Spoilers DSC: Desperate Hours by David Mack Review Thread

[ryan123450]

Twenty Minutes ago, i bought the german version of this novel Never had thought that the book is already out there. Looking forward to read it over the next few days!

Spoiler

The events in the book happen in May 2255. One year before the Shenzhou Mission to the Binary Stars and one year after the Enterprise's Talos IV Mission.

Captain Pike, Spock and the Enterprise have big roles in the book

The real name of Pike's Number One is Una

Spoiler

It links to the Litverse!!!!!

 

[Leto_II]

Spoiler

It links to the Litverse!!!!!

 

[Leto_II]

Watching the premiere right now on CBS, and the first episode

Spoiler: Discovery Premiere

begins on May 11, 2256 ("a Sunday").

 

[ryan123450]

Really looking forward to Desperate Hours now. Want way more info on the background details, and explanations for whatever visual discrepancies can be rationalized away.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Sadly want at Delhi airport yesterday, did hope it might
1) be big enough to be at the airport
2) have slipped through as it's India.

Is it better to read this first, or watch discovery first?

 

[Oz Trekkie]

My copy just hit my iBooks shelf.

 

[tenmei]

Mine is on the way from Amazon UK

 

[Tuskin38]

Kindle version won’t be out until tomorrow here

 

[Freman]

Why darn?

Because I'm OCD. lol. All my other Trek books are one size, now the Discovery ones are a different size. Drives me bonkers.

 

[Tuskin38]

Just Pre-ordered, can't wait.

 

[T'Bonz]

Mine was at my doorstep this morning. Review embargo until today. Well I won't FINISH it 'til tonight, so you're safe guys.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Because I'm OCD. lol. All my other Trek books are one size, now the Discovery ones are a different size. Drives me bonkers.

Isn't there some publishing industry term for this? Trade paperback versus mass market paperback or somesuch?

 

[nickyboy]

It was downloaded to my iPad this morning. Will read the DS9 book first. I probably wouldn't have pre-ordered it if I had known how unlikeable Michael Burnham is

 

[T'Bonz]

Well, I just finished mine. I enjoyed it (obviously because I just spent 3 hours reading it cover to cover). I won't do spoilers but it took a while until I got what I was really looking for in this book. But it was there and so that was good.

And it did answer a question that I've seen in the Discovery forums and I was wrong when I mentally answered that question.

I liked the connection between the two crews (vague-posting here). I'm an old-school TOS fan so that would appeal to me.

Something I didn't like was the rivalry/enmity between two Shenzhou crewmembers. It didn't really ring true, particularly due to the nature/training of both of them.

Also - the resolution of the colonist leader issue. Seemed to me like it was "well, the book is almost done. Wrap this shit up." It was a real anticlimax to that situation.

I'd give it a B+.

A question though. Given the connection to canon Discovery (such as it is thus far, admittedly not much to go on), I wonder how canon this is or this series of books will be?

 

[Thrawn]

Kirsten has said pretty clearly that if someone comes up with a better idea for the onscreen shows or movies in the future that the novels won't be granted the same status, that the show takes precedence, but that these are being developed with the intention of being the real backstory for the foreseeable future. So the answer is no, they aren't canon, but they're definitely linked with the creative process of the show with the intention of remaining linked to the show and not contradicted.

 

[Omega Particle]

My review just went live at TrekCore! Lots to be happy about here for Discovery fans, novelverse fans, and canon obsessive - http://trekcore.com/blog/2017/09/book-review-star-trek-discovery-desperate-hours/

 

[Enterprise1701]

A question though. Given the connection to canon Discovery (such as it is thus far, admittedly not much to go on), I wonder how canon this is or this series of books will be?

Hasn't David Mack stated somewhere around here that the novels may be written in conjunction with the TV producers, but CBS's canon policy hasn't changed and thus the novels can and will be overwritten if the TV producers see fit to do so?

I suppose comparisons might be drawn to the Voyager novel Pathways. A few parts of it were contradicted by canon later on, but with TV producer input, it remained largely insightful into the show.

 

[Leto_II]

Hasn't David Mack stated somewhere around here that the novels may be written in conjunction with the TV producers, but CBS's canon policy hasn't changed and thus the novels can and will be overwritten if the TV producers see fit to do so?

Pretty much, yeah. Basically, the show itself comes first, but if the opportunity exists for the producers to appropriate certain elements from the novels, they appear willing to do so.

 

[Ronald Held]

Mine has appeared. Maybe start this one first...

 

[Tuskin38]

Spoiler

I do like the possible explanation of the uniform differences