search-icon

6 Fast-Paced, Interstellar Reads for Fans of Star Trek: Picard

by  | May 20
Picard book with tea

If you binged the latest Star Trek series Picard, then it’s a good bet you’re a fan of strong, memorable space captains. After all, Jean-Luc Picard—known for his mix of wit, ingenuity, and ability to quote Shakespeare like no one’s business, while also exploring galaxies and settling conflicts—is one of the most famous sci-fi characters to helm a star ship. Whether you’re looking to delve deeper into the Star Trek universe or to follow other intrepid captains into the great unknown, here are six out-of-this-world reads with great leads.

Check out Simon & Schuster’s In Other Worlds page for even more (inter)stellar book recommendations.

STAR TREK and related marks © 2020 CBS Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope

Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope

by Una McCormack

Star Trek has a long and storied history of companion tie-in novels for the various series. The latest series, Star Trek: Picard, follows that tradition with The Last Best Hope. It takes place before the Picard TV show begins, when Captain Picard is running a mission to save Romulans by resettling them as refugees on other planets. This prequel gives some insight into how the Romulan resettlement changed the Federation and helps explain how the mission ended up influencing Picard’s decision to leave Starfleet. With great intuition for the characters, author Una McCormack enhances the story of a prestigious captain pushed to the breaking point as he tries to save lives…and, in some ways, himself.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage

by David Mack

If you’re a big Jean-Luc Picard fan, then you’ve probably seen at least a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is where he was introduced. Collateral Damage follows another of Picard’s adventures, one that is just as twisted and political as the conflicts in Picard. Our fearless captain is brought back to Earth to answer for a murder committed years ago, with several people calling it treason. Worf takes over as acting captain of the Enterprise as the rest of the crew searches for a stolen weapon of mass destruction. Balancing life and death, and drama and humor, this story will have you hooked, and then likely inspire you to a Next Gen/Picard marathon.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes

by James S. A. Corey

When humanity expands beyond the stars, it may not always be able to control what it finds there. In James S. A. Corey’s The Expanse series, Earth, Mars, and the Belt are constantly watching each other, and that tension only heightens when a strange new entity, the protomolecule, starts wreaking havoc on a massive scale. Captain Jim Holden of the Rocinante has found himself and his small crew smack-dab in the middle of it all, trying to navigate political factions, massive militaries, and terrorist organizations in order to survive. Filled with memorable characters, gripping battles, and sinister conspiracies, Leviathan Wakes, the first book in the series, reminds us that even the smallest actions can have huge consequences.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logo
Dark Run

Dark Run

by Mike Brooks

The captain of a ship need not be honorable. Take Ichabod Drift of the Keiko for example, a former pirate who runs a ship of mercenaries, con artists, and lowlifes. The number one rule aboard the ship is you don’t talk about your past, which seems to help the crew work together. Unfortunately for Drift, his past ends up finding him instead, leading to blackmail and a suicide mission to get some secret cargo to Earth. Often compared to the hit sci-fi Western show Firefly, Dark Run is a dark, biting tale that manages to surprise readers at every turn, with a diverse and engaging cast of characters and an expansive universe to explore. Perfect for readers who are interested in stories that place on the other side of the law.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Across the Void

Across the Void

by S.K. Vaughn

Commander Maryam “May” Knox is not having a great journey into space. For one, she wakes up alone from a coma on the Stephen Hawking II and has no idea who she is, where she is, or where she’s going. Also, she might not be as alone as she thinks. In this part mystery, part thriller, May must figure out what she was supposed to be doing and get it done before certain parties enact a plan to kill her. Across the Void not only features a woman of color at the helm, but manages to make her constant problem solving with the ship’s AI more fun and engaging than the drama happening on Earth. A great choice for fans of Andy Weir’s The Martian looking for more trials in space travel.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures

Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures

by Dayton Ward

Encompassing the early days of Starfleet, Star Trek: Discovery, a prequel to the original series show, details the crew’s encounters with a mostly unformed Klingon Empire, and conflicts of the United Federation of Planets. We even get a look at Christopher Pike and Spock. Drastic Measures gives us an adventure with two new captains from the show: Philippa Georgiou and Gabriel Lorca. Both are tasked with a crisis on Tarsus IV, where the colony’s governor, Adrian Kodos, has set in motion a horrific plan to prevent mass starvation during a contagion. Harkening back to the character Kodos the Executioner from the original series, this book presents the horrifying events that led to his moniker and provides more insight into the characters of the two new captains.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo

Photo Credit // TM & © 2020 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Categories // Bookish Lists

Tagged // • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Love to get lit... erary? Sign up to get the latest delivered to your inbox!
A reporter by trade, Sara Roncero-Menendez is a lover of horror, sci-fi, and all things pop culture. From indies to classics to even the strangest genre pieces, all movies, TV shows, and books are fair game for a binge-fest. Follow her on Twitter @sararomenen or at her website, www.sara-roncero-menendez.com
Read these articles next: