Destiny: Gods of Night by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Steve Roby]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I had written some other stuff on this topic, then I googled and found something I'd forgotten about: there's a character named Scheisskopf in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22, which is a very popular and widely read book. From that alone the word would have been fairly widespread among English-speakers for nearly fifty years.

 

[William Leisner]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Pink Raygun has a rather lengthy review of Gods of Night up. They've been pretty critical of Star Trek novels in the past but they gave this a mostly good review.

http://www.pinkraygun.com/2008/10/20/the-destiny-of-star-trek-novels-gods-of-night/

If that's what you call "mostly good," god help anyone who gets a mostly bad one...

 

[Baerbel Haddrell]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

It can't be that hard, to google some common german insults, can it?

Harder than you think, actually. At least, it was when the book was written. Sorry that threw you out the narrative.

Googling is easy. Knowing how they're going to sound to a living, breathing native speaker is more difficult.

Perhaps next time when such a problem occurs, maybe you authors and editors should think of this place (and similar ones): When it is about German language, I am willing to help. Just ask!

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I visualize the Caeliar as a cross between the Genoshans from Episode II and those aliens from The Abyss.

Do you mean the Geonosians? Genosha is an island country from X-Men comics.

I, also, am at a loss as to when B'Ellana leaves Tom. Did she leave him to go into hiding to protect Miral?

This will be explained in Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer.

Also...when the heck is Voyager in space again? Wasn't that ship turned into a museum?

I don't recall that happening. Maybe it did in the Shatnerverse, but not in the main novel continuity. Voyager went back into active service in the Spirit Walk duology, with Chakotay as her captain.

The Anime Sex Kitten T'Ryssa Chen only has one line in this book and it doesn't involve her thinking about recreational sexual intercourse, having recreational sexual intercourse, or simply being with no clothes on, yet she still manages to irritate Picard.

I'm not sure whether to take "Anime Sex Kitten" as a compliment or not...

OH...BTW... here is how I visualize T'Ryssa Chen.

Hmm... in the ballpark. Who is she?

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I had written some other stuff on this topic, then I googled and found something I'd forgotten about: there's a character named Scheisskopf in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22, which is a very popular and widely read book. From that alone the word would have been fairly widespread among English-speakers for nearly fifty years.

Who's to say that the word won't enter the German lexicon over the next couple hundred years? Words are always flowing between languages and being updated by pop culture.

 

[Kirsten Beyer]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Also...when the heck is Voyager in space again? Wasn't that ship turned into a museum?

I don't recall that happening. Maybe it did in the Shatnerverse, but not in the main novel continuity. Voyager went back into active service in the Spirit Walk duology, with Chakotay as her captain.

I wonder if you're thinking of the mention in Endgame when it says that the Voyager of the timeline of the Admiral Janeway who goes back to bring the ship home early had been turned into a museum.

 

[DarkShinobi]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I visualize the Caeliar as a cross between the Genoshans from Episode II and those aliens from The Abyss.

Do you mean the Geonosians? Genosha is an island country from X-Men comics.

Indeed, Chris. I did mean the Geonosians...NOT the X-Folks.

I, also, am at a loss as to when B'Ellana leaves Tom. Did she leave him to go into hiding to protect Miral?

This will be explained in Full Circle by Kirsten Beyer.

Ah...very well then! I shall look forward to that!

I don't recall that happening. Maybe it did in the Shatnerverse, but not in the main novel continuity. Voyager went back into active service in the Spirit Walk duology, with Chakotay as her captain.

I hate to say that I didn't read any Post Voyager novels, but having Voyager go back to active duty DOES make sense!

The Anime Sex Kitten T'Ryssa Chen only has one line in this book and it doesn't involve her thinking about recreational sexual intercourse, having recreational sexual intercourse, or simply being with no clothes on, yet she still manages to irritate Picard.

I'm not sure whether to take "Anime Sex Kitten" as a compliment or not...

