Wow, Kirsten Beyer made VOY not suck!

[Kirsten Beyer]

Kirsten can you give us a hint of what will be in the book? Please, I do have some virtual chocolate.

I posted this in another thread recently...here you go again...

Spartan though it is, the blurb that accompanies the cover in the catalogue is accurate. Everyone who read Mere Mortals has seen the Children of the Storm but naturally there's a lot more to see. As I always intended, we're going fairly deep into fleshing out more of the fleet with this one, though Voyager and her crew remain at the heart of the story.

And I will also say that while in the past, writing the Paris family was always fun, writing about family once you actually have one is surprisingly fascinating. There's a lot that came through in this story that I just didn't know was true until I had my daughter. It was exhilerating to write and a happy coincidence that so much of the story, even beyond Tom, B'Elanna and Miral was thematically resonant with much of what I've been experiencing.

Otherwise, you'll just have to wait and see.

As to the minor complaint regarding the fate of some of Christie's characters, I discussed this in depth long ago but will reiterate here in regards to Lyssa and Kaz...

Lyssa's death, while brutal, is in keeping with what I perceive as the dangers of space exploration and simply because we did not see people mourning her passing, you should not assume it did not happen. Chakotay remained deeply troubled by all of his losses for quite awhile after the initial events and is only beginning to make peace with them.

Kaz was a character I also loved, but as a joined Trill, his species was one that had gotten so much development in other series, particularly DS9, I felt continuing to use him would mean retreading a lot of old ground whereas with a Tamarian, we have a chance to more deeply explore a species I also adore but we've seen very little of.

Your mileage will always vary, but great care went into every character and plot decision made in Full Circle, Unworthy, and now, Children of the Storm.

And though part of me is kicking myself for even considering this, I'm going to correct what I believe is a fairly glaring factual error in an upthread description of Full Circle and Unworthy's use of new characters.

Because we are dealing with a fleet of nine ships now, there are of course, lots of new faces. Many of which, as I said above, are only beginning to be explored.

None of the new characters, however, serving on Voyager or otherwise, replace Janeway, Tuvok, Kes or Neelix.

Kes never has been, nor ever can be replaced. She served a unique function among the crew and her loss has always been dearly felt. No one else is assisting the Doctor as she once did, or sharing the same unique frienships she did among the crew.

Janeway became an Admiral per Nemesis and was seen in numerous books interacting with a wide range of ships, including Enterprise, and Chakotay became Voyager's captain at Janeway's urging, per Christie Golden. Yes, he had a bit of a road to travel getting back there, but once again, he is Captain of Voyager.

Tuvok was replaced by Harry Kim, so not a new character there, just a new career path for him.

Neelix appeared in Unworthy and appears again in Children of the Storm. Not replaced. Not even gone except in Christie's four novels that took place in the Alpha Quadrant.

The primary new characters I introduced were Cambridge..a counselor, which Voyager never had in the series, Lasren, who replaced Harry at ops when he changed positions, Nancy Conlon, now Voyager's chief engineer, while B'Elanna is now chief engineer for the entire fleet, so new job, but a promotion that does not at all take her out of the action, and Dr. Sharak who replaces the Doctor in sickbay because the Doctor now has his own ship within the fleet of which he is CMO and of course he still interacts regularly with his fellow fleet members aboard Voyager.

While I respect anyone's choice not to read the books because based on descriptions or spoilers they do not sound like someone's cup of tea, it troubles me to have misinformation about the books out there from someone who has not and will not read them. Everyone is entitled to their own opinioin, but not their own facts.

Just so we're clear.

Best,
Kirsten

 

[TerraUnam]

Well, I for one like Dr. Sharak. The Tamarians are one of the more interesting aliens that Trek has come up with and his character is both likeable and entertaining. I really like his malapropisms and deadpan delivery of them.

 

[Cybersnark]

I actually enjoyed the Spirit Walk books, mainly because I liked Sekaya and hope we get to see more of Chakotay's spiritual side (another thing I always thought would be an interesting plot point that was never really used as well as it could've been).

It all makes sense if you assume that it was really like Year of Hell and what we saw on tv was just Janeway's drug-induced captain's log.

I tend to assume the TV series was a Starfleet/UFP propaganda piece written after-the-fact (possibly by the Doctor).

I much prefer what we saw in the first Elite Force game; parts of the ship were impassable/damaged, missions were occasionally delayed because people needed to manually patch/bypass things, and people were constantly pulling 24-hour shifts to repair stuff, and enemy life-forms were occasionally turned into tomorrow's dinner, but it wasn't quite year-of-Hell level grimdark.

 

[Christopher]

I'm reminded of how Roddenberry's novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture included introductory material and footnotes suggesting that TOS was actually a dramatization after the fact of Kirk's "real" adventures and that a lot of it was exaggerated and fictionalized. Sometimes I think we'd have fewer continuity arguments if that idea had been established onscreen. Heck, given how much Roddenberry seemed to want to distance himself from elements of TOS in later years, I'm surprised he didn't make a point of working the idea into TNG. (Although I sometimes wonder if Data's line in "Where Silence Has Lease" about no Starfleet vessel ever having encountered anything remotely like Nagilum's "zone of darkness" was a deliberate attempt to imply that "The Immunity Syndrome" never happened.)

 

[David Brennon]

@Kirsten
I always loved Voyager, something that I've never been able to put my finger on has made the series sing for me. What you have added to the Star Trek Voyager setting is something that brings it beyond what I had enjoyed previously. Once, the various Deep Space Nine books were the ones I was anxiously awaiting, their story desperately in need of completion for my mind to even begin to work right again. Now, I find myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment of Star Trek Voyager written by you. Simply put, you've spun gold. You bring me magic. Thank you.

 

[Kirsten Beyer]

^You are most welcome. And many thanks to you for your very kind words.

Best,
Kirsten

 

[Thestral]

As to the minor complaint regarding the fate of some of Christie's characters, I discussed this in depth long ago but will reiterate here in regards to Lyssa and Kaz...

Lyssa's death, while brutal, is in keeping with what I perceive as the dangers of space exploration and simply because we did not see people mourning her passing, you should not assume it did not happen. Chakotay remained deeply troubled by all of his losses for quite awhile after the initial events and is only beginning to make peace with them.

Kaz was a character I also loved, but as a joined Trill, his species was one that had gotten so much development in other series, particularly DS9, I felt continuing to use him would mean retreading a lot of old ground whereas with a Tamarian, we have a chance to more deeply explore a species I also adore but we've seen very little of.

I didn't mean to be criticizing Lyssa's death; as you say, it was shockingly brutal, which makes sense that the dangers of space exploration affects named characters too. I guess what suprised me most about it was actually the paucity of attention it had received here on the boards. And I guess I was expecting more mourning for her since I knew Full Circle would be heavy on emotional content and grieving. That's what I get for being late to the party I guess.

I totally understand about Kaz, I just really like the Trill and their presence always boosts my interest. Having a Tamarian is definitely cool.

 

[JonoKyle]

The primary new characters I introduced were Cambridge..a counselor, which Voyager never had in the series, Lasren, who replaced Harry at ops when he changed positions, Nancy Conlon, now Voyager's chief engineer, while B'Elanna is now chief engineer for the entire fleet, so new job, but a promotion that does not at all take her out of the action, and Dr. Sharak who replaces the Doctor in sickbay because the Doctor now has his own ship within the fleet of which he is CMO and of course he still interacts regularly with his fellow fleet members aboard Voyager.

Hi Kristen,

I am enjoying the direction of the Voyager books and the new characters introduced - the only question I have (sorry if you have already been asked multiple times) is has Lasren's first name been mentioned in any of the books so far? The only reason I am asking is I thought I had seen it mentioned somewhere on the net but I can't remember it being mention in any of the books so far.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm reminded of how Roddenberry's novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture included introductory material and footnotes suggesting that TOS was actually a dramatization after the fact of Kirk's "real" adventures and that a lot of it was exaggerated and fictionalized. Sometimes I think we'd have fewer continuity arguments if that idea had been established onscreen. Heck, given how much Roddenberry seemed to want to distance himself from elements of TOS in later years, I'm surprised he didn't make a point of working the idea into TNG. (Although I sometimes wonder if Data's line in "Where Silence Has Lease" about no Starfleet vessel ever having encountered anything remotely like Nagilum's "zone of darkness" was a deliberate attempt to imply that "The Immunity Syndrome" never happened.)

It wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference. The 1994 Star Trek Chronology says in the intro to take it all with a pinch of salt, yet some fans still hit the cieling whenever it's conjectural dates or events are ignored or changed. Much of the bitching on TBBS is less "X is wrong" and more "X isn't the way I personally think it should be", although people like to dress the latter up as the former.

 

[USS Intrepid]

I really enjoyed both Full Circle and Unworthy. The Voyager Relaunch, and Vanguard are the only must read Trek series coming out of Pocket for me right now.

 

[Kirsten Beyer]

I am enjoying the direction of the Voyager books and the new characters introduced - the only question I have (sorry if you have already been asked multiple times) is has Lasren's first name been mentioned in any of the books so far? The only reason I am asking is I thought I had seen it mentioned somewhere on the net but I can't remember it being mention in any of the books so far.

You never have to apologize for asking questions. I'm happy I can be here now to answer them.

Lasren's first name was not revealed in Full Circle or Unworthy, but it is given in Children of the Storm, as he is quite busy in that story.

