Sky's the Limit and SNW

[RyanLevy]

Hello all,

I recently went to Chapters looking for newest bajoran occupation book and saw Strange New Worlds 9 and 10, alone with Sky's the Limit.

I was wondering if any of these are any good? I'm just looking for anybody's opinions of these books, particularly sky's the limit, which i had heard nothing about until seeing it today.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Steve Roby]

If you've liked previous editions of Strange New Worlds, you'll like those editions.

As for The Sky's the Limit, it's a solidly entertaining collection of TNG stories. As I blogged a while back...

Anthologies by nature are variable beasts, the work of different writers looking at the subject/theme differently. And not all writers are created equal, so there's often a story or two that just doesn't hit the target for a given reader. But The Sky's the Limit was surprisingly consistent, with a lot of good stuff that captured the characters and the series well.

I initially thought the book got off to a slightly shaky start with Steve Mollmann and Michael Schuster's "Meet With Triumph and Disaster," which didn't really hook me, but it was the first half of a two-part story, and the second half, "Trust Yourself When All Men Doubt You," more than paid off, packing a real emotional punch.

From there on, it's pretty much all good. All the regular characters get a chance to shine, and we get stories ranging from high concept action pieces to more character-focused stories. Wesley Crusher and Kate Pulaski are not forgotten; neither are Barclay, Ro, Taurik, and other less frequently seen characters. There are some stories that manage to work in a lot of creative worldbuilding in their limited space (Scott Pearson's "Among the Clouds"), visit what-if scenarios (James Swallow's "Ordinary Days"), or provide closure to situations from certain episodes (e.g., Geoff Trowbridge's "Suicide Note," following on from "The Defector," Keith DeCandido's "Four Lights," following on from "Chain of Command"). The stories sometimes engage in dialogue with the TV series, as Christopher Bennett does with "Friends With the Sparrows," a Data story that intelligently addresses the issue of Data's emotions, with and without the emotion chip; it's a must-read for Data fans. And there are stories that are pure fun, like David McIntee's Spot story.

The anthology effectively covers the span of years from Farpoint to Nemesis, lets the stars and the supporting characters and the guest stars all have their share of the spotlight, and ranges in mood from comic to tragic. It's a more than worthy counterpart to the ambitious if at times uneven novels published in 2007 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Next Generation.

(The short version: if you like TNG, buy this book.)

 

[RyanLevy]

ok, i will probably pick it up when i go to get my copy of Night of the Wolves

 

[TheAlmanac]

I recently went to Chapters looking for newest bajoran occupation book and saw Strange New Worlds 9 and 10, alone with Sky's the Limit.

I was wondering if any of these are any good? I'm just looking for anybody's opinions of these books,

Strange New Worlds 10 is excellent.

Actually, all three of these anthologies were quite good, and each contained stories which I loved...

Despite Steve's faint praise for the SNW series, they're definitely worth reading, if you haven't read any of the previous volumes already.

 

[Defcon]

Hello all,

I recently went to Chapters looking for newest bajoran occupation book and saw Strange New Worlds 9 and 10, alone with Sky's the Limit.

I was wondering if any of these are any good? I'm just looking for anybody's opinions of these books, particularly sky's the limit, which i had heard nothing about until seeing it today.

Thank you in advance.

My opinion on SNW 9:

Thanks to the overall mediocrity of SNW 9 I haven't bothered to actually write a review of it or pick up the 10th volume. Every of the preceding volumes had at least one or two stories that were standing out positively from the mass, but SNW 9 was just one big pool of mediocrity. Granted, that also means there were less stinkers than in some of the other volumes, but it just wasn't a very satisfying read in my opinion.


Quoting the paragraph with the overall opinion from my review of The Sky's the Limit:

Overall, The Sky's the Limit is a very even anthology, collecting many decent to good stories with only few stories who aren't totally up to the others quality. It has good showings by (relatively) new authors to Star Trek, like Trowbridge, Sisson, McIntee and Schuster & Mollmann, which certainly would warrant future Star Trek projects by them in my opinion.

You can find the whole review, with comments for each story, here.

 

[Steve Roby]

Despite Steve's faint praise for the SNW series, they're definitely worth reading, if you haven't read any of the previous volumes already.

