Where are all the Trek book tie-ins for kids?

Over on TrekBBS, some fans of JJ Abrams' recent "Star Trek" are pondering the total lack of book tie-ins aimed at children.

Putting my teacher-librarian hat on here:

As children in the 60s, my brother and I both read his copy of "Star Trek: Mission to Horatius" by Mack Reynolds. We enjoyed it, and my brother's book secretly made its way into my growing ST collection in 1980, but the book's content wasn't anything Earth-shattering. At least not for us, although it may have piqued our curiosity for TAS when we found that in b/w on Saturday mornings in the 70s.

Having met many members of ST's "first fandom", those who were watching ST as kids and who also craved reading about ST were devouring the James Blish (TOS) and Alan Dean Foster (Filmation's TAS) episode adaptations. The selection of ADF as writer of the 2009 ST novelization was met with much enthusiasm from those ST fans who'd learned to read with "ST Logs" 1-10.



Although I have the delightful Lawrence Weinberg "ST III Storybook" in my collection, and have bought additional copies for all three school libraries I have taught in over the years, it never gets borrowed. Likewise, child interest in the Pocket/Minstrel YA books for TNG, DS9 and VOY has been minimal compared to the war SW kids devour SW YA books.

If you look back at other seemingly YA ST books, they are also more appealing to adults (as collectibles) than to kids (as reading material). "ST II Biographies", the matching short story collections and choose-your-own-adventures for both ST II and ST III, the ST IV YA ("Young Adult") novelisation, the TNG movie YA adaptations... how many sold to/for kids, and how many went straight into adults' collections? Ditto the old TOS and TMP pop-up books, and Daniel Cohen's "The Monsters of Star Trek".

I do know some kids who collect all the "Star Wars" YA books, but (like "Goosebumps" books and "Ben-10" books), they collect them as they would gum cards, and they don't necessarily use the books as reading matter.

Both SW and ST can appeal to young kids, but the ones inspired by ST seem to have no problem becoming consumers of the regular ST novels, thus skipping the YA stage completely.

Lifting the roof from the sex cauldron

96 King's Cross

This 1972, "lookalike", light porn cheapie paperback novel attempts to cash in on the popularity of prime time Australian television soap opera, "Number 96". It turned up in the mail by a reader of my blog entries and website dedicated to "Number 96", for which I'm grateful - for completist reasons only, of course. The novel, "96 King's Cross" by one Ricki Francis, was published by Scripts Publications of North Sydney in 1972; described as the "risque arm" of publishing company Horwitz. Francis also supposedly novelized the raunchy Aussie movie "Alvin Rides Again", although she wasn't credited.

Some characters seem loosely based on "Number 96" characters: Emma Rawlins, like Vera Collins, is a high class prostitute. And there's the obligatory homosexual couple, Jay and Lee, who fill the same controversial niche as Don and Bruce. I love how this book - and all eight of the official Arkon "Number 96" novelizations, in fact - featured pink spines, perhaps attempting to emulate Mills & Boon romance novels.

Strangely enough, Horwitz had another imprint, Stag Publishing Company, that released an original novel called "Number 96" in 1976, which was based on the TV show! (That one was supposedly penned by Carl Ruhen, who later did the early "Young Doctors", "Sons and Daughters" and "Neighbours" novelisations, although his name doesn't get credited in the "Number 96" book itself. For another coincidence, Carl Ruhen's pseudonym, Peter Brand, shared a collection with Ricki Francis; his "Devil's Outriders" was printed in the same volume as Ricki Francis' 1972 novel "Bikie Vengeance", in the 1977 reprint for Scripts.)

Evolution of a Star Trek fan

Over at TrekBBS, we were asked to track our evolution as a Star Trek fan. Mine was quite a gradual awareness.

* Kids at my primary school collecting Scanlen's "Star Trek" bubble gum cards (Topps in the USA). My grandmother owned the household's only television set, so "Star Trek" must have clashed with one of "her" shows.

* My Year 5 teacher's wall chart where we kept score of our weekly spelling and dictation results. It was our "Star Trek" chart and Mr Brown dispensed gold, silver and coloured gummed paper stars, depending on our results (1969).

