Where's a good place to start?

[youngtrek]

And if you want to be able to find most of the Star Trek books you want to read, you'll need to read eBooks.

Not necessarily. I enjoy reading eBooks as much as I do print ones (actually, for novels, I probably enjoy reading them in eBook format more these days). However, aside from the obvious exception of the eBook exclusive novels and “eNovellas”, most of the Star Trek novels are still pretty easily findable via second hand book stores, online retailers like Amazon, eBay, and, if you have a nice big local library system, via the public library (although it’s been reported here that some don’t carry paperback novels as much as others do, depending on each library’s own selections policies).

Not to mention that if one is interested in going *way* back, I don’t believe that the Bantam stuff or Alan Dean Foster’s animated series adaptations have been off put out in eBook yet. And there are even a few of the Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books novels that aren’t available in eBook, like the first three William Shatner novels (The Ashes of Eden, The Return, and Avenger).

— David Young

 

[youngtrek]

I'm also in favor of "different paths" or, as I call it, "bouncing around". I used to try to just read everything in a series in order, or go through the LitVerse in order, and I'd burn out or bounce off a book or whatever. Much more manageable to give yourself the freedom to bop between series and authors and time periods without getting too stuck on a particular list.

Yes, mostly the same. However, by my particular vernacular, “jumping around” sounds a bit more random. Like reading a Litverse TNG novel, then an old Pocket Books TOS, then a Discovery, then a during the TV series DS9 or Voyager, etc.

While what I think of as “reading paths” still has some bit of forethought as to what order those paths should take (although certainly I encourage “jumping” from one path to another to keep things from getting stale).


—David Young

 

[indianatrekker26]

I decided to use treknovels.com. which has a timeline order for the books. Since I'm in such a strange new Worlds mood, I chose some Pike books. So I have The Children of Kings, Child of Two Worlds and Burning Dreams lined up for the immediate reading future.

 

[JWolf]

I'm also in favor of "different paths" or, as I call it, "bouncing around". I used to try to just read everything in a series in order, or go through the LitVerse in order, and I'd burn out or bounce off a book or whatever. Much more manageable to give yourself the freedom to bop between series and authors and time periods without getting too stuck on a particular list.

SOme "series" are all over the place. IMHO, it's best to just pick a starting point and read in published order.

 

[JWolf]

Not necessarily. I enjoy reading eBooks as much as I do print ones (actually, for novels, I probably enjoy reading them in eBook format more these days). However, aside from the obvious exception of the eBook exclusive novels and “eNovellas”, most of the Star Trek novels are still pretty easily findable via second hand book stores, online retailers like Amazon, eBay, and, if you have a nice big local library system, via the public library (although it’s been reported here that some don’t carry paperback novels as much as others do, depending on each library’s own selections policies).

Not to mention that if one is interested in going *way* back, I don’t believe that the Bantam stuff or Alan Dean Foster’s animated series adaptations have been off put out in eBook yet. And there are even a few of the Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books novels that aren’t available in eBook, like the first three William Shatner novels (The Ashes of Eden, The Return, and Avenger).

— David Young

But, do you really want to have to chase down the pBooks when it's just easy to buy the eBooks? Yes there are some S&S books that are not eBooks, but most are. It's a lot easier to buy the eBooks then it is chasing down used pBooks.

 

[mastadge]

But, do you really want to have to chase down the pBooks when it's just easy to buy the eBooks? Yes there are some S&S books that are not eBooks, but most are. It's a lot easier to buy the eBooks then it is chasing down used pBooks.

For myself, I grew up with the mass market paperbacks and enjoy the nostalgia of seeing that year's releases on the inside cover, etc, the feeling of the book in my hand. There are a few instances of mass markets where the print is very small or the font choice is hard on my eyes that I prefer the ebook version but for the most part I enjoy the paperbacks. I also find it easier to go back and find passages in a paper book due to tactile memory.

Also, and maybe they've cleaned this up, but my experience was that some of the books published prior to the advent of ebooks didn't get proofed well/at all when ported and there are some bizarre formatting and typographical errors introduced into the text.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Alibris is your friend.

