the-story ('The MacMurray Encounter'), which would have made a great episode in the right hands.
Another book quickly overtaken by canon (de-canonized?) was 'Federation' by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Written prior to 'First Contact' it crossed over between Zefrem Cochrane, TOS and TNG. Quite a different take to what was established in First Contact and, later, Enterprise, but still very very good.
Diane Carey's 'The Great Starship Race' and 'Best Destiny' are also ones I like.
Lee Correy's 'Abode Of Life' is also very well done.
'Strike Zone' (an early TNG novel) I give an honourable mention. Worf saves the day in a pivotal scene, then delivers one of the best throwaway lines in Trek history.
'Q-In-Law', another early TNG novel. Q and Lwaxana Troi on the Enterprise-D at the same frackin' time. Once again, honourable mentions - Q gets some well-deserved comeuppance, and Worf gets more great lines.
Just about anything Diane Duane wrote for Trek I like - even if later canon changes have blown most of her work off the grid. 'Doctor's Orders', 'Spock's World', 'The Wounded Sky', 'The Romulan Way', 'My Enemy, My Ally' and TNG's 'Dark Mirror'* are all favourites of mine.
(* - Alternate 'Mirror Mirror' universe in the time of TNG, where the Terran Empire did NOT fall. ISS Enterprise-D, commanded by one Jean-Luc Picard, is a scary ship - and its Deanna Troi is even scarier.)
Also enjoyed his 'How Much For Just The Planet'. Lots of fun. Scottie's "duel" with one Klingon was absolutely priceless.
'Trek To Madworld' brings back fond memories.
As does 'The Galactic Whirlpool'. I particularly liked the story-in-the-story ('The MacMurray Encounter'), which would have made a great episode in the right hands.
Another book quickly overtaken by canon (de-canonized?) was 'Federation' by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Written prior to 'First Contact' it crossed over between Zefrem Cochrane, TOS and TNG. Quite a different take to what was established in First Contact and, later, Enterprise, but still very very good.
Diane Carey's 'The Great Starship Race' and 'Best Destiny' are also ones I like.
Lee Correy's 'Abode Of Life' is also very well done.
'Strike Zone' (an early TNG novel) I give an honourable mention. Worf saves the day in a pivotal scene, then delivers one of the best throwaway lines in Trek history.
'Q-In-Law', another early TNG novel. Q and Lwaxana Troi on the Enterprise-D at the same frackin' time
. Once again, honourable mentions - Q gets some well-deserved comeuppance, and Worf gets more great lines.Just about anything Diane Duane wrote for Trek I like - even if later canon changes have blown most of her work off the grid. 'Doctor's Orders', 'Spock's World', 'The Wounded Sky', 'The Romulan Way', 'My Enemy, My Ally' and TNG's 'Dark Mirror'* are all favourites of mine.
(* - Alternate 'Mirror Mirror' universe in the time of TNG, where the Terran Empire did NOT fall. ISS Enterprise-D, commanded by one Jean-Luc Picard, is a scary ship - and its Deanna Troi is even scarier.)
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I especially enjoyed the Sulu segment of the story.
7thsealord all the books you've mentioned I 've read and liked The Final Relection,The Abode of Life,How Much for just the planet is a great read.The Great Starship race.Best Dwstiny and Strike Zone. Q in law my favorite scene Lxwana getting her revenge on Q that scene makes me laugh everytime I read it.
Q in Law was one of my first reads ever and always makes me laugh, too!
I have no idea how well-known this one was, but the TNG novel Masks by John Vornholt is another one of my favorites from that era. Contamination and Rock and a Hard Place are also some of the more memorable ones to me.
I have no idea how well-known this one was, but the TNG novel Masks by John Vornholt is another one of my favorites from that era. Contamination and Rock and a Hard Place are also some of the more memorable ones to me.
I think one novel worth bringing up (that isn't well-known), is "The Captain's Daughter" by Peter David. That was a surprisingly good adventure as it has more scenes with Sulu and the Excelsior, and also answer's Kirk's question in STG:
"Sulu, when did HE have time for a family?"
Some of the Shatnerverse books don't get mentioned very often, either. Specifically the first 3.
"Sulu, when did HE have time for a family?"
Some of the Shatnerverse books don't get mentioned very often, either. Specifically the first 3.
I must dispute the "less well known" status of many of the books being mentioned here.
What's well-known to some might not be to others. It's got to be a subjective term, unless someone has actually taken the time to poll all trek readers on books they've heard of and books they haven't. I've read about 150 novels and have lots of others on my "someday" list but, for instance, I've never heard of "The Captain's Daughter."
So, maybe we could give each other recommendations for not very well known star trek books that are hardly ever talked about but are a great read.
But as bolded above the topic of this thread were what those books that are seldom talked about, and to stay with your example The Captain's Daughter is talked about regularly if I'm not misremembering, pretty much everytime Harriman or Demora Sulu are discussed and quite often when Peter David's works are discussed
So only people familiar with every book discussed on this board should participate on this thread? But what is the point in criticizing people for mentioning a book that you remember someone else mentioning recently? All it does is shuts people down from participating in what could be a good discussion. I've enjoyed reading all of the titles mentioned here....yes some of them I have heard of before but, does that hurt me?
I think what's going on is that we have alot of the newer posters in the thread, so they don't necessarily know what books are and aren't mentioned a lot around here.
EDIT: I don't think anyone is saying that. It's just that this is supposed to be a thread for books that you don't hear about alot, and quite a few of the books that are being mentioned are probably some of the most popular Trek books ever written.
EDIT: I don't think anyone is saying that. It's just that this is supposed to be a thread for books that you don't hear about alot, and quite a few of the books that are being mentioned are probably some of the most popular Trek books ever written.
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Awesomely awful. It's a giant bird creating shooting blue lightning at Kirk's head and Kirk doesn't even know it's happening. That is one ghastly bad cover in the it never should have been approved vein.
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