Well, it wasn't meant as a judgement at all, more a recognition of the fact that there are a lot of SNWs and the original poster may have read some already. I haven't actually read the last three yet, but I can't recall reading any of the first seven and thinking, damn, that was a lot better than the other volumes in the series. Each one has some good stuff, a few really good stories, and at least two or three I would have rejected if I'd been the editor. My tastes don't seem to line up that well with Dean Wesley Smith's. But there's no denying the importance of the SNW books and for that matter the SCE ebooks, both now unfortunately ended. A lot of writers we'll be seeing more from got started there.

 

[TheAlmanac]

Thanks to the overall mediocrity of SNW 9 I haven't bothered to actually write a review of it or pick up the 10th volume. Every of the preceding volumes had at least one or two stories that were standing out positively from the mass, but SNW 9 was just one big pool of mediocrity. Granted, that also means there were less stinkers than in some of the other volumes, but it just wasn't a very satisfying read in my opinion.

I'm sorry you felt that way about SNW 9, since (as I mentioned in my earlier post) I don't share your opinion...

Considering these are short-story anthologies, you also shouldn't let your feelings about one keep you from reading any others, since (as you suggested) there are bound to be stories which stand out for you elsewhere.

Despite Steve's faint praise for the SNW series, they're definitely worth reading, if you haven't read any of the previous volumes already.

Well, it wasn't meant as a judgement at all, more a recognition of the fact that there are a lot of SNWs and the original poster may have read some already. I haven't actually read the last three yet, but I can't recall reading any of the first seven and thinking, damn, that was a lot better than the other volumes in the series. Each one has some good stuff, a few really good stories, and at least two or three I would have rejected if I'd been the editor. My tastes don't seem to line up that well with Dean Wesley Smith's. But there's no denying the importance of the SNW books and for that matter the SCE ebooks, both now unfortunately ended. A lot of writers we'll be seeing more from got started there.

It is quite unfortunate that those series have ended...

...but seeing that even two of the people who define hardcore TrekLit fandom haven't read the last volumes in the SNW series, I begin to understand why it happened.

 

[Defcon]

Thanks to the overall mediocrity of SNW 9 I haven't bothered to actually write a review of it or pick up the 10th volume. Every of the preceding volumes had at least one or two stories that were standing out positively from the mass, but SNW 9 was just one big pool of mediocrity. Granted, that also means there were less stinkers than in some of the other volumes, but it just wasn't a very satisfying read in my opinion.

I'm sorry you felt that way about SNW 9, since (as I mentioned in my earlier post) I don't share your opinion...

Considering these are short-story anthologies, you also shouldn't let your feelings about one keep you from reading any others, since (as you suggested) there are bound to be stories which stand out for you elsewhere.

It's just that those outstanding stories were in the minority in the SNW volumes I have read before SNW 9 (I, VII, 8) and with SNW 9 having none whatsoever in my opinion that kind of killed the interest I had in the SNW anthologies. I guess the problem is that my taste in short stories seems to differ from D.W. Smith's for the most part and I have lost faith in his ability to choose stories that are able to "blow me away".

But FWIW I have those SNW volumes that are still in print saved for future purchase in my Amazon shopping cart, but at the moment other books tend to take priority.

 

[Jim Johnson]

...but seeing that even two of the people who define hardcore TrekLit fandom haven't read the last volumes in the SNW series, I begin to understand why it happened.

Eh, no sense letting one negative reviewer ruin your enjoyment of the volumes or the series. The big draw of SNW for me as a reader and as a writer was that I could get a healthy dose of Star Trek stories (18-21 stories in each volume) that weren't tied to any continuity other than the ones I knew from the shows and movies. I didn't have to read multi-volume series to pick up on the inside jokes or to understand what had happened before.

I did have to figure out what episodes to watch in some cases, but hey, Star Trek research is fun.

I figure for every vocal Defcon out there, there's a reader who bought the books and appreciated the stories. I have all 10 volumes, am proud to be in three of them, and whenever I need a quick Trek fix, they're among the first books I pull off the shelves. Even the volumes that are kinda hit or miss.

 

[T'Bonz]

I tend to prefer Trek stories that were most like ones that I thought would be televised, especially with humor. Dean seemed to like some of the far out ones, which I found a bit too "Hey! Lookit! I'm SAYING SOMETHING IMPORTANT." I'm shallow. I just want to be entertained and forget life for a bit.

