# Need a trashy novel to read that isn't Star Trek! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767 "2012-07-10T05:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/1 "2012-07-10T05:25:27Z")
Two summers ago, I bought a Kobo. I read every Sherlock Holmes novel ever written, having previously never touched any of them. Then I read a Deep Space Nine book on a whim, and the posters here were kind enough to introduce me to the [DS9 Extended Universe](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617639). It was great: then they cancelled it. ☹ Then they sorta bridged it with the Typhon pact books, which IMO are kinda boring, but I’m reading anyway. I’m halfway through the last one, and I need something else to sink my teeth into. But not Star Trek. I read “Around the World in Eighty Days” and really liked it, in between these two series. The only common element between Holmes and Star Trek seems to be that they’re very digestible, adventurey type books. Can anyone recommend a book I can download and take on vacation with me, in a similar vein? Maybe a Jules Vernes, or some other fin-de-siecle author? I know I haven’t given you all much to work with, but I get the best ideas for TV shows from here (working on Avatar: Legend of Korra :D), so I thought I’d ask about a book! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/2 "2012-07-10T07:38:58Z")
Razors Edge by Somerset Maugham while not quite like the others mentioned might be enjoyable…or this [W. Somerset Maugham: Of Human Bondage: List of contents - Free Online Library](http://maugham.thefreelibrary.com/Of-Human-Bondage) which isnt trashy or adventure but awesome and free. ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/3 "2012-07-10T07:44:10Z")
[The Richard Sharpe novels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpe_%28novel_series%29) by Bernard Cornwell might suit. Fast reads, military adventure, and well-researched. They get a bit repetitive after the first dozen or so, however. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/4 "2012-07-10T07:51:43Z")
Star Wars? Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn [trilogy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thrawn_Trilogy) is particularly good, as are the X-wing books. And there are many, many Star Wars books out there. Enough to keep you well supplied with trash for a while. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/5 "2012-07-10T08:16:37Z")
Also, here’s a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635461) asking for recommendations for trashy fiction. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/6 "2012-07-10T10:01:13Z")
May I recommend you wander over to feedbooks? they have a bunch of free stuff. [Webscriptions.net](http://Webscriptions.net) [Baen] has a free library in multiple formats. Hm, Project Gutenberg is the classic go to for stuff prior to 1923 so you should find plenty of Jules Verne over there, and some HG Wells. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/7 "2012-07-10T10:10:32Z")
R A Salvatore’s Drizzt Do’Urden books are good trashy fare ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/8 "2012-07-10T11:45:58Z")
There’s plenty more Jules Verne out there. I’m reading his [i\]North and South\* right now, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you can, get more recent translations of Verne. _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ is great, but the Louis Mercier/Mercier Lewis translation not only botches the translation miserably (He writes “the disagreeable country of South Dakota” when the text has “The Dakota badlands”), it also leaves out big hunks of the story. Read _Michael Strogoff_, or _The Mysterious Island_ or any of the obscure ones, like _Captain Antifer_ (A treeasure hunt story with really odd clues and a bizarre ending). There’s plenty of easy-to-read fiction out there. I highly recommend C.S. Forester’s _Horation Hornblower_ series – naval captain from the Napoleonic era, but not as weighty as Patrick O’Brien. Or read Frederick Forsyth’s books, especially his early thrillers, _Day of the Jackal_, _The Odessa File_, _The Dogs of War_. Read Fredric Brown’s mysteries. Or his science fiction/fantasy. Read Robert E Howard fantasy, or Clark Ashton Smith. Or J.P. Lovecraft. ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/9 "2012-07-10T12:00:26Z")
Anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The _Tarzan_ novels are quite fun, and far better than any of the films or comics based on them. His _Barsroom_, _Caspak_, and _Venus_ series are also pretty enjoyable. And the _Barsroom_ books have had quite an influence in the genre with _Star Wars_ and _Avatar_ owing an incredible amount to them. Most of his material is public domain, so it’s free if you have an e-reader or don’t mind reading on the computer. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/10 "2012-07-10T14:14:23Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Also, here’s a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635461) asking for recommendations for trashy fiction. Yeah, but that’s about dragons and fantasy. PASS. 😛 > [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s plenty more Jules Verne out there. I’m reading his [i]North and South\* right now, but I wouldn’t recommend it. > > If you can, get more recent translations of Verne. _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ is great, but the Louis Mercier/Mercier Lewis translation not only botches the translation miserably (He writes “the disagreeable country of South Dakota” when the text has “The Dakota badlands”), it also leaves out big hunks of the story. Read _Michael Strogoff_, or _The Mysterious Island_ or any of the obscure ones, like _Captain Antifer_ (A treeasure hunt story with really odd clues and a bizarre ending). > There’s plenty of easy-to-read fiction out there. I highly recommend C.S. Forester’s _Horation Hornblower_ series – naval captain from the Napoleonic era, but not as weighty as Patrick O’Brien. Or read Frederick Forsyth’s books, especially his early thrillers, _Day of the Jackal_, _The Odessa File_, _The Dogs of War_. > Read Fredric Brown’s mysteries. Or his science fiction/fantasy. Read Robert E Howard fantasy, or Clark Ashton Smith. Or J.P. Lovecraft. I tried reading the mysterious island, but that didn’t really do anything for me. Plus I got some spoilers and felt stupid for not reading 20,000 leagues first; sorta ruined it for me. ☹ Wouldn’t mind trying one of the other ones, though! Will look into that. > [@aruvqan](#): > > May I recommend you wander over to feedbooks? they have a bunch of free stuff. [Webscriptions.net](http://Webscriptions.net) [Baen] has a free library in multiple formats. Hm, Project Gutenberg is the classic go to for stuff prior to 1923 so you should find plenty of Jules Verne over there, and some HG Wells. I knew about P.G. From my Sherlock bender, but not the other two. Thanks! Many thanks to everyone who has replied so far! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/11 "2012-07-10T15:38:11Z")
The Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. Very readable. StG ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/12 "2012-07-10T15:48:55Z")
Robert Parker’s Spenser novels are fast, fun reads and feature some sharp, witty dialogue. The TV series Spenser: For Hire was based on them. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-trashy-novel-to-read-that-isnt-star-trek/627767/13 "2012-07-10T15:53:59Z")
\*Lost Horizon \*by James Hilton, the first American mass marketed paperback.