Finished today, I like the twist with Trip, looking forward to the next in the series , there are some loose ends to tie up. How many books will be in the ROFT series?
Spoilers ENT: Rise of the Federation: Patterns of Interference by C.L. Bennett Review Thread
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It's never had a set duration.
As soon as he mentioned worrying his grandson might be a wimp, I immediately imagined the Mighty Thor messing up some bad guys. And then, just now, I realized that Marcus's grandson is George's father, not George. So I guess surly one-eyed Anthony Hopkins?
In my opinion, there's also a difference between somebody living to be over 100 years old - having 5-year-old James Kirk meeting 117-year-old Charles Tucker at the Federation Day parade is fairly innocuous, and there's a nice little symmetry in 133-year-old former President Archer passing away of old age the day after the commissioning of the Enterprise - and somebody still active at over 100. I don't mind knowing that the entire command crew lived to see the middle of the 23rd century (even if it stretches credibility), but to assume they're still on active duty - or even just the professors at Starfleet Academy - seems like it might be a stretch.
Maybe Trip would if you believe his DNA was resequenced for a 31 mission. Why Archer or Reed would last that long,maybe an indirect benefit of getting the Transporter damage repaired?
Phlox had them cloned.....
I hope Rise of the Federation continues on for a good long while (assuming Christopher is happy to continue writing it), because it's my favorite of the ongoing Treklit series right now. Even before ENT premiered, the early days of the Federation and Starfleet were always the most interesting to me--probably because of its untapped potential--and I'm loving how Christopher has fleshed out this era, so far. I believe I pointed out in my review for A Choice of Futures, way back in the day, that Malcolm Reed was one of my favorite characters from ENT and how pleased I am that he's had a much bigger role in this series, with far more opportunities to grow and develop. I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles being right in the thick of things at Starfleet Command on Earth. His relationship with Caroline Paris was very well done, and I'm happy that even though Malcolm is no longer captain of Pioneer, we'll still get to see that crew and their adventures with Caroline taking his place there.
One thing I've always appreciated about ROTF is how Christopher has always tried to include a strong B-plot focusing on the exploration of a strange, new world and the life inhabiting it. I found the concept of potentially sentient plant life extremely fascinating, especially as a fan of the TV show Farscape which featured a major character who was a member of a plant-based alien species. So while reading the Birnam sections of Patterns of Interference, I was often wondering how these plants might somehow later evolve into a form that moves and communicates in a manner we're more accustomed to dealing with.
The last Treklit book I read before this was David Mack's Control, so it was a lot of fun to see how the original iteration of Section 31 was forced to shutter its operations in the 22nd century after seeing how Julian Bashir and his companions took it out (for good?) in the 24th century.
One thing I've always appreciated about ROTF is how Christopher has always tried to include a strong B-plot focusing on the exploration of a strange, new world and the life inhabiting it. I found the concept of potentially sentient plant life extremely fascinating, especially as a fan of the TV show Farscape which featured a major character who was a member of a plant-based alien species. So while reading the Birnam sections of Patterns of Interference, I was often wondering how these plants might somehow later evolve into a form that moves and communicates in a manner we're more accustomed to dealing with.
The last Treklit book I read before this was David Mack's Control, so it was a lot of fun to see how the original iteration of Section 31 was forced to shutter its operations in the 22nd century after seeing how Julian Bashir and his companions took it out (for good?) in the 24th century.
Why should we assume it inevitably would? The life forms of Birnam have found their own evolutionary solutions; it could be that their future evolutionary path would remain distinct from ours, rather than converging on it. I tend to find it more interesting to imagine how aliens could be different from us than to imagine ways they could be more like us.
Yeah, I hated the producer comments that "Admiral Archer" was ENT's Jonathan Archer. McCoy as a 137-year old admiral (apparently on active duty but without significant genetic or cybernetic modifications) should be an exception to the norm.
I'm not assuming it inevitably would, just wondering if such a thing were to happen, how they would get there. That's why I put it in the context of connecting the Birnam aliens to the Farscape character. It's more about me wondering how a plant-based lifeform would evolve in such a way that they'd end up walking and talking and seeing the world like we do, since that's how that character is on Farscape.
The idea of a plant-based organism evolving into a humanoid form has always struck me as rather silly. It was one thing to use it in an outright comedy like Buck Henry's Quark (the Spock-parody character was a plant-based alien named Ficus), but I found its use rather implausible in Farscape (although that was never a show that made any attempt to be plausible). Besides, making everything look like us is boring and unimaginative. In thinking about botanical intelligences, it's more interesting to imagine something like the Phylosians from "The Infinite Vulcan," or the Kanten of David Brin's Uplift universe, or Vernor Vinge's skrode-riders from A Fire Upon the Deep.
Had to put my old pet cat to sleep today so that chapter about Archer and Porthos got to me....
^So sorry to hear that.
The Birnam have given rise to what is probably my favorite line in the whole book...
"These roots are made for walking. And that's not all they'll do." 
Also, something is damn familiar about the phrase "Birnam's woods". I just can't place it...
The Birnam have given rise to what is probably my favorite line in the whole book...
