What are you least favorite Star Trek novels?

[Therin of Andor]

Being a fan of DS9 overall, but it had some of the worst TrekLit:
DS9: The Laertian Game

"Gamble", but you might also be thinking of "The Big Game" (but that one was ok).

DS9: Rebels trilogy

Yeah, I forgot to list them earlier. "Fallen Heroes", by the same author is incredible! "Rebels" is a bore x three.

TOS: Captain's Peril (couldn't get past first 30 pages...)

I found myself wishing that this trilogy had have only concentrated on the 5YM story, shown in flashback. No more Jim & Jean-Luc on vacation together!

TNG: Dyson Sphere

You know, I loved this! Its publication was delayed by at least twelve months, often a bad sign. There was also no pre-publicity that mentioned the starship crewed by hortas, and they were my favourite bit! Quirky and fun!

When was the DC first adventure story? I'd like to check it out, and I have the CD-Rom of the comics. Which issue?

Annual #1 of Series #1.

"All Those Years Ago..." came out in October 1985 but Vonda McIntyre didn't consult with DC Comics about it (and didn't have to) when she was developing "Enterprise: The First Adventure", which came out for the TOS 20th anniversary in September 1986. "All Those Years Ago..." is great, starts in the movies era, and has a flashback within a flashback.

What annoyed me at the time of E:TFA's arrival was that DC Comics had done some great cross-pollination with Pocket (and FASA!) up till that point, and I kinda assumed that the decision-making as to who was on the ship pre-Kirk, and who came aboard with Kirk, would have at least matched up in McIntyre's book.

So when the novel came out, and having been thrilled by McIntyre's previous three ST books, it was a bit of a let-down. Not to mention Stephen, the grinning blond Vulcan juggler cousin of Spock, who predated Sybok by quite some time.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

See, I liked Enterprise the First Adventure, without the circus people. If we could just surgically remove them.

And don't forget the POODLES!

 

[Cap'n Crunch]

The Prometheus Design - Even though I've read it twice I can't really say what it is about, it just didn't make much sense.
Mutiny on the Enterprise - Can't say specifically what I don't like about it, I just don't.
The Laertian Gamble -
Do Comets Dream? - This seems like the author had already written a fantasy novel and just replaced the characters with Trek ones.
Ship of the Line - Pretty much what everyone else said.
Genesis Wave Trilogy - I just didn't care for it; the third one was unnecessary.
This Gray Spirit - It wasn't that bad, just slow and hard to get through.

 

[Thrawn]

This Gray Spirit is my third favorite DS9-Relaunch novel, after Avatar and Unity. To each his own, I suppose.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Do Comets Dream? - This seems like the author had already written a fantasy novel and just replaced the characters with Trek ones.

Let me add horrible editing to that one. The author and editor REALLY dropped the ball on that one--the spelling was hideously inconsistent and just typo-infested. With some characters I wasn't even sure what the right spelling was supposed to be because there were SO many variant spellings.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Do Comets Dream? - This seems like the author had already written a fantasy novel and just replaced the characters with Trek ones.

Let me add horrible editing to that one. The author and editor REALLY dropped the ball on that one--the spelling was hideously inconsistent and just typo-infested. With some characters I wasn't even sure what the right spelling was supposed to be because there were SO many variant spellings.

Catching typos was not something that John Ordover was particularly adept at doing.

 

[BrotherBenny]

I'm surprised the Phoenix duology has not really been mentioned in this thread, it was hideously atrocious to wade through and I didn't finish the first one, let alone read the second.

Allyn, how you can cut Ship of the Line any slack is beyond me. A 24th century story does not need 19th/20th century naval slang peppered across it. I managed to trudge through 35 pages before I put it back on the shelf and after seeing other people's comments on various threads like this, I'm glad I've never tried reading it again. I only begrudge having paid for it in the first place.

I was once of the opinion that Golden's post-finale Voyager books were the worst things in TrekLit, but after trying to wade through the above I gave them another shot and you know what, I actually liked them. Granted, they were not the best TrekLit has produced in recent years, but they were not the worst either.

Warped was bad, and I thought that the String Theory trilogy was a needless attempt to try and explain Janeway's inconsistent behaviour, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

To echo still more people here, I also found the Borg-heavy TNGR a little off-putting but I'm glad the Borg are gone. That said, I would still have preferred a completely different approach to the TNGR.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm surprised the Phoenix duology has not really been mentioned in this thread, it was hideously atrocious to wade through and I didn't finish the first one, let alone read the second.

Then you have no idea what it was like. I actually read "Fate" first, and really enjoyed it. In 1980.

A 24th century story does not need 19th/20th century naval slang peppered across it.

Why not? You think naval parlance will vanish in the 24th century? I'm unlikely to read any 21st century sailing stories, or to go sailing myself, so I feel like Diane Carey has added to my knowledge via her unique ST stories.

I managed to trudge through 35 pages before I put it back on the shelf

Whereas some people enjoyed the whole book. With ST, I never put it back on a shelf half-read. Sometimes it's a struggle, but I do keep reading, mainly 'cos I wanna know I didn't miss anything, like an Andorian cameo or an in-joke or a clever scene.

I only begrudge having paid for it in the first place.

Well, some ST books can sell for much more than you originally paid for them. The joy of collectibles.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

The Prometheus Design - Even though I've read it twice I can't really say what it is about, it just didn't make much sense.
Mutiny on the Enterprise - Can't say specifically what I don't like about it, I just don't.
The Laertian Gamble -
Do Comets Dream? - This seems like the author had already written a fantasy novel and just replaced the characters with Trek ones.
Ship of the Line - Pretty much what everyone else said.
Genesis Wave Trilogy - I just didn't care for it; the third one was unnecessary.
This Gray Spirit - It wasn't that bad, just slow and hard to get through.

I recently reread 'MOTE' about a week or two ago, and I found it to be a quick, simple, entertaining read. (Kirk was a bit hard-headed not to listen to Spock...butyou can see him acting like that on the classic series).

I agree with the 'Genesis' trilogy....(Although, I think there were actually four books; two books told the story well enough).

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Allyn, how you can cut Ship of the Line any slack is beyond me.

I'm slightly more forgiving of the book than others might be, but it's still a troubled book and I recognize that. Maybe if Carey had more time, maybe if Ordover actually cared about his job, then maybe the book would have worked. The potential is there, the ideas are there, but the execution is flawed.

A 24th century story does not need 19th/20th century naval slang peppered across it.

I enjoy nautical fiction a great deal. So I didn't mind her usage of naval terminology.

I really really really wish that Carey would write some Hornblower-esque fiction. I loved Ancient Blood for precisely that reason; the long holodeck adventure Picard and Alexander have is awesome.

Warped was bad,

It's a Philip K. Dick novel. For some readers, that may have been a step too far. For me, it didn't quite go far enough.

To echo still more people here, I also found the Borg-heavy TNGR a little off-putting but I'm glad the Borg are gone. That said, I would still have preferred a completely different approach to the TNGR.

Given the direction of the post-Nemesis books, there's only one thing I'd have done differently. I wouldn't have made Greater than the Sum a Borg novel.

I feel vaguely critical in saying that, yet I don't mean it that way at all. Christopher wrote the book that fit the brief he was given, much like some of the "laundry list" stories typical of JNT-era Doctor Who, and he accomplished well what he set out to do and what he was asked to achieve. The dragons, for instance, were quite cool. And Trys rocks socks.

Yet, in looking back over the books since Resistance as a whole, I can't help but feel that the book leading into Destiny should have been a "calm before the storm" piece, the last "strange new worlds, boldly going" story before the shit hits the fan.

On the gripping hand, Greater ratchets up the stakes for Destiny, and that's really the important thing. Besides Trys, that is.

 

[DimesDan]

There are a few Trek tales I'm not a big fan of that I've read. The first novel in the Dark Matters Trilogy and The Final Roundup, both written by Christie Golden, I just couldn't stand the writing and subsequently I have given them to my local Oxfam shop.

