Rereading the Vanguard Series

[terpette]

I decided to start re-reading the Vanguard series so I could get myself caught up to the new stuff. Got the first book out of the library since I can't find my autographed copy here at the house, and wouldn't you know it?

Someone ripped the schematics out of the book.

What's this world coming to?

Anyway, if anyone would like to read along with me, I'm hoping to get through a book or two a month and just maybe finish before Shore Leave. I'll give it the ol' Starfleet Academy try.

Karen

 

[Judith Sisko]

Karen, when you say "read along with me" are you talking in an online book clubbish sort of way? If so, I'd be interested in re-reading the Vanguard books and discussing them.

I've been wanting to buy them for my nook anyway. This would... justify those purchases.

Judith

ETA: OK, Karen, I've downloaded Harbinger. Tell me where you are (or want to be) and I'll do my best to keep up.

 

[terpette]

Karen, when you say "read along with me" are you talking in an online book clubbish sort of way? If so, I'd be interested in re-reading the Vanguard books and discussing them.

Yeah, we can do it that way. Though I don't think we need to stay on a specific synchronized schedule. I'll start reading Harbinger tomorrow. If you want to talk about stuff in the first half of the book 'round about the end of the week, that would be cool. I'm a very fast reader.

Karen

 

[David Mack]

I have to say, I'll be very keen to monitor the conversation in this thread....

 

[Judith Sisko]

^ LOL! I read Chapters 1-7 today. Just as I was the first time, the characters from this book held my interest from the very beginning. I appreciated that the characters were introduced slowly. We are first reacquainted with Matt Decker. From there, we revisit the crew of the WNMHGB Enterprise. New TrekLit characters are introduced in sets of two or three. Then each of those characters is reintroduced with another new character (who may or may not be someone we met on the screen.) We were allowed to 'get to know' each character before the next one was made known to us. I liked that because then I could concentrate on the story building and not have to say, "Now who was that again??" and and have to swipe back and forth to refresh my memory.

I'm impressed by the details. They're distinct enough to give us a clear vizualization, but not so much that they bog the story down. For instance, observing the Bombay and Enterprise crews mingling and how easy it is to tell them apart because the two crews are wearing different uniforms.

I think that's all I'm going to say for now except to say that I'm enjoying this book every bit as much now as I did then. I'm glad I'm re-reading it. Thanks for the prompting, Karen.

 

[terpette]

I have to say, I'll be very keen to monitor the conversation in this thread....

lol. I haven't cracked the poor, battered library copy open yet (seriously debating donating a new one to them if they'll let me put a label in it advertising my Trek group) but I remember being really amused over the characters' various reactions to the new uniforms when I read it the first time.

This book series got me interested in TOS again, and TOS was not my favorite of all the series (even if it was my Star Trek gateway drug... we used to watch the reruns on Channel 20 while eating dinner when I was a kid.)

Karen

 

[Technobuilder]

Vanguard is the series that finally made me interested in the TOS Era.

I've always had an odd understanding of TOS. I've seen all of the movies but not all of the TV episodes.

Mostly, I just liked the movie versions of the characters better because they seemed more realistic than those of the world portrayed in the TV series.

Vanguard however changed my mind completely. I get it now. I get why people like/liked the TOS Era. (The S.C.E. guys of the USS Lovell helped out too!)

It has become my favorite ongoing Trek Series now that the DS9R has slowed down & Klingon Empire/I.K.S. Gorkon has fallen off the map. (So Sad.)

 

[terpette]

So on a second read, Harbinger really holds up. Though I have some concerns about David Mack's drinking, if he can describe the noise the cork makes when it comes out of a half-empty bottle of whiskey.

I was also struck by how varied and interesting the characters are. There's a lot going on here with these people. No one is really who they seem to be.

I managed to dig up "Summon the Thunder" downstairs and should have that read by Shore Leave (middle of July for those of you who don't attend). I'm also hoping to get a copy of "Seven Deadly Sins" before then and read at least some of it. I always feel bad when I hop into the autograph lines at Shore Leave and have to confess that I haven't read the books yet.

Karen

 

[David Mack]

I have some concerns about David Mack's drinking

You ain't the only one, believe me.

 

[new_mercury]

I recently re-read the first three books so I could read Open Secrets which I am now about half way through. I don't normally read books which tell one story over many books, I prefer standalone books or occasionally two parters but i'm really enjoying this series. awesome concept and intrigue and I like the fact that various characters from TOS era make appearances. Many of which are unexpected and pleasantly suprising.

 

[garoo1980]

When I get my expected ebook reader for Father's Day you can bet that Harbinger will be my first buy!

 

[terpette]

On to "Summon the Thunder" now. I took it with me on my camping vacation last week and am a few chapters into it. I can't remember finishing this one before, though.

I'm really curious about Dayton and Kevin's collaborative writing process. I may have to start a new thread for that.

Anyone else on to this one yet?

Karen

 

[JD]

I'm not entirely sure if it was VoI, or Unreality, but I think I do remember one or both of them talking about their writing process in any interview somewhere.

 

[garoo1980]

Started Harbinger last night. So far so good. It'll be interesting

 

[kkozoriz1]

Vanguard is a great series. Some of the later volumes suffer a bit from what I see as small universe syndrome but that's a minor point. I'd love to see a Vanguard TV movie as long as they didn't change it to match up with the NuUniverse. It's cool to see some of the events of TOS from a different point of view. The main story that runs though the series is really well done.

 

[JD]

I actually don't really consider it small universe syndrome with Vanguard, since from the beginning it was meant to be showing us what was happening during TOS. I love how they've been tying things from the movies into the book.

 

[Christopher]

Indeed, I'd say Vanguard is an antidote to Small Universe Syndrome, because it shows us that there is a bigger universe beyond the starship Enterprise and that Kirk and Spock weren't at the center and cause of everything important that happened in the 2260s.

 

[Thrawn]

Agreed. Small Universe Syndrome bugs me really easily, but I don't see a trace of it in Vanguard.

 

[kkozoriz1]

I don't want to get into the specifics but I found it to be a bit too much. Not enough to bring down my enjoyment of the story but enough to make me say "not again" when new characters show up. I know some people enjoy seeing characters from later Treks showing up but, to me, it's a bit too coincidental some of the people that show up as either one shots or continuing characters. I'm not about to go through each of the books again and list them here. That being said, Vanguard is my current favorite series closely followed by Titan. I may not continue with Titan depending on if it gets back to it's deep space exploration or keeps hanging out on the fringes of Federation space. Hopefully once the Typhon Pact story is done they'll be back "where no one has gone before."