Typhon Pact

[Christopher]

From what I am reading here, it appears that the TP sets up the new status quo for the TNGnovelverse under the new editorial regime.
...
I also seem to recall Destiny also established a new status quo (haven't read it yet), but I imagine that was under the previous editorial team while TP is under the new editorial team?

Nope. Keep in mind that a long time passes between the conception of a book and its publication. The Typhon Pact project was started two years and two editors ago. Margaret Clark was the editor who commissioned and developed them, and they were probably edited during Jaime Costas's tenure. The books coming out for the rest of 2011 will be the ones commissioned by Jaime. We probably won't see any projects conceived under the current editorial regime until 2012.

Destiny was written by David Mack and jointly edited by Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clark. The Typhon Pact was introduced in its followup A Singular Destiny, written by Keith R. A. DeCandido and edited by Marco. When Marco was laid off, Margaret inherited that storyline and developed it in the TP novels. So it was Destiny and ASD that set up the new status quo. The TP novels are exploring how things stand under that new status quo.

 

[Janos]

It just seems odd to me that you would have 2 "status quo" setting series like Destiny and TP in such a short time. However, it would seem one builds on the other. One cleans the slate (Destiny) and the other chronicles the new challenges/"villains" of the new status quo (TP).

Again, I have not read Destiny or TP, but have read enough non-spoiler snippets to have a "sense" of what each tries to do. That said, its about the journey not the destination, which I love about most ST lit.

 

[JD]

What you said there pretty much sums it up. TP is dealing with the long term effects of Destiny... sort of.

 

[Christopher]

It just seems odd to me that you would have 2 "status quo" setting series like Destiny and TP in such a short time. However, it would seem one builds on the other. One cleans the slate (Destiny) and the other chronicles the new challenges/"villains" of the new status quo (TP).

That's right. They aren't two status quo-setting series, but stages in a single process. Destiny uprooted the old status quo; A Singular Destiny showed the emergence of a new status quo; and Typhon Pact elaborates on that new status quo and examines its impact.

 

[Janos]

It just seems odd to me that you would have 2 "status quo" setting series like Destiny and TP in such a short time. However, it would seem one builds on the other. One cleans the slate (Destiny) and the other chronicles the new challenges/"villains" of the new status quo (TP).

That's right. They aren't two status quo-setting series, but stages in a single process. Destiny uprooted the old status quo; A Singular Destiny showed the emergence of a new status quo; and Typhon Pact elaborates on that new status quo and examines its impact.

Forgot about Singular Destiny. I have that too. Man, my ST lit catch up pile is big.

So, with Destiny and TP done, is ST lit going back to focusing on the various ST lit lines (e.g. DS9, etc.) or are we going to get more TNGnovelverse encompassing stories like Destiny and TP going forward. There are some Voyager books out this year, but not sure what S&S ST lit plan is for 2011 and beyond.

 

[Christopher]

So, with Destiny and TP done, is ST lit going back to focusing on the various ST lit lines (e.g. DS9, etc.) or are we going to get more TNGnovelverse encompassing stories like Destiny and TP going forward. There are some Voyager books out this year, but not sure what S&S ST lit plan is for 2011 and beyond.

I'm sure that, as with every year, there will be an eclectic mix. The sales department will surely want more Big Event miniseries in years to come, but those can coexist with other types of books. Keep in mind that nearly two years elapsed between Destiny and Typhon Pact, with 2009 featuring numerous separate followups to Destiny and back-into-the-swing-of-things series novels; and that TP occupied the final third of a year whose first third consisted entirely of standalone, mostly TOS books and whose middle third was originally going to consist of four Abramsverse books (but which ended up being assorted reprints when those books were pulled).

For 2011's schedule, visit Memory Alpha's Upcoming productions page. There's a mix of standalones set in the 24th-century continuity, TOS-era standalones, and continuations of the VNG, VGR, and ENT book series. The last quarter or so of the year is still mysterious, though.

 

[Janos]

For 2011's schedule, visit Memory Alpha's Upcoming productions page. There's a mix of standalones set in the 24th-century continuity, TOS-era standalones, and continuations of the VNG, VGR, and ENT book series. The last quarter or so of the year is still mysterious, though.

Was it you that said you expected more things announced around Shore Leave?



BTW, it is interesting how Memory Alpha has categorized the TP books.

1. Zero Sum Game (Aventine) by David Mack
2. Seize the Fire (Titan) by Michael A. Martin
3. Rough Beasts of Empire (DS9) by David R. George III
4. Paths of Disharmony (TNG) byDayton Ward

Is Aventine as a series now?

Looks like Voyager got the short end of the stick.... until Full Circle.

 

[Thrawn]

Aventine isn't a series, and Beasts definitely isn't a DS9 novel. Those categories were made based on the covers, pretty much. Not quite accurate.

As far as Voyager, the relaunch that was started (Homecoming, Farther Shore, 2 Spirit Walk books) stopped when both the editor and author responsible for it moved on to other projects. It took a few years for the new editor & author to get a direction in mind, and then having to integrate with Destiny delayed it further. There was never an intention to stop publishing VOY books, it just happens that way sometimes.

 

[JD]

For 2011's schedule, visit Memory Alpha's Upcoming productions page. There's a mix of standalones set in the 24th-century continuity, TOS-era standalones, and continuations of the VNG, VGR, and ENT book series. The last quarter or so of the year is still mysterious, though.

Was it you that said you expected more things announced around Shore Leave?



BTW, it is interesting how Memory Alpha has categorized the TP books.

1. Zero Sum Game (Aventine) by David Mack
2. Seize the Fire (Titan) by Michael A. Martin
3. Rough Beasts of Empire (DS9) by David R. George III
4. Paths of Disharmony (TNG) byDayton Ward

Is Aventine as a series now?

