Christopher, why did you choose to prominently have New Humans in this story? I have about 100 pages left.
Spoilers TOS: The Higher Frontier, by Christopher L. Bennett - review thread
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Even a point-by-point refutation, turning Triangle inside-out, would be a "reference."
I just skimmed the entire TMP novelization, and the New Human references I could find amounted to less than half a percent of the book. None of what I found had more than vague hints of telepathic links. So far as I can recall, the M&C book was (until now) by far the most explicit about both ascribing psi powers to New Humans, and identifying them with the "Space Hippies" of WEd/tos.
That doesn't change the fact that your vision of New Humans is much better than M&C's. Then again, that, in itself, is hardly something to boast about; just about the only living author I can think of who couldn't out-write M&C would be The Author I Refuse To Name, who wrote (and as it turns out, successfully self-published) The Novel I Refuse To Mention By Title.
As I recall, all the other New Human references from the early-Pocket era were identified with a "Back to Earth" movement.
I just skimmed the entire TMP novelization, and the New Human references I could find amounted to less than half a percent of the book. None of what I found had more than vague hints of telepathic links. So far as I can recall, the M&C book was (until now) by far the most explicit about both ascribing psi powers to New Humans, and identifying them with the "Space Hippies" of WEd/tos.
That doesn't change the fact that your vision of New Humans is much better than M&C's. Then again, that, in itself, is hardly something to boast about; just about the only living author I can think of who couldn't out-write M&C would be The Author I Refuse To Name, who wrote (and as it turns out, successfully self-published) The Novel I Refuse To Mention By Title.
As I recall, all the other New Human references from the early-Pocket era were identified with a "Back to Earth" movement.
T'Nalae successfully reaches out to her "Lord." Not a very nice persion, is she?
I was neither following it nor actively countering it. I was just telling my own story about the concept as inspired by Roddenberry's novelization. I knew some people would perceive similarities to Triangle, but I did my best to be uninfluenced by it either way.
The preface referred to them pursuing "group consciousness." I'm not sure how else you could interpret that than as a reference to some kind of telepathic collective mind. Hive minds have been a common trope in science fiction for ages, and Roddenberry's "new humans" idea was no doubt inspired by the New Age philosophies and "consciousness-expanding" movements that were popular in the 1970s, along with a widespread belief in psychic phenomena.
Besides, it suited my purposes in this particular story to tie the New Human idea together with the trope of psionically empowered humans like Miranda Jones and Gary Mitchell.
I had no recollection that Triangle had drawn any link to Sevrin's movement. And the reference in THF is only in passing and places both movements within a larger societal context. So you're really reaching here.
I'm aware of no references to them outside of the TMP novel and Triangle. And yes, the TMP novel did establish them as being skeptical of Starfleet's mission and preferring a more introspective way of life. I tried to nod to that within the context of my own story by having the New Humans in Starfleet mostly resign and come together into enclaves.
BTW, you got one of my vanishingly rare "Outstanding" votes.
And while it's been decades since I read Triangle, I think it may be the only other ST novel in which New Humans referred to outsiders as "Singletons" (as if they were unique-by-suit cards in a bridge hand).
And while it's been decades since I read Triangle, I think it may be the only other ST novel in which New Humans referred to outsiders as "Singletons" (as if they were unique-by-suit cards in a bridge hand).
Again, I had no memory of that term being used in that book. I'm sure it wasn't the first book to have a member of a group mind refer to individuals that way. If I'd known it had, I would've changed it. The last thing I wanted was to remind anyone of Triangle.
Almost certainly unavoidable with anybody who'd read it and failed to completely forget it.
Don't sweat it.
While out-writing a pair who could not write their way out of a paper bag with the bottom end cut out is no great achievement, you have by far eclipsed anything from their era, and all previous works that even mentioned New Humans in passing.
Again, I'm fairly certain that the idea has never been mentioned in any professionally published work outside of the TMP novelization, Triangle, and now The Higher Frontier.
The latest Literary Treks podcast is out, in which Bruce and I discuss The Higher Frontier. Check it out: Literary Treks 300: Miss Cleo's Just a Spectre!
We had a lot of fun discussing this one. Hope you all enjoy it!
We had a lot of fun discussing this one. Hope you all enjoy it!
Looking forward to listening to it, after I finish the novel.
I liked this a lot and then immediately started reading Reap the Whirlwind (Vanguard) and couldn’t help feel sorry for Jeanne Vinueza because she doesn’t even realise she’s got a Spectre living in her head!
Also had to skip a few paragraphs of Higher Frontier when it was obvious there was going to be Vanguard info that I hadn’t got to yet.
Also had to skip a few paragraphs of Higher Frontier when it was obvious there was going to be Vanguard info that I hadn’t got to yet.
Chapter 15 caused me to reevaluate this book. Christopher, how did you come up with the noncoroporials and linkage to TOS and TMP?
My inspirations are discussed on my annotations page at my website (link in signature).
Christopher, if I start the annotations now,I will read the entire document before I finish the novel.
@Christopher
Where does the Aenar word "thetad" (which you translate as "sleeper") come from? I can't find it in Spence Hill's "English/An'dorian Dictionary" archived on the Wayback Machine (the original website seems gone.)
The word gave me pause, similar as it is to a word used in Scientology for a concept roughly analogous to "soul".
Where does the Aenar word "thetad" (which you translate as "sleeper") come from? I can't find it in Spence Hill's "English/An'dorian Dictionary" archived on the Wayback Machine (the original website seems gone.)
The word gave me pause, similar as it is to a word used in Scientology for a concept roughly analogous to "soul".
Poor Vidmar, his sacrifice seemed to go unremarked during the memorial service.
In the grand Christopher tradition I'm about 20% of the way through and have counted a rough dozen or so ret-con explanations to oddities and inconsistencies throughout Trek. The man does have a habit.
Loved this novel! Christopher's TOS/Movie-era novels are some of my favorites, along with the DTI novels, The Face of the Unknown and The Buried Age.
INO, Christopher catches the unique vibe of TMP and breathes (new) life into a mostly-unexplored period - and in this novel, the addition of *action* to the scientific vibe is a great mix.
Structuring this novel as several "periods" (though close to one another) reminds me of both The Captain's Oath and The Buried Age in a good way
INO, Christopher catches the unique vibe of TMP and breathes (new) life into a mostly-unexplored period - and in this novel, the addition of *action* to the scientific vibe is a great mix.
Structuring this novel as several "periods" (though close to one another) reminds me of both The Captain's Oath and The Buried Age in a good way
Just finished. Was going to write this one off after 14 chapters, but Christopher did his usual synthesis and pulled it all together. Annotations are next.
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