 

[Greg Cox]

But, do you really want to have to chase down the pBooks when it's just easy to buy the eBooks? Yes there are some S&S books that are not eBooks, but most are. It's a lot easier to buy the eBooks then it is chasing down used pBooks.

Just a matter of preference, possibly. Left to my own devices, I still prefer dead-tree books to ebooks when it comes to recreational reading (although I genuinely appreciate ebook royalties). Maybe I'm just old and set in my ways, or maybe it's just that I associate reading manuscripts on screen with work, so the last thing I want to do is read a book on screen when I'm off the job.

I'm actually editing a 90,000 word ms. on my computer this afternoon, but stayed up late last night reading a hardcover mystery novel.

 

[JWolf]

Just a matter of preference, possibly. Left to my own devices, I still prefer dead-tree books to ebooks when it comes to recreational reading (although I genuinely appreciate ebook royalties). Maybe I'm just old and set in my ways, or maybe it's just that I associate reading manuscripts on screen with work, so the last thing I want to do is read a book on screen when I'm off the job.

I'm actually editing a 90,000 word ms. on my computer this afternoon, but stayed up late last night reading a hardcover mystery novel.

I used to enjoy reading pBooks. But now they've mostly become trade format and I cannot stand that. Too big, too heavy, and they don't fit well in the bookshelf. Plus I don't like the larger text size.

I do like reading on my Kobo Libra 2. It's got a very nice eInk screen. It's the same size no matter what book I read. It weighs the same. I can choose what font I want to read with. I guess I'll stick with my Trek on my Padd.

 

[JWolf]

For myself, I grew up with the mass market paperbacks and enjoy the nostalgia of seeing that year's releases on the inside cover, etc, the feeling of the book in my hand. There are a few instances of mass markets where the print is very small or the font choice is hard on my eyes that I prefer the ebook version but for the most part I enjoy the paperbacks. I also find it easier to go back and find passages in a paper book due to tactile memory.

Also, and maybe they've cleaned this up, but my experience was that some of the books published prior to the advent of ebooks didn't get proofed well/at all when ported and there are some bizarre formatting and typographical errors introduced into the text.

I've read a lot of Trek eBooks and I do not find a lot of errors. Occasionally yes. But not nearly like we used to get when the eBook was OCRed.

I too grew up with MMPB. It's the trade PB I cannot stand.

 

[David cgc]

If anything, I’ve noticed the opposite, where errors get get quietly corrected in the eBooks and aren’t there when I look for them later.

 

[youngtrek]

But, do you really want to have to chase down the pBooks when it's just easy to buy the eBooks? Yes there are some S&S books that are not eBooks, but most are. It's a lot easier to buy the eBooks then it is chasing down used pBooks.

Well, that’s something different, there, the question of personal preference between print books and ebooks. I was just referring to the “need to” part of your statement (“And if you want to be able to find most of the Star Trek books you want to read, you'll need to read eBooks.”) That one doesn’t really “need to” read them in the ebooks (aside from those not available in print format, of course).

As for mass market paperback (MMPB) versus trade paperback, I honestly don’t mind either, and probably prefer the larger trade paperbacks (exactly for the reasons you dislike them, the large physical size and larger text size). Then, again, I have to admit, I usually prefer to read novels in the ebook format, if possible, so I can read them on my phone with my own screen preferences (white text on black, large font, etc.)

—David Young

 

[Greg Cox]

For what it's worth, used bookstores often have shelves of older Trek paperbacks on sale.

Just a few hours ago, I dropped in at a used bookstore in downtown Lancaster, PA, and saw plenty of older Trek paperbacks from the eighties and nineties.

 

[Smiley]

A lot of Trek books are available used from various places. However, if you want a particular title, an ebook (if one was made) is going to be available right away. The hard copies can be more luck of the draw when it comes to having what you are interested in in stock.

 

[David cgc]

For what it's worth, used bookstores often have shelves of older Trek paperbacks on sale.

Just a few hours ago, I dropped in at a used bookstore in downtown Lancaster, PA, and saw plenty of older Trek paperbacks from the eighties and nineties.