I couldn't stand Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Worlds of Deep Space Nine: Andor: Paradigm though and gave up with it some where near the end and haven't wanted to read it since, plus I wasn't a massive fan of all the civil unrest on Andor, Trill, Cardassia and if I remember rightly, Fergnieer, in the context of the stories, it made sense, but happening all around each other, seemed a little off putting.

I've only read the first half of Fearful Symmetry, not sure if I'd read the mirror universe section and I'm not sure if I'll read The Soul Key anytime soon.

When it comes to the A Time To novels, I enjoyed Born/Die as well as Kill/Heal and War and Peace but found Sow/Harvest boring and an exceptional struggle to read which has actually put me off reading any other Ward/Dilmore stories although I have Summon the Thunder on my to read list as I enjoyed Harbinger.

As for Ship of the Line, I rather liked it and I've read it a few times since buying it.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Not to mention Stephen, the grinning blond Vulcan juggler cousin of Spock, who predated Sybok by quite some time.

Hmm. I've been thinking about what Sybok might be up to in the new film continuity, but I hadn't considered Stephen's whereabouts...

 

[Christopher]

Given the direction of the post-Nemesis books, there's only one thing I'd have done differently. I wouldn't have made Greater than the Sum a Borg novel.

I feel vaguely critical in saying that, yet I don't mean it that way at all. Christopher wrote the book that fit the brief he was given, much like some of the "laundry list" stories typical of JNT-era Doctor Who, and he accomplished well what he set out to do and what he was asked to achieve. The dragons, for instance, were quite cool. And Trys rocks socks.

If by "laundry list" you mean tying off various loose ends about the Borg, that was my own idea, not Margaret's brief. She wanted the dangling Einstein thread wrapped up, but she said that I could do a story that just used it as a McGuffin, that was about what the Enterprise discovers along the way while it's chasing the Einstein. She would've been fine with it having a lot less of a Borg focus.

But I knew that Destiny would be effectively the last Borg story in the current prose continuity, and so GTTS would be my only opportunity to write about the Borg and explore some of the ideas and questions I've had about them over the years. So I decided, on my own initiative, to do a story that tied off all the Borgish loose ends that weren't covered by the prior books and Destiny -- Hugh's people, Unimatrix Zero, the 18 Enterprise crew taken in "Q Who," etc.

I was concerned that would make it too much of a "Borg story" along with the others, but I tried to make it a different kind of Borg story, one that wasn't about fighting the Borg so much as exploring them, and that focused more on ex-Borg than on Borg themselves.

Yet, in looking back over the books since Resistance as a whole, I can't help but feel that the book leading into Destiny should have been a "calm before the storm" piece, the last "strange new worlds, boldly going" story before the shit hits the fan.

It kinda sorta was. Yes, technically they're on a military mission to stop a Borg ship, but the bulk of the story is about discovery and introspection. I put in as little actual fighting as I could manage.

On the gripping hand, Greater ratchets up the stakes for Destiny, and that's really the important thing. Besides Trys, that is.

To be honest, I would've been happier without the Destiny-setup epilogue. Here I'd told this whole story that was (partly) about eliminating the last lingering Borg threat and getting Picard to come to terms with his fears of the Borg -- and then I had to do a finale that pretty much undid everything I'd just done. Which was kind of the point -- just when they think it's safe, that's when all hell breaks loose -- but GTTS would've worked better as a standalone without that epilogue. I don't really think of that part as the epilogue to my novel so much as a prologue to the next novel. I even considered suggesting that Dave write it instead of me, but he was quite busy enough with the trilogy.

Anyway, Trys thanks you.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

If by "laundry list" you mean tying off various loose ends about the Borg, that was my own idea, not Margaret's brief.

My apologies. I'd always had the impression, from the way you'd talked about the origins of GttS, that the "laundry list" as regards the Borg came from Margaret.

