Perhaps for stand-alones that should be a prerequisite ('why just stand-alones?', I just asked myself). I am in the middle of a TOS rewatch (currently in the third season) so the timing for this reading was perfect.
Just finished it. Interesting Kirk Spock tactics at the end. Will have to reread it for a better evaluation.
Just put the book down and enjoyed the hell out of it. My favorite aspects were the descriptions of the Crusaders' apparel and hometown. Shiny and satiny cloth, flying cars with smooth lines, and archaic mixed with far-flung future -- they all put me into a 60s Trek frame of mind. I could even imagine the green glow of the gravity weapons being depicted in 60s TV special effects. Nicely done by the author to capture the aesthetic of TOS so well. Another high mark in the book was the chapter that detailed the pursuit and evasion of Kirk, Spock and the High Priestess (who I pictured as the super-tall actress from Game of Thrones) in the flying cars through the city. A fun roller coaster ride of a narrative -- reminded me of my visit last year to Disney World and the Star Wars ride. Again a nice bit of writing. Just an off-hand question: Does the name Elena Collins come from anything vampire-related? Just wondering.
Glad you liked the book. Honestly, I can't remember where I came up with the name Elena Collins, but it wasn't a deliberate vampire reference. More likely it has to do with the fact that I walk my dog past the Collins Funeral Home every day. True confession: I also tend to steal names from the tombstones at the local cemetery, although I mix up the first names and surnames so I don't accidentally turn somebody's dead relative into a secret Romulan sleeper agent! I also get a lot of mileage out of baby name books and lists of the local high school graduates!
Just finished the book last night. Greg has a good feel for the crew and I found the dialogue to be true to the characters. Another well done TOS book.
This was a good book, but not one of the best I have read. I liked seeing Uhura in the center seat. The characters seemed true to what I know of them. The gravity technology was an interesting idea. It flowed well and didn't seem to drag anywhere. On the other hand I have problem with the book I am not sure how to put into words... I consider myself to be a free-thinker. I was raised Mormon and resigned from the church. I identify with Spock and often wish our world had a little more logic and fewer people driven by emotions. When I started reading this book I though man, if a Christian conservative were to read this they would see it as another example of "liberal Hollywood" depicting religious people as brainwashed and having Kirk and Spock show them how wrong they are. It's not my intention to defend religion. I just can't quite describe how I feel. Almost as if it is easy and self-serving to sit and read a book that portrays religious people in a way that they might not like. I know that these are not just religious people and that they are controlled by the crown; however Star Trek stories are often comments on current worlds events and some people might see this as alluding to religious people of today. Which wouldn't be unfair given the amount of terrorism and discrimination caused by religion, or radicalized religion, but does anyone get what I am saying about it being self-serving? I'm not looking to make accusations or start an argument. I am just wondering if anyone else felt the same way or understands. So what do you think about how this book handles religion? I know I'm going to regret this :-)
^Well, the rebels within the alien society, the ones fighting against the Crusade, were themselves religious; they just disagreed with the interpretation of their faith that required forcibly converting or destroying everything that didn't fit the strict letter of its teachings. So it wasn't against religion, just against militant fundamentalism and extremism, against corrupting religion into an excuse to persecute and wage war.
^ Precisely. In fact I'd say that Mr. Cox went out of his way to offer a fair and balanced presentation of believers by making one of the original to the novel Starfleet characters religious in addition to the facts noted by Mr. Bennett.
My intention wasn't to accuse Greg Cox of making a religion bashing book. I was mostly trying to explore my own feelings about the religious element of the book by seeing if anyone else could relate and what they think.
You know,I'm tempted to sit back and see what other people have to say about the themes of the book, but I don't think it's any secret that the book is, on one level, all about pitting good, old-fashioned Star Trek multiculturalism against militant fundamentalism. And when writing the book, I at least tried to make it clear that I was criticizing fundamentalism in general, not any specific religion. And BrentMC, don't worry about bringing it up. I kinda figured that the religious elements in the book would provoke a bit of discussion at some point. (I'm actually surprised that it took this long!)
Greg, Thanks for your reply and the fun book. I sure wish that we had Spock and that crown to rid our era of radicalized religion and the violence it causes. As a Mormon-raised Freethinker I like to watch how openly non-religious people act in public, such as Ricky Gervais on twitter, or Penn Jillete on Celebrity Apprentice, to see if some celebrities can put a positive image of non-religious, Atheist etc. people in the public eye. I also try to learn what not to do in order to avoid conflict. I don't talk to my family about a lot of things because I know I won't be able to change their opinion. Getting back to the book. I enjoyed Spock braking the spell of the crown and how even the god-king changed his mind. I guess what I should have said in my first post was. "When I read this I though to myself: Greg Cox is going to hear some choice words from a few people online." I was surprised there wasn't a discussion. BTW I just saw Andy Mangles while watching Independent Lens: Wonder Women.
Oddly enough, I have yet to take any flack about the religious stuff in the book--which kinda surprises me! (And, yeah, I saw Andy on that Wonder Woman special, too!)
Um, first off, wrong, because the novels are not canon. so they died somehow. I like the irony in the statement 'Only siths speak in absolutes'
So? That doesn't mean the novels can't work out a way to work out the inconsistency. That's half the fun of the novels, using them as a way to work out these kinds of issues. I really couldn't give two craps about canonacity, I just want a good story.
It's not an inconsistancy. Doesn't matter if you give two craps about canonicity. The books aren't it.