So What Are you Reading?: Generations

[marlboro]

Finally finished up Trent's Last Case. It's ok.The mystery never really pulled me in, but I can see why so many early 20th century writers of detective fiction were enamored with it.

Just started The Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe. I've been meaning to get started on it for over a year. I'm enjoying it so far, though I struggle with some of the more obscure words that the author employs. I don't have an extensive vocabulary, by any stretch of the imagination, so my Kindle's built-in dictionary is a godsend.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Almost a third of the way into Spock's World, which I began immediately after finishing The Vulcan Academy Murders.

Rather a shame that they aren't in continuity with each other, and have so many continuity hiccups between them. I forget: were they written during the infamous "Richard Arnold Era"? (Now that I think about it, probably not, given that Diane was free to use Nahrat and K's't'lk, among others. Still, they were definitely from before anybody had dreamed of inter-author inter-novel continuity.)

 

[Christopher]

Almost a third of the way into Spock's World, which I began immediately after finishing The Vulcan Academy Murders.

Rather a shame that they aren't in continuity with each other, and have so many continuity hiccups between them. I forget: were they written during the infamous "Richard Arnold Era"? (Now that I think about it, probably not, given that Diane was free to use Nahrat and K's't'lk, among others. Still, they were definitely from before anybody had dreamed of inter-author inter-novel continuity.)

They were pre-Arnold, but there certainly was inter-novel continuity at the time, and had been ever since Dwellers in the Crucible had acknowledged Duane's Rihannsu and Ford's Romulans Klingons. But that continuity was optional. Some authors chose to reference other authors' characters and ideas, while others chose to do their own thing. Duane did use J.M. Dillard's security chief Ingrit Tomson in one or two books, but apparently she didn't choose to reference Lorrah's version of the Vulcans.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

You mean, Ford's Klingons.

Anybody remember what the earliest reference was naming Vulcan's sister planet T'Khut? Could it have been The Vulcan Academy Murders?

 

[Christopher]

You mean, Ford's Klingons.

Oops. Fixed.

Anybody remember what the earliest reference was naming Vulcan's sister planet T'Khut? Could it have been The Vulcan Academy Murders?

Yes, except it was actually spelled T'Kuht there. I'm pretty sure the T'Khut spelling was introduced in Spock's World. Later on, A.C. Crispin's Sarek called it T'Rukh, while claiming it had different names at different times of year (though calling it T'Rukh throughout no matter how much time passed in the story).

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

In-Universe explanation: Different English/Roman transliterations of a language that evolved with entirely different orthography. Much like the numerous ways the English-speaking world spells the name of the Islamic holy book (Koran, Quran, Qu'ran, &c.), or of the late Libyan dictator (Qadafi, Khadafi, Gaddafi, &c.), or the week-long Jewish festival celebrating the Maccabean victory (Hanukah, Chanukah, Hanukkah, &c.).

And of course, in Spock's World, Diane Duane frequently used archaic spellings in the flashback chapters, to show linguistic evolution.

 

[Nyotarules]

The Admirals's love slave starring DISC Pike and Nyotarules

oops not written yet...

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

One week from today: Genesis.

 

[Reanok]

I just finished reading again Star Trek Voyager Atonement by Kirsten Beyer. I'm now reading Speculative fiction stories by Mark Twain A bunch of sci fiction stories he wrote. The first story is really interesting.

 

[marlboro]

I don't agree with you about Jennifer Lien's acting, but I do agree that the producers wasted her potential. A character with only a 9-year lifespan should be intense and driven, eager to devour every experience she can, and yet they just stuck her in sickbay and let her mostly stagnate there for a third of her life. That's one of Voyager's many missed opportunities that I tried to remedy in Myriad Universes: Places of Exile.

Very good worldbuilding with Species 8472 in that one.


I also liked this bit:

"Just act natural."

