The subject matter isn’t that adult I would say.
Spoilers PIC: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack Review Thread
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Nothing in Picard or Discovery that I've found particularly adult. I've watched both with my twelve-year old son.
Looks like Amazon got the rating right then.
Well, sure, 'cause she's Irish, by way of ch'Rihan.She said "Cheeky Fecker"
Plenty of Bajoran and Trill characters. Nice. And some DS9 allusions. Bajor has joined the Federation.
Just finished Chapter 2. Looks promising, as long as I remember to ignore Treklit continuity.
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Damn, I think I need to move to Canada. The only challenge would be not freezing to death.Unless you're in Canada!
Print, in store (Indigo/Chapters): $34.00
Print, online: Indigo/Chapters: $25.80, Amazon: $25.44
eBook (Kobo & Amazon): currently still $3.99!
I'm actually honestly surprised they're selling the eBook version that cheaply...
This is actually the third time a Trek book has had fuck in it. In one of the later Vangaurd novels after Quinn and Bridy Mac are partnered up, they are on a planet where the Kingons are causing trouble, and when he wants to get involved, she brings up the Prime Directive, and he just says "fuck the Prime Directive" and goes of after the Klingons. The other was in either The Good That Men Do or Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru, Archer picks up a coded message that simply says WTF and the narration then explains that WTF means "what the fuck". I'm not bothered by the word, I use it a lot myself, but those still in my head because I had never come across fuck in Trek before. At this point we've gotten one in Discovery, and two in Picard, so I think it's pretty much fair game for the books that tie into those shows.@Christopher Point taken. Thanks
@Avro Arrow
I'm glad that people are enjoying this book honestly. I wish I could too. It stuck with me all night like a bad fever. Someone possibly the President of the Federation commenting on the Supernova saying HOLY F-ING SH-T.
This must be one pissed off world of 2399, the waiter telling Maddox to F-OFF.
Or the Romulan telling Picard, F-You Starfleet. Picard reaction? Why not angry Picard from First Contact? Nope.
Im just like why? Why is the author so angry to add such harsh prose into this world. Ladies and gents this is not one random curse word. Its over and over.
Another rub why the premium $1 surcharge on this ebook over current $12 Trek ebooks?
I couldnt stay with it honestly.
For some reason I kept thinking of the future and the Federation as the one line in Back to Future: "What are we in the future Doc, do we become A-holes or something?"
I gave the book a 5 star rating, but I cant finish it at all. I kept being distracted by the fact in my mind, ok this a dark time, but why would someone WRITE Trek this way? Who edited this? Who OK'ed this? ISNT TREK for everyone, of all ages?
Actually the episodes of both Picard and Discovery are rated individually. The first Picard is TV-14V, the second is TV-MA L, V, and the third is TV-MA L. In Season 2 of Discovery 5 were TV-14, 5 were TV-PG, and 4 were TV-MA. In Season 1, 7 were TV-14, and 8 were TV-MA.
I think it's partly a matter of just being free to take things as far as they want to now that they don't have to worry about the restrictions of network/syndicated TV. I've seen enough interviews and behind the scenes videos to know that writers and actors tend to swear a lot, so the language probably just comes down to people writing how they talk. So far all of the uses of it have felt completely appropriate the situations, it's not like they're just randomly throwing it in there just for the hell it.
As Michael Chabon said on Instagram, swearing in Trek was absent not because nobody in charge wanted it, but because of television standards of the time.
Well duh but the consequence from it is that it gave the future a unique look. Plus the jokes in Star Trek IV wouldn’t work otherwise.
If they wanted to curse, just invent a new word.
Hey all,
I guess I wanted to make a declaration about my post and my views. I am NOT advocating censorship in any shape or form. Period. To @Christopher I understood and agreed with the explanation abour curse words and life in general. But I'm reminding of a saying I cant fully remember now. Like the more you casually use a curse word the more it lessens the impact of the word.
Regardless, I personally I believe rhat if something is offensive, just dont buy it at all. I dont want others making decisions for the greater whole like that.
But please understand the language just pulled me out of the story. I gave 5 stars because what I did read I liked. Its just the language didnt fit the Trek world.
Amazon deleted my review sadly. That was my first ever review and my last. I will do anything to support writers always.
I just dont want to see Sir Patrick Stewart smiling on the cover next to a stupid PMRC parents advisory warning sticker on the book.
I hope everyone understands.
-Koric
I guess I wanted to make a declaration about my post and my views. I am NOT advocating censorship in any shape or form. Period. To @Christopher I understood and agreed with the explanation abour curse words and life in general. But I'm reminding of a saying I cant fully remember now. Like the more you casually use a curse word the more it lessens the impact of the word.
