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RonG

RonG

Captain
Captain
Hi everyone! after years of lurking and very few posts, I wanted to actively (hopefully) return to my favorite forum - TrekLit. So, hello from Israel :)

I was an avid TrekLit reader for years before losing touch a couple some time ago (with several glaring gaps in my reading pile accumulated throughout the years), and I wanted to start with asking for reviews (non-spoiled, or as close as can be) for several books:

- ENT: Last Full Measure, The Good that Men Do
- TNG: Genesis Wave series, the post-Nemesis books
- DS9: Millennium trilogy, Hollow Men
- TOS: Crucible trilogy, Shatner's books

Thnaks in advance for your input :)
 
I highly recommend the ENT books, especially The Good That Men Do.

The Genesis Wave series and TNG "relaunch" are both mixed bags. "Genesis" starts off strong then wanders a bit before getting back on track. The post-NEM TNG books have been uneven. Resistance by JM Dillard is fast-paced and never boring, but is basically a mish-mash of previous Borg tales. KRAD's Q&A was a step up, the ultimate Q story, we finally find out the real reason for his fascination with humanity in general and Picard in particular. Peter David's Before Dishonor picks up the Borg story from Resistance and also serves as a sequel to PAD's classic Vendetta. It's a good read, but some are of the opinion that it takes the Borg over the top and some of the characterizations of the "new" crewmembers don't jibe well with Q&A (Peter David has stated that he didn't read Q&A before writing "Before Dishonor", which explains the inconsistancies, but they still tend to stand out).

The Millenium trilogy is quite good and I believe that you would enjoy it, but if you're going to be reading DS9, I would recommend the DS9-Relaunch, which takes the story beyond the finale. The first four books and a novella have recently been re-printed in trade paperback form with the title Twist of Faith. I also highly recommend A Stitch in Time by Andrew "Garak" Robinson. Garak's life story as told by the man himself. Hollow Men didn't really do much for me, but others here like it very much.

The Crucible trilogy is very good, but the first book (McCoy) is the best. Shatner's books are an aquired taste. I actually quite enjoyed the first few, but my interest waned as the series progressed.
 
As Vendetta was my first ever Trek novel, I'll be sure to pick up Before Dishonor, as well as the 3 (2?) preceding TNG-R books.

I've already read all DS9-R novels, including Stitch in Time and Lives of Dax (as this is my favorite novel series, other than New Frontier), and I've read somewhere that the Millennium series serves as a precursor to the Relaunch.

Re: Shatner's books - weren't these co-written by the Reeves-Stevenses, who also wrote Millennium and Federation (another favorite of mine)?
 
RonG said:
As Vendetta was my first ever Trek novel, I'll be sure to pick up Before Dishonor, as well as the 3 (2?) preceding TNG-R books.
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Don't forget Death in Winter which is technically the first of the TNG relaunch, and a good Picard/Crusher story.

I've already read all DS9-R novels, including Stitch in Time and Lives of Dax (as this is my favorite novel series, other than New Frontier), and I've read somewhere that the Millennium series serves as a precursor to the Relaunch.
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And the DS9 relaunch are all good books with arcs just like the series, making it absolutely brilliant.

Re: Shatner's books - weren't these co-written by the Reeves-Stevenses, who also wrote Millennium and Federation (another favorite of mine)?
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Yes, they were, but as said above there are an acquired taste. I personally find them to be completely awful and the most recent one, Academy: Collision Course, has garnered a number of bad reviews from people whose opinions I trust.

But as always it is your choice. Almost every Trek book written since the turn of the century has been fantastic.
 
RonG said:
Hi everyone! after years of lurking and very few posts, I wanted to actively (hopefully) return to my favorite forum - TrekLit. So, hello from Israel :)
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Welcome! Let me be the completely stereotypical self-serving author and suggest you check out The Sky's the Limit, the Next Gen 20th anniversary anthology, which has a bunch of great stories spanning the Enterprise D and E.

And I agree with much of what the other posters have recommended, especially anything by David R. George III, David Mack, Mangels & Martin, Christopher Bennett, Ward & Dilmore . . . I could go on. There's just a lot of great Trek fiction to choose from these days.
 
can anyone provide a spoiler-free review for the DS9 books Hollow Men and Millennium trilogy (strengths, weaknesses, how they relate to other novels, episodes, etc)?
 
Hollow Men: This is a sequel to "In the Pale Moonlight." While it may not be quite up to that level, it features some excellent intrigue. Every main character gets used, but Sisko and Garak are the spotlight characters. I highly recommend it if you like any of the following: Romulans, espionage thrillers, Garak, "In the Pale Moonlight," or "Homefront"/"Paradise Lost." It has no particular relevance to the relaunch novels, but it does not contradict them either.

Millennium: This is a mind-bending trilogy. I'd describe it as "All Good Things..." with DS9 flair. The three time periods explored are the end of the Occupation, pre-"Tears of the Prophets," and 25 years after the series. It relates to the rest of the relaunch only peripherally. The birth of Sisko's child is part of the epilogue, and it is consistent with Unity. The mystery, character work, and future events are awesome. The machinations of the plot are a little hard to follow in Inferno, but if you read through the trilogy in succession, it's easier. The ending of War of the Prophets is the single best Trek novel cliffhanger I've ever read. The authors wrote at the same quality level as Federation in these books, and they also include the Grigari as guest stars.

In short, both books are excellent for and DS9 fan.
 
I really enjoyed Hollow Men. It's a direct follow-up to In The Pale Moonlight.

