I don't mean to sound condesending or hurtful, but it's not an important question, since it's asked a few times a year, and answered with a very simple answer:
No TrekLit, be in novel or comic, is canon. None of it. It's that simple.
Spoilers TNG: Armageddon's Arrow by Dayton Ward Review Thread
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I don't mean to sound condesending or hurtful, but it's not an important question, since it's asked a few times a year, and answered with a very simple answer:
No TrekLit, be in novel or comic, is canon. None of it. It's that simple.
As a matter of fact, Dayton has stated that he has four or five different ideas plotted out for what it was that Taurik saw.
I'd rather not see the Novelverse use Countdown. I actually did enjoy the comic, but I don't think that is necessarily the direction I'd want to see the Novelverse characters go. It is part of the STO universe, so I say we just leave that take on the characters to them, and let the books do their own version of the supernova.
^ Dayton does talk about that a bit in our interview. He has much the same view.
Great - something original, something inspiring. A question is how will Pocket edit and publish it. Will it be different authors in one series; a range of books from the individual series; a single novel or entry in one series; etc.?
^ Guess all we can all do now is wait and see.
The Bonus subspace nova needs to be mentioned in future novels.
I liked the podcast discussion with Dayton. I don't think the books need to use the Countdown comics as cannon in the TNG era books. I'M glad he's mentioned the sequel that continues the story From History's shadow and writing Armageddon's arrow and talking about the upcoming Seekers novels.
Thanks! Dayton is great to talk to. I am really excited to read From History's Shadow sequel!
Hmmm... I really liked this, with a few reservations. A certain revelation about the Arrow's origin really felt unnecessary and kind of tacked on just to link to a previous story. And considering Takedown also linked to a previous story, I'm a little over the constant callbacks, especially with a book about exploring the new. As well, the Worf & Elfiki get captured sub-subplot was so unnecessary I'm shocked it survived the editing process. (Speaking of editing, there seemed to be a higher number of general typos in this one, too. A total nitpick and not a defect at all, but I couldn't help noticing a lot of them.)
But I really did end up liking this a lot. Ward nailed the characters and I enjoyed a lot of the interactions, even Chen who I've only just warmed to. A good romp, if I was expecting it to play out a little less predictably. (Jodis and Bnira's turn felt a little convenient to me.)
On the subject of Taurik's accidental spoiler, I think he either saw mention of the - for lack of a better term - Hobus Stellar Event, or something particularly pertaining to Picard, based on the phrasing of their encounter in the last chapter. Though I feel like there not being any inkling of what it was in the books, no hint toward a mystery, makes it all feel a little tepid.
But all those minor things couldn't really chip away at my enjoyment of the book.
But I really did end up liking this a lot. Ward nailed the characters and I enjoyed a lot of the interactions, even Chen who I've only just warmed to. A good romp, if I was expecting it to play out a little less predictably. (Jodis and Bnira's turn felt a little convenient to me.)
On the subject of Taurik's accidental spoiler, I think he either saw mention of the - for lack of a better term - Hobus Stellar Event, or something particularly pertaining to Picard, based on the phrasing of their encounter in the last chapter. Though I feel like there not being any inkling of what it was in the books, no hint toward a mystery, makes it all feel a little tepid.
But all those minor things couldn't really chip away at my enjoyment of the book.
Oh, nice! Thanks for the link.
I was a bit surprised at the good ratings this book got. I've enjoyed Dayton's writing in the past, but in this case I felt it got bogged down.
Dayton likes to write paragraphs of descriptive text and then have the character he's writing about respond to the narrator. OK - I get that. I'm not crazy about it, but I recognize it's his signature.
The trouble in this book is that it regularly happens in the middle of a conversation, completely destroying the flow of the scene.
For instance, on page 221 Picard and Jodis are having a chat. It is interrupted for a long exposition of prime directive issues, and then Picard responds to the narrator. In the middle of a conversation. Now was Jodis sitting and waiting while Picard looked off into space and pondered, responded to the narrator, and then answered Jodis about reaching a mutual understanding? Obviously not. But it feels like he was.
On page 199, again in the middle of a conversation, Picard listens to the narrator tell the whole story of Delcara and then shakes his head in sadness. I wonder what his crew is thinking...
On page 157, Crusher is introduced to Mynlara and then proceeds to muse about Worf and chat with the narrator about him, again during a rather tense conversation.
The result of these distractions is that there is absolutely no flow to these scenes. I couldn't remember who was talking or what they were talking about because the conversation was interrupted with two or three paragraphs of musings, back story and chatter between one of the characters and the narrator.
