Now that we ’ve all seen the puzzle house trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness , we ’ve got a bad case of Star Trek fever . as luck would have it , there are tons of Star Trek novels that have been issue since the Original Series went off the gentle wind — and many of them are shockingly secure . Thanks to editors like David G. Hartwell and John Ordover , the Star Trek novel have regularly attracted some of the best authors out there .
Here are a 12 Star Trek novels that even non - diehard Trek fans will appreciate .
For those of you who wait down on media tie - in novels — you should have sex that these necktie - in novels havea long and sometimes noted history . Here ’s our article aboutthe large number of great skill fiction and fancy authorswho’ve chosen to write affiliation - in novel over the old age .
https://gizmodo.com/untold-adventures-the-complete-history-of-tie-in-novel-5411331
https://gizmodo.com/why-do-scifi-authors-write-franchise-tie-ins-5559637
In any case , here are some truly rewarding Star Trek novels — including quite a few write by Hugo or Nebula winners .
The Hugo Award - winning writer wrote the books that adapted every exclusive original Star Trek episode into short stories , and then went on to pen the first Star Trek novel for adults , in 1970 . And Blish dives justly into one of the most knotty facial expression of Star Trek persistence : the Organians , that wash of divine beings who force the Federation to make ataraxis with the Klingons and then were never picture again . When the Klingons line up a way to get make war once again , Spock has to transport himself to the Organian major planet using a special tachyon beam — but the result is two Spocks , one of whom has to die . But which one ? I translate this as a kid and was very impressed by the Spock drama , but apparently itholds up pretty well today .
The Forever War author wrote two Star Trek novel in the late seventies , and by all accounts this is the better of the two . ( Haldemanhas writtenthat he was n’t really into doing the second one , World Without End , but it was contractually obligated . ) major planet of Judgment has a lot of the corking Star Trek staples , include super - knock-down outlander putting the Enterprise crew on test , and some big philosophical questions . Plus gobs of Brobdingnagian space - opera action , include an impossible satellite orbiting a static dim hole . And this is one of the most grownup of the Star Trek novels , with the redshirts getting their face rend off and the Enterprise bunch actually talking about sex .
And here ’s yet another award - winning source who write Star Trek novel — we ’ll be sport McIntyre again on this listing . The Entropy Effect was the first original novel published by Pocket Books , and here’sMcIntyre ’s account of how that happened . And for her first original Trek novel , McIntyre pull out all the stops , with a twisting taradiddle of sentence traveling in which it actually causes physical damage to the fabric of the cosmos . A gravid example of using a Star Trek novel to explore some scientific idea .
https://gizmodo.com/how-one-of-the-first-star-trek-novels-was-written-5574037
The first of two must - study Star Trek novels by Ford , The Final Reflection is the first novel to delve into Klingon finish and show the Klingons as cause honor and valid ideas of their own . Ford invents a Klingon version of chess game , call klin zha , and use it to explore the Klingon view of the universe and their place in it . Pretty much all of the later development of Klingons in Star Trek builds on Ford ’s employment here , and it ’s also a big part of world - building and a tutorial in how to make an alien raceway sense animated and real . For the sleep of his life , Ford was fete by Klingons at normal as their majuscule fighter .
What Ford did for the Klingons , Duane did for the Romulans — this is the first record book in her “ Rihannsu ” series , which fleshes out Romulan culture and makes them not just a weird branch of the Vulcans with a somewhat random “ Ancient Rome ” motive glue on . All of Duane ’s Rihannsu novel are deserving reading , even if you ’re not a Trek madman , because they make a believable alien polish and put it alongside the Federation . And unlike the Klingons , the Romulans have never get this much deepness and think put into them on screen , to this day .
Having given the Klingons a new deepness and integrity , Ford chose to abide by that up with … a melodic comedy leger . The Enterprise travels to a Dilithium - rich planet , where the Federation is compete with the Klingons for the mining rights . And weirdly enough , everybody on the satellite communicates by bursting into song . And clowning is king . This bookfeatures cameo appearancesby Pamela Dean , Neil Gaiman , Diane Duane and other authors .
