I know that they can all be read separately and I've read the review threads for the individual books but how are they all as a series?
How is The Fall series as a whole?
- Thread starter Seven of eleven
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I thought it was quite good. My favourites being Una's book, and David Mack's book. James Swallow's Titan book was my third favourite. DRG3's book gets some flack, but I enjoyed it. Saying that...it's the only one that feels out of place with the others...except for the incident that sets off the rest of the series. His book worked better as a new DS9 launch point. I can't wait for the follow up to it 
I have to disagree with the marketing spiel that says you can read just any of them, just don't think that's accurate at all given how the stories work.
Each does attempt to ensure a reader has what they need to know for the part of the story, but if you ask what then? The answer will be: In the other books.
As to the series: I didn't find Dust and Revelations as bad as some, Crimson Shadow deserves it's top spot, Ceremony of Sorrows was very good, but a little too dark for me and I didn't find Poisoned Chalice or Peaceable Kingdoms to be all that, necessary pieces of the whole? Certainly, but didn't enjoy them that much - though Picard's end speech in Peaceable Kingdoms is great.
I'd agree it's a very good relay effort, you get the sense that this was a collaboration in every sense of the word - doesn't always happen elsewhere, one of the things I like about the Trek books a lot.
Each does attempt to ensure a reader has what they need to know for the part of the story, but if you ask what then? The answer will be: In the other books.
As to the series: I didn't find Dust and Revelations as bad as some, Crimson Shadow deserves it's top spot, Ceremony of Sorrows was very good, but a little too dark for me and I didn't find Poisoned Chalice or Peaceable Kingdoms to be all that, necessary pieces of the whole? Certainly, but didn't enjoy them that much - though Picard's end speech in Peaceable Kingdoms is great.
I'd agree it's a very good relay effort, you get the sense that this was a collaboration in every sense of the word - doesn't always happen elsewhere, one of the things I like about the Trek books a lot.
Flawed and arguably not as successful with its premise as it should be, but nonetheless very good. Strong novels, which move the meta-narrative forward in a pleasing way, and which tell some compelling stories. There are some problems with how it all hangs together; it's one-and-a-third novels about Cardassia, one-and-a-third-novels about Andor, and two-and-a-third novels about the Federation, with the all-important links not always as tight as they should be - ambitious, in a way, in that this is not one plot but several that intertwine as the galaxy passes through a particular period of uncertainty, but it does make the series feel a little unfocused. There's not enough examination of a certain character's new position after the book in which it happens, making some of the overall thematic conclusions a bit uncomfortable, and the final book isn't quite up to the quality of those that came before it. Still, it does a very good job moving the Cardassian and Andorian arcs into their next (final?) phase and conclusion, respectively, and I enjoyed the series very much.
In terms of specific books: Book one is wonderfully written, but feels distanced from the rest of the series - as an entry in the Trek Lit meta-story it's great, as part of The Fall a bit of an oddity, like it's setting up the series while passing through on its way to somewhere else. The second book is very good, but feels a bit isolated from the next three and winds up thematically a little troublesome because of it. The third book is fantastic and concludes a long-running arc in memorable fashion, and was my favourite. The fourth has some wonderful dialogue in the second half and does a good job tying threads from the first three together, and conveys a great sense of the general mood following the event in book one that the series hinges on. The fifth wraps it up well enough but lacks the necessary brilliance to really sell the overall point.
In short: good novels, enjoyable series, could have been better but I'm not complaining.
In terms of specific books: Book one is wonderfully written, but feels distanced from the rest of the series - as an entry in the Trek Lit meta-story it's great, as part of The Fall a bit of an oddity, like it's setting up the series while passing through on its way to somewhere else. The second book is very good, but feels a bit isolated from the next three and winds up thematically a little troublesome because of it. The third book is fantastic and concludes a long-running arc in memorable fashion, and was my favourite. The fourth has some wonderful dialogue in the second half and does a good job tying threads from the first three together, and conveys a great sense of the general mood following the event in book one that the series hinges on. The fifth wraps it up well enough but lacks the necessary brilliance to really sell the overall point.
In short: good novels, enjoyable series, could have been better but I'm not complaining.
Rocky. And I don't think the storyline held together IMHO.
Revelations and Dust had a great introduction to the new DS9 and setup the prime plot point for the rest of the series, but it didn't feel finished in it's own right. I realize that as part of a multi-part story that not everything should be resolved, but this didn't even feel like Part 1 of 5 or something but more like, "ran out of time or a page limit" and it just ended.
Crimson Shadow is generally regarded as the best of the them and I think it hangs together quite well. Much Cardassian intrigue and dealing with more characters and deepens the metaplot believably.
A Ceremony of Losses is in my opinion, the best by far. It hangs fairly well as a standalone story and is just relentlessly awesome. At each page turn I was shocked and amazed at what happened next. Highest praise.
Poisoned Chalice and Peaceable Kingdoms run together somewhat in my head. I think what takes the air out of the series is a very anti-climatic resolution. There are so many red herrings tossed out over the course of the stories that the actual perpetrator actually turns out to be the least interesting.
What I am most happy about is the aftermath of this seems to take the emphasis off of dark political drama and cold war mentality to a return of exploration.
Revelations and Dust had a great introduction to the new DS9 and setup the prime plot point for the rest of the series, but it didn't feel finished in it's own right. I realize that as part of a multi-part story that not everything should be resolved, but this didn't even feel like Part 1 of 5 or something but more like, "ran out of time or a page limit" and it just ended.