Then there was stuff that was just sloppy and should have been caught by the editor. I don't blame Dayton for this. On page 226 Mynlara had some cold tea and wondered who could be disturbing her at this hour. Then on the next page it's revealed that she had summoned Vedapir and shortly after that her tea is still warm.
By that time I was already folding down page corners every time Dayton was interrupting the story to chat with his characters. So I was predisposed to notice mistakes like that.
I know what it's like to get a bad review, as I regularly get them in my line of work! So I hope Dayton doesn't take it personally. But I honestly found the book frustrating and I look forward to Dayton's next work as I am sure it will be better.
-Jason
Dayton likes to write paragraphs of descriptive text and then have the character he's writing about respond to the narrator. OK - I get that. I'm not crazy about it, but I recognize it's his signature.
The trouble in this book is that it regularly happens in the middle of a conversation, completely destroying the flow of the scene.
For instance, on page 221 Picard and Jodis are having a chat. It is interrupted for a long exposition of prime directive issues, and then Picard responds to the narrator. In the middle of a conversation. Now was Jodis sitting and waiting while Picard looked off into space and pondered, responded to the narrator, and then answered Jodis about reaching a mutual understanding? Obviously not. But it feels like he was.
On page 199, again in the middle of a conversation, Picard listens to the narrator tell the whole story of Delcara and then shakes his head in sadness. I wonder what his crew is thinking...
On page 157, Crusher is introduced to Mynlara and then proceeds to muse about Worf and chat with the narrator about him, again during a rather tense conversation.
The result of these distractions is that there is absolutely no flow to these scenes. I couldn't remember who was talking or what they were talking about because the conversation was interrupted with two or three paragraphs of musings, back story and chatter between one of the characters and the narrator.
Then there was stuff that was just sloppy and should have been caught by the editor. I don't blame Dayton for this. On page 226 Mynlara had some cold tea and wondered who could be disturbing her at this hour. Then on the next page it's revealed that she had summoned Vedapir and shortly after that her tea is still warm.
By that time I was already folding down page corners every time Dayton was interrupting the story to chat with his characters. So I was predisposed to notice mistakes like that.
I know what it's like to get a bad review, as I regularly get them in my line of work! So I hope Dayton doesn't take it personally. But I honestly found the book frustrating and I look forward to Dayton's next work as I am sure it will be better.
-Jason
I just finished Armageddon's Arrow today, and I have to say that while it wasn't one of the best Star Trek books of all time, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I liked the character interactions specifically, you get the sense that these people know each other, live and work together, enough so that they can joke with each other and still maintain their professionalism when called for. The dynamic reminds me of the main TNG cast towards the end of the series (circa Seasons 5-7).
T'ryssa Chen is a standout character, with her own blend of quintessence & quirk, very much a favorite to follow. I enjoy her mentor-student-surrogate daughter relationship with Picard (even though it wasn't explicitly featured here), and I liked the way she's been depicted as a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' Specialist outside her primary Contact Specialist duties. Lifelong learners are people I can always respect.
Taurik has grown on me tremendously, especially this version of Taurik who hasn't sacrificed "being Vulcan" yet, like Spock and over time through his interactions with others like Chen, has found "the logic" in endeavors and activities his younger self would have written off as juvenile.
Rennan Konya has been through the ringer and back again, I've liked him ever since we first met him in the S.C.E. but I honestly don't have as much of an emotional connection to him as I do Chen & Taurik. (I liked that he's had time to heal from the ordeals of the Borg conflict, and that he realizes he needed to apologize for the way he handled things with T'ryssa. I'd like to see him stepping up more in the future. He's heroic, but I need more of his sense of humor and personality to really connect with him.
Dr. Tamala Harstaad was a welcome character and I liked that she and Geordi have moved in together. My only complaint is that I know so little about her. I feel as though their relationship up to this point is one where we've been told about it, but not 'shown' it very much. [I still think of her as Geordi's Girlfriend first, instead of Tamala Harstaad (who also happens to be dating LaForge) first]
Kirsten Cruzen. It's always nice to see a strong and capable women in a role where she's not only capable but excels at what she does. She's been a supporting player for years, and I really enjoy the moments were we get to know a bit more about her and her interactions with Konya.
The MAJOR thing I like about this story was how much the Enterprise felt like it was crewed by more than 7-8 people. We got to see a watch officer! (Mr. Aiden Lynley) on the Enterprise.... That never happens lol.