* Filmation's animated Star Trek series (TAS) on b/w Saturday morning TV, and then daily breakfast TV TAS repeats "for the first time in colour" a few years later. The highlight of "The Super Flying Fun Show".

* Also a few TOS episodes, which were selected for presentation on a Saturday evening(?) "for the first time in colour", when colour TV came to Australia in 1975.

* Five serialized b/w daily liftouts in a Sydney nightly newspaper in late 1979: "My Week on the Star Trek Movie Set!" by Aussie journalist, Jim Oram. At my 21st birthday party a few weeks later, a friend boasted how he'd just been to the gala premiere, where half of the cinema had fans in costume, and they applauded all the characters' entrances.

* Finding the ST:TMP novelization in a rack at the checkout of my local supermarket. Read it in one weekend.

* Spending a 21st birthday record voucher on Jerry Goldsmith's TMP soundtrack LP, having still not yet seen the movie. (All those cool aliens on the inner sleeve!)

* Seeing TMP on the big screen. By myself, because no one else I asked wanted to go.

Holy extra word power, Batman!: novels and novelizations

Extending my post of mass market paperbacks (MMPBs) based on DC and Marvel superheroes (2000-2008), here are all the Batman-related novels and novelizations:

"Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom" by Winston Lyon (Signet, Apr 1966)

"Batman vs. The Fearsome Foursome", novelization of "Batman" movie, by Winston Lyon (Signet, Aug 1966)

"Batman and Robin in The Cheetah Caper" (Big Little Book) by George S Elrick (Whitman, 1969)

"Justice League of America" (Super Powers Which Way series) by Robert Loren Fleming (Pocket/Archway, 1984; Transworld/Carousel, 1985)

"Batman: The Doomsday Prophecy" (Super Powers Which Way series) by Richard Wenk (Pocket/Archway, Aug 1986)

"Batman" movie novelization by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Jun 1989)

"The Further Adventures of Batman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam, Jul 1989)

"The Further Adventures of the Joker" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam, Feb 1990)

"The Batman Murders" by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Oct 1990)

"Batman: To Stalk a Specter" by Simon Hawkes (Warner, Feb 1991)

"Batman: Captured by the Engines" by Joe R Lonsdale (Warner, Jul 1991)

"Batman Returns" movie novelization by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Jul 1992)

"Batman Returns" junior movie novelization by Andrew Helfer (Little, Brown and Company, 1992)

"Batman in The Black Egg of Atlantis" junior novel by Neal Barrett Jr (Little, Brown and Company/Penguin Fantail, 1992)

"Batman in The Six Deadly Demons" junior novel by John Albano (Little, Brown and Company/Penguin Fantail, 1992)

"Batman in Terror on the High Skies" junior novel by Joe R Lonsdale (Little, Brown and Company, 1992/Penguin Fantail, 1993)

"The Further Adventures of Batman 2: featuring the Penguin" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam Spectra, Jul 1992)

"Catwoman: Tiger Hunt" by Lynn Abbey & Robert Asprin (Warner, Sep 92)

"The Further Adventures of Batman 3: featuring Catwoman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam Spectra, Mar 1993)

"Batman: The Animated Series: Shadows of the Past" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Nov 1993)

"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" animated movie novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Jan 1994)

"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" junior animated movie novelization by Andrew Helfer (Bantam Skylark, Jan 1994)

"Batman: The Animated Series: Dual to the Death" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Feb 1994)

"Batman: The Animated Series: The Dragon and the Bat" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Jun 1994)

"Batman: Knightfall" comics novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Bantam Spectra, Aug 1994)

"Batman: Knightfall & Beyond" junior comics novelization by Alan Grant (Bantam Skylark, Aug 1994)

"Batman Forever" movie novelization by Peter David (Warner, Jun 1995)

"Batman Forever" junior movie novelization by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1995)

"Batman: The Ultimate Evil" by Andrew Vachss (Warner/Aspect, Nov 1995)

"Batman & Robin" movie novelization by Michael Jan Friedman (Warner/Aspect, Jun 1997)

"Batman & Robin" junior movie novelization by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)

