Genesis Wave...yay or nay???

[RonG]

Regarding Genesis Wave, I found the first two books to be a (somewhat lacking) complete story in itself, and I got the feeling that that was the original plan. It probably sold well, so we got the (IMO) abysmal book three. Never read Genesis Force, though, and don't plan to in the forseeable future

Any thoughts on the Maximum Warp duology (or should I start another thread for discussion on them?)

I found the duology to be a light read. Too light that is, at approx. 230 pages per book... It really should have been one book.

Regarding the quality, while the I found the main plot point quite nice, the execution was not to my liking. It read like a "cliff notes version" to me.
The "continuty porn" factor discussed in previous posts, was too much for me. All in all, if I had to grade it: 5/10

 

[Paris]

Thanks everyone. The general consensus says the first book is the best, so i'll definitely give it a try and go from there.

Well, the first book is only half the core story. If you want to see how the story ends, you need the second too.

I do have both books. All 4 of the books in fact. I just meant that I'll put the first one towards the front of my cue and then decide for myself whether or not to continue. But I guess that's what we all do with every book, right?

 

[LightningStorm]

I liked Genesis Wave 1 and 2. At the time I had read them I was posting here and knew that the 3rd book was "tacked-on" so to speak, so went in with low expectations. I still thoroughly enjoyed book 3. I don't know if it was the lower expectations or if I would have liked it anyway but I did. Now, Genesis Force this one was pretty bad. I didn't like the beginning, I didn't like Worf/Alexander and I HATED the fact that I was allegedly reading a TNG book but there wasn't really any TNG involved at all. (I considered Ambasador Worf to be a DS9 character.)

 

[Semah]

... Throw in a bit of continuity porn, and you've got the Genesis Wave books...

what do you mean by "continuity porn"?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ContinuityPorn

WARNING: TVtropes is quite the time waster. In a good way.

Well, you just brutally murdered 4 hours of my afternoon

Then my work here is done.

 

[foravalon]

what do you mean by "continuity porn"?

The term refers to fiction that overindulges in making references to characters and elements from existing series continuity, doing sequels or crossovers, exploring how events or elements from different episodes or shows tie together, explaining contradictions between them, etc. Some have used the term to refer to things like, say, The Eugenics Wars throwing in cameos by virtually every 20th-century character ever established in Trek.

Paris, you should read Christopher's books, many people seem to enjoy them and they're fairly replete with this sort of thing; at least the ones I've read.

 

[Paris]

Paris, you should read Christopher's books, many people seem to enjoy them and they're fairly replete with this sort of thing; at least the ones I've read.

I have actually read Christopher's Orion Hounds and Greater than the Sum (my favorite of the post-nemesis TNG books btw ) and I really liked how he handled the mixture of Picard's classic crew with the new members like Chen and Choudhury. I didn't really like Kadohata in PAD's Before Dishonor, but after GTTS, I was a fan of hers as well. GTTS brought me full steam into Mr. Mack's Destiny trilogy.
In terms of his books not being filled with "continuity porn" I agree. He definitely follows the path established before him in the other TNG post-nem books but doesn't linger or wallow in the past. Unless Hugh and a group of Borg from TNG's sixth season showing up qualifies.

 

[KRAD]

^ Did you at least like Kadohata in Q & A? (asks the guy who created her)

 

[Paris]

^I'm embarrassed to say that it is the one of the post-nem TNG book I have not read, DiW being the other...but fear not... I received it along with A Burning House and The Buried Age for X-Mas Santa was very kind.

 

[Strider]

Does Trek Lit even act like the Genesis Wave event happened? It's never referenced, and it was supposedly a pretty big disaster...

 

[Steve Roby]

Does Trek Lit even act like the Genesis Wave event happened? It's never referenced, and it was supposedly a pretty big disaster...

It kind of got lost in the noise of all of the other galactic catastrophes that used to happen regularly. The invasion of the Furies, the Double Helix plague, the Gateways crisis, the Maximum Warp crisis, and all of the other big disasters.

(It occurs to me now that if Destiny had happened a few years earlier, I'd've been pretty cynical about it. Fortunately, the days of three or four galaxy-shattering, universe-transforming, crossover-inspiring sagas a year are sufficiently long ago that Destiny didn't feel like yet another contrived crossover crisis.)

