Spoilers TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic by McIntee Review Thread

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Spoiler: Catastrophe #1

The explosive decompilation of the Split Infinite, cosmic string and neutron star combined, has to have had a locally catastrophic effect on nearby planetary systems. How close it it to the Agni Cluster? The class-M and otherwise colonizable worlds may not be habitable, at least not without the Corps of Engineers building planetary shields or something like that.

It's at pretty much a safe distance - that's why Geordi had to go wait at Wexx for Challenger. I didn't really think of a need to give a specific distance, but just didn't want to be laying waste to large amounts of Federation space so soon after Destiny - but space is big, so it's only close to anything in relative terms.

Spoiler: Near-catastrophe #1

The description of then-Director Vellin's assassination attempt against Sela, with the Stormcrow being hijacked and propelled at accelerating speed towards a pulsar just in Federation space, reminded me a lot of the description of the Tomed incident seven decades earlier.

The biggest difference is that whereas the Tomed collided with an asteroid, Stormcrow would have collide with a neutron star. If Tomed wiped out outposts for light-years round, what would the collision of Stormcrow singularity (and the rest of the ship, too) at many multiples of the speed of light with a neutron star have done? Maybe the area was scoured by the Borg, maybe not, but the resulting destruction could surely serve as a casus belli on the Federation's part, notwithstanding its origin in Romulan politics.

Director Vellin was an associate of Rehaek, right, who was interested in having a manipulablke war-hawk Durjik restrained by a conservative Senate and the new Typhon Pact, right? (Working from memory, here.)

Right. That was quite a late addition, taking into account the Romulan situation after RBOE. As for the damage such a crash would do, I'm thinking it would have been more an implosion, what with the forced quantum singularity going.

This is maybe stuff worth querying in the Trek tech section, mind you.

Spoiler: One fear

I really, really, really hope that the trans-slipstream technology introduced here won't be an object of serious research. Ordinary slipstream orks for me, barely, inasmuch as it seems limited by the availability of raw materials and is used so far to maintain contaqct between known points within the Galaxy. Trans-slipstream? It collapses everything in at least the Local Group into an indistinguishable mass. Keep trans-slipstream something glimpsed at an extreme distance and otherwise indecipherable, please.

No, that'll be left alone. I think it's sufficiently explicit in the text that it's a natural ability that can't be harnessed by technology, and that the characters finally realise that. I'm totally with you on that whole subject.

Spoiler: One final observation.

Guinan said that the toroidal space might have been created as a weapon, or created as a by-product of a weapon, in the Q's civil war. It may well have been. The Q, though, can't be the only super-advanced civilization out there. It's a big universe ...

True. Glad you liked it!

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Spoiler: One final observation.

Guinan said that the toroidal space might have been created as a weapon, or created as a by-product of a weapon, in the Q's civil war. It may well have been. The Q, though, can't be the only super-advanced civilization out there. It's a big universe ...

Spoiler: Building on the above

It reminded me briefly of what the Caeliar said in "Destiny", about the wider universe containing dangers far beyond anything the Milky Way had experienced, which was why they were tucked safey within the Galactic Barrier rather than striking out elsewhere. Maybe this phenomenon (however it was created) was one of our first, indirect experiences with the Big Bad Universe beyond...

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Oh, nice review on Trekweb!

http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=4daca6971ff4f&topBrowse=all

 

[JD]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Very cool.

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Just thought I'd mention that I started it earlier after work while sat in the garden. If the first couple of chapters are anything to go by, this is going to be one very good read.

 

[Truth]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Oh, nice review on Trekweb!

http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=4daca6971ff4f&topBrowse=all

Im hoping all these great reviews . will convice them to let you do another challgener novel..

 

[the_wildcard]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Spoiler: Dialogue

I especially thought the dialogue between Romulans about Sela's heritage and her feelings about her mother were unnecessary. They completely detracted from the story.

It's all about the subtext...

Spoiler: dialogue and stuff

As with Bok and his son, those bits hold up a mirror to elements of Geordi's feelings about what happened to his mother.

Crap, subtext, kryptonite to this comic book speed reader! I'll confess that will often gloss over me. Okay, I am going to reread those passages. Appreciate the response and thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Spoiler: Dialogue

I especially thought the dialogue between Romulans about Sela's heritage and her feelings about her mother were unnecessary. They completely detracted from the story.

It's all about the subtext...

Spoiler: dialogue and stuff

As with Bok and his son, those bits hold up a mirror to elements of Geordi's feelings about what happened to his mother.

Crap, subtext, kryptonite to this comic book speed reader!

LOL!

Having just read JLA Year One over the last couple of days it was the Silver Age continuity nods that were Kryptonite to me! Thankfully it was good anyway

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Oh, nice review on Trekweb!

http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=4daca6971ff4f&topBrowse=all

Im hoping all these great reviews . will convice them to let you do another challgener novel..

Well, I dunno about Challenger per se...

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Just thought I'd mention that I started it earlier after work while sat in the garden. If the first couple of chapters are anything to go by, this is going to be one very good read.

Who's that in your avatar? It looks like Michael Connelly to me...

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Just thought I'd mention that I started it earlier after work while sat in the garden. If the first couple of chapters are anything to go by, this is going to be one very good read.

Who's that in your avatar? It looks like Michael Connelly to me...

Who?

And no it's not, I thought I'd jump on the Vote Yes to AV Avatar bandwagon that a few people have put up and after a quick google search I found this one. It's everyone's favourite cross-dressing comedian, Eddie Izzard.

