So where do I begin?

[Charles Phipps]

I want to become familiarized with the Star Trek: Expanded Universe. I'm a life-long Trekkie, I just never really got into the novels themselves. I guess I was put off by hearing they weren't interconnected.

I've decided to change all that and familiarize myself with the EU from top to bottom. For those interested, I'm also going to be reviewing every book I read on my blog.

I'm asking for recommendations on what I should read and pretty much suggestions on what the "essentials" are. I've already read the New Frontier series (and loved it) and I'm now working on the Titan one. I just finished "Watching the Clock" too.

Otherwise, I haven't read a single book.

 

[Greg Cox]

With most of the older books, it doesn't really matter. Even the old numbered novels weren't in any particular order and seldom tied in with each other . . . aside from designated trilogies, dualogies, miniseries, etc.

It's only in recent years that many (but not all) of the novels tend to build on each other. These tend to be the novels that take place after the various tv series and movies, as opposed to the ones that take place during the old shows.

Hope this helps!

 

[xortex]

Who's building on David Mack?

 

[ryan123450]

Well since you already read Watching the Clock you were spoiled about Destiny so that changes recommendations a bit.

Definitly read the TNG Relaunch, the VOY Relaunch, Vanguard, the DS9 Reluanch, the Rihannsu series, and Articles of the Federation. Oh, and of course Destiny and then the Typhon Pact series.

I read everything in chronological order, but if that's not your thing I'd go with what interests you the most from the above list.

Destiny and the VOY relaunch are the best of the pack though.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Yea, well I played Star Trek Online so I knew about Star Trek Destiny from forums anyway. I can't say the idea appeals to me too much. I'm rather fond of the Borg as an enemy and what I've heard happens to them doesn't appeal to me too much. Likewise a number of characters who meet their fate in the series.

Still, I understand Lit fans swear by it.

 

[xortex]

By it? Go by it.

 

[ATimson]

It's only in recent years that many (but not all) of the novels tend to build on each other.

It's been going on for over a decade (if you go by when Avatar came out, which seems like a good benchmark to me). I don't think it's "recent years" anymore!

 

[Destructor]

Charles it really depends on your preferences. If you lean more towards TNG, I'd recommend starting with the TNG relaunch. If you're a DS9 fan, read the DS9 relaunch, which really was the inspiration, in my mind, for the entire shared novel continuity (although obviously there were precedents) and really sets it all up well.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Oh, I'm a fan of all of Star Trek. I just like stories that interconnect to one another.

The Re-Launch looks promising, I suppose I should handle them one at a time.

 

[RandyS]

Oh, I'm a fan of all of Star Trek. I just like stories that interconnect to one another.

If that's the case, then maybe you'd like to start With the Invasion novels. There were four, one for each of the shows, ENTERPRISE was still five years off when this came out. There is also the four part Day of Honor, which, again, utilizes all four casts. Those series are interconnected. There is also the four part Dominion War series that focuses on the TNG and DS9 groups. The DS9 novels are novelizations of (I think) sixth season episodes, while the TNG books are original stories focusing on what Ro was doing during that war.

Of course, if you're like me, and enjoy everything related to Star Trek, then I'd say just find whatever novels you can get your hands on a dig in.

 

[Greg Cox]

It's only in recent years that many (but not all) of the novels tend to build on each other.

It's been going on for over a decade (if you go by when Avatar came out, which seems like a good benchmark to me). I don't think it's "recent years" anymore!

Well, in the grand sweep of Star Trek books . . . .

How long ago were the James Blish books again?

