Do you consider the Typhon Pact series a success?

[RonG]

Hi all,

No poll or anything.. I just wanted to start a discussion about whether the TP mini series itself (not the TP concept) is (was) a success in your opinion, in light of what you think its objectives were.

I'm not referring to commercial success, as I don't have information in that regard.

I'll start with my opinion regarding the goals of the series and whether it can be considered a success:

1. Being the Big , Tentpole Event for TrekLit (as Christopher wrote in a recent post) - I personally felt that the series had been hyped as such, since A Singular Destiny ("2010: The Typhon Pact will awaken"), but as the novels were pretty much stand-alone (or episodic, as Christopher mentioned), and IIRC delayed from what the original schedule had been, I personally felt quite underwhelmed. I wanted to feel the same way I had when anticipating and reading the Destiny trilogy, but in this regard, the TP series fell short IMO

2. Streamline the 24th Century TrekLit series into one cohesive continuity - I would call this a success through and through. Taking Destiny's role as the linchpin event for the (then) "current", post-Nemesis series one step further, the buildup to TP gave us the return of Voyager and the start of what would be the New DS9 Relaunch. which brings me to..

3. Restarting the DS9 Relaunch / post-finale narrative - As the series dwindled since 2006/7 IIRC, TPTB decided to re-allign DS9 with its sister series. One can argue about the way it had been done (Ascendants plotline, for example), and about the places where the main characters had wound up, but IMO DS9 has been resurrected -

Spoiler: Typhon Pact novels

through Dax and the Aventine, Bashir and Section 31, Vaughn's injury, Vedek Kira and Sisko's actions

- we now have a "current" narrative to pick up any and all threads. So once again, a success IMO.


what do you think?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I've only read the first Typhon Pact book. Still waiting for the library to get the other three in. I have to say that I was moderately excited about the prospect of a new superpower composed of the Federation and Klingon Empire's enemies. I think it would appear that the series has obtained it's objective in the fact of making the Pact relevant and something that the Federation needs to be concerned about.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Destiny is a hard act to follow, but the Typhon Pact--at least to me, anyway--seems about establishing and exploring the new world that came after it, with the Federation now having a serious rival that could quickly become its equal or even better if it isn't careful.

Right now, it's like pieces are being put into place, IMO...

 

[JoeZhang]

I only read the first three books, Zero Sum Game and Rough Beast of Empire were competent works but ultimately took characters in a direction I'm simply not interested in (note before any sycophants try to browbeat me into a 'correct' reading, I'm not saying the directions were wrong or they were poorly written simply not of interest to me). Seize the Fire was simply a wretched book with no real merit to it, terrible characterization, uninteresting story etc etc.

On the basis of my lack of interest, I simply haven't bothered with Paths of Disharmony and don't really plan to pick up anything else set in the TNG era unless it gets amazing reviews.

Is the TP series a success? I'd guess so from the reaction here.

 

[SD70ACe]

I enjoyed all four, but not as much as Destiny. However, I agree that the two series are like apples and oranges.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

I think they've been successful in helping to move the post-Destiny timeline along, as well as show the difficulties of post-war reconstruction (particularly if it's a post-post-war reconstruction) while also dealing with the sudden rise of an equivalent and antagonistic power on your proverbial doorstep. Sort of like NATO dealing with the Warsaw Pact. That is, however, looking at the series overall.

Granted, there were a few things I didn't like (the whole "crazy Gorn taking control of a ship and being a thorn in the side of both Titan and the non-crazy Gorn fleet" was a bit forced and seemed only to exist to contribute more tension, which was, considering the fact that the Gorn were facing a serious internal crisis dealing with the security of the Hegemony, and the possibilities of using Brahma-Shiva, a bit unnecessary. Also, the whole "Tuvok struggling with the logic and necessity and purpose of the Genesis Project and similar tech" aspect seemed completely contrived, and, to be honest, I'm a little tired of the whole "Tuvok struggling with emotional control" subplot as well. The cat-and-mouse game that Ezri was playing with the Typhon Pact fleet dragged on a little too long, and so did the whole "running around Salavat" as well. Further, the commando raid on the Breen facility was confusing, because I had thought that the Breen commander had succeeded, but I came here and found out that he hadn't, but Memory Beta (taking with a grain of salt) confirmed the Breen commander had succeeded. And, as for Rough Beasts of Empire...the whole Sisko plotline could have been excised, and it would have had only a very minor effect. Sisko was an okay character for me in previous books and the series, but the Sisko in RBE was almost unrecognizable, and a complete asshole and a coward. His excuses rang hollow, and if I were Avery Brooks I'd be cussing some people out. And then, just leaving Elias Vaughn in the condition he's in also irked me. Plus, the biggest annoyance is that all sorts of stuff is referred to, but we haven't seen any of it actually happen yet.)

So...yeah.

 

[shanejayell]

As a series, I think it did a fair job of setting up the new 'status quo' of the Next Gen universe. I do think the quality of the books really varied too much, and I felt the Seize the Fire and Zero Sum Game books were frankly sub-standard.

 

[elaithin]

I think it was. I liked Zero Sum Game, Rough Beasts of Empire, and Paths of Disharmony a great deal. I've explained in the review thread for Seize the Fire my significant disappointment with that book, so I don't think I need to repeat myself here.

Three out of four isn't bad.

 

[Bishop76]

^ I agree with that - StF was pretty awful but the rest were entertaining enough to keep me interested.

 

[DarKush]

I've read two books, ZSG and RBOE, and I have two more to go. I loved the concept, but so far I haven't cared for the execution. ZSG did a good job exploring the Breen, but I didn't care for some of the things Bashir did. As I said in my review of that book, it felt out of character. However, I thought the book ended in an interesting place for Bashir. As for the Aventine, the crew is alright, but I can't say they added all that much to the book. I wish more had been done with Ezri's feelings when she saw how tight Bashir and Sarina were.

The more I think about RBOE I just think it was too packed. I would rather have seen more exploration of the Tzenkethi instead of the Romulans, who's post-Nemesis travails have been covered pretty well in other books, particularly Death in Winter, the early Titan novels, and Singular Destiny. And they are getting more exposure in the ENT relaunch. I particularly loathed what was done to Sisko, as I mentioned in that book's review thread.

I've tried reading the Gorn book, but its not grabbing me yet, though I am looking forward to learning more about the Gorn and hope there are references to the Gorn Crisis comic. I'm holding off on the Andorian novel until I read Losing the Peace, which I'm actually enjoying more than I thought I would. Instead of the Andorian story (which I haven't read yet), I wish a novel had been devoted to the Kinshaya. I also wouldn't have minded a Tholian novel too.

So far for me, the build up with the Destiny trilogy, Singular Destiny, and Losing the Peace, not to mention the Voyager books, have all been more enjoyable what I have seen thus far with the Typhon Pact. It's left me skeptical about buying any post-Typhon Pact books outside of the Voyager relaunch. Which amazes me because Voyager was my least favorite Trek series, yet its relaunch is currently the best, perhaps followed by TNG. I'm looking with great anticipation for the next VOY book and the Geordi-Challenger book coming out later this year.

I'm especially disappointed with the current direction of the DS9. If Sisko's arc isn't reversed or brings him back to the family man and builder he was in the series, then I can't support any future DS9/Trek works featuring this imposter, for lack of a better word.

One thing that I have loved about all the books though are the titles, I think each one is pretty cool.