Before J.J. Abrams gave us a fresh version of Captain Kirk ’s origins , McIntyre wrote this masterful novel about a young Captain Kirk experience to descend to grips with his dictation — including the edgy Spock , who considers his new headwaiter to be a loose cannon . For devotee of afterward Star Treks who ’ve never quite understand why the Kirk / Spock / McCoy relationship is so important to the series , McIntyre does a neat job of constitute and modernize that relationship , and show just why that particular trio are so heroic . There ’s alsoa winged horse in the Enterprise cargo bay , a vaudeville company on gameboard , and a brand new race of … winged monkeys .
The Reeves - Wallace Stevens have had a long and wide-ranging career with Star Trek , include a stint work on Enterprise and a retentive stretch spook - writing William Shatner ’s flakey “ Shatner - verse ” novel . But their first Star Trek ledger is probably the best affair they ’ve ever done — it ’s a really epic face at the Prime Directive and what happens when Captain Kirk appears to have broken it once too often , make a huge calamity in which the go-ahead is all but destroy . Kirk is dishonor and drummed out of Starfleet in disgrace , and the rest of the Enterprise bridgework crew has to break up and go into concealment , enacting an elaborate plan to lend Kirk back . Dr. McCoy has to become a fictitious space sea rover , and Sulu and Chekov become Orion smugglers . It ’s a completely over - the - top dangerous undertaking novel , but it also manage to betray you on the approximation that Kirk ’s goose might really be cooked this time . Great fun .
For a long sentence , Peter David was the unquestioned master of Star Trek novel — his New Frontier books are great swaggering fun , and quite addictive , and he also write some entertaining books about Q and the Borg . But his most lasting achievement as a Star Trek author is probably Imzadi , in which he manage to take the Troi - Riker human relationship and infuse it with romance , joy and danger . As a fourth dimension - travel romance , Imzadi is remarkably potent and intense — it starts out in the future , when Admiral Riker is mourning the last 30 days ago of his darling Deanna Troi . But when Riker discovers evidence that Troi ’s death was actually the resolution of time - change of location disturbance , he croak back in time to save her . Leaving the future Data no choice but to go back in time to essay and stop Riker .
The other must - translate Peter David Star Trek novel , this one fleshes out the oft - look out on character of Hikaru Sulu ( who only got his first name , thanks to Vonda McIntyre ’s Entropy Effect . ) Captain Sulu ’s girl is apparently killed in mysterious circumstances , and he gamble everything to go notice out what happened to her . For those of us who still experience lamentable that we never got a Captain Sulu TV serial or spin - off movie , this is the next best thing — and for anybody who wants to read a rip - howl space opera with heart , this is a great read .
There have been a band of neat Star Trek novels in recent years , many of them written by Cox and David Mack . ( See above for the top of Mack ’s Vanguard , whichcommenter SandroinSeattle recommends . ) This one stand out , though , because it fleshes out a key period in Star Trek history — the Eugenics Wars that are alluded to in the episode “ Space Seed . ” Now at last , we learn just how Khan and his fellow augments tried to take over . Cox does a terrific occupation of flesh out the already rich character of Khan Noonien Singh — but this is also great as a near - time to come story of genetic engine room go away incorrect , in its own right wing .
https://gizmodo.com/essential-star-trek-novels-that-even-non-trekkers-shoul-5967305
And in conclusion , there ’s the one must - read Deep Space Nine novel . Andrew Robinson ’s Garak was one of the most fascinating type Star Trek has ever given us — a former undercover agent who claim to be just a wide-eyed tailor , Garak was always willing to do what needed to be done . And to force character like Bashir and Sisko over the boundary into his own moral gray domain . Robinson generate to the character he played , and flesh out a lot of his backstory as well as fill in a lot of what happened to Garak after he leave Deep Space Nine . Anybody who was ever curious about the darker , more coarse-textured universe DS9 was create will find a lot of insights here .
So what are your alternative for the most essential Star Trek novel ? number them below !
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