"I'm an artificial intelligence holographically disguised as a three-legged alien and swimming in a parallel universe made of lime gelatin! How do you define "natural"?

lol

And, on that note...after two years, and over 350 books, I've finally reached the end of my little adventure into Trek literature. It's been a blast. Before I skedaddle, I just wanted to drop a quick note of thanks to all the writers, past and present, for all the fun books. I'd also like to thank the folks here for recommending a lot of great books that I might otherwise have overlooked.

Why? Well, I tend to jump into hobbies with both feet, get a little obsessive with them, and then just...stop. I'm sort of like that guy in The Orchid Thief, just with better teeth and fewer orchids. Just wanted to make sure no one thought I was making a statement about the quality of the books or anything. In other words...

So long, and thanks for all the fiction!

 

[Christopher]

I also liked this bit:

"Just act natural."

"I'm an artificial intelligence holographically disguised as a three-legged alien and swimming in a parallel universe made of lime gelatin! How do you define "natural"?

lol

I'm very proud of that one. That was one of those lovely moments in writing when the character takes on a life of their own and says something that you never would've expected and that's better than you could've planned.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Spock's World
I'm just past the point where McCoy delivers his "bombshell," and Kirk makes his appeal. I was always struck by the parallels between this book and the world we live in, and how well Diane Duane managed to weave them into the story, but they seem far more relevant today than they ever were in the past.

 

[Kilana2]

I'm literally smack in the middle of a fight between Klingons against Klingons and Children of San-Tarah in KRAD's Honor Bound.
It's quite gory......

 

[Nyotarules]

Spock's World
I'm just past the point where McCoy delivers his "bombshell," and Kirk makes his appeal. I was always struck by the parallels between this book and the world we live in, and how well Diane Duane managed to weave them into the story, but they seem far more relevant today than they ever were in the past.

That book would have made a great movie

 

[Kilana2]

That book would have made a great movie

It makes me want to re-read it. Alas, the editions of German Publisher Heyne are not of good quality. Some books seem to fall apart after re-reading them too many times. Cross Cult produces books of better quality. Many Heyne paperbacks were worn after reading them once......

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

That book would have made a great movie

Now more than ever.

 

[Kertrats47]

Just posted my review of TNG: A Time to Heal, the 8th and penultimate book in the A Time To series.

Currently about halfway through Voyager: Spirit Walk, Book One: Old Wounds by Christie Golden.

 

[Stibbons]

"Mission to Horatius" Space nazis? Again?

Just finished "Log 10" by Alan Dean Foster. I know some people don't like the way Foster fleshes out the original story with his own content, but the animated epsiodes are so short and simplistic you woldn't get much out of it otherwise. I do like the additional stories he puts in too but then I grew up reading Fosters books, Spellsinger and the Humanx series.

 

[thribs]

Just finished Batman: Court of Owls by Greg Cox. It was my first in comic book continuity novel and I enjoyed it very much. My only criticism of it would be that there was no Damian in it.

Started the Gateways saga with book one. I like the way the story starts at the end of a tv episode and expands it from there.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I know some people don't like the way Foster fleshes out the original story with his own content, but the animated epsiodes are so short and simplistic you woldn't get much out of it otherwise. I do like the additional stories he puts in too but then I grew up reading Fosters books, Spellsinger and the Humanx series.

I agree completely with you, and am delighted with the way ADF expanded first triplets of animated episodes, and then single animated episodes, into novels that are, in many cases, far better than the original episodes. My own favorite has to be Log 8.

But in my case, it was through those books that I was first introduced to ADF, and it was not until many years later that I first picked up The Tar-Aiym Krang at a dealer's table, during a free mini-con at a local shopping mall, and it was not until I'd read every single Humanx Commonwealth novel that I began the Spellsinger novels. If I remember right, he had a lecture (and was indeed a headliner) at that mini-con, which I somehow missed. (I did, however, catch one by Stephen Goldin and Kathleen Sky; the mini-con was right around the time Trek to Madworld was released, which should tell you something about the timeframe, and my age.)