Spoilers KEL: More Beautiful Than Death by David Mack Review Thread

[David Mack]

In chapter 1 L'Nel had a Katric Ark. I thought in the 2009 movie, Vulcans held the Katras and they were not placed in Katric Arks.

They exported certain katras to new hosts to protect them in transit. One of the ideas was that Sarek would become the new host of Surak's katra:

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Katric_ark_(alternate_reality)

However, this is not an option for L'Nel. She needs to preserve this particular katra separately from herself, hence she is keeping it in one of the archaic singular vessels, which she took from the main ark chamber.

 

[Ronald Held]

They exported certain katras to new hosts to protect them in transit. One of the ideas was that Sarek would become the new host of Surak's katra:

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Katric_ark_(alternate_reality)

However, this is not an option for L'Nel. She needs to preserve this particular katra separately from herself, hence she is keeping it in one of the archaic singular vessels, which she took from the main ark chamber.

Thanks for the explanation.
It was not clear that Katric Arks existed in the Kelvin universe

 

[David Mack]

Thanks for the explanation.
It was not clear that Katric Arks existed in the Kelvin universe

Why wouldn't they?

 

[Ronald Held]

Why wouldn't they?

I would expect they would, but it was not obvious in the 2009 movie. Thanks.

 

[Chancellor M'rek]

Will people ever stop thinking they sound clever when making this idiotic comment?

Book starts with Uhura lying on the floor beaten to a pulp and Spock phaser blasted, on the verge of death. Author gets mad when asked if book will be violent.

 

[trampledamage]

Book starts with Uhura lying on the floor beaten to a pulp and Spock phaser blasted, on the verge of death. Author gets mad when asked if book will be violent.

Not useful...

And posting with the intent to annoy another poster is trolling and against the rules. Don't do it again.

 

[JD]

I saw several comments that The Unsettling Stars felt more like a TOS episode than the Kelvin Timeline movies, would those of you who have read this say it does a better job capturing the feel of the movies?

 

[Malaika]

I saw several comments that The Unsettling Stars felt more like a TOS episode than the Kelvin Timeline movies, would those of you who have read this say it does a better job capturing the feel of the movies?

I liked it, the story feels like it could've been, with some small changes of course, the plot of a movie too.

It does indeed feel like a novel that can only make sense in kelvin trek and while reading, I just pictured Pine, Quinto&co. Mission accomplished in that aspect because I think a kelvin trek novel must feel like.. a kelvin trek novel. Or what's the purpose?
I also like the fact it keeps Kirk and Spock balanced as co-leads like in the first movie, so both of them have their own crisis and storyline to resolve.

In some aspects, the novel is more consistent to me as a continuation of st09 and stid than Beyond, but that's mostly because beyond ignored the first 2 movies a bit when it comes to Spock's arc for example (not to mention the effects the vulcan diaspora might have on the vulcans). The Spock from the novel is consistent with the fact that.. he has a brain? Of course there are things he's going to point up...the opposite wouldn't make much sense. Since he was a kid, Kelvin Spock was never there for vulcan's hypocrisy and people insulting his human side and those who are dear to him. He still has the conflict but he has a more rational, more contemporary way to see his dual heritage compared to tos Spock.

There are some aspects I find inconsistent though. Sarek goes a bit backwards, IMO, with the little character development he has in st09 when he finally admits he loved Amanda, and he pretty much tells Spock that he's grateful of the fact he's a child of two worlds, thus human too. The feeling I got from the movie is that kelvin Sarek is learning to be a better father and from now on, he won't force his son to be vulcan only anymore. The death of his wife and the loss of his home world working as a catalyst of sorts. I think he realizes it's better for Spock's health too (I always found it telling that Spock obviously feels ashamed for his loss of control when he almost kills Kirk, and the way he's framed between Uhura and Sarek in that scene emphasizes his 'shame' and the fact those he loves watched him lose control like that.. and yet, neither Uhura nor even Sarek judge him bad for that negative display of emotion.. they only have compassion).

However, since the events in the novel happen right after st09 I can still rationalize his behavior in a 'work in progress' perspective in context of the fact he's grieving too. Some old habits, old flaws of his character might occasionally still show up.
I appreciate how the comics portrayed him, for example, but I can think the Sarek from this novel will get there too, eventually.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Just picked up a copy yesterday. It's in the queue, after finishing Alex Trebek's memoir, and a short book by The Right Reverend N. T. Wright, God and the Pandemic.

 

[Elwro]

I'm a few hours in, listening to the brilliant mr. Petkoff.

Opening the book with that scene is very effective. I'm constantly expecting the book will return to it :-) The book certainly fits the Kelvin tone and I'm glad the Vulcan problems are finally treated seriously.

I was surprised to see (hear) the term 'Underdark'. I would expect it to have been trademarked by TSR / WoTC / Hasbro / whatever...

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

This does not look promising.

I really want to like this. Even though we have the backstory of Vulcan being destroyed, I still mostly see and hear Bill, Leonard, De, Jimmy, George, Nichelle, Walter, and Mark, rather than Chris, Zach, Karl, Simon, John, Zoe, Anton, and Ben, and I actually find that appealing. And yet . . .

In the first place, near the bottom of page 51, I get jolted violently out of the story by a stupid mistake the proofreader should have caught: the word is ASYLUM, not AMNESTY!

Second, stupid science. Negative ions fatal to life forms? For pity's sake, does anybody equate the term "negative energy" (as introduced in descriptions of the galactic barrier at the beginning of WNM) with negative electrical polarity?

And now, we have both McCoy and Sarek acting completely out of character. McCoy's perpetual sparring match with Spock was never vindictive unless he was under some outside influence, and Sarek would never condone, much less instigate, an attempt to undermine Kirk's authority.

I have spoken many times of The Novel Which I Will Not Name, the text of which defiled the paper it was printed on. In that opus, I have minor quibbles with stupid science, and bigger quibbles with the idea of a protagonist who starts out as a shameless cad of the sort only another cad would find appealing, but my biggest gripe against it -- which was also the thing that kept me reading the thing to the end -- was the hope that the author would make good on the very big contracts he made with the reader in the opening chapter. A hope that was utterly dashed at the end.

Mack has signed some pretty major contracts with the readers in the present opus. I sincerely hope he, unlike the unnamed author of the unnamed book, makes good on those contracts. Because I would rather not break my unbroken streak of never giving any ST novel a rating lower than "average."

 

[Ronald Held]

This does not look promising.

I really want to like this. Even though we have the backstory of Vulcan being destroyed, I still mostly see and hear Bill, Leonard, De, Jimmy, George, Nichelle, Walter, and Mark, rather than Chris, Zach, Karl, Simon, John, Zoe, Anton, and Ben, and I actually find that appealing. And yet . . .

In the first place, near the bottom of page 51, I get jolted violently out of the story by a stupid mistake the proofreader should have caught: the word is ASYLUM, not AMNESTY!

Second, stupid science. Negative ions fatal to life forms? For pity's sake, does anybody equate the term "negative energy" (as introduced in descriptions of the galactic barrier at the beginning of WNM) with negative electrical polarity?

And now, we have both McCoy and Sarek acting completely out of character. McCoy's perpetual sparring match with Spock was never vindictive unless he was under some outside influence, and Sarek would never condone, much less instigate, an attempt to undermine Kirk's authority.

I have spoken many times of The Novel Which I Will Not Name, the text of which defiled the paper it was printed on. In that opus, I have minor quibbles with stupid science, and bigger quibbles with the idea of a protagonist who starts out as a shameless cad of the sort only another cad would find appealing, but my biggest gripe against it -- which was also the thing that kept me reading the thing to the end -- was the hope that the author would make good on the very big contracts he made with the reader in the opening chapter. A hope that was utterly dashed at the end.

Mack has signed some pretty major contracts with the readers in the present opus. I sincerely hope he, unlike the unnamed author of the unnamed book, makes good on those contracts. Because I would rather not break my unbroken streak of never giving any ST novel a rating lower than "average."

