MU: Shards and Shadows BC Text and new cover

[Jim Johnson]

Ah, cool. I would have preferred the Shran cover, for a specific reason, but the new cover is nice too. Jolene Blalock is indeed easier on the eyes than Jeffrey Combs (but I will say that Jeffrey Combs's characters are WAY much more fun to write than Blalock's...).

 

[Ferd Burfel]

So we need a great story with Shran and long-haired T'Pol. Keith, get on it! STAT!

 

[KRAD]

Huh? Wha?

 

[LightningStorm]

Interesting how the cover lists all of the authors on it instead of the editor for this anthology. I assume it's not a precedent, but it's kinda odd seeing that many names on a book cover.

 

[Christopher]

Interesting how the cover lists all of the authors on it instead of the editor for this anthology. I assume it's not a precedent, but it's kinda odd seeing that many names on a book cover.

The same was done with Distant Shores, Constellations, and The Sky's the Limit, as well as the various TPB omnibus reprints.

 

[Defcon]

Is Rudy a newcomer?

A newcomer to Trek, but he has written at least two WWE novels:

The novelization of The Marine and Big Apple Takedown, a novel where WWE Superstars work as covert ops agents for the government.

 

[Stevil2001]

Interesting how the cover lists all of the authors on it instead of the editor for this anthology. I assume it's not a precedent, but it's kinda odd seeing that many names on a book cover.

The same was done with Distant Shores, Constellations, and The Sky's the Limit, as well as the various TPB omnibus reprints.

Is it the first original (i.e., non-reprint) anthology to not list an editor on the cover, though?

 

[Marco Palmieri]

There was a very good reason for the change, but I'm not at liberty to say what it is.

It's a not a secret. The cover was done at a time when only the story outlines were written. At that time, we thought Shran would be in the book. Later we learned he would not be. Hence the change.

Interesting how the cover lists all of the authors on it instead of the editor for this anthology. I assume it's not a precedent, but it's kinda odd seeing that many names on a book cover.

The same was done with Distant Shores, Constellations, and The Sky's the Limit, as well as the various TPB omnibus reprints.

Is it the first original (i.e., non-reprint) anthology to not list an editor on the cover, though?

You should know. I managed to keep my name off the front of The Sky's the Limit.

Also kept it off the front of Constellations.

 

[Dayton Ward]

It's a not a secret. The cover was done at a time when only the story outlines were written. At that time, we thought Shran would be in the book. Later we learned he would not be. Hence the change.

That's probably good, since...

Spoiler: Age of the Empress...

We killed that dude. Killed him to death. However, it's very possible that Empress Sato saved Shran's brain!!!!

 

[Christopher]

^^Well, you never know. After all,

Spoiler: Age of the Empress

Hoshi did resurrect Archer.

 

[David Mack]

^^Well, you never know. After all,

Spoiler: Age of the Empress

Hoshi did resurrect Archer.

Yes, but...

Spoiler: Age of the Empress

WITHOUT HIS BRAIN! (Not that anyone could tell the difference.)

 

[ronny]

It's a not a secret. The cover was done at a time when only the story outlines were written. At that time, we thought Shran would be in the book. Later we learned he would not be. Hence the change.

That's sad news. But I'm still totally looking forward to this book....

 

[Stevil2001]

You should know. I managed to keep my name off the front of The Sky's the Limit.

Also kept it off the front of Constellations.

Oh, duh.

You say "managed to keep"-- is it difficult to not give yourself credit?

 

[Marco Palmieri]

You should know. I managed to keep my name off the front of The Sky's the Limit.

Also kept it off the front of Constellations.

Oh, duh.

You say "managed to keep"-- is it difficult to not give yourself credit?

Because it's a widely accepted practice to put the editor's name on the cover of an anthology, I allowed myself to be persuaded by my production editors that it was necessary for the previous anthologies I worked on.

I got away with taking my name off the front of Constellations and The Sky's the Limit by successfuly arguing that they were too text-heavy to include my name. Having set the precedent, no one questions me on it anymore.

 

[Stevil2001]

I guess it would be weird to have no names, and before Distant Shores, authors' names weren't appearing on the covers, as I recall.

 

[captcalhoun]

certainly TDW, TFTCT and No Limits didn't...

 

[Marco Palmieri]

I guess it would be weird to have no names, and before Distant Shores, authors' names weren't appearing on the covers, as I recall.

Not so. Distant Shores was published in November 2005. But the front cover of the mass-market edition of The Lives of Dax displayed all the contributors' names in January 2003.

certainly TDW, TFTCT and No Limits didn't...

I'm talking exclusively about my personal preferences as an editor, and I wasn't the editor of Tales of the Dominion War, Tales From the Captain's Table, or New Frontier: No Limits.

 

[Elemental]

Any chance of finding out the breakdown of the 12 stories by series? I was just wondering how many novel-only series are represented.

 

[Defcon]

Any chance of finding out the breakdown of the 12 stories by series? I was just wondering how many novel-only series are represented.

The series involved where revealed quite a while ago in another thread:

Here's the complete table of contents for Shards and Shadows, with the series added.

"Nobunaga" by Dave Stern (ENT)

"Ill Winds" by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore (pre-TOS/April)

"The Greater Good" by Margaret Wander Bonanno (TOS)

"The Black Flag" by James Swallow (Vanguard)

"The Traitor" by Michael Jan Friedman (Stargazer)

"The Sacred Chalice" by Rudy Josephs (TNG)

"Bitter Fruit" by Susan Wright (VOY)

"Family Matters" by Keith R.A. DeCandido (Gorkon/Klingon Empire)

"Homecoming" by Peter David (New Frontier)

"A Terrible Beauty" by Jim Johnson (DS9)

"Empathy" by Christopher L. Bennett (Titan)

"For Want of a Nail" by David Mack (TNG-ish)

 

[Stevil2001]

Not so. Distant Shores was published in November 2005. But the front cover of the mass-market edition of The Lives of Dax displayed all the contributors' names in January 2003.

Oh, I always forget that one because I already had it in trade.