Spoilers TTN: Sight Unseen by James Swallow Review Thread
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Just got this in mail this morning and started reading it on my lunch break. Can't wait to get stuck in after dinner tonight. Pizza and a Star Trek Novel = Everything coming up milhouse!
Finished this today and enjoyed it. Another good Titan novel by James Swallow and I hope we get more from him.
One thing that struck me is that a the start a nuimber of promotions handed out but poor Torvig is still an ensign. He seems to have played an important role in most Titan stories yet is still an ensign. Is he the new Harry Kim?
One thing that struck me is that a the start a nuimber of promotions handed out but poor Torvig is still an ensign. He seems to have played an important role in most Titan stories yet is still an ensign. Is he the new Harry Kim?
Finished this last night - a very good read!
I find it interesting when authors use tech jargon that was rarely used on screen. Referring to a ship's systems as "the mains" for instance, which they did in Trek II but not really in any of the subsequent films or TV shows. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong!)
Not a criticism, just an observation.
I also wonder if the idea of a wooden ship (or at least a ship that appears that way) was a nod to the wooden planet in Vincent Ward's Alien 3 story. James Swallow wrote a book on the films of David Fincher which is why this caught my eye.
I find it interesting when authors use tech jargon that was rarely used on screen. Referring to a ship's systems as "the mains" for instance, which they did in Trek II but not really in any of the subsequent films or TV shows. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong!)
Not a criticism, just an observation.
I also wonder if the idea of a wooden ship (or at least a ship that appears that way) was a nod to the wooden planet in Vincent Ward's Alien 3 story. James Swallow wrote a book on the films of David Fincher which is why this caught my eye.
Yep thoroughly enjoyed this one, another win from Mr. Swallow It's been a while since i have watched 'Schisms' but i feel it is probably the most chilling and disturbing episode of Trek ever produced. Kudos to Mr. Swallow for making Sight Unseen just as intense. Bringing back the Solanae was a great idea. I'm glad that the species as a whole was not the standard monolithic villain culture so common to trek. I'm hoping that they will fill the recurring villain void left by the Borg. Is it ok to ask if there are plans for the Solanae to return?
It's been a while since i have watched 'Schisms' but i feel it is probably the most chilling and disturbing episode of Trek ever produced. Kudos to Mr. Swallow for making Sight Unseen just as intense. Bringing back the Solanae was a great idea. I'm glad that the species as a whole was not the standard monolithic villain culture so common to trek. I'm hoping that they will fill the recurring villain void left by the Borg. Is it ok to ask if there are plans for the Solanae to return?
I planned to get it today but my local Barnes and Noble doesn't have it or have it in the system yet so I ordered it online after I got home along with another of the three books I was hunting for. They had the second but only one copy and it was so banged up that I refuse to pay the new price for it
I enjoyed it. I know a lot of time has passed 'offscreen' and Riker is a bad basis for comparison since he held on to the First Officer spot longer than most (and it's acknowledge in the series, movies, and text) but Vale seemed to jump from LCDR to First Officer to Captain pretty fast.
I don't envy her situation with having an Admiral onboard that was the previous Captain - it led to murkiness in the story and in my own understanding of the chain of command. At one point Vale tells Riker he can fill-in for the away First Officer during the action - I was scratching my head at that.
I don't envy her situation with having an Admiral onboard that was the previous Captain - it led to murkiness in the story and in my own understanding of the chain of command. At one point Vale tells Riker he can fill-in for the away First Officer during the action - I was scratching my head at that.
Well Vale was promoted to Commander and made first officer of the Titan in 2380, 7 years ago in novelverse time. Comparatively, Riker, had been first officer of the Hood for only a couple of years, before he was offered command of the Drake. He turned it down to serve on the Enterprise. It was made clear more than once on TNG that Riker's repeated refusal of Command offers was not common practice and was in fact hurting his career.
I wasn't too keen on the addition of Dalit Sarai, by rights Tuvok should have become first officer of the Titan. I understand that there were specific reasons for Sarai coming aboard, it still sucked that Tuvok was overlooked.
I wasn't too keen on the addition of Dalit Sarai, by rights Tuvok should have become first officer of the Titan. I understand that there were specific reasons for Sarai coming aboard, it still sucked that Tuvok was overlooked.
We had an absolute blast with James on Literary Treks!
I voted Outstanding.
...I hate this book. Dakal! Nooooo! 
I voted Outstanding.
...I hate this book. Dakal! Nooooo!
To hell with me, because I opened your spoiler....
Noooooooooooooo..... Do I still want to read it? Yes, but in German. And it will take at least 2 years until it will be released.
Finished it last night.
Some highlights:
The new "alien" race - the Dinac.
