So What Are you Reading?: Generations - Page 9

Defcon · January 15 2012, 10:17 AM

Kertrats47 wrote:

Finished James Swallow's Titan novel, Synthesis. Review here! I'm now all caught up on Titan.

Just to be sure: Have you read Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire ? That one is a Titan novel as well, although it doesn't has the series title on the cover.

Cap'n Crunch · January 15 2012, 05:52 PM

I finished Supernatural: Coyote's Kiss. I'm about to start on Star Trek: Myriad Universes: The Tears of Eridanus.

Kertrats47 · January 16 2012, 02:29 AM

Defcon wrote:

Kertrats47 wrote:

Finished James Swallow's Titan novel, Synthesis. Review here! I'm now all caught up on Titan.

Just to be sure: Have you read Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire ? That one is a Titan novel as well, although it doesn't has the series title on the cover.

Indeed I have! I read it when it was released last year, I just hadn't yet read Synthesis.

ICW · January 16 2012, 02:35 AM

Finally found some time to read the rest of A Choice of Catastrophes and I found it to be pretty average; I was expecting a little more.

Moving onto the S.C.E. novel Orphans

Destructor · January 16 2012, 04:00 AM

Yesterday finished Furies of Calderon, book one of Jim Butcher's 'The Alera Codex'. It was... okay, but not great. By the end of it I was pretty much reading it to get it over and done with. I have the rest of a books (a friend gave me the entire series) but I'm not super excited to get on to with the next one.

After that I started book 1 of The Hunger Games. Pretty good so far, about four chapters in.

Sakrysta · January 16 2012, 04:20 AM

By the way, if you're curious about The Hunger Games but don't want to drop ten bucks or so on it, the Kindle version is currently available for $4.69.

MikeRy71 · January 16 2012, 02:53 PM

Picked up Star Trek: Voyager Unworthy...Cannot put it down!!
I'll more than likely go back and get Full Circle then Children of the Storm.

Kertrats47 · January 16 2012, 03:30 PM

MikeRy71 wrote:

Picked up Star Trek: Voyager Unworthy...Cannot put it down!!
I'll more than likely go back and get Full Circle then Children of the Storm.

I love the Voyager relaunch, especially Unworthy and Children of the Storm! They are absolutely fantastic. I can't wait for The Eternal Tide later this year.

Just finished Diane Duane's Doctor's Orders (here's the review), and I'm now reading I, Q by John de Lancie and Peter David. I'm about a third of the way in, and I'm not totally sure what I think about it so far...

JD · January 17 2012, 03:52 AM

Finished "The Ruins of Noble Men", the third novella in Vanguard: Declassified last night. I absolutely loved the story, especially the ending which is IMO a perfect Trek ending. I just really hope that somewhere along the line Marco gets another chance to write a Trek story, because he definitely writes Trek stories just as well as he edits them. My Rating: 10/10

indianatrekker26 · January 17 2012, 06:03 PM

Currently about halfway through Star Wars: Darth Plaguies. Simply amazing novel that i can't put down.

Killie · January 18 2012, 01:18 PM

Just finished The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 2 by Greg Cox. I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed as it didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Anyway, my reivew is Here for anyone who is interested.

Now currently reading Daedalus by Dave Stern

GalaxyClass1701 · January 18 2012, 02:41 PM

Star Wars Outbound Flight.

C. Cole-Chakotay · January 19 2012, 02:04 AM

Living History by Hillary Clinton.

Sakrysta · January 19 2012, 05:53 AM

I wrapped up Rough Beasts of Empire this morning before work. You know how annoying it is to be 30 or so pages from the end of a book and be simply unable to keep your eyes open long enough to finish?!?! Yeah, you guys are all readers. You've been there.

So, I have a few things to say about this one. I'm going to spoiler tag it though, because even though this has been out over a year now, I know some of you in this thread are just now getting caught up like me. But first, most of what bothered me about this book was a result of the decision to jump the DS9 characters forward in the continuity. And of course, that's not just an issue here, but has been an element of all the Typhon Pact books. However, it was in this story that the frustration really began to bother me and pull me out of enjoying the book. All the painful and weighty events that have brought these characters that I love to the point of their actions in this book are empty holes in my brain. I really could have wished that one or more of the Myriad and Mirror trades could have instead been devoted to bringing DS9 forward in a less jarring way. Knowing intellectually that these characters have had all this time to change and grow (or regress in some cases) doesn't help me accept it on an emotional level. There's nothing that happens that couldn't have logically grown from each character's arc where it left off, but being dropped into it with only the occasional oblique reference to how they got there - again, "jarring" is the most apt descriptor I can come up with.

So, more specifically, where Sisko has ended up has depressed me. I have real hopes that he can and will be brought back around to a place of peace with Bajor and the Prophets, as well as reconciliation with Kasidy where he belongs. The Sisko is of Bajor. And just because the Prophets said he would know only sorrow if he married Kasidy, it doesn't naturally follow that marrying her would CAUSE the sorrow. Nor does it follow that now that he HAS married her, that leaving her would somehow reverse the result. I wish Vedek(!) Kira had smacked him upside the head with some sense!

As for the Spock story line - *sigh* I will never forgive "Unification" for creating this mess. Really, I wish someone would pull him back from the whole "reunification" objective. It's like saying Black Americans should return to their African heritage, only multiply that times 100 or so. Sure, there are some who are drawn to ancestral ties and would embrace them - and that's a worthwhile pursuit. But Spock's position always seemed to be an attempt to "heal" or "correct" the Romulan division and bring them back to a Vulcan mindset, which just seems to fly in the face of IDIC. HOWEVER, I will quickly say that most of that is handled fairly well in this book, and overall I thought the author did well with what he had to work with in backstory.

Finally, the remainder of the political intrigue was quite engaging. I LOVED the additional detail on the Tzenkethi - I thought they were presented as very unique without being incomprehensible. This was a refreshing contrast to how I felt reading Seize the Fire and learning about the Gorn - ugh, did we really need another race of mostly stupid thugs?

You are drifting off topic...

Ahem. Anyway, I liked the Romulan politics. I liked having Sisko go talk to Donatra. I didn't like how easily she was lured to her demise. I didn't need to see Sela ever again - I could have wished her role to be played by another character. But for the most part, the Romulan storyline worked for me.

I know that was mostly negative, and I'm truly sorry for that. It's really not about the writing, or even so much about the specific story. My dissatisfaction is primarily an outgrowth of my frustration over that huge gap in time. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the chronology and all these characters and events without being intentionally left in the dark.

C'est la vie. On to Paths of Disharmony.

Daddy Todd · January 20 2012, 02:28 AM

So far in January:

Space: 1999: Rogue Planet by E. C. Tubb
The Survivors by Marion Zimmer Bradley & Paul Edwin Zimmer
The Eyes of the Overworld (audiobook) by Jack Vance
Space: 1999: Alien Seed by E.C. Tubb
Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories (audiobook) by Ian Fleming
Dumarest #1: The Winds of Gath by E.C. Tubb
The Heirs of Hammerfell by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Dumarest #2: Derai by E.C. Tubb

Currently listening to Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver (the James Bond "reboot")(I quite like it) at the gym, and casting about for something to read. I've been toying with Toyman, the next Dumarest book, but it hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm virtually out of Marion Zimmer Bradley; I'll have to resort to one of her late-career "collaborations" (really ghostwritten) such as Tiger Burning Bright or the Trillium books if I want to continue my project to read all MZB's work, which started in 2010.

January 15 2012, 05:52 PM	#122
Cap'n Crunch Commander Location: Oakdale, TN	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations I finished Supernatural: Coyote's Kiss. I'm about to start on Star Trek: Myriad Universes: The Tears of Eridanus. __________________ Some trees flourish, others die. Some cattle grow strong, others are taken by wolves. Some men are born rich enough and dumb enough to enjoy their lives. Ain't nothing fair. You know that. - John Marston, Red Dead Redemption

January 16 2012, 02:35 AM	#124
ICW Lieutenant Commander Location: New Jersey	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Finally found some time to read the rest of A Choice of Catastrophes and I found it to be pretty average; I was expecting a little more. Moving onto the S.C.E. novel Orphans

January 16 2012, 04:00 AM	#125
Destructor Commodore Location: Melbourne, VIC	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Yesterday finished Furies of Calderon, book one of Jim Butcher's 'The Alera Codex'. It was... okay, but not great. By the end of it I was pretty much reading it to get it over and done with. I have the rest of a books (a friend gave me the entire series) but I'm not super excited to get on to with the next one. After that I started book 1 of The Hunger Games. Pretty good so far, about four chapters in.

January 16 2012, 04:20 AM	#126
Sakrysta Vice Admiral	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations By the way, if you're curious about The Hunger Games but don't want to drop ten bucks or so on it, the Kindle version is currently available for $4.69.

January 16 2012, 02:53 PM	#127
MikeRy71 Ensign Location: Ohio	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Picked up Star Trek: Voyager Unworthy...Cannot put it down!! I'll more than likely go back and get Full Circle then Children of the Storm.

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

January 17 2012, 03:52 AM	#129
JD Admiral Location: Arizona, USA	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Finished "The Ruins of Noble Men", the third novella in Vanguard: Declassified last night. I absolutely loved the story, especially the ending which is IMO a perfect Trek ending. I just really hope that somewhere along the line Marco gets another chance to write a Trek story, because he definitely writes Trek stories just as well as he edits them. My Rating: 10/10 __________________ Over the course of many encounters and many years, I have successfully developed a standard operating procedure for dealing with big, nasty monsters. Run away. Me and Monty Python. Harry Dresden - Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)

January 17 2012, 06:03 PM	#130
indianatrekker26 Captain	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Currently about halfway through Star Wars: Darth Plaguies. Simply amazing novel that i can't put down.

