Star Trek Novels, Part One
Aug. 27th, 2019 12:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scioscribeI've fallen headfirst into passionate, swooning love with Star Trek TOS and Kirk/Spock, so much so that I went out and bought, well, twenty-two Star Trek novels plus the Star Trek Encyclopedia. (Guided in choice by rachelmanija, sholio, and these fan reviews.) I have thus far read four:
The Kobayashi Maru, by Julia Ecklar
Immensely fun. There's a frame story involving Kirk, Sulu, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov on a downed shuttle, waiting for rescue, contending with injuries, and telling stories of their respective Kobayashi Maru tests (minus McCoy) to pass the time. Kirk's is brief but endearing. Sulu steals the book with his section, which features a sweet, nuanced relationship with his grandfather and an excellent look at his playful streak. Scotty and Chekov also get good turns, as Chekov overplays his hand by slaughtering everyone in what's basically laser tag and Scotty mopes through command track while his heart lies solely (of course) in engineering. Highly engaging, and especially great at providing development for the supporting characters.
My particular fannish delights: hurt/comfort, Kirk programming a computer to be impressed with him, Sulu's amazing paper airplanes that he uses to get around the rules in what's basically Starfleet Academy Model UN, and tons of Starfleet Academy worldbuilding in general.
The Entropy Effect, by Vonda N. McIntyre
The darkest ST novel I've read thus far--it's surprisingly downbeat even in the subplots, with Sulu realizing his ambitions necessitate him transferring off the Enterprise and his budding romance with the OC Head of Security being cut short by that and with Kirk feeling old regret for not having joined a love of his (a captain named Hunter) in her poly marriage. Now that I write that out, it all kind of works with the title: here we see the inevitability of decay. This one is also intensely science fictional, as McIntyre takes a plot that could feel fic-like--Kirk dies! The crew struggles to reverse it!--and sets it down in a labyrinth of complex time travel and in-depth mourning that involves not only death and lost chances but the decision to take loved ones off life support. It's a book that leaves a mark.
My particular fannish delights: temporary character death, Spock wearing civilian clothes (that Bones compliments him on! it matches his eyes!), implicitly bi Kirk, fringes-of-the-Federation worldbuilding, delightful background f/f shippiness with two OCs, cool aliens, creepy cobweb death gun, and incredibly shippy K/S scene where Kirk wakes up alive again.
Enterprise: The First Adventure, by Vonda N. McIntyre
Probably my favorite so far! This is, as the title would imply, a look at the Enterprise's first voyage, focused on the crew getting to know each other as they wind up--amazingly--escorting an old-fashioned circus around the galaxy. They eventually wind up in conflict with a dangerous rogue Klingon, but I personally would have been happy to just read an entire book about their circus-related adventures. Everyone gets incredible character beats here. Kirk spends the entire novel dealing with a sore knee, loneliness, command anxiety, and random animal attacks, and I like that he gets to fuck up a couple of times in a believably inexperienced way before making thoughtful amends. Spock spends some time debating how much emotional, impulsive humanity he wants to expose himself to, while saddled with the return of an old Vulcan cousin (now a juggler) who is a "pervert" who seeks out emotional sensations. McCoy gets beamed up in flippers and a wetsuit; Sulu gets beamed up with a fencing foil over his shoulder. Uhura's sense of music proves crucial and she strikes up a genuinely sweet friendship with Rand and shows an awesome sense of creative revenge. Rand gets the woobie backstory of my dreams and an amazing amount of competence kink. OCs Lindy (the circus owner) and Stephen (the Vulcan juggler) are especially great. Scotty and Kirk have a whole antagonists-to-friends character arc. Designated Fandom Jackass Gary Mitchell even gets a good, emotionally complex turn.
My particular fannish delights: all of the above but especially still-finding-his-way Kirk and woobie Yeoman Rand, Kirk riding a winged horse to Spock's rescue, Lindy's struggle to run her old-fashioned vaudeville circus, the eventual Klingon reactions to said circus, Sulu grandly seizing the opportunity to make a Shakespearean performance, more cool aliens and one case of a cool fake alien, Stephen the Vulcan juggler and his childhood history with Spock, Kirk saves the Klingon Empire, Kirk and Spock talk about ethics, and Uhura's music.
The Wounded Sky, by Diane Duane
An "inversion drive" has been invented that will allow ships to travel to other galaxies, and the Enterprise has just gotten permission to take it out on its maiden voyage, accompanied by its primary designer, the creative physicist (and glass spider alien) K't'lk. Complications ensue, and initial bursts of oddness and hyper-empathy during the use of the drive turn into potentially universe-destroying consequences and an intoxicating, sensawunda-filled blend of science and theology that deals with the complex ramifications of a lack of entropy. This is just such an exuberant, creative book, bursting at the seams with ideas and affection for the characters. I'm particularly touched by Scotty and his friendship with K't'lk and by the depiction of McCoy's burning compassion.