I think Una is a strong Garak writer, and a strong writer in general. I enjoyed the main plot, the secondary plot, and the characterization. From others' reviews here, I'd say that Hollow Men's weakness might be leaving a bit too much unsaid, letting the reader figure it out. (Or not, according to those who thought it was a bit too much unsaid.) :)

As I said, it's a direct follow-up to ITPM, so it's a stand-alone novel that takes place in Season 6 rather than part of the Relaunch. As far as I know, there are no references to other Trek books.
 
I just bought these books online: the Millennium Trilogy, Crucible Trilogy, Titan books 1+2, Vanguard books 1-3, TNG Relaunch from Death in Winter onwards.

Thank you AbeBooks :)

I'd love to get more opinions on these novels - you guys are re-kindling my TrekLit addiction :)
 
RonG said:
you guys are re-kindling my TrekLit addiction :)
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The folks round here are good at that! I'm starting buying new books again and the discussions here keep adding books to my wish-list on amazon!
 
RonG said:
I just bought these books online: the Millennium Trilogy, Crucible Trilogy, Titan books 1+2, Vanguard books 1-3, TNG Relaunch from Death in Winter onwards.

Thank you AbeBooks :)

I'd love to get more opinions on these novels - you guys are re-kindling my TrekLit addiction :)
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Ok here are my thoughts of the ones of those that I've read:
Titan 1+2: The first book is absoultely awsome as introduces us to the new and familiar characters on the ship and then moves onto the ship's first mission, which takes them to Post-Shinzon Romulus. I've always loved this kind of stuff so I consider Taking Wing one of my all time favorite Trek books. The second one isn't quite as good, but it's still good.

Vanguard: I can pretty much sum up all three of the books in one word: FREAKING AWSOME (ok two words). One fun little fact, T'Prynn, Vaughn's partner and Prynn namesake, is actually one of the main characters in these books. Vanguard is actually one my favorite Trek series, on the page or the screen, so I obviously cannot reccommend them highly enough. Same goes for the Titan books to, actually.

So far the one TNG-R book I've read has been Q & A, which is pretty much the deffinitive Q story. The book is really, really good, it's definitely one of the best Q stories out there.
 
RonG said:
I just bought these books online: the Millennium Trilogy, Crucible Trilogy, Titan books 1+2, Vanguard books 1-3, TNG Relaunch from Death in Winter onwards.

Thank you AbeBooks :)

I'd love to get more opinions on these novels - you guys are re-kindling my TrekLit addiction :)
Click to expand...

My quick reaction to the books listed are:

Millennium - Best of the best a MUST read.

Crucible - I haven't read this.

Titan 1&2 - Good enough, not the best but certainly not the worst.

Vanguard - 2nd only to Millennium. also a MUST read.

TNG Relaunch - This is a mixed bag. Death In Winter - Was a disappointment to me based on expectations, but told a good enough story and is worth a read. Resistance - Average had a bit of unbelievable moments but not too bad. Q&A - Slightly above average, The events felt too epic to be over so quickly but KRAD offers up all the continuity porn you'd ever want (which isn't a bad thing). Before Dishonor - Didn't like this one much at all when actually looking back thinking about it. But the actual process of reading it was enjoyable if only because it read quickly due to the fast pace and completely ridiculous nature of the events within.
 
I just finished Death in WInter (helps to have other TrekLit addicts around :)) - it was a pretty quick read. One thing I wanted to get opinions on: why is this book considered the start of the TNG Relaunch? It was originally published a year before Resistance, and seems to me to serve more as an epilogue to the TNG (pre) Nemesis era, rather than a "true" new begining... from what I understand, Resistance has new characters and a new arc starting.

Opinions?
 
^^I see DIW as sort of a transitional book. It can be seen either way, I suppose. Keep in mind that "Relaunch" is a term used by fans rather than an official category.
 
RonG said:
I just finished Death in WInter (helps to have other TrekLit addicts around :)) - it was a pretty quick read. One thing I wanted to get opinions on: why is this book considered the start of the TNG Relaunch? It was originally published a year before Resistance, and seems to me to serve more as an epilogue to the TNG (pre) Nemesis era, rather than a "true" new begining... from what I understand, Resistance has new characters and a new arc starting.
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I'd slot into into the 'Relaunch' for two reasons. One, it does occur post-NEM, where in continues the Romulan politics from the film (leading into Titan and AotF), and changes the Picard/Crusher dynamic. Anybody who starts the TNG Relaunch without being aware of DiW would probably be confused, wondering why events that happened after the film have already occured. Secondly, convenience: if there were many books set between NEM and the new arc(s?) begun in Resistance, they could serve as their own cluster of novels; as it is, only Death in Winter falls into that intermediary space between NEM and the TNG Relaunch, so it's just simpler to 'grandfather' it into the Relaunch and conceptually lump all the post-NEM TNG books together without bothering to make exceptions.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
 
Trent Roman said:
Death in Winter falls into that intermediary space between NEM and the TNG Relaunch, so it's just simpler to 'grandfather' it into the Relaunch and conceptually lump all the post-NEM TNG books together without bothering to make exceptions.
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But it is also the "start" of the Relaunch because editor Margaret Clark had originally announced that there would be a series of novels she called "TNG: The Second Decade". The first of these to be announced was the ominously-titled "Death in Winter". It was to have been followed a year later by another hardcover, "Resistance", and at least two MMPBs - but there was a change of thinking and "Resistance" became a MMPB, too. (Clever move, because otherwise too many fans would have complained they were waiting a whole year for the MMPB release of the second hardcover before reading the two original MMPBs).
 
I for one am glad they decided to do them all as paperbacks. I read Death in Winter and liked it quite a bit except for all the Stargazer callbacks. I picked up Resistance and look forward to reading it. I also like how DiW serves as a nice gentle intro to the relaunch now.
 
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