A Guide to Star Trek: The Original Series Novels

[rachelmanija]

I notice that many people have gotten curious about the original series after seeing the movie. There are also some quite good novels, many by writers known for original sf/fantasy. Here's a brief, non-comprehensive guide:

The Spirit of Wonder

Diane Duane did the best job of capturing the joy I felt when watching the series. You want to serve on her Enterprise – and her Enterprise probably has a place for you. Her crew is full of aliens, and her stories are all about the longing to breathe in the air of a strange new world.

Spock’s World intersperses a mission to Vulcan with a series of heartbreaking vignettes from Vulcan’s history; the alternation of the intense emotional content of the historical chapters with the more contained emotions of legal trial in the main story works beautifully. Spock's World (Star Trek)

In The Wounded Sky, the main character is a female giant transparent spider physicist, and the story is about the ultimate in exploring strange new worlds, a journey both inward and outward. Poignant and beautiful. The Wounded Sky

Enterprise: The First Adventure, by Vonda N. McIntyre. An epic of alien contact, featuring nice roles for all the main characters (even Janice Rand, who is mentored by Uhura), plus backstage comedy via an interstellar circus (!) and a very angsty and interesting original Vulcan character. Her new crew realistically fails to mesh, then gradually bonds; her aliens and descriptions of zero-g are lovely. Star Trek Enterprise The First Adventure

John M. Ford, as always a category unto himself

The Final Reflection might as well be an original sf novel, as most of the characters are Klingons – and much more sophisticated and interesting Klingons than actually appeared on the show. A beautifully written and powerful story about power, politics, identity, and the costs and rewards of the choices we make. I can’t be more specific because I have no idea what was going on for a great deal of the story (let me know if you do!), but that’s true of most of Ford’s novels. The Final Reflection (Star Trek, No 16)

How Much For Just The Planet? A musical comedy. No, really. No, really. And it’s actually funny! It’s kind of a parody, but a very fond one. Kirk and the rest end up on a planet in which everyone acts like they’re in some old movie. Uhura lands in a film noir, and Kirk in a chorus line. There are hilarious film strips and an attack milkshake. Oh, just read it. How Much for Just the Planet? (Star Trek, No 36)

What if the Series Hadn't Been Totally Sexist?

My Enemy, My Ally, by Diane Duane. A Romulan woman commander develops a prickly friendship with Kirk when they’re forced to adventure together for reasons of political intrigue. Lots of convincing detail about Romulan culture. My Enemy, My Ally There are sequels that aren't quite as good.

The Entropy Effect, by Vonda N. McIntyre. Time travel, Angsty!Fencing!Sulu, cool alien characters, several cool original female characters, and a rather slashy Kirk/Spock relationship: what’s not to love? The Entropy Effect (Star Trek)

Uhura’s Song, by Janet Kagan. This is another one that’s almost an original sf novel. When a plague hits, the cure involves going on a quest with a bunch of catlike aliens on their home world. There’s an original female character whom a lot of people call a Mary Sue, but all I can say is that I only wish Mary Sue was usually portrayed as Buckaroo Banzai, Trickster Archetype. Sweet and fun. Uhura's Song (Star Trek No 21)

Crossroad, by Barbara Hambly. A remarkably dark and often darkly funny story involving Lovecraftian horrors in spaaaaace. Christine Chapel is a major character, and her (non) relationship with Spock is developed convincingly and poignantly. Crossroad (Star Trek, Book 71)

Not My First Choice, But Worthwhile

Star Trek, Log One, by Alan Dean Foster. Based on the animated series, this is nothing really special but nicely written.

The other novels by Barbara Hambly and Diane Duane are worth reading if you enjoy the series, as are Jean Lorrah’s. I note that Laurence Yep, Peter David, Joe Haldeman and Greg Bear all wrote novels for the original series; I don’t remember them, but they should be at least decent. I vaguely remember enjoying A. C. Crispin’s books.

Run Fast, Run Far

All the novels by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath are unreadable, though the “Phoenix” ones do have Kirk naked (and tortured) for most of the book. Avoid, even if that’s a selling point.

