Audiobooks note

[Smitty]

As has been discussed there are new unabridged Star Trek books released on Audible and elsewhere. I have moaned about the fact that there was hardly any available (unabridged) here in the past. Having said that I bought all three tonight. Not sure when I will start them as I am 3/4 way through a large fiction (not sf which is unusual for me) before I can start.
Anyway, very happy about this. I hope they do well enough that they consider making audiobooks of some of the older/more recent books.

 

[Destructor]

Which books?

 

[Avro Arrow]

Since they mentioned "new" and "three", I'm guessing they're referring to the Legacies trilogy, but...

 

[JWolf]

Since they mentioned "new" and "three", I'm guessing they're referring to the Legacies trilogy, but...

Yes, the audiobooks are of the Legacies Trilogy.

 

[Smitty]

Yes, sorry I did not specify. It is the Legacies trilogy that I was talking about.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Unabridged audios (Simon & Schuster Audioworks):

"Star Trek" by Alan Dean Foster, read by Zachary Quinto, 2009, approx. 480 min. (of the trade paperback novelization.)
"Sarek" by AC Crispin, read by Nick Sullivan, 2012 (Re-release of 2001 Chivers/BBC version, now by S & S Audio via Audible Frontiers download), approx. 879 min. (of the hardcover.)
"Star Trek Into Darkness" by Alan Dean Foster, read by Alice Eve, 2013, approx. 535 min. (of the trade paperback novelization.)
"Legacies, Book 1: Captain to Captain" by Greg Cox, read by Robert Petkoff, 2016, approx. 579 min. (Audio download of the Mass Market Paperback.)
"Legacies, Book 2: Best Defense" by David Mack, read by Robert Petkoff, 2016, approx. xxx min. (Audio download of the MMPB.)
"Legacies, Book 3: Purgatory's Key" by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore, read by Robert Petkoff, 2016, approx. xxx min. (Audio download of the MMPB.)

There are also some (by comparison, very expensive) unabridged titles, but not from Simon & Schuster Audioworks:

"The Physics of Star Trek" by Lawrence M. Krauss, read by Larry McKeever, Books on Tape, 1996, approx 390 min. (of the non-fiction hardcover.)
"Sarek" by AC Crispin, read by Nick Sullivan, Chivers Sound Library/BBC Audiobooks America, 2001, approx. 879 min. (of the hardcover.)
"Star Trek Nemesis" by J.M. Dillard, read by Grover Gardner, Chivers Sound Library/BBC Audiobooks America, 2002, 347 min. (of the hardcover novelization.)
"Vulcan's Soul, Book 1: Exodus" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, read by Richard Poe, Recorded Books, 2004, 510 min. (of the hardcover.)
"Vulcan's Soul, Book 2: Exiles" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, read by Richard Poe, Recorded Books, 2006, 630 min. (of the hardcover.)
"Vulcan's Soul, Book 3: Epiphany" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz, read by Richard Poe, Recorded Books, 2007, 694 min. (of the hardcover.)

http://therinofandor.blogspot.com.au/2007/05/i-hear-star-trek.html

 

[borgboy]

Vulcan's Soul book Three is available from Audible. List price is $23 but if you're a member you can get it for a credit, which is around $9-11 depending on your account.
http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fa...f=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1473479538&sr=1-1

 

[STMSTS]

The thought of an unabridged audio of the Nemesis novelization sends chills down my spine.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The thought of an unabridged audio of the Nemesis novelization sends chills down my spine.

I was never able to track it down. I remember it was hugely expensive at the time, and I was content with my Simon & Schuster version of "Star Trek Nemesis", as read by Boyd Gaines (180 min.).

After I found the Chivers/BBS unabridged "Sarek" as an ex-library offering, on Amazon's second-hand market, I tried to track down the unabridged Grover Gardner "Nemesis", but ended up with an ex-library edition of... the abridged "Star Trek Nemesis", as read by Boyd Gaines. Internally identical to what I had, but in a library case.

