Another thought that's been gestating, regarding the theme of family - I notice several instances in Protectors that are suggestive of mixed-race and inter-cultural families. There's a Trill named Pauline (which could be a native Trill name, but I like to think it's the human name), and Admiral Verdell (a human name) has a ridged forehead in spite of it, and a son named Lawrence. It's nice to see authors mix-and-matching given the diverse population of the UFP. Of course, we had a Capellan named Leonard canonically...
I don't think so 150K+ human resources is the strong point that no other places will provider.... and don't forget to check on Blink of An Eye planet, they might have 10millenium Starfleet technology equivalent by now
The resources aren't the issue - it's the distance. The 37's planet is too far away from the Federation to be the first place they go to.
I absolutely loved it. It was hard to not look at this thread for the past dozen days. I am glad that I bought this on the first day, because 90% of the time I end up reading my TrekLit months or years after it has come out and I end up getting spoiled. But Kirsten's novels are too good to wait for, and I love to support the cause of her writing more of them with my hard earned money. I was very surprised by several developments in the book. Axum, the Voth, the Vadduar (can't wait to see more of them), the Paris family drama. I loved everything about the story. I was very unsure of how Janeway's career options would turn out. I was open to anything, but was very relieved when she returned to the post that was rightfully hers. I'm also glad that some of the action took place in the Alpha Quadrant, and that that seems to be something which will continue. And the scene where Picard and Janeway have a heart to heart was one of the most memorable scenes in TrekLit history. When Axum showed up I was trying to remember if anything had been established about Unimatrix Zero in the books so far. I seem to remember Greater Than the Sum addressing the issue, but I can't recall any of the specifics. I'm very excited that this is the start of a 'trilogy.' When the novels have been mostly one-offs unitl now they have been wonderful, but with so many plots left right in the middle of the action, it was a heck of an ending this time around. I'm glad the gap between novels will be considerably smaller for Acts of Contrition. Kirsten, I've expressed before my admiration for your work, but this novel really had me in awe of the immense understanding you have for Voyager and it's characters. You are a master. I also look forward to reading the original fiction you have on the way someday. Congratulations on become a NYT best selling author. Can't wait to hear your new interview tomorrow! Two questions: 1) Have you thought of an explanation for some of the multiple appearance of several races threwout the Delta Quadrant, despite Voyager crossing many tens of thousands of lightyears between encounters with them? For instance the Devore were encountered both before and after Voyagers 20,000 lyr journey threw a Borg transwarp conduit. The Malon were encountered across at least 30,000 lyrs of space. And most noticably, Neelix's people somehow crossed the entirety of the Delta Quadrant, from Talax to New Talax, about 40,000 light years, and also coincidentally in the exact same direction Voyager was traveling. Maybe some of these issues will play into the emerging storyline of the new political landscape of the post-Borg Delta Quadrant? 2) The end of the book states that it has been two months since Axum was discovered, which occurred at the beginning of the novel. However the Historian's Note says the book takes place from September to January. As I read I only see about two and half months of time passing. I know I've bothered you about timeline problems before, and hope I don't bring up something else that slipped through the cracks, but can you help me understand the chronology of events here? Thanks for your help and all your work Kirsten. Can't wait to see what the future holds.
"No need to leave, Captain. Once we've helped you out of orbit, hold position at the edge of the system and wait a few hours. By then, our trans-slipstream super vessels will be able to pick you up and transport you instantly back home. Of course, your home will by then be a province of the Mighty and Unrivalled Galactic Tahal-Meeroj Empire". "Yes. That's why I just ordered our antimatter reserves flushed out into your atmosphere". *awkward pause* "...Sorry". (a joke, of course)
While I naturally have no idea what Beyer is planning, the most likely explanation in my mind is the Vaadwaur/Turei subspace corridors. In the case of Talax, we know they reached all the way to the Talaxia system, so assuming someone could slip past the Turei, they could use them? Since a Devore colony was mentioned in Dragon's Teeth, we might have an explanation for what the Devore are doing paling around with the Vaadwaur and Turei - they already knew about the corridors? If not that, then maybe the Malon, for instance, have a stable wormhole or something?
