OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors write

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Looking Anton Gill up on Wiki explains a lot - he's usually a historian and writer of nonfiction. I guess that's why he was hired for Assassin's Creed, as a historian. Shame they didn't pick a novelist, seeing as they wanted someone to write, well, novels!

ETA - I guess that's me never going to be hired for anything relating to AC, Ubisoft, or Penguin books, after saying all that...

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

We won't tell anyone !

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Oh yea, add in the Skelator universe into that too. Is there such a universe? I don't see Mission Impossible translating because it is too cerebral and plodding as the best MI always was. It was all too visual in that sense.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

The third one came out a month or so ago - there's supposed to be a bit of gapfilling, but mostly it's a novelization of the two games with Altair (the original Assassin's Creed and Bloodlines on the PSP).

I wasn't going to be the first to say it, but yeah. I've only read the first one, so maybe things got better in the later two, but all in all it was... limp. Technically it was competent, but it didn't feel like the games.

(It probably doesn't help that they went with a straight historical fiction approach, instead of using the Animus and giving us Desmond's POV.)

Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case with most recent video game tie-ins; there's been a number of pretty good ones in the last few years. Mass Effect and Dragon Age (probably helped that they were by the games' lead writers), Halo (mostly), Gears of War, Deus Ex by our own James Swallow, all the Blizzard novels...

Why are there no Fallout novels, anyways? It seems ripe for the plucking...

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

For the most part that wouldn't be a problem if the author could write fiction - especially action scenes.

The end of Renaissance and Brotherhood, however, really don't work without Desmond. Maybe they need a separate non-historical novel to fill out the Desmond part, and I suspect they'll do that after the series is done.

As for videogame tie-ins generally, like I said, I'd really love to do a Saints Row-related one.

Hell, I'd settle for doing some Warhammer if they ever answered their emails.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Aw, thanks, dude.

Here's my love-to-do-a-tie-in list: Star Wars, Firefly, Buckaroo Banzai, James Bond, Indiana Jones, 24, Splinter Cell, Half-Life, Tron, Star Cops.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

There were four M:I tie-in novels published during the series' run in the late '60s, and oddly, two young-adult tie-ins as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible#Original_novels

I'd have little interest in tying into the Cruise movies (although the third was pretty good and I have high hopes for the upcoming fourth, given that Brad Bird has yet to direct a movie that isn't brilliant), but something more in the vein of the original show might be cool to try. Something less about over-the-top action and betrayal from within and more just a straight-up caper story with clever planning and problem-solving.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I would have loved to pitch some Battlestar Galactica novels, but it was not to be. Alas.

As for Doctor Who, I don't know the series or the characters well enough to even think of writing a tie-in for it.

So, what series/franchises would I love to write tie-ins for? Warehouse 13, Eureka, Leverage, Fringe, and James Bond. And if I ever had time to figure out the whole EU continuity, maybe the Star Wars novels. I could probably also get my head around Stargate SG-1, but I'd need to learn more about the series' continuity first.

ETA: I have to steal a few from James Swallow's wish list — Indiana Jones, Splinter Cell, and 24. And I'll add another video game franchise: Uncharted.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Yeah, I think I'd have to add Indy and Splinter Cell to my list...

Fast And The Furious too, actually... (or, since there isn't a book line there, Need For Speed. Hang on, that doesn't have a book line either!)

Bollocks to it, then, I'd probably be better off creating my own franchise!

With blackjack, and hookers!

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I'd like to do Stargate or Doctor Who. I never gave any thought to Eureka before this thread, but it is really good lately so maybe that too. And maybe Alphas, if that lasts long enough to get a book line.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

In some ways that could be an advantage, actually.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Yeah. Doctor Who has been so many different things over its long lifetime, and sometimes even within a single season. There's room for a multitude of voices and interpretations.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I thought of another one that I'd love to see pretty much any of our regular Trek writers do, Mass Effect. To me it has a fairly Trekish feel to it, although it is a little more focused on the military and warfare.
EDIT: With the Assassin's Creed, while I have to compliment them for going with someone who knows their history, I'm surprised they didn't try to get someone who writes historical fiction. To me that would have made the most sense, if you want some to write a tie-in to a historical fiction novel, you find someone who's written historical fiction.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I don't know who, but someone needs to do a Buckaroo Banzai novel. The novelization of the movie just ain't enough. Maybe KRAD.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I'd be very interested in reading a Casino Royale-esque David Mack James Bond novel -- but I'd be even more interested in reading an original espionage/international politics novel by you. Especially after having read Zero Sum Game.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

I would like to see a novelist do to the first Cruise M:I movie what "The Good That Men Do" did to TATV.

Do I really need to mention what, specifically, and why?

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it . . ."

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Seems to me the writers are writing for a now invalidated and defunct universe that has been erased and superimposed. How many of them would like J.J. Abrams to recant his position on nu Trek and try like hell to get back to TOS one way or another? Heck if it would make more money, I have no dobt J.J. and TPTB would connect Star Trek to Star Wars if they could.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

Not many, actually. I loved the new movie and thought it was the best thing to happen to STAR TREK in years. And it didn't stop me from writing for TOS and TNG and nuTrek since. There's room for multiple versions of STAR TREK--and I'm perfectly happy to write for all of them.

But please, please, please, let's not let this thread devolve into yet another endless debate about the pros and cons of the reboot. That's a whole other discussion, which has already been hashed out ad nauseum in umpteen other threads.

 

Re: OT: What other franchises would you like to see the Trek authors w

O.k., how many of you, Greg (the only guy who doesn't have me on ignore) would like to see him start a spin off series within the next movie for tv or novels?