What novels pass the "Test of Time"

[Therin of Andor]

the first 3 aren't numbered but they getting to be pretty old).

"Strangers from the Sky" wasn't numbered because it was the second of three TOS "giant novel" paperbacks that, along with "TNG: Metamorphosis" and "TNG: Vendetta", heralded the coming of Pocket's next venture: the first-edition-in-hardcover phenomenon.

Books I've found time to read and reread include "The Galactic Whirlpool", the novelizations of TMP, ST II and ST III, "The Entropy Effect", "Strangers from the Sky", "Final Frontier", "The Final Reflection", "How Much for Just the Planet?", "Uhura's Song", "TNG: Metamorphosis", "NF: Stone and Anvil" and "Andor: Paradigm".

Three I really want to reread, but so many never-read novels keep piling on top: "Prime Directive", "TNG: Immortal Coil" and "Ex Machina".

 

[bullethead]

The STII-VI novelizations hold up real well, along with Dark Mirror, Vendetta, The Romulan Prize, Blaze of Glory, and Strike Zone. The TNG novel Crossover doesn't hold up quite as well, but that's because it's sort of framed as a lead up to Generations.

 

[TigerBait]

The Rift, fantastic and is a rare peter david novel that nails its characters.

 

[Sky]

I used to really love J.M. Dillard's The Lost Years but now even though I like everything else in the book, I don't like

Spoiler: spoiler about the book

the Vulcan villain - I guess I've kind of gotten bored of evil villains and would rather read about scheming and Starfleet/Vulcan politics or whatnot.

 

[Trek Survivor]

Interesting question. I find a lot of the earlier TNG novels hold up well today. I might be in a minority (of one!?!) but I've reread some of those late 80s/early 90s books for the first time in 15-20 years. "Masks", "A Call To Darkness", "Contamination", "Survivors"... and "Metamorphosis" has a really interesting epic quality to it.

I do find a real pull these days in revisiting early TNG work (comic/book/other tie-in) set in season 1-2... the future of the franchise was just so...unknown then.

 

[JWolf]

Don't forget How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford.

Dilithium. In crystalline form, the most valuable mineral in the galaxy. It powers the Federation's starships...and the Klingon Empire's battlecruisers. Now on a small, out-of-the-way planet named Direidi, the greatest fortune in dilithium crystals ever seen has been found.

Under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, the planet will go to the side best able to develop the planet and its resourses. Each side will contest the prize with the prime of its fleet. For the Federation—Captain James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise. For the Klingons—Captain Kaden vestai-Oparai and the Fire Blossom.

Only the Direidians are writing their own script for this contest—script that propels the crew of the Starship Enterprise into their strangest adventure yet!

 

[Dark Gilligan]

"The Final Reflection" is timeless, except for, you know, all that continuity stuff.

 

[Sci]

"The Final Reflection" is timeless, except for, you know, all that continuity stuff.

What does continuity have to do with being a well-written, well-read, well-regarded book for a long time?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I used to really love J.M. Dillard's The Lost Years but now even though I like everything else in the book, I don't like

Spoiler: spoiler about the book

the Vulcan villain - I guess I've kind of gotten bored of evil villains and would rather read about scheming and Starfleet/Vulcan politics or whatnot.

I loved that aspect. Knowing the Kolinahr of today, and then learning what the masters used to be (and what they were once capable of, also touched upon in "The Romulan Way").... totally epic. IMO.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

"The Final Reflection" is timeless, except for, you know, all that continuity stuff.

What does continuity have to do with being a well-written, well-read, well-regarded book for a long time?

Nothing at all. I was poking fun at the people who think continuity actually does matter.

 

[Redshirts_Widow]

As an early teenager, I was snapping up the TNG numbered novels as they came out (with family members occasionally getting me Star Trek ones if they couldn't find the ones on the (very detailed and specific) wish-list that I gave them.. Funnily enough when my parents retired and moved last year I got boxes of books that had been cluttering up their attic for years.

A quick flick through and there are ones that I was eager to re-read; as mentioned above, some of the numbered Peter David work is still brilliant - Q in Law in particular stands out, whereas re-reading 'A Rock and a hard place' you can see so many trends for what would eventually become NF (I always find PD's Worf to be interchangeable with a Brikar)

Black Fire stands up welll for TOS, as do the TNG Jean Lorrah Survivors/Metamorphosis combo that I still treat as a duology. Looking back at the old numbered TNG novels, there is a fair long list of ones I'd have picked to be reissued over Nightshade... (YMMV naturally)

 

[Therin of Andor]

there is a fair long list of ones I'd have picked to be reissued over Nightshade... (YMMV naturally)

"Nightshade" wasn't re-released because it was a great TNG novel, and most ST readers probably didn't give it a second glance - because they already owned a first edition. It was re-released because recent diehard Laurell K Hamilton readers/collectors wanted access to an early, out-of-print novel by their favourite author, which they'd managed to overlook or couldn't order.

 

[Redshirts_Widow]

there is a fair long list of ones I'd have picked to be reissued over Nightshade... (YMMV naturally)

"Nightshade" wasn't re-released because it was a great TNG novel, and most ST readers probably didn't give it a second glance - because they already owned a first edition. It was re-released because recent diehard Laurell K Hamilton readers/collectors wanted access to an early, out-of-print novel by their favourite author, which they'd managed to overlook or couldn't order.

Arguably, is that not (part of) the thread? Old books that you would happily see a new trek lit audience read and appreciate (and hence are surprised that some are chosen over others?)

 

[Christopher]

^But Nightshade wasn't chosen for reasons pertaining to Trek Lit. Hamilton has since become immensely famous for her original work, and that's why Nightshade was reprinted. (I'm surprised they didn't also reprint Corona, since Greg Bear is also a far more famous writer now than he was when he wrote that book.)

 

[Redshirts_Widow]

^But Nightshade wasn't chosen for reasons pertaining to Trek Lit. Hamilton has since become immensely famous for her original work, and that's why Nightshade was reprinted. (I'm surprised they didn't also reprint Corona, since Greg Bear is also a far more famous writer now than he was when he wrote that book.)

Ok,valid point - I guess I'd look at the Op's question as "if you had to take a older book that has stood the test of time and that you would want to see reprinted so that the newer generation of Trek lit readers would still enjoy, what would it be?" (appreciate that this differs a fair bit from OP's post.

Have nothing against 'Nightshade' at all, I still own it, I just thought that amongst the numbered TNG novels I also own, this wouldn't make the short list of those that I'd reprint/ convert to ebook/make available in the current trek lit environment.

After all, I suspect we all share a love of good trek lit, and would want to share the 'best bits' we've experienced. In order to recommend an older piece of work, it's obviously easier to do so when one is commonly available in the public domain.

 

[JWolf]

The solution to the problem is forget the reprints and go for the eBooks. Problem solved.

 

[bullethead]

Have nothing against 'Nightshade' at all, I still own it, I just thought that amongst the numbered TNG novels I also own, this wouldn't make the short list of those that I'd reprint/ convert to ebook/make available in the current trek lit environment.

A moot point since there's apparently a fairly large amount of Trek eBooks (580, IIRC), but I've heard that some of them are messed up in terms of formatting and content.

 

[JWolf]

Have nothing against 'Nightshade' at all, I still own it, I just thought that amongst the numbered TNG novels I also own, this wouldn't make the short list of those that I'd reprint/ convert to ebook/make available in the current trek lit environment.

A moot point since there's apparently a fairly large amount of Trek eBooks (580, IIRC), but I've heard that some of them are messed up in terms of formatting and content.

So which Star Trek eBooks are messed up in terms of content?

 

[bullethead]

Have nothing against 'Nightshade' at all, I still own it, I just thought that amongst the numbered TNG novels I also own, this wouldn't make the short list of those that I'd reprint/ convert to ebook/make available in the current trek lit environment.

A moot point since there's apparently a fairly large amount of Trek eBooks (580, IIRC), but I've heard that some of them are messed up in terms of formatting and content.

So which Star Trek eBooks are messed up in terms of content?

The only one I know of (because someone openly complained about it) is the novelization of The Search (DS9).

 

[Christopher]

After all, I suspect we all share a love of good trek lit, and would want to share the 'best bits' we've experienced. In order to recommend an older piece of work, it's obviously easier to do so when one is commonly available in the public domain.

Well, no Star Trek books are in the public domain or will be for the foreseeable future. A public-domain work is one on which the copyright has lapsed so nobody owns it, and ST is still very firmly in the possession of CBS. I think what you probably meant to say is that it's easier when there are plenty of available copies of a book.