Spoilers Coda: Book 3: Oblivion's Gate by David Mack Review Thread

[jaime]

Well, no work of fiction ever happened. People today still love The Final Reflection and My Enemy, My Ally and Federation even though they "never happened" in the current canon (which never happened either because it's all made up).

A good story will immerse you in its present, so you'll buy into what you're experiencing in the here and now and not worry about what might or might not happen in its future, or whether it connects to anything outside itself, until afterward. The connections in something like Trek Lit or the Marvel Cinematic Universe are meant to be a bonus, not the sole purpose of the exercise. The fact that the parts are connected would be of no value if the parts themselves weren't able to stand on their own.

I think the thing is, once you get the long-form interlinked stories happening, (sometimes too drawn out) as we got in lit trek, it becomes much more… depressing, when they end. Especially when things haven’t been wrapped up. Older Trek books were much looser than current, and maybe you would get a trilogy or similar by one author, but it wasn’t as much of an investment as readers. (I kept buying DS9 books and TNG to see ‘what happens next’ long after I lost interest in a lot of the aspects. It’s how they sell the books, and something I finally really regretted here at the end.)
One of my favourite Trek books is Ghost Ship. (I also like children of Hamlyn, and Metmorphosis) It is completely out of any kind of continuity because of when and how it was written, but that’s ok, because it’s one book, not a decades worth of reading (or writing) it’s a fun piece by itself.
For me, a lot of the lines had less and less books that were enjoyable in themselves, and now, the whole thing has felt like a waste of time.

Critically, more than it would have had we not had Coda. Because then I could blame circumstance for not having an ending, than having one that for me has exemplified the flaws in the series rather than the positives.

Trek lit (and to a lesser extent my flirtation with SW novels back in the day) has really affected how I approach TV Tie in fiction now. I was brought back into the fold by the Destiny Trilogy, but for me as a reader it has been diminishing returns since then, with only really the Voyager books holding regular interest. (And that had a rushed ending all of its own.)
I was often excited by the ideas of the little trilogies, and sometimes they were really good and I really enjoyed them, but after a while there was just… underlying fatigue. Things not adding up between authors/stories. Shock tactics that arguably started with the destruction of DS9, or the never ending malaise of section 31 stuff. The practically regular corridor fights, Worf’s girlfriends dying, jaunts to the mirror universe…
Ironically, the things a lot of people don’t like in the new TV incarnations — retcons, violence, misery, unwanted small sequels — started here in Trek lit I think.

The fact we already know there is a Jadzia era DS9 novel coming out shows the direction is moving back to something like we have always had with TOS novels, which is contained stories that can’t suffer from that. (Though I prefer movie era stuff, and am particularly fond of the very few TMP influenced books)

Maybe expanded universe Trek Lit works best when it is framing itself between things, rather than trying to reach out untethered into a future continuity.

 

[RonG]

I choose to focus on the fact that the characters we followed did in fact complete their final mission successfully, and in so doing, saved every other timeline, including the Prime timeline (as the Devidians were getting ready to attack stable timelines..).

On the ever-present metatextual level (which I have to admit that I don't recall any Trek story having that much of a meta-texual vibe), the TrekLit\Litverse saved Star Trek - It held the Trek banner all those years between ENT and DSC, and now with the modern Trek series, it had to end and be replaced by fiction tying into what's on-screen.

Coda was grim, yes, but poignant and even majestic in its ending, as was the Litverse.

 

[Dsven43]

Sorry if this is a ridiculous question.

Spoiler

So this book is the ending of the current Trek Litverse? No the Kelvin or Picard novels, but the ones that were taking place before those shows? If so it was a fitting end,but it makes me a sad

 

[Christopher]

Sorry if this is a ridiculous question.

