Spoilers VOY: The Eternal Tide by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Sho, Aug 20, 2012.

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Rate The Eternal Tide.

  1. Outstanding

    85 vote(s)
    47.2%
  2. Above Average

    56 vote(s)
    31.1%
  3. Average

    30 vote(s)
    16.7%
  4. Below Average

    2 vote(s)
    1.1%
  5. Poor

    7 vote(s)
    3.9%
  1. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yes I understand that they all call themselves Q but I could see them so it wasn't a problem - I'm not asking for the names to be changed but rather that someone comes up with something that makes it a little easier to work out who the hell is speaking when the reader is presented with paragraph after paragraph of people with the same name having a conversation.
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Mar 15, 2001
    The trick is to convey who's who through context and characterization cues, and I think Kirsten did a good job with that. It took me a moment sometimes, but it was usually pretty easy to distinguish the father, mother, and son.
     
  3. Enterpriserules

    Enterpriserules Commodore Commodore

  4. Sci

    Sci Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    http://youtu.be/_f_p0CgPeyA

    "Michael Baldwin, this is Bruce. And this is Bruce. And this fellow here is Bruce."

    "Is your name not Bruce then?"

    "... No, it's Michael."

    "Well that's going to cause a little confusion."
     
  5. Kirsten Beyer

    Kirsten Beyer Writer Red Shirt

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    Los Angeles
    Good Evening everybody...

    Again, many thanks for all of the responses to the book. I know I haven't been around much to answer direct questions but there's a "good news" "bad news" reason for that.

    I am now at a point in the process where I feel comfortable confirming for those who may be worried that the adventures of Voyager and our fleet will continue. I'll announce more about that when the paperwork is done but for now, I can say that for the last several weeks I have been working on the new story and it looks like we're in good shape.

    That's the good news.

    The "bad news" is that you are in for a bit of a wait. I don't have an actual release date set but I'm thinking early 2014 is probably about right.

    I swear to you all, I am writing as fast as I can.

    On an entirely different note...

    I've read through all of the comments here since last we spoke and one thing that keeps coming up I'd like to address are the questions about Amanda's death and why she didn't get a pass but other charaters seemed to.

    There's a line where Q (the father) talks about Omega and states that nothing that enters that does not add to its power is automatically destroyed. Amanda, by nature...being a Q...added to it's power, so she was dead the moment she entered. The crewmembers aboard the four ships who entered Omega were not automatically destroyed but did sacrifice themselves and destroy their ships to prevent Omega's spread. So they were also dead. Chakotay and Tallar were still alive when Junior and Eden entered Omega to seal it, so they were the only two characters who could have been saved here...and were.

    And regarding the Kes/Kol stuff...yes that came from the String Theory trilogy, but not my book...the backstory you are looking for there was developed in Heather Jarman's, Evolution.

    Finally, I'm going to do a podcast in a couple of weeks to answer some of the questions posed in another recent thread about the book and I don't want to spoil too much here. But my sense is that many of the issues that have frustrated some of you will come up, including my thinking about the destruction of so many of the fleet ships, and I'm sure a link to the podcast will go up as soon as its available.

    Oh, and somewhere a long ways back, someone noted that they felt the quality of the book was related to the fact that I possess a Bachelor of Arts degree....and I nearly fell out of my chair. I was momentarily overcome by a vision of myself entering a room of hostile adversaries only to say "Everybody stand the fuck back. I've got a B.A. in my pocket and I know how to use it!"

    You guys are awesome.

    Best,
    Kirsten Beyer
     
  6. Enterpriserules

    Enterpriserules Commodore Commodore

    Kirsten, I hope you will check out my review at Trek.Fm I had a blast reading through the book again and then writing the review!
     
  7. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yay on more K.B Voyager!:D I'm glad it's not going to another author. Boo on the 2014 ETA, though...
     
  8. MatthiasRussell

    MatthiasRussell Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I agree it is a long wait but I'll take quality over quantity. I'm looking forward to reading Beyer writing more Janeway (and hoping to find out what happens to her monument as well of Janeway's thoughts on having a monument).
     
  9. Judith Sisko

    Judith Sisko Commander Red Shirt

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    Exciting news! Worth the wait. I'm anxious to hear the podcast.
     
  10. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Thanks for you post Kirsten!!
     
  11. RonG

    RonG Captain Captain

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  12. Warp Coil

    Warp Coil Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I agree with most of what is written in Trekmovie's review. Beyer does an amazing job with the characterization of the VOY crew - the best I've ever seen - but I really don't think that this story needed to be told, or at the very least, not in this manner.
     
  13. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I never understood that term. This is fiction, none of the stories "need" to be told.
     
