Media tie-in book series in reading order

Max Allan Collins

199 books• 34 series

Max Allan Collins, born March 3, 1948, is an American mystery writer who also works in comics, graphic novels and screenplays. Collins created the Ms. Tree and Road to Perdition comics, the second of which became a film, and the series characters Quarry, a hitman, Nolan, a thief, and private investigator Nate Heller. Collins wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for years, and the Mystery Writers of America named Collins a Grand Master in 2017. Catalogue entries run from Bait Money (1973) to Quarry's Reunion (2026), with Eliot Ness, Mallory and Disaster among the other series.

Peter David

272 books• 94 series

Peter David (September 23, 1956 – May 24, 2025), often called PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games. A 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk won awards, and other comics runs include Aquaman, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Captain Marvel, X-Factor, Young Justice, SpyBoy and Spider-Man 2099. Star Trek: New Frontier is among David's Star Trek novels. Original series include Knight Life and Apropos of Nothing. The catalogue lists 272 books, beginning in 1984 with Picture Perfect, High Society and Sapphire Star.

Greg Cox, born in 1959, is an American science fiction writer whose work includes media tie-ins; Cox lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Star Trek novels by Cox include The Eugenics Wars (Volumes One and Two), The Q Continuum, Assignment: Eternity and The Black Shore. Readers of Dreamwatch magazine voted The Eugenics Wars: Volume One, Cox's first Khan novel, the best science fiction book of its year. The catalogue lists 65 books from The Pirate Paradox (1991) to Identity Theft (2025). Other series include DC Comics Novels, Librarians, Warehouse 13, X-Men and The Avengers: Gamma Quest and Robert Silverberg's Time Tours.

Alan Dean Foster

162 books• 30 series

Alan Dean Foster, born on 18 November 1946, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, with several book series, more than 20 standalone novels and many film novelizations. Catalogued titles open with The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972), followed by Bloodhype (1973), Icerigger (1974), Star Trek Log One (1974) and Midworld (1975). Lost on Paradise (2026) is the newest title. Foster series include Pip & Flinx, Icerigger, Journeys of the Catechist, Damned, Star Trek: The Animated, Alien Movie and Transformers. Subjects include the Humanx Commonwealth, interplanetary voyages and human-alien encounters.

Lee Goldberg

87 books• 12 series

Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, producer and publisher, with television crime work that includes Diagnosis: Murder, Monk, The Glades and SeaQuest. Lost Hills and True Fiction are bestselling Goldberg novels. The catalogue carries 88 books from 1990 to 2027, beginning with Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw (1990) and later Successful Television Writing (2003). Fiction series include Monk, Diagnosis Murder, Eve Ronin, Ian Ludlow Thrillers, Sharpe & Walker, Charlie Willis and Crown Vic. Split Screen appeared in 2026 and The Invisible Architect is due in 2027.

Christopher Golden is an American writer, born in 1967, with 139 catalogued books published between 1994 and 2026. Horror, fantasy and science fiction run through the work, alongside vampires, the supernatural and murder. Of Saints and Shadows (1994) opens the catalogue and Carry Me to My Grave (2026) is the newest entry. Golden's series include the Shadow Saga, Baltimore, Joe Golem, Body of Evidence, Prowlers, Hollow, Hidden Cities and the Secret Journeys of Jack London, and the listing also carries Buffy the Vampire Slayer and X-Men titles. Mike Mignola is credited alongside Golden on 4 books.

Robert Kirkman

181 books• 31 series

Robert Kirkman, born 30 November 1978, is an American comic book writer, screenwriter and producer. Kirkman co-created The Walking Dead, Invincible, Tech Jacket, Outcast, Oblivion Song and Fire Power for Image Comics, wrote Ultimate X-Men, Irredeemable Ant-Man and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics, and worked with Todd McFarlane on Haunt. Kirkman is one of the five partners of Image Comics and serves as its COO. The catalogue gathers 181 volumes published between 2001 and 2026, listed as graphic novel and omnibus collections, from Battle Pope, Vol. 1: Genesis (2001) to The Emissary (2026). Charlie Adlard shares the credit on 2 volumes and Sean Phillips on 1.

