Vanguard controversy

[Kevin Dilmore]

Maestro said: I'm looking forward to the next books.

From what I hear, the second one kicks ass and the third kinda falls short of even the first one, which is really saying something.

Okay, okay. Dave knows how much I admire his work on the Vanguard series, so I can get away with that BS (I hope). But what I also admire is your willingness to try something yourself so that you might form your own opinion of what works for you and what doesn't.

It's very humbling to think about a person spending money and devoting time to stuff that falls out of my brain. Even more so when that stuff elicits enough of a response that someone makes the effort to articulate an opinion of it. So, if you want to share your reactions to what's happening in Vanguard, I'll be first in line to listen, whether it's working for you or not.

But again, thanks for giving it a shot with an open and neutral mind.

Kevin

 

[David Mack]

^ What Kevin said.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I wonder how many sales for the series this thread has generated...

 

[David Mack]

By my count, it looks like one, maybe two.

 

[JD]

I always find it interesting how hearing people talk about all this stuff they don't like in something like this makes other people want to rush out and buy it.

 

[Maestro]

What were those statistics about the Howard Stern Show? Everyone who tuned in because they liked the show did so to hear what he was going to say next, and everyone who tuned in because they hated the show tuned in to hear what he was going to say next...

It's not like the books are expensive either. $8 for a good read. It's not really an issue for me. Besides, I got it for 25% off on Educator's Weekend at Borders.

Nothing wrong with this thread boosting sales for Mr. Mack's books. I'm just glad it gave me some new Trek to get interested in.

 

[captcalhoun]

JD said:
I always find it interesting how hearing people talk about all this stuff they don't like in something like this makes other people want to rush out and buy it.

it's like a thing i read about some christian movie website that rates films on their morality (sex, violence, swearing etc.)* made me want to make a movie with loads of sex, violence and swearing in just to piss em off...



*Sin City got zero. some films they walk out of.

 

[Trent Roman]

^ Is that Plugged In Online? It's run by the mouth-frothing scum at Focus on the Family, and contains some of the most anal-retentive movie analyses I've ever seen. I go there sometime if I want to know if a movie with little going for it conceptually might still have enough sex and violence to make it worth my time, or just when I feel like having a chuckle at the astounding narrowness of the Bible-brained.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Maestro]

I believe there is (was?) a website called CCAP that is a Christian movie warning site. They review movies so that primarily parents, but also good Christians can make informed decisions about whether or not the movie was "appropriate" for them.

In all fairness, there is content in movies that we don't want our kids to be exposed to until we, as parents, feel they are ready. These sites can be very helpful in that regard.

Unfortunately, I think they go too far by misunderstanding conflict created by flawed characters as glorification. I think the same thing is happening here with TLS's concerns over Harbinger.

 

[captcalhoun]

it was in a movie trivia book. i'll have to dig it out and see...

it was the CCAP www.capalert.com site.

it rates movies for 'wanton violence', 'sex/homosexuality', 'drugs/alcohol', 'offence to God', 'impunity/hate' and 'murder/suicide'.

the only perfect 100 for a mainstream movie was awarded to Mary Poppins. Jackass: The Movie is called Jacka : the Movie and scored 0.

AMAZINGLY 'Dogma' rated a 6!

i SO wanna make a movie about two gay guys who get drunk and shoot up a church now...

 

[Sci]

captcalhoun said:
the only perfect 100 for a mainstream movie was awarded to Mary Poppins.

Really? I thought Mary Poppins' depiction of a loveable old admiral who fires off cannons to be disturbingly militaristic. If I was a Christian, I imagined I'd want to take a few points off for that one.

 

[Geoff]

Maestro said:
In all fairness, there is content in movies that we don't want our kids to be exposed to until we, as parents, feel they are ready. These sites can be very helpful in that regard.

Unfortunately, I think they go too far by misunderstanding conflict created by flawed characters as glorification. I think the same thing is happening here with TLS's concerns over Harbinger.

I actually know of one very good site with intelligent, thoughtful movie reviews from a Christian perspective. It's at DecentFilms.com.

The CapAlert site, by contrast, is a bunch of reactionary idiots on a witch hunt against the entire secular motion picture industry.

 

[Maestro]

I don't think that CCAP is a movie review site. I think it's a bunch of Christians attempting to protect children from impropriety in films, but they go to far.

 

[Trent Roman]

Sci said:
I thought Mary Poppins' depiction of a loveable old admiral who fires off cannons to be disturbingly militaristic. If I was a Christian, I imagined I'd want to take a few points off for that one.

These are Christian militants that we're talking about here. Unsurprisingly, they tend to be very pro-militarism.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[TheLonelySquire]

Maestro said:
I believe there is (was?) a website called CCAP that is a Christian movie warning site. They review movies so that primarily parents, but also good Christians can make informed decisions about whether or not the movie was "appropriate" for them.

In all fairness, there is content in movies that we don't want our kids to be exposed to until we, as parents, feel they are ready. These sites can be very helpful in that regard.

Unfortunately, I think they go too far by misunderstanding conflict created by flawed characters as glorification. I think the same thing is happening here with TLS's concerns over Harbinger.

At least we agree that the characters in question are flawed.

And again, I'm not saying Mr.Mack shouldn't write whatever he wants to. Some people just find it distasteful. That's all.

 

[Who_Trek]

Wonderfully flawed, in my opinion. I love the series, and am looking very forward to the next book.

 

[Vic Sixx]

Just finished Summon the Thunder, and I loved it. Very nicely done. The lesbian stuff is very minor and very subtle not an issue here. Didn't bother me. We get another explanation for the ridgeless Klingons, best one yet I think. Very some reason alot of Asian and Indian officers in this book, 3 Asians, 2 Indians by my count, but the characters were nicely written. And it's not necessary to have read the first one, this book does a good job of updating what happened without beating on over the head with it. Nicely written book

I love the name Cervantes Quinn. In my head I kept seeing him as Lee Marvin.

 

[JD]

^ There was another explanation for ridgeless Klingons in StT? I thought it was written after, and was consistant with, Divergence.

 

[David Mack]

Vic Sixx said:
Just finished Summon the Thunder, and I loved it. Very nicely done.

I hope you dug it enough to feel motivated to go buy and read the next book, Reap the Whirlwind, by yours truly.

I love the name Cervantes Quinn. In my head I kept seeing him as Lee Marvin.

Glad you like the name; Marco Palmieri and I had fun coming up with it. In my imaginary movie of the saga, I see the role being played by Billy Bob Thornton, but I encourage my readers to visualize the characters in whatever way works best for them.

 

[Sci]

Vic Sixx said:
Very some reason alot of Asian and Indian officers in this book, 3 Asians, 2 Indians by my count,

And there's an unusually large number of white people in ENT, isn't there? And TOS? And TNG? And DS9? And VOY?



Not trying to give you a hard time, just trying to point out that having a large number of Asians is no more odd than a large number of whites.