A Novel Idea

For SOME reason...I haven't figured out WHY yet....Most people seem to be under the impression that the Star Trek novels are just hard copies of the series episodes. Let's phaser down that rumor right now. Almost NONE of the novels are from any of the series (there are a few special exceptions). The vast majority of them are ORIGINAL stories..based on Trek traditions. And to be honest....MANY of them are far BETTER than any episode ever produced for television. (In a book, no props are necessary. ~smiles~).

Puzzle # 15

SO...If you love Trek, and you like to read. You've come to the right place. (and no, I'm not a professional critic, but I DO own approx. 60 of the novels) Let me share with you what my favorite Trek novels are...and a little peek into why:

1	Final Frontier Diane Carey	More of Final Frontier
2	Uhura's Song Janet Kagan	More of Uhura's Song
3	Dreadnought Diane Carey	More of Dreadnought
4	The Wounded Sky Diane Duane	More of The Wounded Sky
5	My Enemy, My Ally Diane Duane	More of My Enemy, My Ally
6	The Pandora Principle Carolyn Clowes	More of The Pandora Principle
7	Strangers From The Sky Margaret Wander Bonanno	More of Strangers From The Sky
8	Best Destiny Diane Carey	More of Best Destiny
9	Q-In-Law Peter David	More of Q-In-Law
10	Metamorphosis Jean Lorrah	More of Metamorphosis

Final Frontier - Diane Carey
This is a story of Kirk's father (George Samuel Kirk) and how he was secretly involved in the initiation of the Constellation Class line of starships. A tale of rescue, of how the vision began, of survival, and responsibility to an ideal. It involves espionage, intrigue, good old fumbling human screw ups, an encounter with the Romulans that nearly causes interstellar war, and gives us a peek at a father's regrets, and how they influenced his famous son's decisions. This novel is a fast-paced, well developed, enthralling look at the very core of Star Trek. Sprinkled with unexpectedly witty humor throughout, it kept me reading, laughing, frowning, worried and hopeful until I reached the last page.

Quotes:
"Maybe it's because we're the kind of people who stare into the sun....don't take away the sun."

"Pushing the panic down like a rung on a rubber ladder, George brought a hand up to his eye and fingered it. Hair. Was his hair that red? He turned his head toward the running lights and got a clearer view of a cinnamon strand. Yes, it was his hair. He wasn't bleeding after all. That left him free to move without worrying about his head falling off unexpectedly. He got his shoulder under him, arranged his legs again, and heaved himself over. And his head fell off."

"You forced us to face ourselves. No person, no nation is ever the worse for that. We've pushed our morals to the breaking point. It isn't fun, but...it's exploration of a worthy kind."

Uhura's Song - Janet Kagan
A plague begins on a Federation planet of cat-like beings, spreading to endanger many federated worlds. However, the cure to this plague is shrouded in mystery and taboo, locked into the musical history of this world. Lt. Uhura and the Enterprise must solve the mystery and find the cure, before the crew members, and countless others die. This book is probably my all-time favorite as it follows the quest of the crew. In order to find the cure, the team must get to know, and understand the cultural strictures of an alien race. The central character (who's humor keeps the crew and the reader going) is described perfectly by the opening page "diamonds and dynamite come in small packages". The plot is so well-developed that by the time I was through, I felt as though I was personally acquainted with a whole imaginary culture. Amazing.

Quotes:
"All I am is a collection of memories and experiences; that's all I have to go on as I meet new situations. So anything I remember may be crucial to my survival. Can you sit there and blandly propose to...rob me of what is most valuable to me, to steal a portion of what defines me as a person?.....That's all I have, Mr. Spock. That's all I am."

"As I do not understand your meaning, I can admit nothing of the sort." "He means if you hang your tail from a tree branch, somebody's going to pull it," contributed Brightspot. "Right?" "That's not quite how I'd put it, Brightspot, but that's very close to what I mean. Human beings, and Sivaoans too, it seems, have a bad habit of wanting to perturb the unperturbed - or the unperturbable," Kirk said and, with a sidelong glance at the returned Wilson, "in any event, being bullied is the least of your worries, Spock. From what I've seen of her, if bullying won't work on you, she'll stop bullying--" "Exactly," she said, with a shrug that was deliberately comic. "Why waste time and effort? It would be illogical." "--And try something else," Kirk finished. "If I were you, I'd worry about her next tactic."