"Robin: Facing the Enemy" by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)
- junior novel tie-in to "Batman & Robin" movie

"Batgirl: To Dare the Darkness" by Doug Moench (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)
- junior novel tie-in to "Batman & Robin" movie

"Legends of the Batman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (MJF, 1997)
- previous volumes, "Tales of the Batman" and "Adventures of the Batman" were hardcover reprint collections from "Further Adventures of..." MMPBs

"Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero" junior animated movie novelization by James Raven (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)

"Kingdom Come" (Elseworlds series) comic novelization by Elliot S Maggin (Warner/Aspect, Mar 1998)
- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and others

"Batman: No Man's Land" comic novelization by Greg Rucka (Pocket, Jan 2000)

"Batman: No Man's Land" junior comic novelization by Alan Grant (Pocket/Minstrel, Jan 2000)

"Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" junior animated movie novelization by Michael Teitelbaum (Scholastic, Nov 2000)

"Batman: The Stone King" (Justice League of America series) by Alan Grant (Pocket, Mar 2002)

"Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" junior animated movie novelization by Louise Simonson (Bantam, Oct 2003)

"Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu" game novelization by Devin Kalile Grayson & Flint Dille (Warner/Aspect, Nov 2003)

"The Forensic Files of Batman, the World's Greatest Detective" by Doug Moench (ibooks, Jun 2004)

"Catwoman" movie novelization by Elizabeth Hand (Ballantine/Del Rey, Jun 2004)

"Catwoman: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Jasmine Jones (HarperEntertainment, 2004)

"JLA: The Exterminators" (Justice League of America series) by Christopher Golden (Pocket, Jul 2004)
- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" comic novelization by Marv Wolfman (ibooks, Apr 2005)

"Batman Begins" movie novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2005)

"Batman Begins: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Peter Lerangis (Scholastic, Jun 2005)

"DC Universe: Inheritance" by Devin Grayson (Warner, Jun 2006)
- Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Nightwing, Arsenal, Tempest

"Infinite Crisis" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Oct 2006)

"DC Universe: Helltown" by Dennis O'Neil (Warner, Nov 2006)
- The Question, Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon, Batman

"Batman: Dead White" by John Shirley (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2006)

"Batman: Inferno" by Alex Irvine (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2006)

"Batman: Fear Itself" by Michael Reaves (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2007)

"52" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jul 2007)
- focus on Booster Gold, Supernova, The Question, Batwoman

"Batman: Gotham Knight" animated movie novelization by Louise Simonson (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jun 2008)

"The Dark Knight" movie novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Berkley Boulevard/Penguin, Jul 2008)
- sequel to "Batman Begins"

"The Dark Knight: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Stacia Deutsch & Rhody Cohon (HarperCollins, 2008).

"Enemies & Allies" by Kevin J Anderson (HarperCollins, 2009)
- Batman, Superman

"Countdown" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jul 2009)
- focus on Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Troia/Wonder Girl, Robin II, Catwoman

"The Dark Knight Legend: The Junior Novel" by Stacia Deutsch (HarperFestival, June 2012)
- young adult movie novelization of "The Dark Knight Rises"

"The Dark Knight Rises" movie novelization by Greg Cox (Titan, Jul 2012)
- sequel to "The Dark Knight"

"Arkham Night: The Riddler's Gambit" video game prequel novel by Alex Irvine (Titan, Jun 2015)

"Arkham Night" video game novelization by Marv Wolfman (Titan, Jul 2015)

"Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice: Cross Fire" young adult companion novel by Michael Kogge (Scholastic, 2016)

"The Lego Batman Movie: Junior Novel" movie novelization by Jeanette Lane (Scholastic, 2017)

"Batman: Nightwalker" by Marie Lu (Penguin Random House, 2018)

"Catwoman: Soulstealer" by Sarah J Maas (Penguin Random House, 2018)

"Batman: The Killing Joke, A Batman Novel" by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips (Titan, Sept 2018)
- comic novelization

"Harley Quinn: Mad Love, A Batman Novel" by Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan (Titan, Nov 2018)
- comic novelization

"Batman: The Court of Owls, A Batman Novel" by Greg Cox (Titan, Feb 2019)
- comic novelization

"Batman: Resurrection" by John Jackson Miller (Penguin Random House, 2024)
- novel sequel to the 1989 movie novelization

"Batgirl: Possession" by Jade Adia (Penguin Random House, 2024)

Captain's log: Supplemental (Updated: 14th February, 2025)

Are you Sirius?: the novels of "V"

To celebrate the forthcoming hardcover novel sequel to "V", here's a complete booklist of what has come before:

V by AC Crispin (Pinnacle, May 1984).
The novelization of "V" and "V: The Final Battle".

