Star Trek

The basement of my local book store is filled with Star Trek books, they always look kool but are they really worth spending my money on?

If you like Deep Space Nine and the character Garak, I highly recommend A Stitch in Time.

If you want more Kahn check out the books The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Kahn Noonian Singh.

For some Q, check out I,Q and the Q Continuum series.

For some Riker and Troi beginnings, check out Imzadi.

Some early Kirk, check out Best Destiny.

These books I have definitely enjoyed.

I've been a fan for 30+ years and I read my first books over the last couple months.  My wife says I've never read anything so fast; couldn't put them down!  They were Volumes 1 and 2 of The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, by Greg Cox.  They were very engaging, but you really should first have a good understanding of TOS: Space Seed, ST4: The Voyage Home, and of course ST2: The Wrath of Khan.  In my opinion readers who tackle these particular novels must see TOS: Assignment: Earth first since major characters are based on that show.  Knowing DS9: Little Green Men, TOS: Requiem for Methuselah, and VOY: "11:59" helps a lot, too.

These books are long but a fast read; Cox superbly intertwines real 20th century history and Star Trek.  I'm reading Volume 3: To Reign in Hell (which covers the period of Khan's exile) right now.

Authors Greg Cox and Julia Ecklar have a lengthy & very informative special feature on the ST2 DVD or Blu-ray ("The ST Universe"), though the editing job looks like someone hacked it together in just a few minutes! 

I actually think Q-In-Law and Q-Squared are better Q stories than either mentioned.  I recommended all of New Frontier earlier.  Aside from Wrath of the Prophets, you can't go wrong with any Star Trek book Peter David has ever written. 

Oddly, even though TOS isn't my favorite series... my favorite Trek books come from the TOS line.

Enterprise: The First Adventure by Vonna McIntyre,
The Vulcan Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah,
and Final Reflections by John Ford.

I just read my first Star Trek book, it's called Star Trek Academy: Collision Course. I was surprised by how good it was, it took a little while for me to get interested but once you really start paying attention it's amazing! However the next in the series (STA: Trial Run) has yet to be published.

I started reading Star Trek books at twelve.  And yes, the sex and violence factor has gone up in the more recent years. (Around the same time their continuity became interwound) but it is usually no more mild than you see on network TV or an episode.  So yeah- a sixteen year old can handle it. 

If they are younger children-- pocket did some TNG, DS9 and Voyager did books for 6-10 year olds.  Though if memory serves only the ones done by authors who were already doing adult Trek books were any good.  Peterd David's Worf books were so good A lot of the characters were ported over to the Star Trek: New Frontier novels.  The one about Alexander and the bullies was godawful.