 

[JD]

If you want to star the Relaunches, the best places I can think of to start are the DS9 Relaunch, and A Time To... which covers the year leading up to Nemesis, and sets up the TNG Relaunch, Titan, and Articles of the Federation.
I'd also highly recommend Vanguard, a series which follows a Starbase during the TOS era, and The Lost Era, which covers the time between the Generations prologue and the beginning of TNG. These books aren't as much of a series as the others, they're pretty much just stand alone stories that all take place in the same time period, although they are all still part of what I refer to as the Novelverse. There are also the Mirror Universe, which is a series of interconnected stories that all take place in the MU, and Myriad Universes, which is a series of anthologies (and one comic miniseries), which all take place in their own original alternate universes, series.
Just so you know the last book in the Vanguard series comes next March, the last book in the Mirror Universe series comes out in December of this year. The Lost Era series also appears to possibly be over, earlier this year a novel came out that takes place during the same period the TLE stories took place in, but was just labeled as Star Trek.
I'd also highly recommend checking out Memory Beta, the wiki for the books, comics, video games, ect., which is probably one of the most informative Trek Lit sites on the web.

 

[Charles Phipps]

I finished "Taking Wing" a while ago. So far, that was enjoyable if a bit on the dry side. I hope the rest of the series books are as good as that one.

What's Articles of the Federation about? That sounds good.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I finished "Taking Wing" a while ago. So far, that was enjoyable if a bit on the dry side. I hope the rest of the series books are as good as that one.

The Titan series is pretty good throughout, with the exception of the most recent, Sieze the Fire, which I couldn't even finish. Orion's Hounds is one of the best Trek novels out there from any series.

What's Articles of the Federation about? That sounds good.

A year in the life of Federation President Nannietta Bacco. Her story begins in A Time for War, A Time for Peace where she was first elected, and Articles chronicles her first year in office. Another good read.

 

[Turtletrekker]

If you like the novels to have continuity between them, check out my Charting the Novelverse thread, where I try to connect the dots between the various novels in the novel-verse.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Thanks, that's really helpful!

 

[Charles Phipps]

The Titan series is pretty good throughout, with the exception of the most recent, Sieze the Fire, which I couldn't even finish. Orion's Hounds is one of the best Trek novels out there from any series.

Yeah, I finished that just an hour ago.

Honestly, I'm a little more ambiguous on that.

Cude widdle Star Jellies.

 

[Relayer1]

I didn't think much of Invasion to be honest.

I'd start with the relaunch and work through. Although I didn't think Destiny was as great as other posters do, there's not much that's not worth a read in the relaunch.

I'd particularly recommend Keith R A DeCandido's Articles of the Federation and A Singular Destiny, Kirsten Beyers Voyagers novels, particularly Full Circle and Christopher L. Bennetts DTI novel.

Of the older books, try Imzadi - it's great !

 

[Idran]

It's only in recent years that many (but not all) of the novels tend to build on each other.

It's been going on for over a decade (if you go by when Avatar came out, which seems like a good benchmark to me). I don't think it's "recent years" anymore!

Well, in the grand sweep of Star Trek books . . . .

How long ago were the James Blish books again?

Spock Must Die was 1970. Avatar was 2003.

That means time-wise about 20% of the entire history of Trek novels has been the re-launch/EU/whatever you want to call it

(19% if you want to use Mission to Horatius instead)

 

[zarkon]

Yeah, I didn't think much of the invasion series at all. The TOS one was just about readable, but hardly a good book. And that was the best of them.

http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=5258991 <- I posted in there what I feel is the best older TOS/TNG stuff, everything is pre nemesis. Final Reflection & Federation in particular are must-reads.

I'm a bit less well-versed on the older DS9 books, as it's been years since I've read lots of them, but of those that I clearly remember, the good ones are:

Objective: Bajor(All of John Peel's trek novels are pretty fun)
The 34th Rule (superb book focusing on Quark)
A Stitch in Time (superb book focusing on Garak)
Millennium books 1-3

Post film wise, these ones were good:

Worlds of Deep Space Nine: Cardassia & Andor(the andor story is rubbish, but the cardassia one does a very nice job of following on Garak's doings post-stitch)
Orion's Hounds(couple of niggling issues with this, but they don't spoil the book by any means, this is great exploration stuff I wish we had more of)
Q&A(I don't actually remember reading a bad DeCandido trek book, which is surprising given the amount he's written. This in particular is one of my favourites of his).
Articles of the Federation
A Singular Destiny

The IKS Gorkon series is fun, although it really starts with the TNG book "Diplomatic Implausibility". Vanguard series is fairly good too.