New Christopher Bennett interview on The Official Star Trek Site

[JD]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet. The Official Star Trek site added a new intetview with Christopher Bennett. In it he discusses The Struggle Within, and a little bit about Only Superhuman, and Forgotten History.
Christopher, when you said it was a sequel/prequel to Ex Machina, did you mean it actually follows up on elements of EM, or does it just take place (partially) in the same era?

 

[BrotherBenny]

Great interview, though I wish there was more about Only Superhuman.

 

[Christopher]

Christopher, when you said it was a sequel/prequel to Ex Machina, did you mean it actually follows up on elements of EM, or does it just take place (partially) in the same era?

Forgotten History (or rather, its second half) tells a separate story but continues some of the character threads from ExM, those pertaining to the Enterprise crew. After I wrote ExM, I had some thoughts about what I'd want to do next with the TMP-era characters if I got the chance, and this was that chance, so a lot of what I had in mind is in there.

Great interview, though I wish there was more about Only Superhuman.

Hmm, maybe I should've said more. But if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask them here.

 

[timothy]

can't wait for forgotten history I may have to reread ex-mechina after words.

 

[Destructor]

I love not only Christopher's work (Orion's Hounds is a fav), but his active and intelligent contribution to the boards. Three cheers!

 

[Robert D. Robot]

Hear! Hear!

 

[Pauln6]

I like the TMP era so I will keep an eye out. I think I've already accidentally missed once crossover novel from the era. I might keep an eye out and get both at the same time.

 

[Relayer1]

Christopher - its sad in a way that you seem to be stepping away from Trek for a while to do your own thing.

Whilst I really wish you every success, I hope you can keep up a Trek presence too. We already appear to have lost KRAD !

 

[Christopher]

Christopher - its sad in a way that you seem to be stepping away from Trek for a while to do your own thing.

I'm not stepping away from anything. I'm just between Trek projects at the moment and that gives me time to focus on my original stuff for a while. I've been alternating my efforts between Trek and original fiction ever since my Trek career began. Most of the writing and revision process on Only Superhuman took place in between Trek projects over the course of several years, and I wrote and sold a number of original novelettes in the interim.

 

[Relayer1]

Christopher - its sad in a way that you seem to be stepping away from Trek for a while to do your own thing.

I'm not stepping away from anything. I'm just between Trek projects at the moment and that gives me time to focus on my original stuff for a while. I've been alternating my efforts between Trek and original fiction ever since my Trek career began. Most of the writing and revision process on Only Superhuman took place in between Trek projects over the course of several years, and I wrote and sold a number of original novelettes in the interim.

Really glad to hear that

Good luck with Only Superhuman anyway ! I'll pick up a copy if it's available in the UK.

 

[TerraUnam]

Great interview, though I wish there was more about Only Superhuman.

Hmm, maybe I should've said more. But if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask them here.

Ok, first question. How superhuman are your superhumans? Are you going for strength-enhanced cyborg or technologically-enabled telepathy? Superhuman as a good thing or bad thing or what?

Curious potential reader wonders.

 

[Christopher]

Ok, first question. How superhuman are your superhumans? Are you going for strength-enhanced cyborg or technologically-enabled telepathy?

My original goal was to explore the kinds of "superpowers" that might really be possible someday with sufficiently advanced bionics, genetic engineering, and performance-enhancing suits/equipment. Basically look at the research that's going on now and extrapolate it forward. (In fact, the technology's already somewhat caught up with me since I originally conceived this series/universe over 20 years ago. I had to rework it so that the powers were somewhat more commonplace than I'd originally planned, which actually gave me a lot more material to work with.)

So it's all within the laws of physics and biology as I understand them, maybe a bit conservative in some respects. Which means no telepathy per se, but, well, we are learning a lot these days about how to read and influence brain activity...

Superhuman as a good thing or bad thing or what?

Yes. This is a Sol System where transhuman enhancement has put considerable power in the hands of many individuals, and a lot of them use that power harmfully, but others have dedicated themselves to helping and protecting. A lot of the book's thematic thrust is examining the responsibilities, limits, and abuses of power over others, whether it's physical, political, emotional, or sexual power.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Christopher, would you describe the book as hard sci-fi or is it more of a mainstream affair? I'm not sure if I'm putting it very well, but are you pitching it more in the Marvel/ DC range of accessibility or will it be more in the realm of Iain M Banks? (Or whatever range/ comparison you think is more appropriate)

 

[Defcon]

From the blog post where Christopher first announced the book:

Only Superhuman is a hard science fiction take on superhero adventure, set in the early 22nd century in an Asteroid Belt civilization where transhuman enhancements are commonplace, and a small corps of superhumans called Troubleshooters strives to keep the peace in a high frontier where law and order are often hard to find. It’s the story of Emerald Blair, a brash, sexy, action-loving young Troubleshooter who joined the corps to make amends for past sins. When her estranged father’s people, a once-heroic group whose ambitions tarnished their legacy, re-emerge seeking to bring their own brand of order to the Belt, Emerald finds herself caught between them and the Troubleshooters’ new backers, whose own pursuit of order may conceal a hidden agenda. Torn between loyalties, Emerald must make peace with her own power and its past abuses before she can distinguish the true heroes from those who crave power for their own ends.

Hope that helps.

 

[Christopher]

^ Christopher, would you describe the book as hard sci-fi or is it more of a mainstream affair? I'm not sure if I'm putting it very well, but are you pitching it more in the Marvel/ DC range of accessibility or will it be more in the realm of Iain M Banks? (Or whatever range/ comparison you think is more appropriate)

Hopefully both. It's a hard-SF universe, as grounded and credible as I can make it, but it's a big, flamboyant story with lots of action and humor and tries to capture the fun and adventure of superhero comics. It's at once a critical exploration and a celebration of superhero comics and their tropes, characters, and ideas. I've tried to come up with a credible scenario in which superheroes could emerge as an effective crimefighting phenomenon, to embrace the idea and make it believable, while still exploring the questions and problems raised by their existence.

What I want, ideally, is to bridge the gap between the two. I want it to be a book that makes hard SF accessible for superhero fans (the way I've tried to make it accessible for Trek fans) as well as a book that makes superhero literature accessible and respectable for hard SF fans.

Basically, it's not too different from the level of science and worldbuilding in my Trek novels (but without the more fanciful elements) or the level of action and humor in my Marvel superhero novels. The main difference is that it's rather more adult (in terms of sexual content and language) than either.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Sounds good. Thanks for the reply and good luck with it. I'll check it out.