Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today, the topic is a freebie .
I chose favorite media tie-in books.
I love a lot of science fiction and fantasy stuff: Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel and DC comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, various roleplaying settings etc. I’ve read quite a lot of books from them, most from Trek and Wars but also from others. However, the quality of the books varies quite a lot. So, I’ve listed my favorites from various fandoms.
1, Star Wars: Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn
The first SW books I really enjoyed a lot were Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and the Last Command. He managed to capture the fun and adventure of Star Wars pretty much perfectly.
I haven’t yet read the new Thrawn book, but I’ve heard good things about it and hopefully I’ll get my hands on it next year.
2, Star Trek: TNG: Dark Mirror by Diane Duane
I’ve read a lot of Star Trek: TNG books but the one that really stands out is Dark Mirror which is set in the Mirror universe. It was written 1993, years before Deep Space 9. In this book Enterprise-D is sucked into the Mirror universe and our beloved characters try to survive while the explore this ruthless new universe.
3, Buffy the vampire slayer: Lost Slayer by Christopher Golden
It’s always a joy to return to the Buffyverse. This is an alternate universe where Buffy is sent five years to the future at the beginning of season four. She’s been away and her friends have had to battle vampires on their own.
4, Star Trek: DS9: Day of the Vipers by James Swallow
I haven’t actually read many DS9 books but what I’ve read I’ve enjoyed. Especially the Terok Nor -trilogy which is the history of the DS9 station before the show. It was built by the Cardassians who called it Terok Nor.
5, Forgotten Realms: Songs and Swords series by Elaine Cunningham
I’ve read a lot of FR books because I’ve been a pen and paper gamer for a couple of decades. The best of them is Cunningham’s series starting with Elfshadow, although the second book in the series, Elfsong, is my favorite.
6, Flash tv-show: the Haunting of Barry Allen by Clay and Susan Griffith
I love the Flash and this book captures the spirit of the show and especially the relationships between the main cast. The story is fast-paced and has humor, just like the show. It’s a crossover with Arrow.
7, Arrow tv-show: Generation of Vipers by Clay and Susan Griffith
I’ve enjoyed the Arrow show over the years and this second book in the Flash/Arrow crossover duology captures the spirit of the show very well. It focuses on the Arrow team and only Barry and Cisco from the Flash make a significant appearance.
8, Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman
One of the first overtly fantasy books I’ve read. It’s the first book in the original Dragonlance trilogy set in a roleplaying gaming setting. A group of friends and acquaintances take on an epic quest. I think younger readers are likely to like it more.
9, Star Trek: Titan: Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
I’ve read the first four books in this series and enjoyed them. This series focuses on USS Titan where William Riker is the captain and his wife Deanna Troi is the counselor. It has a multi-species crew in a way that the tv-shows never could do.
10, Babylon 5: The Psi Corps trilogy by Gregory J. Keyes
“Dark Genesis: The birth of Psi Corps”, “Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant”, and “Final Reckoning: the Fate of Bester” tells the story of Alfred Bester; his rise among the Earth’s Psi Corps all the way to his fate several years after the show.
There are many tie-in novels I’d love to read, such as Richard Castle’s Nikki Heat books (which he’s writing in the show!), and newer Star Trek and Star Wars novels. I’ve also got high hopes for the upcoming Firefly books.
December 11, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Nice choice of topic! I was a massive Buffy fan as a teenager, so it’s great to get a reminder of Buffyverse. Is it true that they may remake it?
December 11, 2018 at 4:15 pm
The last I heard was that it’s going to be a new show 20 years after BtVS ended. I hope that’s true but that was in the summer so who knows what’s going to happen.
December 11, 2018 at 2:11 pm
I don’t usually read tie in books, but I do have the new Firefly book that I’m reading next. I hope it’s good! Also, I’d love to check out Lost Slayer😁
December 11, 2018 at 4:27 pm
Oh! I’m jealous of the Firefly book and looking forward to your review!
Maybe Lost Slayer omnibus is in your local library?
December 11, 2018 at 7:49 pm
Love this! I don’t read much tie-in editions of books (mostly because I am forgetful) but I’m intrigued by the Arrow and The Flash tie-ins! Thanks for sharing. Great topic choice.
December 12, 2018 at 9:22 am
Thanks!
December 12, 2018 at 7:56 am
I love the Trek Mirror universe, and I’ve heard good things in the past about Elaine Cunningham’s Realms stuff. I’ve read the first Thrawn trilogy book too and really need to get to the second one.
December 12, 2018 at 4:49 pm
I hope you can get it soon. 🙂
December 12, 2018 at 3:10 pm
The Psi-Corps trilogy, together with Peter David’s Centauri Prime trilogy were the best B5 tie-in books I encountered, well written and faithful to both the timeline and the characterization. 🙂
December 12, 2018 at 4:50 pm
That what I’ve always heard, too. Sadly, Centauri Prime trilogy seems out of print.
December 13, 2018 at 7:30 am
Interesting topic!
My kids are named Laurana and Tanthalas (but we call him Tanis, of course).
December 13, 2018 at 7:02 pm
Wonderful names! 🙂