Charting the Novel-verse

[Turtletrekker]

Work has begun on the latest update.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Newest update will be pretty straighforward for the most part--

In TNG core continuity, I will be adding

Typhon Pact: The Struggle Within By Christopher L. Bennett (Changing from working title to final title)
Typhon Pact: Brinksmanship by Una McCormack

Cold Equations by David Mack--

The Persistance of Memory
Silent Weapons
The Body Electric

The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow

Adding "Cold Equations" note to "Immortal Coil".

In DS9, Adding
Typhon Pact: Plagues of Night
Typhon Pact: Raise the Dawn
The Fall: (Final title unannounced) all by DRG3

VOY: Adding
The Eternal Tide-Beyer
Unnamed Beyer book

ENT
Rise of the Federation-- Bennett

VAN
Add "In Tempest Wake" by Dayton Ward

Typhon Pact--

RBoE TOS/DS9--DRG3
Plagues TOS/TNG/DS9 --DRG3
Dawn DS9-- DRG3
Brinksmanship TNG/AVE- Una McCormack

Creating DTI sub-catagory.

TOS is a little less straightforward and I can use a little help. I know "Rings of Time" is consistent with DTI, and "In Tempest Wake" is consistent with VAN, but other TOS works are more stand-alone than novel-verse friendly.

I have "A Choice of Catastrophes" listed, but am not really sure if there is anything there to tie it to the novel-verse. Haven't read "That Which Divides" yet, so I could some help with that one.

Upcoming TOS works include, "Shock of Adversity" by William Leisner, "Shadows of History" by Dayton Ward, "Alligence in Exile" by DRG3, "The Weight of Worlds" by Greg Cox, "The Folded World" by Jeff Mariotte and "Devil's Bargain" by Tony Daniel and I have no idea yet if any of these will be novel-verse friendly. I shall be making enqueries.

Is there anything that's been released/announced that I may have missed?

 

[Turtletrekker]

Let's see, this thread is for listing connections between/among novels, right? Well, I just discovered a minor, unexpected one. In Howard Weinstein's first Trek novel, The Covenant of the Crown from 1981, there's a brief but memorable appearance by a security guard named Ensign Michael Howard (possibly a self-insertion, judging from the name). The same character (or a character with the same name, rank, and posting) reappears eleven years later in Ice Trap by L. A. Graf, and again in at least one other Graf novel, Firestorm. There's also a very brief mention of a security guard named Howard in my own Ex Machina, which I intended as an allusion to the Graf novels, but I'm pleased to discover that Ensign Howard originated in Covenant, one of my all-time favorite "oldies." And surprised to see that L. A. Graf were able to include that reference in a time when the books were supposed to avoid continuity and crossovers. I guess he's an obscure enough character that he slipped under the radar.

Just found Ensign Howard in Death Count as well.

I want to include this, but can't connect any of it to the larger novel-verse. The only Graf books on the list so far are Rough Trails and Traitor Winds. Were there any crossover characters that Graf may have used in all of their books? Did they use the Rihannsu or Klinzai models for Romulan and Klingon culture? Something to link it all together?

I suppose I could just use the Ex Machina reference to justify including this, but I gather that that reference is a little non-specific?

 

[Christopher]

The Fall: (Final title unannounced) all by DRG3

"All" is not supported by the evidence. DRGIII said that his novel (singular) would be kicking off The Fall. That indicates he's only writing the first book in the miniseries. He also says that his novel specifically is a DS9 work, which doesn't suggest that the whole series will be.

I have "A Choice of Catastrophes" listed, but am not really sure if there is anything there to tie it to the novel-verse.

As I recall, it does have references to some other McCoy-centric novels, including The Better Man and Shadows on the Sun. I briefly referenced a character from The Better Man, a male nurse named Liftig, in Forgotten History.

I want to include this, but can't connect any of it to the larger novel-verse. The only Graf books on the list so far are Rough Trails and Traitor Winds. Were there any crossover characters that Graf may have used in all of their books? Did they use the Rihannsu or Klinzai models for Romulan and Klingon culture? Something to link it all together?

