VOY: The Eternal Tide by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Sho]

Hitting our bioneural gelpacks on August 28th is The Eternal Tide, the latest in Kirsten Beyer's highly acclaimed series of Voyager novels that even many not partial to the TV show name their TrekLit favorite. The cover - featuring Admiral Janeway - and blurb of this much-anticipated installment seem to promise resolution to one of the forum's more intense controversities in recent years.

Take it away, official blurb:

As the Voyager fleet continues its exploration of the Delta Quadrant, investigating the current status of sectors formerly controlled by the Borg becomes a key priority. Two of the fleet’s special mission vessels, the U.S.S. Galen and U.S.S. Demeter, are left at New Talax to aid Neelix’s people, while the Voyager, Quirinal, Esquiline, Hawking, and Curie do a systematic search for any remnants of the Borg or Caeliar, even as the Achilles moves to a location central enough to offer aid to the exploring vessels as needed. As this critical mission begins, Fleet Commander Afsarah Eden, who has shared what little she knows of her mysterious past with Captain Chakotay, begins to experience several more “awakenings” as she encounters artifacts and places that make her feel connected to her long-lost home. She is reluctant to allow these visions to overshadow the mission, and this becomes increasingly difficult as time passes. But in the midst of this growing crisis, no one in the fleet could anticipate the unexpected return of one of Starfleet’s most revered leaders—a return that could hold the very fate of the galaxy in the balance.

And a nice benefit to opening this one a little later than the last few is that Simon & Schuster have an excerpt ready for you: http://books.simonandschuster.com/St...668186/excerpt

[shanejayell]

Oooh. So "you know who's" return might just be a dream? That'd piss people off if it turns out that way. Not that I think it will.

Liking the preview, will be buying it as soon as it hit stores locally.

[Brit]

shanejayell wrote:

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Oooh. So "you know who's" return might just be a dream? That'd piss people off if it turns out that way. Not that I think it will.

And just what is in it for Simon and Schuster to piss potential buyers off, I think they are smarter than that.


I am reminded of an old writing rule, "Chekhov’s Gun."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekhov%27s_gun

Chekhov's gun is a literary technique whereby an apparently irrelevant element is introduced early in the story whose significance becomes clear later in the narrative. The concept is named after Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, who mentioned several variants of the concept in letters.

The phrase "Chekhov's gun" is often interpreted as a method of foreshadowing, but the concept can also be interpreted as meaning "do not include any unnecessary elements in a story." Failure to observe the rule of "Chekhov's gun" may be cited by critics when discussing plot holes.

Chekhov's statements of this principle
• "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." Chekhov, letter to Aleksandr Semenovich Lazarev (pseudonym of A. S. Gruzinsky), 1 November 1889.
• "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." From Gurlyand's Reminiscences of A. P. Chekhov, in Teatr i iskusstvo 1904, No. 28, 11 July, p. 521.’[1]
• "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." From S. Shchukin, Memoirs (1911)

[Thrawn]

I think this is the first time I've ever posted this: I completely agree with Brit on this one.

Either way, I AM SO EXCITED. KIRSTEN MOTHERFUCKING BEYER IS BACK AGAIN.

[shanejayell]

I DID say that I don't think it'll be just a dream. Though I'm not really expecting a full on return of 'you know who' too. We'll see.

No matter which route the book goes I think it'll be a fun ride.

[JD]

That excerpt does certainly bring up some very interesting questions.

[Violet.Phoenix]

I love how you guys are referring to her as "you know who" now. She's gained as much notoriety as Voldemort!

Thrawn wrote:

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Either way, I AM SO EXCITED. KIRSTEN MOTHERFUCKING BEYER IS BACK AGAIN.

I'm right with ya on that one. I am SO, SO excited for this book and I will be venturing out to my local bookstore on the 28th to acquire a copy.

[Mage]

All I know is, that for the next two to two and half weeks I'm going to avoid this topic like the plague! Don't want anything spoiled.

[Thrawn]

Mage wrote:

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All I know is, that for the next two to two and half weeks I'm going to avoid this topic like the plague! Don't want anything spoiled.

Right there with you. The moment I see anyone post that they have the book, I'm not opening the board until I've read it.

[Paris]

That excerpt is a great little tease. I'm totally going to gobble up this book in no time. Hopefully Kirsten gets to write another one for us in 2013. Long live the Full Circle mission

[Therin of Andor]

shanejayell wrote:

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Though I'm not really expecting a full on return of 'you know who' too. We'll see.

Well, in every thread in which Kirsten Beyer discussed taking over as the VOY Relaunch writer, she has mentioned that she'd rather be writing a live Janeway than a dead one, so the "will she ever return?" question was really answered a looooooong time ago, I reckon.

Paris wrote:

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Hopefully Kirsten gets to write another one for us in 2013. Long live the Full Circle mission

No doubt another in 2014, too, leading to a huge celebratory tome in 2015. VOY premiered on 16 Jan 1995. Big anniversary on the horizon, as we speculated several years ago.

[King Daniel Into Darkness]

Thrawn wrote:

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Right there with you. The moment I see anyone post that they have the book, I'm not opening the board until I've read it.

Me three. I'm hoping to avoid spoilers, but I suspect popping here in Lit or the Voyager forum between now and my getting the book could prove deadly. Whichever way it goes, if she's back or not, there's gonna be a lot said about it!

[Drago-Kazov]

Paris wrote:

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That excerpt is a great little tease. I'm totally going to gobble up this book in no time. Hopefully Kirsten gets to write another one for us in 2013. Long live the Full Circle mission

Did any Delta Quadrant races showed up in it aside from talaxians?

[Paris]

Drago-Kazov wrote:

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Did any Delta Quadrant races showed up in it aside from talaxians?

Not yet. It was just a small preview involving Chakotay and Eden and a small dream sequence. Can't wait for more

[Defcon]

Thrawn wrote:

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Right there with you. The moment I see anyone post that they have the book, I'm not opening the board until I've read it.

FWIW Apparently John Van Citters & Co. handed out copies of it at STLV. Teri and Nick of the G&T show mentioned that they got copies of it on the podcast. So there are already people out there with the book.