Spoilers DTI: Forgotten History by C. L. Bennett Review Thread

[Sho]

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Luckily for Christopher L. Bennett's Forgotten History, it's as yet safe from becoming part of the latter: Once more, the customary one-week-and-one day* still separate us from the release of this Star Trek novel. And hopefully for us readers, and certainly if the highly positive reaction to its precursor Watching the Clock is any indication, it won't be so easy to forget anyway. In fact, as the author tells it, this one was originally expected to carry the TOS moniker; the success of Watching presumably influenced the publisher's decision to let it fly under the Department of Temporal Investigations banner as well, now the second novel to do so.

Here is the blurb from the Simon & Schuster website:

The agents of the Department of Temporal Investigations are assigned to look into an anomaly that has appeared deep in Federation territory. It’s difficult to get clear readings, but a mysterious inactive vessel lies at the heart of the anomaly, one outfitted with some sort of temporal drive disrupting space-time and subspace. To the agents’ shock, the ship bears a striking resemblance to a Constitution-class starship, and its warp signature matches that of the original Federation starship Enterprise NCC-1701—the ship of James T. Kirk, that infamous bogeyman of temporal investigators, whose record of violations is held up by DTI agents as a cautionary tale for Starfleet recklessness toward history. But the vessel’s hull markings identify it as Timeship Two, belonging to none other than the DTI itself. At first, Agents Lucsly and Dulmur assume the ship is from some other timeline . . . but its quantum signature confirms that it came from their own past, despite the fact that the DTI never possessed such a timeship. While the anomaly is closely monitored, Lucsly and Dulmur must search for answers in the history of Kirk’s Enterprise and its many encounters with time travel—a series of events with direct ties to the origins of the DTI itself. . . .

You can also read an excerpt here: http://books.simonandschuster.com/S...Bennett/Star-Trek/9781451657258/browse_inside

* = Ok, so only in Australia or something. But I might not have time tomorrow, and a little wibbly-wobbly timy-wimeyness fits the general theme, don't you agree?

 

[Mage]

I honoustly can't say what novel I'm looking out for more this year. With Storming Heaven already released, I thought at first that this year in Trek could not give me anything as good or better. But with the new DTI, the DRGIII duology, a new Voyager by Beyer, a new McCormick!!! And ofcourse a David Mack trilogy.

We are being spoiled in 2012 people!!

 

[Thrawn]

That really is an awesome cover. One of the best in a while.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Mage, us trek lit readers are probably in the minority in anticipating 2012.

 

[Sho]

^ What are you alluding to Matthias?

 

[Christopher]

Probably all the nonsense about the Mayan calendar allegedly predicting the end of the world on December 21 this year, which is ridiculous because it's really just the end of the current cycle in the Mayan calendar and the start of the next.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

^Yup. NASA even set a section of their web site aside to address concerns of the public because they were being overwhelmed with letters and emails about 2012 stellar phenomenon. But also, election years are never fun.

 

[zarkon]

Maybe they've all been playing Broken Sword 2 and are scared Tezcatlipoca's going to turn up.

 

[Sho]

The Mayan thing was my first thought, but I was hoping for something more interesting, like gossip on how other franchises are faring. That said, a Broken Sword 2 reference makes it all worth it (love that series).

Gotta love this idle banter that always precedes the thread's actual purpose .

 

[Sci]

But also, election years are never fun.

Speak for yourself.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

...But with the new DTI, the DRGIII duology, a new Voyager by Beyer, a new McCormick!!! And ofcourse a David Mack trilogy.

We are being spoiled in 2012 people!!

We are indeed!

I'm very pleased with the lineup for the rest of this year.

Now, I just need my copy of Storming Heaven to finally get here.

 

[Technobuilder]

Looking forward to this next novel with my favorite Temporal Investigations Team, Dulmer and Lucsly.

Christopher... might there be more DTI on the horizon?

 

[Mage]

...But with the new DTI, the DRGIII duology, a new Voyager by Beyer, a new McCormick!!! And ofcourse a David Mack trilogy.

We are being spoiled in 2012 people!!

We are indeed!

I'm very pleased with the lineup for the rest of this year.

Now, I just need my copy of Storming Heaven to finally get here.

Trust me, it's worth the wait. And I had to wait for more then two weeks as well.

 

[Christopher]

Christopher... might there be more DTI on the horizon?

I have no idea. It may depend on how well this one sells. But after doing two DTI novels in as many years, I'd like to do something else next. And I feel this is a concept that shouldn't be overused.

 

[Sho]

^ Makes me wonder if you've already submitted something for 2013 ...

 

[Mage]

I have to admit, as much as I'm looking forward to this new DTI, I'd love for Christopher to get back to Titan. Orion's Hounds might be the best Titan novel so far.
Or perhaps a standalone novel, like The Buried Age.

Christopher, if you had carte blanche right now, what novel would you love to write??

 

[William Leisner]

Slightly OT: Forgotten History got a small plug on Sword and Laser, the new book-centric webshow on Felicia Day's "Geek and Sundry" YouTube channel. (You can jump to their upcoming release segment at 24:10, but I do recommend watching the show in it's entirety.) So yay, TrekLit promotion!

 

[shanejayell]

Ooh, nice. I must check my local stores and see if it's out.

 

[scnj]

Pre-ordered from Amazon UK. Apparently it'll dispatch by the 26th.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

I have to admit, as much as I'm looking forward to this new DTI, I'd love for Christopher to get back to Titan. Orion's Hounds might be the best Titan novel so far.
Or perhaps a standalone novel, like The Buried Age.

Christopher, if you had carte blanche right now, what novel would you love to write??

Agreed. Christopher did good work for Titan. His style meshes well with that series and I hope he'll write another.

If Forgotten History is as good as the first, I'd like to see more in the series, especially if he can have several novels building upon a bigger arc.