So I have the Destiny trilogy paperbacks, but I just read that the omnibus version has some differences - rewrites I guess. So are the differences good and worthwhile enough to make it worth purchasing the omnibus? I've already searched around and can get the omnibus for $7 so it won't be too big of an expense. Minor spoilers are ok if it'll help explain the differences between the two versions. I'm still shocked there are different versions of the books. Are any of the other omnibuses revised this way too?
There are some other revised omnibus editions out there, one of which is Diane Duane's Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages from 2006, which collected and updated the first four (well, really, three) Rihannsu novels from 1984 onward, and made continuity tweaks such as more definitively setting them post-ST:TMP (as opposed to during a "second" 5YM, pre-movie), adjusting them a bit to the presence of TNG, etc.
It's not uncommon for writers to revise their works when they get a chance to republish them. Writing is a process of adjustment and revision to begin with; you'll almost never see the first draft of anything get published. So while readers tend to see a work as a single, fixed entity, writers just see it as the point where they had to stop tweaking and adjusting it -- and they often find new things they'd like to tweak after it's published. Sometimes authors even massively rewrite their books when they get a chance to reissue them, like Arthur C. Clarke did with Against the Fall of Night/The City and the Stars or like David Gerrold did with Yesterday's Children/Starhunt and When HARLIE Was One. In fact, I'm doing that myself at the moment, with Hub Space, an upcoming e-novella collection of my three Hub stories from Analog. I'm taking the opportunity to correct the errors in the published stories and to flesh them out a bit more with added bits of description and characterization.
As far as an answer to your question, my impression is that it's a question of word choices, not a question of storyline. None of the events are different.
I guess in Trek we did get a chance to read one of those "early drafts" back in the 80's with Della Van Hise's "Killing Time".
I love Killing Time, I've read it at least four or five times. I'm pretty sure the one I have is the "early draft" with all the homoerotic subtext left in. It's still relatively tame compared to the racy in your face homoeroticism of Price of the Phoenix.
Most of the changes were about streamlining the flow of the prose. There were no major changes to story content. The single most significant alteration was a single paragraph that I rewrote, I think in the middle section of Mere Mortals.
Thanks for the info everybody! I figured I could count on you to show up with the definitive word on the issue David. I guess I can't really justify buying the trilogy if there was only one paragraph significantly altered.
Well, I think it's a better reading experience for the polishing, but each reader needs to make his/her own decision what version they want/need.
Maybe I should get the omnibus then. It wasn't so much which version I want as it is I already have the original paperbacks. But I can always trade them at my local used bookstore to off set the price of buying the omnibus. I think I'll get the omnibus
^ I have the individual volumes in hardcopy form, but I bought the Omnibus in eBook format so I could have a copy of Destiny for my eReader. (Yeah, Destiny is *that* worth it!) Saved a bit of money on the eBook purchase, and get to experience both versions... win-win!
I wound up getting a $9 copy. I'll trade the original paperbacks into my local used bookstore next time I go to help off set the price. I'll trust Mack that it's worth the expense for the better experience
The "Signature Edition" trade omnibus "Duty, Honor, Redemption" (Oct 2004) reprints the novelizations of "ST II: The Wrath of Khan", "ST III: The Search for Spock" and "ST IV: The Voyage Home" by Vonda N McIntyre had minor errors corrected, such as "McGivers" for "McGiver". Sulu's promotion to captain (in ST II) is removed, since the line was dropped from ST II and then ignored by the other movies. "Pantheon" ("Signature Edition", Sept 2003) reprints "TNG: Reunion" and "TNG: The Valiant" by Michael Jan Friedman, with an all-new bridging arc that connects the two tales (ie. seven extra paragraphs from a reflective Guinan.) The bookend historical chapters for "The Valiant" are widened to embrace both stories in the SE. "The Q Continuum" ("Signature Edition", Oct 2003) reprints the TNG Q trilogy ("Q-Zone", "Q-Space" and "Q-Strike") by Greg Cox has several stardate error corrections, and changes a few mentions of "the original Enterprise" to "Kirk's Enterprise", to avoid confusion with Archer's ship (since "Star Trek: Enterprise" was the then-current series on the air). The omnibus for the Reeves-Stevens' "DS9: Millennium" has a bonus Allyn Gibson timeline (of the complex plots) that didn't appear in the original MMPBs. The MMPB omnibus collecting Michael Jan Friedman's "Starfleet: Year One", which was originally serialized over a whole year, has new material and new characters. Its original chapters were divided up and blended with each other, too. Although some early promotional fliers for "Odyssey", the omnibus collecting the first three Shatner/Reeves-Stevens novels about Kirk, claimed it would have new linking paragraphs, the final result did not seem to include any new material. The UK and Australian versions of the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" novelization have extra sentences in several places, better describing the relationship between Kirk and Vice-Admiral Lori Ciana. They also contain a generous section of captioned colour plates: publicity pics for the movie. The US Pocket slipcased hardcover has a dedication "To Majel". The MMPB version of the "Generations" novelization features the as-screened Kirk death scene, revised by Dillard herself. The original hardcover has the scene as featured in the bonus scenes of the DVD. Oh yeah, and of course David Mack's standalone MMPB novel version of "Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire" doubles the length of the original novella.
With Generations, for both the adult and young adult versions, I was always surprised that the book included a photo from a scene that was deleted in the theatrical release, and the video wouldn't be released until 10 years later, and as I recall not even the trailers for the movie included the scene. And even when the video was released, it was from a VHS tape and not the original film elements, so the books have the best quality prints of that scene.
Speaking of the Q Continuum Signature Edition, Amazon.ca lists what I think is the omnibus for Kindle (has the cover and everything), but the price is only $9.99 and the page count is only at 368 pages. http://www.amazon.ca/Continuum-Star...2980540&sr=8-1&keywords=star+trek+q+continuum Can anyone tell if this is for sure all 3 books?