Spoilers TOS: The Rings of Time by Greg Cox Review Thread
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Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
While that certainly is possible, Zoe/Qat simply struck me as a different character. We do know other Qs have interacted with people from our dimensional plane. Guinan seemed to imply she met others when she said some Qs are almost respectable. Of course, that could also mean Guinan had been to the Continuum...
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
I enjoyed this. Coming off The Scar by China Mieville, it was a relatively light and breezy read. The central mysteries were interesting enough to carry the plot along, and I enjoyed the character interactions, especially the 2020 characters. I was leaning towards voting this above average, but I thought the slightly deus ex machina ending brought the book down slightly. Not enough to be considered just average, so I'm floating between the two options.
I enjoyed this. Coming off The Scar by China Mieville, it was a relatively light and breezy read. The central mysteries were interesting enough to carry the plot along, and I enjoyed the character interactions, especially the 2020 characters. I was leaning towards voting this above average, but I thought the slightly deus ex machina ending brought the book down slightly. Not enough to be considered just average, so I'm floating between the two options.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Nice review. Thanks for the link.
Odd question: is "blind passenger" another way of saying "stowaway" or did you think that Zoe was supposed to be blind? 'Cause I don't remember writing her that way!
Nice review. Thanks for the link.
Odd question: is "blind passenger" another way of saying "stowaway" or did you think that Zoe was supposed to be blind? 'Cause I don't remember writing her that way!
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Yeah, I guess this is one of those cases where I just translated a German term in my head ("Blinder Passagier", which has the same meaning as stowaway) without checking if the equivalent even exists in English.
ETA: The sentence in question has been corrected.
Nice review. Thanks for the link.
Odd question: is "blind passenger" another way of saying "stowaway" or did you think that Zoe was supposed to be blind? 'Cause I don't remember writing her that way!
Yeah, I guess this is one of those cases where I just translated a German term in my head ("Blinder Passagier", which has the same meaning as stowaway) without checking if the equivalent even exists in English.
ETA: The sentence in question has been corrected.
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Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Interesting! I was wondering if maybe I had written something that could be misunderstood.
True story: years ago I sold a short story in which I failed to specify that the first-person narrator was female. Imagine my surprise when someone praised the story for including a gay love scene!
"Wait, you thought the narrator was a guy . . . ? "
Nice review. Thanks for the link.
Odd question: is "blind passenger" another way of saying "stowaway" or did you think that Zoe was supposed to be blind? 'Cause I don't remember writing her that way!
Yeah, I guess this is one of those cases where I just translated a German term in my head ("Blinder Passagier", which has the same meaning as stowaway) without checking if the equivalent even exists in English.
ETA: The sentence in question has been corrected.
Interesting! I was wondering if maybe I had written something that could be misunderstood.
True story: years ago I sold a short story in which I failed to specify that the first-person narrator was female. Imagine my surprise when someone praised the story for including a gay love scene!
"Wait, you thought the narrator was a guy . . . ? "
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Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
You should have rolled with it, perhaps with a flippant "well, they don't call me Cox for nothing". But that might not have gone over well.
This 'joke' was terrible. I didn't think it through at all. Wow.
You should have rolled with it, perhaps with a flippant "well, they don't call me Cox for nothing". But that might not have gone over well.
This 'joke' was terrible. I didn't think it through at all. Wow.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
FWIW, it solicited a chuckle out of me. Then again, what does that say about me?
FWIW, it solicited a chuckle out of me. Then again, what does that say about me?
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Well, you should say you meant to do that, so that the reader can imagine the viewpoint character as whatever sex they want. Kinda like Shepard in the Mass Effect computer game.
Well, you should say you meant to do that, so that the reader can imagine the viewpoint character as whatever sex they want. Kinda like Shepard in the Mass Effect computer game.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
I believe it was Josepha Sherman who once pointed out that my old scifi vampire anthology would be listed in a card catalog as "Tomorrow Sucks, Cox."
As God is my witness, that wasn't intentional . . . .
I believe it was Josepha Sherman who once pointed out that my old scifi vampire anthology would be listed in a card catalog as "Tomorrow Sucks, Cox."
As God is my witness, that wasn't intentional . . . .
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
My review is now up at Shiny Shelf:
http://www.shinyshelf.com/2012/02/23/star-trek-rings-time/
My review is now up at Shiny Shelf:
http://www.shinyshelf.com/2012/02/23/star-trek-rings-time/
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Just finished reading it, and I loved the way it segued into Christopher's Forgotten History, plus the major revelation at the end. I'm sure Picard would have had some choice words. I gave the book an Outstanding because I thought it was well crafted and sent me to the books looking up the Hexagon. What a wonderful tale.
What's next for you, Greg?
And do you know when the next CSI novel is due?
Just finished reading it, and I loved the way it segued into Christopher's Forgotten History, plus the major revelation at the end. I'm sure Picard would have had some choice words. I gave the book an Outstanding because I thought it was well crafted and sent me to the books looking up the Hexagon. What a wonderful tale.
What's next for you, Greg?
And do you know when the next CSI novel is due?
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
^ Thanks! Glad you liked the book.
