So this book would be the second in the trilogy with protectors as the first or is this new one the first of the trilogy?
Spoilers VOY: Acts of Contrition by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread
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So this book would be the second in the trilogy with protectors as the first or is this new one the first of the trilogy?
You were right the first time. The trilogy is:
1-Protectors
2-Acts of Contrition
3-Atonement (some time in 2015)
In case anyone was wondering, I tweeted Trek.fm today and asked if they'd be having Kirsten on Literary Treks to talk about AoC and they confirmed!! I loved hearing her on the show the last couple of times so I'm super excited!
She likes to keep her internet presence to a minimum, the only place you can find her is on here!
She likes to keep her internet presence to a minimum, the only place you can find her is on here!
We are not worthy...
I have bought the E-book version today. 
And I can start reading as soon as I finish reading Protectors.
And I can start reading as soon as I finish reading Protectors.
Although, she has an 8th book after Atonement.
But um.. why wouldn't you could Full Circle and Unworthy as part of the continuing story when each one picks up where the others left off especially Eternal Tide.
Decided to start early. Too soon to voice an opinion.
It means this: Why a trilogy if the entire Full Circle storyline started with Full Circle and continued up till now
Not sure really. Kirsten just said that these three books form a trilogy within the grander tapestry of her Full Circle storyline. All her books are part of her bigger arc, but these three form a trilogy in their own right. I'd compare it to a multi-part storyline like in Enterprise's last season as compared to single episodes.
But that's just my interpretation. Kirsten would be the one to ask. I'm sure she'll be around soon to make sense of it for you. She's no stranger around these parts
Unless I'm wrong, Kirsten confirmed a while ago that Protectors, Acts of Contrition and Atonement all cover one 'arc' that spans the first year of the Full Circle fleet's three-year mission in the Delta Quadrant.
I think she did this purposefully to bring the series up to speed with the rest of the Trek Lit novels, but that's just my speculation.
I think she said that Atonement will bring us the end of the arc, but it will leave us in 2382 and the end of the first year of the Full Circle fleet's time in the DQ. Which would be everything from Kirsten's first book, Full Circle, on. The current time for the rest of the 24th century books (TNG & DS9) are in late 2385/early 2386. Almost 4 years further on in the future.
Good evening all,
First, to those who have read the new book and taken the time to come here and post their thoughts, many thanks. They are always interesting to read and never fail to make me think.
As to the whole "trilogy" thing...
By the time Atonement comes out sometime in 2015...sorry, I don't have the release date yet but I can't imagine that it would be an entire year from now as I have finished writing it and it is in the production pipeline as we speak...we will have completed seven books covering the period of time from the end of the Spirit Walk duology through the end of the Full Circle fleet's first year in the Delta Quadrant.
The first two, Full Circle and Unworthy, I tend to think of as a sort of introductory duology. They were conceived at the same time and written back to back. There is a certain sense of thematic unity to them. These are the books that brought Voyager current with the other Trek novels at that time (2009) and set the stage for what was to come.
The next two, Children of the Storm and The Eternal Tide, were each written as standalones. Yes, they pick up right where the last story left off (or overlap a bit, as in CoTS) but they were each written on their own, can certainly be read alone and tell a whole story, and are complete in and of themselves.
The reason the next three, Protectors, Acts of Contrition, and Atonement function as a trilogy is because although they might appear in some ways like the previous novels (picking up where the last left off, etc.) they were conceived at the same time as one large, thematically unified story centering around the fleet's introduction to the Confederacy of the Worlds of the First Quadrant. It might have seemed like Protectors was about other things, but this was always where we were going. It just took a little longer than I thought it would to start getting there. The first two also end with the "This story will continue in...." which is meant to indicate the interdependent nature of these particular stories.
The end of Atonement is the and of the fleet's first year of explorations. The next novel, the one I am writing now....tentatively entitled A Pocket Full of Lies...will be the beginning of year 2, and is another more or less standalone novel. Where we go from there, I have no idea.
I hope this clears up any confusion regarding the issue.
Best,
KMFB
First, to those who have read the new book and taken the time to come here and post their thoughts, many thanks. They are always interesting to read and never fail to make me think.
As to the whole "trilogy" thing...
By the time Atonement comes out sometime in 2015...sorry, I don't have the release date yet but I can't imagine that it would be an entire year from now as I have finished writing it and it is in the production pipeline as we speak...we will have completed seven books covering the period of time from the end of the Spirit Walk duology through the end of the Full Circle fleet's first year in the Delta Quadrant.
