Some Comments on "Troublesome Minds" (Possible Spoilers)

[Technobuilder]

You know, I was going to pass on reading this one... but this thread changed my mind.

I'll be picking this up next time I see it at the store. (Or next Amazon Purchase Window)

 

[xortex]

I was looking for a good Enterprise novel because I'm trying to write one when I found this. Loved the contemplating old Spock on the cover. Beautifully written and colerful imagery. Maybe a bit too overdramatized at first. The characterization seemed a little shaky, forced and too intense (contrived), but the concept was totally awesome, best I've ever seen, with alot of stuff that made you think.
It was mind sifter, wasn't it? Your prose were so intense you kept on referring to it as the mind ripper which was a little funny. Do you think it would have made a great story for the latest Star Trek movie? Of course Star Trek on the silver screen is never gonna see a story as good as this ever unless they outsource their material and put their money in other people's pockets which will never happen.
I totally loved this book. Why can't they all be like this? This was a great episode of TOS. Who can ask for more than that? Congradulations Dave and I can't wait for the next one. It's the best ST novel ever. Nice job.
BTW, what is the name of the Next Phase fan film episode that you wrote, and can you give us a taste of its storyline? Thanks. Is it out yet?

 

[DaveGalanter]

^Thank you for the awesomely kind words! They are much appreciated!

I called the Klingon mind sifter a mind-ripper sometimes because that's what Kor called it. "It's a mind sifter -- or, mind ripper, depending on how much force is used..."

Would the basic story make a good movie? Hmmm. Sure, but it would have to be significantly changed. Probably remove some of the elements (the non-verbal disability) to make it better for the screen, for one. And probably the whole Meshu part would have to be changed/shortened to accommodate a movie.

Would they do this for a movie? My guess is they have their own ideas (assuming they're even aware of this book). And I disagree that on-screen Trek won't see a story like this. They're different mediums, but they can surely make movies that engage you as much as a book (my book or any other), just in slightly different ways.

 

[xortex]

Yea, if you write it.

I had to laugh at that guy who changed his mind suddenly in this thread and apologized. He did a full three sixty once he got to the concept and plot.

Also good thing your brother is not blind or he would have missed out on all the fantastic colors you weaved into this book nicely. A swirl of the psychodelic and nice space scenes with words like gas giant and such. Really made me feel I was out in space with it's vastness and powererful dynamics.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Why remove the non-verbal part? Be bold, I say! If people are willing to watch long movies with subtitles (such as The Passion of the Christ, or even Avatar or Lord of the Rings), I see no reason why it wouldn't be doable.

 

[DaveGalanter]

Xortek: Thank you again! And I think Trek is in good hands with the writers in Hollywood. They'd not give a multi-million dollar story to a writer who's never sold a script. Most I've done is write some for Star Trek: Phase II.

Nerys: It's not so much about subtitles as it is pacing. Having someone sign, and then Spock interpret it for Kirk and McCoy works far better in a book than it would on screen for a long period of time. It's also a very thought-involved book, with a lot of "dialogue" happening telepathically. Not sure that would do well on the screen, so that would have to be tweaked. There are surely ways to do it, because the heart of the story isn't signing or some deaf characters, but loneliness and how three people choose to deal with their burdens. That's why the Milton quote at the beginning of the book.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Perhaps for an online adaptation, one could get the UT to actually read sign language directly so there is no translation lag. Anyway, I totally get your point...but this is Treknology we're talking about. We don't have to know how it works...it can just do what we want!

 

[xortex]

What gets me is if they can't do as good as this, notice I don't say better, why are they doing it at all? Does this make any sense. I just read somewhere that Linda Obst is writting a sci fi picture for Spielberg they hope will be the next 2001. Linda Obst. Of course all her other work speaks for itself. The monkeys are running the circus.

 

[DaveGalanter]

It's somewhat subjective. I really enjoyed the last Trek movie, because I felt the characters were pretty right and it was fun, and yet hated the science but could overlook it. Heck--I wrote a book with telepaths. Ain't nothing less scientific than that.

By the way, if you'd like to see some TOS on screen which I co-wrote, here ya go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLbGZHwbI7o



That's the first 5 minutes of the Phase II show that should be out in a month or so. (Different experience, since there are a lot more players involved in writing a script--what the producers want, what the actors do with things, etc. Was interesting to experience and all-in-all a lot of fun. Heck, just walking across that bridge...)

 

[xortex]

Dave, why are there seemingly no high mind concept novels like this out there? Just literary secrets revealed, mystery of kind of stuff. Where do all the concepts generated by the shows go?

 

[DaveGalanter]

Dave, why are there seemingly no high mind concept novels like this out there? Just literary secrets revealed, mystery of kind of stuff. Where do all the concepts generated by the shows go?

You mean in Trek-lit, or science fiction in general? I can't really answer for either, however, as I don't know that to be true and it's more a question for an editor.

You can thank Marco for liking this story enough to give it the pass.

I appreciate your kindness on the notion that the story was high-minded. I just considered it a story about loneliness.

 

[xortex]

Your novel certainly was lonely to me. What else have you got?

 

[DaveGalanter]

What else have I got? I'm working on something (novel) non-Trek that explores self-made limits.

 

[xortex]

A self limited god would be a human.

 

[A J]

I finished Troublesome Minds earlier today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more books by Mr. Galanter.

 

[marlboro]

Just finished this on. Good stuff. Very imaginative world building. As others have said, this feels like a very good TOS episode. Spock fans shouldn't miss it.


The only nitpicky complaint I have is that some of the scenes featuring Bones and Kirk had an almost Homer Simpson vs Frank Grimes feel to them to me. Kirk seemed pretty reckless with some of his decisions and Bones' objections seemed pretty reasonable and logical(!) imo. Of course, Kirk ends up making the right call in the end. This really isn't a "complaint" exactly. The author clearly knows his characters, and all of them were certainly in character. I'm a McCoy fan so think it occasionally makes me a little biased. As a metter of fact, I originally picked this up because I enjoyed the author's installment in the Mere Anarchy series of ebooks. It is a fun little buddy cop-ish romp featuring Kirk and the good doctor.

So, Mr. Galanter is batting a thousand so far in Trek books that I've read by him - on to "Crisis of Consciousness" !