First S&S Catalog Description of Rings of Time

[JD]

I recently found the first description for Rings of Time, from S&S's catalog. I'm so posting this with Greg Cox's go ahead.

The U.S.S. Enterprise responds to an SOS from a vital dilithium-mining colony in the Klondike system. The colony is located on Skagway, a moon orbiting Klondike-6, a gas giant not unlike Saturn. For unknown reasons, the planet’s rings are coming apart, threatening the colony and its inhabitants. Kirk and his crew need to find a solution–fast. There are over three thousand colonists, including hundreds of families, on the endangered moon. That’s more than even the Enterprise can take on, and there are no other rescue ships or habitable planets anywhere in the vicinity. Meanwhile, a approaching comet that may be the source of the crisis threatening Skagway turns out to be a mysterious alien probe that seems to be on its last legs. Sensors indicate that the probe is incredibly old and running low on power. Suspecting that the probe may have something to do with the crisis threatening Skagway, Kirk has the probe beamed aboard the Enterprise. Scanning the artifact with his tricorder, Spock is unable to determine its origins, but detects no obvious threat. The surface of the probe is badly scorched and corroded, but Kirk can make out the remnants of alien hieroglyphics that look strangely similar to the ones on that alien obelisk he encountered on Miramanee’s planet years ago. Troubled by the memory, he reaches out to touch it…there’s a blinding flash…and Kirk suddenly finds himself floating in orbit above Saturn in our solar system, drifting in space wearing an old-fashioned NASA spacesuit. Disoriented, it takes him a few moments to realize that he is nowhere near the Klondike system and the Enterprise is nowhere in sight. Instead he glimpses an old-style spaceship of twenty-first century design several meters away. What just happened…?

Sounds pretty cool to me. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on it.

 

[CaptainDonovin]

Sounds cool. I get the feeling the first human to Saturn shows up in the story.

 

[Defcon]

Is it just me, or does this read less like a cover blurb, and more like a pitch or something?

Sounds interesting, though.

 

[ryan123450]

Wonder if, since Miramanee's planet was "years ago", this could be post-TMP or even post-TFF. Probably not though.

 

[BillJ]

Why does this feel like a riff on The Inner Light to me?

 

[Mage]

Sounds very intriguing!!!

 

[Christopher]

Is it just me, or does this read less like a cover blurb, and more like a pitch or something?

It's not the cover blurb, just the preliminary text for the publisher's catalog aimed at book dealers. The catalog's contents are often fairly rough. That description may have been edited down from the outline or something.

Wonder if, since Miramanee's planet was "years ago", this could be post-TMP or even post-TFF. Probably not though.

No, Greg recently mentioned in another thread that it's in the final year of the 5-year mission.

 

[Art Vandelay]

If that description is more or less accurate, this novel is now #1 on my "most anticipated upcoming Trek fiction" list, based on how much I loved Greg's handling of Trek's fictional history in the Eugenics Wars novels.

 

[timothy]

is this soppossed to be coming out this year or next? either way it sounds like a fantastic read and hopefully it is set in the original five year mission time line.

 

[Greg Cox]

Yeah, that looks like it was lifted straight from my original proposal.

At the moment, the book is definitely set during the end of the original five-year mission.

In the meantime, enjoy a peek at what my outlines look like!

 

[Reanok]

JD thanks for posting this information about Greg Cox's novel i'm definitely looking forward to getting this book.

 

[Greg Cox]

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. I'm having fun with this book so far.

 

[Lanny77]

Sounds interesting but I can't help but imagine that the plot is gonna involve Shaun Geoffrey Christopher from the "Tomorrow is Yesterday" episode

 

[Greg Cox]

Sounds interesting but I can't help but imagine that the plot is gonna involve Shaun Geoffrey Christopher from the "Tomorrow is Yesterday" episode

That would be a reasonable assumption . . . .

 

[CaptainDonovin]

Yeah, that looks like it was lifted straight from my original proposal.

At the moment, the book is definitely set during the end of the original five-year mission.

In the meantime, enjoy a peek at what my outlines look like!

Ohh yum I can't wait. A a new TOS story is one thing, but set in the final year of Kirk's original mission - a great combo if you ask me.

 

[xortex]

I like something that ties into the psuedo real space program with complex time travel. It feels like real science fiction. 'Troublesome Minds' was funny because it was a great concept, but the book can practically be gleaned from the back cover. It would have made a hell of an episode but rereading it is an exercise in futilty.

 

[BrotherBenny]

This is definitely going onto my to-read list. All I need now is money.

 

[xortex]

You can't have love and money. It's either or.

 

[BrotherBenny]

You can't have love and money. It's either or.

What if I love money?

 

[xortex]

You can't have love and money. It's either or.

What if I love money?

Ain't that a one way street 'cause it don't love you back.