Spoilers TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Sho, Mar 16, 2013.

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Rate The Stuff of Dreams.

  1. Outstanding

    17 vote(s)
    30.9%
  2. Above Average

    25 vote(s)
    45.5%
  3. Average

    12 vote(s)
    21.8%
  4. Below Average

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Poor

    1 vote(s)
    1.8%
  1. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I doubt they would make something that was released in an alternate format that important to the overall arc.
     
  2. James Swallow

    James Swallow Writer Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Thanks to everyone for your comments on the novella.

    The Stuff of Dreams has no connection to The Fall miniseries. It's a stand-alone story, although it does contain spoilers for the earlier Cold Equations trilogy.
     
  3. CaptainDonovin

    CaptainDonovin Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Started & finished today, loved it. Nice character usage, interesting storyline, great pace. I'd be all for more of these a year, be a neat way to have an Aventine only adventure.
     
  4. Sho

    Sho Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I picked this up on a bit of a whim (still not properly caught up with the TNG continuity, though I had already cheated and read the Cold Equations trilogy recently) because I needed a break from long hours this week and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a good story, well-paced and with the right amount of meat on its bones.

    I might sound like a broken record at this point, but it makes my desire for an on-going novella series much like SCE (or even a resurrection of SCE) flare up once again. Bite-sized stories one can easily get through in a single sitting (no, I can't do that with a novel: I don't have the time) are really satisfying from time to time, and the length constraint can add fuel to the creative fire - it basically forces writers to hone in on a particular hook or idea and try to do it justice, which meshes well with the genre and franchise I think.

    It's why I buy short story collections now and then (for example Paolo Bacigalupi's Pump Six and Other Stories), to have that option. It's money that could go to the Trek line, some of it anyway ... i.e. the economical argument is that people's consumption behavior varies with their moods or what's going on in their lives, and the franchise could keep them company through more of it by appearing in more forms.
     
  5. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Whilst in theory I like the novella format (bite sized stories to be read in one sitting) I normally find that they disappoint. Even the good ones feel a little rushed.

    I have been reading the SCE novellas between other things and am now about a third of the way through them. I am sorry to say that I haven't found many of them particularly good so far...
     
  6. nickyboy

    nickyboy Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Really enjoyed it. Well worth $3.99
     
  7. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    The only SCE story that I ever loved was David Mack's Wildfire, which is absolutely incredible and a high point of Trek Literature in general. After the next 10 after that went back to being mediocre, though, I gave up on the series.
     
  8. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I think I'll get through them eventually - one between each novel I read is OK, even if they aren't great !
     
  9. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    About two thirds through. Seems better than TNG average although I should get through Picard's visit to the nexus.
     
  10. bfollowell

    bfollowell Captain Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I hate temporal anomaly stories that don't seem to add up. Of course, I guess everyone has differing theories on how they should work but still...

    When Kolb uses the Nexus to go back in time to the destruction of Deneva, it's the Kolb from the future, not the one from that time. So even though he was destroyed with his family, wouldn't the contemporary Kolb have still been wherever he was in the original timeline and still gone on to miss and grieve his family just as he originally did? Other than the future Kolb dying with his family, what would it really have changed?

    It was still a good story though.

    - Byron
     
  11. phoenix96

    phoenix96 Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    The nexus seems to behave differently from other forms of time travel... even in Generations, when Picard left the nexus to go back and stop Soran, you could ask why there weren't two Picards there (the original pre-nexus Picard and the "future Picard" that made the choice to go back).
     
  12. bfollowell

    bfollowell Captain Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    This is true. It's been a while since I've watched Generations. I guess I'd forgotten that part.

    - Byron
     
  13. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    The Nexus does strange things which may help out an author. At least there was no echo of Kirk in there.
     
  14. PKS8304

    PKS8304 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I bought this book on my nook without actually having any idea what it was about. Aside from being a TNG completist and needing to buy every story in that series out there, I was looking forward to reading this because I liked the work I had read by this author.

    Finding out that it was about the Nexus at first I was a little hesitant as to wether I would like this or not. Generations was a good movie, and the concept of the Nexus was neat, but I didnt know if it was a topic that needed to be revisited.

    I thought the story was good, I read it in one sitting and was not bored or regretted buying it.

    I liked the handle the author has on the characters, with his previous work with Riker and Troi and now Picard, Worf, Beverly and Geordi I guess all we need is an ebook from him with Data :)

    It was nice to get a TNG fix to hold me over til this Fall (that was an unintentional pun I swear)
     
  15. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I was rather hoping there would be an appearance.

    One could still be in there...
     
  16. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Commodore

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    I don't think anyone has addressed this yet, but for anyone who's read both, is The Stuff of Dreams consistent with Engines of Destiny?
     
  17. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Pethaps both authors could comment on that?
     
  18. Paris

    Paris Commodore Commodore

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Unfortunately, that would be impossible. Gene DeWeese died in 2012 :sigh:
     
  19. T'Ressa Dax

    T'Ressa Dax Captain Captain

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    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!



    Awww.. I missed that. :(
     
  20. Enterpriserules

    Enterpriserules Commodore Commodore

    Re: TNG: The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow Review Thread (Spoilers!

    Excited! I got to talk to James about "The Stuff of Dreams" and his latest book in "The Fall" coming out later this year; it's on the next Literary Treks! James is a blast to talk to!