The Tears of the Singers, by Melinda Snodgrass. Oh God. Uhura meets a tousle-haired, temperamental asshole of a hot genius musician with a heart condition that will kill him if he gets excited. A planet of baby seal aliens are being clubbed to death by Klingons for the jewels they weep at the moment of death, only their song is holding the universe together. Kirk drafts the musician because he’s the only one who can translate the song, and he dies operatically in Uhura’s arms after saving the world. A baby seal alien spontaneously sheds a single perfect tear of woe, which Uhura makes into a necklace. The Tears of the Singers (Star Trek, No 19)

Did anyone read Spock, Messiah? Was it as dire as it sounds? SPOCK, MESSIAH! (Star Trek)

Comments

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

YAY! I was thinking I should write up info on some of my fave novels--and now I can linky to yoU!

*hands you the internetz*

(Only one I'd add off the top of my head is the Hambly Trek/Here Come the Brides Crossover!) Do you know it?

*goes to linky linky link*

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I do, but since I was totally unfamiliar with Here Come The Brides, I had the vague sense of things going over my head. I know a lot of people love it.

I'd love to read your recs TOO, though.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

Ishmael! Awesome. I also remember liking her Trek novel "Ghostwalker", but it's been a while since I reread it.

[raanve]

I've only read one Trek 'novel' - the the novelisation of The Motion Picture, when I was in about fifth grade. After that, I didn't have much interest in reading Trek novels.

This list, though, makes me want to jump right in. This might make good airplane reading this week!

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

It was totally totally fantastic (I was a HUGE fan of the show--we used to go every sumer to camp out on the Kitsap Peninsula across the Sound from Seattle).

I'll dig some out in a day or two (have GRANTS deadlines)--many are handily piled on my work table since I am using them in my Queering Harold Bloom to talk about Slash in original as well as fan fic project (for which I am behind, woes).

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

That was my least favorite--though not because it was bad. I think I got creeped out.

Must revisit...

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

What's great about many of these is how the voices/visions of the writers, while not (in my mind) contradicting canon, build on it to develop a much richer characterization and universe (often, the stories focus more on exploration, not total military action, though there are some battles).

Diane Duane, especially, is my GODDESS!!!!!

*coffs and tiptoes away*

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Plus that one has Spock-angst out the wazoo. Always a plus.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was definitely on the creepy end of the spectrum.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I used to have vast numbers of Trek novels, numbers of which I lent to a friend out of state, and she later got divorced and the box vanished. *sob*

But I replaced my Hambly Trek novels, and some of the others.

I remember there was at least one with McCoy's daughter in it. The A.C. Crispin ones had a couple with a son for Spock--YESTERDAY'S SON, and I forget the title of the other.

Jean Lorrah's Trek books amuse me for having cameos by Blake's 7 characters.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

Oh, I need to reacquire some of these! I purged my shelves when the early Pocket books were mostly all still in print, and were available in huge stacks at every secondhand bookstore-- I only kept about ten of my very favorites.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

I remember there was at least one with McCoy's daughter in it.

"Crisis on Centaurus" has her.

The A.C. Crispin ones had a couple with a son for Spock--YESTERDAY'S SON, and I forget the title of the other.

"Time for Yesterday". I need to reread those.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the Peter David ones (and in fact I appear as an Admiral in Rock and a Hard Place, so maybe I'm just biased).

One of my absolute favorites was Barbara Hambly's Ishmael, which was Star Trek meets Here Come the Brides.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I still think the reboot was a totally lost opportunity to make Duane's Rihannsu canon.

Much more interesting than colonial-terrorists-biting-the-helping-hand. Ew.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I put up a "Best Star Trek Novels" list on Amazon a long time ago. You can find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Star-Trek-Novels/lm/2N5WZJEBRX4FY

[elmocho.livejournal.com]

Vonda N. McIntyre also did the novelizations to The Wrath of Khan and Search For Spock. They deal with far many more of the characters on Regulus I. The third-person-limited Ceti-eeled-Chekhov POV is pretty good, too.

