Metamorphosis

[Stevil2001]

I recently reread this book for the first time since I was a kid, and really liked it.

I went to look it up in Voyages of Imagination, and in a perfect example of Jeff Ayres's lackluster approach to research, there's only a one-sentence quotation from Jean Lorrah saying she doesn't want to get into it "again"! Which is more useful if you've heard "it" before. Anyone know what "it" is? What's the backstory here? And why can't Ayres look up a source to save his life?

 

[Greg Cox]

For what it's worth, I can testify to the fact that Jeff Ayers (not "Ayres") went to enormous lengths to track down and interview every Trek author he could reach. Heck, I remember him grilling me extensively over a long lunch at a Chinese restaurant years ago. But if an author doesn't want to talk about things . . . well, what can you do?

 

[Defcon]

For what it's worth, I can testify to the fact that Jeff Ayers (not "Ayres") went to enormous lengths to track down and interview every Trek author he could reach. Heck, I remember him grilling me extensively over a long lunch at a Chinese restaurant years ago. But if an author doesn't want to talk about things . . . well, what can you do?

Use other resources? Author interviews aren't the only information out there. I'm totally with Steve here.

Heck, I said in 2006 and 2007:

I got my copy of the Fiction companion earlier this week and I already regret that I ordered it instead of the three Marvel novels (those by KRAD, CLB and Mack) I first planned to order. At first I didn't really read it in order, I just skimmed through it and read random entries, so when I saw the "The Final Reflection" entry I had a huge WTF moment. One of the most influential ST novels ever and beside a synopsis it only gets a five line treatment that says it features only unknown characters and sold well.

After reading more of the entries I realized that is because the whole book has a rather single minded and (from my POV) false concept. It relies only on authorial/editorial comments by people directly involved with the respective novel, so when no one was able to be contacted it gets no further information than an often odd synopsis. I don't think it would have been to hard to find someone (an author or editor not directly involved) who could have said something about the impact TFR made on novels that came after it was released, but as a result of Ford's decision to remain silent (probably because of his health) it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. But even for books that hadn't had the impact TFR had it would have been nice if at least some trivia information would have been added for each novel. If Ayers was to busy interviewing authors, just bring another author to research and add additional information.

I don't really get why there's only one author assigned to such an ambitious project anyhow. Before reading it I thought it was to keep the book and it's entries coherent, but since the book is missing coherence anyway I don't see why not to have multiple authors.

Granted, some entries are interesting and insightful, mostly by the newer authors, but overall the authors talk to much about how they became ST fans (probably because that was Ayers opening question for the interviews), but I thought the book was about the Star Trek fiction, not the TV series.

The amount of space devoted to SNW is ridiculous, if you keep in mind that SNW represents only 9 of several hundred books. So about 2 % of the books get about 20 % of the spac in VoI. WTF? That's not against SNW, but the math just isn't right.

Maybe I'll appreaciate it more once I've calmed down a little, but for now VoI for me is nothing more than a wasted opportunity

http://defcons-treklit.livejournal.com/2006/11/16/

Am I really the only one who doesn't think that Voyages of Imagination is a gift send to us by higher beings? I certainly get the feeling when seeing opinions about it on the internet boards. My disappointment with it has cooled down since November, but I still think it's the ugly twin of the book it could have been, if it actually had had a concept, and would not be just a collection of authorial comments. I don't think that's Jeff Ayers fault, but rather the fault of Marco Palmieri who wasn't able to channel the obvious dedication and eagerness of Ayers into the right track. As it is VoI is a decent source of information for some books and completely useless for others.

http://defcons-treklit.livejournal.com/2007/02/13/

 

[Christopher]

Just thought I'd mention that today is Jeff Ayers's birthday...

 

[Paris]

^

 

[JD]

I wasn't that bothered by the way VOI was done. I went in knowing it was just author or editor comments, and wasn't expecting a full overview of the novels, so I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

 

[DonIago]

I haven't actually looked at my copy of VOI in awhile now, but I seem to recall vague disappointment that it read more as a primer to the novels rather than going into any substantive discussion of them. But again, it's been awhile.

 

[Christopher]

I haven't actually looked at my copy of VOI in awhile now, but I seem to recall vague disappointment that it read more as a primer to the novels rather than going into any substantive discussion of them. But again, it's been awhile.

It's a massive book as it is. Any more substantive and it would've had to be two volumes and cost twice as much.

 

[Stevil2001]

For what it's worth, I can testify to the fact that Jeff Ayers (not "Ayres") went to enormous lengths to track down and interview every Trek author he could reach. Heck, I remember him grilling me extensively over a long lunch at a Chinese restaurant years ago. But if an author doesn't want to talk about things . . . well, what can you do?

Whoops, I keep doing that. Thanks. I like Jeff; he's a very nice guy, but his book is, like, 65% astounding achievement, 35% disappointing.

Use other resources? Author interviews aren't the only information out there. I'm totally with Steve here.

Yeah, I think especially given Lorrah obviously expects the information to be out there-- but if it is, I don't know where to find it. Voyages of Imagination ought to be the definitive take on Star Trek fiction (I suspect there will never be another one), but its lack of any research beyond Ayers-conducted interviews really hampers it. Lorrah must have talked about Metamorphosis somewhere, and a book like this should be devoted to digging that research up.

It's a massive book as it is. Any more substantive and it would've had to be two volumes and cost twice as much.

I'd gladly surrender the mind-boggling two pages devoted to forgettable S.C.E. eBook The Future Begins if it meant Star Trek books of actual significance had their significance discussed.

That said, the running gag that Dean Wesley Smith literally can't remember any of the Star Trek books he wrote is kind of hilarious.

