So what are you reading, now? Part V

It actually came out one month before Generations opened, in October 1994, which made the references to the film really really cool at the time. (The Reeves-Stevens had behind-the-scenes access, and I imagine that some of the references were added in the galleys.) And which made Generations all the more disappointing when it opened, because the crossover of generations had been done that year -- and done better -- in Federation.

 

The screenplay deviates significantly from the novel, so I do not have high expectations.

 

Well, structurally, that would be a very hard book to adapt. How do you have a man replay his entire life dozens of times in two hours?

GROUNDHOG DAY pulled it off, but Bill Murray was only reliving one day, not entire lifetimes!

 

Nah, not so hard. I've thought about it for years. There are creative ways to do it, and I'm betting if you were given the assignment, Greg, you could make it work.

 

I know, and the book does succeed in conveying just that. But it felt weird nonetheless. I think I expected to empathize with the Feds and their plight, and was a bit surprised to feel almost contempt to their over reaction (and then feeling weird to feel almost contempt for individuals who went through a cataclysm on a scale so large we can't even begin to imagine what would be our reaction).

But maybe you did put your finger where it hurts. In the face of the most atrocious events, it's probably very human to go hysteric about some mild accommodation troubles (easier to complain about something you can correct than about being displaced light years away from a planet which destruction you cannot fathom, just as it's easier to blame others and to call former "us" "them").

Another important point (to me) is that the themes of this story are too big to fit into such a short time period covered in one story/book that already asks the author to fit in a lot of character development (lots of stuff happen to lots of people, it's an ambitious project). The description of those events sprayed over a longer time period maybe would have felt more natural.

 

I JUST finished the TNG novel Nightshade and found it extremely boring. I am now moving onto the Typhon Pact novel Seize the Fire

 

Finally finished the 'A Time To' series. Very odd final book- I felt like it was building to something big and then it just... ended. Was not sure why the big political buildup storyline that ultimately never went anywhere was included.

Am now reading 'Memory Prime' (the only Reeves-Stevens book I've not read) as my eBook, will jump into 'Death in Winter' once I've had a wee break from the TNG universe.

 

Well, 'A time to' builds into Nemesis and Titan, more or less.

 

Read that years ago.
It's a really good book, isn't it? Since I more often than not buy books after I only judged the cover and found out what general setting the book has (time-period, genre...) but generally try to avoid reading the dust-cover-text (it gives too much away in many cases) I went into this book expecting something totally different - and was pleasantly surprised

 

Currently reading Destiny: Mere Mortals by Mr. Mack.

Also reading The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat From Pearl Harbor to Midway by John B. Lundstrom

Also found out -in a little note from the author no less- that two more books in R. M. Meluch's "Merrimack" series are planned, with the next one; Book 5 (Ninth Circle) scheduled for November 2011.

 

It's great. And I'm re-reading it after only a little over a year. I love how a novel about comic books won the Pulitzer Prize.

 

150+ pages in on The Romulan War.

 

Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman for about the twentieth time.

 

Replay is easily one of my favorite novels now. Iwas really emotionally invested in Jeff's life. Can't believe I'd never heard of it until last month. Reading The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers now.

 

And more importantly, into Articles of the Federation, which is where the political buildup went.

 

Here is my shortlist of stuff to read next year. Let me know what you think:

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

 

I finished Unworthy, which I enjoyed. Some random incoherent thoughts: I didn't see the twist about Admiral Batiste coming at all. Seven's story was a disappointment - her losing her marbles in Full Circle was compelling, the resolution in Unworthy was not. A few other things felt contrived, and I can't thinking that Janeway should be leading the feet, but otherwise... yeah. I just hope the plot threads actually get resolved before the next set of sweeping changes are made.

 

Think I'll have a Pratchett run over Xmas, starting with The Truth, since the last one I read was Fifth Elephant...

 

The last one I've read so far is Soul Music. I'll be starting Interesting Times as the first book I start in 2011.

 

Finished Vendetta and thought it was rather meh. Didn't like Reannon or Delcara, and thought Korsomo was a jerk. And Picard's characterization as regards Delcara was bizarre. Glad I read it though, because now I've read it.

Started a re-read of Avatar. Gonna try to get caught up on modern Trek sometime this decade.