Spoilers DS9: I, the Constable by Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Defcon, Nov 12, 2017.

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Rate I, The Constable

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  1. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    DS9: I, The Constable by Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann (November 13th 2017)

    STAR TREK - Deep Space Nine

    I, The Constable
    Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann
    Pocket Books
    November 13th 2017
    eBook exclusive novella



    [​IMG]



    Blurb
    With his Starfleet assignment temporarily on hold, Odo needs a distraction. He welcomes Chief O’Brien’s offer to loan him some of the action-packed books that both men relish: tales about hard-boiled private eyes, threatening thugs, and duplicitous dames. Then Quark suddenly goes missing during a hastily planned trip to Ferenginar. His concerned friends on Deep Space Nine feel that Odo, as the station’s former chief of security, is uniquely suited to track Quark down. But once on Ferenginar, Odo learns that Quark is trapped in the seamy underbelly of a criminal enterprise that could have been ripped from the pages of one of O’Brien’s novels. To find the bartender, Odo discovers that he must rely not only on his law enforcement background, but his knowledge of all things noir….

    About the Author
    Paula M. Block (with Terry J. Erdmann) is a co-author of the ebook novella Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found). She has also written the non-fiction books: Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier; Star Trek Pop-Ups; Star Trek The Original Topps Trading Card Series; Star Trek The Next Generation 365; Star Trek The Original Series 365; Star Trek 101; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion; The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection; The Magic of Tribbles; and Star Trek: Action! Her additional titles include Monk: The Official Episode Guide and The 4400 Companion. As a licensing director for Paramount Pictures, Paula was co-editor of Pocket Books’ short story series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

    Terry J. Erdmann (with Paula M. Block) is a co-author of the ebook novella Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—Lust’s Latinum Lost (And Found). He has also written the non-fiction books: Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier; Star Trek Pop-Ups; Star Trek The Original Topps Trading Card Series; Star Trek The Next Generation 365; Star Trek The Original Series 365; Star Trek 101; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion; The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection; The Magic of Tribbles; and Star Trek: Action! His additional titles include Monk: The Official Episode Guide and The 4400 Companion. During his career in film publicity, Terry authored The Last Samurai Official Companion. They live in Southern Oregon with their two collies, Shadow and Mandy.
     
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  2. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Does Odo "narrate" this book in first person?
     
  3. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    No , although there seem(s) to be (a) letter(s) he writes to Kira if my short peek at the book that just downloaded wasn't totally misleading me.
     
  4. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Downloaded today. Hope to start it by the weekend..
     
  5. Smellincoffee

    Smellincoffee Commodore Commodore

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    Read it as soon as my pre-order downloaded. It's...well, enjoyable. If one likes mysteries and can tolerate Ferengi, anyway. The "letters" to Kira were a nice touch, but I was hoping for more of a Chandler/Hammett-esque narrative voice. Odo using mid-20th century slang ("perps", "paddy-wagon", "goons") was amusing, but in the same way that it was in "The Big Goodbye".
     
  6. Hardtarget

    Hardtarget Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    grabbed this today, hope it's good. I enjoyed the last couple DS9 novellas Block and Erdmann wrote :D
     
  7. Burning Hearts of Qo'nOs

    Burning Hearts of Qo'nOs Commodore Commodore

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    Read the first chapter as a teaser (I won't have time to finish this story until later) and I'm already loving it. Odo, Quark, and Rom all being very Odo, Quark, and Rom. The dialogue really captures all of their personalities in a situation where you'd be watching on TV and saying, 'Yeah, this is definitely a Ferengi episode.' It really feels like DS9, more so than some of the more recent stories right out of the gate. Looking forward to getting around to finishing it!
     
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  8. Burning Hearts of Qo'nOs

    Burning Hearts of Qo'nOs Commodore Commodore

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    The HIstorian's Note places this story in 2385 shortly after the events of The Long Mirage. Doesn't that take place in 2386?
     
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  9. Idran

    Idran Commodore Commodore

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    Yes it does. Typo, I guess?
     
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  10. Reanok

    Reanok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Is there an audio book cd for I the constable?
     
  11. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Commodore

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    There isn't. These days, they try and do audio book releases on the same day as the text book is released, and there wasn't anything released.

    Simon & Schuster Audio hasn't done audio books of any of the Star Trek e book only releases to date.
     
  12. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Just finished. Voted outstanding.

    I loved how Odo uses the old lingo.

    Is graupel a reference to the German word? German Graupel is small, harmless hail. :vulcan:

    No new ship classes or ship names, but various short range vehicles. So, the Irish company Paddywagon is named for criminal transports? :eek:

    Wow, whole new family members in the Ishka clan! :rommie:

    Possible continuity error: Rom doesn’t recognize snow, which he’d know from either various media outlets, or his own incarceration in a Bajoran concentration camp in The 34th Rule. Maybe he does know what show is and just doesn’t recognize this specific type (graupel, again).
     
  13. Cap'n Crunch

    Cap'n Crunch Captain Captain

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    That's the only context in which I've ever heard the term Paddywagon used. I've never heard of the Irish company.
     
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  14. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    "Paddy wagon" itself is believed to derive from a common nickname/ethnic slur for Irish people (short for Patrick/Padraig). In the US, for a long time, the majority of policemen were Irish, because it was considered a menial job of the type relegated to immigrants and there was a large wave of Irish immigration at the time the major US police forces were organized. (This is why there are so many Irish-stereotype cop characters like Batman's Chief O'Hara in older fiction and cartoons.) Eric Partridge's slang dictionary claimed it was short for "patrol wagon," but maybe he was being circumspect.
     
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  15. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Paddywagon is the name of a coach (bus) company for tourist trips acrosss the island.
     
  16. CaffeineAddict

    CaffeineAddict Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Just read this one this morning. This is the first DS9 novel for some time that really felt like it vould have been an episode of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like the novella format, as it allows a good story thats not overly padded, unlike a lot of the recent novels.
     
  17. Kertrats47

    Kertrats47 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Really enjoyed this one! Like others have said, it felt like an episode of DS9. A Ferengi episode. But a *good* Ferengi episode!

    Here's my review!
     
  18. E-DUB

    E-DUB Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I had heard that it was used because the wagons in question were called that because they hauled many Irish who were, supposedly and stereotypically, drunk.
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Both etymologies have been proposed.
     
  20. DS9forever

    DS9forever Commodore Commodore

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    A question; was Quark's uncle a polygamist? The novella features his three wives but doesn't mention that he was divorced from any of them.