 

[Christopher]

In terms of his books not being filled with "continuity porn" I agree. He definitely follows the path established before him in the other TNG post-nem books but doesn't linger or wallow in the past. Unless Hugh and a group of Borg from TNG's sixth season showing up qualifies.

I do like to tie aspects of the continuity together and explain discrepancies -- a lot of Greater Than the Sum was about tying up Borg loose ends and inconsistencies while I still had the chance -- but I try to do it in a way that makes sense within the story and doesn't overwhelm it or come off as gratuitous. The way I think of it is, I'm trying to do continuity erotica rather than continuity porn.

Does Trek Lit even act like the Genesis Wave event happened? It's never referenced, and it was supposedly a pretty big disaster...

I'm not really sure, actually. The "Genesis Report" chapter that Dave Mack wrote for GW Book 1 (Ch. 17, I believe) has been referenced; one of the authors of the report has appeared as a character in Vanguard, and the scientific explanation of Genesis in the report was also used in The Chimes at Midnight. On the other hand, GW3 has been contradicted by Titan on the sex of Alyssa Ogawa's child (and the fate of her husband, I think).

In Over a Torrent Sea, when the subject of Aili Lavena's homeworld of Pacifica came up, I tried to be consistent with what GW had established about that planet. But I didn't refer specifically to the Genesis Wave attack itself, and I don't know if any other modern-continuity books have.

 

[Thrawn]

I know that it's mentioned in a couple of the A Time To... books as part of what's been so depressing about being in Starfleet lately.

 

[Harvey]

I enjoyed the first two books. The second one even managed to give some closure to Maltz and Carol Marcus, no less.

I listened to the third book on audiotape (or perhaps it was CD...I don't remember now). The important thing is that I was thoroughly unimpressed and disinterested (and the characterization of Picard seemed way off, though I can't remember much specific at this stage). Never bothered with the fourth book, and I didn't see the need to keep the extra book around an already crowed shelf.

The first two tell a good and complete story. I'll leave it at that.

 

[wew]

I thought the first part was okay, but it is one of the few "series" I chose not to spend any more money on.

 

[foravalon]

I have actually read Christopher's Orion Hounds and Greater than the Sum (my favorite of the post-nemesis TNG books btw ) and ...
In terms of his books not being filled with "continuity porn" I agree. He definitely follows the path established before him in the other TNG post-nem books but doesn't linger or wallow in the past. Unless Hugh and a group of Borg from TNG's sixth season showing up qualifies.

ha ha, I think you missed the point I was trying to make Paris, I read those books as well. I thought they were pretty decent, though Q&A takes the cake by far, for me, as the best Post Nem TNG book before Destiny . My comment was a bit of a crack based on Christopher's description of continuity porn; since it pretty much described the work of his, which I've read so far, to a "T".

 

[Turtletrekker]

I know that it's mentioned in a couple of the A Time To... books as part of what's been so depressing about being in Starfleet lately.

IIRC, it's also mentioned by Nanietta Bacco's staff as one of the disasters that the Zife administration handled in either ATfW/ATfP or AotF.

 

[LutherSloan]

I have to say that I disliked them all. I have also found that I just do not like Star Trek novels written by Vornholt.

I think the fact that so little has been mentioned since regarding the 'Maximum Warp' and 'Genesis Wave' incidents shows how poorly the two miniseries were received. The effects of the 'Gateways' books lasted for awhile, and popped up occasionally.

 

[RonG]

I think the main problem, at least for me, with both Genesis Wave and Maximum Warp was the pay off \ dramatic climax (or lack of it).

Also, I'm with Hirogen Alpha - the first two Genesis Wave books tell a complete story in itself, and the overall saga suffers for the inclusion of a third chapter (can't comment on Genesis Force as I haven't read it)

 

[Paris]

...ha ha, I think you missed the point I was trying to make Paris, I read those books as well. I thought they were pretty decent, though Q&A takes the cake by far, for me, as the best Post Nem TNG book before Destiny . My comment was a bit of a crack based on Christopher's description of continuity porn; since it pretty much described the work of his, which I've read so far, to a "T".

...aahhhh. I see no problem I'll recalibrate my sarcasm detectors...

 

[foravalon]

Naw, It's not sarcasm so much as an ironically silly statement, I really do recommend people read as much Trek as possible and buy the novels. We need to make sure our lovable Authors get paid and we need to support our equally beloved industry and Trek in general. What happened this year to Marco was appalling and we need to do what we Can, as loyal fans, to help ensure things don't fall even further.