[Spoilers] Review - Myriad Universe Bk 2: Echoes and Refractions

[Idoliside]

I'm suprised there isn't a thread for this yet.

Anyway I got my copy of Mryu2 through a few days back. And wow....

I've only read the first two stories.

Spoiler: MAJOR SPOILERS

Chimes at midnight was good, i liked to see what would have happened had the genesis device been used for a weapon in the galaxy. Also to see the effects of the Probe was good, always wondered what would have happened had the Whales not returned.
As for the second story...wow...EVERYONE DIES...well nearly. I think Captain Riker and Captain Data survive but I think KRAD now takes Macks throne for the most deaths in a story. I loved reading about Picards breakdown as he commits one act after another. Although i did feel this story was a bit of a "lets pick out all the characters in trek and put them somewhere" story.

Now about to start the third story.

Something interesting to ask the authors: When you think up these stories, do you think about the catalysts for how these universes divulged. Like why did Spock die as a child. Why was the resistance never enough to free bajor? How was Kahn able to reign instead of being defeated?

 

[KRAD]

Something interesting to ask the authors: When you think up these stories, do you think about the catalysts for how these universes divulged. Like why did Spock die as a child. Why was the resistance never enough to free bajor? How was Kahn able to reign instead of being defeated?

Glad you liked A Gutted World!

Spoiler: A Gutted World

And the resistance had nothing to do with it. The reason why the Cardassians didn't pull out of Bajor was because they discovered the wormhole first.

 

[William Leisner]

Something interesting to ask the authors: When you think up these stories, do you think about the catalysts for how these universes divulged. Like why did Spock die as a child. Why was the resistance never enough to free bajor? How was Kahn able to reign instead of being defeated?

Not to step on Geoff's toes here, but "why did Spock die as a child" is established in the animated episode "Yesteryear," which is also where Thelin was first introduced.

As for A Less Perfect Union, my thought was that whatever sabotage Trip did to the verteron array was either undone, or else he was kept from doing it in the first place.

 

[Idoliside]

Not to step on Geoff's toes here, but "why did Spock die as a child" is established in the animated episode "Yesteryear," which is also where Thelin was first introduced.

Ah that explains it, i've not seen any of the animated series (although it is on my rental list, will be looking forward to that when it comes.

 

[DarthPipes]

Thought the first story was very good. I'm starting the second one tonight.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

While it did seem in the second that everyone was thrown in, I do wonder what happened to Bashir...

 

[Reanok]

I just finished reading Chimes of Midnight Wow! What a great story this is the story I always wondered about if StarTrek 3 had turned out like this. The story was full of suprizes I really liked Saavik and David in this story &Thelin. and the fact they had to live with the choices they had to make.This story has some really dark moments.Also Kirk and Carol Marcus as well.I wish we could have a sequeal to this s

Spoiler: Chimes of Midnight

Especially when it comes to the other powers wanting to have their own super weapons.And what happens to David and Saavik on Romulous

story. Also finished reading A Gutted world Keith's story sure had alot of dark themes as well when it came to all the things that happened on Bajor.And he certainly took apage from David Mack when it comes to the

Spoiler: Gutted world

All the battles and death I was shocked by the savagery of the Cardassians and the toll it ook on Picard and heavy loss of Starfleet Crews and the end packs a wallop.

I think this one of his best stories a really powerful story packs a wallop.

 

[KRAD]

^ Thank you very much!

A Gutted World was much darker than my usual, and I'm really nervous regarding how well it did or didn't work...

 

[Reanok]

Your story Keith worked really well showing what a dire situation that Starfleet was facing because of the Klingons and Romulans and Cardassians on all fronts.They were faced with difficult choices to make. Kira liked how you wrote her in this story. I was shocked with some of the events in this story.Your story was full of suprizes and pulls no punches.It goes in a direction I never expected to see.

 

[Trent Roman]

Kira liked how you wrote her in this story.

Always nice to have the appreciation of your characters...

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Reanok]

Oops what I meant to say I liked how Keith portrayed Kira in this alternate universe story she's been through alot and the fact bajor is still aworld occupied by the Cardassians when this story takes place is really dark moments that she recalls in flashback scenes.The cruelty of what the occupation did to the Bajorans is terrible.

