TP: Seize the Fire by Michael A. Martin Review Thread (Spoilers!)

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Thrawn, Nov 21, 2010.

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Rate Seize The Fire.

  1. Outstanding

    6 vote(s)
    5.2%
  2. Above Average

    25 vote(s)
    21.6%
  3. Average

    33 vote(s)
    28.4%
  4. Below Average

    33 vote(s)
    28.4%
  5. Poor

    19 vote(s)
    16.4%
  1. Ferd Burfel

    Ferd Burfel Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    I don't wanna speak for anyone, but the sense I'm getting isn't one of a dislike of diversity. It's a dislike of being constantly reminded of it. To answer your question, no I wouldn't feel preached to because of Black, Asian or Latino characters. But I would get annoyed if I were reading something that constantly said "life is so different on our ship because we have all these Blacks, Asians and Latinos". I'd be offended. And I think that distaste is what many are speaking of. We know the diversity exists, we don't need the constant recap and reminder. And I know each book has dealt with different characters and species as a way of discovering the crew, but it is frustrating to read a book and get to love a character and then you don't hear from them for a book or two. It's like loving Geordi and him not being in the next three episodes.

    I like Titan, but I too could do without the constant reminder of diversity, the challenge it poses and how awesome they are for undertaking it. Simply treat each character as a character, not as a lesson of tolerance I should be learning. It's awesome how diverse the crew is, but it cheapens it when you feel the need to constantly explain it to me.
     
  2. Bishop76

    Bishop76 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    ^ Bingo.
     
  3. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Jan 9, 2008
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Yep, it's not the diversity that the problem, it's the completely unsubtle after-school special feel to the writing about it that is.
     
  4. Csalem

    Csalem Commodore Commodore

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Finished this yesterday. Was disappointed and found it boring. Tuvok back-story seemed irrelevant and really got fed up with all the mentions of Cestus III. It seems to be the only thing all the Gorn and Federation could only think about. Hope the other books are better.
     
  5. Bishop76

    Bishop76 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    They are much better. This is the weak link of the bunch. I really hope that they stop letting Martin write Treklit or at least confine him to the Enterprise stuff.
     
  6. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Jan 9, 2008
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    I thought the first three were average to poor and on that basis don't plan to pick up the fourth.
     
  7. Bishop76

    Bishop76 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Wisconsin
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Well, I won't argue too much with you, my only point was that the other 3 were much better than this steamy turd.
     
  8. captcalhoun

    captcalhoun Admiral Admiral

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    everywhere
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    it was alright. some nice development to the Gorn, but otherwise a tad 'meh'.
     
  9. Enterprise1981

    Enterprise1981 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Haven't really been following this thread lately, but I understand the sentiment. If I had a nickel for every reference to cross-phylum mutual distrust...

    Chapter 10 was a major snoozer with an appealing cliffhanger ending. It was like Quark's "Humanoid tolerance for alien life doesn't extend beyond non-humanoids" speech-- which did then raise a valid point mind you-- multiplied by 100. They'd be having the same discussion if a guest requesting asylum was Romulan, Cardassian, Silwaan, or Fenisral (if you want to expand to non-humanoid, but sentient mammalian species).
     
  10. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    To me, Zero Sum game felt like an overly long episode of DS9 where we got Bashir playing at being a spy for Section 31. And it felt like it was just not quite right. Like the timing was off. It was better in the second half, but the first half just dragged.

    That error with Hawk actually brought me out of the story. Glaring errors can do that. Took me a bit to get back into it after that.

    Read some of the TOS books and you'll find the same sort of thing (sort of) with Scotty and Chekov. Sometimes the accent is there, sometimes not and sometimes it's there and not there in the same book. In The Sundered there was an issue with Chekov's accent not really being there but being mentioned. I found that a bit offputting.
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2011
  11. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2005
    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    It needed Andy to keep the characterization in line. It needed Marco to help deal with the repetitiveness there was in a lot of places. It needed Andy and Macro to make it a better book.

    I hope not. I'm about 2/3rds done and I do not want to read then ending before I get there.
     
  12. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
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    Gotham
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Half way through this (borrowed it from my friend) and I must say this is the slowest paced and boring Titan novel to date. Previous books I've flown through in a single sitting usually, this one has taken me half a week to get half way through. Not sure what it is about it but it's doing nothing for me whatsoever. I might eventually end up not finishing it.
     
  13. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2002
    Location:
    Gotham
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Well I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this book. Just boring...and flat out uninteresting. I caught the aforementioned error regarding Hawk being killed by the Gorn then the line right after mentions the Borg invasion!!! This is by far Michael's worst book in my opinion.
     
  14. Quimby

    Quimby Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    NJ
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    I know this book is older but I just finished and I was disappointed.

    1. The pacing was awful. It seemed like pages and pages would go by while characters just discussed things instead of actually doing something.

    Every action or decision seemed to require a meeting or conversation. It was like Star Trek: Middle Managers. I think the book needed another pass in editing because it was as if the author had multiple ideas how a scene could go ad instead of picking the best, he used them all in the form of a meeting between different characters.

    2. The Gorn names were too similar. Maybe this was just me but I had a hard time realizing who was who. I 50 pages in before I realized the Gorn who mutinied was not a part of the other Gorn fleet.

    3. As others mentioned, it was unbelievable the Mind Meld and Riker's meeting on the Gorn vessel happened off screen. it was the climax of the book!

    I usually like the author's work but this one was a tough one to get through.
     
  15. jjh19

    jjh19 Ensign Newbie

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2005
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Not. Very. Good.

    Riker was depressing and insane beaming willy nilly to Gorn ships. Troi has turned into a boring shell of a character. And when the plot turned to sending an away team to the surface, well, I knew this book had gone to a ridiculous place.

    I've stuck with this book for a long time and to get a payoff as weak as this book delivered was quite disappointing.

    No heart. Trek books need to be better.
     
  16. Thrawn

    Thrawn Rear Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2008
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    Washington, DC
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Thankfully, just about all of them are.
     
  17. shanejayell

    shanejayell Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2009
    Location:
    BC, Canada
    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    Huh, I never reviewed this? Well, understandable.

    *voted poor*

    A major SNOOZER of a book. VERY very rough going, had to force myself to keep reading. To be perfectly honest I don't think this book should even have been released without a serious rewrite.
     
  18. timothy

    timothy Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    I am starting it today on my nook. zero sum game was fantastic read the only problem I had was the wiered time jump in the books though I have yet to read any other ds9 reluanch other than this one.
     
  19. timothy

    timothy Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    just starting the series loved zero sum game was just fantastic. the only problem I had was the wiered time jump. though this is my first ds9 novel in a long time.

    sorry for the double post key board locked up.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2011
  20. timothy

    timothy Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire review thread

    okay I just finished it and loved it. just wished they would've done some of the story with the mind meld with tuvok and brahma-shiva. all so at the end where tuvok and his wife were talking about possible futures? all so bear in mind I have yet to read any of the other titan books except this one and the destiny trilogy? nore have I yet gotten around to the voyager novels in the coinside with titan.

    my main issue with this book were those damn near unpronounceable gorn names.
    other than that fantastic read. all so what is titan's registration number agin?