To Aventine or NOT to Aventine?

[Ktrek]

Uh, no. All respect to Dave -- and everyone else -- but with media tie-ins, the name on the cover has very little (read: almost no) relationship to sales.

I guess we'll see how well that theory holds up when Mack releases his new original novel "The Calling"! I for one can't wait and I'm not going to buy it just because he's a good Star Trek author but because he's a damn good author period! Will you be jealous KRAD if he oustells "Dragon Precinct"?

Kevin

 

[KRAD]

^ I realize you're being facetious, Ktrek, but I'm not just spitballing here. I've been working in media tie-ins (both as an editor and a writer) since 1993, and trust me, the character you put on the cover has more of an impact on sales than the name on the byline. By, y'know, a lot.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

What bugs me about this is that there are just so many fascinating characters in the DS9 books and the one character that I can't stand seems to be the one that the writers/editors have chosen to focus on and give a lot of attention to. It isn't a huge deal and of course nobody is going to make me buy them..I just wish one of the other (and in my mind superior and far more interesting) characters from ds9 could have been given all of this attention.

Huh? Plenty of characters from DS9 have gotten significant attention. Dax is simply the one that Marco, Dave, and Margaret decided was the one whose fate four years out from the DS9 novels was the one that would be revealed in Destiny so that DS9 could be represented in Destiny without screwing with the storytelling of the DS9 books.

Being one of the stars of DS9, a major player in the Destiny trilogy and it's follow up book and now a possible new series doesn't translate to more attention? Nobody else from DS9 is getting anywhere near this kind of focus. DS9 books seem to come out rather slowly now, and all of the characters have to share the spotlight in them. Ezri has "broken out" and is getting WAY more attention, I don't see how you can even argue that one Keith.

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

DS9 books only seem to 'come out slowly' due to the delay between Warpath and FS spanning years - However, note that now there are two separate DS9 books on the schedule coming this year.

And Sam Bowers and Simon Tarses and a few other Aventine crewers are recurring characters in the DS9 novels, and we've been spoiled that they survive, yet no one's cried fowl over that.

Dax is ONE character in a novel series that has several important characters. And I certainly prefered DS9 being represented in Destiny through Dax and some minor recurring characters over DS9 not being represented or there being some mad rush to just throw DS9 stories out to get it caught up in the same time frame.

 

[Trent Roman]

NF is the "baby" of one author who almost exclusively concentrated on that series for a decade now. There hasn't been a Stargazer or a Challenger book in years, so I assume the respective authors lost interest and there won't be other releases here.

Michael Jan Friedman has mentioned that he'd like to do more 'Gazer books, so their absence could very well be attributable to sales not warranting a continuation (I liked them, but there a fair sized number of people who did not). As for Challenger, I have no idea when that series ended via Diane Carey's decision to channel her inner Ayn Rand into politics, but certainly book series certainly don't die merely because the author loses interest (ask Keith if he'd be interested in writing a follow up to Articles..., for instance); profitability remains god.

As for Aventine, not having read Destiny, I have no feelings on such a series one way or the other (yet), but I fully support making room even in the admiteddly tight publishing schedule for 'experimental' books like Articles, Singular Destiny and this Aventine book. Besides, the schedule is pretty balanced right now, unlike some previous years; most ongoing series are getting one or two books over the coming year, so there room for the occasional odd project. EDIT: And though KRAD is no doubt correct about name recognition in the general market, whether I buy these one-off sort of books is often influenced by who is writing it. If it's a name I trust, I'm far more likely to pick it up.

And Sam Bowers and Simon Tarses and a few other Aventine crewers are recurring characters in the DS9 novels, and we've been spoiled that they survive, yet no one's cried fowl over that.

CHICKHAAAAAAAN!

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Plecostomus]

Hm, wonder if I can get them give me a novel-line based on my RPG set aboard a giant 11km long Starfleet battleship that thanks to the retarded-ness of the characters ends up getting its ass kicked in every battle. We've been playing for years so there's enough for at least seven or eight books.

