Spoilers DTI: Shield of the Gods by Christopher L. Bennett Review Thread

Thank you for the offer, but since I think the covers belong into a review thread, I think I'll try to repost the covers on the older review threads next weekend (no chance I will find the time during the week).

 

You put in a lot of work on these review threads - thank you for doing them

 

Do you have a specific reveal in mind that you're working towards, or are you just having fun making him mysterious?

 

This is just a guess, but I'd say that's between Mr. Bennett and Mr. Lucsly, and for them to know, and us to find out when the time comes. Did ADF reveal much about his long-term plans for Flinx before he'd filled in the gap between The End of the Matter and Bloodhype? Would I reveal my long-term plans for child prodigy organist Jennifer Schweitzer, when the only thing that's gotten any further (in terms of publication) than a writing class anthology is the single short story that I put on my web site?

 

To me, Lucsly is a constant. He is who he is. Other people project their own narratives onto him, but he just goes on with his work.

 

I want to believe that a Lucsly exists in every universe that earth made it into space.

He is working with Memory Omega's time agency in the MU in my head canon.

 

I can only imagine what a Mirror Lucsly might be like.

 

Rather not think about that at all.

 

Lucsly is like the Phantom Stranger. Nobody really knows WHO he is.

 

Mirror Lucsly would probably be just like Prime Lucsly. He's like a (multi)universal constant.

 

This seems a more appropriate place for a discussion of whether there's at least a bit of Teri Garr in Teresa Garcia. Certainly better than hijacking the Collateral Damage spoiler review thread.

Yet like Roberta Lincoln (and perhaps also just a bit like Inga, from Young Frankenstein), Teresa Garcia strikes me as a "fish out of water" who manages to not only survive, but thrive, when she finds herself surrounded by technology beyond her wildest dreams, as well as somebody driven by a strong sense of right and wrong.
Roberta Lincoln momentarily turns on Gary Seven near the end of the episode, driven by feelings of outrage at his apparent actions, only to defend him when Kirk and Spock show up (and then, mostly in the works of Greg Cox, she ends up as an Aegis operative without the generations of breeding and training, just as she undoubtedly would have if there'd been a spinoff series). Likewise, Teresa Garcia turns on her crew when they attempt unsanctioned time travel (with a declared intention of polluting the time stream), and ends up being recruited into the DTI, where she matures quickly, yet never loses her emotional warmth.

 

All I can say is, watch The Middleman. I was going for Natalie Morales. Teri Garr or Roberta Lincoln never once entered my mind.

 

I loved The Middleman, that show deserved a much longer life than it got.

 

I just finished SHIELD OF THE GODS and I have to say that it may be my favorite of the Department of Temporal Investigations books so far. Its relative shortness doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The premise of a rogue AEGIS agent ("Assignment Earth") going rogue and attempting to eliminate a race that will go on to exterminate and enslave many other species. It's an interesting premise because when does a race deserve to lose the benefit of the doubt.

If someone could go back in time and eliminate the Roman Empire, what would that mean for humanity? So much of our modern society is based around their advancements but if you were a Gaul or Briton (or Jew) you might have a very unpleasant opinion of their behavior. I was fully expecting to see the possibilities of the race in the future or whether they eventually got their act together and joined the Federation. So much of Earth history is a violent and terrible time that I was surprised this "twist" was never explored.

The characters are enjoyable as always and I'm both sad as well as pleased with the Bittersweet Ending to one of my favorite DOTI characters. I was really rooting for him and a different character. Overall, this is a really solid entry into the series and I hope Christopher Bennett keeps writing these novellas.

9/10