  14. RonG

    RonG Captain Captain

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    I'm still waiting for the novel to arrive, but since I found out about a certain character's "change of posthumous status", my expectations have been lowered.
    Very much so.

    I was never a fan of the VOY TV series - I found the characters to be flat and one-dimensional compared to other Trek casts, and Janeway in particular seemed quite obnoxious IMO.

    My feeling towards the novels at the time were very much a reflection of my feeling towards the TV series – The only VOY novels I really liked were Echoes and to a lesser degree Mosaic (The Janeway hero-worship irked me even then.. I get that she's a WOMAN! And a CAPTAIN!!... so she's the BEST!!!! :rolleyes:)

    In any case, I tried Christie Golden's VOY Relaunch novels, and found them to be utterly immature and basically written for the Teenage Girls audience (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not my cup of tea, to say the least). The entire cast / crew acted like unprofessional morons and the plotlines were horrendous IMO.

    It should come as no surprise that Janeway's death in Before Dishonor didn’t disturb me. On the contrary – I was ready to get rid of this arrogant, know-it-all, wrongly promoted b***h :evil:. The Janeway fan backlash coupled with the arrival of new voices on the Trek Lit board demanding her return and threatening with boycott, seemed like a collection of childish tantrums, and the threads concerning Janeway were always good for a chuckle and an uncomfortable laugh.

    And then came Full Circle.

    On the heels of Destiny and A Singular Destiny, Kirsten Beyer managed to make me care about the characters for the first time ever, while crafting a fine plotline. The "one-two punch" of Full Circle and Unworthy actually made me a VOY reader and started this cast and "setting" / series in a great new direction. Yes, the characters were still a bit too "whiny" and "Soap Opera-ish" in my book, but it was actually compelling to read.

    But They had to bring Her back… I really don't understand why this story *had to be told* and now it seems we're heading back into the same-old same-old territory with the VOY series.


    I'll read the novel (it's already on its way from Amazon.com, along with Brinkmanship and Fallen Gods) and form a complete opinion, but it sure seems like I'm done with VOY after this one. :thumbdown:
     
  15. Sherlock09

    Sherlock09 Cadet Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2011
    Just Finished The Eternal Tide. One of the best Voyager re-launch Novels yet, Can't wait for where the series goes next. Janeway Coming back is believeable and well handled with other charactors doubting at first that she is back. Thank you to Kirsten Beyer for continuing the franchise is such a believable way.
     
  16. MatthiasRussell

    MatthiasRussell Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    RonG, I think Eternal Tide is my least favorite of Beyer's books but I think it is still a solid story where the "resurrection" is well handled and is not even the major plot. I can say that, because I've read it.

    You cannot judge a book and your outlook of the entire series based upon your expectation of a book you haven't read. Doing so, speaks more negatively about you than it does about Beyer and of the Voyager series.
     
  17. RonG

    RonG Captain Captain

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    I wasn't judging the entire series (arc) and certainly not Ms. Beyer - note what I wrote about Full Circle and Unwritten.

    I also wasn't judging the book per se, but rather a significant development which influences the entire setting and has been spoiled and discussed on this very thread.

    It is my opinion that this very same development changes (reverts) the series into a status quo that I personally don't care for and I think it's perfectly legitimate to expect to be done with VOY after this novel.

    As I've written, I *will* read this novel and *will* form a final view on it, but *based on what I've read about it*, it's my current opinion - I don't think this speaks about me either way, other than my taste in Trek Lit.
     
  18. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    ^You may want to go back in this thread and read Kirsten's remarks. Voyager is not going back to the "status quo" ;)
     
  19. MatthiasRussell

    MatthiasRussell Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The "development" of Janeway returning doesn't have to be bad or a step backwards. I didn't like it when Worf was back in the TNG setting. I thought he was regressing, especially since he was an ambassador. But it has worked well for the character and the series. Look at how many characters DRG III is returning to DS9; it feels like a regression to me but I'm glad to see my favorite characters in a situation where they can have some well written stories. Is DS9 returning back to the series status quo? Certainly not. Both DS9 and Voyager just crossed lines into new eras where they CAN go terribly wrong but I trust the writers of both series enough to not let us down. On the other hand, Enterprise just ended an era where I think it will lie dead for a long time.
     
  20. AuntKate

    AuntKate Commodore Commodore

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    I agree that Janeway's return from the Q Continuum doesn't have to be necessarily bad or good. Beyer has shown that she is more than capable of developing the other characters--and there is nothing to indicate that they would regress just because Janeway returns. In fact, when Janeway was present in the first half of Full Circle, she didn't dominate the plot in any way, and I don't see that she would have to do so in future novels.