The Edge of Midnight, by Seamus Devenish
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I know it well!, John the author helped with the Appendices on 'We have engaged the Borg' and is working with me on our next project, a History of the Development and service of the Galaxy class Starships.
If you like these be sure to also check out Tranquility Press where we are posting our projects
The author here; I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! I've been meaning to jump on here to see if people were reading it and it's very nice to see that people are. What have your favourite bits been so far?
I’ve been listening to it, and just love letting it wash over me as though I am taking in a real world history book. One that includes bits from all over the ‘franchise’ that are pertinent to the period—from TOS to ENT to DSC to TNG to SNW, on and on. One with a flare for the real world cultural and political history that informed TOS…Sydney Poitier as Wescott was fantastic, “Back in the KSSR” is hilarious, all the parallels to the Cold War and earlier history. And that it’s not limited to the realities of the period it was inspired by—stuff like Nogura having a husband is utterly brilliant.
I love the nods to For All Mankind (which I utterly adore)…I love that an Andorian is head of Starfleet; I mean of course the founding species of the Federation would play a larger role in it, especially when budget isn’t an issue. I love the way you make the Federation itself seem really as vital and interesting as any alien baddie. And that you make the baddies so much more complex than that.
I love the way you don’t ignore the huge differences between say Starfleet ships in DSC vs TOS or the Klingons in TOS vs later and instead come up with some really fantastic connecting tissue to make it all work. Whether that’s entirely your own or from including bits from the Trek lit, which is also so great of you.
I mean the biggest gripe I have is how quickly the history unfolds…I find myself wishing there were more stories with these characters/ships/events and of course there’s the movies episodes and books they were included from! I’m inspired to pick up Trek books I’ve been meaning to read or to add to the list!
Honestly, I wish every Trek writer had to read The Edge of Midnight like a history book before telling a tale in the period. Yeah, my head canon doesn’t quite match yours and I wish there were more about the aspirational, the “wondrousness” of Trek, the exploration, the Utopianism and unknown possibilities of existence, yadda yadda yadda…but I’m having such a great time with it! Five stars. Ten out of ten. Can’t wait to get back to it!
I love the nods to For All Mankind (which I utterly adore)…I love that an Andorian is head of Starfleet; I mean of course the founding species of the Federation would play a larger role in it, especially when budget isn’t an issue. I love the way you make the Federation itself seem really as vital and interesting as any alien baddie. And that you make the baddies so much more complex than that.
I love the way you don’t ignore the huge differences between say Starfleet ships in DSC vs TOS or the Klingons in TOS vs later and instead come up with some really fantastic connecting tissue to make it all work. Whether that’s entirely your own or from including bits from the Trek lit, which is also so great of you.
I mean the biggest gripe I have is how quickly the history unfolds…I find myself wishing there were more stories with these characters/ships/events and of course there’s the movies episodes and books they were included from! I’m inspired to pick up Trek books I’ve been meaning to read or to add to the list!
Honestly, I wish every Trek writer had to read The Edge of Midnight like a history book before telling a tale in the period. Yeah, my head canon doesn’t quite match yours and I wish there were more about the aspirational, the “wondrousness” of Trek, the exploration, the Utopianism and unknown possibilities of existence, yadda yadda yadda…but I’m having such a great time with it! Five stars. Ten out of ten. Can’t wait to get back to it!
Thank you so much for all the love! I'm glad you're getting through all the themes and ideas I'm trying to get across. As for the gripe; I'm with you there! I wish I could have spent more time with characters like Rittenhouse or Drake early on, or dwelled longer on the Suliban Crisis or Orion Abolitionists, but the march of history presses on. It's a long way to Khitomer!
I also agree a bit on the lack of aspiration/wonder myself. It's something I try and insert back in, but it's difficult to get it across amongst all the grounded grittiness of Cold War politics, but I'm drawing up some ideas soon to bring it back!
I also agree a bit on the lack of aspiration/wonder myself. It's something I try and insert back in, but it's difficult to get it across amongst all the grounded grittiness of Cold War politics, but I'm drawing up some ideas soon to bring it back!
Hi there... sorry to be nitpicky. But I just finished reading chapter 3 and I think there's an editing issue that kind of broke my immersion. Was President Barreuco meant to be male or female? Eric, Erick and Erica are all names that are used. And the President seems to be referred to using both male and female pronouns in multiple instances.
Damn, I thought I'd caught all of those. Which version is that: the PDF or the website? (One of those is easier to fix than the, uh, other)
The website. Sorry
Yeah, I noticed that one in the PDF, too, last year. It looks like someone has already reported the find-and-replace turning ISB into MIS also turning "disbanded" into "dMISanded."The website. Sorry
No worries! The website is the easier one!The website. Sorry
As for the MIS: goes to show you there really is a secret policemen waiting on every page, as Sturka intended...
(In all seriousness, I have long list of mistakes and typos that will be fixed once I get around to version 2 of the PDF...at some point.)
Thank you very much! What's been your favourite part so far, if you don't mind me asking?
It's very difficult to single out individual things, but I will try.
For me, I think it's how you've worked in various characters from different sources (some of which I haven't heard of and presume are your own creation) and using their perspectives to advance the plot by making it about them. I always find this kind of narrative historical storytelling very appealing. Particularly, the narrative about President Barrueco, "Uncle Shu" and Rittenhouse all feel very authentic. I also admire how you wove ENT/DSC/TOS together cohesively, and the glimpse into the innerworkings of the Federation, particularly the struggle around what Starfleet's role is and fights over allocations for shipbuilding.
For me, I think it's how you've worked in various characters from different sources (some of which I haven't heard of and presume are your own creation) and using their perspectives to advance the plot by making it about them. I always find this kind of narrative historical storytelling very appealing. Particularly, the narrative about President Barrueco, "Uncle Shu" and Rittenhouse all feel very authentic. I also admire how you wove ENT/DSC/TOS together cohesively, and the glimpse into the innerworkings of the Federation, particularly the struggle around what Starfleet's role is and fights over allocations for shipbuilding.
Making all the shows work together - especially Discovery - was the most difficult, and most rewarding part of the project. It would have been so easy to ignore or retcon it, but trying to align it with the existing alpha and beta canon was, quite frankly, incredibly fun, and I'm quite proud of the result. Inventing new characters - and filling out existing ones - was just as much fun too. "Uncle Shu" and Rittenhouse were my guilty pleasures for Book One; I'm really looking forward to making you root for Nancy Hedford and Nilz Baris in book two!
You've done so brilliantly. I would say that there are some deep cuts (such as using Rittenhouse, and probably others that have escaped me entirely) that the casual fan won't know but provide wonderful color. While reading, I found myself often Googling starship class names that I thought I didn't recognize only to find, when looking at the design, that I did indeed know about that particular class of vessel.
On another note, I also enjoyed your use of future Commodores Stone, Mendez and Decker. I especially enjoy the personality you've given Matt Decker; it feels very fitting to the man he likely was before "The Doomsday Machine" robbed him of his sanity, ship and ultimately his life.
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