The first two, Full Circle and Unworthy, I tend to think of as a sort of introductory duology. They were conceived at the same time and written back to back. There is a certain sense of thematic unity to them. These are the books that brought Voyager current with the other Trek novels at that time (2009) and set the stage for what was to come.
The next two, Children of the Storm and The Eternal Tide, were each written as standalones. Yes, they pick up right where the last story left off (or overlap a bit, as in CoTS) but they were each written on their own, can certainly be read alone and tell a whole story, and are complete in and of themselves.
The reason the next three, Protectors, Acts of Contrition, and Atonement function as a trilogy is because although they might appear in some ways like the previous novels (picking up where the last left off, etc.) they were conceived at the same time as one large, thematically unified story centering around the fleet's introduction to the Confederacy of the Worlds of the First Quadrant. It might have seemed like Protectors was about other things, but this was always where we were going. It just took a little longer than I thought it would to start getting there. The first two also end with the "This story will continue in...." which is meant to indicate the interdependent nature of these particular stories.
The end of Atonement is the and of the fleet's first year of explorations. The next novel, the one I am writing now....tentatively entitled A Pocket Full of Lies...will be the beginning of year 2, and is another more or less standalone novel. Where we go from there, I have no idea.
I hope this clears up any confusion regarding the issue.
Best,
KMFB
Kirsten has yet again proven why she's the sole author on these novels (rather than it being given to a team of authors) - because she's just so great at it!
The book starts off pretty much where the last one finished (give or take a few weeks for Vesta to get to the DQ), and moves at quite a pace. This is a large story with many threads going on at the time (something that's more common to a Tom Holt or Kevin Anderson novel than to most Trek authors), but it's always clear what's going on in each part of the story - and yet, you never feel that there's an "A story, B story, C story" here. Each storyline is given just as much attention and care as all of the others, and nothing gets left out.
Knowing that this story is to be continued means that the threads left hanging don't matter as much as they would in a standalone novel. I find the Confederacy particularly interesting for our heroes... especially given...
I'm very much looking forward to the next book - hopefully soon!
The book starts off pretty much where the last one finished (give or take a few weeks for Vesta to get to the DQ), and moves at quite a pace. This is a large story with many threads going on at the time (something that's more common to a Tom Holt or Kevin Anderson novel than to most Trek authors), but it's always clear what's going on in each part of the story - and yet, you never feel that there's an "A story, B story, C story" here. Each storyline is given just as much attention and care as all of the others, and nothing gets left out.
Knowing that this story is to be continued means that the threads left hanging don't matter as much as they would in a standalone novel. I find the Confederacy particularly interesting for our heroes... especially given...
The Confederacy really reminds me a lot of modern Earth society - so often an inability to make a dent in a bad situation is considered "laziness", especially by big business, and so often it's not laziness but an inability to cope with unexpected problems. That's why we have to have charities helping out instead of being able to rely on governments to do so - and it's why the help, while appreciated, is often not really adequate to the task at hand. (Case in point was the whole hospital scene on the First World.)
I particularly liked that on the surface, the Confederacy looks impressive, but as you scratch below the surface, you find so much going wrong - it gives a sense that the elite are trying desparately to convince their guests that all is well, but not quite succeeding (and in some, very rare, instances, actually trying to show Janeway & team that it's not all OK).
I particularly liked that on the surface, the Confederacy looks impressive, but as you scratch below the surface, you find so much going wrong - it gives a sense that the elite are trying desparately to convince their guests that all is well, but not quite succeeding (and in some, very rare, instances, actually trying to show Janeway & team that it's not all OK).
I'm very much looking forward to the next book - hopefully soon!
Kirsten,
Well Voyager ever meet up with the DS9 and the rest of the fleet dealing with Typhon Pact? On a side note, I liked the Picard cameo you threw in there in Protectors.(Is that the last we see of them by the way?)
Also, year 2 of what? I forgot how many years they were "ordered" to stay in the DQ
Well Voyager ever meet up with the DS9 and the rest of the fleet dealing with Typhon Pact? On a side note, I liked the Picard cameo you threw in there in Protectors.(Is that the last we see of them by the way?)
