TOS: Cast No Shadow by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Patrick O'Brien]

It would be awesome to meet some of the authors! I would go if it was held in a pub with them talking Trek over a few beers

[JD]

Isn't that what Meet the Pros at Shore Leave is?

[James Swallow]

Relayer1 wrote:

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Off on a tangent, in one of the other threads I raised an idea re the feasability of one of the convention groups getting some Trek authors together in the UK. For a start there's you, David A. McIntee and Una McCormack - are there any more British authors ? If we could get a couple of Americans too we would be in business...

Have you ever been approached and would you be interested ?

Actually, Dave and Una and me were all at a UK SF event last year (Redemption 2011)...

I'd love to talk Trek at a convention; any organizers out there, feel free to get in touch!

In fact, if anyone wants to see me, I'm appearing at the Olympus 2012, Alt.Fiction and 11th Hour conventions over the next few months.

Re: British writers - Along with myself and the aforementioned Una McCormack and David McIntee, there's also Peter Moorwood (Rules of Engagement), Dan Abnett (ST Early Years comics), Ian Edginton (ST Early Years comics, SCE), Mike Collins (SCE)...

[Patrick O'Brien]

JD wrote:

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Isn't that what Meet the Pros at Shore Leave is?

Ok, cool! I have never been, so I did not know.

[Technobuilder]

Okay...

I know I'm late to the party on this one, but Shazam! that was a damn fine read.

First of all, it's set post TOS-Movie Era (which is great) AND it includes elements of background on not only Valeris, but Elias Vaughn! and the begins of his SI career as well as first run-in with Section 31.

Sulu in the Excelsior is always a welcome sight.

And I'm eager/interested to maybe see Kaj again cross paths with Vaughn moving forward.

I'm still anticipating the full story of the Rise of the Anti-Section 31 cabal of which Vaughn is/was a member as well as the final story that leads to the "fall" of the organization.

That along with the Acendants arc has to be at the top of the waiting for pile now that Vanguard is wrapping up and Rise Like Lions is out.

Once Again, Kudos to James Swallow.

Damn fine book sir.

Any chance of every seeing T'Leris again?

[ronny]

Christopher wrote:

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Oh, hence the explanation that it was the name of a noted warrior-poet.

I didn't catch that at all. Awesome.

I rated the book above average. I thought it was a pretty good page turner and I liked all the Vaughn back story in it. In fact I was surprised how much of the story was Vaughn even though I went in knowing he was in it based in the reading chart. Of course I'm guessing you're not going to sell a lot of books with the cover saying "Now we finally get to find out how Vaughn started out as a spy". And yeah, Spock wasn't in it nearly as much as the cover indicates but he was in there the right amount for the story.

In fact I think all the TV/movie characters were in it for the right amount. Sulu and his crew and Spock and Undiscovered Country people in flash backs. I didn't feel like people were brought in just because we needed some more characters we've seen on the screen

I can see some of the issues other people have brought up but I was engaged enough in the story, it was an interesting era to put a story in, it was an interesting set of characters, etc that I thought there were way more pluses than minuses.

I admit I probably went in with expectations too high because I'm one of those people who rates The Day of Vipers an 11/10 but even thought it doesn't match that high bar it kept me turning pages until the end.