Book Of The Half: Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1! - #Writing #Blog #Book #Review

Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1... Definitely worthy of being the book of the half!

Now with Star Trek finally starting to settle in to it's own routine, I thought that I would recommend another Star Trek saga that may have had it's start in the 1990s, but definitely is one that is extremely well worth mentioning here... That is Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1 (1997)! 

You see this awesome story tells the tale of how after an alien empire that was huge collapses, Starfleet sends in one lone ship that is Captain's by a former freedom fighter and his crew to do the best they can to maintain the peace as old rivalries begin to flare! 

This book for all you Star Trek fans is definitely worthy of  being the best book of the first half of 2016!

Five Great Star Trek Authors!

These ships may have helped create a sensation both on this big screen and the small screen... But they also did a huge job in making their adventures fun to read as well! 

You know, I know I give a lot of love to Star Trek novels on this site, but it is not entirely unfounded... I mean a lot of people probably think of, 'Star Trek' and think of some sort of... Children's novel right...

Well they are not, they are thoroughly well written, with great engaging story lines... And so I thought that I would give special mention to five authors of Star Trek novels that I really enjoy and hope you might to!

These guys  are people who as it turns out have actually written a lot of Star Trek novels... So when I mention them, I will mention a specific novel that you should start with... Alright... Lets do this!

5. Ira Steven Behr

Ira Steven Behr is some one who has had a long career with, 'Star Trek'! 

Now as it turns out, this guy has had a long and storied career with Star Trek, having written a bunch of episodes for the various series, he also wrote: 'Legends Of The Ferengi', with Robert Hewitt Wolf! 

4. Keith R.A. DeCandido

Another legend in the field of written Star Trek! 

Keith R.A. DeCandido is another prolific writer who has written just a ton of Star Trek novels (as well as novels for other series as well...) But for him I am going to recommend: 'Articles Of The Federation'... Doesn't really have any of the crews from the other shows or movies, but it is still a lot of fun! 

3. Diane Carey

Diane Carey, her Star Trek books are a lot of fun!

Here is an interesting one, Diane Carey has written a ton of Star Trek fiction, and I have to say that her books truly are a lot of fun! And if you are looking for a place to start with her novels, then I do recommend the first Invasion! book, it is a blast! For more info on this novel, click here:

2. Dean Wesley Smith & Kathryn Rusch

Dean Wesley Smith & Kathryn Rusch... Two amazing writers who have produced some great Star Trek books!

The truth is, is there are an awful lot of truly awesome books these guys have written, but if you want to get started with their work... As well as the works of some of these other great authors, then check out the Star Trek: New Earth series, it is pretty awesome! 


1. Peter David

His work on the, 'New Frontier' series is a personal favorite of mine!

To be honest, this guy's work is pretty easy... Check out the, 'New Frontier' series... You won't regret it! 

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Star Trek: Invasion! - Book 4: The Final Fury (1996) - Dafydd ab Hugh - Book Review

I'm back baby! That's right... The first review I have done for the new site! And boy does it feel great! Don't get me wrong... I did love the old site, but it was time for a massive overhaul, and well I have to say that... So far so good! I know it is a work in progress... But I hope you love being here as much as I have loved making it! 

Anyway... On with the show, eh? 

And speaking of shows... Star Trek has been a TV Show/Movie/Book series, etc... That has been known for literally decades for being a science fiction series that has tried to give man an element of hope in the fear ridden world that we live in today, that something will be done about it! 

Well as I have mentioned in previous posts that there is at least one particular book series in the Star Trek universe that I have read that was an interesting turn in to the world of horror... 

That being the, 'Invasion!' series! 

This maybe one of the greatest battles in Star Trek on TV, but the, 'Invasion' series maybe the best in book form! 

Now before I begin with this last final book in the series, let me say this, rather you are just getting in to the, 'Star Trek' novels... Or have been reading them for years... You are going to come across an author at some point that is just a stellar writer... That is: Dafydd ab Hugh!

This person rocks... Now I have only read his Star Trek novels, but they are engaging in the way this person describes his settings, as well as guides the reader through out a story that is so well crafted that most of the time I feel as if I am watching an episode of Star Trek in and of itself! 

Unfortunately that is both one of the reasons that this novel rocks, and why it sucks... It's not the only reason why... but it is certainly one of them! 

Well I will get in to that in a minute... 

A book that only sucks because it is the last in an amazing series!