"Although Spock understood her intent, he could not help but raise his brow at her usage. Without warning, Evan Wilson levelled a finger at him and snapped, "Don't you point that thing at me Spock - it might be loaded!"

Dreadnought - Diane Carey
A dreadnought is constructed in secrecy by the highest level of Starfleet command. But is suddenly stolen by an apparent terrorists, the eve before her maiden voyage. Lt. Piper, a newly assigned officer to the Enterprise, is suddenly thrown into the midst of the mystery, when she discovers that her friends are among the terrorists. Have they stolen the dreadnought to lay waste to the galaxy, or perhaps to save it? A tale of political intrigue, a young officer's first assignment to a ship throws her, unprepared, into the midst of a political upheaval that could destroy the balance of the powers in the galaxy. A relatively short, but very thought-provoking novel, as Piper struggles through her attempts to get to the truth, and then to remain true to her beliefs, in the face of betrayal, and her all-to-fallible humanness.

Quotes:
"I grasped at controls that were hot and sparking, vaulting over the fallen bodies of my bridge crew, and with a stab of horror came the realization that I was alone, alone the bridge of a starship. My crew was dead or dying. My ship was much the same..."

""Astute Captain. I must agree with Mr. Scott. The dreadnought is a purely military contrivance, devoid of labs, rec decks, or any facility that might distract from a given purpose. As such, there is no chance of our emerging victorious against her in conventional combat." "Then," Kirk announced, "we'll have to be unconventional." McCoy drawled, "Again?""

"As I looked into the Captain's eyes, I saw a strange personal battle going on--he couldn't wait to face those Klingons. He equally wanted to turn away and forget them. I learned a lot in that turbolift. I-- Klingons? Real Klingons? Live Klingons? Alive? Not simulations not holos not pretend oh I'd rather have lunch with a Tellarite get me off this lift--"

The Wounded Sky - Diane Duane
An alien scientist (a kind of glass spider, in fact) invents an Intergalactic Drive that will finally allow humans to explore other galaxies, to be tested on the Enterprise. With the Klingons hot in pursuit, the crew must deal with the strange symptoms that begin to emerge. And become worse each time the drive is used, until time itself becomes meaningless, and the universe is danger of extinction. A wonderful novel, especially for the mathematically minded. Somehow managing to tie in the physicality of the universe, with how each of us plays a role in its existence. Though the scientific descriptions can be a bit of a struggle to get through, the effort is well worth it. The overall storyline was so intriguing, I found myself reading this one over and over.

Quotes:
"She thrust along through the cold night, feeling the small stretches and contractions of her skin as she leaned away from the planet she had been orbiting, and the heat of its primary on her diminished. Soon enough now, would come the deep dive into that place where starlight was stronger stuff, where the wine of it would run white-hot through her and free her for speeds she could never achieve in this calmer world. Then the true life would begin again. These tame circlings about planets were never more than times of rest between the real adventures. The great hoy lay in streaking outward, forever and forever, bathed in strange starlight; in passing through the waste places in strength, exulting in her swiftness and her power, dealing with what she found. And since the joy, unshared, would have been empty, she had chosen companions who adventured during her times of rest, and rested while she adventured. They complemented her well."

""Sir," Mayri Sagady's voice came back in great excitement, "would you please come down here? We have a problem." ....Mayri sounded as if she were perplexed, and frightened, and wanting very much to laugh, all at once. "Sir, we have data from the Lesser Magellanic that would seem to indicate that the Universe in this neighborhood is either blowing up, or stuck. Would you come and tell us which?""

"--it was his business to help them play. He could think of nothing better to do with his life, for he knew that when they felt free to play, their souls showed; who they were came out more clearly than at almost any other time. And the more one got used to letting one's self show, unafraid, the more joy came walking into one's life."

My Enemy, My Ally - Diane Duane
The Enterprise and Captain Kirk, suddenly find themselves involved in a Romulan plot to conquer the federation and klingon empire. What they do not expect, and must deal with, is having to cooperate with a Romulan crew, and particularly a Romulan commander, who believe that this plot can backfire to destroy the Romulan empire, and therefore are honor-bound to try to stop it. The novel was a unique approach and watching the development from enemy, to doubted ally, to trusted partner, as they seek to strive for the common good, brought home some of the fundamental principles that IDIC is based on. A reminder that deep down, we forget we are more alike than we think. The action-packed plots and sub-plots keep you on the edge of your chair throughout.