January 18 2012, 01:18 PM	#131
Killie Lieutenant Junior Grade Location: Scotland	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Just finished The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 2 by Greg Cox. I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed as it didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Anyway, my reivew is Here for anyone who is interested. Now currently reading Daedalus by Dave Stern

January 18 2012, 02:41 PM	#132
GalaxyClass1701 Captain Location: USS Titan	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Star Wars Outbound Flight.

January 19 2012, 02:04 AM	#133
C. Cole-Chakotay Commodore Location: With Cmdr. D. Chakotay	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations Living History by Hillary Clinton. __________________ The Phantom of the Opera is in my mind. "I am the Angel of Music....Come to the Angel of Music. Sing for me!!!" "You will curse the day you did not do, all that the Phantom asked of you!" Eulalia!!! Redwall!!

January 19 2012, 05:53 AM	#134
Sakrysta Vice Admiral	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations I wrapped up Rough Beasts of Empire this morning before work. You know how annoying it is to be 30 or so pages from the end of a book and be simply unable to keep your eyes open long enough to finish?!?! Yeah, you guys are all readers. You've been there. So, I have a few things to say about this one. I'm going to spoiler tag it though, because even though this has been out over a year now, I know some of you in this thread are just now getting caught up like me. But first, most of what bothered me about this book was a result of the decision to jump the DS9 characters forward in the continuity. And of course, that's not just an issue here, but has been an element of all the Typhon Pact books. However, it was in this story that the frustration really began to bother me and pull me out of enjoying the book. All the painful and weighty events that have brought these characters that I love to the point of their actions in this book are empty holes in my brain. I really could have wished that one or more of the Myriad and Mirror trades could have instead been devoted to bringing DS9 forward in a less jarring way. Knowing intellectually that these characters have had all this time to change and grow (or regress in some cases) doesn't help me accept it on an emotional level. There's nothing that happens that couldn't have logically grown from each character's arc where it left off, but being dropped into it with only the occasional oblique reference to how they got there - again, "jarring" is the most apt descriptor I can come up with. So, more specifically, where Sisko has ended up has depressed me. I have real hopes that he can and will be brought back around to a place of peace with Bajor and the Prophets, as well as reconciliation with Kasidy where he belongs. The Sisko is of Bajor. And just because the Prophets said he would know only sorrow if he married Kasidy, it doesn't naturally follow that marrying her would CAUSE the sorrow. Nor does it follow that now that he HAS married her, that leaving her would somehow reverse the result. I wish Vedek(!) Kira had smacked him upside the head with some sense! As for the Spock story line - sigh I will never forgive "Unification" for creating this mess. Really, I wish someone would pull him back from the whole "reunification" objective. It's like saying Black Americans should return to their African heritage, only multiply that times 100 or so. Sure, there are some who are drawn to ancestral ties and would embrace them - and that's a worthwhile pursuit. But Spock's position always seemed to be an attempt to "heal" or "correct" the Romulan division and bring them back to a Vulcan mindset, which just seems to fly in the face of IDIC. HOWEVER, I will quickly say that most of that is handled fairly well in this book, and overall I thought the author did well with what he had to work with in backstory. Finally, the remainder of the political intrigue was quite engaging. I LOVED the additional detail on the Tzenkethi - I thought they were presented as very unique without being incomprehensible. This was a refreshing contrast to how I felt reading Seize the Fire and learning about the Gorn - ugh, did we really need another race of mostly stupid thugs? You are drifting off topic... Ahem. Anyway, I liked the Romulan politics. I liked having Sisko go talk to Donatra. I didn't like how easily she was lured to her demise. I didn't need to see Sela ever again - I could have wished her role to be played by another character. But for the most part, the Romulan storyline worked for me. I know that was mostly negative, and I'm truly sorry for that. It's really not about the writing, or even so much about the specific story. My dissatisfaction is primarily an outgrowth of my frustration over that huge gap in time. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the chronology and all these characters and events without being intentionally left in the dark. C'est la vie. On to Paths of Disharmony.

January 20 2012, 02:28 AM	#135
Daddy Todd Captain	Re: So What Are you Reading?: Generations So far in January: Space: 1999: Rogue Planet by E. C. Tubb The Survivors by Marion Zimmer Bradley & Paul Edwin Zimmer The Eyes of the Overworld (audiobook) by Jack Vance Space: 1999: Alien Seed by E.C. Tubb Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories (audiobook) by Ian Fleming Dumarest #1: The Winds of Gath by E.C. Tubb The Heirs of Hammerfell by Marion Zimmer Bradley Dumarest #2: Derai by E.C. Tubb Currently listening to Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver (the James Bond "reboot")(I quite like it) at the gym, and casting about for something to read. I've been toying with Toyman, the next Dumarest book, but it hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm virtually out of Marion Zimmer Bradley; I'll have to resort to one of her late-career "collaborations" (really ghostwritten) such as Tiger Burning Bright or the Trillium books if I want to continue my project to read all MZB's work, which started in 2010.