Spoilers DTI: Watching the Clock by C. L. Bennett Review Thread

[scnj]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

I finally managed to get my hands on this, and rated it outstanding. I finished it over the course of two days and really enjoyed it. Despite the various calendar formats, I felt enough hints were given in the story itself to judge how much time was passing and never felt lost like I feared I might.

I think I'd be happy for this novel to stand alone. It pretty much covered every major time travel incident in Star Trek's long history and wrapped up nicely. If there is a sequel, I'll definitely read it, but I'm perfectly happy for there not to be.

Absolutely within the top 3 Trek novels I've read, and possibly the best depending on how it holds up on a repeat reading in a year or two.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Ahh, it's a recursive temporal loop! Manheim's at it again!

Sounds like a real...Manheim steamroller.

 

[JD]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

I finally managed to get my hands on this, and rated it outstanding. I finished it over the course of two days and really enjoyed it. Despite the various calendar formats, I felt enough hints were given in the story itself to judge how much time was passing and never felt lost like I feared I might.

I think I'd be happy for this novel to stand alone. It pretty much covered every major time travel incident in Star Trek's long history and wrapped up nicely. If there is a sequel, I'll definitely read it, but I'm perfectly happy for there not to be.

Absolutely within the top 3 Trek novels I've read, and possibly the best depending on how it holds up on a repeat reading in a year or two.

I can't remember the name of it, but we are getting a TOS era DTI novel next year.

 

[scnj]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

That's fine, because I'd imagine that will focus on the specific temporal issue that causes the Federation to form the DTI in the first place.

There was a specific piece of dialogue at the end of his book that suggested a possible sequel, but one set uptime, following a different agency, but I could be completely wrong.

 

[Defcon]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

I can't remember the name of it, but we are getting a TOS era DTI novel next year.

Forgotten History

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

That's fine, because I'd imagine that will focus on the specific temporal issue that causes the Federation to form the DTI i the first place.

"Issue?" Singular? No...

There was a specific piece of dialogue at the end of his book that suggested a possible sequel, but one set uptime, following a different agency, but I could be completely wrong.

No, there wasn't. The thought never crossed my mind.

 

[JD]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

I can't remember the name of it, but we are getting a TOS era DTI novel next year.

Forgotten History

Thanks.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Well, no wonder you couldn't remember the title! It was forgotten!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Careful...don't make me break out the Eav'oq jokes...

 

[Sci]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Careful...don't make me break out the Eav'oq jokes...

"CONTAINMENT BREACH! EAV'OQUATE! EAV'OQUATE!"

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

It's too late, I'm afraid. We're already Watching the Cl'oq...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

This novel was indeed very eav'oqative.

 

[scnj]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

There was a specific piece of dialogue at the end of his book that suggested a possible sequel, but one set uptime, following a different agency, but I could be completely wrong.

No, there wasn't. The thought never crossed my mind.

I'm referring to...

Spoiler: Jena Noi's quote

"A time war is never truly over. There are always other factions."

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

^What I intended by that line (aside from acknowledging something that would logically be the case in that context) was merely to leave the door open in case other authors wished to tell other Temporal Cold War stories. I certainly was not proposing a sequel about an uptime agency. As I said, the thought never occurred to me.

 

[vegaslover62]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

I liked the scene in the Eris vault where we saw some time machines that looked like the TARDIS and the one belonging to H.G. Wells.

If that wearable time machine being used by one of the Bozeman's crew was a reference to another sci-fi series, or even to previous Trek, I don't recognize it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

^ I think that one was all new.

Unless it was the Omni from Voyagers!, but that is - sadly - unlikely.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

If that wearable time machine being used by one of the Bozeman's crew was a reference to another sci-fi series, or even to previous Trek, I don't recognize it.

It was not. Since it was something that played an actual role in the story rather than just being an ambiguous bit of set dressing, I would not have simply ripped it off from another franchise. Such things should be kept firmly in the background.

 

[vegaslover62]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

The Omni from "Voyagers" was basically a pocketwatch, not "a gauntlet and a headdress".

Mr. Bennett, I was also wondering if the device might have had some reference to previous Trek I was unaware of. It wouldn't need to be "an ambiguous bit of set dressing" for that.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Sheesh, give a guy some credit for originality, okay?

 

[elaithin]

Re: Star Trek: DTI: Watching The Clock Review Thread

Christopher, don't you know there's not supposed to be any such thing in tie-in fiction? Everything must be a reference to something!

You'd think nobody ever gave you the Secret Handbook of Diabolical Tie-In Writers, or something.