Looks like Voyager got the short end of the stick.... until Full Circle.

Well, the events of Full Circle and Unworthy really make it impossible for it to take part in Typhon Pact.

 

[Janos]

Well, the events of Full Circle and Unworthy really make it impossible for it to take part in Typhon Pact.

Apologies. I think was mixing that book with the upcoming Children of the Storm? One of the upcoming Voyager books seems to tackle that crew's whereabouts during the 4 issues of TP.

 

[JD]

I actually don't think we know when CoS is set yet. The different series are moving at different paces, so it might still be before TP, or it could be after it.

 

[Christopher]

Was it you that said you expected more things announced around Shore Leave?

I didn't say I expected it, I said it's been the pattern in years past.

Is Aventine as a series now?

Not as such, but it could be treated as a convenient category for Memory Beta's purposes. Though personally I'd consider ZSG more of a DS9 book than an Aventine book per se. Though since the command crew of Aventine comes largely from the DS9 post-finale cast, they sort of overlap.

One of the upcoming Voyager books seems to tackle that crew's whereabouts during the 4 issues of TP.

Well, in the sense that Rough Beasts of Empire spans an entire year after Destiny, and the VGR novels are taking place in the year after Destiny. Actually, though, the post-Destiny VGR books so far take place in the 6-month gap between Part I and Part II of RBoE, and well before any of the other TP books. That same span is also occupied by A Singular Destiny, the TTN novels Over a Torrent Sea and Synthesis, and Chapter III of DTI: Watching the Clock.

So don't think of Typhon Pact as the standard by which the other book series must be defined, or the central "spine" of the post-DES narrative. It's just a miniseries that's set in that timeframe, one that covers several of the multiple story threads therein. It's the latest four of the ten post-DES novels that have been published to date -- and there are at least another three coming out over the next few months (maybe four depending on when the next NF book is set).

 

[Janos]

Thx Christopher. I think I'm going to treat the TP books separately. Unlike Destiny, TP doesn't have I, II, III, or IV on the spine, so they are connected, but not a traditional mini-series (I think).

In line with me following DS9, I'll pick up Zero Sum Game and Rough Beasts of Empire. ZSG for clear reasons and RBOE b/c I'm interested in Spock & his Romulan effeorts + I'm intrigued by how Sisko fits into all this. (I will also be picking up Greater than the Sum & Losing the Peace b/c the back cover blurbs seem interesting and b/c I'm interested in how the overall status quo for TNGnovelverse is evolving.)
Thanks for helping me through understanding TP.

I also have Blind Man's Bluff and Department of Temporal Investigations in my future.

Looks like 2011 will be a great year for ST lit for me through (a) catching up on DS9, (b) reading the pre-post Destiny books I've mentioned + the 2 TPs, (c) new 2011 offerings like NF & DTI, (d) catching up on the MU with Sorrows of Empire, and (e) catching up on my 3 Lost Era Books (including the Buried Age). Plus I have a few Bill Pronzini Nameless Detective novels and Martin Cruz Smith Arkady Renko novels to read that came out over the last few years too. Sounds like a fun 2011.

 

[JD]

Don't forget about Rise Like Lions. If you're doing the MU you're going to want to read it. It possibly ties up the Memory Omega storyline from the current MU series.

 

[Janos]

Don't forget about Rise Like Lions. If you're doing the MU you're going to want to read it. It possibly ties up the Memory Omega storyline from the current MU series.

I will be picking up Rise Like Lions, but isn't that out in 2012? My list was a 2011 list.

 

[Thrawn]

The publication months correspond weirdly to reality. Each month's book is actually released on or before (usually before) the last Tuesday of the previous month. So Rise Like Lions will be coming out in the last week of December this year, leading many to consider it one of this year's books.

The January release is considered part of the previous fiscal year at the publisher, too, if I recall correctly. I think Marco or Margaret posted about that at some point, back when they were still editing the line.

 

[Christopher]

The January release is considered part of the previous fiscal year at the publisher, too, if I recall correctly. I think Marco or Margaret posted about that at some point, back when they were still editing the line.

Yup. Technically, a publication year is February to January. So, for instance, Typhon Pact, which came out October '10 to January '11, was the last quarter of the 2010 publication year. (And of course the fourth book actually went on sale in December anyway.)

 

[Janos]

The publication months correspond weirdly to reality. Each month's book is actually released on or before (usually before) the last Tuesday of the previous month. So Rise Like Lions will be coming out in the last week of December this year, leading many to consider it one of this year's books.

The January release is considered part of the previous fiscal year at the publisher, too, if I recall correctly. I think Marco or Margaret posted about that at some point, back when they were still editing the line.

Thx. So Rise Like Lions will be released in December 2011. Hmmm. I guess it will be on my 2011 list.

 

[Thrawn]

The January release is considered part of the previous fiscal year at the publisher, too, if I recall correctly. I think Marco or Margaret posted about that at some point, back when they were still editing the line.

Yup. Technically, a publication year is February to January. So, for instance, Typhon Pact, which came out October '10 to January '11, was the last quarter of the 2010 publication year. (And of course the fourth book actually went on sale in December anyway.)

This is really picayune, but I know how specifically accurate you like to be with your posting, so: you're actually wrong here. That was how TP was originally scheduled, but it got delayed a month. Paths of Disharmony didn't come out until the end of January, making it the February release, the start of the new publishing year.

I know, really, no one cares, but you seem to hate inaccuracies even if they're tiny, so I thought I'd fix it.

 

[Christopher]

Oh, okay. Thanks.