Star Trek Books (The Original Series)

keviana elliot · **Posted:** May 25th, 2017, 11:12 pm

For fun, and because they are typically terrific short reads, I collect the old school Star Trek books.

You know: the original Kirk, Spock, Bones, and crew on the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701.

My favorite of the collection is still #50, Doctor's Orders. Kirk puts Bones in charge as a joke during a routine mission, but then disappears! McCoy just about loses his religion trying to hold off the Klingons and find Kirk. It's great.

Has anyone else read any of these books?
Have a favorite?

Domici · **Joined:** December 27th, 2014, 7:08 am **Posts:** 939

Read what I could find and afford. Before TNG came out that was about all we had to keep things going. I don't remember the details.

Have you read "Redshirts" by Scalzi? A little bit of language but I actually laughed.

Lady Sparks · **Posted:** May 26th, 2017, 11:08 am

So many good books!! I love all the older TOS books. (I have barely read any from the other series' and very few that have been published after 2000 or so.)

I don't remember Doctor's Orders but I recognize the cover so I know I've read it - I'll have to see if it's in my sister's collection. Plus it's by Diane Duane and she writes good TOS books. (I definitely remember reading several others - Spock's World was very good.)

My favorites are the ones by "L.A. Graf" - I enjoy how they focus more on the trio of Chekov/Sulu/Uhura and they tend to be very exciting but also very funny. Firestorm - where half the men come under the influence of the Elasian Dohlman's tears was too funny. Though my favorite is Traitor Winds which takes place during the lost years and establishes how Chekov moves into Security.

Some other favorites:
Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan - I love the culture of the cat-like Eeiauoan's and their forbidden songs.
The Vulcan Academy Murders and IDIC Epidemic by Jean Lorrah because of the way they explore Spock's relationship with his parents.
Ishmael by Barbara Hambly because Spock stuck in the frontier in a crossover with Here Comes the Brides, Bonanza, etc. is so well done.
Strangers from the Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno - the epic story of the forgotten first contact between earth and vulcan. It's so well written and much more in-depth than most TOS books.

keviana elliot · **Posted:** May 27th, 2017, 3:06 pm

Domici wrote:

Before TNG came out that was about all we had to keep things going.

Even after TNG, the OST still had a distinctly different flavor.

Quote:

Have you read "Redshirts" by Scalzi? A little bit of language but I actually laughed.

No, but I just looked it up... That looks hilarious. What a weird spin!

keviana elliot · **Posted:** May 27th, 2017, 4:16 pm

Lady Sparks wrote:

Plus it's by Diane Duane and she writes good TOS books. (I definitely remember reading several others - Spock's World was very good.)

I. love. Diane Duane. *throws confetti*

She and Diane Carey were two of my faves.

Best Destiny took me for a trip the first time I read it. So I read it 4 more times. *happy sigh* Oh, the well-executed present/past plots. So refreshing.

Quote:

My favorites are the ones by "L.A. Graf" - I enjoy how they focus more on the trio of Chekov/Sulu/Uhura and they tend to be very exciting but also very funny. Firestorm - where half the men come under the influence of the Elasian Dohlman's tears was too funny. Though my favorite is Traitor Winds which takes place during the lost years and establishes how Chekov moves into Security.

I just Googled L.A. Graf to see more about the authors, and discovered it is a team of authors! How stellar! I will be going through my books and looking more closely at those!

I recall liking Firestorm a lot. Traitor Winds is one I haven't collected yet!

I will be on the double-lookout for that one now.

I recently acquired Uhura's Song but haven't read it. Again, now I have to.

The Vulcan Academy Murders and Ishmael were turning points in my thinking about Spock. I think the true depth of his character became exposed in the plots. Bravo.

Lol, I remember being annoyed with how the Star Trek: First Contact movie (and book) actually toyed with a few of the facts from Strangers from the Sky... I kept trying to tell the my parents the rest of the story. I think sometimes reading the books gave me too many facts!

Domici · **Joined:** December 27th, 2014, 7:08 am **Posts:** 939

Part of me wants to point out one of the many ST sims on the web. However, I've tried a couple and they always wind up "bleagh". An excellent idea that tends to be played by people who are even less adaptable than I.

Lady Sparks · **Posted:** May 28th, 2017, 10:20 am

keviana elliot wrote:

Lol, I remember being annoyed with how the Star Trek: First Contact movie (and book) actually toyed with a few of the facts from Strangers from the Sky... I kept trying to tell the my parents the rest of the story. I think sometimes reading the books gave me too many facts!

[/color]

This. I couldn't enjoy the movie because the Strangers from the Sky version is so much better.

The acronym behind LA Graf cracks me up.

One of the things I both love and hate about the ST books is their lack of continuity. It's great because you can pick and choose which stories you want to consider canon in your mind and throw out/ignore the ones you don't. But, of course, it can stink because the movies/shows/other books completely ignore and contradict them. You just have to keep your focus.

Star Trek Books (The Original Series)

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