So what are you reading now? (Part 3)

[Sci]

I freely admit some of the US's foreign policy over the past half-century (during & after the Cold War) has been ill-advised and ham-handed in general, and specifically so in Iran's case. We have been the authors of many of our own woes. But beyond that, I believe it's telling that much of the rest of the Arab world is also worried about Iran, over more than just their sectarian conflict. I continue to think the Iranian leadership is capable of many things an average rational person would find horrendous that would be acceptable to the Iranian leadership through their rationalizing.

Certainly -- indeed, the very brutal crackdowns they've been enacting on dissension since the election last year has made that clear. But that does not mean they are not rational political actors. They are -- evil, brutal, tyrannical, but still rational.

And the fact that they are rational political actors means that, in my opinion, it is highly unlikely that they would launch a first-strike nuclear attack against any other state, nor that they would allow terrorists to use Iranian nuclear material to engage in such an attack. The leaders of Iran know full well that if they do that, that means the end of their regime (and of their lives); the world will not tolerate a nuclear attack from anybody, especially not a second-rate power. That's why I think while they may well try to push it to get themselves the bomb so as to possess their own nuclear deterrent, I think it's highly unlikely they'd actually use it.

But, as I said before, I'm scared of the North Korean nuclear program. Those leaders are not rational political actors, in my view, and may well decide to do something that's not in their own best interests.

 

[JD]

Yeah, I gotta agree about North Korea. I have been terrified of Kim Jong Il ever since I watched on People in the News bio on him on MSNBC a couple years ago. He is just plain nuts, and the way they treat their citizens is unbleiveable. I watched a movie on PBS about people from NK trying to get out, and what they went through was just shocking. They had video of people being beaten and dragged away as they were trying to cross the border.

 

[Cap'n Crunch]

I just finished the Cardassia portion of Worlds of Deep Space Nine. I'll probably start on Andor: Paradigm tomorrow.

I went ahead and actually started Paradigm last night. I'm probably going to start reading David Mack's 4400 novel, Promises Broken, when I receive it.

 

[Diddle]

I just finished reading DS9 - Millennium - Inferno, DS9 - Worlds and something - Dominion and Ferenginar and DS9 - Warpath.

Because Weyoun 9.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Rereading Spock Must Die. Thanks to the first Trek book you read thread.

 

[S. Gomez]

I finished Mere Anarchy last night. I know a lot of the authors post here, and I don't want to hurt any feelings...but I honestly didn't find it as amazing as some have. (Some mild spoilers follow.)

I did think the premise and also the realization of Mestiko was great; I liked that there was finally a planet that had multiple nations and governments, something I always notice isn't there in "regular" Trek. Another thing I really appreciated was the character of Raya elMora and her relationship with Kirk...that always had a hint of romantic tension, but never turned into a real love. Instead there was friendship and trust (and, of course, distrust) and respect between the two of them without having her become another in long line of Kirk's women who claim to be "the one".

Where I had my problems was, I'm sorry to say, the writing. Not in every story, but in a couple of them. For example, the first one. Mostly the problem there was the clunkiness of exposition, especially when it mixed into a dialogue scene. The Payav dialogue was another thing in this story that bugged me; I understand the desire to make them sound more formal, but they sounded too formal, too cold. The lack of contractions made them sound like Vulcans, but the things they were talking about were so often emotional, and the mix just didn't feel right.

Howard Weinstein's story was good, but again my problem was in dialogue, this time in one specific character: Vykul. I can't believe I would be the only person to find his speech pattern annoying. Do I think villains should be threatening instead of annoying? Yes. Did I want to cut out his tongue so he wouldn't annoy me with his self-answered questions? Most definitely yes. ()

However, I don't want to end on a sour note, and thankfully the series doesn't either. Margaret Wander Bonanno (whom I hadn't read before and should have) wrote a wonderful story about Bones and Raya and their dealing with Kirk's death. Very little in the way of action, and all about the characters. And the fact that Azetbur was included just kicked it all up a notch.

Now, I have both of the Myriad Universe anthologies out from the library. I'm wondering if I just dive straight into them now or wait. I only have them out for a short time, so I'm also worried about how long it would take me to read them.

