Spoilers TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Defcon, Mar 20, 2015.

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Rate Shadow of the Machine

  1. Outstanding

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. Above Average

    4 vote(s)
    21.1%
  3. Average

    10 vote(s)
    52.6%
  4. Below Average

    5 vote(s)
    26.3%
  5. Poor

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    [​IMG]

    Blurb:

     
  2. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    I had to vote Below Average.

    Many of the recent eBook novellas weren't really overly noteworthy or groundbreaking, but this one pretty much is one of the most unremarkable and superfluous pieces of Star Trek fiction I've read in ages.

    There's nothing wrong with wanting to write a TOS equivalent to TNG'S Familiy, but I don't think Harrison really brought anything new or interesting to the table regarding the portrayed characters, and so with the abscence of any real plot beyond looking at the characters after The Motion Picture, the whole book just fell totaly flat for me.
     
  3. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  4. Kertrats47

    Kertrats47 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    To keep things consistent, I'll post my review here as well. I actually quite enjoyed this one, but felt it was in the "average" range: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/03/SotM.html
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2015
  5. Enterpriserules

    Enterpriserules Commodore Commodore

    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    What I like most is that it humanizes the crew showing how they go from TMP to what we will see in TWOK and beyond.
     
  6. Enterpriserules

    Enterpriserules Commodore Commodore

    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    We got a chance to cover this on Literary Treks. . Talking about it with Dan really brought out a lot of good that I had missed. [​IMG]
     
  7. Paper Moon

    Paper Moon Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    I enjoyed reading this. Was it a good novella, per se? I don't know; on the other hand, there are many episodes of Trek that I enjoy, even though I wouldn't call them good episodes, per se.

    I enjoyed the flashbacks with Kirk quite a bit, less so his contemporary story. Wasn't quite enough meat in the narrative conflict with his nephew, I thought.

    Really liked the Spock story– not too much there, but just enough, and thus a good choice for the medium.

    Sulu's story was enjoyable, but a little odd, since Sulu's character feels so undefined at this point in the chronology. I wasn't sure what in the story really was particular to Sulu's character.

    Still, overall, I liked the book.
     
  8. JWolf

    JWolf Commodore Commodore

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    Massachusetts, USA
    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    I thought this was enjoyable and I voted above average.
     
  9. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    I love this era, and it's badly under-represented, so I might be a little generous, but I voted 'average'.

    I've been reading through the new run of ebooks in release order and most of them so far have been pretty poor...
     
  10. Daddy Todd

    Daddy Todd Commodore Premium Member

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    Utah
    Re: TOS: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison Review Thread (spoile

    A pleasant mood piece. Some good stuff here, but not earthshaking. I voted "average".
     
  11. Markonian

    Markonian Fleet Admiral Moderator

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    Jun 2, 2012
    Location:
    Derbyshire, UK
    Got late to the party to pick up this book because of the aforementioned continuity issues.
    What prompted me now? Watched Beyond, then TMP, and picked up Goodman's Kirk autobiography. I paused after completing the TMP chapter to insert this novella. They mesh thematically even though there are contradictions.

    But the deal-breaker is probably, why didn't Kirk drop by during the refit?

    Voted above average.

    Side note: in the autobiography, Peter becomes a captain in Starfleet. :bolian: