I just find a lot of the newer stuff very flat when compared to the older novels.
Agreed. Many of the earlier novelists seemed to write more nuanced characterizations, settings, and events. Gar and Judy Reeves-Stevens, Carolyn Clowes, Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, Janet Kagan, and Vonda McIntyre come to mind.
That's not to say that the early stuff represented a golden age. Lots of drivel was published back in the day--works by Marshak and Culbreath, Sonni Cooper, Della Van Hise, Diane Carey, etc., etc.
For a long time, I tried to keep up with new Trek novels. But the current list and the backlist are now so unwieldy (and, to me, so unappealing) that I've pretty much given up. I rely on fan writers for my Trek reading pleasure these days. ;-)
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Agreed. Many of the earlier novelists seemed to write more nuanced characterizations, settings, and events. Gar and Judy Reeves-Stevens, Carolyn Clowes, Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, Janet Kagan, and Vonda McIntyre come to mind.
That's not to say that the early stuff represented a golden age. Lots of drivel was published back in the day--works by Marshak and Culbreath, Sonni Cooper, Della Van Hise, Diane Carey, etc., etc.
For a long time, I tried to keep up with new Trek novels. But the current list and the backlist are now so unwieldy (and, to me, so unappealing) that I've pretty much given up. I rely on fan writers for my Trek reading pleasure these days. ;-)