It is the MOST sincerest compliment...trust me!

OH...BTW... here is how I visualize T'Ryssa Chen.

Hmm... in the ballpark. Who is she?

Her name is Jamie Chung. She appeared in the ABC Family Series called "Samurai Girl." I had started watching that mini-series during the time I was reading "Greater Than The Sum" and BINGO. Ballpark? Chris, dude...who were you thinking of "acting" like T'Ryssa? I'd really like to know.

Thanks for answering my questions, Chris!

 

[DarkShinobi]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Also...when the heck is Voyager in space again? Wasn't that ship turned into a museum?

I don't recall that happening. Maybe it did in the Shatnerverse, but not in the main novel continuity. Voyager went back into active service in the Spirit Walk duology, with Chakotay as her captain.

I wonder if you're thinking of the mention in Endgame when it says that the Voyager of the timeline of the Admiral Janeway who goes back to bring the ship home early had been turned into a museum.

That's exactly where I got that idea from. I kinda sorta presumed that Voyager was indeed made into a museum after it came back in "Endgame" and after all the future tech was stripped from the ship.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Hmm... in the ballpark. Who is she?

Her name is Jamie Chung. She appeared in the ABC Family Series called "Samurai Girl." I had started watching that mini-series during the time I was reading "Greater Than The Sum" and BINGO.

Ooh, then I take it back. She photographs well, but I was very unimpressed by her in what I saw of Samurai Girl. She's nowhere near the ballpark personality-wise.

Ballpark? Chris, dude...who were you thinking of "acting" like T'Ryssa? I'd really like to know.

I didn't have a specific actress or person in mind at the time. But my brief to other authors on how to write for T'Ryssa is "Pretend that Joss Whedon is writing her." And as discussed in the pinned casting thread, I've recently noticed that Knight Rider's Smith Cho is a good candidate for T'Ryssa, albeit too short and somewhat too ditzy.

 

[DarkShinobi]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Ooh, then I take it back. She photographs well, but I was very unimpressed by her in what I saw of Samurai Girl. She's nowhere near the ballpark personality-wise..

I guess that's why they call them actors.



Naw...seriously, I was going more for looks and such.

I didn't have a specific actress or person in mind at the time. But my brief to other authors on how to write for T'Ryssa is "Pretend that Joss Whedon is writing her." And as discussed in the pinned casting thread, I've recently noticed that Knight Rider's Smith Cho is a good candidate for T'Ryssa, albeit too short and somewhat too ditzy.

Smith Cho is okay...but she does come across as kinda ditzy, as you said. Plus she doesn't really strike me as being able to wear the uniform. Its hard to describe...but I thibnk you know what I mean.

I guess Jamie Chung is T'Ryssa in my own imagination (and fan fics.)

 

[Christopher]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Ooh, then I take it back. She photographs well, but I was very unimpressed by her in what I saw of Samurai Girl. She's nowhere near the ballpark personality-wise..

I guess that's why they call them actors.

That's part of what I meant -- I was trying to say tactfully that I didn't think she could act particularly well.

 

[Ferd Burfel]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I know I'm late to the game, but the book was excellent. I finished Orion's Hounds and decided to skip forward to it because I was so ready to read it. It took me two sessions. I started it IMMEDIATELY after OH and read 3/4 of it. I went to bed and woke up and finished it and IMMEDIATELY started Mere Mortals. I have tomorrow off so Mere Mortals will be finished tonight.

It was so easy to read because it kept moving so fast. I was wondering how effective all the threads would be in a novel that didn't look very thick at first glance, but my questions were answered promptly.

My biggest like was that the Borg more or less remained the McGuffin. We had lots of story and character action without really seeing much of the Borg. I know this will change, but through a book and a half I'm happy to see the Borg aren't the ones driving the story, our heroes are. I was worried about "another Borg story" but this is far from. Great job, great novel.