 

[Redshirts_Widow]

The scheduling and available slots for future releases is not so much of a concern to (I don't know how the other Brits get their grubby mitts on TrekLit but personally, if I don't buy it online in advance, I don't get it!)

But I must agree with the OP - the prospect of an Ezri/Aventine novel doesn't excite me in the slightest. Not to the detriment of Mr Mack's writing (I enjoyed Destiny a great deal) but I just don't 'click' with Ezri at all and her parts of the story felt a little flat. Personally, I found that I sped-read the Aventine parts just to get through to the parts of the story that I felt I had myself invested in - principally the TNG parts (I shall come to Titan later).

In fact I'll be honest, the Ezri parts of DS9R left me cold as well on initial reading and I agree with the above poster that there are far more interesting characters that I would want to see get he exposure that Ezri has. I will admit to warming to her a little through the releases of Twist of Faith and These Haunted Seas though this only hammers home to me the point at how much I switched off from the character upon first reading about her.

My only other thoughts would be regarding the "You don't have to buy it if it doesn't appeal to you" crowd. For the record I loved AotF and will be getting the Aventine book regardless if only for the UFP administration parts. It's just whilst accepting that Destiny is a one-off opus deliberately designed to bring together the varying story threads and characters, there is a danger of alienating possible new readers.

My example would be that I have never got into Titan. Not through disinterest more that I have a limited amount of book-buying cash to hand. When TrekLit does come out, I therefore have to concentrate on the series i really care about; in this case TNG.

Would I have (and did I?) snap up Destiny because I really wanted to read the next instalment of the TNG saga? Hell yes. Do I feel that I suffered a little from not being clear on Titan's backstory? Yes, in honesty, I did. I doubt I was alone if the amount of threads asking "What do i have to read before Destiny?" are anything to go by.

I reiterate, this is not the fault of any of the authors involved, I merely feel that I felt a little 'left out' for lack of a better phrase, because I do like Riker, Troi and Vale but wasn't fully up to speed on what they had been through (though I was grateful for the refresher parts) before picking up their story thread as well.

Am I now interested in reading their backstories? Yes. Am I now spoilt by Destiny? Again, Yes though I admit this is more down to my choice of reading-order than anything else.

My concern would be that any possibility of an Ezri/Aventine series would further restrict me wanting to go back to another series if I chose to?

All thoughts are welcome, as always.

 

[DimesDan]

The scheduling and available slots for future releases is not so much of a concern to (I don't know how the other Brits get their grubby mitts on TrekLit but personally, if I don't buy it online in advance, I don't get it!)

I tend to get my new books from the local independent book shop in my town, but sometimes I have ordered books online if I really really want them, like Gods of Night or the two mirror universe novels a couple of years ago.

As for their being an Aventine novel series, if it happens it happens as I liked the Dax/Aventine sections of Gods of Night and Mere Mortals and the feminist in me (and yes I am a straight man) is glad that not all the Captains are male (and yes I know Kira is a Captain as well, but that only leaves two out of what? Six series?) which is a good thing in my eyes.

 

[KRAD]

A Singular Destiny is not an Aventine book. It's a book that the Aventine appears in (mainly because of the need for a very very very fast ship).

And if the Aventine appears in 2010, it won't be because we have a fetishistic desire to show All Ezri! All The Time! it'll be because it fits the story.

I don't see how you can even argue that one Keith.

Uhm -- have we met?

Watch as I argue that one.....

Being one of the stars of DS9,

One of many, and not one getting huge amounts of "screen time." The only books in which Ezri's role was anything other than the same supporting role as any other cast member were This Gray Spirit (and even there, she was mostly in the position of keeping an eye on Shar), Cathedral, and (for blindingly obvious reasons) Trill: Unjoined.

a major player in the Destiny trilogy and it's follow up book

The trilogy, yes. The followup, no, it's a supporting role, about the same size as that of President Bacco, and a bunch of other people that nobody has any idea is in this book at all because we're actually much better at keeping secrets than you might think. The only "major player" in A Singular Destiny is Sonek Pran.

and now a possible new series doesn't translate to more attention?