My particular fannish delights: how strongly one scene reminds me of the "further up and further in" bit of The Chronicles of Narnia, strong and sweet Kirk & Spock & McCoy friendship, GLASS SPIDER ALIENS with a complex society that seems ripe for a bunch of romantic tragedies and epics, casual inclusion of various types of nonbinary aliens, the rest of Starfleet turning up to escort the Enterprise home, the way the true selves of the crew manifest and the way they can only see others and not themselves, the sad-sweet bit of Chekov POV on his love for Russia, the vibe of the crew being basically an OT430, and Chapel working on her doctorate.
More to come, undoubtedly.
rachelmanija, sholio, and these fan reviews.) I have thus far read four:The Kobayashi Maru, by Julia Ecklar
Immensely fun. There's a frame story involving Kirk, Sulu, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov on a downed shuttle, waiting for rescue, contending with injuries, and telling stories of their respective Kobayashi Maru tests (minus McCoy) to pass the time. Kirk's is brief but endearing. Sulu steals the book with his section, which features a sweet, nuanced relationship with his grandfather and an excellent look at his playful streak. Scotty and Chekov also get good turns, as Chekov overplays his hand by slaughtering everyone in what's basically laser tag and Scotty mopes through command track while his heart lies solely (of course) in engineering. Highly engaging, and especially great at providing development for the supporting characters.
My particular fannish delights: hurt/comfort, Kirk programming a computer to be impressed with him, Sulu's amazing paper airplanes that he uses to get around the rules in what's basically Starfleet Academy Model UN, and tons of Starfleet Academy worldbuilding in general.
The Entropy Effect, by Vonda N. McIntyre
The darkest ST novel I've read thus far--it's surprisingly downbeat even in the subplots, with Sulu realizing his ambitions necessitate him transferring off the Enterprise and his budding romance with the OC Head of Security being cut short by that and with Kirk feeling old regret for not having joined a love of his (a captain named Hunter) in her poly marriage. Now that I write that out, it all kind of works with the title: here we see the inevitability of decay. This one is also intensely science fictional, as McIntyre takes a plot that could feel fic-like--Kirk dies! The crew struggles to reverse it!--and sets it down in a labyrinth of complex time travel and in-depth mourning that involves not only death and lost chances but the decision to take loved ones off life support. It's a book that leaves a mark.
My particular fannish delights: temporary character death, Spock wearing civilian clothes (that Bones compliments him on! it matches his eyes!), implicitly bi Kirk, fringes-of-the-Federation worldbuilding, delightful background f/f shippiness with two OCs, cool aliens, creepy cobweb death gun, and incredibly shippy K/S scene where Kirk wakes up alive again.
Enterprise: The First Adventure, by Vonda N. McIntyre
Probably my favorite so far! This is, as the title would imply, a look at the Enterprise's first voyage, focused on the crew getting to know each other as they wind up--amazingly--escorting an old-fashioned circus around the galaxy. They eventually wind up in conflict with a dangerous rogue Klingon, but I personally would have been happy to just read an entire book about their circus-related adventures. Everyone gets incredible character beats here. Kirk spends the entire novel dealing with a sore knee, loneliness, command anxiety, and random animal attacks, and I like that he gets to fuck up a couple of times in a believably inexperienced way before making thoughtful amends. Spock spends some time debating how much emotional, impulsive humanity he wants to expose himself to, while saddled with the return of an old Vulcan cousin (now a juggler) who is a "pervert" who seeks out emotional sensations. McCoy gets beamed up in flippers and a wetsuit; Sulu gets beamed up with a fencing foil over his shoulder. Uhura's sense of music proves crucial and she strikes up a genuinely sweet friendship with Rand and shows an awesome sense of creative revenge. Rand gets the woobie backstory of my dreams and an amazing amount of competence kink. OCs Lindy (the circus owner) and Stephen (the Vulcan juggler) are especially great. Scotty and Kirk have a whole antagonists-to-friends character arc. Designated Fandom Jackass Gary Mitchell even gets a good, emotionally complex turn.
My particular fannish delights: all of the above but especially still-finding-his-way Kirk and woobie Yeoman Rand, Kirk riding a winged horse to Spock's rescue, Lindy's struggle to run her old-fashioned vaudeville circus, the eventual Klingon reactions to said circus, Sulu grandly seizing the opportunity to make a Shakespearean performance, more cool aliens and one case of a cool fake alien, Stephen the Vulcan juggler and his childhood history with Spock, Kirk saves the Klingon Empire, Kirk and Spock talk about ethics, and Uhura's music.