As for the story, this story tells of how after running in to a Star Fleet distress call, The Starship Voyager (which is so far outside of the Federation that it will take them several decades to get home,) goes to investigate the call as quick as they can... What they find is something that could not only get them home, but also save the Federation, or destroy the Federation and Voyager and her crew along with her! 

You see, they have come across the Furies base of operations from which they have been working on invading the Federation! 

Is this a way home? Or is this the death of everything mankind and the races that have united with, care about... Including themselves! 

Now I will be honest and say that I was so engrossed in this novel that the only real problem I had with this was the fact that it truly was the end... And I think this novel, along with it's direct  predecessors in the series would make for a great movie series in and of itself! 

So check it out... You might find you really like it... I know I did! 

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Star Trek: New Frontier - Book 2: In To The Void (1997) - Peter David -Book Review

Official Score = 2 Devils

Over the years, since Gene Roddenberry (Earth: Final Conflict) first wrote, 'Star Trek', there has been a lot of new additions to the world of, 'Star Trek', to the point where over 50 years later it can almost be said that, 'Star Trek' is literally a different setup from what was originally produced back in the 60s (Considering the remake series, this can be said to be a very true statement...)

Well with all of this in mind, there is one series that should have gotten the coverage in both the world of movies, as well as it's own TV series, and that being... Star Trek: New Frontier!

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun with his crew!

Now this series is an awesome book series, and in the second novel, 'In To The Void', Peter David pretty expertly crafts the various stories of the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur as she makes her way out in to the world for her first mission out in to the former, 'Thallonian Empire', including how the characters that had their start on Star Trek: The Next Generation begin to act as part of this new crew, 'Namely: Dr. Selar & Robin Lefler' begin to re-act as members of this new crew!

In the end, this new crew will have to figure out how to jell well together, because in the end... The fall of the Thallonion Empire will be a new Frontier for this crew, and well... This book in my opinion is not the most memorable one out there, it is definitely one worth checking out as you the reader goes through the series!

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Invasion (Book 3) - Time's Enemy (1996) -L.A. Graf - Book Review

Official Score = 4 Devils 

Okay, so far I know that I covered a lot of the Star Trek (Invasion) mini-series... The truth is, is this series is truly spectacular!  It has the usual technical innovation, that I will say is awesome, as well as the potential for humanity to put there differences aside for the common good, and all of this wrapped in a story... That in the case of this series, and being a fan of Horror & Science Fiction, I have to say is a truly thrilling, and chilling good read, (I know... cheesy as hell, right? But it is true!

Now the first two of these books were pretty spectacular, and the truth is, is that it is pretty much a toss up between the Deep Space Nine version of this series and the original series version of this series (I mean both of these books are truly something that a Trekkie/Horror fan like myself has always hoped for!) But the thing that I did find to be fascinating about, 'Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Invasion (Book 3) - Time's Enemy (1996)' Is an aspect of the story that I almost never see in any media format (in movies, in books, or on TV,) but when I do... Man it is an amazing good time!

This book... I am going to say is truly a toss up between the first and this one as to which is the best of the series!

What I mean by this is the fact that this story has similar connections to the, 'Furies' that the previous books had, but in this edition we find out that the, 'Defiant' may have played a role in the battle to, 'oust' the Furies out of the Alpha Quadrant! This is found out when an ancient version of the Defiant is found adrift, and Captain Sisko and his crew are sent in to discover what it all means, and find out not only how this is possible, but what part that Sisko and his crew play, and when they play it!

In the end, this novel is blast for Trekkies, and I think if you are a Horror or Science Fiction fan, that you might like it as well!

Star Trek: Invasion! Book 2: The Soldiers Of Fear (1996) - Dean WesleySmith And Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

You know they say that the sign of a good series, is one that keeps your interest in it all the way through (even when they have bad runs, you still keep going back for more... That sort of thing.) For me, I would have to say that, that would be, 'Star Trek'...

Even when the people who make Star Trek started producing dud movies, I still found myself interested to keep going, (fortunately there wasn't to many of those,) but there was one particular run that they did when I was a teenager that had both the elements of, 'Science Fiction' & 'Horror' in it that I found that I really liked... That being the, 'Invasion!' series.

A classic series that is worth giving a try, if you get a chance!