Mainly the Graf novels are linked by their characterization of Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov, who are central in all their TOS novels. They came out well after the novels had been restricted from using the Rihannsu or Ford-style Klingons (the first, Ice Trap, was a 1992 book). This was the height of the Richard Arnold era when continuity was at a minimum. But I believe there are one or two supporting characters, such as the aforementioned Ensign Howard, who appear in more than one Graf novel.

 

[Defcon]

The Fall: (Final title unannounced) all by DRG3

"All" is not supported by the evidence. DRGIII said that his novel (singular) would be kicking off The Fall. That indicates he's only writing the first book in the miniseries. He also says that his novel specifically is a DS9 work, which doesn't suggest that the whole series will be.

I think Turtletrekker actually meant that all three novels listed for DS9 are by DRG III.

 

[Christopher]

^Oh, I see. Sorry.

 

[Terror Door]

I want to include this, but can't connect any of it to the larger novel-verse. The only Graf books on the list so far are Rough Trails and Traitor Winds. Were there any crossover characters that Graf may have used in all of their books? Did they use the Rihannsu or Klinzai models for Romulan and Klingon culture? Something to link it all together?

I might have found a connection. I recently read some of the Captain's Table novels, and in Graf's War Dragons, I found two references I couldn't place. On page 80, Sulu mentions him and Chekov a) escaping volcanic eruptions and b) serving undercover on an Orion ship. I haven't read any other Graf books, but might these be references to Firestorm (which features a volcano) or Death Count (which features Orions)?

 

[Christopher]

^I think so, yes.

 

[Hugh Cambridge]

^If I recall correctly, the Orion Ship part is from "Prime Directive" actually (I remenber since this book is one of my all time favorites)

 

[EmperorTiberius]

^I think so, yes.

Hi Christopher,
This is somewhat off topic, but while discussing the cover of a Trek book on another topic, I was reminded that I have a question that I keep forgetting to ask one of our resident authors:
Does an author have a say in the cover of the book? I always assumed that it was designed by the author, but then, I read a while back that it's all up to the editor and illustrators etc. Is this true? You just write the story and have no say in the format, cover, illustrations, etc..?

 

[EmperorTiberius]

Newest update will be pretty straighforward for the most part--

In TNG core continuity, I will be adding

Typhon Pact: The Struggle Within By Christopher L. Bennett (Changing from working title to final title)
Typhon Pact: Brinksmanship by Una McCormack

Cold Equations by David Mack--

The Persistance of Memory
Silent Weapons
The Body Electric

The Stuff of Dreams by James Swallow

Adding "Cold Equations" note to "Immortal Coil".

In DS9, Adding
Typhon Pact: Plagues of Night
Typhon Pact: Raise the Dawn
The Fall: (Final title unannounced) all by DRG3

VOY: Adding
The Eternal Tide-Beyer
Unnamed Beyer book

ENT
Rise of the Federation-- Bennett

VAN
Add "In Tempest Wake" by Dayton Ward

Typhon Pact--

RBoE TOS/DS9--DRG3
Plagues TOS/TNG/DS9 --DRG3
Dawn DS9-- DRG3
Brinksmanship TNG/AVE- Una McCormack

Creating DTI sub-catagory.

TOS is a little less straightforward and I can use a little help. I know "Rings of Time" is consistent with DTI, and "In Tempest Wake" is consistent with VAN, but other TOS works are more stand-alone than novel-verse friendly.

I have "A Choice of Catastrophes" listed, but am not really sure if there is anything there to tie it to the novel-verse. Haven't read "That Which Divides" yet, so I could some help with that one.

Upcoming TOS works include, "Shock of Adversity" by William Leisner, "Shadows of History" by Dayton Ward, "Alligence in Exile" by DRG3, "The Weight of Worlds" by Greg Cox, "The Folded World" by Jeff Mariotte and "Devil's Bargain" by Tony Daniel and I have no idea yet if any of these will be novel-verse friendly. I shall be making enqueries.