Also, year 2 of what? I forgot how many years they were "ordered" to stay in the DQ
Bought my copy today. I'm two chapters in and already hooked. I'll probably stay up all night reading it. There's something very familiar about the Voyager characters that makes this an easy read. No weird prologues on alien planets with unfamiliar character - just right into the action in the Fleet. What I like!
Given that this is the sixth one, I've gotten pretty familiar with Voyager being the highlight of the year in Star Trek
This man speaks the truth. Just finished it. It was wonderful. The Eternal Tide so far has been the only miss in my opinion.
"When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
What will I be
Will I be pretty
Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me"
From Que Sera, Sera. Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
"And I am, whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?"
From What I Am. By Eminem
"But you fuck one sheep...!"
Anonymous Scottish farmer on his death bed.
Identity and perception. How we see ourselves and others. How others see themselves and us. And the truth. It's a very very slippery path and there is room aplenty for major mis-steps. As before, the latest Voyager novel by Kirsten Beyer seems to end up largely revolving around a central theme. Last time it was fear. This time it's about what people want to be, or think they are versus, the reality of things. So lets dig in.
I think I will start with the plotline that I take the most personally. Tom Paris and his mother. I don't think I have despised a fictional character the way I despise Julia Paris, in a long, long time. Here is a young man with an absentee father and a mother who enables and excuses that behavior. One who has been held up to an impossible standard and found wanting his whole life. Now after a long arduous journey he is trying his godsdamndest to be a good man, a good husband, and a good father. And what is the only thing that matters to this selfish bitch? That he's not doing it in the way she approves of. For this she is going to threaten to take his children from him. Honestly I don't know who I want to slap more. Her, or the judge for his little speech calling Tom selfish. Truly selfish people don't do the kinds of things he's done, for the sake of his child, his wife, and his friends. Truly selfish people take the easy road. Was Tom selfish when we first met him? Hells to the yeah. But now? So here's one of the big identity and perception questions in the book. When do we get to be accepted for who we have become instead of constantly being blamed and punished for who we were. Apparently for Tom that answer where his mother is concerned is Never. Really he is a better person than I am, because I would be quite happy to head back to the DQ as soon as possible and keep as many light years between my true family and bio-unit that spawned me as humanly possible. The moment when he gives his mother the speech about what a shitty parent his father was and how he was going to do differently made we want to cheer. Quick question about Tom's advocate, am I correct in assuming that Shaw is related to Areel Shaw?
Next the plotline that gave me the biggest case of the happy. Dr. Sharak and Samantha Wildman. How wonderful. And how nice to see the Children of Tama fleshed out. I am pleasantly reminded of the work that Karen Traviss did with the Mandalorians in the Republic Commando novels (before the dark times, before the retcons). It was such a wonderful piece of world building to learn more about how Tamarians think, to understand how hard it has been for Sharak to learn to operate in a culture so very different from his. And how lovely to see one of Voyagers most underappreciated characters get a chance to do something and see her fleshed out a bit.
Then there's the catom virus plotline. Dense, and dark, and disturbing. I am really really really hoping that Section 31 will not end up being involved. Because I think it sometimes is too convenient of a boogeyman. A kind of have our cake and eat it too thing, where awful things can be done, but the purity of the ideals of Trek can be maintained because it's this shadow group doing them. Alongside that you have the problems with the Doctor. Frankly if I was Robert Picardo I'd be pissed off. Here is some of the best writing for The Doctor EVER and he doesn't get to play it.
Finally we have the Confederacy. Oh man. "The Federation is just a stand in for the US." To which I've always replied... Bullshit. Okay not totally. It is kind of a stand in for the myth of the US. But the reality? Well that's pretty much The Confederacy. A group of people in power, doing everything they can to make sure they stay in power. Yet even still there are decent people at all levels truly trying to do the right thing. It was so wonderful to see the complexities of this society grappled with. Also it was great to see all the different sorts of things that are looked at when relationship with a foreign power is contemplated. I am a sucker for nuts and bolts, which is why Spock's World, Singular Destiny, Articles of the Federation, and Metamorphosis are some of my favorite Trek novels. Because we get glimpses at the minute details of life in the Federation and its Starfleet. There was so much of that here. Also I really loved the continuing evolution of the relationship between O'Donnel and Fife. I think those two are fast becoming my favorite Captain/First Officer pairing, bar none.
