So what are you reading now? Part 2
- Thread starter Rosalind
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Place it in your bag carefully then.
Jonathan Strange... is too big to carry around with me, so I started the third book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, The Black Powder War. Dragons as an aerial corps during the Napoleonic Wars, great stuff.
After two books in David Peace's extremely grim Red Riding Quartet, time for something completely different. So I'm reading David McIntee's Doctor Who novel Mission Impractical, featuring the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher, and guest starring Sabalom Glitz and Dibber.
Finished The Valiant. It was alright. Nice space battles, which often suck in novel form.
This may not seem like a big deal, but I was a little disappointed by the way the Stargazer itself was depicted in the novel. In the TNG episode ‘The Battle’, the Stargazer sets were tiny: A 1/4 size TWOK-style bridge with only three control panels, the captain’s cabin was smaller then Captain Archer’s ready room and even the engine room (shown on the Hathaway in ‘Peak Performance’) was cramped. In the novel there’s no indication everyone’s in cramped spaces. Where do all the bridge crew stand? Second officer Picard didn’t have a chair or station – he just sort of milled around. Same for the first officer.
Diane Carey did a great job of depicting the cramped conditions of the Bozeman in Ship of the Line (the Bozeman bridge was the same set, with more panels along the back wall and some freestanding ones), and I was hoping for something similar in Valiant (although, yes, Ship of the Line could have been better).
Next: The Final Nexus.
Problems: We never see the baddies. We never hear from the baddies. Picard and co. never even tried to contact them, even when they had the aliens completely at their mercy. The whole novel and we just have 2 (untrustworthy) people saying how “evil” they are.
Although I liked that the crew didn’t all get along, that the anti-Picard faction would immediately resort to mutiny was unbelievable.
Pink lighting? They shoot pink lightning? After changing the colour of the great barrier to red, he says they shoot pink lighting?
Picard never sat in the captain’s chair. They had no captain, and no first officer to replace him! Where was the “yeah we do”? The big heroic sit-down? A big deal is made of Picard not sitting in the chair, and then he never does.
Although I liked that the crew didn’t all get along, that the anti-Picard faction would immediately resort to mutiny was unbelievable.
Pink lighting? They shoot pink lightning? After changing the colour of the great barrier to red, he says they shoot pink lighting?
Picard never sat in the captain’s chair. They had no captain, and no first officer to replace him! Where was the “yeah we do”? The big heroic sit-down? A big deal is made of Picard not sitting in the chair, and then he never does.
This may not seem like a big deal, but I was a little disappointed by the way the Stargazer itself was depicted in the novel. In the TNG episode ‘The Battle’, the Stargazer sets were tiny: A 1/4 size TWOK-style bridge with only three control panels, the captain’s cabin was smaller then Captain Archer’s ready room and even the engine room (shown on the Hathaway in ‘Peak Performance’) was cramped. In the novel there’s no indication everyone’s in cramped spaces. Where do all the bridge crew stand? Second officer Picard didn’t have a chair or station – he just sort of milled around. Same for the first officer.
Diane Carey did a great job of depicting the cramped conditions of the Bozeman in Ship of the Line (the Bozeman bridge was the same set, with more panels along the back wall and some freestanding ones), and I was hoping for something similar in Valiant (although, yes, Ship of the Line could have been better).
Next: The Final Nexus.
Just finished the first book of the Errand of Vengeance trilogy. I was half and half on it. The whole time reading it, I was enjoying it very much, but upon completion, I'm thinking there wasn't a lot of plot there. Or story. Or something. It might be the nature of trilogies, but I'm thinking there should be a little more stand-alone to take away from the novel.
I will probably revise that opinion when I finish the series. I'm not reading the second novel, and enjoying it.
I will probably revise that opinion when I finish the series. I'm not reading the second novel, and enjoying it.
Let's see, since my last post I was reading Jumper by Steven Gould. I've since finished that and absolutely loved it. Then read Unworthy it was quite good and it wasn't until this book that I was able to more appreciate Full Circle as this really got things wrapped up and back on track.
I then moved on to the sequel to Jumper which is Reflex by Steven Gould and loved it too. Jumped straight into David Mack's The Calling after this and I enjoyed it, but I thought the story was bit too predictable.
Currently I'm on a David Mack spree, because after The Calling, I'm now reading the 4400 book Promises Broken, after this will be Vanguard: Precipice, and by the time I'm done with all of that I'll be ready for The Sorrows of Empire.
I then moved on to the sequel to Jumper which is Reflex by Steven Gould and loved it too. Jumped straight into David Mack's The Calling after this and I enjoyed it, but I thought the story was bit too predictable.
Currently I'm on a David Mack spree, because after The Calling, I'm now reading the 4400 book Promises Broken, after this will be Vanguard: Precipice, and by the time I'm done with all of that I'll be ready for The Sorrows of Empire.
Yeah, I thought Archer was out of character for most of the book. At times he was almost written like the caricature some people make him out to be.
Well, I actually think he was somewhat not 'altogether' in the first couple of seasons....the time-frame the novel is set in. However, I think the author(or 'authors') could have made Archer a bit more sympathetic....but yeah, Archer is made into an ass even more so than he was depicted on the show....
I'm looking forward to seeing how he is depicted in 'What Price Honor?'
Sidenote: I do like the fact that Travis is pretty prominent; he is depicted as the joking type that he is said to be in the series. Cutler, for being a minor character herself and not part of the senior crew is pretty prominent...
Reed, Hoshi, Phlox--my other favorite characters--are pretty prominent as well in the novel....
I'm absolutely torn right now on which TOS books I want to read. I'm trying to decide between Crucible(which i've read before), The Janus Gate, Ex Machina, Mere Anarchy, and New Earth
Ex Machina.
If you've already read the Crucible books then I recommend you check out Ex Machina or Mere Anarchy. Both of them are fantastic
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I just finished "The Valiant" the other day. Dug up a pile of older Trek books I got at the used bookstore and misplaced (so Mike should expect to see this under his nose at any Farpoint autograph sessons!)
I enjoyed the story a lot, especially the references to Gary Mitchell (which happens to also be my uncle's name). I'm looking forward to reading the other Stargazer books. I think I have two more and I need to track down the others.
Karen
I enjoyed the story a lot, especially the references to Gary Mitchell (which happens to also be my uncle's name). I'm looking forward to reading the other Stargazer books. I think I have two more and I need to track down the others.
Karen
I just finished a book that had chapters and chapters of navel battles and exciting dialog like this at the start of chapter 16:
Of course it will surprise no one that I wasn't reading a Patrick O'Brian novel but Ancient Blood by Diane Carey. Nothing else needs to be said...
I liked Ancient Blood. Oh, not the A-plot with Worf tracking down some badguys, but the B-plot, with Picard and Alexander, was a lot of fun. If Carey wrote authentic nautical fiction, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that market is very niche.
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