Quotes:
""Captain, if you do not do something, shortly half the Imperial Senate will be reading one another's alleged minds, courtesy of the brain tissue of the crew of the Intrepid..."

""So you see the nature of this bondage between beings who fight the same fight." Ael said. "A going in the same direction, for a little while, or for a life, that's all that's needed. The decision to go in company. Liking--" Ael shrugged one shoulder. "What need have allies of such a thing?""

""Hope, Captain?" Ael said in a soft imitation of T'Leiar's voice. "Hope is illogical." "So it is. then let's just go out there and fight like crazy people to shame the Devil." At that Ael laughed. "Now I understand you very well. Let us shame her by all means...."

"Ael stepped up onto the Transporter platform, and waited for him to step around to the controls. The singing whine scaled up and up in the little room. And bright fire began to dissolve them; the overdone little room in the great white ship, and the man who had no fourth name to give her in return. But no, she thought. He has a fourth. And he gave me not just the name -- but what it names. Her....whole and entire."

The Pandora Principle - Carolyn Clowes
A secret Romulan plot...designed to strike at the very heart of the Federation, and kill every living thing on Earth. And Saavik, Spock's young protégé, is the only one with the clue to unlock the secrets, buried deep in the horror of her childhood. An extremely well written story, and a peek into the relationship between Spock and Saavik. It also reminded me, quite unforgettably, of the power of Hope. ~smiles~

Quotes:
"Good ship Earth, your children say, We'll be leaving you someday, Bound for other worlds beyond your sky. Where we'll love the stars we roam, And sing of coming home, And know that we were always meant to fly..."

"Well, when we lose everything...we rebuild it, that's what we do. We begin again, and we start over as often as it takes. I almost forgot that....We always look for happy endings. And when things don't turn out that way, we just try again. So we keep our old stories, like the one about Pandora, because we need to believe something was left inside that box. A chance to win, I guess, against all the evil in the world....For myself, I believe that people make their own evils - and the result is not a matter of chance. I believe a box opens...because that is its nature - and curiosity is ours....and hope does not keep its evil from getting into the world. The only way to do that...is not to make the box."

"...but they take so much for granted. Just look at their world. It is so beautiful, and they are so fortunate. Do you think they know?"

Strangers from the Sky - Margaret Wander Bonanno
A story of Earth's first encounter with an alien race...the Vulcans. And how in their paranoia they almost destroyed the one ally who came to mean so much to the Federation. Kirk and his crew are mistakenly pulled back in time, to discover they must right the accidental meeting, before the paranoid humans kill the Vulcans, and the Federation with them. A lesson in tolerance, a very intriguing and busy plot. Lots of food for thought in this one.

Quotes:
""So you see," Nyere smiled wanly, "what it is - is our having a long, considered look at the aliens and report our findings to Command. Command then decides if Earth is ready --for the first time and for an absolute certainty--to know that such aliens exist." "And if Command decides not?" "Then it falls upon us to make certain that they--and any witnesses to their arrival"--he shook his head, unbelieving--"cease to exist.""

"There is no underestimating the sometimes serendipitous impact of coincidence upon the course of history."

""Ever wonder about the others out there, Ben?" Jeremy Grayson asked his many-times-great- grandson. Spock finished drying the dinner dishes, meticulously folded the dishtowel. "'Others' Professor?" "I've never known quite what to call them," Grayson said, setting out his pawns. "'Aliens' sounds like a slur somehow, and 'extra-terrestrials' is so ethnocentric. The Others, then. The intelligent beings on all those other worlds out there." ..."Do you believe unequivocally that they exist, Professor?" Grayson found that amusing...."Oh I believe in them, Ben. I only wonder if they believe in us." "I am not certain I understand." "It occurred to me"--Grayson opened with a standard knight gambit--"that they've probably been out there watching us for years, and if they aren't weeping, they're probably killing themselves laughing."

"He is the same as you...As I am, as we all are - more alike than different, stronger together than alone!"

