Star Trek (2009) novelization (finally) announced!

[Lonemagpie]

"large sized trade paperback"? Ick.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

It's not judging a book by its cover. It's judging a book by its size, and the general issues of unwieldiness and jacked-up prices attendant thereto.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

Doubtless there'll be an MMPB version around the time the DVD comes out

 

[BillJ]

As much as this comment makes my morning (and it truly does - one of the nicest things a reader has ever said about my Trek work), I know I wouldn't be a good choice for such a project.

'Quietly waits by mailbox for autographed copy of Open Secrets.'

Seriously, can't wait for Open Secrets.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I wouldn't count on it, though you never know. Most of Pocket's trade paperback originals have never been reprinted as mass market paperbacks.

I wasn't expecting reprints of the hardcover "Enterprise" novelizations, either, but they did turn up in the end. Ditto "Lives of Dax".

I didn't think there'd be a MMPB of the fourth "Indiana Jones" film novelization, so I bought the trade - but the MMPB reprint came out recently, coinciding with the DVD. (So I bought it again, and am looking for a new owner of that unread trade.)

I'm not waiting for any ST reprint, though. All my Pocket books are first editions.

 

[Stevil2001]

Yeah, I was hoodwinked by the hardcover Enterprise novels, too. However, The Expanse was initially published as a TPB and never got an MMPB reprint. I think the only Pocket novels to do so were The Lives of Dax and the first two SNWs.

 

[ronny]

Wasn't really looking forward to the novelization but the author news was about as good as it was going to get. Lots of fond memories reading the TAS books.

Not thrilled with it being a TPB but that is the way things are going so I guess I better get used to it. This one will probably be a skipper for me. The standard's going to have to be pretty high for me to spend $16 on a novelization. I just tend not to buy them anyway.

 

[Indysolo]

From SimonSays.com:

"Star Trek
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
By Alan Dean Foster

This Edition: Trade Paperback (Movie Tie-In Edition)
Publication Date: May 12, 2009
Our Price: $15.00"

Neil

 

[Procutus]

I'm wondering how much of the ST: Countdown backstory will find its way into the novelization.

Probably not much, due to the different schedules on which novels and comics are made; novels need a lot more lead time. Any common backstory the two tie-ins have will probably just be stuff that Kurtzman & Orci had in mind all along, rather than anything conceived specifically by the Countdown scripters.

Thanks for the insight. I was thinking in broad terms here, not details so much as the general idea that Spock and Nero had an association prior to the events of the film.

I guess it boils down to how much Kurtzman and Orci impart to ADF.

 

[Cicero]

Wow, kinda suprising. I was honestly expecting it to be KRAD or Peter David or another current Trek writers, but I guess this should work too. I'll admit I'm curious though, since the only thing by ADF I've read was his pre-Attack of the Clones SW book, which I remember nothing about. Although it does sound like he's got both the novelisation and Star Trek history to pull this off.

He wrote The Approaching Storm? I really enjoyed that novel. (Were I decided to keep only one Star Wars book, I would choose it.) Perhaps I'll read this, after all. I didn't realize I'd read anything of his other than Star Wars and The Dig (the latter of which I really enjoyed, but in middle school).

His Star Trek Log Three was the first piece of adult fiction I ever read, back in the second grade. I learned a lot of vocabulary from him.

Mine was "The Naked And The Dead."

Dr No was mine, I think

I wish I could remember mine. My mother and I used to read history and anthropology textbooks together when I was little, and I think I'd started reading adult novels along with kids' stories before starting first grade. I might've begun reading Star Trek books with The Children of Hamlin, in first grade.

"large sized trade paperback"? Ick.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

It's not judging a book by its cover. It's judging a book by its size, and the general issues of unwieldiness and jacked-up prices attendant thereto.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

The format is both overpriced (we're regularly gouged by hardcover and trade prices relative to those for mass market paperbacks) and unpleasant to read. It's a little unwieldy, and for some reason tends to be printed with larger than usual (for mass market paperbacks) type (within a great deal of empty space).

 

[Trent Roman]

Doubtless there'll be an MMPB version around the time the DVD comes out

'Doubtless' seems overstated, but I conceed that it's a possibility, particularly if the movie does well and they see cause of invest in a second wave of marketing tie-ins with the DVD release.