Introducing new species must be a real challenge for an author, particularly when he or she is writing a tie-in novel and thus must focus on the marketable characters instead of devoting 50 or 60 pages to the history and biology of the new species. Mr. Swallow did a fine job giving a brief outline of the race, and some interesting glimpses into their culture, history, and technology. Bonus: Wooden starships!
Characterization:
The characters all felt accurate and authentic, and nothing happened during the course of the story that felt out of sync or "smelled wrong." Although I still find that William Riker is one of the most boring Trek characters ever created - Mr. Swallow did a good job of working him through the trials and tribulations of being in command but not in command, and the struggle of making command choices when those whom he loved were in mortal danger or perhaps even dead.
The final sacrifice of one of my favorite new TrekLit characters was heartwrenching, but very well written, as was that character's funeral/wake. Serving in Starfleet is an immensely hazardous job, and I liked how Mr. Swallow did not shy from using an established character to make the sacrifice, rather than use the standard "guest actor we get to know a little through the episode bites it in the end".
The villians
Wow. What a nasty bunch of evil they were. They had been featured in one of the creepiest episodes of TNG, and they lived up to their reputation. Anyone catch the fact that they kept looking for "The Solution"? I wonder if it was the "Final Solution." Creepy, chilling, vicious, and thoroughly evil. Well done.
I get the feeling that the Federation will have to deal with them again in the not-to-distant future.
I really couldn't find anything to complain about above a subjective nit-picky level, and I am looking forward to Mr. Swallow's next Trek novel.
Some highlights:
The new "alien" race - the Dinac.
Introducing new species must be a real challenge for an author, particularly when he or she is writing a tie-in novel and thus must focus on the marketable characters instead of devoting 50 or 60 pages to the history and biology of the new species. Mr. Swallow did a fine job giving a brief outline of the race, and some interesting glimpses into their culture, history, and technology. Bonus: Wooden starships!
Characterization:
The characters all felt accurate and authentic, and nothing happened during the course of the story that felt out of sync or "smelled wrong." Although I still find that William Riker is one of the most boring Trek characters ever created - Mr. Swallow did a good job of working him through the trials and tribulations of being in command but not in command, and the struggle of making command choices when those whom he loved were in mortal danger or perhaps even dead.
The final sacrifice of one of my favorite new TrekLit characters was heartwrenching, but very well written, as was that character's funeral/wake. Serving in Starfleet is an immensely hazardous job, and I liked how Mr. Swallow did not shy from using an established character to make the sacrifice, rather than use the standard "guest actor we get to know a little through the episode bites it in the end".
The villians
Wow. What a nasty bunch of evil they were. They had been featured in one of the creepiest episodes of TNG, and they lived up to their reputation. Anyone catch the fact that they kept looking for "The Solution"? I wonder if it was the "Final Solution." Creepy, chilling, vicious, and thoroughly evil. Well done.
I get the feeling that the Federation will have to deal with them again in the not-to-distant future.
I really couldn't find anything to complain about above a subjective nit-picky level, and I am looking forward to Mr. Swallow's next Trek novel.
I enjoyed it.
I seem to recall (it might have been in ADF's adaptation/expansion of The Time Trap) the concept being mentioned at least once before, with Spock noting the existence of such a vessel, and Kirk expressing astonishment.
well, it was certainly handled (and justified) far better than the completely pointless death of a major character in a non-Star-Trek novel that's my nominee for the worst book I've ever read (Moon Hoax, by Paul Gillebaard). In fact, I would put
in the same category as Spock's death in TWOK.
Regarding wooden spacecraft
Regarding the death of Dakal
Dakal's death
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^ You may want to use another spoiler for your last sentence, since you already put that info once 
^ You may want to use another spoiler for your last sentence, since you already put that info once
Have added an extra spoiler tag - since hbquikcomjamesl was trying to cover it.
However, we don't need to use spoiler tags in the review threads really because there's a warning in the title that these threads will contain spoilers. That's to allow everyone to speak freely in discussing the book,
(Obv. if you want to spoiler tag something anyway that's entirely up to you
)
Thanks. Missed that one.
^ You may want to use another spoiler for your last sentence, since you already put that info once
Have added an extra spoiler tag - since hbquikcomjamesl was trying to cover it.
However, we don't need to use spoiler tags in the review threads really because there's a warning in the title that these threads will contain spoilers. That's to allow everyone to speak freely in discussing the book,
(Obv. if you want to spoiler tag something anyway that's entirely up to you
Well, yes. There is a reason I don't open these until I finish reading, but since he already used a spoiler for that info, and then not, I thought it was overlooked and not intended. And this is pretty big in the book, so better safe than sorry (for someone else
).Thanks anyway
Yay my copy showed up today but I probably won't read it until tomorrow.