James Swallow is a British author based in London whose output covers original novels, tie-in fiction, short fiction, audio dramas and video games. Swallow's own series include the Marc Dane action thrillers and the Sundowners novels, which mix the Western with steampunk. Tie-in work draws on Star Trek, Warhammer 40,000, Doctor Who, 24, Stargate and 2000 AD. Swallow is a BAFTA nominee and has won Scribe Awards for Star Trek, Watch Dogs: Legion, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Star Cops work. The catalogue holds 126 books from Who Killed Captain Kirk? (1993) to Flames of Betrayal (2026), including the non-fiction Dark Eye: The Films of David Fincher (2003).

Stuart M. Kaminsky (29 September 1934 to 9 October 2009) was an American mystery novelist who also taught film. Four mystery series carry the name: Toby Peters, a private eye in 1940s Hollywood; Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, a Moscow police inspector; Abe Lieberman, a Chicago police officer; and Lew Fonesca, a process server in Sarasota, Florida. A Cold Red Sunrise, a Rostnikov novel, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1989. The catalogue holds 85 books from 1974 to 2011, and its earliest entries are American Film Genres (1974) and Don Siegel: Director (1974).

Donald Bain (March 6, 1935 - October 21, 2017) was an American author and ghostwriter credited with more than 115 books over a 40-year career. Murder, She Wrote is the series listed for Bain, and the subjects include Jessica Fletcher and the fictional Cabot Cove, Maine. The catalogue holds 59 books, from Coffee, Tea or Me? (1967) to A Time for Murder (2019), and also lists Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake (1969).

Tish Rabe is a children's book author who has written or adapted more than 40 Dr. Seuss books since the death of Dr. Seuss. Rabe's series include Cat in the Hat's Learning Library and Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That, and the catalogue also groups titles under Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and Disney. The 102 catalogued books start with Sing with Me My Name is Ernie (1991) and My Name Is Grover (1992) and reach The Start of Something (2022). Stories in rhyme and animals are among the subjects. Rabe lives in New York City and Mystic, Connecticut.

David Mack

46 books• 20 series

David Mack is an American writer best known for freelance Star Trek novels, and has also had a Star Trek script produced and worked on a Star Trek comic book. The catalogue lists 46 books from Invincible, Part 1 (2001) to Echoes in Eternity (2026). Series include Star Trek: Vanguard, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Destiny, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations, Star Trek: Seekers and the Star Trek Mirror Universe relaunch. Other titles include Wildfire (2002), The Starfleet Survival Guide (2002), A Time to Heal and A Time to Kill (both 2004). Keith R.A. DeCandido shares the credit on 2 books and Robert Greenberger on 1.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, born June 4, 1960, is an American writer and editor who works across science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance and mainstream fiction under several pen names, Kristine Grayson among them. Awards to Kristine Kathryn Rusch include the 2001 Hugo for Best Novelette (Millennium Babies), the 2003 Endeavour Award (The Disappeared) and two Sidewise Awards, for Recovering Apollo 8 in 2008 and The Enemy Within in 2015. Rusch is married to the writer Dean Wesley Smith, who shares credit on 4 catalogued books. The listing runs from the 1988 short story Stained Black to 2026 and includes the Retrieval Artist, Diving Universe, Fey and Oregon Coast / Seavy Village series plus Star Trek tie-ins.

James Reasoner writes westerns and frontier fiction, and the 193 catalogued books run from Texas Wind (1980) to Blood on the Border (2026). Civil War history, Texas and military fiction also appear among the subjects. Reasoner's series include Stagecoach Station, Abilene, Cody's Law, Wind River, Outlaw Ranger, Tales From Deadwood and the Walker, Texas Ranger tie-ins. Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin and Livia Reasoner are each co-credited on 1 book.

Elizabeth Hand

42 books• 7 series

Elizabeth Hand writes science fiction, fantasy and crime, plus media tie-ins. Cass Neary, a photographer with a talent for finding the dead, heads the crime novels; the Winterlong books and Illyria carry the speculative work; and Hand has written for Star Wars: Boba Fett, Catwoman, Twelve Monkeys and Anna and the King. Thirty-eight titles span 1990 to 2026, from Winterlong to Unspeakable Things.

John Shirley

98 books• 20 series

John Shirley, born February 10, 1953, is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and songwriter working in science fiction and horror. City Come A-Walkin' (1980) came before many books now tied to cyberpunk, and William Gibson called Shirley "cyberpunk's Patient Zero" in the introduction to a later edition. Shirley's fiction includes the A Song Called Youth trilogy and the collection Black Butterflies. With David J. Schow, Shirley co-wrote the screenplay for The Crow (1994), and Shirley has written lyrics for Blue Öyster Cult. The catalogue lists 98 books through The Silver Revolver (2025), including media tie-ins in the Bioshock and John Constantine Hellblazer lines.