The Wounded Sky, by Diane Duane
An "inversion drive" has been invented that will allow ships to travel to other galaxies, and the Enterprise has just gotten permission to take it out on its maiden voyage, accompanied by its primary designer, the creative physicist (and glass spider alien) K't'lk. Complications ensue, and initial bursts of oddness and hyper-empathy during the use of the drive turn into potentially universe-destroying consequences and an intoxicating, sensawunda-filled blend of science and theology that deals with the complex ramifications of a lack of entropy. This is just such an exuberant, creative book, bursting at the seams with ideas and affection for the characters. I'm particularly touched by Scotty and his friendship with K't'lk and by the depiction of McCoy's burning compassion.
My particular fannish delights: how strongly one scene reminds me of the "further up and further in" bit of The Chronicles of Narnia, strong and sweet Kirk & Spock & McCoy friendship, GLASS SPIDER ALIENS with a complex society that seems ripe for a bunch of romantic tragedies and epics, casual inclusion of various types of nonbinary aliens, the rest of Starfleet turning up to escort the Enterprise home, the way the true selves of the crew manifest and the way they can only see others and not themselves, the sad-sweet bit of Chekov POV on his love for Russia, the vibe of the crew being basically an OT430, and Chapel working on her doctorate.
More to come, undoubtedly.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 01:33 am (UTC)All of Duane's Star Trek books have the OT430 thing going. I also really like how The Wounded Sky has the initial mission not be either defense or rescue, but creation - and that the story actually is about the mission rather than it being just a "how they got there before the important stuff happened."
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 01:49 am (UTC)And going off your other comment, that's a really great point about The Wounded Sky. It really feels like it embodies the utopian side of the series in that way, both in terms of Starfleet's aims and in terms of imagining really valuable work in action.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 03:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 03:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 02:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 10:09 pm (UTC)Um, you probably don't want more suggestions, but My Enemy, My Ally is really good (and does that OT430 thing) and How Much for Just the Planet is literally a Star Trek slapstick comedy musical. Really.
ETA: And I forgot to mention Wounded Sky, which is my favorite ST novel of all time, for all the reasons both you and
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-28 10:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-29 08:44 am (UTC)the vibe of the crew being basically an OT430
Hee! I've figured out over the years that one of the things drawing me to sci-fi canons of the spaceship/station crew variety is that I really love cohabitation, that thing where mostly-unrelated characters or people who didn't initially know each other well are forced into close quarters with each other and end up with that awkward-comfortable "always in each other's space" vibe. (I think this is also one reason why the ending of Iron Fist is tailor-made for me, since it sets up that kind of scenario in a way you don't often get in modern-world canons.)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-29 01:46 pm (UTC)I think the Kobayashi Maru and First Adventure books would both be your kind of thing! They give great ensemble, and I really like how the First Adventure one is about this group of initially mildly-at-odds people coming together to form something cohesive and lasting. And I'll be curious to see if I wind up reminding you of some of the ones you used to like!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-30 03:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-30 05:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-01 02:49 am (UTC)If you like the Klingons, The Final Reflection by John Ford is also a great book and it got me sucked into Klingon fandom (based on the book, rather than the movies!) It's a prequel to the series - Klingons visiting Earth. McCoy's grandfather and Spock as a seven year old have walk-on roles.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-01 08:49 pm (UTC)And yeah, living in Star Trek world sounds pretty good right now (and always, to be fair).
(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-05 04:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-05 04:27 pm (UTC)(This was also my entry-level drug for John M. Ford!)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-08 06:59 am (UTC)I'm going to have to reread it [I have a beautiful hard copy] but I have some ideas about what you say, or at least I perceive that I do. I want to think about it a bit rather than just dash something off :-) I first read it when it was new in '84 and got heavily into Klingon fandom after that.
I'm not actively a Star Trek fan now but it was where I started and I have fond (as well as frantic) memories of those days.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-09-09 04:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-10-01 10:30 pm (UTC)From looking at my Kindle collection to jog my memory, among my other favorites are Prime Directive (I was so excited when this finally became available on Kindle recently, as I can no longer read physical books due to a disability) and Best Destiny. I'm less excited about these, but they still have parts I enjoy: A Flag Full of Stars (the Klingon and his human students), the Wrath of Khan novelization (Peter and Saavik, the two quantum physicists on Carol Marcus's team), First Frontier (time travel to the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs!) and Federation (I need to reread this one, all I remember is it's about Cochrane and I enjoyed it last time I read it).
Back in the 90s, I think I owned a paperback of every TOS novel that had been published up to that point, haha.