Oh, and I am loving the book. After the last couple of Trek novels I've read, IFM is epically awesome.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

I don't recognize him with a beard! I thought it was this guy - http://www.wordandfilm.com/files/2010/12/michael-connelly.jpg - who's a crime novelist I read and whose author picture in the paperbacks looks even more like your av than this picture does!

Glad you're enjoying IFM.

As for the AV referendum... I'm fucked. Can't vote yes (even though we need a change) cos Ed Millipede wants that. Can't vote no cos Cameron and Two-Jags want that... And I'd prefer PR or Approval voting anyway! (Or AV just as a top-up as in Scotland)

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

I don't recognize him with a beard! I thought it was this guy - http://www.wordandfilm.com/files/2010/12/michael-connelly.jpg - who's a crime novelist I read and whose author picture in the paperbacks looks even more like your av than this picture does!

Glad you're enjoying IFM.

As for the AV referendum... I'm fucked. Can't vote yes (even though we need a change) cos Ed Millipede wants that. Can't vote no cos Cameron and Two-Jags want that... And I'd prefer PR or Approval voting anyway! (Or AV just as a top-up as in Scotland)

Ah, I've seen his books around, I've not really read much crime and they've been all Rankin and if you count them as crime, Brookmyre.

And yes, I am truly loving all the Britishism's aswell and are you a fan of House or is it just a coincidence that Rassmussen is from Trenton?

Ah yes, the quidmymre (sp) that is going to be the Referendum in a few weeks. We need something else other than first past the post and if AV doesn't get through, we'll be stuck with it for at least a generation, maybe more. If it does go through though, there is always the chance that somewhen down the line, we'll have PR and not just a water downed version.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Ah, I've seen his books around, I've not really read much crime and they've been all Rankin and if you count them as crime, Brookmyre.

And yes, I am truly loving all the Britishism's aswell and are you a fan of House or is it just a coincidence that Rassmussen is from Trenton?

Sadly it's coincidence - I was probably subconsciously thinking of the Doctor's line to Amelia Rumford in Stones Of Blood that K9 was "all the rage in Trenton, New Jersey" - Rasmussen says in A Matter Of Time that he was from New Jersey, and it was the one city name that sprang to mind. (the only other one I can think of off the top of my head is Hoboken)

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Ah, I've seen his books around, I've not really read much crime and they've been all Rankin and if you count them as crime, Brookmyre.

And yes, I am truly loving all the Britishism's aswell and are you a fan of House or is it just a coincidence that Rassmussen is from Trenton?

Sadly it's coincidence - I was probably subconsciously thinking of the Doctor's line to Amelia Rumford in Stones Of Blood that K9 was "all the rage in Trenton, New Jersey" - Rasmussen says in A Matter Of Time that he was from New Jersey, and it was the one city name that sprang to mind. (the only other one I can think of off the top of my head is Hoboken)

Ah ok, I've not really seen that much old-Who so I wouldn't know, the only place I know Trenton from is House.

One thing I can say for sure though is you're a fan of Life on Mars, I was just reading IFM and it struck me that Tyler Hunts name sounded familiar. I did a bit of digging of the old grey matter and I laughed out loud realising that it's a merging of Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt from Life on Mars. Would you by anychance have "cast" John Simm in the role of Tyler?

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Ah, I've seen his books around, I've not really read much crime and they've been all Rankin and if you count them as crime, Brookmyre.

And yes, I am truly loving all the Britishism's aswell and are you a fan of House or is it just a coincidence that Rassmussen is from Trenton?

Sadly it's coincidence - I was probably subconsciously thinking of the Doctor's line to Amelia Rumford in Stones Of Blood that K9 was "all the rage in Trenton, New Jersey" - Rasmussen says in A Matter Of Time that he was from New Jersey, and it was the one city name that sprang to mind. (the only other one I can think of off the top of my head is Hoboken)

Ah ok, I've not really seen that much old-Who so I wouldn't know, the only place I know Trenton from is House.

One thing I can say for sure though is you're a fan of Life on Mars, I was just reading IFM and it struck me that Tyler Hunts name sounded familiar. I did a bit of digging of the old grey matter and I laughed out loud realising that it's a merging of Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt from Life on Mars. Would you by anychance have "cast" John Simm in the role of Tyler?

Yep. I suspect most Trek fans will figure it's a Dylan Hunt ref, but it *is* actually a LoM ref.

That's also the real reason why Nelson's is called Nelson's - in-story it's after Lord Nelson, but for me it's after Nelson the barman of the Railway Arms...

 

[Technobuilder]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Note: I'm only just starting Chapter 4, but I can already tell that this book is something special.

I'm really grooving on a Geordi as a main character again and a viewpoint character at that.

Been looking forward to this since it was first announced and damned if it isn't already firing on all cylinders.

I was so eager to read Indistinguishable From Magic that I skipped the last few Typhon Pact Books (which I'll be going back to afterward.)

Anywho, I'll check back in later when I'm finished.

 

[The Evil Dead]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

Haven't read any Trek fiction since Destiny (which I loved) but this and Watching the Clock have caught my attention so I'll be purchasing Kindle iPad versions.

 

[DS9forever]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

I noticed there was a reference to the plasma injectors of Intrepid being of the ""T'Lani Bureau" type and being built by the Vulcans. Is this a reference to the T'Lani of DS9's "Armageddon Game"?

 

[Technobuilder]

Re: Star Trek: TNG: Indistinguishable From Magic Review Thread

About to start Chapter 14 and holy crap!

Very enjoyable read so far.

Can't believe David McIntee was able to assemble this particular cast of characters.

I'm loving it.

Really digging this novel.