BTW just for fun, one day, I looked up Boyd Gaines on IMDb. I hadn't realised I had seen his work on screen before. He and Valeris actually have a shared past. ("Porky's").

 

[revolution22]

Does Krauss actually discuss physics in that book? Or is he just trying to rationalize and apologize for what the Star Trek writers wrote? What I mean is, does he discuss actual warp theories? Or does he try to explain why "Next Phase" Geordi and Ro can walk through walls, yet still breathe and not pass through the floor?

 

[David cgc]

The former. The book is way more "physics" than "Star Trek."

 

[Smitty]

Just started "Captain to Captain" on my morning commute today. So excited! Narration is pretty good I think. Only to chapter three but love the story so far. I hope these audiobooks are very successful (I already bought all three of the series) so that the powers that be consider not only doing Audio for all new books but also to go back and give the treatment to the older stuff as well.

 

[Admiral Rex]

Let's hope sales are big enough for these three audiobooks to keep doing more.

 

[Christopher]

The former. The book is way more "physics" than "Star Trek."

Yes. The idea of The Science of [Insert Franchise Here] books like that is to use the fictional franchise as a launching point for a discussion of real physics (usually about how the fictional franchise got it completely wrong and how it would actually work instead). It's the old trick of using the fiction to get people's attention so you can try to teach them something about reality.

 

[Destructor]

Yes. The idea of The Science of [Insert Franchise Here] books like that is to use the fictional franchise as a launching point for a discussion of real physics (usually about how the fictional franchise got it completely wrong and how it would actually work instead). It's the old trick of using the fiction to get people's attention so you can try to teach them something about reality.

But at least Star Trek tries to have a consistent scientific viewpoint and tries to maintain the technology in a way that's theoretically coherent and somewhat realistic within it's own sci-fi confines. The 'Science of Star Wars' book is stretching the point a bit because Star Wars doesn't really have a consistent view on science.

 

[Christopher]

But at least Star Trek tries to have a consistent scientific viewpoint and tries to maintain the technology in a way that's theoretically coherent and somewhat realistic within it's own sci-fi confines.

In theory, yes, but in practice, it varies depending on who's in charge.

But yes, when you get into books based on the "science" of Star Wars or Doctor Who or whatever, then it's really stretching the point.

 

[JD]

I'm surprised they could find enough science in Star Wars to put together one chapter, much less a whole book. I pretty much view Star Wars as fantasy that just happens to borrow some sci-fi surface elements. Trade spaceships for horses, lightsabers for metal swords, and elves, goblins, trolls, ect for aliens and it would easily be a LOTR style epic fantasy.

 

[Christopher]

I pretty much view Star Wars as fantasy that just happens to borrow some sci-fi surface elements. Trade spaceships for horses, lightsabers for metal swords, and elves, goblins, trolls, ect for aliens and it would easily be a LOTR style epic fantasy.

So does George Lucas. He never intended it to be science fiction; his own term for it is space fantasy. It's essentially in what's called the "sword-and-planet" genre, things like John Carter of Mars and Flash Gordon that take swashbuckling sword-and-sorcery tropes and transpose them to a fanciful outer-space setting. Heck, the opening text, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is a riff on the standard fairy-tale opening "A long time ago in a land far, far away." It's explicitly telling us up front that Star Wars is a space-age fairy tale.

 

[Stevil2001]

Has anyone ever bought audio downloads direct from SimonandSchuster.com? With the code StarTrek, they're 50% off. I'm tempted by the Sulu audios, which I've never heard, but what kind of format do the downloads come in? I can't find any info on the site.

EDIT: http://www.startrekbooks.com/search/books/Format-Audio-Books/_/N-i8z/Ne-i7h

 

[Dayton Ward]

When I bought one the other day, it gave me the option of downloading it to iTunes, but you still use their app to handle the transfer and library/account functions.