The Best Writer You've Never Heard Of Has Died

Peter David was one of those writers that fly under the radar, despite a huge body of work.  He died at the age of 68 this weekend and I am saddened by the news.  Ironically, today is International Towel Day, a tribute to another great writer, Douglas Adams.  Peter David was a writer who had an equally, if perhaps less unconventionally, sharp wit.

He wrote a ton of comics, television shows like Babylon 5 and Young Justice and bunch of novels, many of which are absolutely excellent and usually very, very funny.

I personally discovered his knack for quirky humour in a Star Trek novel.  There have been hundreds of these written and you could be excused for considering them the sci-fi equivalent of the Harlequin Romance novel.  They're often very forgettable and rarely much more than a throwaway read.

Q-in-Law doesn't deserve that comparison.  In this brilliant little book, the all powerful entity, Q, comes aboard the Enterprise and winds up in a romantic relationship with Lwaxana Troi.  As part of their courtship, he grants her the infinite powers of his kind.  When the romance is revealed to be an experiment that the curious Q was performing rather than a genuine love affair, things go quickly and hilariously off the rails.  

 

All powerful god vs. jilted woman.  He's toast.

 

The formidable Lwaxana Troi refuses to give up the powers she's been granted and in grand style she uses them to get revenge on the "man" who jilted her.  There's a chase scene through the corridors of the Enterprise that I would dearly love to see realized on film.  I can't clearly recall if an axe or a chainsaw is involved, but either way I think "Q" actor John DeLancie should be given the opportunity to attempt to portray a tree in fear for its life.

It's a testament to the creative genius of Peter David that I recall the book pretty vividly to this day, some 30 years after I read it. I can honestly say, there isn't another Star Trek novel (I've read most of them) that had the same impact.

Thank you for the laughs and great reads, Peter David.  Your work may not be the most well known, but those of us who know it, love it.  I shall have to hunt up some of your books in my collection this week.  I know I'll get a kick out of whatever I find.

Keep an eye out for Peter David written television, novels and comics.  They're always worth your time.