Michael Jan Friedman is an American writer born in New York City on March 7, 1955. Friedman has written nearly 60 books of fiction and nonfiction, more than half of them licensed Star Trek tie-ins, and 10 titles have reached The New York Times Best Seller list. Friedman has also written for network and cable television, for radio and for more than 150 comic books, most of them from DC Comics. The catalogue lists 89 entries from 1985 to 2023, beginning with The Hammer and the Horn and Seekers And The Sword, and series include Star Trek: Stargazer, Vidar Saga and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Nancy Holder, born August 29, 1953, is an American writer whose novels include many tie-ins to the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as fiction linked to Angel and Smallville. The catalogue starts with Wings and Other Poems (1972) and lists 1983 and 1984 titles published as Laurel Chandler and as Nancy L. Jones. Series include Angel: Season 1, Beauty & the Beast, Possessions, Domino Lady and Gambler's Star. Vampires, witches and Sabrina, the teenage witch are among the subjects, and Christopher Golden, Jeffrey Mariotte and Yvonne Navarro are among the co-credited writers.

Tim Lebbon, born in London on 28 July 1969, is a British writer of horror and dark fantasy. The catalogue also records science fiction, thrillers, dystopias and media tie-ins among the subjects. Faith in the Flesh (1998), White (1999), Hush (2000) and The Nature of Balance (2001) are among the earlier books, and Halo: Parasite's Wake (2026) is the newest. Tim Lebbon's series include Noreela, Toxic City, Relics and Rage War.

Marc Cerasini is catalogued under media tie-in, children's fiction, science fiction and suspense, with titles dated 1986 to 2025. The listing opens with Robert E. Howard (1986) and How to Write Horror and Get It Published (1989), and includes Godzilla Returns (1996) and Godzilla Saves America (1996). Series on file include Godzilla, Ace Ventura, 7th Heaven, 47 R.O.N.I.N. and Star Wars: Jedi Readers, and Wolverine: Violent Tendencies (2025) is the newest entry.

Christie Golden is an American author, born November 21, 1963, of novels and short stories in fantasy, horror and science fiction. The catalogue lists 52 Golden books, beginning with Vampire of the Mists (1991) and running to Blood Ties (2025). Series include Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming, Dark Templar Saga, Starcraft II, Warcraft: Movie Novelization, Star Wars: Battlefront and World of Warcraft: Midnight. Subject tags include Dungeons & Dragons, Ravenloft, space opera, human-alien encounters and Kathryn Janeway. Seven of Nine (1998) is also listed.

Winter Morgan writes short adventure novels for children set inside video games, chiefly Minecraft. Series include Unofficial Minecrafter's Adventure, Unofficial Minecrafters Academy, Unofficial Minecrafter Mysteries, Minecraft League of Griefers Adventure, Lost Minecraft Journals and Tales of a Terrarian Warrior. The 45 titles catalogued run from The Quest for the Diamond Sword (2014) to The Big Win (2021) at a median of 112 pages, and the list has been dormant since.

Andy McDermott, born 2 July 1974, is a British thriller author and former magazine editor, film critic and journalist, best known for the Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase novels. The catalogue lists 32 books from Dead Man's Hand (2005) to The Pandora Conspiracy (2026). The Hunt for Atlantis (2007), The Secret of Excalibur (2008) and The Tomb of Hercules (2008) are among them. Other series are Alex Reeve, Final Destination and Curious Case Files of Leviticus Gold. Archaeologists and Atlantis feature in the subjects.

Barbara Hambly

119 books• 23 series

Barbara Hambly, an American novelist and screenwriter born August 28, 1951, works across fantasy, science fiction, mystery and historical fiction. The Benjamin January mysteries follow a free man of color, a musician and physician, in antebellum New Orleans. Hambly's other series include James Asher, Darwath, Sun Wolf and Starhawk and the Windrose Chronicles, and the science fiction extends into Star Trek and Star Wars settings. Historical novels about Mary Todd Lincoln and Abigail Adams are also part of the output. The 119 catalogued books run from The Time of the Dark (1982) to Death in the Palace (2026).