For any Trek fans I can suggest some science fiction writers who strongly influenced the original series.
Poul Anderson's 'The War Of The Wingmen' features a smarter version of Harry Mudd; a space trader trapped on a planet ruled by intelligent, winged tigers.
Roger Zelazny's 'Lord Of Light' has a long lost Earth colony ruled by the original starship's crew. They've used their advanced tech to turn themselves into the Hindu pantheon [except for a renegade Christian with an army of zombies]. One rebel used Buddhism to start a war...