A fun game is to see how long it takes you to realize the spines are supposed to look like that, and the books weren't donated by someone who didn't cover up their bookshelves while repainting a room.

 

[bdub76]

For what it's worth, used bookstores often have shelves of older Trek paperbacks on sale.

Just a few hours ago, I dropped in at a used bookstore in downtown Lancaster, PA, and saw plenty of older Trek paperbacks from the eighties and nineties.

My local Bookman's used book store has a lot of Star Trek novels. However, I like having them on my Kindle Fire as I can travel with multiple books without taking up a lot of space in my luggage.

I'm almost done with the first Picard book. It's well written, but it comes across as an office drama, which isn't always entertaining. Raffi is like the classic IT project manager losing their mind. And Picard is like the typical senior officer trying to reassure her that everything is okay even when it's not.

My significant other doesn't like Trek, not because she thinks it's geeky. She says it's too much like her work. I get it.

Any suggestions for Star Trek novels that don't come across as work like?

 

[Arpy]

What kind of work?

Also, did you read A Stitch in Time? I'm curious what you thought.

 

[bdub76]

What kind of work?

Also, did you read A Stitch in Time? I'm curious what you thought.

The library was able to get me the eBook for the first Picard book sooner than I expected, so I read that one. Finished it up a couple of days ago. Yes. It was depressing Trek.

I'm reading Snow Crash right now for book club. This one makes me think that FB/Meta is doomed. And I have the third Picard book in queue from the library. The one about Rios. Hopefully, this one isn't too much like a Solo novel. That will probably be what I read after Snow Crash, and then I'll get back to DS9.

My significant other works in project management both for IT as well as construction. A lot of the conversations in Trek remind her of work conversations. So she says it feels like it's too much like work. I'm a data scientist, so I can get that office feeling too from Trek especially 90s Trek. I was in high school and university when I watched the old 90s-2000s Trek, so I didn't think about it then. But after having worked in offices for the last 20s, I definitely see it.

 

[youngtrek]

The library was able to get me the eBook for the first Picard book sooner than I expected, so I read that one. Finished it up a couple of days ago. Yes. It was depressing Trek.

I'm reading Snow Crash right now for book club. This one makes me think that FB/Meta is doomed. And I have the third Picard book in queue from the library. The one about Rios. Hopefully, this one isn't too much like a Solo novel. That will probably be what I read after Snow Crash, and then I'll get back to DS9.

My significant other works in project management both for IT as well as construction. A lot of the conversations in Trek remind her of work conversations. So she says it feels like it's too much like work. I'm a data scientist, so I can get that office feeling too from Trek especially 90s Trek. I was in high school and university when I watched the old 90s-2000s Trek, so I didn't think about it then. But after having worked in offices for the last 20s, I definitely see it.

Have you read The Dark Veil yet (the second Star Trek: Picard novel, about Riker and Troi on the USS Titan)? I really liked that one.

I enjoyed The Last Best Hope even though it was a darker (“depressing”) toned book. It kind of had to be, since it was setting up how Picard came to be such a recluse at the start of the show.

I haven’t gotten to the Rios book yet. Been reading TNG lately. After Slings and Arrows and Section 31: Rogue (which I understand takes place around the same time as S&A), I’ll need to get back into to my Discovery and Picard novels.

—David Young

 

[bdub76]

Have you read The Dark Veil yet (the second Star Trek: Picard novel, about Riker and Troi on the USS Titan)? I really liked that one.

I enjoyed The Last Best Hope even though it was a darker (“depressing”) toned book. It kind of had to be, since it was setting up how Picard came to be such a recluse at the start of the show.

I haven’t gotten to the Rios book yet. Been reading TNG lately. After Slings and Arrows and Section 31: Rogue (which I understand takes place around the same time as S&A), I’ll need to get back into to my Discovery and Picard novels.

—David Young

I've never been a big Riker fan, so that book doesn't really interest me. I do like Rios. He's a pretty fascinating character.

The Last Best Hope was a well written novel, but there was very little uplifting stuff in the book. What it really needed was some comic relief.

I try to find books that tell either a really good story or have really interesting characters.