East Coast Crisis by Howard Weinstein & AC Crispin (Pinnacle, Sep 1984).
A parallel novel to "V" and "V: The Final Battle", set mainly in New York.

The Pursuit of Diana by Allen Wold (Pinnacle, Dec 1984).
An original novel prelude to "V: The Series", a year before the episode "Liberation Day".

The Chicago Conversion by Geo. W Proctor (Pinnacle, Jan 1985).
After the events of "V", the Chicago resistance struggles to rebuild.

The Florida Project by Tim Sullivan (Pinnacle, Feb 1985).
Experiments with human/reptilian hybrids in the Everglades.

Prisoners and Pawns by Howard Weinstein (Pinnacle, Mar 1985).
Diana and Lydia ("V: The Series") clash in Los Angeles.

The Alien Swordmaster by Somtow Sucharitkul (Pinnacle, Apr 1985).
Set in Tokyo, Japan.

The Crivit Experiment by Allen Wold (Pinnacle, May 1985).
Alien sand creatures called crivits (from "V: The Series" episode, "Breakout") threaten North Carolina.

The New England Resistance by Tim Sullivan (Pinnacle, Jun 1985).
The friendly Visitor, Willie, aids humans in New England.

Death Tide by AC Crispin & Deborah A Marshall (Pinnacle, Jul 1985).
On the West Coast of USA, Diana tries to resolve her homeworld's water crisis.

The Texas Run by Geo. W Proctor (Pinnacle, Sep 1985).
The Dallas-Fort Worth resistance struggles to free Texans from the Visitors' cold storage.

V Annual 1986 (World International Publishing, 1985; copyright date 1984).
Includes the short stories, "The Day the Rains Didn't Come", "The Hero", "A Time to Fight", "The Three Brave Men", "Divided We Fall", "The Law in Prospect" and "Switch on to Fear", and the comic, "Nightmare".

V Storybook (World International Publishing, no date; copyright date 1984).
Includes the short stories, "Deadly Harvest", "Together We Stand", "Morning Glory", "Night of the Monster" and "Children of the War".

Path to Conquest by Howard Weinstein (Tor, Sep 1987).
Surviving the axing of "V: The Series" and the original novels moving to Tor, Diana and Lydia attempt to change Earth's weather patterns.

To Conquer the Throne by Tim Sullivan (Tor, Nov 1987).
The Great Britain resistance attempts to thwart the Visitors' latest plot.

The Oregon Invasion by Jayne Tannehill (Tor, Jan 1988).
The Pacific Northwest of USA is the next area threatened by the Visitors.

Below the Threshold by Allen Wold (Tor, Mar 1988).
The Northampton and Freeport areas are under threat.

Symphony of Terror by Somtow Sucharitkul (Tor, May 1988).
A Ninja lends assistance to American resistance cells.

V: The Second Generation by Kenneth Johnson (Tor, Feb 2008).
The creator's long-awaited sequel! Follows up the events and characters of the original television mini-series, twenty years on, but ignores everything else.

V: The Original Miniseries by Kenneth Johnson & AC Crispin (Tor, Nov 2008).
A re-presentation of Crispin's novelization of "V", with an all-new epilogue by Johnson, which ignores "V: The Final Battle" and sets up new characters and events for "V: The Second Generation".

V: UK Visitation, Volume 1 by Jonathan Morris, based on "V" by Kenneth Johnson (Big Finish, Nov 2025; 180 mins on 3 discs).
A full-cast audio drama which reimagines the original TV mini-series' plot, with the modern-day setting of the United Kingdom in the 2020s. Three one-hour episodes.

List last updated: February 2025.