Outside of this thread, nobody has said anything about a series, and none of the people in this thread who've said it know what they're talking about. What was actually said in the original article was the possibility of a novel or novels that had the Aventine playing a role in 2010. And, just for the record, having the Aventine doesn't guarantee a focus on Ezri, what with there being a whole mess of other people on the ship...

Nobody else from DS9 is getting anywhere near this kind of focus.

Really? That wasn't Vaughn getting most of the page time in Warpath, getting his background spelled out in two Lost Era novels and a TNG Dominion War story, getting huge amounts of development in Avatar, Twilight, and Lesser Evil? That wasn't Kira being a or the primary character in Avatar, Demons of Air and Darkness, Horn and Ivory, all the Mission: Gamma books, Unity, Bajor: Fragments and Omens, The Dominion: Olympus Descending, Warpath, and Fearful Symmetry (where we get multiple Kiras), not to mention the third Terok Nor book?

DS9 books seem to come out rather slowly now,

Relative to what they were when there were two books a month, yes -- but that perception is mostly due to the unavoidable delay between Warpath and Fearful Symmetry. But there were four DS9 books in 2008, only one of which even had Dax in it (and her role was comparatively minor), and there are two more coming in 2009.

and all of the characters have to share the spotlight in them.

Not really. Kira and Vaughn have been very much the main characters of the DS9 novels. Terok Nor was mostly bound together by the character of Dukat. The rest of the novels have all the supporting characters being equally supporting: Nog, Dax, Bashir, Quark, Ro, Sisko, Kasidy, Jake, etc.

Ezri has "broken out" and is getting WAY more attention,

No, Ezri was chosen to be the one whose fate was revealed in the Destiny timeframe, which was done in a manner that would not ruin the integrity of the DS9 stories still to be told, yet still allow there to be DS9 representation in the big-ass trilogy.

Told you I could argue it.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

^ You got pointy ears on you KRAD?

 

[captcalhoun]

don't be silly. he's got a Cornish pasty.

 

[Rosalind]

^ Me too! Obviously I'm not a Dax fan. What bugs me about this is that there are just so many fascinating characters in the DS9 books and the one character that I can't stand seems to be the one that the writers/editors have chosen to focus on and give a lot of attention to.

and just to show not everyone is the same, Dax has been my favourite character from DS9 since episode 1. I think she/he is the most fascinating character in DS9 and the one with the most potential. I rarely see her as the young science officer or counsellor, but the "old man" Sisko calls.

 

[Ktrek]

and just to show not everyone is the same, Dax has been my favourite character from DS9 since episode 1. I think she/he is the most fascinating character in DS9 and the one with the most potential. I rarely see her as the young science officer or counsellor, but the "old man" Sisko calls.

I'm a fan of Dax too! Jadzia Dax that is but Ezri is just bleh!

 

[Christopher]

Uh, no. All respect to Dave -- and everyone else -- but with media tie-ins, the name on the cover has very little (read: almost no) relationship to sales.

I guess we'll see how well that theory holds up when Mack releases his new original novel "The Calling"!

That's a non sequitur. Keith's point is about tie-in novels, and The Calling is an original novel.

Outside of this thread, nobody has said anything about a series, and none of the people in this thread who've said it know what they're talking about. What was actually said in the original article was the possibility of a novel or novels that had the Aventine playing a role in 2010. And, just for the record, having the Aventine doesn't guarantee a focus on Ezri, what with there being a whole mess of other people on the ship...

