It doesn't come up a lot, but when it has I've pretty much heard all good things. People say that it's like an old Perry Mason novel.
So What Are you Reading?: Generations
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Almost done with Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia. Fun but long book. I think I'll be re-reading Q-Squared next.
Just read Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry.
Just started The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves.
Just started The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves.
While I still prefer to hold a book in my hands, I'm grateful for the monthly e-book deals recently with the dearth of new hard copy Star Trek books. In the past few weeks I've completed the first 6 books of the Vanguard series - two more plus a novella to go. Thus far, I've found it quite enjoyable. There are a few aspects of the series that I could do without, but overall I find it to be a pretty well developed slice of the ST universe that we haven't seen before.
After that I have the Mirror Universe books in the queue. Not a huge fan of the MU but for 99 cents each, how could I pass them up?
I'm retiring in two months, so I'll have to start some heavy duty reading - history, philosophy, revisit the classics, etc. I won't have the job to poke my brain so I'll have to find something else to properly stimulate the grey matter. Not to say that I won't keep up with Trek Lit anymore, because I sure plan to!
After that I have the Mirror Universe books in the queue. Not a huge fan of the MU but for 99 cents each, how could I pass them up?
I'm retiring in two months, so I'll have to start some heavy duty reading - history, philosophy, revisit the classics, etc. I won't have the job to poke my brain so I'll have to find something else to properly stimulate the grey matter. Not to say that I won't keep up with Trek Lit anymore, because I sure plan to!
House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. It's brilliant so far. I think it's better than Revelation Space so far, which is the only other thing of his I've read. There's something awe-inspiring of imagining humanity millions of years in the future. There are some big ideas Stephen Baxter, but a little more accessible to me.
I did read on Memory Alpha that was intentional. John Ordover was looking specifically for a Perry Mason style novel. I'm looking forward to reading it on vacation. It'll be something a little different but still in the Star Trek universe.
Just finished the Prey trilogy. Like the Legacies trilogy was very underwhelming. Just started The Midnight Line by Lee Child
I just finished the latest Voyager novel "Architects of Infinity" so I'm officially all caught up with the current novels. I'm still waiting for my copies of the latest Prometheus novel by Titan books and of course the latest Discovery book, which I pre-ordered.
Next up for my regular 'lunchtime' reading will be one of a number of books from the 90's I never got to while I was in college, this time it's Star Trek "The Better Man" by Howard Weinstein. Released in 1994 and according to the historian's note it takes place about 2 months after TMP.
Next up for my regular 'lunchtime' reading will be one of a number of books from the 90's I never got to while I was in college, this time it's Star Trek "The Better Man" by Howard Weinstein. Released in 1994 and according to the historian's note it takes place about 2 months after TMP.
It has been about a decade since I read it, but I remember that I enjoyed it. As long as you like Star Trek and mysteries you should be fine. I think it was inofficially called Perry Mason meets Star Trek by then editor John Ordover, and that fit quite well IIRC.
ETA: Hadn't realized there was another page and the Perry Mason connection had already been mentioned.
Well, it's set in 2273, but at the time it was written, going by the Chronology's estimates, that was assumed to be 2 years after TMP, and there are references in the text implicitly consistent with that. (Mainly concerning a recent switch to new uniforms, which Howie presumably meant to be the TWOK-style ones.) But then VGR established that the 5-year mission ended in 2270, which required TMP to take place in '72-'73, so TBM ends up closer to TMP than was assumed when it was written. But it still pretty much works that way if you're flexible about a couple of early details.
I just read chapter 1 which mentions the new uniforms for the first time--I initially thought he was referring to the new uniforms in TMP (I figured since the historian note stated it was 2 months after TMP it would be too early yet to switch to TWOK uniforms). I thought since McCoy is newly returned to Starfleet that he was still getting used to those new uniforms. The uniform isn't described there though so I guess at this early point it can go either way.
As I read it, though, I'll look for other clues about it's time period and maybe there's further references later in the book (for instance, if they say something about the uniforms being red, then that would be a dead giveaway).
In my first-edition copy, which I just double-checked, the Historian's Note explicitly says it's set two years after TMP. Could it be that they changed it for a later reprint?
Oops, you're right. It's two years. My bad
. So TWOK uniforms make more sense now since TMP uniforms would not be 'new' by that time.
The Better Man is another case, though, where the cover does not match the novel. It takes place 2 years after TMP, with TWOK uniforms apparently. Yet the cover shows Kirk and McCoy, and the Enterprise as they appeared in the tv series. Thankfully these days there seems to be a greater attempt to maintain consistency between the content of the novels and the covers. Even extrapolating in some cases, like aging Dr. Bashir and giving him a beard in the Typhon Pact and Section 31 novels he was featured in.
Actually I think they're just using recent pictures of Alexander Siddig for the new Bashir novels.
I've been wonder if they purposefully gave Bashir the beard because Siddig has one now, or if it's purely a coincidence.
I've been wonder if they purposefully gave Bashir the beard because Siddig has one now, or if it's purely a coincidence.
I think I remember reading part of it was to reflect Siddig's then current appearance. I think they liked the idea of giving Bashir a beard too. In Control he looked a lot older (considering the time frame was only a few years later) but I think the idea was to project the great deal of stress he was under by that point.
But I do like that the novels for the last decade or so have tried to be more accurate with their covers, including adding a bit of age to the characters from the last time we saw them.
Back in the 80's and 90's the novel covers were often inaccurate. In The Better Man there's a note telling you when it takes place. But a lot of the novels back then didn't have that, and you couldn't go by the cover so a lot of times you were left trying to guess whether it was during the tv series or the movie time frame. The narrative sometimes clued you in, but not always.
The best indicator was usually the ranks of Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov.
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