Spoiler

So this book is the ending of the current Trek Litverse? No the Kelvin or Picard novels, but the ones that were taking place before those shows? If so it was a fitting end,but it makes me a sad

Yes, that's exactly the intention. Tie-in novels have to stay consistent with onscreen continuity, which has become incompatible with the ongoing novel continuity, so the purpose of this trilogy was to give that continuity a decisive resolution, rather than just abruptly dropping it like they did with the Star Wars "Expanded Universe."

 

[Dsven43]

Yes, that's exactly the intention. Tie-in novels have to stay consistent with onscreen continuity, which has become incompatible with the ongoing novel continuity, so the purpose of this trilogy was to give that continuity a decisive resolution, rather than just abruptly dropping it like they did with the Star Wars "Expanded Universe."

Ok is this going to apply to the Voyager books soon? Or were we supposed to include those crews as well with these books? I had thought Mrs(Ms.) Beyer had a novel or two coming out later.

Anyway thank you and all the other authors who gave this universe and it's characters life and let us share in their adventures.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I had thought Mrs(Ms.) Beyer had a novel or two coming out later.

My understanding is that KMFB (to use her self-chosen initialism) has her hands a tad full with being executive producer of PIC, and a staff writer on DSC.

That said, assuming she still has VOY novel projects in the pipeline, she would know, probably better than any other ST novelist, whether they can be harmonized with Prime, and if not, she would presumably have more authority than any other ST novelist to publish works that are explicitly "First Splinter" under present circumstances.

 

[Dsven43]

And I was looking forward to an adventure with Moriarty and Data by Jeffery Lang

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

And I was looking forward to an adventure with Moriarty and Data by Jeffery Lang

Well, if it's pre-Nemesis, . . . .

 

[Gul Sevek]

As much as I love the litverse I won't be reading Coda. Most of the books beat the pants off of any on screen show or movie (of any era). More depth of character, more exciting stories, more growth, more fun, and every angle is explored. Even things in the shows/movies that were silly or contradictory are refined into written golden goodness.. I own almost every book that has been written and reread them regularly. I had hoped for something more like "Prophesy and Change" to be the last book. Having Data meet Odo 1000 years after while swapping stories of the characters we know and love could have been fun. I understand why Coda had to be written. I greatly respect and enjoy every trek novel these authors have written. I can't read this because I love the state of litverse before Coda and greatly dislike Picard and Discovery. I am really happy that everyone seems to have enjoyed it, and I want to thank the authors for their time and effort. However for me, the litverse continues in my head, not ends with Coda.

 

[jstern2]

I used to post here a lot in the '00s right when the Litverse started with Avatar and hid its stride in the middle and latter part of that decade. I probably read nearly every Star Trek book released between 2001 and 2007ish, but drifted away from this forum and the LitVerse, in general, starting in around 2010 -- with occasional check-ins like The Fall miniseries and David Mack's Section 31 plotlines. Obviously, everyone here has their bona fides when talking about (or writing) Star Trek books but I just wanted to give some context of the POV of this review.

(Also important to note: I just had an edible and I'm clearly going to overwrite this post.)

I have a lot of feelings about this trilogy, in the context of each book, the series as a whole, and how it relates to the LitVerse. And I think that as I run through each context from smaller to largest I also run from most to least in terms of how satisfied I was.

The criticism in the threads of these books is valid, and I agree with a lot of it, but it's more than fair to say that I liked all three books, including this last one. I had a deep emotional connection with each one that varied from laughing out loud to sobbing in the middle of the night to the point that my wife woke up, asked me what was wrong, heard me whimper "Chief O'Brien," then herself said, "Poor Chief. Okay, good night," and immediately falling back to sleep. It also only took me a sitting or two to finish each book, so they were definite page-turners, and I was always interested in the next page.

Regarding the miniseries as a whole, I'm going to grant that it must be extremely difficult to, in only three books, plot and write the abrupt ending of storylines across multiple series and lasted two decades. I can't imagine the difficulty in doing that.

And I understand the metatextualness of the series. The LitVerse must sacrifice itself so that canon Star Trek can live on without unnecessary incompatibility. I get that.

Yet, I ultimately found this book and the series disappointing for a variety of reasons. First, I think I'm just end-of-the-universed out. It's every big Star Trek plotline at this point, from Discovery to Picard to recent books like the Destiny series or Q&A.

I know the danger here was the end of all universes but that rendered the tension inert because we know not all universes are going to end. I mean, there are like 47 Star Trek productions right now filming or in the works or in the works to be in the works. Even if it's about the multiverse, at the end of the day it's still just about the universe you're living in.

The focus on the end of the universe also tended to make the series more plot than character-driven. The only character who changed throughout the book was Riker, and that's because people find his brain very hijackable not out of any sense of personal growth. And I know that this tie-in fiction and characters aren't going to diverge greatly from how they're presented on the TV show, but I felt that the LitVerse had previously done a good of giving characters their room to grow and adapt to new experiences.

Not to keep hitting on the endness of it all, but the end of the series was disappointing, too. It seems like at least a few of us figured out that the series was going to be about the characters of the LitVerse realizing they are not part of the canon universe and taking some action that would conclude things for them to keep the canon universe moving forward. And that's essentially how the series played out. When a series is marketed as the end of the LitVerse, obviously there's an understanding that it's concluding, but this all added up to a book that felt stale even when it was exciting.

It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback and call out how you wish things were different, but I wish the series was more contemplative. More philosophical. I wish it had big ideas instead of big "moments." Star Trek is at its most interesting to me when people are trying to figure out the right thing to do in the face of personal adversity. Is Data a person? Is Sisko a god? Can a lie be good? Is one death okay if it saves people? How do you make peace with an enemy that wants to extinguish you?

These types of questions weren't really explored, and that's disappointing.

I don't want to end on a sour note, so I want to talk about how much I appreciated the Trek LitVerse over the past couple of decades.

I am sad that this universe is gone, and I can't imagine what it feels like to be one of the authors who contributed to the LitVerse and especially this last trilogy because there is a lot to be proud of in how this perfect, little sci-fi tie-in universe was so well tended to for two decades. It is kinda incredible that the Star Trek LitVerse even existed. So, the fact that this thing, this community/universe that people came to for solace or relief or optimism or exciting prose or whatever, was also good is amazing.

I'm interested in hearing the continuing discussion about this book and the series, so I just want to end by saying that regardless of any critique I have above, it doesn't take away from how god damn special the LitVerse is.

 

[thribs]

I have mixed feelings about this book. While it was well written, all it was was one long action sequence where characters are slowly killed off. Also, how do you so a story like this without the Enterprise E? The biggest character of TNG and it's destroyed OFF PAGE? That's just disgraceful.
The ending was rather depressing with it ending on that godawful Picard timeline. I'd rather it ended in their timeline; with an ending like Undiscovered Country. Have the story end on a happy note.
I would have liked them having a few more cameos of the LitVerse in it. We didn't have any Prime Calhoun and his crew which would have been nice to see. One last interaction between Wesley and Lefler would have been nice.

I also noticed that in the acknowledgments you thank everyone who inspired the story but you didn't thank Marv Wolfman? We all know this is just Crisis of Infinite Earths.

 

[thribs]

Yes, that's exactly the intention. Tie-in novels have to stay consistent with onscreen continuity, which has become incompatible with the ongoing novel continuity, so the purpose of this trilogy was to give that continuity a decisive resolution, rather than just abruptly dropping it like they did with the Star Wars "Expanded Universe."

You say that but Dark Horse has acquired the Star Wars rights with Marvel again so they might continue some of their arcs since they're not canon anyway.

 

[Idran]

the TrekLit\Litverse saved Star Trek - It held the Trek banner all those years between ENT and DSC

You are greatly overestimating how many people read Trek novels. Even ignoring the JJ movies and Star Trek Online (both of which far, far outpace the popularity of the books, and were far more relevant in keeping it active in public awareness), what "saved" Star Trek was the fact that it makes money for the IP holders, full stop. It was always going to return in some form for exactly that reason, even if not a single novel was published after Enterprise ended.

 

[RonG]

You are greatly overestimating how many people read Trek novels. Even ignoring the JJ movies and Star Trek Online (both of which far, far outpace the popularity of the books, and were far more relevant in keeping it active in public awareness), what "saved" Star Trek was the fact that it makes money for the IP holders, full stop. It was always going to return in some form for exactly that reason, even if not a single novel was published after Enterprise ended.

That's indeed a possibility and I have no information either way as to sales figures or revenue, so I'll slightly amend my statement to reflect my own personal experience.. the Litverse *was Star Trek* for *me*, especially in the last 2 decades. It will always be *that* branch of Trek for me - not canon, not that well-known by most Trekkies, but the closest to my heart.

I would even go as far as to say that in a way, it caused me to not connect that much to the newer series, as since PIC started, it always felt to me like the "official, but not quite *my* Trek... (but that's of course my personal issue and not a slight on the modern series -- and may even change in time)

 

[RonG]

A couple of thoughts:

This thread (as well as the other one, asking if 'Coda' was necessary) feels to me like a grief counseling session, in which we discuss our grief for tthis universe and characters we've been following for 20+ years.
Some of us are asking 'why did it have to happen?', some express rage on 'how it ended', some are moving towards acceptance.. and it all feels so.. natural for this particular community.

As I mentioned, there are glimmers of hope for this part o fTrek so dear to us all - the ending feels to me vague enough as to whether on some level the Prime Universe characters remember their First Splinter counterparts (see Data and Lal's last 'conversation', Picard's experience at the end..), which means that they *existed*. That universe had been erased but it's still remembered (see Kira and the Sisko-Prophet's last conversation)

Last, I would have loved a sort of ending like the Lost finale - with all characters meeting and celebrating their lives and connections.. maybe as Wesley promised his mother in their last 'conversation', on some other plane of existance, they all found each other again.

For me, at least, while a cliche for sure, a (literary) Trek has ended, but Star Trek lives on.

 

[JoeZhang]

So taking the three books together - overall not a great series - far too repetitive in tone and the bad guys only really come across in any detail in the final book.

I am truly surprised that we never saw Janeway?

Also did I miss something because it felt like the first two books were setting up a plot point about where the Q and other higher life forms went?

Did they simply just leave?

 

[thribs]

Yeah, I was expecting Q to show up at the end and help. It was missing that “ Superman” moment.
Janeway was mentioned to be not in the Galaxy. I was more surprised we didn’t get Kirk. I mean the ShatnerVerse was right there.

 

[Christopher]

You say that but Dark Horse has acquired the Star Wars rights with Marvel again so they might continue some of their arcs since they're not canon anyway.

Star Wars is just one franchise. It doesn't dictate or control how any other franchise works, because every one is different. If anything, Star Wars is more the exception than the rule, because it's so much bigger than other franchises; it's the 800-pound gorilla that can do whatever it wants, which in no way proves that any other franchise can do the same. Let's face it, the SW "Legends" continuity is probably far more famous and popular than the Trek novelverse, so a revival of it is probably more likely to be economically sustainable.

 

[Jinn]

Is there any new Legends content, produced after the EU was "decanonized", other than the SWTOR MMO and Star Wars #108?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I also noticed that in the acknowledgments you thank everyone who inspired the story but you didn't thank Marv Wolfman? We all know this is just Crisis of Infinite Earths.

Is it, though? If I were looking for a comic book in Coda, the trilogy has more in common with Mark Waid, Tom McCraw, and Kurt Busiek's "End of an Era," which ended the original Legion of Super-Heroes continuity during Zero Hour and paved the way for a clear-the-decks reboot, than Crisis. I see the DNA of a number of things in the trilogy, probably unconscious because it's all part of the soup, though the reprise of the end to "The Pandorica Opens" was possibly intentional, but Crisis isn't really one of them. And I'm saying that having made some of the pre-publication Crisis jokes myself.