"Nothing that is, is unimportant."

Best Destiny - Diane Carey
Ever wonder what makes a man like James T. Kirk into the hero/leader of Trek fame? This is the novel that will answer that question. Kirk, as a boy, a reckless troublemaker...until he finds, in his father's will to save them all, his reasons for becoming a Captain. Wonderful story that keeps you gripping the edge of the pages, as time after time, each hope crumbles and death seems imminent.

Quotes:
""You don't believe in destiny?" "Didn't say that, " Jimmy called. "Said I don't believe in predestiny." "Why not?" "Because somebody else has to tell me what mine is. Means somebody else is in charge. Means somebody else knows more about me than I do...Destiny and predestiny are two different things. Predestiny is pointless. If its true, we might as well turn around right now, go back to Riverside, and sit on our bulkheads, because whatever's going to happen's gonna happen anyway." "How's destiny any different?" Tom Beauvais challenged. A crooked grin danced on Jimmy's face as he leered back at them. "That's the one I'm in charge of." From the west, the sun buttered his apricot curls and sweat glittered on his brow. To the others, he looked like a demon with a license to smile. If anyone in the group wondered how he had talked them into running away, a moment like this snuffed the thought. Something in the ballistics of Jimmy Kirk was tough enough and vivid enough to keep them going across the shabby old rope bridge, stepping one by one over their better judgements."

""You do understand, don't you George?" Robert hoped. Salient emotion rose on his face, drew him through a half-dozen expressions, any one of which might have been a tearstain upon a letter home. He turned and pliantly gripped his old friend's hand, in spite of bandages, in spite of blood, to put to flesh the precious thing for which a boy had sacrificed himself." "He was thinking like a man.""

"He gazed at his father, and made his own eyes shine with the ancient Rosetta trinary, the human confidence of Starbase One, and the snow-white sorcery of a starship. And as he gazed, his eyes told about the bloody cry for help scrawled on a piece of metal, and about a boy's last goodbye, this time, to himself as a boy. Jimmy wanted all those to be in his eyes for his father to see. He refused to look away, or down, or at anything other than his dad's eyes, because this time the message knew where it was meant to go. "Don't worry about it," he said soothingly. "Perfection stinks.""

Q-in-Law - Peter David
Q and Lwaxana Troi. What happens when two immovable objects collide?? ~laughs~ Read this one to find out. Once again, Q provides us with a hilarious peek into humanity. But this time, he's picked on the wrong human! After all, hell hath no fury.... ~grins~

Quotes:
""For now Q, let's discuss this outside." Q shrugged extravagantly. "As you wish, Picard." Picard and Q headed for the door, the crowd parting to let them through...The doors hissed open, and Q gestured grandly. "After you Picard," he said in that silkily irritating voice. Picard had a momentary glimpse of Data about to enter the room. "Captain," began Data. "Later Data," said Picard, and he and Q stepped outside....the ship."

""Jean Luc," said Lwaxana. "Who is your charming friend?" Then Picard remembered. "Mrs. Troi," said Picard quickly, "now might not be the best time," not bothering to add that no time would be an improvement. But Q took a step forward. "I am Q," he said. "How intriguing. Are there any more letters like you at home?" She laughed lightly. Q smiled graciously. Riker moaned softly. Worf's eyes widened and his fingers strayed near his phaser. Picard began to perspire."

"Lwaxana clenched her fists. "You used me! You made me look like a fool!" "Nature did that," said Q. "I simply gave you an audience." Her entire body trembled in mortification and shock. And then came a scream of a fury to which hell had nothing remotely comparable. The fury of a woman scorned....Lwaxana Troi blew him through a bulkhead."

Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah

What would happen, if Data's fondest wish came true? If someone could wave a magic wand and made him human? Read this story...and find out. When Pinocchio becomes a real boy, he is forced to deal with things, he never thought of. ~smiles~ To quote Uhura "be careful what you wish for...you may get it".

Quotes:
"Data stepped into the circle of light. The voice declared, "Although a stranger to our planet, you have obeyed our laws and aided one of our people. For this alone we would offer you our gratitude. But beyond that, you, also, have expanded your limitations. That you may understand the nature of what you perceive as limits, we grant your fondest wish."

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Trek novels are produced by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

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