Okay, so you've noticed by now that we're big fans of Star Trek and Star Wars around here. So, naturally, we couldn't let July 13 -- the birthday of Harrison "Han Solo" Ford and Patrick "Captain Picard" Stewart -- pass by unnoticed.
So to celebrate, we've put together some readalike suggestions for all you Trekkies and Jedi Knights out there. Whichever franchise you love best (or maybe, like us, you love them both!) -- there's something on this list for you!
For Star Trek fans:
The writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation were partly inspired by Asimov's Robots series when they created the character of Data (the android who wants to be human). In I, Robot, a collection of short stories lays out Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics -- and serves as cautionary tales for how easily technology can go awry.
2.) In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
Star Trek loves nothing more than a good time travel story, and Baker's The Company series fits that bill perfectly. In the Garden of Iden tells the story of cyborg botanist Mendoza, who was rescued from the Spanish Inquisition by a group of time travelers from the 24th century. After being transformed into an immortal machine, Mendoza's job is to preserve rare artifacts for The Company, a 24th-century organization who turns a profit through time travel. When Mendoza falls for a human, though, things get complicated.
3.) Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
With some faint shades of Star Trek: First Contact, this sci-fi classic features a group of 22nd-century astronauts exploring an alien starship that's appeared in our solar system. What they find inside is not, of course, anything like what they expected. Not all of the crew's questions -- or the reader's questions -- will necessarily be answered, but Clarke's unique worldbuilding still makes for a fascinating read just the same.
4.) The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Part time-travel tale, part war story, Haldeman's novel looks at the effects of combat on soldiers both past and future. Main character William Mandella returns home after several years spent traveling through space -- but though it's been a few years for him, the effects of relativity mean that it's been several centuries back on Earth. Mandella struggles to adapt, eventually re-enlisting in order to escape modernized civilian life -- only to find that he no longer fits into this world even as a soldier. This novel may be of particular interest for those Trekkies (like myself) who best love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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5.) Millennium by John Varley
After nineteen nuclear wars, humanity's gene pool has been hopelessly contaminated. The plan: to travel back into the past and retrieve healthy humans to rebuild civilization. In order to prevent any sort of time paradox, only people from the past who were about to die (in shipwrecks or plane crashes) are taken into the future. Everything goes according to plan -- until Louise Baltimore finds herself stranded in the past, the only surviving member of the futuristic team she'd been traveling with. Which means she's the only one who can stop the time paradox she's created before it's too late.
For Star Wars fans:
1.) Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey
We've discussed admiration for McCaffrey's worldbuilding at this blog before, and Crystal Singer is maybe one of McCaffrey's best. After receiving a crushing blow to her career in music, Killashandra Ree decides to leave her old life behind and leave for Ballybran -- giving up her life as a performer to sing crystal instead. McCaffrey's worldbuilding is of Star-Warsian proportion, making this entry into her work an ideal choice for the Star Wars fan.
2.) The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
If you enjoyed watching Luke Skywalker discover his destiny as a Jedi Knight -- or if you like "space pirate"-types like Han Solo -- then you might like Miles Vorkosigan. Born with severe injuries after his mother was attacked while pregnant with him, seventeen-year-old Miles is devastated when he blows his chance to enter the military. But an unexpected detour into the world of smuggling soon leads Miles onto a path of political intrigue he never imagined. Miles spends the series straddling the line between his background as an aristocrat and his unexpected calling as a mercenary, making him (and the large cast of eminently-relatable characters) a joy to read about.
3.) The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn
This sci-fi thriller is another must for Han Solo fans (and maybe for fans of Firefly, too). Jordan McKell and his alien partner-in-crime Ixil are content to be smugglers for a crime lord when they're approached by a shadowy industrialist. Their new boss hires them to transport the ship Icarus (and its very important cargo) to Earth. Seems like a straightforward enough job -- until people start coming after them.
4.) Have Space Suit -- Will Travel by Robert A. Heinelin
This YA novel might appeal to Star Wars fans of all ages, with its plucky high school protagonist who is determined to win a song-writing contest and claim the prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to the Moon. Instead of a trip, he wins a very-used spacesuit -- a prize which might never have come in handy if he hadn't been promptly flagged down by a visiting spaceship. This fun, quirky little read is a fantasy adventure wrapped in a sci-fi tale -- making it a great choice for any Star Wars fan.
5.) R is for Rocket and S is for Space by Ray Bradbury
These collections of Bradbury stories are perfect for all-ages Star Wars fans. Bradbury's unique approach to the sci-fi genre (which you may remember us mentioning here before) makes for some truly original tales. From a high school field trip through time to a society addicted (really addicted) to television -- from colonies on Mars to ancient China -- these stories, like all of Bradbury's work, will be a little different from anything you've ever read before.
A few more funny reads for Trekkies and Jedi Knights alike:
Night of the Living Trekkies
Sci-fi conventions can be lots of fun -- but not so much if they're overrun by a zombie virus.
Darth Vader and Son
If this look at Luke Skywalker's childhood doesn't make you smile, you're probably not a sci-fi fan.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Includes instructions on how to make your own Star War origami art.
Star Wars: Tag and Bink Were Here
See the story of the original Star Wars saga from the point of view of two extras: Tag and Bink, who are disguising themselves as Stormtroopers to try and make it out of the Rebellion alive.
-- Post by Ms. B
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