Regardless, I personally I believe rhat if something is offensive, just dont buy it at all. I dont want others making decisions for the greater whole like that.
But please understand the language just pulled me out of the story. I gave 5 stars because what I did read I liked. Its just the language didnt fit the Trek world.
Amazon deleted my review sadly. That was my first ever review and my last. I will do anything to support writers always.
I just dont want to see Sir Patrick Stewart smiling on the cover next to a stupid PMRC parents advisory warning sticker on the book.
I hope everyone understands.
-Koric
Why would Amazon pull your review? They only do that if you promote something else within it.
Just finished it. Nothing new at the end if you've watched the show and disappointingly nothing about Spock and his plan. I hope that comes out soon as that is a big part of the story that currently doesn't mesh well with this new "dark" continuity". Personally I want to know where this Dark Matter comes from. It was a very powerful substance to just come out of thin air. They could have easily made the show about that if they wanted to.
At the end, I wasn't the biggest fan of the book. It does give more context into the evacuation but I don't understand why Picard had to handle it all. The Federation would have multiple specialists in this area that would have been more qualified. This wouldn't be the first planetary evacuation they would have had to handle. The only difference here is that there would be multiple ones.
I also think they made Starfleet rather weak; constantly getting bossed around by the Romulans. I understand that it is their territory but with lives at stake, they should have been more strict with them. We also don't get a good idea of the state of the fleet is here so we don't get a good idea of what would happen if they were to bring more ships in. Would they attack them? I get the feeling they would just complain to the President but nothing else. They seemed to have their hands full with the other planets. It was also rather funny at the end, Picard only just gets the idea to ask the Klingons and/or Cardassians for help. If this was the TNG Picard, him going to their respective governments and asking for help would be the first thing to do. If not then Worf on the USS Enterprise first mission would be to ask from help from Martok.
I didn't get the ever-growing racism from the Federation over the Romulans. From my knowledge, they haven't done anything significant to the Federation in years; with the destruction of the Enterprise C, but even then it was them coming in to save the Klingons from an attack from them and not a direct attack. They were even allies during the Dominion War and after Nemesis if was said that they were going into peace talks. I get that there might be some but not as many as said here.
I also find it hard to feel sorry for Raffi. She could have easily taken a few weeks off from time to time to visit her family. I don't get why she had to be with him all the time. Picard would have insisted as well if he was himself. there's no way he would allow her family to fall apart like that.
The one thing I liked is the Jurati/Maddox material. This actually gave more insight into those characters that we haven't seen yet in the show. It will be interesting to see how they will both react when they see each other again (if they do).
Below Average for me.
Just finished it. Nothing new at the end if you've watched the show and disappointingly nothing about Spock and his plan. I hope that comes out soon as that is a big part of the story that currently doesn't mesh well with this new "dark" continuity". Personally I want to know where this Dark Matter comes from. It was a very powerful substance to just come out of thin air. They could have easily made the show about that if they wanted to.
At the end, I wasn't the biggest fan of the book. It does give more context into the evacuation but I don't understand why Picard had to handle it all. The Federation would have multiple specialists in this area that would have been more qualified. This wouldn't be the first planetary evacuation they would have had to handle. The only difference here is that there would be multiple ones.
I also think they made Starfleet rather weak; constantly getting bossed around by the Romulans. I understand that it is their territory but with lives at stake, they should have been more strict with them. We also don't get a good idea of the state of the fleet is here so we don't get a good idea of what would happen if they were to bring more ships in. Would they attack them? I get the feeling they would just complain to the President but nothing else. They seemed to have their hands full with the other planets. It was also rather funny at the end, Picard only just gets the idea to ask the Klingons and/or Cardassians for help. If this was the TNG Picard, him going to their respective governments and asking for help would be the first thing to do. If not then Worf on the USS Enterprise first mission would be to ask from help from Martok.
I didn't get the ever-growing racism from the Federation over the Romulans. From my knowledge, they haven't done anything significant to the Federation in years; with the destruction of the Enterprise C, but even then it was them coming in to save the Klingons from an attack from them and not a direct attack. They were even allies during the Dominion War and after Nemesis if was said that they were going into peace talks. I get that there might be some but not as many as said here.
I also find it hard to feel sorry for Raffi. She could have easily taken a few weeks off from time to time to visit her family. I don't get why she had to be with him all the time. Picard would have insisted as well if he was himself. there's no way he would allow her family to fall apart like that.
The one thing I liked is the Jurati/Maddox material. This actually gave more insight into those characters that we haven't seen yet in the show. It will be interesting to see how they will both react when they see each other again (if they do).
Below Average for me.
