It seems the first two books in the "A Time to" series are always said to be the weakest and some people recommend even skipping them. I just finished both of them and couldn't put them down. This was my first TNG book since Q-Squared so maybe I wasn't being too picky but I didn't have a problem with them. So what issues do people have with these two novels?
What's wrong with A Time to Be Born & Die?
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Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
Do you mean since Q Squared as in 1994 or did you just read Q Squared? I read the first one of the Time To series ( A Time To Be Born) and found it OK, but dull. The thing is it gave me a bit of nostalgia because it felt like a Trek book I could've been reading in 1990 ( style wise, not content of course).
The caliber of Trek books has gone up since then, sadly, it seems that Mr david's may have gone down.
The caliber of Trek books has gone up since then, sadly, it seems that Mr david's may have gone down.
They're weak, the characterizations and motivations are completely off, and they suffer even worse by being in the same miniseries with the other two-parters which are so strong they make the weaknesses in the first two even worse.
I like Vornholt usually, but he's facing competition with the phenomenal Ward & Dilmore, the minor deity Robert Greenberger, the destroyer of worlds David Mack, and Worf-boy Decandido.
It's kind of like being at a convention of the best chefs in the world, and someone coming in and making a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, and putting it on the table next to all those fabulous dishes. On its own, it's not that bad, but next to the rest, it's pitiful.
I like Vornholt usually, but he's facing competition with the phenomenal Ward & Dilmore, the minor deity Robert Greenberger, the destroyer of worlds David Mack, and Worf-boy Decandido.
It's kind of like being at a convention of the best chefs in the world, and someone coming in and making a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, and putting it on the table next to all those fabulous dishes. On its own, it's not that bad, but next to the rest, it's pitiful.
Do you mean since Q Squared as in 1994 or did you just read Q Squared? I read the first one of the Time To series ( A Time To Be Born) and found it OK, but dull. The thing is it gave me a bit of nostalgia because it felt like a Trek book I could've been reading in 1990 ( style wise, not content of course).
The caliber of Trek books has gone up since then, sadly, it seems that Mr david's may have gone down.
Think I read it in 95 or 96
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
^^^ Close enough...the trek books have just gotten better since 2000 or so.
Mmmmmmm......
Oh, what were we talking about again?
I look back at the ATT books as a rollercoaster. The first four to five books are the uphill part as the anticipation (hopefully) builds, the sixth book is where you level off right before hitting the big plunge, seven and eight are where you're screaming and pissing your pants, and the ninth book is where you race into the wheelhouse.
I usually like Vornholt too but I didn't much care for this duology.
The problem for me was you've got a protagonist, Wesley, who can move around and make things happen by pretty much thinking about it. Not terribly exciting for me.
I see you've moved on to Sow/Harvest. That was my second favorite pair of books in the series.
The problem for me was you've got a protagonist, Wesley, who can move around and make things happen by pretty much thinking about it. Not terribly exciting for me.
I see you've moved on to Sow/Harvest. That was my second favorite pair of books in the series.
I liked the first book, but I thought things fell apart in the second, which colours my impression of the duology of the whole. In the second, I remember frequently shaking my head at how much of a stretch everything was, from Cabot's sideswitching to the persistant Picard-hate by an admiralty that really ought to know better. The ending was tacky, and, as far as Wesley's character arc is concerned, hit the reset button.
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
This was how I felt too. I actually thought the 1st book was the 4th best of the 9 (where the best are the last three).
My problem with these two books is Cabot. I liked her when she was evaluating Picard, but the moment she met Wesley, she became his number one fan and an one-note character.
nothing.
i hope i don't offend Wardilmore, but first time out i enjoyed Born/Die more than Sow/Harvest. but they were better than Love/Hate which suffers from being Another Species With a Weird Medical Condition Brought On by Local Conditions. Which also let down Articles and the new race the Luna class ship found...
^Each to their own.
