Author | Jeff Ayers |
---|---|
Cover artist | Mark Gerber |
Language | English |
Genre | Encyclopedia |
Publisher | Pocket Books |
Publication date | November 14, 2006 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 782 |
ISBN | 1-4165-0349-8 (pb.) 1-4165-2548-3 (eBook) |
OCLC | 69485543 |
813.0876 | |
LC Class | PS374.S35 A94 2006 |
Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion (2006) is a reference work by Jeff Ayers published by Pocket Books. The book contains entries on the production and publication of Star Trek tie-in novels published from 1967 to 2006. Included are brief synopses of plots for each featured novel.
Previous attempts to publish a reference or encyclopedia about Star Trek fiction had been refused by Pocket Books. According to Ayers, the reason was the contents of such a book would've focused on the characters and plots of each piece of fiction, and not the authors. [1] Pocket Books editor Marco Palmieri noted that Voyages was "conceived as a guide to the history of professionally-published [Star Trek] fiction," and when completed the book would include information of fiction "from Mission to Horatius (1967) … through [to] Pocket's stewardship …" [2]
Research for the book began sometime in 2004, including conducting interviews with authors who had written books many years prior such as Alan Dean Foster, J. A. Lawrence, and writing partners Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Making contact with many of the past authors required assistance from others in the industry, whom Ayers cited in the book's acknowledgements. [3]
A new revision of the Pocket Books Star Trek Timeline was to be included in Voyages. The timeline, which had previously appeared in the appendices of Adventures in Time and Space (1999) and What Lay Beyond (2001), required consultations with creators and other contributors to complete. [4] [5] Ayers referred to those who completed the revision as the "Timeliners". [3]
Ayers also relied on a Star Trek book club who met regularly at the Barnes & Noble in Lynnwood, Washington, saying when he landed the assignment they "reinforced the idea that more people might buy the book than just my mother.” [3]
Voyages was completed by Ayers in early 2006. The book was published in trade paperback format ( ISBN 1-4165-0349-8) on November 14, 2006. An eBook edition ( ISBN 1-4165-2548-3) was published on December 29, 2006.
Marco Palmieri said "as an experienced researcher and devoted reader," Ayers had "the right qualifications for such a colossal undertaking." [1] Jacqueline Bundy of TrekToday also complimented Ayer's bibliographic experience, as well as his understanding of what information to include to make Voyages "an excellent reference title." Ayers has taken an additional step, she explained, to provide "glimpses into the thought processes behind the creation of the fiction." [6]
Jeff Shannon of The Seattle Times offered the following: "The result is a tome the size of a big-city phone book, providing not just an exhaustive guide to Star Trek fiction but also a revealing glimpse into the publishing industry that surrounds it …" [1] He concluded that Voyages takes care to show the "gifted prose stylists, and editors responsible for ensuring that Star Trek fiction isn’t sucked into a worm-hole of historical contradictions." [1]
Some fans questioned why author's notes were not included for books, such as those by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Greg Cox replied that "there are as many different answers as there are authors" who were not included. [7]
A character in Hide Your Fear (2017), by Kevin O'Brien, returned a copy of Voyages of Imagination to a public library seven days overdue, earning a fine of $3.50. [8] The narrator comments on the character's conscientiousness as a library patron.
Star Trek: New Frontier is a series of interlinked novels written by Peter David, published by Simon & Schuster imprints, Pocket Books, Pocket Star, and Gallery Books, from 1997 to 2015. New Frontier was the first Star Trek tie-in fiction property not to be based on a television series. The series was created by John J. Ordover.
Star Trek: Rihannsu is a series of interlinked novels, written by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, published by Pocket Books from 1984 to 2006. The series name was retroactively applied to the first novels with the release of new installments in 2000. A fifth novel was published in 2006.
The Star Trek franchise has produced a large number of novels, comic books, video games, and other materials, which are generally considered non-canon.
Star Trek: The Lost Era is a series of seven thematically linked novels that explore the period between the film The Undiscovered Country and The Next Generation episode "Encounter at Farpoint". The series was conceived and edited by Mario Palmieri, and published by Pocket Books.
Star Trek: The Q Continuum is an omnibus edition of a three novel miniseries written by Greg Cox, based on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The novels explore the history of the multi-dimensional being Q prior to his introduction in the 1987 episode "Encounter at Farpoint". The Science Fiction Book Club released a similar edition with a different cover in 1998, also titled The Q Continuum.
Mission to Horatius is a novel based on the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It was published in 1968 by Whitman, and was the first original novel based on the series; the first novel for adult audiences, Spock Must Die!, was not published until February 1970. Mission to Horatius details the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise investigating where a distress signal had originated, resulting in them engaging with several different human colonies.
Spock, Messiah! is the second original novel based on television series Star Trek intended for adult readers, written by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. It was preceded by Spock Must Die! (1970), and Mission to Horatius (1968). However, Mission was intended for young readers.
Star Trek: The New Voyages 2 (1978) is an anthology of short fiction based on Star Trek, edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. The anthology is follow-up to Star Trek: The New Voyages (1976). Jesco von Puttkamer wrote in the anthology's introduction that science fiction, such as Star Trek, humanizes space, making it "more understandable for the young in mind."
David Alan Mack is an American writer best known for his freelance Star Trek novels. Mack also has had a Star Trek script produced, and worked on a Star Trek comic book.
Star Trek: New Earth is a series of interlinked novels inspired by Gene Roddenberry's original pitch for Star Trek: "Wagon train to the stars." Created by John J. Ordover, the novels follow the crew of the Enterprise as they escort a colonial expedition into a hostile region of unexplored space.
In 1966, Bantam Books acquired the license to publish tie-in fiction based on the science fiction television series Star Trek.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a science fiction anthology series of licensed, fan-written, short stories based on, and inspired by, Star Trek and its spin-off television series and films. The series was published by Simon & Schuster, from 1996 to 2016, edited by Dean Wesley Smith, with assistance from John J. Ordover and Paula M. Block. The collected stories were submitted by amateur writers.
Star Trek: Section 31 is a series of thematically linked novels that explore the operations of the clandestine organization known as Section 31. The series was published by Pocket Books from 2001 to 2017, and initially spanned four Star Trek book lines, including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.
Mosaic is a novel based on the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It was written by Jeri Taylor, who was executive producer of the show for the first five seasons, and was published by Pocket Books in 1996. The novel describes the backstory of Captain Kathryn Janeway, from when she was a small child, to working alongside Owen Paris and finally when she was made captain of her first ship.
Star Trek Log is a series of ten novelizations based on, and inspired by, episodes of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. Published by Ballantine Books from 1974 to 1978, the series was written by Alan Dean Foster and edited by Judy-Lynn del Rey. A 1996 omnibus edition of the series was marketed as a Star Trek: The Animated Series tie-in.
Sondra Marshak is an American science-fiction writer. She is most well known for her work co-written with Myrna Culbreath. She was a co-writer of Star Trek Lives! (1975), with Jacqueline Lichtenberg, and television producer Joan Winston. She was an early promoter of Star Trek fan culture, and a publisher of fan fiction.
Myrna Lou Culbreath is an American science fiction writer and editor, most well known for the Star Trek tie-in novels and anthologies cowritten with Sondra Marshak. Culbreath was a founding editor of the libertarian editorial newsletter The Fire Bringer.