Hmm. Personally, I find current ST fiction to be just a bit too "threaded" for my taste: frequently, I find myself having to leave myself notes on how one book of a multi-book arc ended, just to avoid getting lost, three or four months later, when the next installment of the arc comes out. The current opus isn't nearly so bad, but still, just getting through the first 40 pages prompted me to look up several things on Memory Beta. Now, as a fan of Alan Dean Foster's "Humanx Commonwealth" books (and his "Spellsinger" books as well), and of Lyman Frank Baum's 14 canonical "Oz" books, and of Robert Asprin's "Myth-" books, I'm not exactly unfamiliar with the concept of a book-to-book continuity. But you can pick up any "Commonwealth," "Spellsinger" (with the exception of The Hour of the Gate), "Myth-," or "Oz" book, without intimate knowledge of its immediate antecedents, and not feel like you're being kept in the dark. By contrast, some 70 pages in, I can't help thinking that there's something I've forgotten about what happened to the Q, and the Omega Continuum, and Eden, and q, at the end of The Eternal Tide, that's essential to understanding the present opus. 388 pages in a day? Who do you think you are? Evelyn Wood?
I have to say well done! You took what was a disaster of a series (VOY-R) and made it very good. You deserve the praise and the sales. We would not be enjoying this so much had you not done such a good job with the characters. Please keep up the good work and congratulations on being a best selling author! Jon
Just posted my review. Spoiler alert: I absolutely LOVED it! Also, a huge congratulations to Kirsten Beyer! Well done, and very much well-deserved!!!
Thank you! She is such a joy to talk to, every time we have her on I wish we could talk for hours My review is up!
Not quite halfway through, and noticing that so far, this is a conspicuously theme-driven piece (with a title that neatly sums up that theme): Spoiler: Janeway as . . . frustrated protector of her former crew. Spoiler: Cdr. Glenn and The Doctor as protectors of . . . Axum. Spoiler: Chakotay and Fife as protectors of . . . Captain O'Donnell (and vice-versa) Spoiler: Janeway's kid sister as . . . protector-wannabe of Janeway from herself Spoiler: Julia Paris as . . . protector-wannabe of Miral Spoiler: A whole lot of people from Starfleet Command, Starfleet Medical, &c. trying to protect the Federation from Axum and from Janeway Spoiler The "Proctors" as protectors of the blighted, cloaked region of space
I bought this one the other day, intending to read it much later, as I essentially read Full Circle when it was published five years ago but haven't gotten around to reading any of Kirsten's subsequent VOY novels. At some point, I was just going to go on a VOY binge, and read Full Circle, Unworthy, Children of the Storm, The Eternal Tide, and Protectors all in one go -- maybe immediately before Acts of Contrition. But I read bits of it and I got sucked in anyway, even without reading the rest of the series! Darn you, New York Times Bestselling Author Kirsten Mother Fucking Beyer! Darn you to Heck! Seriously, great job! Lots of fun reading this one, and it remains a breath of fresh air to see these characters I know so well, finally written as three-dimensional people instead of the cardboard cutouts they so often were on TV!
I believe that it was the most logical choice for Voyager, on their way home, and on their return to Delta Quadrant Let's hear this scenario... a day after the voyager left, all of the Natives move to nearby class M Planet (or they can instantly terraform any planet with their hyper advance terraforming technologies). after they all move, they started their 30minutes shift on planet for research and development (and maybe massive reproduction cycle).... which equal to 1670 days.... Let's imagine what will happened in 3-4 years... a hyper advance civilization encompassing thousands of light years of spaces which adore the spirit of Sky Ship Voyager
2/3 of the way through. And I see that Spoiler: More protectors Starfleet Medical and the civilian medical authorities are protecting the Federation from something that gives them a legitimate interest in Axum. Spoiler: And that Janeway was protecting . . . . . . herself from internal issues she needed to confront, and that her loyal aide found her a counselor who could help her do that.
I just finished this yesterday,and It'll take me a while to do more re-reading so that I can give a better opinion,but from my first read through,I quite enjoyed it! I loved seeing more of Dr Sharak and Glenn,as well as how O'Donnell and Chakotay (plus Farkas and Janeway) interacted.The scene where Picard cursed at Q was great too!I'm really interested to see how the next novel will continue things.Also,I can't really blame Julia for wanting to take legal action against Tom and B'Elanna,since they did lie to her and nothing comes without its consequences. The only minor quibble that I have is that early in the novel,Lasren is called a Bajoran,and not a Betazoid,like in the rest of the book.