I was concerned that would make it too much of a "Borg story" along with the others, but I tried to make it a different kind of Borg story, one that wasn't about fighting the Borg so much as exploring them, and that focused more on ex-Borg than on Borg themselves.

And it was that. To me, the Borg seemed very much like the Plot Macguffin in the book, an excuse to get the Enterprise into this really intriguing sector of space.

Yet, in looking back over the books since Resistance as a whole, I can't help but feel that the book leading into Destiny should have been a "calm before the storm" piece, the last "strange new worlds, boldly going" story before the shit hits the fan.

It kinda sorta was. Yes, technically they're on a military mission to stop a Borg ship, but the bulk of the story is about discovery and introspection. I put in as little actual fighting as I could manage.

Anyway, Trys thanks you.

Good to know.

Like I said, I felt vaguely critical in even expressing the thought, when I'm not critical of your book at all. If that makes sense.

 

[Christopher]

If by "laundry list" you mean tying off various loose ends about the Borg, that was my own idea, not Margaret's brief.

My apologies. I'd always had the impression, from the way you'd talked about the origins of GttS, that the "laundry list" as regards the Borg came from Margaret.

I did have more of a "laundry list" on this book than on any other I've done, by virtue of it being conceived as a bridge between the prior books and Destiny, but there were only a few items Margaret asked for in advance: deal with the Einstein once and for all; neutralize Crusher's Borg defense from Resistance; arm the Enterprise with transphasic torpedoes to set up Destiny; have Picard believe the Borg are gone and start a family; and "all hell breaks loose" (and a character dies) at the end.

 

[BrotherBenny]

I can see how it was necessary in GttS to do that, and I'm happy enough with the post-Nemesis novels across all the lit lines, but I'd really rather have left the Borg well alone and let them stew a bit longer before bringing them back.

Was it Mack's idea to do the Borg/Caeliar story or was it part of the brief given to him by the editors when they showed him the picture of the downed Columbia from the Ships of the Line book?

My favourite of the post-Nemesis novels is the Titan series because they're boldly going, what Star Trek to me is all about. I think I'm just flat fed up of the quadrant-spanning crises that have popped up in the books post-Dominion War, and I look forward to the exploration stuff. So in case anyone things i'm derailing the thread, I'm not, but my pick for least favourite books actually encompasses the entire post-Nemesis TNG book line because I'd rather it had gone in a completely different direction. But I'm a hard core fan, so I read what comes out and I enjoy it immensely.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Was it Mack's idea to do the Borg/Caeliar story or was it part of the brief given to him by the editors when they showed him the picture of the downed Columbia from the Ships of the Line book?

I think I recall reading here- but don't take my word for it because I'm often quite hopeless with real life continuity - that Mack himself thought we needed to have the final Borg story following the TNG-post Nemesis books bringing them back to the fore. That he then took the Columbia idea and tied it in with "The Borg's final curtain" idea.

Again, I may be wrong.

 

[Christopher]

Was it Mack's idea to do the Borg/Caeliar story or was it part of the brief given to him by the editors when they showed him the picture of the downed Columbia from the Ships of the Line book?

As a rule, editors don't tell us what stories to tell. They ask us to come up with stories that include or accomplish a few things, but figuring out what those stories will be is what they hire us to do.

Dave could tell you better than I could, but my recollection is, the editors decided to do an epic Borg trilogy, and Dave decided that the right way to do it would be to make it the ultimate Borg story in the literal sense, the final and definitive word on the Borg. He, Marco, and Margaret shaped the story together, but as the writer, he would've been the main generator of ideas and specifics. The editors' job is to support, catalyze, and refine that process, not to do it for us.

 

[Kail]

I read a book a LOOOONG time ago called "How much for just the planet?" Terrible. That's all I remember about it, it was TOS, and terrible.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I read a book a LOOOONG time ago called "How much for just the planet?" Terrible. That's all I remember about it, it was TOS, and terrible.

I have a feeling that many people will come in later that love this book. I believe it's popular around here.
I didn't like it and didn't find it funny at all.