I promised last week, that I'd make a post concerning what I think are essential Trek books, so here we are. These aren't in any order, unless my mind puts one subconsciously before another. So, what's the criteria?
There are a lot of Trek books that have been written, just like there have been a lot of Star Wars books written. Nobody in their right mind expects a person to read every single one of them. Some are aweful, while some of them are average. Every once in awhile though, there will be a gem in the rough. These in my opinion are really good stories, that not only are really good in terms of Trek, but stand alone as good literature that can be enjoyed by anyone, and not just die hard fans. So, that's my criteria. A really good Trek book that can stand alone on its own merits. It's rare, but when you find one, they really tend to be great works of fiction. So, let's get to it.
Federation by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: Ever wondered how the Federation came about? Ever wonder how Warp Drive was invented? You'll find that out here in Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens's Federation, in what is arguably the best Trek novel ever written, featuring the crew of Kirk and Picard's Enterprises in a plot that involves both crews and other familiar characters after a Time Warp accident. What is remarkable about this novel is that each crew never actually come face to face and manages to be stronger for it. Many episodes and novels would tend to have our crews face to face, which in my opinion lessens the impact by taking an easy way out. Having them not come face to face is a harder challenge in my opinion, and they've pulled it off beautifully. This novel came out before 1994's Generations where Kirk and Picard met, and still yet before 1996's First Contact where Picard's crew go back in time to help Zefram Cochrane with his Warp Drive experiment, and so some of it is invalidated due to those movies, but many people feel that this novel does it better than the both of them. In my opinion, it's far more tactfully done.
Immortal Coil by Jeffrey Lang: A Next Generation novel featuring Data. Probably the only one focusing on Data. The result is an Asimovian style story in which Data learns he is not unique. All throughout the show, he's been striving to become more human, ultimately curious to know what it takes to be human, learning how to correct himself and try to be less perfect, less like an android, all the while, adding puzzle pieces that an Android normally doesn't have, like humor with the use of a chip in Generations. The second plot point in this novel has him finding love, something which had eluded him until now, which more or less helps him complete his quest in becoming more human. Lots of references to both TOS and TNG episodes, but that shouldn't really get in the way of things. In fact, they just serve to add more depth to those who get the references.
The Ashes of Eden by William Shatner (Reeves-Stevens): For some perspective, when Federation came out, when William Shatner was thinking of writing a Star Trek novel, since Federation was so successfull, they had asked the duo if they would like to write with Shatner. They said yes, and this is their result. It's a wonderful story about Kirk retiring, meeting a new love, marrying her and then living off-world with her. It's age old innocence at its best. This book is actually part of a trilogy, although after this came out, Generations came out and went ahead and killed off Kirk. Now, Shatner wanted to keep Kirk alive, and so he wrote a sequel which contradicted even all the other novels published around the same time. He's a rebel, that's what he is. The publishers have given him leeway into doing what he wants, in that it won't affect the other novels people are writing. This is what people are affectionately calling 'The Shatnerverse'. Now, I'm not recommending picking up the rest of the books, as this one stands well enough on its own, since the sequel, 'The Return', finds an implausible, as far as Sci-Fi goes, way to bring him back to life. It goes downhill from there anyhow. Leave it at Ashes of Eden.
The Lives of Dax by Various Authors: Dax was a character on Deep Space Nine, and is a Trill. Now, the idea of Trills is that, some of them are joined, and some of them are not. By being joined, it means they have a symbiont inside of them, an alien creature able to retain memories by living inside the Trill and using them as host. If a Trill dies, they can still save the symbiont and transfer it to another host , which will then carry the memories of that dead Trill. The Dax symbiont has lived many generations, and Deep Space Nine portrayed two of those, including another which is featured in this book. The concept of this novel is brilliant. It is not one long story, but rather short stories, each taking on a different generation of the Dax symbiont, so what you get more or less is a history of the universe and its evolution through the eyes of the Dax symbiont, from before the Trill were discovered by the Federation, to Kirk's era, to Next Generation, and finally to Deep Space Nine. Each story though is interlocked by the memories of the previous and what you get is a spellbinding page turner, in which you can pick up and read and be finished with a story all while during a coffee break.
Q-Squared by Peter David: Have you ever met Q? He's delightfully annoying, always causing trouble for Captain Picard, while having so much fun tormenting the crew. In a way, he's the perfect villain for the Next Generation, who first appeared in the pilot to judge Picard on his actions. Actions he says that weigh in on the human race's survival. This arrogant omnipotent being thinks the human race is beneath him, and so hilarity ensues when he actually comes to Picard for help. Trelane was a similar being for Kirk, though he never was specified what he was; only that he was very immature for his age and always liked to play games. This novel takes a brilliant approach and assumes that Trelane is the same species as Q. So, when Q comes to Picard for help, it's because he's been tasked by Trelane's parents to keep an eye on him. Picture a daycare for omnipotent beings, and that's pretty much the concept of this novel. Alternate universes clash together as Trelane unravels the very fibers that keep them distinct, and before you know it, each universe blends into one. The galaxy is the Omnipotent's building blocks.
Prime Directive by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: This is one of the few other novels the Reeves-Stevenses wrote before engaging themselves with William Shatner. Again, this shows why they were chosen to write for him. This novel really is a piece of quality work. I have never seen a Trek novel capture the essence and spirit of Star Trek so well. They all act as you would expect them to act, and at times, you can really picture this being a movie. A good book in my opinion, is one in which you can hear the voices without having to wonder how they would say a certain thing. This one has it in abundance. It's about the story of Kirk and his crew, and a mistake they make for which they pay the price of. The Prime Directive is General Order Number 1. It's the most important rule to which Starfleet Captains must adhere to. Here they've apparently broken it, and their actions lead to a chain reaction. They must figure out how they triggered a destruction of a whole world.
A Stitch In Time by Andrew J. Robinson: Garak, a character in Deep Space Nine, has always been in the shadows. As a clothier, we never actually knew how he got there and what his past was, which made him an intriguing character with all sorts of secrets. Apparently, the actor who played him, Andrew Robinson, liked playing him so much, that after the series ended, he decided to write a book about the character's past, and what an interesting book this is. You don't even have to like the character of Garak or even know who he is to appreciate it. For instance, Garak wasn't one of my favourite characters before reading this book, but reading gave me a whole new appreciation for him, to becoming one of my favourite characters in Trek ever. Not just a great Trek book, but a great book overall that deserves the title of Literature.
