Spoilers TNG: A Singular Destiny by Keith R.A. DeCandido review thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Brendan Moody, Jan 21, 2009.

  1. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    But that's just it. I was responding specifically to your statement that "The problem was that the book had so many of those cute little references in it that it became hard to tell what was new and what was winking at past stories." But references to past stories and to newly invented backstory both serve the same in-story purpose to inform the events of the book and add depth to motivation etc. So if that's what you're concentrating on, then why do you consider it a problem that you can't tell the difference?


    Ahh, I think this clarifies what you were saying. It's not that you couldn't tell which references were original and which were to past episodes, it was that you couldn't tell whether the references were plot-significant or merely continuity nods for their own sake. The problems wasn't confusion over the source of the refs, but confusion over their meaning. Is that about right?
     
  2. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2008
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Right. Or, more accurately, with any given continuity nod, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to care about: its meaning or its source. So I started feeling like I had to find the sources, just to be sure.
     
  3. Stephen!

    Stephen! Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2008
    magic paint?
     
  4. Brefugee

    Brefugee No longer living the Irish dream. Premium Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2007
    I'm guessing it's paint that has magical powers :vulcan:

    Maybe someone should use it for a Turner Prize entry; would be better than an unmade bed, a shed that was built from a boat (or was it a boat built out of a shed) and a painting made out of Elephant dung :klingon:
     
  5. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2008
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    A quick way to refer to something that makes more sense within the context of the story; I promise when you read it you'll know what I'm talking about :lol:
     
  6. William Leisner

    William Leisner Scribbler Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2003
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    As Arthur C. Clarke stated, any sufficiently advanced paint is indistinguishable from magic.
     
  7. fleetcaptain

    fleetcaptain Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2005
    Location:
    Virginia Beach, VA, USA
    Ok since i haven't been on here all weekend, I finally caught up w/ this post. I have the same problem like w/ the others, w/ Borders too. I was just up there on thursday and noticed they didn't have a single copy for Shards and Shadows. I don't really go there as much anymore, mainly cause there is only like 2 stores in the area and not many Walden's around either, so that don't help. I'm kind of pissed off at both Books a Million and B&N through. I still haven't received an email about the book being out yet. I just checked one B&N this morning and they didn't have a copy, but hopefully the one closer to me will soon.
    I'm going to start just orderin the books online since it seems everyone gets them faster that way.
     
  8. ClayinCA

    ClayinCA Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2005
    Location:
    California
    To further compound the Borders ridiculousness, I happened to be in my local store in New Jersey last night, and despite the fact that a check I'd done earlier that day indicated that this particular store had no copies in stock (and indeed, the "Not Available In Stores" was still clearly indicated), the store had two or three copies of A Singular Destiny on the shelf. Not being a fool, I bought one!

    I'll now quit clogging up this thread with my tales of woe in trying to find a copy of the book, and come back when I've finished it. Can't wait can't wait can't wait.... :)
     
  9. David Mack

    David Mack Writer Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2003
    Location:
    New York, NY
    Actually, what he said was, "Any sufficiently advanced paint is indistinguishable from magic marker."
     
  10. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2008
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    :guffaw:

    Terrible, sir. Terrible.
     
  11. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2003
    Location:
    Tacoma, Washington
    Curse you, KRAD, and your increasingly evil laugh!
     
  12. Brefugee

    Brefugee No longer living the Irish dream. Premium Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2007
    But does he like playing with toy Dinosaurs? :rommie:
     
  13. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2003
    Location:
    Tacoma, Washington
    Actually, Frak is said to have died in the same casualty report that mentioned B'Elanna. Frell, OTOH, seems to have made through just fine. :lol: ;)
     
  14. Idoliside

    Idoliside Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    May 23, 2006
    Location:
    UK, Norfolk
    This just dropped through my door! God bless The Book Depository!
     
  15. Aaron McGuire

    Aaron McGuire Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2001
    Location:
    Going down
    I just finished the book (ok I finished it three days ago) and I loved it. Nice set up for the political changes going on in the trek universe.

    But I have to ask: What species are the individuals H'a'e'd't'd'o'i'r and B'w'e'd'l'e'r (as well as other similarly named beings that show up in the book) supposed to be?

    Aaron McGuire
     
  16. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 1999
    Location:
    New York City
    Thanks!


    A species I haven't gotten around to naming yet. I've used that naming convention elsewhere. Really do need to name those buggers.............................
     
  17. LightningStorm

    LightningStorm The Borg King Commodore

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2004
    Location:
    Kansas City
    In addition to that question, I was wondering a couple of things. How are they pronounced. I know the apostrophes are stops and such but if we were to force them into an English pronunciation what would they sound like? Reason I ask is because they both appear (to me) like somewhat joke type names because I see them as "head into door" and "bewilder." But, maybe I was feeling wacky at the time I read them. :p
     
  18. Stevil2001

    Stevil2001 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2001
    I had assumed that they were Hamalki. Though I guess we never saw a Hamalki whose name had vowels in it. (Actually, were there any named Hamalki beyond K't'lk/K's't'lk?)

    It also occurs to me that the name fits Xenexian conventions, as in M'k'n'zy of Calhoun. (Though no other Xenexian ever seemed to need that many glottal stops. No wonder he changed his name to "Mackenzie".)
     
  19. DEWLine

    DEWLine Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2003
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I haven't run the idea past Diane Duane just yet, but surely Hamalki have their own ethnic group-equivalents with their own naming practices? And Peter David could confirm/debunk for Xenexians on the same question, right?
     
  20. Corran Horn

    Corran Horn Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2001
    Location:
    I-L
    Why? He's pretty much confirmed that the issue in question isn't as dire as it seems at all. :cool: