Peter David

[Nardpuncher]

With respect to what this thread is discussing about Peter David's recent work and really any books post-nemesis ...
The problem isn't really the authors fault, in my opinion the events of Nemesis left the Star Trek Universe in a very sorry state from a literative point of view. Picard is just crap without Riker and Troi plus I hate that he is more and more being portrayed as a bit of a loose cannon or even a bit unhinged - which is too out of character for me. The Enterprise starts to feel a bit empty, with each author trying to introduce new characters to replace Riker, Troi and Data, and they never really work. But I totally understand why they do this, and it is logical. but I always felt that one of the core values at the heart of Star Trek was the stability of the crew in terms of always knowing their positions, roles, relationships etc. Every single Star Trek series represented the crew like a family. This is what the post-nemesis "USS Enterprise" has lost and needs to get back.

Sorry for being so long winded, this was kinda a brain-dump.

I've said this quite a few times around this forum.

I'd love to see a book or two set during the original 7 year mission of the Enterprise D with everyone in their place.
I was 13 when TNG started and 20 when it ended so it holds a dear place in my heart, and to add I also read TNG books that were obviously set during that mission back in the late 80s and early 90s too.
I really don't care to see the "ramifications" of what happened after the events of Nemesis.
The ship now feels like a party where some of the cool people have left (or died!) and it's just time to go home.

 

[RobertScorpio]

With respect to what this thread is discussing about Peter David's recent work and really any books post-nemesis ...
The problem isn't really the authors fault, in my opinion the events of Nemesis left the Star Trek Universe in a very sorry state from a literative point of view. Picard is just crap without Riker and Troi plus I hate that he is more and more being portrayed as a bit of a loose cannon or even a bit unhinged - which is too out of character for me. The Enterprise starts to feel a bit empty, with each author trying to introduce new characters to replace Riker, Troi and Data, and they never really work. But I totally understand why they do this, and it is logical. but I always felt that one of the core values at the heart of Star Trek was the stability of the crew in terms of always knowing their positions, roles, relationships etc. Every single Star Trek series represented the crew like a family. This is what the post-nemesis "USS Enterprise" has lost and needs to get back.

Sorry for being so long winded, this was kinda a brain-dump.

I've said this quite a few times around this forum.

I'd love to see a book or two set during the original 7 year mission of the Enterprise D with everyone in their place.
I was 13 when TNG started and 20 when it ended so it holds a dear place in my heart, and to add I also read TNG books that were obviously set during that mission back in the late 80s and early 90s too.
I really don't care to see the "ramifications" of what happened after the events of Nemesis.
The ship now feels like a party where some of the cool people have left (or died!) and it's just time to go home.

I actually agree with the last two posts.

And I think DS9 should have some 'retcon' books as well. I miss the old formula of both shows.

Rob

 

[bbailey861]

I have been enjoying where the Destiny books and those following have taken me and I look forward to seeing more - but I wholeheartedly agree that there is more than enough room for 'retcon' books as well. Also, I would like to see Pocket Books/CBS implement a much more aggressive marketing strategy WRT Star Trek Books. Short ads within the DVDs would have been a good idea, put a dollar off coupon on cereal boxes the same time they are marketing the movie, cardboard cutouts relating to ST in bookstores, get them back into Costco - I don't know, Jim, I'm a soldier not an adman - but there has to be something that can be done that will help increase readership.

Byron

 

[ClayinCA]

I thought Bill Shatner was the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

I thought Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

 

[ATimson]

I'd love to see a book or two set during the original 7 year mission of the Enterprise D with everyone in their place.

There's already fifty or so of those. A book would have to work real hard to justify going back to that well again.

 

[seigezunt]

I thought Bill Shatner was the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

I thought Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

Having read some of the reviews here, I've never been interested in reading PAD's stuff, but the described plots of some of his stuff intrigue me. I recently got the first 4 NF books on audio, so I will try that out...

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I thought Bill Shatner was the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

I thought Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

Touché!

 

[Hartzilla2007]

Spoiler: Losing the Peace

But we did lose Miranda Kadohata at the end of LTP though, so things still aren't completely stable. Or is she coming back?

Spoiler: Losing the Peace

Well it was detached duty so her leaving is probably only temporary.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I thought Bill Shatner was the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

I thought Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were the Bill Shatner of Star Trek literature.

Touché!

All speculation..none of it proven.