 

[AdmiralSteven]

I just started Titan: Sword of Damocles, and it's not looking good.

 

[JD]

Now, I have both of the Myriad Universe anthologies out from the library. I'm wondering if I just dive straight into them now or wait. I only have them out for a short time, so I'm also worried about how long it would take me to read them.

I've read 5 of the 6, and I loved 4 and those, so I would say read it now. Now, I did still like the other one, just not as much as the rest of them.

 

[S. Gomez]

Now, I have both of the Myriad Universe anthologies out from the library. I'm wondering if I just dive straight into them now or wait. I only have them out for a short time, so I'm also worried about how long it would take me to read them.

I've read 5 of the 6, and I loved 4 and those, so I would say read it now.

Done, then.

 

[Steve Roby]

Started reading the anthology Cthulhu Unbound, edited by Thomas Brannan and John Sunseri, while waiting for David (Lonemagpie) McIntee's Space: 1999 novel Born for Adversity to show up. Trent Roman and Kevin Lauderdale, who should be familiar names around here, contributed very different but solidly entertaining stories.

But Born for Adversity showed up today so I may set Cthulhu Unbound for the time being.

 

[Sci]

The Payav dialogue was another thing in this story that bugged me; I understand the desire to make them sound more formal, but they sounded too formal, too cold. The lack of contractions made them sound like Vulcans, but the things they were talking about were so often emotional, and the mix just didn't feel right.

Hmm. You do know that not every language today makes as extensive use of contractions as English, right? Spanish, for instance, only has a handful of contractions -- "de el" becomes "del," "a el" becomes "al," etc. Yet that doesn't mean that those speakers lack passion -- just that their language is structured differently.

 

[Christopher]

But we're not seeing them speak an alien language, we're seeing them speaking in their own language with it being translated into English. Presumably a lack of contractions would be only one of many differences from English grammar. And they might be using their own forms of informality, and when translating that into English, one should ideally render the sense rather than copying the forms.

So if you're reading a work of fiction in which aliens are supposedly speaking their own language and it's rendered as formal English, it stands to reason that their speech patterns in their own language are formal as well.

 

[S. Gomez]

^What he said.

 

[S. Gomez]

(Weird. Double post. Sorry.)

 

[Krenn]

Started reading the anthology Cthulhu Unbound, edited by Thomas Brannan and John Sunseri, while waiting for David (Lonemagpie) McIntee's Space: 1999 novel Born for Adversity to show up. Trent Roman and Kevin Lauderdale, who should be familiar names around here, contributed very different but solidly entertaining stories.

But Born for Adversity showed up today so I may set Cthulhu Unbound for the time being.

I haven't been around much lately, but I might do wonder what you thought of my "The Patriot" in the same anthology.

 

[Reanok]

I'm reading The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes.I'm looking forward to getting Unspoken truth in afew weeks.

 

[JD]

What do you think of it? I've been curious about that one for a while.

 

[Reanok]

It's an excellent look into the Saavik character and her struggles with her Vulcan/Romulan heritage.It also deals with a bunch of Romulans who want to attack earth in a very clever and insidious way with biological weapons.I've only read a few chapters it's been a long time since I read it. But I highly recommend this book for fans of Saavik. and I likeTOS books that take place before TWOK.

 

[Sci]

But we're not seeing them speak an alien language, we're seeing them speaking in their own language with it being translated into English. Presumably a lack of contractions would be only one of many differences from English grammar. And they might be using their own forms of informality, and when translating that into English, one should ideally render the sense rather than copying the forms.

So if you're reading a work of fiction in which aliens are supposedly speaking their own language and it's rendered as formal English, it stands to reason that their speech patterns in their own language are formal as well.

But have you really captured the sense of what they're saying if the highly formal language seems to conflict with the sense of emotionalism that needs to be conveyed through the dialogue?

 

[Christopher]

I wasn't addressing that. I was just disagreeing with the assumption that the lack of contractions in the English dialogue could be explained by a lack of contractions in the "actual" alien language.