Referencing classic novels?

[Greg Cox]

It kind of works on a case-by-case basis. No way do I feel obliged to read all 600+ TREK novels, but if I'm touching on a topic or character that's been handled by a previous author, sure, I'll check it out. When I wrote my Captain April story, for instance, I made sure to review Diane Carey's books about him first. And I borrowed a description of Khan's flag from another author's book.

On the other hand, if I'm writing a standalone adventure set on some planet I just made up, there's no need to reference THE FINAL REFLECTION or something.

Likewise, a savvy editor may suggest a reference if they think it works, but, just to be clear, I've NEVER been instructed to reference another TREK book in order to boost sales. It's more like, "Hey, you know what would be neat? What if that spear-carrier in Chapter Five turns out to be Chekov's old girlfriend from that old Vonda McIntyre novel . . . "

There is no master plan or strategy. Just fans being fannish.

 

[Jolaris]

However... to be a superhero he needs an archnemesis as well. You always got to have an archnemesis!

David Mack?

KRAD keeps saving the entire universe, while Mack keeps killing all it's inhabitants.

 

[David Mack]

^ I wouldn't say that the nature of the friendly professional rivalry Keith and I share rises to the level of "archnemeses." I'm more like the Daffy Duck to his Bugs Bunny, or the Christopher Marlowe to his William Shakespeare.

 

[James Swallow]

I've read a fair few Trek novels, but that's largely because before I started writing for the line, I used to review the novels for the UK official Star Trek magazine...

As for referencing "classic" novels (and how exactly do we define those?), I guess it's a question of relevance and author preference. I put a ref to Memory Prime in my upcoming Titan novel, for example.

 

[wahwahkits]

FRAK! I'm going to order Memory Prime now off Amazon

 

[Christopher]

FRAK! I'm going to order Memory Prime now off Amazon

You're kidding, right? The reference to that book in Jim's TTN novel is a single throwaway line. You don't need to read Memory Prime before reading Synthesis. Although MP is certainly worth reading on its own merits.

 

[William Leisner]

Okay, I'm going to say now that there are a couple references to a classic Trek novel in Losing the Peace, and wait to see how many people come back after reading it and say, "Hey, I didn't understand such-and-such, and it totally ruined my reading experience!"

 

[Stevil2001]

Well, really, everyone should read Memory Prime just because it's great.

 

[wahwahkits]

FRAK! I'm going to order Memory Prime now off Amazon

You're kidding, right? The reference to that book in Jim's TTN novel is a single throwaway line. You don't need to read Memory Prime before reading Synthesis. Although MP is certainly worth reading on its own merits.

Yes, for the record I was joking.

 

[Sci]

I saw a reference to King Lear in Warpath and got so pissed off, because now I have to go and re-read the entire Complete Works of Shakespeare~~~~!!!!!111

 

[LightningStorm]

Okay, I'm going to say now that there are a couple references to a classic Trek novel in Losing the Peace, and wait to see how many people come back after reading it and say, "Hey, I didn't understand such-and-such, and it totally ruined my reading experience!"

Now, you've already ruined my reading experience, and it hasn't even come out yet. Thanks a lot.

 

[wahwahkits]

I was looking forward to Losing The Peace but how can I enjoy it when the author quite plainly doesn't like me? (sniff, sniff)

 

[William Leisner]

I was looking forward to Losing The Peace but how can I enjoy it when the author quite plainly doesn't like me? (sniff, sniff)

Aw, c'mere, you, and lemme give ya a hug.

 

[JD]

whawhakits, I wouldn't go near him if I were you.

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

I was looking forward to Losing The Peace but how can I enjoy it when the author quite plainly doesn't like me? (sniff, sniff)

Aw, c'mere, you, and lemme give ya a hug.

This would be a 'hug' around the neck, right?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I was looking forward to Losing The Peace but how can I enjoy it when the author quite plainly doesn't like me? (sniff, sniff)

He called it "Losing the Peace" for a reason.

 

[wahwahkits]

I was looking forward to Losing The Peace but how can I enjoy it when the author quite plainly doesn't like me? (sniff, sniff)

Aw, c'mere, you, and lemme give ya a hug.

Best offer i've had all year!

 

[James Swallow]

FRAK! I'm going to order Memory Prime now off Amazon

There's also a reference to the band Flight of the Conchords in there, too, so run out and get their DVDs and CDs....

In fact... There are references to, uh, everything I've ever actually written, so you'll need to buy all that too. Yeah. Ahem.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Sorry, everyone – I seem to have completely missed all the references and made a complete idiot of myself in the process :-/

I did notice all the Rihannsu stuff in modern novels, though. A bit hard to miss, all that.

I haven’t read Articles of the Federation – but knowing David Mack hasn’t when he uses the characters seems surreal. Destiny’s been very, very good so far, though!

I don’t think the old Trek books are any more incompatible with each other than the various TV/film series’. IMO stuff like the technobbale in Final Frontier being ‘wrong’ when read after watching Enterprise, the gateway in ‘Chain of Attack’ vs the DS9 Wormhole or the Remans not existing until Nemesis don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Lots of old novels spent time patching up plotholes in TV Trek (like the Klingon foreheads and Romulan warp engines) so I don’t see why something like (for example) the ‘Chain of Attack’ portals can’t be resurrected with half a page creatively reconciling it with later TV Trek.

I liked all the really early Trek novels referencing stuff that was never elaborated on – stuff your imagination filled in. I thought ‘Spock Must Die!’ was great, too: It had Dirac transmitters, an obscure reference to a non-Trek short story (Kirk meeting Kor during “The Xixobrax Jewel Worm Affair” – a James Blish short story called ‘This Earth of Hours’. Without a stop on a random internet site I would never have known about that one). Plus it froze the whole Klingon Empire at the end. You can’t get away with stuff like that in Trek novels nowadays (but then again, the Romulan Empire has split in two, and the Federation is crumbling…so maybe you can)


…but you’ve all proved these references are wasted on me (and it’s not like I skim-read these things, either)…

 

[ClayinCA]

FRAK! I'm going to order Memory Prime now off Amazon

There's also a reference to the band Flight of the Conchords in there, too, so run out and get their DVDs and CDs....

In fact... There are references to, uh, everything I've ever actually written, so you'll need to buy all that too. Yeah. Ahem.

And again, everybody should be watching/listening to Flight of the Conchords anyway - it's a moral imperative.

...Which actually goes for all of Jim's books, Big Finish audios, and those articles he wrote about Tomorrow Never Dies, as well.

(Apologies if I got wrong which Bond film is was, Jim - I know it was at least one of the Brosnan ones...)