"These roots are made for walking. And that's not all they'll do."
Also, something is damn familiar about the phrase "Birnam's woods". I just can't place it...
THIRD APPARITION
Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are.
Macbeth shall never vanquished be until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him.
MacBeth, Act 4 Scene 1. (from sparknotes.com).
Also:
MACBETH Bring me no more reports; let them fly all:
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane,
I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Malcolm?
Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know
All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:
'Fear not, Macbeth; no man that's born of woman
Shall e'er have power upon thee.' Then fly,
false thanes, And mingle with the English epicures:
The mind I sway by and the heart I bear
Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.
MacBeth, Act Scene 3 (from shakespeare-online.com).
Ok, finished it today.
Really liked it. Well fleshed out characters and solid writing is something Christopher is known for and always delivers, this is no exception. And the plot is solid and well paced. The only two things that really bugged me where the continuation of Garos and the Three Sisters, kinda done with that.
And, although it is something very much a big deal in today's western society, the parallels to women's right issues, transgender issues and personal freedom were not very subtle. It took me out of the story every now and then. Not because I think the issues aren't worth discussing. I just felt it could have been portrayed a bit more nuanced. I did however, very much enjoyed reading how the colonies are reverting a bit more towards outdated ways of thinking, making it clear how easy it is for 'evolved ways of thinking' going out the window when people think it's convient. Certainly in the US, a lot of the progres made in the last decade or so seems to be made undone by certain individuals. So, again, even though I personally felt it could have been a bit more subtle, I like that Christopher didn't shun to tackle this particular social problem in a Star Trek novel.
As for the big underlying issue in this novel, the establishing of a/the Prime Directive, kudos to Christopher for not wrapping it up on one novel. In real life, something like this would takes ages to develop, and Star Trek always had a tendency to quickly wrap up big issues by the end of an episode. So, having this still be a problem in the next novel, is quite refreshing.
All in, ROTF is still a highlight of TrekLit, and I can't wait for the next installment.
Really liked it. Well fleshed out characters and solid writing is something Christopher is known for and always delivers, this is no exception. And the plot is solid and well paced. The only two things that really bugged me where the continuation of Garos and the Three Sisters, kinda done with that.
And, although it is something very much a big deal in today's western society, the parallels to women's right issues, transgender issues and personal freedom were not very subtle. It took me out of the story every now and then. Not because I think the issues aren't worth discussing. I just felt it could have been portrayed a bit more nuanced. I did however, very much enjoyed reading how the colonies are reverting a bit more towards outdated ways of thinking, making it clear how easy it is for 'evolved ways of thinking' going out the window when people think it's convient. Certainly in the US, a lot of the progres made in the last decade or so seems to be made undone by certain individuals. So, again, even though I personally felt it could have been a bit more subtle, I like that Christopher didn't shun to tackle this particular social problem in a Star Trek novel.
As for the big underlying issue in this novel, the establishing of a/the Prime Directive, kudos to Christopher for not wrapping it up on one novel. In real life, something like this would takes ages to develop, and Star Trek always had a tendency to quickly wrap up big issues by the end of an episode. So, having this still be a problem in the next novel, is quite refreshing.
All in, ROTF is still a highlight of TrekLit, and I can't wait for the next installment.
I'm glad the S31 bit is wrapping up, kinda over that storyline. And never really bought Trip's whole situation, so curious to see where it goes now that it's cleared up somewhat.
Of course, wasn't there a statue of his in an earlier one (Greater than the Sum, maybe?) that still had his official death called out, so he can never really come in out of the cold...
Of course, wasn't there a statue of his in an earlier one (Greater than the Sum, maybe?) that still had his official death called out, so he can never really come in out of the cold...
It's interesting you should call those out, because those were the parts where I was least motivated to do an "issue" story. I don't see something like exploring a transgender character as an "issue" any more than exploring any other character. I wasn't trying to make Morgan a symbol or a mouthpiece, I was trying to make her more than a token. I'd established in passing that she was trans in the previous book, and I didn't want to leave it at that, since that would be shallow. Also, I was just trying to flesh out the Essex characters more fully, to explore them while I have the chance (since we're getting closer and closer to the events established in "Power Play"). My main "agenda" there was just characterization. As for establishing the more conventional gender values of her colony, that was basically just out of the need to explain why she would've taken so long to transition to her true sex. If the society had no stigma about it, she probably would've transitioned much earlier in life, or never been mis-assigned in the first place.
And, yes, I did come back to that idea of colonial gender values briefly with Caroline, and there was a bit of a statement there that seemed relevant to me, but it was a minor part of the narrative. There were plenty of bits that I felt were much more heavyhanded than those, in all the stuff with Maltuvis and the Saurian resistance. That's where I was really going all-out with the political statements.
Nope, that wasn't me. Maybe you're thinking of the frame story in Last Full Measure, where the aged Tucker is visiting the Starfleet War Memorial in 2238 and runs into the young George and Jim Kirk. Of course, it was "These Are the Voyages..." that established that the story of Tucker's death is still believed in the 24th century, though it was reaffirmed in LFM and in the Jake-Nog frame story of The Good that Men Do.