The Captain's Daughter

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Smiley, Oct 6, 2007.

  1. Smiley

    Smiley Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This novel does a great job of fleshing out the characters of Hikaru, Demora, and John Harriman. The flashbacks with Sulu bonding (or not) with his daughter are packed with reality and feeling, and they contrast well to the somewhat fantastic elements of his adventures in the Saharan city and the final escape. Almost all of the elements that make Peter David's work so enjoyable are present. The exception is a worthy antagonist. Taine and his cronies seem to exist only to serve the plot and are not very interesting characters.

    All in all, this is a decent Trek story, and it gives greater resonance to some elements in Serpents Among the Ruins.

    7 out of 10

    So, who else here has read the book? What do you think of it?
     
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  2. Sakrysta

    Sakrysta Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Read it a couple years ago.

    Enjoyed it so much I wore Demora as my avatar for quite a while thereafter. :bolian:
     
  3. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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    I've been meaning to read this book for ages now. I even stole my mom's copy of it with the intention of reading it.

    One of these days...
     
  4. JAG

    JAG Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Your mom reads Trek? That is awesome.

    on topic. I loved that book, I reread it last year.
     
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  5. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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    Yeah, she was the one who got me into Trek literature in the first place. If she didn't own Q-Squared, I might have never gotten into Trek books. Hell, she also introduced me into New Frontier when I asked for a Trek book to take with me on a trip to DC (and she bought omnibus of the first four books).

    And she read the books because her father did. I'm a third generation Trekkie. :D
     
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  6. Vic Sixx

    Vic Sixx Commodore Commodore

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    I remember reading it years ago, and liked it alot. Peter David can weave a nice story.
     
  7. KRAD

    KRAD Keith R.A. DeCandido Admiral

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    Hey, my parents were the ones who got me into Trek in the first place, also.
     
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  8. mjhetz

    mjhetz Ensign Red Shirt

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    Hey, my parents were the ones who got me into Trek in the first place, also.

    I feel so flipping old right now..............

    Mary Jane
    ;)
     
  9. Lorraine Anderson

    Lorraine Anderson Writer Red Shirt

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    My Mom wouldn't let me watch TOS until it came out
    on reruns. Then I got her interested...
     
  10. Csalem

    Csalem Commodore Commodore

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    Good book that weaves a nice story through events in the Trek movies. Good book for Harriman whom I am a fan off.
     
  11. Worf2DS9

    Worf2DS9 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    This is a novel I've always enjoyed and I've read a couple of times. It was great to see the backstory of Sulu and Demora.
     
  12. Captaindemotion

    Captaindemotion Admiral Admiral

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    A cracking book. I particularly love some of the typically David-esque jokes - the Mr Spock v Dr Spock one and the priceless Captain Bateman/ Frasier Crane in-joke. But of course, the novel is much more than that - it's a darn good story, with great characterisation for Sulu, Chekov and Uhura.

    Much as I love the NF books, I wish PAD would write some more TOS era novels. Especially Captain Sulu ones!
     
  13. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    I haven't read it yet, but I own it, and I'm looking forward to eventually reading it. I'm fascinated by the Enterprise-B/Excelsior era since I really like those "lost eras" (not just the Lost Era books). That's why I was so interested in "Of Gods and Men," but that's a different story.
     
  14. RookieBatman

    RookieBatman Commodore Commodore

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    I once remarked in another thread how PAD seems to like incorporating TOS concepts in NF (such as Arex and Morgan Primus being Number One), and I wonder if he'd ever consider doing another book-only series in the TOS era. Controversary aside, even accepting that Vanguard is popular and worth continuing, since that series has a darker tone, I see no reason why there couldn't be another book-only series in the TOS era, but of a lighter tone.
    Just a thought; probably never happen, but I can dream.
     
  15. DarthPipes

    DarthPipes Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I read this a couple of years ago and I liked it quite a bit.
     
  16. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    I read it when it was first published, so I can't say I remember the details well, but I do remember that I enjoyed the hell out of it.
     
  17. mastadge

    mastadge Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I honestly can't remember whether I read this when it came out or whether my friend read it and gushed about it -- maybe both? -- but I'm about to delve into a Lost Era read so I thought I'd give this proto-Lost Era novel a(nother) whirl. About halfway through now, and it sure is Peter David. Slick read, lots of humor, comic pacing, and a bunch of male gaze-y stuff that hasn't aged well -- a young officer fretting about chocolate making her fat before going berserk and attacking her CO naked. An extended discussion, following a meet cute and extended action sequence, about how every (male) adventurer needs a "mystery woman" in his life. Erm, okay. It is nice to get a bite more inside Sulu's head -- and into Harriman's, even if he is pretty mopey so far. One surprising thing is -- again, about halfway through -- how slight the story is. We've zipped through pages but not a lot has actually happened. I first became a PAD fan with stuff like Vendetta, Imzadi, and Q-Squared, which, whatever their faults, were pretty hefty, so this much sleeker story is a bit of a surprise. Maybe it gets a little denser as it goes on and starts pulling together.
     
  18. Kilana2

    Kilana2 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I always enjoyed the novels featuring Demora, Sulu and Harriman.
     
  19. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I read this novel back in the '90s and I enjoyed it. I got to see more of Harriman and Demora and with an interesting mystery so I was pleased.
     
  20. GaryH

    GaryH Commander Red Shirt

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    I really enjoyed this when it came out. I hope the new approach to classic ranges means David gets invited to write a new standalone novel.