Really good Star Trek novels?

[Coragem]

I went to see Into Darkness a week ago. Yes, in lots of ways it was terrible, but I sort of enjoyed it anyway. It reminded me how much I used to enjoy the original Star Trek as a child. Later I really liked Star Trek TNG and DS9.

Anyway, books. I did read some Star Trek books long ago. At the time I didn't know enough to judge whether they were really any good and I don't really remember any of them now.

Are there any really good and well written Star Trek books out there? Maybe something tending towards the darker/gritter?

Thank you.

Coragem.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

My top three with the original characters are
Prime Directive by Judith Reeves-Stevens
Enterprise the First Adventure by Vonda M McIntyre
Spock's World by Diane Duane

I found all three to be quite dark.

My favourite Next Generation one is
Q in Law by Peter David but it is funny rather than dark - I laughed most of the way through it.

 

[Droflet]

It's been a while, but I enjoyed Ashes of Eden by Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens.

 

[Montero]

Ishmael and also Ghost Walker by Barbara Hambly. One is Spock on the earth in the past, the other involves an alien and is in the future.

Janet Kagan - Uhura's Song. With the one and only Tail-kinker To'Ennion (which I may have mis-spelled). Lots of fun.

Second Diane Duane - and would also add the others she wrote. Most are set in the Romulan empire and have some cracking characters. Also like Doctor's Orders - McCoy is left in charge of the Enterprise....
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/diane-duane/

In terms of dark, from memory Ghost Walker is the darkest. None of them are comedies as such though may have lighter moments, some have serious overall story arc - plague wiping out a race for example.

Most of these are not on the bridge of the Enterprise - they are on expeditions to worlds.

 

[Rodders]

Blimey. I went through a phase of reading Star Trek books about 20 years ago and must have about 2 to 3 hundred at home. I thought they were well written for the most part but the TOS stories were better.

 

[Gramm838]

I've just finished reading "The Buried Age", which was quite good and the second half was quite dark.

Stay away from ST:Titan novels though - the one that I tried to read was rubbish, especially when the ships doctor was described as a sentient velociraptor...

 

[Rodders]

Aren't the Titan novels for young adults?

 

[Coragem]

Prime Directive by Judith Reeves-Stevens
Enterprise the First Adventure by Vonda M McIntyre

Thanks all. Now you mention them, I do remember the two above as being very very good – not that I can remember the plots.

Coragem.

 

[Fishbowl Helmet]

Check out this article:

http://io9.com/5967305/essential-star-trek-novels-that-even-non+trekkies-should-read