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I am reminded of one passage in particular, lasting two pages, in which Clancy responds to the first Federation councillor who was talking about their world seceding. She uses it three times in that passage, I think. That worked perfectly well for me, in the context of Clancy's very deep upset with the idea of a world seceding from the Federation and what mass secessions might lead to.
The f word is a word that works in context. It was used, in The Last Best Hope, in contexts of exceptional emotional upset. I would use that word in the contexts in which it was used, frankly.
I am looking forward to what will come of this new incarnation.
You do understand if I say that I hope future novels will be more optimistic? Dear God, how this one ended ...
Actually, both are available in Canada now. Oddly, however, even though CBSAA launched in Canada about a year before Picard did, Picard doesn't air on CBSAA here. They licensed it to Bell Media, just like they did Discovery, so it airs on CTV Sci-Fi Channel on Thursdays (my understanding is that we are the only country that gets it on regular TV, just like Discovery), and then is available for streaming on Crave the next day.
This is very much an aberration, for both Star Trek books, and just, well, pricing in general between our two countries. I would recommend that this one book's price point not be used as a basis for any major life decisions...
As they did in the Battlestar Galactica reboot.
Hey @thribs... The amazon review was originally posted the night of February 10th I preordered the book and received the download around 10 pm before midnight. I started to read and said this is not for me after a few hours. I posted first on the bbs board here. Then submitted a review. It was up until last night. I had to resubmit it again tonight. It is now back up on Amazon thankfully. After submitting it twice.
The text of it is the same as I posted on here. I dont mean to upset anyone on the boards and hopefully I'm not the only one to feel this way. As I said before, I have subscribed to the show, I watch the show, I tried to purchase the book and like it. Honestly I sincerely feel the language is unapproriate to the story at hand.
Can anyone imagine Kirk saying in Star Trek 3 instead of
"You Klingon bastard, you killed my son...you Klingon bastard" to
"You Klingon F-Kface you killed my son...you Klingon F-Kface"
Which has more emotional weight and empathy?
Hell Star Trek 6 had catastrophe of the Praxis moon exploding and political ramifications of it.
As I said I dont have an agenda at all the language and prose literally made me stop reading. I hope the quality of writing continues, minus the language. I dont want to diminish the work and quality of the writer in any way, but I truly hope this incident with language stops.
Its bad enough that Picard's viewership is limited to people desiring to pay for the subscription to watch the show.
I hope this decision to curse and go to extremes in prose was not a stunt to create controversy for sales, so as to entice people to read the book that wouldnt have. Controversy equals sales. Picard was always a careful, learned measured man, the actions taken as far as his abandoning the Enterprise, his needless promotion just wasnt sold to me in this story. I keep remembering Kirk's speech in Generations as being captain has the greatest impact in Starfleet over any promotion affecting Picard. I kept thinking there is a missing motivation for Picard drive to help the Romulans is tied to guilt over Shinzon and his decimation of the Romulan government as another factor with Picard in the crisis? But we are never told anything otherwise in this story and book.
As I said before, I just dont want to see Sir Patrick Stewart a Knight of the British order on the cover next to a stupid PMRC parents advisory warning sticker on the book.
-Koric
The text of it is the same as I posted on here. I dont mean to upset anyone on the boards and hopefully I'm not the only one to feel this way. As I said before, I have subscribed to the show, I watch the show, I tried to purchase the book and like it. Honestly I sincerely feel the language is unapproriate to the story at hand.
Can anyone imagine Kirk saying in Star Trek 3 instead of
"You Klingon bastard, you killed my son...you Klingon bastard" to
"You Klingon F-Kface you killed my son...you Klingon F-Kface"
Which has more emotional weight and empathy?
Hell Star Trek 6 had catastrophe of the Praxis moon exploding and political ramifications of it.
As I said I dont have an agenda at all the language and prose literally made me stop reading. I hope the quality of writing continues, minus the language. I dont want to diminish the work and quality of the writer in any way, but I truly hope this incident with language stops.
Its bad enough that Picard's viewership is limited to people desiring to pay for the subscription to watch the show.
I hope this decision to curse and go to extremes in prose was not a stunt to create controversy for sales, so as to entice people to read the book that wouldnt have. Controversy equals sales. Picard was always a careful, learned measured man, the actions taken as far as his abandoning the Enterprise, his needless promotion just wasnt sold to me in this story. I keep remembering Kirk's speech in Generations as being captain has the greatest impact in Starfleet over any promotion affecting Picard. I kept thinking there is a missing motivation for Picard drive to help the Romulans is tied to guilt over Shinzon and his decimation of the Romulan government as another factor with Picard in the crisis? But we are never told anything otherwise in this story and book.
As I said before, I just dont want to see Sir Patrick Stewart a Knight of the British order on the cover next to a stupid PMRC parents advisory warning sticker on the book.
-Koric
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