Honor Harrington: On Basilisk Station
Baen Books publishes the first novel in the Honor Harrington series, “On Basilisk Station” by David Weber. A military science fiction story with a female protagonist set in the vein of the Horatio Hornblower novels, the book quickly gains a loyal audience; luckily, Weber and Baen have a second novel already prepared.
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Star Wars: The Last Command
Timothy Zahn’s novel “Star Wars: The Last Command”, the concluding part of the hugely popular trilogy of officially licensed follow-ups to the original trilogy, is released by Bantam Books. As with the first two installments of the new trilogy (which will become known years later alternately as the Zahn Trilogy or the Thrawn Trilogy), “The Last Command” climbs to the top of the bestseller lists, and the future of a sprawling print-fiction Star Wars empire is assured in the process. With no new movies for the books to clash with, many fans regard their story developments as “official.”
Doctor Who: Love and War
The ninth Doctor Who New Adventures novel, “Love And War” by Paul Cornell, is published. A pivotal point in the young book series, “Love And War” sees the exit of TV companion Ace and the introduction of an older companion, archaeologist Professor Bernice Sumemrfield, for the seventh Doctor. Using a non-sequitur mention of the “Hoothi and their great gas dirigibles” from the television story The Brain Of Morbius as a starting point for this book’s enemy, author Cornell crafts a novel that forces the series to grow into more mature territory, with a truly unsettling adversary for the Doctor to fight. An audio version will be produced by Big Finish Productions 20 years later.
Star Wars: Dark Force Rising
Timothy Zahn’s novel “Star Wars: Dark Force Rising”, the second in a trilogy of officially licensed follow-ups to the original trilogy, is released by Bantam Books. As with the first installment of the new trilogy (which will become known years later alternately as the Zahn Trilogy or the Thrawn Trilogy), “Dark Force Rising” requires no Jedi mind tricks to wind up at the top of the bestseller lists.
Doctor Who: Timewyrm: Revelation
Virgin Publishing releases the fourth book in the Doctor Who New Adventures series, “Timewyrm: Revelation” by Paul Cornell. This is Cornell’s first professionally-published fiction, and is published over the objections of former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner (acting as an advisor to the editors), who cites concerns over the book’s abstract attempts to establish an epic mythology involving Gallifreyan gods. The book also concludes the four-book Timewyrm cycle, which has proven to be enough of a sales success that Virgin opts to continue publishing original Doctor Who fiction.
Doctor Who: Timewyrm: Exodus
Virgin Publishing releases the second novel in the Doctor Who New Adventures series, “Timewyrm: Exodus” by early ’70s Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks. This book continues the four-part Timewyrm cycle and revisits the War Lord last seen in the 1969 TV story The War Games, and long before the TV episode Let’s Kill Hitler, places the Doctor in the company of Hitler. This is Dicks’ first Doctor Who prose which is not a direct adaptation of a television story.
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
With no new series in sight on TV, Virgin Publishing begins its long-awaited line of original print fiction with the first Doctor Who New Adventures novel, “Timewyrm: Genesys” by John Peel. The first book in a four-book cycle of linked stories, the novel picks up where the television series left off, featuring the seventh Doctor and Ace. Three further books are already in the works in the Timewyrm series, with other authors lining up for a chance to write later books in 1992 and beyond.
Star Wars: Heir To The Empire
After much pre-publicity billing it as – at long last – the Lucasfilm-authorized continuation of the storyline, Timothy Zahn’s novel “Star Wars: Heir To The Empire” is released by Bantam Books. Introducing Grand Admiral Thrawn, Talon Karrde and Mara Jade, among other characters later regarded by fans as mission-critical to the overall Star Wars storyline, the book also introduces the former Imperial capitol world Coruscant (a rare bit of naming that originates in non-movie media and is later carried over to “official” media). The first of a trilogy of novels, “Heir” forces its way to the top of the bestseller lists.
Star Trek: TNG: A Rock And A Hard Place
Pocket Books releases the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel “Star Trek: TNG: A Rock And A Hard Place”, written by Peter David.
Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
The first novel based on the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, is published. Written by series creators and writers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor (under the collective pseudonym Grant Naylor), the book features familiar events and scenes, but is generally played out on a more expansive canvas than a BBC television studio would allow.
Demon Night
Dutton Books publishes the debut novel by television scripwriter J. Michael Straczynski, Demon Night. The novel is later reprinted in 2003.
Don’t Panic!
Titan Books UK publishes Neil Gaiman’s non-fiction account of the making of the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy franchise, Don’t Panic! – The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion. The book features numerous interviews with Douglas Adams and others involved in the making of the radio and television series, records and books.
Mr. Scott’s Guide To The Enterprise
Pocket Books releases the Star Trek book “Mr. Scott’s Guide To The Enterprise”, written and illustrated by Shane Johnson.
