Omnibus Wishlists: DS9 Relaunch and Others.

[Bubba The Genius]

With the second DS9 Relaunch omnibus coming out and no other omnibus editions announced, I was wondering what other omnibus editions y'all would like to see.

Me, I think have just about a perfect idea for how to continue the Relaunch in omnibus format.

I compared the page count in the original paperbacks to the page count in Twist of Faith and the announced page count for These Haunted Seas, and I calculated these approximate ratios:

Relaunch Volume 1: Twist of Faith
Avatar 1 & 2, Abyss, Demons..., "Horn & Ivory"
1168 large-type MMPB pages = 660 omnibus pages
1.77 large-type page / omnibus page

Relaunch Volume 2: These Haunted Seas
Mission Gamma 1 & 2
894 small-type MMPB = 720 omnibus pages
1.24 small-type page / omnibus page

Using these ratios, I figured about how many pages the following omnibus editions would have, and since they're roughly equivalent, it should mean that each of these volumes would be about the right size, not too big or too small:

Relaunch Volume 3
Mission Gamma 3 & 4, Rising Son, Unity
1322 large-type MMPB pages = approx. 747 omnibus pages

Relaunch Volume 4
Stitch in Time, Lives of Dax, Left Hand of Destiny 1 & 2
1379 large-type MMPB pages = approx. 779 omnibus pages

Relaunch Volume 5
Worlds of DS9 1, 2 & 3
1085 small-type MMPB pages = approx. 875 omnibus pages

There would be numerous advantages to these groupings:

1) They wouldn't be too far out of publication order (I believe LHOD preceded Unity, and Dax and Stitch are by far the oldest) so that there's less of a risk of any of the paperbacks still being print when the corresponding omnibus is due.

2) If a reader wanted to keep to the main continuity, he could read all of volumes 1, 2, 3, and 5 and nothing more: he could skip volume 4 and not miss a beat, and he wouldn't have to skip any books within the volumes he's got.

3) Particularly if the order in each volume were rearranged to match the order listed here, with the exception of Rising Son (which really does belong between M:G and Unity), one could read through the relaunch in chronological order by reading volume 4, then 1, 2, 3, and 5.

What would other people like to see released in omnibus format? Is there a better way to reprint the DS9 Relaunch? Are there already long-term plans in place?

 

[Trent Roman]

Is there a better way to reprint the DS9 Relaunch?

I was thinking spray painting on walls. Graffiti, as a medium, allows you to illustrate the story simultaneous with the writing, and it's basically its own advertising, so you save money on marketing. But we'd need to contact Chinese authorities for a wall long enough to paint Twilight on.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Christopher]

I'd like to see omnibus collections of the A Time to... series, though I'm not sure how they'd break down. In story terms, the logical thing would be to put the first four books in one volume and the last five in another, but that would make the second one extremely long. Hmm... maybe one volume with books 1-4, one with books 5-8, and a slimmer one combining ATFW,ATFP with Articles of the Federation?

 

[trampledamage]

I'd like to see omnibus collections of the A Time to... series, though I'm not sure how they'd break down. In story terms, the logical thing would be to put the first four books in one volume and the last five in another, but that would make the second one extremely long. Hmm... maybe one volume with books 1-4, one with books 5-8, and a slimmer one combining ATFW,ATFP with Articles of the Federation?

This, I would buy.

 

[ialfan]

I like both ideas in this thread. I've bought Twist of Faith already and enjoyed it very much. I'm looking forward to These Haunted Seas whenever that comes out?

I can't really think of anything else needing an Omnibus reprint right now beyond the stuff already listed. Maybe some more New Frontier ones?

 

[Kopernikus]

The only omnibusses I would be interested would be those containing books I don't already have in other form and that list is rather short for me, I'm missing only 19 books, then the PB-Star Trek is complete. So my wishlist would be:

String Theory 1 - 3
The remaining CoE-ebooks
Slings and Arrows

The other stuff I need for my collection wouldn't make much sense to be put into an omnibus, e.g. the last two Stagazer-novels, The empty Chair, Collision Course and some others.

I'm looking forward to These Haunted Seas whenever that comes out?

Thats due in June, so it should become available in two or three weeks.

 

[Therin of Andor]

What would other people like to see released in omnibus format?

"Lives of Dax" has already been in trade paperback and MMPB.

 

[Divine]

I wish we could get another omnibus to finish out Mission Gamma. The price for Books 3&4 is high if you want it new or like new.

 

[Stevil2001]

I'm a big fan of comic omnibi, because they typically let me catch up on things I haven't already read: Dark Horse's collections of early, out-of-print Star Wars comics have been great so far, allowing me to pick up the entirety of X-Wing Rogue Squadron and Tales of the Jedi in five books. DC is doing an Omnibus program, having just finished collecting all of Jack Kirby's "fourth world" comics, and now going to to collect James Robinson's Starman, both series I have been interested in for some time. Heck, this is even being done within Star Trek, with Checker BPG's collections of the Gold Key comics and Titan Books' of the DC ones (though both seem to have stopped).