Absolutely. This whole "Aventine series" thing is a misinterpretation. The only thing in Margaret's announcement that even resembles a "series" is the Typhon Pact metastory that will link many of the 2010 books, perhaps analogously to how the "Cleaning Up Mack's Mess" metastory ties many of the 2009 books together. That metastory will be explored from the perspective of various ships and groups in various books, and one of them will be the Aventine. I have no doubt that another will be the Enterprise. And probably some other familiar ships or political figures will be involved too.

As for those of you who aren't interested in the Aventine, that's fine. As Margaret has said, the individual installments of the metastory will be able to work as standalone tales, just as the 2009 "Cleanup" books can. So you don't have to read them all. So you really have nothing to complain about.

 

[Dayton Ward]

So you really have nothing to complain about.

Okay, honestly....how did you manage to keep a straight face while typing that? What's your secret? TEACH US!

 

[Ktrek]

As for those of you who aren't interested in the Aventine, that's fine. As Margaret has said, the individual installments of the metastory will be able to work as standalone tales, just as the 2009 "Cleanup" books can. So you don't have to read them all. So you really have nothing to complain about.

But I do have something to complain about because I have an "investment" in Star Trek books. I own a copy of every Star Trek book published by Pocket Books. I would rather my investment would go toward existing series that have interest to me and at this point Aventine would not be one of those. So, because I am a collector I will buy whether I like it or not. Don't you wish every fan was THAT devoted?

Kevin

 

[Christopher]

The strength of the ST book line is its diversity. It would be a mistake to try to make every single book equally appealing to any single given reader. There are some Trek books I'm more interested in than others, but I don't take it as an affront or a failure of the line that I'm not equally interested in all of them, because if they were all equal, they'd be too uniform to be worthwhile. And because I'm not the only person who reads these books and I recognize that other people with different tastes have just as much right to have their interests catered to.

 

[William Leisner]

As for those of you who aren't interested in the Aventine, that's fine. As Margaret has said, the individual installments of the metastory will be able to work as standalone tales, just as the 2009 "Cleanup" books can. So you don't have to read them all. So you really have nothing to complain about.

But I do have something to complain about because I have an "investment" in Star Trek books. I own a copy of every Star Trek book published by Pocket Books. I would rather my investment would go toward existing series that have interest to me and at this point Aventine would not be one of those.

And I would rather that a pair of Victoria Secret models lived in the apartment next door than the college kids who like to play Guitar Hero until 1 AM every night.

But sometimes life gives ya lemons. Learn to deal.

 

[Sci]

As for those of you who aren't interested in the Aventine, that's fine. As Margaret has said, the individual installments of the metastory will be able to work as standalone tales, just as the 2009 "Cleanup" books can. So you don't have to read them all. So you really have nothing to complain about.

But I do have something to complain about because I have an "investment" in Star Trek books. I own a copy of every Star Trek book published by Pocket Books. I would rather my investment would go toward existing series that have interest to me and at this point Aventine would not be one of those. So, because I am a collector I will buy whether I like it or not. Don't you wish every fan was THAT devoted?

You could just do what I do and buy only the books you're interested in. For instance, I have no desire to buy Homecoming, The Farther Shore, or Spirit Walk, but I will be buying Full Circle. That way, I don't get irritated upon discovering that I've spent money on something I have no interest in, since I avoid spending money on things I have no interest in.

And besides, I also accept that my interests are not going to be shared by everyone. I devoured the novel Articles of the Federation -- I finished it in about 18 hours -- but I also accept that I'm part of a minority of people who are interested in Federation politics. Articles did not sell well enough to warrant a sequel, and I accept that, and don't take it personally when, say, the VOY Relaunch (which I had no interest in until Full Circle was announced) gets a sequel because it does sell well.

 

[Enterprise1981]

The fact that Aventine has an experimental slipstream would make for some interesting stories. But I still don't buy the idea of Ezri making captain so fast even she is the ninth incarnation of Dax. How "caught up" will the DS9 relaunch be by 2010? When the Destiny trilogy was first announced on Memory Beta, it said that the NF characters would only be name-dropped so as not to mess up too much of Peter David's work.