These are some reasons that this novel feels like it only fits in the Kelvin universe.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I will say that things are looking up, somewhat, in comparison to yesterday evening. The revelation that

Spoiler

L'Nel is T'Pring, and that the vre'katra contains Stonn

certainly explains L'Nel's behavior, but not Sarek's. But it raises questions of its own. After all,

Spoiler

it's long been established in canon that T'Pring could only unilaterally divorce Spock via the Kal-if-fee, and that Pon Farr, in the male, if it reaches Plak Tow and is not relieved in a timely manner, one way or another, is fatal, and a unilateral divorce of a bondmate, at least of the woman unilaterally divorcing a man (and possibly the other way around, as well) would constitute premeditated murder. So the ceremony depicted between T'Pring and Stonn seems a bit out-of-place, and the priest presiding over it would be an accessory to an act of murder.

I will note that when the subject of asylum comes up the second time, the correct word is used. And since I reached about the 40% point in the text, it has been rather riveting.

 

[David cgc]

Something I hoped would come up and didn't, but isn't actually contradicted by the novel, and kind of addresses your concern:

Spoiler

In "Amok Time," Spock implies that his first Pon Farr is unusually late, when he mentions that he'd hoped (probably since he was half-human) he wouldn't have to go through it at all. If the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee typically happens around age 21, or even 14, and Spock was 37 when it finally hit him (or, in the novel, is 28 with no indication it'll ever happen), everyone's behavior makes a lot more sense. Spock's romances with humans, T'Pring's relationship with Stonn and, in this novel, her secret marriage to Stonn. Even the timing fits, if she and Spock should be on their second or third cycle without him throwing so much as one bowl of soup across the hall, that seems like the time to cut bait and quietly abandon the betrothal, even if it would be socially unacceptable to do so publicly. Everything would've continued to be just fine if Spock hadn't turned out to be affected by Pon Farr so late in life after everyone concerned had moved on.

 

[Stevil2001]

Something I hoped would come up and didn't, but isn't actually contradicted by the novel, and kind of addresses your concern:

Spoiler

In "Amok Time," Spock implies that his first Pon Farr is unusually late, when he mentions that he'd hoped (probably since he was half-human) he wouldn't have to go through it at all. If the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee typically happens around age 21, or even 14, and Spock was 37 when it finally hit him (or, in the novel, is 28 with no indication it'll ever happen), everyone's behavior makes a lot more sense. Spock's romances with humans, T'Pring's relationship with Stonn and, in this novel, her secret marriage to Stonn. Even the timing fits, if she and Spock should be on their second or third cycle without him throwing so much as one bowl of soup across the hall, that seems like the time to cut bait and quietly abandon the betrothal, even if it would be socially unacceptable to do so publicly. Everything would've continued to be just fine if Spock hadn't turned out to be affected by Pon Farr so late in life after everyone concerned had moved on.

That's an interesting take; I'd never really thought about that implication of Spock's line. Thanks for sharing!

 

[David Mack]

…near the bottom of page 51, I get jolted violently out of the story by a stupid mistake the proofreader should have caught: the word is ASYLUM, not AMNESTY!

I have passed along your observation to my editor at Simon & Schuster, with a request that we push a correction to all eBook files as soon as is reasonably possible, and that we mark that for correction if/when the book goes back for its next printing.

As to your other concerns, I deliberately played faster and looser with technobabble than I usually do because I was writing a book in the universe where "red matter" is a thing. I rest my case. ;-)

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

As I recall, the subject of when first Pon Farr happens, and when it becomes severe enough to require attention, has been covered in TrekLit, either in a novel or in some work of non-narrative fiction (maybe the Medical Reference?)

And I definitely agree that "red matter" is right up there with "purple kryptonite" on the spectrum of absurd names for implausible substances. Although given that the generally accepted backstory is that it originated in the 24th Century of the Prime Universe, with the Prime Universe Spock running it into Romulan space aboard the Jellyfish on a mercy mission attempting to stop a hypernova from destroying most of Romulan civilization, it obviously is not unique to the Abramsverse.

 

[David Mack]

All I'm saying is, the "feel" of the book was intended to reflect that of the movies on which it was based.

 

[Ronald Held]

Just finished it. It was interesting, mostly for the A plot.
Mildly concerned about whether the laws of marriage and divorce are the same on the late Kelvin Vulcan.

 

[flandry84]

“Vulcan-Divorce court”.
Worst ratings ever!