But the beauty of SNW is that you never knew what stories you would get. There were some good ones and some crummy ones, but it was always fun discovering the good ones (and the bad ones were short enough that you could work through them.)

Also - since I knew some of the people behind the names, it was that much more enjoyable.

I really miss SNW. Both trying to get into the book and reading it once it came out. It's a real pity that it stopped.

 

[Steve Roby]

It is quite unfortunate that those series have ended...

...but seeing that even two of the people who define hardcore TrekLit fandom haven't read the last volumes in the SNW series, I begin to understand why it happened.

Who, me? FWIW, while I may not have read them yet, I did buy them, and I intend to read them. But I have several hundred unread books, the vast majority of them not Trek books, and though I've been cutting down I seem to buy books faster than I can read them. But Pocket got my vote to keep SNW going when I bought the books. Likewise with the SCE ebooks.

 

[Defcon]

...but seeing that even two of the people who define hardcore TrekLit fandom haven't read the last volumes in the SNW series, I begin to understand why it happened.

Eh, no sense letting one negative reviewer ruin your enjoyment of the volumes or the series. The big draw of SNW for me as a reader and as a writer was that I could get a healthy dose of Star Trek stories (18-21 stories in each volume) that weren't tied to any continuity other than the ones I knew from the shows and movies. I didn't have to read multi-volume series to pick up on the inside jokes or to understand what had happened before.

I did have to figure out what episodes to watch in some cases, but hey, Star Trek research is fun.

I figure for every vocal Defcon out there, there's a reader who bought the books and appreciated the stories. I have all 10 volumes, am proud to be in three of them, and whenever I need a quick Trek fix, they're among the first books I pull off the shelves. Even the volumes that are kinda hit or miss.

Wow, saying once that one of the volumes of SNW I have read had no outstanding ( as in noticeable above average) story make me vocal and negative? Though crowd here, but I guess it's a risk I took when I posted this in a forum full of SNW Writers, even if all I said was that it was mediocre.

Like you admit yourself SNW could be hit or miss. And for me the number of hits went down with every volume I read, so I decided to put the reading of other volumes on the backburner for the time being. That's not meaning I won't get them eventually, just that they are not top priority right know.

The OP asked about our opinions about the three anthologies, so I gave him those for the two I had read. I would recommend to get The Sky's the Limit because it's the better collection of short stories in my opinion, but I never said that SNW 9 was bad, just mediocre and a bit unsatisfying.

P.S.: And as I said in at least one of the reviews of Strange New Worlds volumes I have written in the past: I have nothing but respect for those who where brave enough to send their stories to the contest, no matter if I liked their stories or not.

 

[William Leisner]

I tend to prefer Trek stories that were most like ones that I thought would be televised, especially with humor. Dean seemed to like some of the far out ones, which I found a bit too "Hey! Lookit! I'm SAYING SOMETHING IMPORTANT." I'm shallow. I just want to be entertained and forget life for a bit.

This is a curious comment, since televised Trek is not usually described as message-free escapism.

And while there were a few SNW stories that said things like "Racism is bad" and "War is not nice," it seems to me they were far, far outnumbered by the ones that said things like "Tribbles are cute" and "TOS/Voyager crossovers are cool."

 

[T'Bonz]

I'll come back later and explain after I go upstairs and pull a few of my SNW books to get specific examples. But as for the "cutesy Tribbles", don't get me started. I always wondered why Dean liked them, as some of them were, uh, awful and there were just too many of them.

I was hypocritical enough to write my own Tribble story for one contest. It explained why the Tribbles and the Klingons hated each other. However, once I got it done, I realized that the main character wasn't a known Star Trek character (or even a minor character) which made the story ineligible for the contest.

So went my "Tribble" story.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Tribble stories make the baby Jesus cry.

 

[Jim Johnson]

Wow, saying once that one of the volumes of SNW I have read had no outstanding (as in noticeable above average) story make me vocal and negative? Though crowd here, but I guess it's a risk I took when I posted this in a forum full of SNW Writers, even if all I said was that it was mediocre.

