Cataclyst Of Sorrow: Shoud I bother?

[Mage]

So, after struggling through Well Of Souls, and now having some issues with Deny Thy Father, is the last installment of TLE worth it?
The Sundered was a nice book, to me. The flashbacks were very interesting and a nice window into a period of Earth history I'd love to see more of (post WWIII).
Serpents Among The Ruins and The Art Of The Impossible are both fantastic novels, and amongst my favorite Trek novels.

But then, things seemed to go downhill. Fast. Really fast. I'm nearly done with Deny Thy Father, and I'm strangly enough NOT looking forward to Cataclyst of Sorrows.

What was the general feedback to this novel when it was first released? More positive then the previous two novels in this series?

 

[Christopher]

Well, it's actually Catalyst of Sorrows (nothing to do with cataclysms), and it's generally well-regarded. Margaret Wander Bonanno tends to write in a non-linear, stream-of-consciousness sort of style which can take some getting used to, but people tend to be fond of her books on the whole.

Since the six books were all written by different people working separately at roughly the same time, there's no reason to expect any kind of trend from one book to the next. The only reason they were published in the order they were was chronological -- CoS was published last because it falls at the latest point in the timeline.

 

[Mage]

Ah, thanks for the heads up on the title Christopher.

I do understand that the different writers all have a different appraoch, but to me Well Of Souls and Deny Thy Father don't feel like Star Trek novels. Perhaps in an original universe, with some tweaking of races and such, they could have been a lot better. But when reading Star Trek novels, I like to get a Star Trek vibe. I know it's hard to describe what I mean with that.

 

[Sci]

Ah, thanks for the heads up on the title Christopher.

I do understand that the different writers all have a different appraoch, but to me Well Of Souls and Deny Thy Father don't feel like Star Trek novels. Perhaps in an original universe, with some tweaking of races and such, they could have been a lot better. But when reading Star Trek novels, I like to get a Star Trek vibe. I know it's hard to describe what I mean with that.

Margaret Wander Bonano has been writing some of the most well-regarded Star Trek novels for decades. Dwellers in the Crucible? Strangers From the Sky? Ever heard of them?

I'd recommend Catalyst of Sorrows whole-heartedly.

 

[ICW]

It was a pretty decent read. I would give it a chance.

 

[Warp Coil]

Mage, I had a similar experience as you with the Lost Era series. I really enjoyed the first three installments (particularly Serpents Among the Ruins). Well of Souls was just a mess, and I nearly stopped reading it at multiple points but somehow pushed myself to finish. Deny Thy Father was also rather disappointing. I found Cataclyst of Sorrows to be better, but not quite as good as the earlier books in the miniseries. I'd give it a read.

 

[JD]

So, after struggling through Well Of Souls, and now having some issues with Deny Thy Father, is the last installment of TLE worth it?
The Sundered was a nice book, to me. The flashbacks were very interesting and a nice window into a period of Earth history I'd love to see more of (post WWIII).
Serpents Among The Ruins and The Art Of The Impossible are both fantastic novels, and amongst my favorite Trek novels.

But then, things seemed to go downhill. Fast. Really fast. I'm nearly done with Deny Thy Father, and I'm strangly enough NOT looking forward to Cataclyst of Sorrows.

What was the general feedback to this novel when it was first released? More positive then the previous two novels in this series?

Sorry about being nitpicky, but CoS isn't really the last Lost Era book. While they weren't realeased under the The Lost Era banner, The Buried Age, and the Terok Nor trilogy (Day of the Vipers, Night of the Wolves, and Dawn of the Eagles)http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Eagles were all released under the subtitle "A Tale of the Lost Era". While it doesn't have either of those, I've heard some comments about how Cast No Shadow also takes place during the same time as and deals with alot of the same themes as The Lost Era.

 

[Christopher]

Whatever the change in cover design, The Buried Age and Terok Nor are definitely Lost Era books.

 

[Mage]

Ah, thanks for the heads up on the title Christopher.

I do understand that the different writers all have a different appraoch, but to me Well Of Souls and Deny Thy Father don't feel like Star Trek novels. Perhaps in an original universe, with some tweaking of races and such, they could have been a lot better. But when reading Star Trek novels, I like to get a Star Trek vibe. I know it's hard to describe what I mean with that.

Margaret Wander Bonano has been writing some of the most well-regarded Star Trek novels for decades. Dwellers in the Crucible? Strangers From the Sky? Ever heard of them?

I'd recommend Catalyst of Sorrows whole-heartedly.

Sci, I've heard of those, but never read them. Probably because getting older Trek books is quite difficult in the Netherlands. I'll keep a look out for them, thanks for the tip.

 

[Mage]

Just like to say, started this a few days ago, and loving it already!! Hooked on the story, love the writing style, and Uhura feels like Uhura! After the previous two TLE novels, this one is definatly a great read again!

 

[RandyS]

I thought it was okay for the first 100 pages or so, then after that it dragged on and on. Not sure exactly why I felt this way.