Rob

 

[Therin of Andor]

All speculation..none of it proven.

Actually, as we've told you before, William Shatner has done several print interviews in which he describes his usual collaboration method. It's no big secret.

For each of the first nine Shatnerverse novels, he narrated the outline and all the Kirk action scenes and dialogue into a dictaphone, a manuscript was prepared from the tapes by a secretary, WS cleaned up the result, it was forwarded to the Reeves-Stevenses who helped to shape each storyline and make sure the SF tech - and dialogue for any 24th century characters - conformed to canonical versions, then it went back to WS for his approval.

He used similar methods to writer the "TekWar" books with Ron Goulart (why was I thinking Mike Resnick?) and Shatner's ST non fiction with Chris Kreski, etc.

What proof do you want? To stand there in his office and watch him work?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

He used similar methods to writer the "TekWar" books with Mike Resnick

You mean Ron Goulart.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Short ads within the DVDs would have been a good idea

I seem to recall several bonus features on the ST fiction. Interviews with Greg Cox, the Reeves-Stevens, DC Fontana, a piece on the TAS set regarding animated elements appearing in the fiction...

cardboard cutouts relating to ST in bookstores

Galaxy has had a lifesize Admiral Kirk at the bottom of their entry staircase for many years.

 

[Therin of Andor]

He used similar methods to writer the "TekWar" books with Mike Resnick

You mean Ron Goulart.

Damn. I was trying to Google to double check, because I knew it sounded incorrect. Sorry.

 

[F. King Daniel]

If Therin's description of how The Shat gets his books done is accurate (and I have no reason to doubt at all), then he has far more to do with it then I ever thought!

I always thought J+G R-S would go to Bill with a finished book, and Bill would ask "Do I save the day?" and that would be that.

I love the Shatnerverse, and agree that Peter David (particularly in nutty stuff like Before Dishonor) has a similar style.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

If Therin's description of how The Shat gets his books done is accurate

Therin's description is 100% accurate. On page 154 of Jeff Ayers wonderful Star Trek: Voyages of Imagination both Margaret Clark and William Shatner describe the writing process of the Shatnerverse novels.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I'd love to see a book or two set during the original 7 year mission of the Enterprise D with everyone in their place.

There's already fifty or so of those. A book would have to work real hard to justify going back to that well again.

Yeah but we could just say that about the whole Trek book thing though no matter when they take place.
"Hey, aren't there already like 200 of those books?!?!!"

 

[F. King Daniel]

^Try 400.

400 plus.

It goes on forever...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Therin's description is 100% accurate. On page 154 of Jeff Ayers wonderful Star Trek: Voyages of Imagination both Margaret Clark and William Shatner describe the writing process of the Shatnerverse novels.

Thanks. He's also discussed the process in "Starlog".

 

[RobertScorpio]

If Therin's description of how The Shat gets his books done is accurate (and I have no reason to doubt at all), then he has far more to do with it then I ever thought!

I always thought J+G R-S would go to Bill with a finished book, and Bill would ask "Do I save the day?" and that would be that.

I love the Shatnerverse, and agree that Peter David (particularly in nutty stuff like Before Dishonor) has a similar style.

agreed...some people, for whatever reason, just cant give Shatner any credit. I do..always have..HE IS star trek.

Rob

 

[Captain Robert April]

PAD's main failing in his fiction writing (I rather like his essays) is his terminable case of the "cutes". I've seen some very powerful stuff from him, but within the next few pages, he undoes it by going for the cutesy gimmick. References are fun, but going out of your way to make one gets tedious. I gave up on his run on Supergirl when he did an entire issue simply to set up the punchline, "What? And quit show business?" Didn't particularly care for his take on the Hulk, especially the childhood abuse angle for Bruce Banner; the whole point of the Hulk was that anybody could become the Hulk, and making it just a physical manifestation of his fucked up childhood undercuts that. And some of the stuff I've heard about NF has steered me away from that series.

That being said, there are a couple of characters where his sensibilities are perfectly suited: Q and Lwaxana Troi. Those two, (and I suppose honorable mention to Trelane) anything you do isn't big enough, putting them right up PAD's alley; the only thing that would make "Q-In-Law" perfect would be to set it on DS9 instead of the Enterprise-D, make the aliens Bajorans, and put Sisko in the position of officiating a wedding as part of his duties as the Emissary.