Most of the time in the world of Star Trek... Well it is mostly science fiction... In the case of DS9, they added an element of, 'War' to the series (which I do think kind of enhanced the whole experience really quite nicely, but they had never really dived in to the world of  Horror or Science Fiction... That was until the, 'Invasion!' series came out, and you may not think so, but getting a dose of horror in the world of Star Trek (which at the time was only the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 & Voyager...) but damn was it fun!

Imagine an episode of Star Trek, but the Halloween episode, where monsters of all sorts, come out to play with the crew of the Enterprise... And that is what you get!

And this saga was continued real nicely with: Star Trek: Invasion! Book 2: The Soldiers Of Fear (1996):

You see this next tale, tells the story of how decades after the original U.S.S. Enterprise had stopped the advancing invasion from an Alien race that after being exiled a millennium ago, had come back to try and re-conquer the territory that had once been there's... Well they are back, and they are literally putting, 'fear' in to people!

This time it will be up to Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise - D to stop this menace, before they can finally do what they failed to do a millennium ago!

In the end Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch do a great job in making a generally fun Science Fiction novel in to a scary good time... I would even go so far as to say that this book was so well written, that it could been turned in to a movie!

If you get a chance to sit down with this, do so... Read the first book first, but after that, dive in to this one, I doubt you will regret it... I know I didn't!

Star Trek: Invasion! (1996) - Diane Carey - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

You might be wondering why I am doing a lot of reviews for Star Trek novels... Well the truth is, is that Star Trek novels generally are a lot of fun, (even the more cheesier ones!)

The primary reason for this I think is that the authors of these novels generally tend to expand beyond what is acceptable for the TV show... And in some small way make it even more real then it already can appear to be!

And there was one series of novels that really did this both in escapism, and making this series almost seem more real! That series being the, 'Star Trek: Invasion!' series!

Now for me, I first discovered this about the same time that I discovered that Star Trek has it's own book series, you see, this series of books takes place over the 4 shows that were available (Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine & Star Trek Voyager.)

[caption id="attachment_3272" align="aligncenter" width="187"] A great series![/caption]

In this series there is an ancient evil, a once massive and violent alien race that controlled large swaths of what would become known as the Federation, but whom would eventually disappear... And as they disappeared, so will they disappear in to the darkest recesses of the inhabited planets that these Aliens (The Furies) once controlled!

Well they have decided to come back, and take back what was once theirs! And for Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701, they are going to have to basically go to war with this dangerous enemy from the turbulent past of that area of the Galaxy, if they are going to stop them!

In the end, I found this book to be a total blast, I mean it incorporated just about everything that made the original Star Trek so freaking awesome, while also adding some seriously cool elements of, 'Horror' in it as well!

If you haven't checked this one out yet, check it out, I think you might really like it, I know I did!

 

Star Trek Chronology: The History Of The Future (1993) - Mike And Denise Okuda - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

I don't generally tend to gravitate toward the non-fiction novels as a source for book reviews... Well because simply speaking there is just a wealth of Horror & Science Fiction novels out there that not only do the job and do the job well...

Never-the-less though, I do like to break new ground on this site, and so I have been looking for that avenue in which to be able to review a non-fiction book... And well lets just say that I found one of the very few fictionalized non-fiction books that I personally found to be fascinating... And to be honest, only mildly entertaining... But it does have that strong element of non-fiction in it...

That novel being: 'Star Trek Chronology: The History Of The Future' (1993)!

Written by: Mike & Denise Okuda, this novel takes a look at history from the perspective of the Star Trek universe...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="269"] A fun reference guide for Trek fans out there![/caption]

In the end, this book is very fascinating as it does give a more direct time line of Star Trek during that time, including: Star Trek: TOS, Star Trek: TNG, and in later editions, elements of, Star Trek: DS9, and Voyager as well as certain elements of the movies up till 1999!

In the end, if you are a huge trek fan, then I think that you might find that you like it, if not, then this maybe one to skip...

Star Trek: Mirror Universe - Glass Empires (2007) - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

Star Trek shattered a lot of barriers, both barriers of racial barriers (i,e... Have the episode that had the first interracial kiss), and all sorts of other types of barriers, (such as having a culturally diverse crew during a time in human history when that was not really done to much.)

But one thing they did, which I feel was really expertly done, and which was a tradition that was not only carried in other shows, movies & novels, but became a seriously fun legacy that would play out real nicely through the entire Star Trek Universe (rather it be on TV or in written form), is the concept of going from our normal dimension in to a mirror universe (in the case of Star Trek, it would be Starfleet Officers from the Federation, going in to a mirror universe and mixing with brutal Starfleet Officers from the, 'Terran Empire'...