 

[Marie1]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I just bought this and I'm so excited I had to post something... but seriously looking at the back, and after this thread, I'm very intrigued... *exciteddddd*

 

[JD]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Trust me, you're in for a very good read.

 

[RonG]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Just finished Gods of Night... Gotta say, this is sure to go down in TrekLit history as one of the greatest stories\series thus far!

I didn't read KM (not that keen on ENT-era novels), so this was my first TrekLit exposure to the Columbia crew and it did NOT disappoint, as the events (not to spoil anyhting) had me at the edge of my seat.

I think that David Mack has outdone himself (yet again )... at least unbtil I get to read Mere Mortals

 

[David Mack]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Hope the rest of trilogy continues to please.

 

[Marie1]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ I have one class over the summer and then I will graduate with degrees Business Administration and Public Administration both.

Up to Chapter 13.

Yay, you're almost done! I'll be done in December (tho they won't give me my piece of paper til May )... albeit with an Arts (ENG) degree... you should have no trouble finding work NX!!

I'm about halfway through... trying to slow down a bit so I can stop thinking about Soul Key for a bit longer...

Trust me, you're in for a very good read.

You are indeed correct! Very good intro to this trilogy.

Before this novel I didn't have a "healthy" fear of the Borg. As Sloan reminded me in Abyss- "we've beaten them" more than once. I just thought SF could... replicate old fashion cannons or something. Yes, the Borg have assimilated billions of people, but we always found a way to stop them. They always seemed... dangerous, but kinda childish somehow- always trying to make everything their way.

Honestly, in this novel, I've been "afraid" of the Borg for the first time; their ideas, their actions. (First time in a while in the ST universe I've felt sad and teary too, not since... Ties of Blood and Water maybe?) Despite my abhorrence of the Sad emotion. It takes a lot of talent for a book to make me sad, or evoke fear.

 

[JD]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

Yeah, David has done a great job with the Borg. It takes alot to make them feel like a real threat again, and this book has managed to do that. IMO it's the best Borg story since First Contact.

 

[ronny]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

I finally got around to starting the book on Friday and I'm done already. I can't remember the last time I finished a 400+ page book in a weekend. What a great read. All 4 story lines were compelling. I had purposefully not been reading any comments on the book before hand because I didn't want any spoilers and didn't want to be disapointed because the hype was too much but so I didn't know a lot going in other than it featured the 4 captains on the covers and there was some amount of borg stuff but that was it. I think even if I had started buying into the hype it would have met those expectations. I was one of the people voting as "excellent". I don't really have much to add that hasn't been said earlier. Just some comments on what's been said:

- I had no issues with Dax as captain. I didn't question it in the book and when it came up here I was like "I'll just skip over this argument..."

- Yeah, Ree was kind of acting like a jerk but Riker was basically blowing off his XO and CMO because of his wifes feelings. When Vale was saying this was the situation Riker said would never happen and that arguement gets interrupted by the ship dropping out of warp, well, I'm hoping that thread gets picked up again, if not in the next 2 books then the next Titan book.

I've got the 2nd book but I'm going to read something else in between. I don't want to be in a situation where I've blasted through the first two books and need to wait three weeks for the next one to come out. I picked up Greg Cox's CSI book so I think that will be next. Hopefully I'll find the Ward and Dilmore 4400 book after I've read the 2nd Destiny book.

And I got a huge laugh when I started looking at this thread today. I saw one person had voted "Poor" and I thought to myself "I bet I know who that is". I was right.

 

[nx1701g]

Re: Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night - SPOILER Thread

^ I have one class over the summer and then I will graduate with degrees Business Administration and Public Administration both.

Yay, you're almost done! I'll be done in December (tho they won't give me my piece of paper til May )... albeit with an Arts (ENG) degree... you should have no trouble finding work NX!!

English degree, you shouldn't either. Consider contacting the Communications and PR Departments of local universities and politicians (if in the US - not sure about elsewhere).