TOS Novel Chronology???
- Thread starter Kagan
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The Voyages of Imagination timeline is the one I use. It puts every novel up until about 2006 in chronological order. There are updated ("unofficial") versions online.
There are several other novel chronologies online, all based on slightly different assumptions. Google it - I'd provide links but I'm on my phone ATM and it doesn't "do" copying and pasting. James Dixon's, although based on some truly outdated (and nutty) ideas is probably the most in-depth, it puts almost every offhand reference to events in it's epic timeline. Version 17 was the last, updated though to Nemesis.
There are several other novel chronologies online, all based on slightly different assumptions. Google it - I'd provide links but I'm on my phone ATM and it doesn't "do" copying and pasting. James Dixon's, although based on some truly outdated (and nutty) ideas is probably the most in-depth, it puts almost every offhand reference to events in it's epic timeline. Version 17 was the last, updated though to Nemesis.
You could send me a PM.
I have Dixon's 17th chronology, but what I'm really looking for is a simple listing of the novels in chronological order...not a timeline.
The trouble with Trek novels is that they are not all linear. Where do you place books that span decades like The Never-Ending Sacrifice and novels with two main time periods like Kahless? What about novels with frames like The Good That Men Do? A timeline like Voyages of Imagination's is a nice balance between providing enough information for people to make up their own minds about placement and not providing so much detail that the timeline becomes unreadable.
Also, Star Trek has so many novels now that it just is not feasible to read them all as one series in chronological order and get any kind of added value from it, even if you weed out the contradictory ones. Star Wars, which is supposed to be one giant story and has fewer novels than Star Trek, is also too big for this kind of treatment. Even Dune, which currently has 16 novels, is approaching the point of becoming too large for a satisfying chronological re-read.
For my own purposes, I rely on Voyages of Imagination and its online unofficial expansions for bookshelf placement, the Historian's Note for context when I start a book, and my own whims for which I novel I want to read next.
Also, Star Trek has so many novels now that it just is not feasible to read them all as one series in chronological order and get any kind of added value from it, even if you weed out the contradictory ones. Star Wars, which is supposed to be one giant story and has fewer novels than Star Trek, is also too big for this kind of treatment. Even Dune, which currently has 16 novels, is approaching the point of becoming too large for a satisfying chronological re-read.
For my own purposes, I rely on Voyages of Imagination and its online unofficial expansions for bookshelf placement, the Historian's Note for context when I start a book, and my own whims for which I novel I want to read next.
Err, when you say "chronological order," do you mean the order they take place in-story (which is essentially a timeline), or do you mean their publication order?
Actually, I should have said "rough" chronological order listing. Dixon's 17th timeline is extremely detailed for what I'm looking for. However, what I'm essentially looking for is: "Which should I read next after the one I'm reading?"
Example:
If Final Frontier is first in chronological order...then Best Destiny is next...then...then...then...
So, basically, I'm looking for the books listed in Star Trek chronological order, not publication order.
Well, there's no overall rule for that, since most TOS novels don't have any interconnections or shared continuity, and many of them directly contradict each other. So except in those cases where a limited group of books has a rough continuity, it doesn't make any difference what order you read them in. Generally, where there is continuity, it's within a single author's books and generally in publication order.
Since each author is essentially a free agent with their own take on things, I think it would depend on which author you're reading.
In other words, what Christopher said.
(Gotta love simultaneous postings....)
In other words, what Christopher said.
(Gotta love simultaneous postings....)
Voyages of Imagination seems to be my best bet. I'm not looking for a hard-and-fast chronological listing. Like I said, a "rough" listing works for me.
I read most of the books when I was a kid as soon as they hit the shelves. Now, I want to at least re-read them in some "rough" kind of chronological flow. I'm aware that it is virtually impossible, but I want to try anyway.
Sort of along the lines of watching TOS in stardate order instead of airdate order. It's a little odd, but entertaining none the less.
I read most of the books when I was a kid as soon as they hit the shelves. Now, I want to at least re-read them in some "rough" kind of chronological flow. I'm aware that it is virtually impossible, but I want to try anyway.
Sort of along the lines of watching TOS in stardate order instead of airdate order. It's a little odd, but entertaining none the less.
I think that puts "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" before "Where No Man Has Gone Before"...
Yes, it does...irritating as hell...but I did watch it in that order once.
It's irritating enough having to deal with 'em in airdate order...
The Timeliners now use the renumbered, reordered TAS stardates given in "Star Trek Logs" by Alan Dean Foster, IIRC.
Sweet Jesus, i can't imagine the clusterf*ck of a picture that trying to put all TOS books in one timeline would create!
You can sort out a couple books here and there and tie them to movies, episodes, or other books, but it's gotta just look like one giant squiggly mark in the middle, no? Think it results in a 5YM that lasts at least 60-70 years, right? Every time one of those books takes a few months, or a year, to drag out a situation, it just extends it. Usually can't go off on one of the other missions, either, as the book in question has main characters tied up doing the book's mission, or has damaged the Enterprise, or gotten them lost, etc.
You can probably sort most of the new stuff, at least roughly, but trying to tie the TOS stuff in with it, or even older TNG stuff, makes for a headache at best. I try to just ignore it, not fit them into each other, and enjoy the stories as-is, and don't much care that they can't all fit together neatly.
You can sort out a couple books here and there and tie them to movies, episodes, or other books, but it's gotta just look like one giant squiggly mark in the middle, no? Think it results in a 5YM that lasts at least 60-70 years, right? Every time one of those books takes a few months, or a year, to drag out a situation, it just extends it. Usually can't go off on one of the other missions, either, as the book in question has main characters tied up doing the book's mission, or has damaged the Enterprise, or gotten them lost, etc.
You can probably sort most of the new stuff, at least roughly, but trying to tie the TOS stuff in with it, or even older TNG stuff, makes for a headache at best. I try to just ignore it, not fit them into each other, and enjoy the stories as-is, and don't much care that they can't all fit together neatly.
I think I might shuffle the animateds into production order and see what that looks like....
I'm red/green colourblind, so I never noticed there was red text in this. Assuming I'm correct:
http://sites.google.com/site/stvotitimeline/
^Yep, that's the one with the additions in red.
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