"How Much For Just The Planet?"

[Amaris]

Okay, so I just read the novel.

Wait, let me rephrase that:
For the first time ever, in my life, I could not finish this book. I read about 70 pages in, and I could not stomach any more of it. Let me explain first that I love comedy. I love John M. Ford's "Final Reflection". I love "The Trouble with Tribbles". However, I do not like this book. I can usually suspend belief for a novel and let a few things slide off to the side here or there, but this novel? No, I can't. There was just so much off the wall silliness that I saw it as a complete parody of a Star Trek novel. I tried to like it, I tried to approach it from a different viewpoint, but each time it took more and more effort to read further along in the novel. Finally, I put the book down in frustration.

Maybe it's because the previous book I read was "The Vulcan Academy Murders", a thoroughly, resoundingly terrific book, in my opinion. I had always wanted to read it, and once I got this whole shipment of books, I found it was in there, and I was thrilled. I read it and loved it. I had also wanted to read "How Much For Just The Planet?", but I can't get through it. I'm sure I'll go back and try again, but at the moment, I can't stand it.

Your opinions?


J.

 

[Mistral]

Its been a long time but I seem to recall thinking it sucked as bad as Perry's Planet, if not worse.

 

[Christopher]

Essentially it is a parody, or more like a farce. You just have to be willing to cast aside any concerns about realism or credibility or consistency and just accept it as an extended joke. Kinda like the Stargate SG-1 episode "200." Or those Xena episodes where they recast the characters in a more modern setting and did a wacky clip show. Something that just throws any pretense of reality aside and just has fun with the concept.

 

[Amaris]

I think you'd think right, Mistral.

I agree with you Christopher that it would have to be a farce, but I just couldn't get through it. I've read farces before and have loved them, but for some reason, this one just hits me wrong. Maybe it's because of the tone of his first novel being so serious and the complete opposite being done here. I guess maybe because I care for the characters so much, that it just feels wrong here. I'm not above spoof, I love the Star Wreck series of books, but this just doesn't do it for me, I guess.

J.

 

[MajRichter]

Quite honestly, I enjoyed the book if only for just the sheer silliness of it. I love cracking open a book every now and then and getting a good laugh in. This book did that for me. But then everyone's sense of humor is different.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I had a LOT of difficulty with this one--I finished it, but only by forcing myself to. It reminded me a lot of a Monty Python movie except it didn't work at all with the Star Trek concept. Even the Star Trek-X-Men crossover worked better than this. And for all the bashing of DS9's Ferengi episodes...at least there was some semblance of a PLOT in them.

 

[Amaris]

I had a LOT of difficulty with this one--I finished it, but only by forcing myself to. It reminded me a lot of a Monty Python movie except it didn't work at all with the Star Trek concept. Even the Star Trek-X-Men crossover worked better than this. And for all the bashing of DS9's Ferengi episodes...at least there was some semblance of a PLOT in them.

Ah, THAT's what I was trying to place. Yes, it was a lot like a Monty Python movie, and I didn't like how it turned out, which is very odd, because I love Monty Python.

That being said, I will try to read the rest of it, but I'm going to keep Rolaids nearby when I do.


J.

 

[TGTheodore]

It's one of my all-time favorite Trek novels.

--Ted

 

[Lee]

I couldn't finish it either. Maybe I'm humor-impaired, but I didn't find it funny. Also I was very much into musical theater when I was younger, but that didn't help either. Sometimes a specific book just doesn't work for a specific reader.

 

[PaulSimpson]

It's one of my all-time favorite Trek novels.

--Ted

Seconded! It's one of the few novels from that period that I've gone back and reread in recent times. Someone (was it Therin?) actually has a list of the songs parodied in it - I'd still love to do something on it as and when we do a humour issue of the magazine! It proves once and for all that Star Trek can do comedy (deliberately - I'm not counting certain episodes that are unintentionally funny).

And when you contrast it with The Final Reflection, you realise just how damned good a writer John M. Ford was!

Paul

 

[Lonemagpie]

I love that book, as much as any of the ones from the period - it's a great change of pace and proves that Trek can handle lots of different subgenres, from action, mystery, and horror, all the way to musical comedy.

 

[Steve Roby]

Your opinions?

It's one of the classics of the Star Trek novel line. I haven't reread it (though it's one of the Trek books I'd like to get around to rereading eventually), so I'm going on 21-year-old memories, but as I recall, my initial reaction was WTF?, then I got into it and had a great time.

 

[Christopher]

Someone (was it Therin?) actually has a list of the songs parodied in it - I'd still love to do something on it as and when we do a humour issue of the magazine!

I wish that were so, but he's told me that he doesn't have such a list, though he hopes to compile one sometime. I've been wanting to know what the songs were ever since I first realized they were based on existing songs.

 

[PaulSimpson]

Someone (was it Therin?) actually has a list of the songs parodied in it - I'd still love to do something on it as and when we do a humour issue of the magazine!

I wish that were so, but he's told me that he doesn't have such a list, though he hopes to compile one sometime. I've been wanting to know what the songs were ever since I first realized they were based on existing songs.

Some enterprising soul should get on to it and I would certainly be interested in printing the results of those labors some point next year!

Paul

 

[Therin of Andor]

Some enterprising soul should get on to it and I would certainly be interested in printing the results of those labors some point next year!

Yeah, it was me. A few of my musicals-loving friends figured out many of the songs; they never wrote down anything. (Then we met John M Ford at a Sydney SF convention and he was thrilled they'd caught so many. Paramount wouldn't let him put a "playlist" in the front of the book, which was his original intention.) I just have to ply them with alcohol and get them to re-compile the list. I already have a second hand spare copy of the novel, in case it gets dog-eared during the raunchy remembering.

They used to sing the tunes loudly while we printed and collated our bimonthly ST newsletter. It was either HMfJtP? showtunes, or selected readings from "The Prometheus Design", "Triangle" or "Killing Time".

 

[Amaris]

It's one of my all-time favorite Trek novels.

--Ted

Seconded! It's one of the few novels from that period that I've gone back and reread in recent times. Someone (was it Therin?) actually has a list of the songs parodied in it - I'd still love to do something on it as and when we do a humour issue of the magazine! It proves once and for all that Star Trek can do comedy (deliberately - I'm not counting certain episodes that are unintentionally funny).

And when you contrast it with The Final Reflection, you realise just how damned good a writer John M. Ford was!

Paul

Oh, I certainly agree that John M. Ford was a very talented writer. The Final Reflection is still one of my all time favorite Trek books.

J.

 

[PaulSimpson]

Some enterprising soul should get on to it and I would certainly be interested in printing the results of those labors some point next year!

Yeah, it was me. A few of my musicals-loving friends figured out many of the songs; they never wrote down anything. (Then we met John M Ford at a Sydney SF convention and he was thrilled they'd caught so many. Paramount wouldn't let him put a "playlist" in the front of the book, which was his original intention.) I just have to ply them with alcohol and get them to re-compile the list. I already have a second hand spare copy of the novel, in case it gets dog-eared during the raunchy remembering.

They used to sing the tunes loudly while we printed and collated our bimonthly ST newsletter. It was either HMfJtP? showtunes, or selected readings from "The Prometheus Design", "Triangle" or "Killing Time".

Why didn't you ever mix the two? Sung renditions of Triangle could have been... fascinating!

 

[TGTheodore]

Some enterprising soul should get on to it and I would certainly be interested in printing the results of those labors some point next year!

I've been very tempted at times to attempt that, since I've been writing and composing for the musical theater for almost 30 years.

I fear it could be as frustrating as it could be fun ...

--Ted

 

[flandry84]

This was about the third or fourth ST book that I read.Confused the hell out of me,but as someone said,once you can leave aside the silliness,it's really quite enjoyable.
Although the transporter tech would mean little use for ground vehicles,I always wanted to see further use being made of the Klingon armoured car mentioned in the book.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Although the transporter tech would mean little use for ground vehicles.

Didn't stop them in "Nemesis".