Newbie to Star Trek books...

[ReadyAndWilling]

Hey guys, I'm really eager to give Star Trek literature a try. However, I don't know where to begin! I tried doing some Googling, but I just have no clue which e-books are considered the best.

There was just so much selection for me to choose one.

I love Data, the Borg and the Jem'Hadar if that helps narrow down my search.

 

[tomswift2002]

You might want to check out "Vendetta" by Peter David. It's a great Borg book, basically a sequel to "The Best Of Both Worlds".

You should also check out "Survivors" by Jean Lorrah. It's a Tasha Yar story, but Data plays a fairly significant role in it as well.

As for the a Dominion, "Heart Of The Warrior" is a good Dominion War story.

 

[Thrawn]

Tomswift2002 just named you three complete standalones. In my opinion though, and the opinion of a lot of other people here, the really amazing stuff TrekLit has going is the interconnected ongoing universe that has formed between the novels set after each series ends (post-What You Leave Behind, post-Endgame, post-Nemesis).

There's a flowchart in my signature that links together all the novels in this continuity. It looks huge, but don't be intimidated - you can pretty much start anywhere. It's meant to be a tool for you to figure out what to read next, or which books come before or after the one you're currently on, not an exhaustive list of everything you MUST read in THIS order, if that makes sense.

I recommend two popular starting places, based on what you've said. The Deep Space Nine relaunch begins with Avatar, and has a Jem'Hadar character I think you'll love. And the Destiny trilogy is the best Borg story ever told, and despite having a bunch of stuff preceding it, was designed as (and succeeds at being) a fantastic jumping-on point for the ongoing continuity. Just be prepared for some characters to not be in exactly the places you left them...

(As far as Data goes, you'll enjoy Immortal Coil and then the Cold Equations trilogy, but there's a lot of great stuff between Destiny and the Cold Equations trilogy, which I would honestly recommend reading. You can start with Cold Equations, too, if you want, but it's less smooth than starting with Destiny or Avatar.)

Bottom line: there is an insane amount of amazing TrekLit out there for you to find. Welcome!

 

[ryan123450]

Check out Immortal Coil for the best Data story out there. The DS9 Relaunch will give you some interesting Jem'Hadar stories, and The TNG Relaunch has some good Borg stories leading up to the absolute best Borg story ever written, the Destiny trilogy. After that you could continue on with the 24th Century storyline. More Data goodness will follow. browse threw my website for more info on what books to read. Enjoy all the great storiescoming your way!

 

[Thrawn]

^ Haha, great minds think alike...

 

[ryan123450]

That's just what I was fixing to say! I guess those are pretty solid suggestions then.

 

[dansigal]

Hey guys, I'm really eager to give Star Trek literature a try. However, I don't know where to begin! I tried doing some Googling, but I just have no clue which e-books are considered the best.

There was just so much selection for me to choose one.

I love Data, the Borg and the Jem'Hadar if that helps narrow down my search.

ReadyAndWilling...there is a very similar thread to this going on right now, I would check it out I think it will be helpful to you

 

[Relayer1]

Run. Get out now while you still have a life !

No, seriously though, I'd avoid the old novels for now (some are OK, many not) and go with the relaunch. Either start in the beginning with Avatar or jump in later with Destiny, which isn't a favourite of mine but is a good starting point.

If you like Data, the Cold Equations trilogy is phenomenal, but would probably be best read after Immortal Coil (again not a favourite of mine).

There is some really excellent stuff in the post series novels and there is real change in the Trek Universe which was not possible in the earlier books.

Dive in...

 

[Reanok]

Immortal Coil and The Cold Equations trilogy are excellent Data stories.Coming out in June there's another new Data book coming out The Light Fantastic by Jeffrey Lang.

 

[ryan123450]

You should most definitely read those Data books in order though.

 

[Relayer1]

You might also want to read The Questor Tapes :

http://www.amazon.com/Questor-Tapes.../ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

It's not from the same publisher and 'isn't quite' in continuity, but 'informs' the background to Immortal Coil.

 

[tomswift2002]

Tomswift2002 just named you three complete standalones.

Don't forget the events of "Vendetta" do play a role in the early TNG relaunch books, as well as expanding on the Shelby character---expansion that's used in Star Trek New Frontier.

 

[JD]

I'm putting in another vote for the DS9 Relaunch or Destiny. They're both great jumping on points.

 

[Leto_II]

As for the a Dominion, "Heart Of The Warrior" is a good Dominion War story.

It's been a while since I've read it, but isn't Heart of the Warrior a DS9 Season 4 story (taking place not long after Worf joins the crew)?

I appear to have misplaced my copy somewhere (likely packed away -- we recently moved), so I can't check offhand, but I vaguely sort of remember this, kinda. Of course, given the timespan, I might be wrong, too.

 

[Christopher]

It's been a while since I've read it, but isn't Heart of the Warrior a DS9 Season 4 story (taking place not long after Worf joins the crew)?

Yes, it's the first original DS9 novel with Worf in it, which is no doubt why it was given that title and a big Worf head on the cover even though it isn't a Worf-centric story at all. The title change must've been last-minute, since the historian's note refers to the book by its original title, The Trojan Spaceship.

(And I've just had one of those moments where I hear the name "Worf" in my head over and over and realize yet again that it's a really, really silly character name.)

 

[indianatrekker26]

I've read a scattering of the relaunch books, but I've never read them from the start, which I would begin with Avatar. My question is, when I get to the Gateways series, wasn't each book set up as its own standalone, that you didn't have to read them in any kind of order? Then the final book had the concluding chuck for each book? So I could just read the DS9 relaunch portion?

 

[Christopher]

I've read a scattering of the relaunch books, but I've never read them from the start, which I would begin with Avatar. My question is, when I get to the Gateways series, wasn't each book set up as its own standalone, that you didn't have to read them in any kind of order? Then the final book had the concluding chuck for each book? So I could just read the DS9 relaunch portion?

Yes, and the trade paperback Twist of Faith includes both the novel and the concluding novella for the DS9 portion of Gateways (as well as Avatar and Abyss), so if you just get that, you'll have all you need.

 

[indianatrekker26]

I've read a scattering of the relaunch books, but I've never read them from the start, which I would begin with Avatar. My question is, when I get to the Gateways series, wasn't each book set up as its own standalone, that you didn't have to read them in any kind of order? Then the final book had the concluding chuck for each book? So I could just read the DS9 relaunch portion?

Yes, and the trade paperback Twist of Faith includes both the novel and the concluding novella for the DS9 portion of Gateways (as well as Avatar and Abyss), so if you just get that, you'll have all you need.

Awesome, thanks for the clarification, Chris. I'm looking forward to reading the DS9 post-finale stuff.

 

[Therin of Andor]

You should also check out "Survivors" by Jean Lorrah. It's a Tasha Yar story, but Data plays a fairly significant role in it as well.

Indeed, and its guest characters return in the Data "giant novel", "Metamorphosis", also by Jean Lorrah. One friend was utterly disappointed in it, so maybe it's a bit soap opera-ish(?), but I thoroughly enjoyed it when it first came out, hard on the heels of fans of the day asking, "Could Data ever become human?"

 

[tomswift2002]

As for the a Dominion, "Heart Of The Warrior" is a good Dominion War story.

It's been a while since I've read it, but isn't Heart of the Warrior a DS9 Season 4 story (taking place not long after Worf joins the crew)?

It is a Season 4 novel, but the whole plot is about the crew entering Dominion territory in a hijacked Dominion ship; a similar story would air as part of the Season 6 Dominion War story arc.

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Heart_of_the_Warrior