It absolutely is; and also a nod to my buddy Dan Abnett, who wrote the Early Voyages stories and did a great job with them.
Still busy with reading it. It was a slow start, but it was because I was reading two books at the same time. Maybe that was too much. Now I've finished the other book and I finally make progress. Also, the story picked up speed.
I like the interactions between Kirk, Xuur and Kaleo. Spock working with Uhura was also interesting. Kaleo's sacrifice is terrific. I'm not finished yet, so I will wait until I vote. But it is already one of the better TOS stories I've read thus far.
I like the interactions between Kirk, Xuur and Kaleo. Spock working with Uhura was also interesting. Kaleo's sacrifice is terrific. I'm not finished yet, so I will wait until I vote. But it is already one of the better TOS stories I've read thus far.
I really enjoyed this one as well. Read like a classic trek morality conundrum. Devoured it in two days. I voted above average!
I needed several weeks. Because I read two books at the same time and English is not my native language. Once I had finished the other book I could focus more on this one
M
marlboro
Guest
The Enterprise faces off against Gorilla Grodd and Ego the Living Planet! Well, maybe not. After the revelation at the banquet the next 300 pages should have been an extended version of the pie eating contest scene from Stand By Me.
Heh. I'll be honest, my original elevator pitch for The Latter Fire was "Enterprise vs Space Godzilla"...
Did that really happen?The Enterprise faces off against Gorilla Grodd and Ego the Living Planet! Well, maybe not. After the revelation at the banquet the next 300 pages should have been an extended version of the pie eating contest scene from Stand By Me.
M
marlboro
Guest
No, but it would have been pretty cool if it did, wouldn't it?
A TOS or TNG crossover with Lee/Kirby era FF would be awesome. Picard verbally sparring with Galactus or Spock pointing out the illogic of the Surfer acting as his herald. The Impossible Man and Q. Lots of fun possibilities.
A TOS or TNG crossover with Lee/Kirby era FF would be awesome. Picard verbally sparring with Galactus or Spock pointing out the illogic of the Surfer acting as his herald. The Impossible Man and Q. Lots of fun possibilities.
M
marlboro
Guest
Why, thank you very much. Most of the credit should go to John Byrne. I just smooshed a couple of pieces of his work together and animated it a bit.
⏲ Please note there was roughly a 7¼ year gap between these posts ...
Briefly resurrecting this dormant thread: as it was the 10th anniversary of The Latter Fire's publication this week, I posted a new Author Notes blog on my website, highlight some of the the lore & references appearing in this novel... 
⚠ Please note that until the post above this thread had been inactive for about 7¼ years ...
Cheers!
Wow. I have zero memory of this book or its cover. And, looking through my collection, it appears to be one I don't have! 
I have no idea how I missed this originally!!!
I guess I have a brand new Star Trek novel to read now!!!
I have no idea how I missed this originally!!!I guess I have a brand new Star Trek novel to read now!!!
Overall, I really enjoyed this installment of the TOS adventures and appreciate the explanation that Chekhov has gone off to get his security training around the same time that Arex and M'Ress have arrived. It's a neat little fix and I love all the attempts to do these in the novels that is about 10% of why I love them.
I feel like the book had a really great possibility of the Enterprise having unwittingly advanced a civilization by their encounter with them (shades of the Iotians) but sadly feel like the premise of that was dropped a bit too soon. I do think the plot of "less advanced species attempts to hijack a more advanced species' stuff" is not used enough in Star Trek and usually by less than stellar aliens (see the Pakleds) and this was a very interesting storyline.
I also like the fact the main aliens get a relatively simple description that puts me in mind of The Planet of the Apes. It's the kind of thing that could have been done in the Sixties but probably wouldn't have been done with a TV budget. The fact the aliens just can't keep commenting on how "bald" the humans are was an amusing little touch.
The primary villain being a narcissist psychopath who absolutely cannot let go of his ego, racism, and absolute refusal to believe anything is his fault is something that puts me in mind of several RL people these days. Unfortunately, it is an all too realistic flaw that I think only a handful of Star Trek villains have acknowledged are real life people. Gul Dukat being one of them (but having the charisma to make you think he might have a redeemable element to him--but doesn't) and a handful of others. Every time things go poorly for himself, he just doubles down and doesn't care about the intentions of others. It's all about him.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed it.
I also give props for the enemy being the kind of galactic Ego or Unicron-esque enemy that you don't see much past TOS.
I feel like the book had a really great possibility of the Enterprise having unwittingly advanced a civilization by their encounter with them (shades of the Iotians) but sadly feel like the premise of that was dropped a bit too soon. I do think the plot of "less advanced species attempts to hijack a more advanced species' stuff" is not used enough in Star Trek and usually by less than stellar aliens (see the Pakleds) and this was a very interesting storyline.
I also like the fact the main aliens get a relatively simple description that puts me in mind of The Planet of the Apes. It's the kind of thing that could have been done in the Sixties but probably wouldn't have been done with a TV budget. The fact the aliens just can't keep commenting on how "bald" the humans are was an amusing little touch.
The primary villain being a narcissist psychopath who absolutely cannot let go of his ego, racism, and absolute refusal to believe anything is his fault is something that puts me in mind of several RL people these days. Unfortunately, it is an all too realistic flaw that I think only a handful of Star Trek villains have acknowledged are real life people. Gul Dukat being one of them (but having the charisma to make you think he might have a redeemable element to him--but doesn't) and a handful of others. Every time things go poorly for himself, he just doubles down and doesn't care about the intentions of others. It's all about him.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed it.
I also give props for the enemy being the kind of galactic Ego or Unicron-esque enemy that you don't see much past TOS.
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