Coming up this summer I've got Riese: Kingdom Falling, a prequel to the Syfy webseries, then I've got a few other tie-in books I'm not at liberty to discuss yet.
Trek-wise, I'm hoping to do another TOS book, but nothing's definite yet.
^ Thanks! Glad you liked the book.
Coming up this summer I've got Riese: Kingdom Falling, a prequel to the Syfy webseries, then I've got a few other tie-in books I'm not at liberty to discuss yet.
Trek-wise, I'm hoping to do another TOS book, but nothing's definite yet.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
I agree.
I finished Rings of Time last week. I enjoyed the story...up until the end.
The finale just seemed rushed, and a bit of a cop-out, with no explanation as to the true nature of the probe, why Zoe/Qat was toying with Kirk and Christopher, etc.
I've loved Greg Cox's other novels, so it was a shame that this one fell flat in my opinion. Oh well.
I agree.
The end was rushed and there were a number of convenient happenings - time travel to retrieve Christopher/Kirk, Spock mind transferrence, the fact that Christopher was able to use the phasers to match the pulses he'd remembered. I enjoyed the story though.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Just finished again. I still think the ending was too contrived, but the injection of current cultural references made it avove average.
Just finished again. I still think the ending was too contrived, but the injection of current cultural references made it avove average.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
I gave it outstanding as well, reading it felt like a good old TOS episode. Loved the idea of the Hexagon that was used, that thing is mysterious anyway & made for a great idea in the story.
I gave it outstanding as well, reading it felt like a good old TOS episode. Loved the idea of the Hexagon that was used, that thing is mysterious anyway & made for a great idea in the story.
Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Reminds me of a story an old co-worker used to tell about his ex.
Cox cable had a self-install cable modem kit at the local best buy. They (stupidly) marketed it as "Cox in a box." (Feel free to chuckle here.)
She went in to Best Buy and asked for "A box of cox."
Her excuse was "Well I remembered it was something perverted."
Reminds me of a story an old co-worker used to tell about his ex.
Cox cable had a self-install cable modem kit at the local best buy. They (stupidly) marketed it as "Cox in a box." (Feel free to chuckle here.)
She went in to Best Buy and asked for "A box of cox."
Her excuse was "Well I remembered it was something perverted."Re: TOS: The Rings of Time Review Thread
Anyhow about the book.
I loved it. Could not put it down.
I have to say, Greg, your novels have gotten steadily better. Your early work, a decade or so ago, was slightly above average but not particularly memorable. (Slightly better than average novels during a particularly mediocre stretch in treklit.) But the Khan books really grabbed me, they were some of the best Trek I ever read.
This one felt like a continuation of that, it really was at the same level.
Normally these days a book takes me weeks to read but this one had me up late nights, finishing it in just a few days. I couldn't put it down. Last book that did that for me was the DTI book. (What can I say, I'm a sucker for time travel.)
I also couldn't get this song out of my head.
The Zoe / Qat connection was interesting. I think it was the names (both halves of Zoe Saldana, with the S changed to a Z) so I had them connected somehow. I had them portrayed mentally by the same actress (even though Qat's face was hidden) in my mind from the start. Couldn't say why though. So for me the ending was "Ah-ha!" The funny thing was, it both completely took me by surprise and made total sense given the connections my mind had made.
For a while I thought Zoe might be Rain Robinson, Aegis agent (as established in the Khan books) but the age would have been all wrong. She'd have been closer to Shaun's age. My brain sort of cast her and Qat as a weird combination of Zoe Saldana and Sarah Silverman, if you can picture that.
So I'm guessing by the initials (Z/Q and Q/Z) that she was intended to be a Q. Makes sense although she showed a lot more restraint about using her powers than the other Q we've seen. Anyhow, I thought it was a very clever ending.
Anyhow about the book.
I loved it. Could not put it down.
I have to say, Greg, your novels have gotten steadily better. Your early work, a decade or so ago, was slightly above average but not particularly memorable. (Slightly better than average novels during a particularly mediocre stretch in treklit.) But the Khan books really grabbed me, they were some of the best Trek I ever read.
This one felt like a continuation of that, it really was at the same level.
Normally these days a book takes me weeks to read but this one had me up late nights, finishing it in just a few days. I couldn't put it down. Last book that did that for me was the DTI book. (What can I say, I'm a sucker for time travel.)
I also couldn't get this song out of my head.
The Zoe / Qat connection was interesting. I think it was the names (both halves of Zoe Saldana, with the S changed to a Z) so I had them connected somehow. I had them portrayed mentally by the same actress (even though Qat's face was hidden) in my mind from the start. Couldn't say why though. So for me the ending was "Ah-ha!" The funny thing was, it both completely took me by surprise and made total sense given the connections my mind had made.
For a while I thought Zoe might be Rain Robinson, Aegis agent (as established in the Khan books) but the age would have been all wrong. She'd have been closer to Shaun's age. My brain sort of cast her and Qat as a weird combination of Zoe Saldana and Sarah Silverman, if you can picture that.
So I'm guessing by the initials (Z/Q and Q/Z) that she was intended to be a Q. Makes sense although she showed a lot more restraint about using her powers than the other Q we've seen. Anyhow, I thought it was a very clever ending.
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