Women At Warp Book Club discussion

Ooookay. I have some ideas. :)

The Lives of Dax -- this is a standalone anthology but does serve as the first entry in the DS9 relaunch, also. Short stories about various chapters in the Dax symbiont's life.

The Battle of Betazed -- on DS9 during the war arc we heard that Betazed had been captured by the Dominon. What happened with that? This book explains. Also, the cover has Deanna Troi holding a rifle.

The Destiny Trilogy -- This trilogy was planned to celebrate/coincide with the release of Star Trek 2009 and also the 40th anniversary of Trek. It features Dax, Troi and Captain Erika Hernandez (as well as other women contemporaries) from Enterprise heavily. The downside of the storyline surrounding Destiny for many women-focused Trek fans is the Janeway issue, though. :'(

Articles of the Federation -- a standalone story about the election of a Federation president. Basically, The West Wing Star Trek style. Also woman-centric.

There are two entries in the Titan series that I really love -- Orion's Hounds and Over a Torrent Sea. They are part of a series but are very much "adventure of the week" style tales. Orion's Hounds features the return of the Space Jellyfish from "Encounter at Farpoint" and Over a Torrent Sea is all about an ocean world and who lives below the water's surface.

Mine are all going to be older books because I haven't read the newer ones. But how about:

Dark Passions 1 & 2 by Susan Wright = THE BEST. Mirrorverse women being awesome.

Jeri Taylor's Mosaic gives Janeway's backstory (and is much better than the one about the rest of the crew).

Diane Duane's Rihannsu books -- the first two stand alone fine (I read The Romulan Way before My Enemy, My Ally and then went back when I realized it was a sequel) -- Ael and Arrhae are wonderful original women characters.

If you like Amanda Grayson Diane Duane's Spock's World and Jean Lorrah's The Vulcan Academy Murders and The IDIC Epidemic add to her story.

The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes was my favorite book when I was 12* because it was About Me (but actually Saavik).

And out of print but The making of the trek conventions: Or, How to throw a party for 12,000 of your most intimate friends by Joan Winston is a great book.

*I went to a panel at Wiscon titled "My Favorite Book When I was 12" and that was my answer!

As a young P/C shipper, I was obsessed with Q-Squared by Peter David around 6th grade.

I also remember really enjoying Rogue Saucer (TNG), but that was several years ago.

Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno
It's about two women OCs -- a human and a Vulcan -- who are captured by a Romulan task force lead by the female Romulan Commander, and the deep bond that develops between the two of them during the course of their ordeal.

(It is hella femslashy.)

And I strongly second Diane Duane's Rihannsu novels!

I seem to recall only reading Dwellers once, my younger self found it to be disturbing which actually may be a decent recommendation. As for Diane and Peters take on the Romulans well all the novels are exceptional.

Dwellers in the Crucible sounds great to me!

I want to read The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy by Grace Lee Whitney. I think some nonfiction might be interesting for discussion.

I am fine with Lives of Dax, Dwellers in the Crucible, Rogue Saucer or Mosaic.

The Longest Trek would also be interesting, but I would like to read it later on.

Hello glad to be part of this group, and will hope to contribute, altho re: the current novels being discussed I probably read them years ago, so might not recall a whole lot, but I love most Trek novels (not all ha) and will try to comment when I can. BTW maybe someday perhaps there could be a discussion here @ what happened to Voyager's Kathryn Janeway in the TNG novels published post-Nemesis movie (and then the newer Voyager novels since 2009), but of course there's so much else to read/ discuss that's just a humble suggestion for the future. Thanks again for the great WatW podcasts! GS.

Hi,

This is sometimes not the easiest or cheapest to find book, and not a Trek novel, but for a discussion about the pivotal role that women played in early Star Trek fandom (and other cult shows), I have long been a fan of Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth, which is more a scholarly/anthropological study but written in a very readable style.

I refer to it a lot when I get in arguments on Facebook with people who get all ragey and homophobic about slash fiction. The book basically revolves around women who produced fan fiction in the 1970s, and gets into the important role of slash and related mythologies created by fans.

I might be jumping off from that a bit, because it's been a few years since I read this, but I think it also gets into how women were really the important figures in the early fandom which kept the flame burning. Women like Bjo Trimble, Shirley Maiewski, Sondra Marshak etc.

It's worth your time, even if not in the context of this club or the show.

http://www.amazon.com/Enterprising-Wo...

Erin wrote: "Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno
It's about two women OCs -- a human and a Vulcan -- who are captured by a Romulan task force lead by the female Romulan Commander, ..."

Another vote for that. Or just an episode about Bonanno. You actually could do a series of episodes about her, frankly. What with her great early novels, the Probe fiasco, and her return to do a novel about Pike (one of her best) and one about Saavik (which I was lukewarm about)

Jumping off that, maybe you might want to consider The Price of the Phoenix and The Fate Of The Phoenix my Marshak/Culbreath. Again for historical interest, being vaguely slashy, and involving the Romulan Commander, as far as I remember. I read them when I was 12 and was utterly confused by them.

Cripes I'm getting mansplainy.

I know that I have read Dwellers, but can't remember it at all.

I'd like to throw a vote at Diane Carey's Dreadnought! and Battlestations! Battlestations! Dreadnought!. Lieutenant Piper is a female command-track officer, who gets pulled into missions under Kirk and pulls off some Kirk-like deeds. I read them years ago, and liked them. I'd be interested to hear what others have thought.

I want to also recommend The Lives of Dax. I quite enjoy the lore and history established about Trill and the symbionts in this book. I think it would make an incredible Book Club episode!!

I see we have new books. Yay!!

I'd love to recommend "How Much for Just the Planet" by John M. ford, a deeply polarizing TOS stand-alone novel. People either find it hilarious, and love it--or they despise it. (I'm in the former category.) Ford has a great sense of humor, and places our beloved crew on one of the strangest planets ever to be encountered by Star Fleet.

I'll second that nomination. Over the years, I have bought at least 2 extra copies of it from used bookstores, so that I can give it away to people who haven't read it.

Hello warpers! In 2018 I'm aiming to actually read along with the book groups I'm part of on goodreads, gasp! Do you know what books you're planning to read coming up?

Also I'm looking back at those you've read and trying to catch up. Upvote to Dreadnought and Battlestations (my childhood favorites) and Margaret Wander Bonano!

I haven’t read a Star Trek novel in years, but I’m picking up ”Desperate Hours” to dig into the back story between Burnham and Georgiou. I’d love to hear Women at Warp’s take on these powerful women characters.