The Planets
The first edition of the non-fiction-with-science-fiction-short-stories anthology “The Planets“ is published by Bantam Books, edited by Byron Preiss. Contributors include Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Harry Harrison, Ray Bradbury, Roger Zelazny, JPL scientist Dale Cruikshank, Frank Herbert, illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, and many more. Each body in the solar system is described in a factual essay, and then features in a short story.
The Odyssey File
Ballantine Books publishes The Odyssey File by Arthur C. Clarke and filmmaker Peter Hyams, chronicling the authors’ collaboration to translate Clarke’s novel 2010: Odyssey Two into the film 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Their lengthy international correspondence in 1983 and early 1984 was conducted by then-groundbreaking means of pre-internet e-mail exchanges.
The Policeman’s Beard Is Half Constructed
The first edition of the collection of prose, poetry and blank verse titled “The Policeman’s Beard Is Half Constructed“ – supposedly “written” by an artificial intelligence called RACTER – is published by Warner Books. When a commercial version of RACTER is made available, some users cry foul – it doesn’t output anything remotely like the book attributed to it. 
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The Dune Encyclopedia
Berkley Books publishes The Dune Encyclopedia, written and compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly and approved by Dune creator Frank Herbert (who would still contradict this book with some of his later Dune novels). The book, written from an academic point of view within the Dune universe, later goes out of print and is now considered a collectors’ item.
Encyclopedia of Space Technology
The first edition of British author Kenneth Gatland’s detailed non-fiction book “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space Technology“ is published by Harmony Books, proving to be a fantastic distraction through the remainder of your webmaster’s time in the public school system.
Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
Ballantine Books publishes the third in a trilogy of original novels based on the Star Wars characters Han Solo and Chewbacca, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley. All three books chronicle the misadventures of everyone’s favorite Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee sidekick – and avoid clashing with the recently-released sequel The Empire Strikes Back by setting these events before Star Wars itself.
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Star Trek: The Literary Picture
Pocket Books releases the movie novelization “Star Trek: The Motion Picture“, written by Gene Roddenberry. This is Roddenberry’s only piece of Star Trek prose fiction.
Han Solo’s Revenge
Ballantine Books publishes the second book in a trilogy of original novels based on the Star Wars characters Han Solo and Chewbacca, Han Solo’s Revenge by Brian Daley. All three books chronicle the misadventures of everyone’s favorite Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee sidekick – and avoids clashing with the upcoming sequel The Empire Strikes Back by setting these events before Star Wars itself.
You have questions? Artoo has answers
Random House publishes the Star Wars Question And Answer Book About Space, written by Dr. Dinah Moche. Cashing in on young Star Wars fans’ sudden fascination with space, the book explores many astronomical phenomena, and past, current and future spaceflight (as of 1979) and space science topics, framed within the context of the Star Wars universe.
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Han Solo At Stars’ End
Ballantine Books publishes the first of a trilogy of original novels based on the Star Wars characters Han Solo and Chewbacca, Han Solo At Stars’ End by Brian Daley. All three books chronicle the misadventures of everyone’s favorite Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee sidekick – and avoids clashing with the upcoming sequel The Empire Strikes Back by setting these events before Star Wars itself.
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The Cylon Death Machine
Berkley books publishes the novelization Battlestar Galactica 2: The Cylon Death Machine by Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston. Cashing in on the series’ popularity at its height, the book adapts the two-part television episode The Gun On Ice Planet Zero.
Star Wars: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye
“Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye“, the first print fiction follow-up to George Lucas’ Star Wars, is published by Ballantine Books. Written by Alan Dean Foster – who had ghost-written the novelization of Star Wars published under Lucas’ name – “Splinter” originates as a concept for a low-budget movie follow-up in the event that the movie bombs. By the time of its publication, it’s readily apparent to all that the movie has succeeded, and that a sequel will be coming, leaving “Splinter”‘s status in the storyline uncertain. The cover artwork is by Ralph McQuarrie, whose pre-production illustrations were of vital importance during the making of the original movie.
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Star Trek: Star Fleet Technical Manual
Ballantine Books releases the Star Trek book “Star Trek: Star Fleet Technical Manual”, written and illustrated by Franz Joseph Schnaubelt. The book ushers in an obsession with science fiction blueprints and design manuals, both Star Trek and otherwise, and will be reprinted and referred to (including on the Enterprise’s own displays in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture) for decades to come.
Phoenix Without Ashes
Fawcett publishes the novel Phoenix Without Ashes by Edward Bryant, based upon the original premise of the short-lived early ’70s Canadian television series The Starlost, created by Harlan Ellison; Ellison himself expounds on the trials and tribulations of making that show in an extended foreword.