I stopped the first book after only a few chapters. I don't remember exactly what it was, something about the way it was written just rubbed me the wrong way. But other than the first book, the rest of the series is pretty good. From what I remember the 3 & 4 were pretty good (I think I gave them something like a 7 or 7.5 when I wrote my review), and they pretty much just go up hill from there until you get to the last three and Articles of the Federation, which were all 9 or 9.5 when I reviewed them. And just so you know, it's almost impossible for me to give something a perfect 10.
That's interesting. What I absolutely despised was the use and writing of Wesley. The constant sledgehammer reminders that he was inconspicuous drove me crazy, and I did not like the way he was used at all. It felt like he cheapened the other characters and made them seem weak, while he flitted around influencing everything. I never actually had anything against the character until this series.
Cabot was also a real problem, appearing totally unprofessional with her infatuation with Wesley.
The third and fourth books weren't that bad, though I've never seen chunks of backstory thrown in as they were in A Time to Sow. The Kyle Riker story was quite good, and the planetary dilemma reasonably interesting.
I'm on A Time to Kill now.
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I have certainly read worse but definitely also books I enjoyed more.
It has been a while since I read them but what I recall is that I had no problems with how Wesley was written. I even thought that part of the book was a good story and although his attraction towards Cabot was misguided I could understand his point of view.
My problem was with Cabot. I disliked this woman who gave me the creeps, especially her treatment of Picard. I had a look at Google and found my original review I wrote when my memory of the books was still fresh:
It is a different matter with counselor Colleen Cabot. My very negative opinion of this woman hasn`t changed one bit. But suddenly, after her trip with Wesley, the "lovely" looking Cabot is suddenly also treated as a "lovely" character. What she did seems to be forgotten and forgiven: She was only following orders after all, and the "delicate", "beautiful" Cabot is turned into a victim of circumstances. Only, she was much too eager to follow her orders in the previous book and she even seemed to enjoy the challenge to try to get past Picard`s defenses. Maybe this is not fair but I can`t help feeling that way: I had to compare Cabot with what happened in a certain prison in Iraq. I remember an interview with a relative or friend of this woman shown on some of these infamous photos, assuring reporters that she is really a very nice person. And the woman herself said she was just following orders. Maybe, but that is no excuse and I think everybody could see that she enjoyed what she was doing. Seeing Cabot suddenly being treated like a kind of saint who was also treated like that after her death didn`t sit well with me at all.
It has been a while since I read them but what I recall is that I had no problems with how Wesley was written. I even thought that part of the book was a good story and although his attraction towards Cabot was misguided I could understand his point of view.
My problem was with Cabot. I disliked this woman who gave me the creeps, especially her treatment of Picard. I had a look at Google and found my original review I wrote when my memory of the books was still fresh:
It is a different matter with counselor Colleen Cabot. My very negative opinion of this woman hasn`t changed one bit. But suddenly, after her trip with Wesley, the "lovely" looking Cabot is suddenly also treated as a "lovely" character. What she did seems to be forgotten and forgiven: She was only following orders after all, and the "delicate", "beautiful" Cabot is turned into a victim of circumstances. Only, she was much too eager to follow her orders in the previous book and she even seemed to enjoy the challenge to try to get past Picard`s defenses. Maybe this is not fair but I can`t help feeling that way: I had to compare Cabot with what happened in a certain prison in Iraq. I remember an interview with a relative or friend of this woman shown on some of these infamous photos, assuring reporters that she is really a very nice person. And the woman herself said she was just following orders. Maybe, but that is no excuse and I think everybody could see that she enjoyed what she was doing. Seeing Cabot suddenly being treated like a kind of saint who was also treated like that after her death didn`t sit well with me at all.
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I thought the first two books were enjoyable. Certainly there were better books in the series, but I thought they were both solid. For me the characterizations were spot on and I could easily picture the characters saying their lines. So I don't think their the disasters some have made them out to be.
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