Prolific Authors – Thirteen Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the three authors I’ve read thirteen times, one more than two years ago.

The House of Last Resort – Christopher Golden

Christopher Golden

The prolific author first entered my bookshelf in 1998, thanks to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-in, but his latest was an original concept.

Brad Meltzer

I was originally exposed to Meltzer through his comics work for DC, eventually trying out his prose work in 2002, when I read both The Millionaires and The First Counsel.  Since then, he has been a pretty steady presence as new work is released, last seen in 2022 with The Lightning Rod.

Bravo – Greg Rucka

Greg Rucka

I first became aware of Greg Rucka through his prestigious comic book work.  In 1999, I read the first entry in his Atticus Kodiak series, Keeper.  I followed up with the next three entries the following year, bringing my up to date with his work.  From that point on, I picked up each of his original works as they were released, including three more entries in the Kodiak series, three novels based on his Queen & Country comic book series, one standalone work, and, most recently, the two books in the Jad Bell series.

Book 23 (of 52) – The First Virtue

The First Virtue – Michael Jan Friedman and Christie Golden

In the final chapter of the Double Helix series, Michael Jan Friedman and Christie Golden take a trip back in time, to when Captain Picard commanded the Stargazer and the initial events that triggered the revenge plot of the previous five books.  A series of terrorist attacks have heightened tensions between two races, bringing an entire sector to the brink of war.  While Picard and Governor Gerrid Thul of the Thallonian emperor struggle to keep the peace, Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher must team up with a Vulcan officer named Tuvok to uncover the hidden architect of the attacks.

I was a little hesitant to read this book, as my interest in the Stargazer is somewhat minimal.  Thankfully, outside of Picard and Crusher, there wasn’t much focus on any of her crew.  A prologue is an interesting way to wrap up a six book series, but I guess it would have killed some of the suspense to know who was behind the goings on and why.  All in all, it was a good trip back to the Star Trek universe and, barring any upcoming Kindle sales, my last for the immediate future.