Crimson Shadow is generally regarded as the best of the them and I think it hangs together quite well. Much Cardassian intrigue and dealing with more characters and deepens the metaplot believably.
A Ceremony of Losses is in my opinion, the best by far. It hangs fairly well as a standalone story and is just relentlessly awesome. At each page turn I was shocked and amazed at what happened next. Highest praise.
Poisoned Chalice and Peaceable Kingdoms run together somewhat in my head. I think what takes the air out of the series is a very anti-climatic resolution. There are so many red herrings tossed out over the course of the stories that the actual perpetrator actually turns out to be the least interesting.
What I am most happy about is the aftermath of this seems to take the emphasis off of dark political drama and cold war mentality to a return of exploration.
If you're a fan of Garak, promote it up your to-read list!
Not much of a DS9 fan in general. So it'll probably be sitting in the pile for a while.
Not much of a DS9 fan in general. So it'll probably be sitting in the pile for a while.
It's all about Cardassian intrigue and politics. If it's not your thing, it actually is (in my opinion) the most skippable of all of the Fall. It's a good book, but far from necessary for enjoying the rest of the Fall and understanding all of it.
Good, but flawed.
DRGIII did a great job at setting up some new storylines for future novels, and introduced the new DS9 to us. But there are two storylines running in the book, one that is the set-up for the rest of The Fall, the other one is for future books. Although the second storyline had a very unusual ending and makes us want more about that, in itself it was a bit dragging and dull.
Una's novel is simply amazing.
David gave us something very bold and daring I think, with some characters making some hard calls. The final few chapters were very thrilling.
James' novel was very different from the rest, almost a 90's spy-thriller, which I really loved. One of my favorite TrekLit novels.
Dayton's novel is the one I'm still not sure about. It was a bit difficult to get through, the ultimate pay-off.... I dunno. I need to reread that one I think.
DRGIII did a great job at setting up some new storylines for future novels, and introduced the new DS9 to us. But there are two storylines running in the book, one that is the set-up for the rest of The Fall, the other one is for future books. Although the second storyline had a very unusual ending and makes us want more about that, in itself it was a bit dragging and dull.
Una's novel is simply amazing.
David gave us something very bold and daring I think, with some characters making some hard calls. The final few chapters were very thrilling.
James' novel was very different from the rest, almost a 90's spy-thriller, which I really loved. One of my favorite TrekLit novels.
Dayton's novel is the one I'm still not sure about. It was a bit difficult to get through, the ultimate pay-off.... I dunno. I need to reread that one I think.
Oh God, I really hope not.
After 20 something seasons and literally hundreds if novels, plus the ongoing TOS, Titan and Voyager novels AND the new Seekers series, the last thing we need is yet more ******* exploration.
Planet of the week, yay...
Although I do want serialized novels, following a longer storyline set out over more then one novel, I'm kinda done with all the gloom and doom lately. Everything has been about the constant threat of war lately. I could do with a more positive view of our future.
You must be one of the few here not excited about Seekers then....
I'm in a minority I hadn't realized to which I belonged (won't be the first time): I thought Revelation and Dust was great, not slow but thoughtful and rich, and both introduced the narrative premise of the miniseries and pushed the DS9 story forward in a rewarding but not fulfilling (yet) way.
All the novels had something interesting about them; only Peaceable Kingdoms was a bit disappointing. Since it's been a while and my memory is a bit shredded, I think it was due to the fact that so many BIG things happened in the first four books, leaving what did happen at the end of PK to be a bit underwhelming . . . and the direction of exploration espoused at the end left me fearing that the richness of the novels for the past decade-plus might be lost in favor of more self-contained stories.
I love Trek, but I've made myself buy the TOS books that have been published the last couple of years, and in most cases I found them flat or boring, William Leisner's The Shocks of Adversity being a delightful and unexpected exception. Occasional dips into TOS would be fine, and I find both the 2380s, the political intrigue, the expanded Trek universe, and the 2160s, the untold stories of the Federation and its internal and external conflicts, far more compelling. That being said, I love having new novels set in the Lost Era, too.
All the novels had something interesting about them; only Peaceable Kingdoms was a bit disappointing. Since it's been a while and my memory is a bit shredded, I think it was due to the fact that so many BIG things happened in the first four books, leaving what did happen at the end of PK to be a bit underwhelming . . . and the direction of exploration espoused at the end left me fearing that the richness of the novels for the past decade-plus might be lost in favor of more self-contained stories.
I love Trek, but I've made myself buy the TOS books that have been published the last couple of years, and in most cases I found them flat or boring, William Leisner's The Shocks of Adversity being a delightful and unexpected exception. Occasional dips into TOS would be fine, and I find both the 2380s, the political intrigue, the expanded Trek universe, and the 2160s, the untold stories of the Federation and its internal and external conflicts, far more compelling. That being said, I love having new novels set in the Lost Era, too.
No, I'm looking forward to it. I like the authors and characters.
Although I far prefer the political stuff, there is obviously a niche for exploration, which is being more than catered for at the moment.
What I really don't want is TNG, DS9 etc. going that way too.
PS - I REALLY liked Titan being recalled to Earth...
So about season 2 maybe 3 at the latest then.
Honestly I think all the hype is based on the misconception that Star Trek sole focus was on exploration when it was just one on many different story types Trek did.
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