I really like that the DTI has become a part of the fabric of the novel continuity much like the SCE did. (I just hope the SCE comes back sooner rather than later). I know some consider Time Travel stories to be fanciful, but the characters of the DTI are interesting and the concept behind "Guarding the Gates of Time" while also dealing with whatever temporal issue has come up is intriguing to me. All the while, doing this with an eye on the future where the DTI one day morphs into one of the very future agencies it deals with on a semi-regular basis the Federation Temporal Agency (FTA).
All in all, an above average and very enjoyable read. I look forward to more Trek like this. Whatever century it takes place in.
Thanks Dayton.
I liked the character interactions specifically, you get the sense that these people know each other, live and work together, enough so that they can joke with each other and still maintain their professionalism when called for. The dynamic reminds me of the main TNG cast towards the end of the series (circa Seasons 5-7).
T'ryssa Chen is a standout character, with her own blend of quintessence & quirk, very much a favorite to follow. I enjoy her mentor-student-surrogate daughter relationship with Picard (even though it wasn't explicitly featured here), and I liked the way she's been depicted as a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' Specialist outside her primary Contact Specialist duties. Lifelong learners are people I can always respect.
Taurik has grown on me tremendously, especially this version of Taurik who hasn't sacrificed "being Vulcan" yet, like Spock and over time through his interactions with others like Chen, has found "the logic" in endeavors and activities his younger self would have written off as juvenile.
Rennan Konya has been through the ringer and back again, I've liked him ever since we first met him in the S.C.E. but I honestly don't have as much of an emotional connection to him as I do Chen & Taurik. (I liked that he's had time to heal from the ordeals of the Borg conflict, and that he realizes he needed to apologize for the way he handled things with T'ryssa. I'd like to see him stepping up more in the future. He's heroic, but I need more of his sense of humor and personality to really connect with him.
Dr. Tamala Harstaad was a welcome character and I liked that she and Geordi have moved in together. My only complaint is that I know so little about her. I feel as though their relationship up to this point is one where we've been told about it, but not 'shown' it very much. [I still think of her as Geordi's Girlfriend first, instead of Tamala Harstaad (who also happens to be dating LaForge) first]
Kirsten Cruzen. It's always nice to see a strong and capable women in a role where she's not only capable but excels at what she does. She's been a supporting player for years, and I really enjoy the moments were we get to know a bit more about her and her interactions with Konya.
The MAJOR thing I like about this story was how much the Enterprise felt like it was crewed by more than 7-8 people. We got to see a watch officer! (Mr. Aiden Lynley) on the Enterprise.... That never happens lol.
I really like that the DTI has become a part of the fabric of the novel continuity much like the SCE did. (I just hope the SCE comes back sooner rather than later). I know some consider Time Travel stories to be fanciful, but the characters of the DTI are interesting and the concept behind "Guarding the Gates of Time" while also dealing with whatever temporal issue has come up is intriguing to me. All the while, doing this with an eye on the future where the DTI one day morphs into one of the very future agencies it deals with on a semi-regular basis the Federation Temporal Agency (FTA).
All in all, an above average and very enjoyable read. I look forward to more Trek like this. Whatever century it takes place in.
Thanks Dayton.
Except in TNG's first season, when Worf was the bridge watch officer.
I haven't read this novel yet, but my understanding was that Geordi had been established as polyamorous in an earlier novel (to resolve an apparent contradiction about his relationships in the novelverse). Is this still the case as of Armageddon's Arrow?
Finally finished this today and gave it an Average. TNG is my Star Trek so I have a greater love for it than the other series so I was really looking forward to this book. But after struggling through it overall I feel a bit "meh".
By biggest issue was the start of the story. I read it on my kindle and noticed that around 40% through was when the story began. The preceeding stuff just seemed to be recap after recap after recap. It seems on the E-E everything someone does reminds them of a previous adventure. No wonder they haven't been exploring in a while since they are too busy remembering everything that happened before. One would never use the phrase "live in the moment" with the crew of the Enterprise.
There were some good bits to it. I enjoyed the Chen stuff as well as the final few chapters when the story started to gather some momentum. But overall it just felt average to me. Takedown was a much better TNG book in my opinion and far more enjoyable.
By biggest issue was the start of the story. I read it on my kindle and noticed that around 40% through was when the story began. The preceeding stuff just seemed to be recap after recap after recap. It seems on the E-E everything someone does reminds them of a previous adventure. No wonder they haven't been exploring in a while since they are too busy remembering everything that happened before. One would never use the phrase "live in the moment" with the crew of the Enterprise.
There were some good bits to it. I enjoyed the Chen stuff as well as the final few chapters when the story started to gather some momentum. But overall it just felt average to me. Takedown was a much better TNG book in my opinion and far more enjoyable.