The format is both overpriced (we're regularly gouged by hardcover and trade prices relative to those for mass market paperbacks) and unpleasant to read. It's a little unwieldy, and for some reason tends to be printed with larger than usual (for mass market paperbacks) type (within a great deal of empty space).

I hate that. What's up with those enourmous margins? Do they expect us to be making annotations? Corrections?

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Admiral_Young]

Alan Dean Foster was not who I was expecting but now thinking about it he is an excellent novelist and he's got a very busy summer. Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, and Transformers 2! I'll be buying them all. This announcement was about three weeks sooner than I thought it would be. The only problem I have is the over sized paperback, not a big fan but I'll be buying this before seeing the movie opening weekend...that is if my Chapters actually gets it in that weekend.

 

[Procutus]

From SimonSays.com:

"Star Trek
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
By Alan Dean Foster

This Edition: Trade Paperback (Movie Tie-In Edition)
Publication Date: May 12, 2009
Our Price: $15.00"

Neil

I just looked at that link and it just says May, 2009. I didn't see a specific date of the 12th (which would be the Tuesday after the film's release).

 

[Indysolo]

I copied and pasted that entire listing. It has that date here, too. (scroll down to the bottom)

Neil

 

[Reanok]

I have bought the TOS & TnG Star trek Movie novels over the years. and the Enterprise hardcover books and The Expanse trade paperback book. I look forward to getting the new Star trek movie novelization by Alan Dean Foster.

 

[cb31]

I really dislike trade paperbacks! I don't see the need to fork over that much money for a paperback book. If you're determined to make a book this size, make it hardback, if you think it needs to be paperback, do it mass market! Do they ever reprint these in mass market paperback form?

 

[Steve Roby]

I really dislike trade paperbacks! I don't see the need to fork over that much money for a paperback book. If you're determined to make a book this size, make it hardback, if you think it needs to be paperback, do it mass market! Do they ever reprint these in mass market paperback form?

It never hurts to read a thread before posting in it.

Publishers love doing trade paperbacks, I sure as hell like them better than hardcovers, and there are whole genres where mass market paperbacks have all but disappeared. It's a fact of life.

As for "do they ever reprint them," in general, Pocket has not reprinted trade paperback originals as mass market paperbacks, and only some of the hardcover novelizations were reprinted in paperback. Pocket has already done two novelizations as trade paperback originals, Endgame (Voyager) and The Expanse (Enterprise).

 

[TJ Sinclair]

^I'm glad I wasn't the one to say that this time.

Proposal - new acronym: RTFT - read the full thread, or when exasperated, read the f***ing thread.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I'm feeling a bit of a plonker now, in that one of the few times I was first to reply to a thread in this forum, one of the few times I was less-than-enthusiastic about an author and one of the few times I've seen ADF post in the Treklit forum all coincided in one post. Well, I hope his skin is thick enough after 30+ years in the business.

I've read and liked his Star Wars novelisation, read Splinter of the Mind's Eye years ago and liked The Approaching Storm at least as much as the bulk of SW fiction. I just would have preferred to see one of the more recent Trek novelists take this on and personally I always thought that Vonda McIntyre did the best adaptations of Trek movies. But I hope that all those stoked by this announcement enjoy the novelisation and perhaps if it's a success, Mr Foster will consider writing an original Trek novel.

 

[Ktrek]

I'm feeling a bit of a plonker now, in that one of the few times I was first to reply to a thread in this forum, one of the few times I was less-than-enthusiastic about an author and one of the few times I've seen ADF post in the Treklit forum all coincided in one post. Well, I hope his skin is thick enough after 30+ years in the business.

I'm not following you here Cap! I've looked through this thread twice and can't find the post to which you refer.

Kevin

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Ditto. I didn't see ADF anywhere in this thread.

Which, could presumably make Captaindemotion feel like more or less of a plonker than he does presently. Or both. 8)

 

[Christopher]

But I hope that all those stoked by this announcement enjoy the novelisation and perhaps if it's a success, Mr Foster will consider writing an original Trek novel.

Well, he already kinda has. The last four Star Trek Logs consisted of more original material than adapted material, and Log Ten in particular has only 3 adaptation chapters out of 15.