Should SCE [and COE] be read in order?

[lestatar]

Hi all...Just wondering. I am getting ready to dig into the SCE / COE series.

I probably will go through them in order, but just wondering if I really must; there are a few volumes from some personal fave authors I am tempted to skip some books to read first. But I will go through the series in order if that will guarantee me maximum satisfaction...

Sorry if this is an old topic, but I did a cursory search for SCE here and didn't find any other relevant threads on this...

Thanks for any advice and cheers,
- lestatar

 

[Christopher]

There are a lot of evolving character arcs and status-quo changes over the course of the series, so yes, it's best read in order.

 

[lestatar]

Chris, thanks for getting back. I kinda figured that would be the case. OK, each installment is pretty short so I'll definitely go through the series in order.

And at the risk of sounding too much like a suck up, you happen to be on my fave ST author list. It seems you've only done 1 SCE book - how come and any plans for more from you?

Surprised KRAD let you get away with only 1 shot at his "baby"...

cheers,
-lestatar

 

[Christopher]

It took me a while for me to come up with a second SCE proposal. Then I decided that I'd rather use the SF concept in an original work, so I withdrew the proposal. Then Keith wanted it again a while later, so I mated the character story with a different concept and submitted it again. But it took a long time to get through the approval process. It was awaiting approval when the decision was made to end the eBook publishing program, so it was never written.

 

[Technobuilder]

"Alas, poor Corps Of Engineers! I knew them, Christoper"

 

[KRAD]

I probably will go through them in order, but just wondering if I really must; there are a few volumes from some personal fave authors I am tempted to skip some books to read first. But I will go through the series in order if that will guarantee me maximum satisfaction...

I think your best bet is to go in order, for the reasons Christopher gave. The plots are generally standalone, but the character arcs progress as the stories go on.

And at the risk of sounding too much like a suck up, you happen to be on my fave ST author list. It seems you've only done 1 SCE book - how come and any plans for more from you?

Surprised KRAD let you get away with only 1 shot at his "baby"...

In fact, my schedule for 2008 included Christopher's second adventure with the good ship da Vinci, but then Pocket cancelled the eBook line on me. Sigh.

 

[TigerBait]

I just started on Foundations, its a bit of a departure from the previous continuity, but I do get to find out more about Mr. Scott. Gotta say, i'm loving core breach corsi. Where can I find a good picture of her, or approximation of her?

 

[MichaelS]

Here.
(Warning: just look at the picture; the text contains spoilers for future stories.)

 

[KRAD]

Of course, Michael could've just linked directly to the picture instead of the Memory Beta entry....

Though this is probably my favorite image of her.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Of course, Michael could've just linked directly to the picture instead of the Memory Beta entry....

Though this is probably my favorite image of her.

Just wondering, KRAD, how much input did you have in establishing appearances for the SCE characters?

 

[KRAD]

Pretty much all of it. I mean, the looks for Gomez, Duffy, Lense, Scotty, and Stevens were pre-established, as they're onscreen characters, but I worked with Mike Collins to design the original ones. Mike did sketches of all of them to my specifications (with some input from John Ordovoer, with whom I co-developed the series).

 

[MichaelS]

Of course, Michael could've just linked directly to the picture instead of the Memory Beta entry....

Well, that would've been much too simple.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Pretty much all of it. I mean, the looks for Gomez, Duffy, Lense, Scotty, and Stevens were pre-established, as they're onscreen characters, but I worked with Mike Collins to design the original ones. Mike did sketches of all of them to my specifications (with some input from John Ordovoer, with whom I co-developed the series).

Brilliant, thanks

 

[lestatar]

Chris, KRAD, thanks for the 411. Sounds like you both got shafted by those bumz at Pocket books...

Here's hoping you both get a second shot at it...

cheers,
-lestatar

 

[lestatar]

All posters on the Domenica Corsi tangent...Thanks!

She looks quite fetching [for a drawing of a fictional character at least!]...Now I am REALLY looking forward to digging through the SCE books to get to know her a bit better...

KRAD, just out of curiosity, since you have some significant control over how your characters are drawn...have you ever noticed any similarities between the depictions of your characters and people you may know/have encountered in real life? How about the reverse...ever run into someone who could be a dead ringer looks-wise to your characters, as they appear in your mind's eye?

Sorry, but just interested in the more esoteric [weird!] aspects of the creative process....

cheers!
-lestatar

 

[Christopher]

Chris, KRAD, thanks for the 411. Sounds like you both got shafted by those bumz at Pocket books...

First off, the eBooks were published by Simon & Schuster, not its Pocket imprint. Second, the reason they stopped publishing eBooks is because not enough people were buying them. It wasn't an arbitrary or malicious decision.

 

[KRAD]

KRAD, just out of curiosity, since you have some significant control over how your characters are drawn...

Well, the S.C.E. was a special case, as I was the editor of the series, which meant that I was involved in the cover designs, and we had illustrated covers where I worked closely with the artist to design the characters. Normally, it doesn't matter all that much since it's, y'know, prose.

have you ever noticed any similarities between the depictions of your characters and people you may know/have encountered in real life? How about the reverse...ever run into someone who could be a dead ringer looks-wise to your characters, as they appear in your mind's eye?

Very rarely it happens. And sometimes I have an actor in mind (for example, I specifically told Mike Collins that Harry Morgan was the template for David Gold).

 

[lestatar]

Chris, KRAD, thanks for the 411. Sounds like you both got shafted by those bumz at Pocket books...

First off, the eBooks were published by Simon & Schuster, not its Pocket imprint. Second, the reason they stopped publishing eBooks is because not enough people were buying them. It wasn't an arbitrary or malicious decision.

Chris: Thanks for the clarification. I certainly meant no offense or disrespect with my flip comment.

But this brings up something I am wondering about. I know it has been a few years since SCE debuted, but:

- can you recall how heavy the promotion for the series was from S&S?

- and fast forward to today, given the increasing popularity of the ebook format [with the growing adoption of devices like Amazon's Kindle], can SCE /COE [and ST ebooks in general] fare better?

Any thoughts appreciated!

cheers,
-lestatar

 

[lestatar]

KRAD, thanks for your character insights. If you get a chance, please see my response to Chris B inre: ebook popularity in today's marketplace. Would love to hear your thoughts [and hopes!] on the subject.

cheers,
-lestatar

 

[Christopher]

I defer to KRAD, who's more qualified to answer those questions.