Book vs. TV

[RookieBatman]

I like best the best of each (most novels are worse than most episodes, for what it's worth), but find that the best of the novels tends to outshine the best of the television series (Vanguard, A Time To Heal, Rising Son, Twilight, A Stitch In Time, etc.). Then again, the novels lack William Shatner, Nicole de Boer, DeForest Kelly, and Johnathan Frakes.

I didn't want to be negative so I didn't say it, but that's pretty much exactly how I feel. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when you hit some of the books that are really low, but when you hit the book that reads like it was written just for you, it's all worth it.
I don't agree as much about that last line, because I'm pretty good at "hearing" the actors saying the dialogue in the books most of the time. It's still not quite the same, but pretty close sometimes.

 

[TGTheodore]

Different types of stories lend themselves better to one form over the other.

It's hard to compare TOS to novels because the original TV series was far more limited in what it could produce visually. Novels have no budget or SFX concerns so can go places TV cannot. (Although that has greatly evened out over the last 30 years.)

Also, structure is completely different. TV usually must have five mini-cliffhangers built-in. While novels are structured, they can be much more variable than the TV shows.

I like both, but don't have the time to read a lot of novels.

--Ted

 

[tmclough]

I generally prefer TV, for at least a couple of reasons:

1) I'm a slow reader, so a book can take several weeks to read, as opposed to a TV episode, which can be finished in under an hour, even with interruptions.

2) I'm mostly a visual thinker. This is a major reason, I believe, why I couldn't finish the first four New Frontier books--because I couldn't "see" all the new characters, and had difficulty keeping them straight. I was reluctant at first to read The Eugenics Wars (a Christmas present) for this same reason, but so far I haven't had a problem. (This discrepancy might be explained by the fact that in TEW, all the new characters (except Gary Seven) are humans, with a familiar nationality, as opposed to an unfamiliar home planet.)

All that said, I still like novels, in part because I like to think of them as detailed "episodes" that were never on TV. Also, they help keep me away from my computer and the Internet.

 

[Smiley]

I'm mostly a visual thinker. This is a major reason, I believe, why I couldn't finish the first four New Frontier books--because I couldn't "see" all the new characters, and had difficulty keeping them straight.

Pretty much every NF character is now either on a cover or in the Starfleet Academy books.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Pretty much every NF character is now either on a cover or in the Starfleet Academy books.

And, as PAD liked to remind everyone, he worked very closely with the artist on Wildstorm's NF comic, "Double Time", and considers those renditions of the main characters to be "definitive". PAD was never happy with the novel cover artists' attempts at portraying Zak Kebron, because everyone kept trying to give the guy a neck!

 

[tmclough]

Pretty much every NF character is now either on a cover or in the Starfleet Academy books.

Unfortunately, I'm also a slow thinker in a lot of ways. Looking at a bunch of covers wouldn't be enough to digest the information about the characters' looks.

And, as PAD liked to remind everyone, he worked very closely with the artist on Wildstorm's NF comic, "Double Time", and considers those renditions of the main characters to be "definitive".

I have, however, thought of someday getting a few New Frontier comics, as you have reminded me. This would be much more like watching several TV episodes, and learning the characters more gradually. Or so I hope.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I have, however, thought of someday getting a few New Frontier comics, as you have reminded me. This would be much more like watching several TV episodes, and learning the characters more gradually. Or so I hope.

Well, Wildstorm's "Double Time" is long out of print, although the second hand omnibus version, "Other Realities" - with two other ST stories plus "Double Time" - is often half the price of the original. Hopefully it'll also be in the upcoming ST comics CD-ROM collection that was mentioned in the other thread.

In about November, IDW is releasing an omnibus of the current NF comic mini-series. Or you can get the first two issues, out now.

 

[Leaf]

Which format I choose usually depends on how much time I have. If I'm busy or stressed and want a quick Startrek hit, tv all the way.

If I have time and want to relax, then I pick up a book.

 

[RookieBatman]

Hopefully it'll also be in the upcoming ST comics CD-ROM collection that was mentioned in the other thread.

The other nice thing about this being in the CD-ROM collection is that one could then pick out a single depiction of each character and paste them all together onto a homemade bookmark for quick visual reference while reading the novels.

 

[Rabid Trekkie]

Which format I choose usually depends on how much time I have. If I'm busy or stressed and want a quick Startrek hit, tv all the way.

If I have time and want to relax, then I pick up a book.

This is generally my experience as well. Sometimes I just don't have time to start getting involved in a book, or the bookshelf just seems really far away, so I pop in one of my favorite episodes (now own all of TOS, TNG, and four seasons of DS9) and just enjoy the acting and the cool stories.

When I'm on lunch at work though or at the house when the rest of the family is asleep, I can just kick back and enjoy how much more detail the books can provide.

 

[witchbsword]

Sounds pretty even, then. Thanks!
I have the same reasons for picking up a book or watching TV; time or other constraints.

Does anyone have any particular favorite book or would recommend some titles?

 

[JD]

Actually if you check the index, there is a favorite books thread going on right now.

 

[Mistral]

Book vs. TV

I think the TV takes it, hands down. Its bigger, heavier and just plain meaner. Although Book can take more of a punch with a lot less damage. TV has something of a "glass jaw".

 

[Cicero]

Hopefully it'll also be in the upcoming ST comics CD-ROM collection that was mentioned in the other thread.

The other nice thing about this being in the CD-ROM collection is that one could then pick out a single depiction of each character and paste them all together onto a homemade bookmark for quick visual reference while reading the novels.

Out of curiosity, why are these being released on CD rather than DVD? Are there many computers still in use which lack DVD players but have CD drives?

 

[Therin of Andor]

Out of curiosity, why are these being released on CD rather than DVD? Are there many computers still in use which lack DVD players but have CD drives?

Sure.

Most people associate DVD with moving images. And most DVDs play CD-ROMs anyway.

 

[Cicero]

Out of curiosity, why are these being released on CD rather than DVD? Are there many computers still in use which lack DVD players but have CD drives?

Sure.

Most people associate DVD with moving images. And most DVDs play CD-ROMs anyway.

But why use so many discs unnecessarily? All but the first of the Marvel comics released on discs a few years ago (now discontinued in favor of Marvel's subscription DCU service) were published on DVD rather than CD.

 

[Christopher]

Out of curiosity, why are these being released on CD rather than DVD? Are there many computers still in use which lack DVD players but have CD drives?

They are, in fact, being released on DVD-ROM, not CD-ROM.

http://www.gitcorp.com/pilot.asp?pg=newrelease

 

[RookieBatman]

I'm really curious to see the prices of those collections. Being that I have so many of the comics already, and I'd just need those to fill a few wholes, I don't think $40/50 dollars would be as good a deal for Trek as it was for Marvel (of which I had none).

 

[Christopher]

According to TrekMovie:

The Star Trek comics on DVD will be broken out into two releases; in the Fall GIT will put out the complete series priced around $50, and in early 2009 a second release featuring only Original Series comics priced around $20.

http://trekmovie.com/2008/05/01/trekink-review-stnf2-news-on-comics-dvd/

 

[Cicero]

Out of curiosity, why are these being released on CD rather than DVD? Are there many computers still in use which lack DVD players but have CD drives?

They are, in fact, being released on DVD-ROM, not CD-ROM.

http://www.gitcorp.com/pilot.asp?pg=newrelease

That makes more sense.