Proposed Omnibus: Landmine!

[seigezunt]

What about putting together an omnibus of the books that the publishers later may have regretted they gave the green light to? (tongue in cheek, folks)

I haven't read these (yet), but Ishmael and Killing Time would be great, the first for its surprise homage to Here Come the Brides, and the first pressing of Killing Time for its slash elements.

That's what I know from TOS. Any such volumes from later Trek for the Omnibus?

Maybe it could have the Gallactica art from The Romulan Way for the cover...

 

[Jim Gamma]

If the publishers regret publishing something, they're hardly likely to publish it in an omnibus...

 

[Scout101]

Sure we could come up with better material to put in than that. Don't remember Ishmael being all that good, but enjoyed Killing Time well enough.

Not sure anyone will admit to it, but gotta be a record for the worst-selling trek book, right? Wonder what it would be?

And if we're just nominating crappy books, how about the no-plot, all lesbian slash that was the Dark Passions series? THOSE were awful, some of the very few Trek books in my collection that I haven't read repeatedly...

Could also at least give honorable mention to the editing malfunction that led to those few books (Garth of Izar, Janus Gate, and whatever that 3rd series was) where the books were all inconsistent between chapters, the cover art and descriptions didn't match what was inside the book, etc...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Not sure anyone will admit to it, but gotta be a record for the worst-selling trek book, right? Wonder what it would be?

The DS9 hardcover, "Warped", supposedly sold so poorly it killed off all DS9 hardcovers until "Unity".

 

[Scout101]

I think I got that one in a lot I got off of ebay years back, but don't recall ever reading it...

 

[Greg Cox]

Hey, I liked "Ishmael."

Then again, I used to watch "Here Come the Brides."

(If you were growing up in Seattle in the 1960s, you had to watch Brides. It was practically mandatory!)

 

[Mysterion]

Hey, I liked "Ishmael."

Then again, I used to watch "Here Come the Brides."

(If you were growing up in Seattle in the 1960s, you had to watch Brides. It was practically mandatory!)

^^^^
Well, that and J.P. Patches.

I like Ishmael, too.

 

[Christopher]

Ishmael was a fun novel, but if Pocket's lawyers had caught on to the allusions to Here Come the Brides and various other Western and SF shows, it would never have seen print in that form.

 

[Rush Limborg]

^Warped was pretty good, too. (Hey--it was written by the author of BLADE RUNNER II, for cryin' out loud!!!)

See, folks' opinions for "worst Trek Book ever" vary from individual to individual. If such an omnibus were to come out, fans of those tales would be screaming for the heads of Margaret and Co. To say nothing of all the flames wars that would ensue here....

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What's the big deal about Killing Time?

Ishmael was a fun novel, but if Pocket's lawyers had caught on to the allusions to Here Come the Brides and various other Western and SF shows, it would never have seen print in that form.

So how *did* it get past them? I mean, Aaron Stempel and other characters were named in the novel, how could they possibly miss that?

 

[Stevil2001]

I liked Ishmael long before I knew of its roots, and I think it's a perfectly good novel on its own merits.

 

[Defcon]

I liked Ishmael long before I knew of its roots, and I think it's a perfectly good novel on its own merits.

This. Never heard of "Here come the Brides" before I read the afterword by the translator explaining the connection, and guess what, the novel is in my Top 10 novels anyway.

 

[JD]

Isn't the book by the co-writer of Undiscovered Country supposed to be really bad? I can't remember the name, but I know it's come up in alot of bad TrekLit discussions.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Isn't the book by the co-writer of Undiscovered Country supposed to be really bad? I can't remember the name, but I know it's come up in alot of bad TrekLit discussions.

The Fearful Summons.

 

[Therin of Andor]

What's the big deal about Killing Time?

The first edition has a few rather Kirk/Spock "slash fanfic" asides. Quite minor, but rather bizarre. They were supposedly red pencilled from the manuscript, but the wrong version went to press.

So how *did* it get past them? I mean, Aaron Stempel and other characters were named in the novel, how could they possibly miss that?

The editor of the day simply didn't know the show. When the author casually mentioned the link, everyone panicked, and then relaxed, because "Here Come the Brides" was a Paramount show. Whew! Unfortunately, they then discovered that Paramount no longer owned the rights. A last-second scramble to clear the red tape, and too late to acknowledge the show appropriately.

Warped was pretty good, too.

* turns blue *

 

[Deranged Nasat]

[

Warped was pretty good, too.

* turns blue *

Aren't you already blue, Therin?

 

[captcalhoun]

he turned bluer

 

[Therin of Andor]

Aren't you already blue, Therin?

I was an Aenar till I read "Warped"...

 

[seigezunt]

I didn't mean to suggest that Ishmael is a bad book, only one that the publishers might have had second thoughts about. I was only thinking about books that might come to bite back. There are plenty of just bad books, I'm sure.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Aren't you already blue, Therin?

I was an Aenar till I read "Warped"...

I've never read it. Is it really that bad?