Well of course the first time this was done was with the original series when it was still on TV, but would be carried on in either written form or on TV, (with episodes based in the mirror universe for, 'Star Trek: Deep Space 9' and, 'Enterprise'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="413"] Chekov (Walter Koenig) as he is trying to move up the ranks, by assassinating Captain Kirk (William Shatner) on the mirror universes, 'I.S.S. Enterprise' in the original series episode, 'Mirror Mirror'.[/caption]

But in 2007, Mike Sussman, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, David Mack & Greg Cox along with another group of notables sitting down to write the definitive time line of the mirror universe!

The authors mentioned the above would go on write the first 3 generations of the history in the book, 'Glass Empires'... This book told a couple of different stories, which includes a story about the consolidation of Hoshi Sato's control of the Empire during a rebellion that is threatening the Empire... (which is how Vulcans came to be accepted as full members of the Empire), through how Spock would collapse the Empire and how Jean-Luc Picard comes in contact with the rebellion and works to try and find a weapon to help destroy the Alliance for the Rebellion... And the ghastly consequences of his actions!

[caption id="attachment_2630" align="aligncenter" width="225"] This novel is a fascinating look at just about all the characters we have all come to know and love, if the choices they had taken had lead them to the dark side![/caption]

This is just the first part of this series, but if you found the whole mirror universe story as fascinating as I did, well the truth is, then I suspect that you will end up finding that you really like this series, if not... Well hey, it is Star Trek, and if you like that, then you might like this as well! I freakin loved this book as well as the rest of the series, and if you give it a try, then you might find that you really like it as well!

Young Adult Horror Novels... Why They Are Fun For Adults As Well

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="604"] A great example of a fun young adult, 'horror' novel![/caption]

Young adult novels, rather they be the, 'Sweet Valley High' novels, some of the 'Star Trek' novels, or even the, 'Goosebumps' series of novels... These novels generally are written with the idea of teenagers in mind, (i,e... Leaving out a lot of the adult themes that come with novels from such authors as, 'Anne Rice' & 'Stephen King'...)

Well I am here to say that these young adult novels... Despite the fact that they generally tend not to have the size-able portions of adult themes that authors put in to their more adult novels... There are definitely a decent sized portion of young adult, 'Science Fiction' novels, and young adult, 'Horror' novels that are definitely fun!

Now don't get me wrong, Like any category, there are some good and there are some bad... And in the case of young adult novels, you will have to discover for yourself which ones you are either going to like or dislike... But there are some truly fun ones out there!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="260"] A fun example of a young adult, 'Science Fiction' novel![/caption]

A great example of a novelized series that I found to be an awful lot of fun is the, 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' novels... There are a couple reasons for this:

A: Despite the fact that these novels were generally written with the idea of teenagers in mind, most of the stories that I have read thus far from this series of novels, has kept to the core values of what made, 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' a truly amazing TV series, including: genuinely cruel big bad guys, that the authors oft times go in to fun detail as Buffy and the Scooby Gang have to fight off the monsters.

B: They also have the relatively easy to kill vampire.

C: Last but not least they go in to the legitimate drama and tackle as many of the issues that they can, that people the age of Buffy and her team would normally face...

And Buffy is just one example of some of the great horror novels for young adults that are out there!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="118"] Christopher Pike... A great author who has produced some awesome, 'young adult' horror novels![/caption]

A great example of young adult Science Fiction novels happens to be the, 'Star Wars' & 'Star Trek' series!

A couple of examples of this are:

A: In both series, the author generally does good by these 2 series by maintaining the basic overall stories of these series, really quite nicely!

B: Reading these novels and going through as we continue on with the saga of these characters in my opinion is like imagining an episode of, 'Star Trek' or a new, 'Star Wars' movie in your head as you are reading one or the other!

C: The adventures that the characters have in their respective series, are both entertaining, and remain true to the forms upon which they were originally made, (Being the various TV series of, 'Star Trek' and the various movies of, 'Star Wars'.)

So the next time you are in the book store or looking for something to read on your, 'e-Reader', don't skip past the, 'young adult books' you might find one that will keep you both entertained, and maybe even at the edge of your seat as you read through it!