Epic Trek novels.. and those not so epic..

[EliyahuQeoni]

I'll go against the grain a little here and respond to the "not so epic" part of the topic...I have to admit I don't think Vendetta is all that wonderful. It might be that I read it for the first time looong after it came out--just a few months ago, actually. The prose and characterizations seemed simplistic and the story didn't grab me at all. But I was comparing it to things like the Destiny trilogy which may not have helped. Had I read it back in 1993 my opinion could be different, though. It's funny to see it billed as THE GIANT NOVEL when by today's Treklit standards it's really not all that impressive. That said, the first line about Picard running his hand through his full head of hair was hysterical and classic Peter David.

Vendetta suffers heavily--like many Peter David novels--from Small Universe Syndrome. The Doomsday machine was built by the Preservers to fight the Borg.. and the Mark II Doomsday device has been stolen by Guinen's "sister".. oy.

 

[RonG]

EliyahuQeoni - as my first ever Trek book, Vendetta holds a special place for me however, I remember thinking that the "kewl" factor for the book was too high (Borg! More Borg! Planet Killer! etc..), and I thought slightly less of it upon re-reading. So, it would kind fall on the "not so epic" list for me as well..

Emperor-Tiberius - while we agree to disagree regarding the Shatnnerverse novels, I'd very much like to read your input and reasons for disagreeing

 

[Tara]

For me, it's Strangers From the Sky, Final Frontier and Federation tho I prolly haven't reread that one in ages. Also, I have a special love of The Final Reflection for epic Klingon awesomeness, even tho it's a novel within a novel.

I miss Mike Ford

 

[Therin of Andor]

Vendetta suffers heavily--like many Peter David novels--from Small Universe Syndrome. The Doomsday machine was built by the Preservers to fight the Borg.. and the Mark II Doomsday device has been stolen by Guinen's "sister".. oy.

And yet, fans had been wondering aloud: what was the origin of the Doomsday Machine?, whatever happened to the Preservers?, aren't the Borg really cool alien antagonists?, and does Guinan have any relatives?

Strip all those elements out of "Vendetta" and replace them with all-original characters, with no connections to previous canonical events, and you may as well be reading a generic science fiction novel. I read "Vendetta" when it first came out and it was unputdownable. An amazing page-turner. Maybe it doesn't hold together as well now but, in its day, it was quite a unique approach, ie. to tie together so many seemingly-random plot threads of the ST tapestry.

IIRC, Guinan's soul sister Delcara, was originally planned to be Guinan's sister. Richard Arnold reckoned it was too early to be seeing another El-Aurien.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

Vendetta suffers heavily--like many Peter David novels--from Small Universe Syndrome. The Doomsday machine was built by the Preservers to fight the Borg.. and the Mark II Doomsday device has been stolen by Guinen's "sister".. oy.

And yet, fans had been wondering aloud: what was the origin of the Doomsday Machine?, whatever happened to the Preservers?, aren't the Borg really cool alien antagonists?, and does Guinan have any relatives?

And each one of those questions could have been addressed in its own story without needlessly linking them to each other for no good reason.

Strip all those elements out of "Vendetta" and replace them with all-original characters, with no connections to previous canonical events, and you may as well be reading a generic science fiction novel.

Which is why I don't think its that good a story. Strip away all the gimmicks and its not a very good story. the story is just there to justify the "coolness" of tying random Trek elements together.

I read "Vendetta" when it first came out and it was unputdownable. An amazing page-turner. Maybe it doesn't hold together as well now but, in its day, it was quite a unique approach, ie. to tie together so many seemingly-random plot threads of the ST tapestry.

Unique doesn't equal quality. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but it always stretched credibility for me so much that I couldn't enjoy it at all.

 

[Therin of Andor]

And each one of those questions could have been addressed in its own story without needlessly linking them to each other for no good reason.

The idea of "Vendetta" was that it was the thickest ST novel ever. A "giant" novel.

Split the story into three or more subplots and you risk eliminating huge chunks of word count, or filling them with totally original stuff. Who wants the known ST elements to only be in a quarter of a "giant" novel? (Well, you, I guess.)

If totally original stuff is your buzz there are thousands of science fiction novels out there.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

And each one of those questions could have been addressed in its own story without needlessly linking them to each other for no good reason.

The idea of "Vendetta" was that it was the thickest ST novel ever. A "giant" novel.

Split the story into three or more subplots and you risk eliminating huge chunks of word count, or filling them with totally original stuff. Who wants the known ST elements to only be in a quarter of a "giant" novel? (Well, you, I guess.)

I'd have preferred three or more quality stories instead of one GIANT NOVEL that was totally made up of gimmicks and little else.

If totally original stuff is your buzz there are thousands of science fiction novels out there.

And when I want "totally original" stuff that is where I go. However, nowhere in my post did I say that this is what I expect from a Trek novel. I don't mind using past elements or doing sequels to stories (although there are plenty of Trek novels that--aside from the reoccurring characters and settings--are almost entirely original storywise), I just don
t see the need of needlessly connecting these elements just because its "cool."

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'd have preferred three or more quality stories instead of one GIANT NOVEL that was totally made up of gimmicks and little else.

Maybe you weren't around when it first came out? I remember "Vendetta" being a Very Big Deal. Great reviews, lots of publicity buzz and many contented fans.

It was one of the first ST novels to really "weave a tapestry" (people started to say) and I'm sorry it didn't work for you or that it seems not to have stood the test of time. It was a natural progression from three previous TOS "giant" novels", the hardcover "Spock's World", and the TNG "giant", "Metamorphosis".

However, nowhere in my post did I say that this is what I expect from a Trek novel.

Which is why I said "If..."

I just don't see the need of needlessly connecting these elements just because its "cool."

And I (and many others) thoroughly enjoyed PAD linking the mystery of the Doomsday Device Planet Killer to the then-mystery of the Borg and the mystery of Guinan and other survivors of the Borg's effects. He didn't link them because they were cool. He linked them because fans had been asking for an epic novel that pulled together many elements.