So no one knows what the deal with Metamorphosis was? Where's @Therin of Andor when you need him?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I *loved* Voyages of Imagination

 

[JD]

While I didn't have a problem with how VOI was set up, I do have to admit it was a bit odd to see some short stories get almost a page of stuff, while whole novels only got one sentence. But I blame the people Ayers talked to, rather than him.

 

[DonIago]

It's a massive book as it is. Any more substantive and it would've had to be two volumes and cost twice as much.

Wouldn't that still have been a fraction of the cost of the new encyclopedia?
Granted, it may or may not have sold fewer copies if it had cost more, but I would have been happy to pay more for something a bit more comprehensive (at least synopses?).
Though, I may have received it as a gift.

 

[Christopher]

Wouldn't that still have been a fraction of the cost of the new encyclopedia?

Yeah, but a nonfiction tome about Star Trek tie-in literature is going to have a much, much smaller potential audience than a nonfiction tome about Star Trek TV shows and movies. Heck, that this book existed at all is kind of amazing. Has any other TV/movie franchise had a whole reference book that was exclusively about its tie-in books? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Doctor Who did, and Star Wars has such exhaustive coverage of every bit of minutiae that they very well might as well, but it can't be that common.

 

[Greg Cox]

Yeah, but a nonfiction tome about Star Trek tie-in literature is going to have a much, much smaller potential audience than a nonfiction tome about Star Trek TV shows and movies. Heck, that this book existed at all is kind of amazing. Has any other TV/movie franchise had a whole reference book that was exclusively about its tie-in books? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Doctor Who did, and Star Wars has such exhaustive coverage of every bit of minutiae that they very well might as well, but it can't be that common.

And most such tomes tend to be published by small presses, not major publishers, because, yes, non-fiction books about media tie-in novels is kinda a specialized topic!

(I believe that PLANET OF THE APES tie-ins have been similarly documented, btw.)

 

[Stevil2001]

Yeah, but a nonfiction tome about Star Trek tie-in literature is going to have a much, much smaller potential audience than a nonfiction tome about Star Trek TV shows and movies. Heck, that this book existed at all is kind of amazing. Has any other TV/movie franchise had a whole reference book that was exclusively about its tie-in books? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Doctor Who did, and Star Wars has such exhaustive coverage of every bit of minutiae that they very well might as well, but it can't be that common.

As you guessed, there are a couple licensed Star Wars publications along these lines: The Essential Reader's Companion, a guide to all prose fiction, and two Panel to Panel books covering the comics.

In the Doctor Who world, Big Finish has published four such books: The New Audio Adventures: The Inside Story (covering audio dramas, 1998-2003), Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story (covering all books and audios to feature Benny, 1992-2010), and two The Big Finish Companion volumes (covering all their audio dramas from any series, 1998-2013).

I don't think there are any other licensed Doctor Who books covered licensed fiction, at least in the style of Voyages of Imagination. There is The Target Book, an unauthorized history of the novelisations. Another publisher did a book about the fan audios that preceded Big Finish (Jusytce Served: A Small Start with a Big Finish), and a second book all about a single audio drama (The Natural History of The Natural History of Fear). Mad Norwegian has periodically announced guides of various sorts, but they always seem to end up cancelled. (I'm probably forgetting something.)

(EDIT: I was, there's an unauthorized comics guidebook by Paul Scoones. Of course, there's one of those for Star Trek too, a not-very-good one by Alan J. Porter.)

 

[Christopher]

In the Doctor Who world, Big Finish has published four such books: The New Audio Adventures: The Inside Story (covering audio dramas, 1998-2003), Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story (covering all books and audios to feature Benny, 1992-2010), and two The Big Finish Companion volumes (covering all their audio dramas from any series, 1998-2013).

I'm not sure I'd count those, since they're for dramatic and/or broadcast content, so they're closer to the sort of thing you'd get for TV shows or movies. I'm talking more about a book that's specifically about prose or printed works.

 

[Stevil2001]

I'm not sure I'd count those, since they're for dramatic and/or broadcast content, so they're closer to the sort of thing you'd get for TV shows or movies. I'm talking more about a book that's specifically about prose or printed works.

They're still tie-ins, though-- and probably listened to by no more people than buy Doctor Who novels. (And the coverage of the Benny book is about 50/50 prose/audio since she starred in many novels.)

 

[Leto_II]

(EDIT: I was, there's an unauthorized comics guidebook by Paul Scoones. Of course, there's one of those for Star Trek too, a not-very-good one by Alan J. Porter.)

There's also the Seqart volume, New Life and New Civilizations, edited by Joseph Berenato:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1...=1940589053&linkCode=as2&tag=startrekcomic-20

 

[TheAlmanac]

As you guessed, there are a couple licensed Star Wars publications along these lines: The Essential Reader's Companion, a guide to all prose fiction, and two Panel to Panel books covering the comics.

The Essential Reader's Companion is what I immediately thought of as an existing title reflecting a preferable approach--that book has the same goals as Voyages of Imagination, yet feels much more comprehensive (or at least lacks glaring gaps where connecting material of some kind should be) despite being considerably shorter.

 

[Dayton Ward]

(I believe that PLANET OF THE APES tie-ins have been similarly documented, btw.)

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I've not heard of this, unless we're talking about the chronology and encyclopedia books Rich Handley wrote.

I've always found it interesting that Apes never really generated a log of prose tie-ins, and what there is splits close to 50-50 between adaptations and original stories. There wasn't any real sort of push to expand on the property in the 70s. The 2001 film spawned a few tie-ins, more than the most recent iteration.

(There is, of course the forthcoming [CheapPlug] Tales from the Forbidden Zone anthology [/CheapPlug]. )

On the other hand, Apes has had several successful runs in comics.