One more thing, I wanted to point out to our beloved author how clear her growth as an artist is with this novel. There were moments in the previous efforts where it sometimes became a little hard to keep track of what was going on. This time everything was clear as crystal and flowed wonderfully. While the previous books are very good, this one has hit a McCormackesque level of quality. I am very much looking forward to the next installment.
I asked my mother
What will I be
Will I be pretty
Will I be rich
Here's what she said to me"
From Que Sera, Sera. Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
"And I am, whatever you say I am
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?"
From What I Am. By Eminem
"But you fuck one sheep...!"
Anonymous Scottish farmer on his death bed.
Identity and perception. How we see ourselves and others. How others see themselves and us. And the truth. It's a very very slippery path and there is room aplenty for major mis-steps. As before, the latest Voyager novel by Kirsten Beyer seems to end up largely revolving around a central theme. Last time it was fear. This time it's about what people want to be, or think they are versus, the reality of things. So lets dig in.
I think I will start with the plotline that I take the most personally. Tom Paris and his mother. I don't think I have despised a fictional character the way I despise Julia Paris, in a long, long time. Here is a young man with an absentee father and a mother who enables and excuses that behavior. One who has been held up to an impossible standard and found wanting his whole life. Now after a long arduous journey he is trying his godsdamndest to be a good man, a good husband, and a good father. And what is the only thing that matters to this selfish bitch? That he's not doing it in the way she approves of. For this she is going to threaten to take his children from him. Honestly I don't know who I want to slap more. Her, or the judge for his little speech calling Tom selfish. Truly selfish people don't do the kinds of things he's done, for the sake of his child, his wife, and his friends. Truly selfish people take the easy road. Was Tom selfish when we first met him? Hells to the yeah. But now? So here's one of the big identity and perception questions in the book. When do we get to be accepted for who we have become instead of constantly being blamed and punished for who we were. Apparently for Tom that answer where his mother is concerned is Never. Really he is a better person than I am, because I would be quite happy to head back to the DQ as soon as possible and keep as many light years between my true family and bio-unit that spawned me as humanly possible. The moment when he gives his mother the speech about what a shitty parent his father was and how he was going to do differently made we want to cheer. Quick question about Tom's advocate, am I correct in assuming that Shaw is related to Areel Shaw?
Next the plotline that gave me the biggest case of the happy. Dr. Sharak and Samantha Wildman. How wonderful. And how nice to see the Children of Tama fleshed out. I am pleasantly reminded of the work that Karen Traviss did with the Mandalorians in the Republic Commando novels (before the dark times, before the retcons). It was such a wonderful piece of world building to learn more about how Tamarians think, to understand how hard it has been for Sharak to learn to operate in a culture so very different from his. And how lovely to see one of Voyagers most underappreciated characters get a chance to do something and see her fleshed out a bit.
Then there's the catom virus plotline. Dense, and dark, and disturbing. I am really really really hoping that Section 31 will not end up being involved. Because I think it sometimes is too convenient of a boogeyman. A kind of have our cake and eat it too thing, where awful things can be done, but the purity of the ideals of Trek can be maintained because it's this shadow group doing them. Alongside that you have the problems with the Doctor. Frankly if I was Robert Picardo I'd be pissed off. Here is some of the best writing for The Doctor EVER and he doesn't get to play it.
Finally we have the Confederacy. Oh man. "The Federation is just a stand in for the US." To which I've always replied... Bullshit. Okay not totally. It is kind of a stand in for the myth of the US. But the reality? Well that's pretty much The Confederacy. A group of people in power, doing everything they can to make sure they stay in power. Yet even still there are decent people at all levels truly trying to do the right thing. It was so wonderful to see the complexities of this society grappled with. Also it was great to see all the different sorts of things that are looked at when relationship with a foreign power is contemplated. I am a sucker for nuts and bolts, which is why Spock's World, Singular Destiny, Articles of the Federation, and Metamorphosis are some of my favorite Trek novels. Because we get glimpses at the minute details of life in the Federation and its Starfleet. There was so much of that here. Also I really loved the continuing evolution of the relationship between O'Donnel and Fife. I think those two are fast becoming my favorite Captain/First Officer pairing, bar none.
One more thing, I wanted to point out to our beloved author how clear her growth as an artist is with this novel. There were moments in the previous efforts where it sometimes became a little hard to keep track of what was going on. This time everything was clear as crystal and flowed wonderfully. While the previous books are very good, this one has hit a McCormackesque level of quality. I am very much looking forward to the next installment.