With Star Trek novels, however, there's little that I want to own that I don't already. These DS9 omnibi would be great if I hadn't picked all these novels up as they came out.

 

[Kirr]

I definately like the idea of 'A Time To' omnibuses. For that last one (including War/Peace and Articles) couldn't it also include the novelization of Nemesis in between? That would fill it out a little more.

I have to say, I want to buy the Bloodwing Voyages - but it's annoying that there's the Ominbus... and book 5. I wish the Omnibus had all 5 books. I understand why it doesn't (the omnibus came out just before book 5 so that people could catch up), but that's a new Omnibus I'd like to see.

I'll list some other Omnibus ideas off the top of my head. As someone who has read ST books on and off, I find myself interested in catching up on some series after the fact:

How about the Stargazer series in Omnibus?
How about the Lost Era?
How about some of the Excelsior novels?
Maybe the non-DS9 Section 31 books?
Maybe the Genesis Wave books?
IKS?
String Theory?

I'm not sure if some of those are too 'new' (String Theory perhaps) but the ones that seem to 'fit' the omnibus best (to me at least) are books that are part of a series. I didn't even mention things like Double Helix or Invasion - since they're even older, but they could potentially make for good omnibuses as well.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Defcon]

I didn't even mention things like Double Helix or Invasion - since they're even older, but they could potentially make for good omnibuses as well.

There is a Double Helix Omnibus, and another miniseries that got an omnibus was the Captain's Table series. Both of those training instruments for Body Builders are standing on my shelve.

 

[Kirr]

There is a Double Helix Omnibus

See look at that - I wasn't even aware of that one. I also happened upon the Q-Continuum Omni as I was thinking of series to collect, as I was thinking those Greg Cox ones would be another good one - only to find it's already been done.

Just to not leave out the original series, I also thought of the following:
Errand of Vengeance
The Janus Gate

 

[Defcon]

There is a Double Helix Omnibus

See look at that - I wasn't even aware of that one.

Well, it was published in 2002 IIRC and it's long out of print, so I guess it's not a book you would encounter while browsing a book store these days. Beside trying to find it used there's also an e-Book version available.

 

[Christopher]

Heck, this is even being done within Star Trek, with Checker BPG's collections of the Gold Key comics and Titan Books' of the DC ones (though both seem to have stopped).

GITCorp is doing a DVD-ROM collection of all Trek comics except IDW and the mangas (Gold Key, Marvel 1, DC1 & 2, Malibu, Marvel 2, Wildstorm), which is coming out in October.

I didn't even mention things like Double Helix or Invasion - since they're even older, but they could potentially make for good omnibuses as well.

There is a Double Helix Omnibus, and another miniseries that got an omnibus was the Captain's Table series. Both of those training instruments for Body Builders are standing on my shelve.

There is an Invasion omnibus as well; indeed, it was the very first Pocket omnibus.

And if we want to be really thorough, there are the Star Trek Readers, which were hardcover omnibus collections of James Blish's TOS adaptations. They can often be found at libraries. Not to mention the three omnibus paperback volumes collecting one season each of Blish adaptations (not counting the Harry Mudd episodes, though), and at least two different sets of omnibus reprints of Ballantine's Star Trek Logs.

 

[Smiley]

I wouldn't mind seeing Janus Gate and Errand of Vengeance collections. Those books are pretty recent, but they are harder to find on shelves. Of course, if I wait a few years, they will probably reach used bookstores in greater quantity.

 

[Defcon]

I didn't even mention things like Double Helix or Invasion - since they're even older, but they could potentially make for good omnibuses as well.

There is a Double Helix Omnibus, and another miniseries that got an omnibus was the Captain's Table series. Both of those training instruments for Body Builders are standing on my shelve.

There is an Invasion omnibus as well; indeed, it was the very first Pocket omnibus.[/quote]

Yeah, forgot about this one. Most likely because I don't have it.

 

[Geoff]

There is a Double Helix Omnibus

Just to not leave out the original series, I also thought of the following:
Errand of Vengeance
The Janus Gate

SFBC released an omnibus hardcover edition of The Janus Gate. Not sure about EOV, though.

 

[JD]

What about a The Eugenics Wars/To Reign in Hell omnibus?

 

[Mistral]

I didn't even mention things like Double Helix or Invasion - since they're even older, but they could potentially make for good omnibuses as well.

There is a Double Helix Omnibus, and another miniseries that got an omnibus was the Captain's Table series. Both of those training instruments for Body Builders are standing on my shelve.

That's funny, my copies are holding up my shelves.

What about a The Eugenics Wars/To Reign in Hell omnibus?

Already did that. See, I took the back cover (synopsis side) of book one and spread Elmer's on it, then attached it to the cover of book two. Presto! An omnibus! And a middle support for my shelves, too!

 

[Therin of Andor]

I wish we could get another omnibus to finish out Mission Gamma. The price for Books 3&4 is high if you want it new or like new.

The first one's not out yet! It'll come...