Who is your favourite author and why? I haven't really got any particular favourites as it's been a while since I read any Trek literature. Something I plan on changing soon. I'd just like to know if anybody has those authors they love to read and perhaps even those they loathe.
How do you define best? As with many things, this is a matter of individual taste, so I doubt were going to see something like a consensus here. My personal favourites (With no offence to the hundreds of others, you're all doing a great job, so don't take this personally): David Mack Christopher L. Bennett Keith R.A. deCandido David R. George III Peter David Greg Cox
I would say there's no single "best" author, becuase many books I like are written by people who have also written books I hated, or found boring. Case in point: Diane Carey wrote Dreadnought and Final Frontier, two books I love. She also wrote The Great Starship Race, which bored me to death.
Best for Action, Death and Destruction Whilst Retaining Interesting Characters: David Mack Best for Science Whilst Retaining an Interesting Plot and Not Coming Off Like a Text Book: Christopher L Bennett Best for Politics and Stuff Whilst Being Interesting: Keith DeCandido Best for LOL Humour and Retaining the Spirit of TOS: Peter David Best for Capturing the Essence of TOS With New Characters: Dayton Ward/Kevin Dilmore Best For Making Voyager Better Than the Show: Kirsten Beyer
David Mack is my personal favorite. On top of several of the best modern treklit stories (Warpath, Harbinger, The Sorrows of Empire and Destiny to name a few) he also co-wrote one of my favorite episodes of DS9, Starship Down. I think Keith R.A. DeCandido is a close second for stories such as Q&A, Art of the Impossible, and many many more. It's really very tough to choose a favorite out of so many talented people... but David Mack takes the cake for me.
David Mack. Also: David Mack. After him, Christopher L. Bennett, Peter David, Kirsten Beyer, and even though they've only done one full novel each so far, I think Geoff Thorne and William Leisner could be on the list if they have a chance to write more.
Not to boost David Mack's ego too much more, but he is also my favorite Trek author - by far. Mack is in fact the only one whose books I will buy simply because he wrote them, it's the reason I picked up, Vanguard: Harbinger, SCE: Wildfire, The Calling, and Wolverine: Road of Bones (titles I wouldn't have picked up otherwise). Now, thanks to him, Vanguard is my favorite Trek series and while I haven't yet read Wildfire, I will likely read at least the others of that series that he wrote. Next in line for me is KRAD. Like Mack, I have actively sought out other books he has written but still vet them based on what the back cover says the book is about - plus this guy's written a whole shit load of books in a whole shit load of series and I don't have time or interest in some of them. Then there are the ones who have offered a mixed bag for me. Christopher L. Bennett who has two novels (TTN: Orion's Hounds and MyrU: Places of Exile) and a short story (VOY: Distant Shores: Brief Candle) that I LOVED and one book I couldn't even finish (TTN: Over a Torrent Sea). Andy Mangles and Michael Martin who are all over the board with greats such as TNG: Section 31: Rogue and ENT: The Good that Men Do to average ones such as their Titan entries and ENT: Kobayashi Maru to terrible ones such as their entries in the DS9 Relaunch. The only author whose work I seem to consistently dislike is Peter David. Although I did like the short story in Tales of the Dominion War and the short novel in Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances.
My favorite author from the current regulars is probably Christopher L. Bennett. I love the real science and the clever ways he thinks up of mixing it with Trek "science," I love the world building, and I love his characterization, especially his take on the Titan crew. He also wrote what's probably my favorite Trek novel, The Buried Age, wherein (not so coincidentally) he completely "got" my favorite Trek character, Picard. I've yet to read Ex Machina as I'm not a big TOS or TMP fan, but I know I'll get to it. Also, of the 4 upcoming Abrams-Trek novels, I must say Christopher's is the one I'm most looking forward to picking up. P.S. Also looking forward to Greg Cox's novel (LOVED the Q Continuum Trilogy) and of course David Mack's book as well (Destiny clocks in somewhere right under The Buried Age and Orion's Hounds on my favorites list.)
That's a pretty good assessment. I'd also add in Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, whose epic adventures I've always liked, with or without William Shatner's input. Plus they greatly improved Enterprise.
I forgot 2: Best at Writing Epic TOS Novels and Totally Getting the Characters: Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens and should've said: Best at Making the Klingons Badass, Interesting and Awesome: Keith DeCandido (hope I didn't swell his head too much seeing what he did with his LJ...)
Favorite for books? Jean Lorrah. Followed by - in no particular order - MWB, Annie Crispin, Peter David, Howie Weinstein, Mike Friedman, and KRAD. Favorite for short stories? Terri Osborne. Favorite for books so long you could kill someone if you dropped the book on their head? DRG3.
Two ST authors who always move to the top of my now-towering, still-to-read pile: Peter David and Christopher L Bennett.
That's an ever changing list. Let's see... Bennett, KRAD, David Mack, Kirsten Beyer, Diane Duane, L.A. Graf, Jean Lorrah, J.M. Dillard, A.C. Crispin, Margaret Wander Bonano.
While I haven't found any authors who books I haven't liked, there are a few whose books are above the rest. David Mack KRAD Ward/Dilmore DRGIII Bennett (Yes these guys really are all that good) SD Perry Mangels/Martin Swallows William Leisner Possible edition after I've read more of their stuff: Geoffrey Thorne
David R. George III - Mission Gamma: Twilight was Star Trek at it's roots with mostly new characters never before seen on the screen. Quite an accomplishment. Peter David has also written most of the most memorable ones (Imzadi, Q-Squared)
Guess I'm gonna have to read that David Mack feller. Of the ones I've read (which don't include many recent ones) I'd have to say DRG3, Vonda Mac, Margaret Bonanno, and *gasp* Diane Carey (for the Robert April novels). Honorable mention to Chris Bennett (I've only read Ex Machina) and *gasp* L.A. Graf.