Is there anything that's been released/announced that I may have missed?

Can any of these books be picked up if you haven't been following them for a while or do I need to get on memory alpha and see what happens before I buy one? I haven't read a Trek book since Rise Like Lions, and that's an alternate universe, so I'm even more behind than I thought.

 

[Christopher]

Does an author have a say in the cover of the book? I always assumed that it was designed by the author, but then, I read a while back that it's all up to the editor and illustrators etc. Is this true? You just write the story and have no say in the format, cover, illustrations, etc..?

Usually it's up to the editor and/or the art department. The author may sometimes be consulted about elements of the cover at those people's discretion, but it's not usually up to us. The one Trek novel cover I had the most input into was for Titan: Over a Torrent Sea, since it was based on my descriptions of Aili Lavena's appearance, and I was allowed to offer notes on the draft cover and suggest some refinements to the details. I was asked to suggest a cover idea for DTI: Watching the Clock, and there was a draft cover that was loosely based on my suggestion, but it didn't ultimately work and the final cover just used one element of my suggestion (the use of the Shepherd Gate Clock from the Greenwich Observatory).

The one case where I made a suggestion up front and it ended up being used was on the Only Superhuman cover. I sent my editor (Greg Cox) some sketches I'd done of the lead character, and though he warned me not to expect the art department to use my design for her, their artist actually followed it remarkably closely, allowing for a bit of poetic license -- though the actual pose, setting, and situation she's in on the cover were the artist's decision.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

Does an author have a say in the cover of the book? I always assumed that it was designed by the author, but then, I read a while back that it's all up to the editor and illustrators etc. Is this true? You just write the story and have no say in the format, cover, illustrations, etc..?

Usually it's up to the editor and/or the art department. The author may sometimes be consulted about elements of the cover at those people's discretion, but it's not usually up to us. The one Trek novel cover I had the most input into was for Titan: Over a Torrent Sea, since it was based on my descriptions of Aili Lavena's appearance, and I was allowed to offer notes on the draft cover and suggest some refinements to the details. I was asked to suggest a cover idea for DTI: Watching the Clock, and there was a draft cover that was loosely based on my suggestion, but it didn't ultimately work and the final cover just used one element of my suggestion (the use of the Shepherd Gate Clock from the Greenwich Observatory).

The one case where I made a suggestion up front and it ended up being used was on the Only Superhuman cover. I sent my editor (Greg Cox) some sketches I'd done of the lead character, and though he warned me not to expect the art department to use my design for her, their artist actually followed it remarkably closely, allowing for a bit of poetic license -- though the actual pose, setting, and situation she's in on the cover were the artist's decision.

Ok thanks. I wish the authors had more input, it is their creation after all, but what can you do?

 

[Christopher]

^Well, the words are our creation. That doesn't necessarily make us competent artists or cover designers. A cover is very important as a promotional tool for the book. It makes sense to leave it in the hands of people who specialize in that particular field, while the writers stick with the words.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

^Well, the words are our creation. That doesn't necessarily make us competent artists or cover designers. A cover is very important as a promotional tool for the book. It makes sense to leave it in the hands of people who specialize in that particular field, while the writers stick with the words.

There was no need to use so many words to admit you're a bad artist

 

[Christopher]

^Hey, I'm the one whose designs have been used on a cover or two.

 

[DigificWriter]

Editorial decisions aside, I think Indistinguishable from Magic ought to be on the TNG list.

 

[ryan123450]

Thats the conclusion I've come too as well. Its' events have been referenced in several novels. Just because other events haven't been referenced, and there is another Ogawa continuity mishap doesn't mean it should be booted from the Litverse. I'll be including it in my Litverse reading guide.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Editorial decisions aside, I think Indistinguishable from Magic ought to be on the TNG list.

You are correct. this was an oversight on my part.

ETA-- Wait-- IFM is in the TNG list. Between Paths of Disharmony and The Struggle Within.

 

[DigificWriter]

ETA-- Wait-- IFM is in the TNG list. Between Paths of Disharmony and The Struggle Within.

Never mind, then.