[lferion]

I read 'Spock Messiah!' when it came out. I remember not making a whole lot of sense of it at the time. I didn't keep it when I was persuaded to cull the herd a couple of years ago.

Oh the other hand, Blish's 'Spock Must Die!' holds up remarkably well as a straight forward adventure tale that could very easily have been an actual TOS episode.

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

The Tears of the Singers, by Melinda Snodgrass. Oh God. Uhura meets a tousle-haired, temperamental asshole of a hot genius musician with a heart condition that will kill him if he gets excited. A planet of baby seal aliens are being clubbed to death by Klingons for the jewels they weep at the moment of death, only their song is holding the universe together. Kirk drafts the musician because he’s the only one who can translate the song, and he dies operatically in Uhura’s arms after saving the world. A baby seal alien spontaneously sheds a single perfect tear of woe, which Uhura makes into a necklace.

I. REMEMBER. THAT. ONE.

[sorceressakemi.livejournal.com]

A planet of baby seal aliens are being clubbed to death by Klingons for the jewels they weep at the moment of death, only their song is holding the universe together.

That sounds remarkably like a major plot point of Joan D. Vinge's The Snow Queen.

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

I also recommend Duane's My Enemy, My Ally- Kirk encounters a female Romulan commander (related to the one from TOS) who is every inch his equal.

[elynne.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was getting that too. Something tells me that TSQ is much, much better. Also, the mental images of TTotS are not only full of fluffy white baby harp seals, they also have lots of lens flares, rainbow prisms, and a death scene with a brilliant orange and pink sunset (Uhura holds him as he dies and the sun sets and a baby harp seal looks on and cries a single perfect tear and OH GOD LENS FLARE RAINBOWS EVERYWHERRRRREEEE). And possibly pastel unicorns.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

Your recommendations are just about exactly the same as mine, except for Crossroad, which I haven't read. Nonetheless I have far too many comments.

I think I understand The Final Reflection reasonably well. (The Ford I really want an explanation for is "Fugue State.")

Spock, Messiah! is not as bad as it sounds, but that is not to say it is good; it sounds insanely awful and as I recall is only medium awful. Which is not a recommendation.

I agree with lferion that Blish's Spock Must Die! is pretty good. Blish also did short-story versions of all the original series episodes, much as Foster did for the animated series, but I don't recall that he added much to what's on the screen (it's been donkey's years since I read them).

As for Foster, I enjoyed the Log series, but I should note that after number six or seven the books are each one long story instead of three short ones: as far as I can tell he novelized single episodes by adding lots of original material. Which would be fine except that the original material is often not very good.

If one reads and enjoys My Enemy, My Ally and/or Spock's World, Duane's The Romulan Way is also worth reading, as it does for the Romulans what Spock's World does for the Vulcans. However, I would advise avoiding the trilogy which follows that: the first two books are good but the third really falls apart.

I haven't read the Haldeman books (one by Joe, one by Jack) in a long time but I recall them being decent - probably not better than that. The Bear I vaguely recall as not doing very much interesting with the Trek characters.

Finally, another book for the "run away!" category is Sonni Cooper's Black Fire, which is a lengthy exercise in Spockophilia. And if that description sounds appealing, let me assure you it really isn't. I mean, unless you are prepared to put up with a lot to see Spock become a space pirate with an earring and everything.

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

The Snow Queen does it well. Without excessive pastel rainbows.

However, I think this may be part of that rule that there is no idea so hackneyed that some writer cannot make it work (And as no idea so fabulous that some writer can't turn out dreck).

[madam-silvertip.livejournal.com]

I never realized that "Tears of the Singers" was such a blatant Tiptree knockoff. Losing something in the translation, though.

I vaguely remember reading "Spock, Messiah" and finding it pretty dire but enjoying it, but there wasn't much Trek fic out then and I was not picky.

A rather good Spock-centered one is "Black Fire" by Sonni Cooper. (At least I liked it, though it's not to be taken very seriously.)

[madam-silvertip.livejournal.com]

Oh, and here it's also a Snow Queen knockoff ("Tears of the Singers"). I wonder if this is also a folkloristic motif, since it keeps reappearing (fluffy baby harp seals optional)?