I haven't read every post you've made, so I made my comments based on the one. By posting the comment, you're vocal (as opposed to someone who might think the same thing but not post it).

And when one says a volume is mediocre or had no stories that were 'noticeable above average', I take it as a negative review. That I had a story in that volume is irrelevant; if you found the book mediocre, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I can weather a negative review of my work.

So, in my opinion, you're a vocal poster who offered a negative review of SNW 9. Perhaps you take offense where none was intended.

 

[Trent Roman]

So, in my opinion, you're a vocal poster who offered a negative review of SNW 9. Perhaps you take offense where none was intended.

I agree with Defcon. I thought that was an overly harsh characterization on the basis of a passing comment. Vocal, to me, doesn't mean someone who merely states his opinion, but does so repeatedly and with a certain intensity; an advocate for one stance or another. (Dictionary.com's closest definition for something 'vocal' with is written rather than spoken is: Vocal: 5. Inclined to express oneself in words, esp. copiously or insistently; synonyms are 'vociferous', 'outspoken'). One could legitimately say, for instance, that I'm a vocal critic of the VOY-R, because I'm constantly harping on the topic. But I wouldn't call Defcon's comment strident in any way.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Reanok]

I liked Sky's the limit and the different stories that were in the book.And the fact we got to see Beverly Crusher Tasha Yar in a story working together it was one my favorite stories . I liked all the stories in this Tng anthology.

 

[Christopher]

But as for the "cutesy Tribbles", don't get me started. I always wondered why Dean liked them, as some of them were, uh, awful and there were just too many of them.

In 10 SNW volumes, there were 9 tribble stories. The only category more numerous in SNW is Borg stories, of which there were 11. There were also 8 Q stories, 5 stories featuring crossovers among 3 or more series, 5 stories about characters reacting to Kirk's death (either one), 4 "City on the Edge of Forever" sequels or expansions, 4 non-"City" Guardian stories, 4 Barclay stories, 4 Gary Seven stories, 3 stories about Kirk's after-death experiences, 3 Kobayashi Maru stories (2 with Nog, even though a first-year non-command-track cadet shouldn't be taking the KM at all), 3 Iotia stories, 3 Captain Proton stories, and 3 Benny Russell stories (though there's an overlap of 1 story in those last two categories). And a Turquoise Reindeer in a pear tree.

I wonder how many Data-resurrection stories we would've seen if the series had continued.

 

[Defcon]

Wow, saying once that one of the volumes of SNW I have read had no outstanding (as in noticeable above average) story make me vocal and negative? Though crowd here, but I guess it's a risk I took when I posted this in a forum full of SNW Writers, even if all I said was that it was mediocre.

I haven't read every post you've made, so I made my comments based on the one. By posting the comment, you're vocal (as opposed to someone who might think the same thing but not post it).

And when one says a volume is mediocre or had no stories that were 'noticeable above average', I take it as a negative review. That I had a story in that volume is irrelevant; if you found the book mediocre, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I can weather a negative review of my work.

So, in my opinion, you're a vocal poster who offered a negative review of SNW 9. Perhaps you take offense where none was intended.

So I guess our definitions of negative and vocal differ. While it certainly isn't a positive comment, I assure you truly negative reviews/comments by me look different (just look at some of the individual comments in the review I linked to in the next paragraph). And vocal for me means constantly repeating your opinion, even when it doesn't even fit the topic. Here someone asked for opinions about certain books and I shared mine.

BTW I just reread my old SNW 08 review and my half-finished SNW 09 review because of this thread and obviously I made the no outstanding story comment for both volumes. Rereading them I assume that I kind of mixed up SNW 08 and 09 in my head when I made the less hits comment above, since I actually liked 09 better than 08. That doesn't change the fact that there wasn't a really outstanding story in my opinion in 09 either.

If your interested I already had written my comment about your story, although I fear you could think it's negative when it really isn't:

“TNG : Home Soil” by Jim Johnson

An O.K., but overall routine story. The strength of it is that everything (character work, writing style, originality) is on a constant and decent level, but on the other side there is nothing outstanding on the positive end in it either. It’s one of the better stories in SNW 09 and a nice enough way to kill some time, but nonetheless it’s a story you’ll stop thinking about relatively fast, because it has nothing special to remember, be it positive or negative.

Rating : 70 %