 

[Geoff]

Thanks to Idoliside, DarthPipes and Reanok for your kind comments!

 

[Idoliside]

Just finished the third story, was good

Spoiler: SPOILER

This was a very interesting one! Not as shocking as the others but def had it's moments. I think my favourite character out of this was *shock* Wesley. Seeing him as an adult and chief of engineering but still having his curious charm was quite refreshing.
Lal and Lore were nicely depicted and the epilogue was nice too, possibly one of the few stories with a perfect happy ending.

Hopefully it shouldn't be too long before i read the third Mirror Universe and third Myriad Universe books. And...with any luck...hopefully more.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Got my copy in the post this morning.

I enjoyed this volume even more than I did the first one. All three stories were intriguing and thought-provoking. I probably enjoyed "Brave New World" the most, although KRAD was close behind with "A Gutted World" (I actually assumed the PoD was further back than it actually was - some sort of shift during the Terok Nor series...), and Geoff's "The Chimes at Midnight" was fascinating as well. I'll probably have a more detailed review up at the blog in the next few days...

 

[DarkHorizon]

Well, it only took me a day, as it turns out...

Review at the blog.

 

[KRAD]

^ Thanks muchly for the review!

 

[Titus Andronicus]

So I just picked up my copy of the book, and I can't wait to read it! Just to give you a sense of my anticipation of it, I just finished driving through a bad rainstorm just to pick it up.

So I suppose you could say I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I have only so far read The Chimes at Midnight, and I liked it a lot. I have one question, though:

When Thelin arrives on Vulcan for that meeting with Federation top brass, the book says this:

Thelin had arrived on Vulcan just as the sun had reached its noon zenith, and although Andorians didn't mind the heat, and in fact preferred a warmer climate than that on their mostly icy homeworld...

How is this possible? We all know Andorians can't handle heat - ENT proved it. Andorians have such a high metabolic rate that extreme heat will cause them to lose body weight very quickly. The kind of temperatures that are common on Vulcan would surely kill any Andorian who remained there too long. I find it very hard to believe that Andorians would tolerate that kind of heat at all, let alone "not mind" it.

Remember that bit (can't remember which part of the arc it was - probably 'The Aenar') when Archer and Shran are on Andor, in the ice caves? Shran is obviously loving the cold, as any Andorian would. *That* is what Andorians don't mind, in terms of temperature.

 

[Geoff]

I have only so far read The Chimes at Midnight, and I liked it a lot.

Thanks!

We all know Andorians can't handle heat - ENT proved it. Andorians have such a high metabolic rate that extreme heat will cause them to lose body weight very quickly. The kind of temperatures that are common on Vulcan would surely kill any Andorian who remained there too long. I find it very hard to believe that Andorians would tolerate that kind of heat at all, let alone "not mind" it.

You're probably getting that from the Memory Alpha article, which states the following:

Andorians, with a higher metabolic rate than (ENT: "United"), were susceptible to high temperatures: an Andorian could lose 10% of its weight within two days in climates near the boiling point of water.

This was apparently extrapolated from a quote made by Shran in "The Aenar" (not "United"). Now, think about this for a second. Shran said he was on a planet "where the temperature is only slightly below the boiling point of water" (or in other words, a temperature that would kill a human being within seconds) for two days and he lost only 10% of his body weight. Sounds to me like Andorians can handle heat just fine.

The part about the metabolic rate, to the best of my knowledge, is unsupported by any canonical source.

Remember that bit (can't remember which part of the arc it was - probably 'The Aenar') when Archer and Shran are on Andor, in the ice caves? Shran is obviously loving the cold, as any Andorian would. *That* is what Andorians don't mind, in terms of temperature.

I never saw any evidence that Shran was "loving" the cold. In fact, when Archer asks how Andorians handle the cold, Shran replies, "It isn't easy. Andorian cities are built underground to take advantage of geothermal energy." Furthermore, we've never seen any evidence that Andorians are bothered by the temperatures aboard Starfleet vessels. To me, this suggests that Andorians are hardy people who can deal with an incredible range of climate, but not that they prefer the cold over a more moderate climate. (The Aenar, however, could be an exception.)

And this is also consistent with the DS9 fiction, which describes Andor[ia] as having climate zones very similar to Earth.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I also liked the last things Gorkon said to Thelin.

qapla'!