Best,
Kirsten

 

[ClayinCA]

Not really anything to do with the books (which I loved), but I just wanted to say what an adorable avatar picture you have, Kirsten. Is that your Little One?

 

[Kirsten Beyer]

Not really anything to do with the books (which I loved), but I just wanted to say what an adorable avatar picture you have, Kirsten. Is that your Little One?

It is. Thanks!

(And no, she can't read yet but she loves to pretend she can.)

 

[SicOne]

Kirsten, in some other thread you mentioned there would be a little appendix in the back that listed the other ships, their classes, crew complements and such, but are you at liberty to share that information with us here, now, for those of us who are preparing to take another swing through "Full Circle" and "Unworthy"? As a fan of the ships, I enjoy knowing what class they are and other minutiae while reading the books.

If you tell me I have to wait until CotS, I will understand. But I've never been good with delayed gratification.

 

[Man of Steel]

Kirsten,

First want to say congratulations on your bundle of joy and hope she brings you and your husband years of happiness.

Second,

I really liked Full Circle but enjoyed Unworthy even better. I have to say that I didn't see the end coming with Species 8472 posing as members of Starfleet. I thought it was genius however betrayed or hurt the crew might have felt.

My question is this: Does Children of the Storm pick up from this or is this an entirely new story with the outcome of Unworthy being told in a future novel?

 

[Tropical_Night]

Wow.

Thanks everybody. I never expect to check the boards and see a thread like this. Makes all the hard work seem easier.

Sorry Fusion didn't work for you, Nathan. As to the startling difference you saw between it and the others...Fusion was the first novel I ever wrote. And I have learned a few things since then. That said, I remain proud of it. I looked back at it a few years ago and while there were some things I wish I could do differently now, on the whole I felt it did what it was supposed to do as part of the trilogy and there are still sections of which I am inordinantly fond. But as always, you are of course entitled to your extreme dislike of it. I'm glad you gave FC and Unworthy a chance.

Only a few months now until the Children come out and play. I'm eagerly awaiting everyone's thoughts, good and bad.

As always,
Kirsten

Gotta agree with the rest, a real turnaround. I never would have thought between the DS9 and Voyager relaunches the Voyager one would end up better. I love the whole Project Full circle concept, and managing to go back to the DQ without it being a rehash of the Voyager series was also well done. I coudn't deal with the first novel because I'm not a fan of the mystical Klingon stuff, but I loved Unworthy.

I get the appeal of having Janeway as the Admiral instead of Batiste but I think that may have made it a rehash of the series?

So what we do have today is a bogus Voyager, without main characters like Janeway, Kes, Neelix and Tuvok. They are replaced by unintersting no-no's. We have to stand all the wallowing in grief which the current situation has created, not to mention a possible C/7 reunion and possible further character destruction when the bogus crew returns to the Delta Quadrant.

Kes always bored me, and Neelix was the jar jar binxx of star trek, and no loss IMO.
I do think Tuvok being poached to Titan was a big loss for Voyager, but I think Eden can be developed well and has shown big potential for that. Theres also a possibility of turning what was a cardboard cut out into a real character (Chuckles), some works been done on that but not enough.

Janeway being dead...I'm 50/50 on that. On the one hand Trek fans seem to almost think nobody important should ever die? When I was a kid I remember uproar over Kirks death in generations and apparently it was same a generation before with Spock. Important people die...it happens, especially in a millitary-exploratory service like starfleet. On the other it was not a death done well, her being stubborn and irrational to the end.

I also liked Voyagers new counsiler in Full Circle, well, liked to hate, was one of the things that made me want to keep going to find out just what his problem was.

 

[Kirsten Beyer]

Kirsten, in some other thread you mentioned there would be a little appendix in the back that listed the other ships, their classes, crew complements and such, but are you at liberty to share that information with us here, now, for those of us who are preparing to take another swing through "Full Circle" and "Unworthy"? As a fan of the ships, I enjoy knowing what class they are and other minutiae while reading the books.

If you tell me I have to wait until CotS, I will understand. But I've never been good with delayed gratification.

Sorry, but you have to wait until CotS. It's not that there's anything particularly spoilery about this information, but I'm not at liberty to release it until the novel comes out.

Kirsten,

First want to say congratulations on your bundle of joy and hope she brings you and your husband years of happiness.

Thanks and she already does...every damn day.

Second,

I really liked Full Circle but enjoyed Unworthy even better. I have to say that I didn't see the end coming with Species 8472 posing as members of Starfleet. I thought it was genius however betrayed or hurt the crew might have felt.

My question is this: Does Children of the Storm pick up from this or is this an entirely new story with the outcome of Unworthy being told in a future novel?

Children of the Storm takes place concurrent with and immediately following the events of Unworthy. This is not to say that all of Unworthy's plot threads are resolved in CotS, but we are picking up right where we left off.

Hope you enjoy.

Best,
Kirsten

 

[Man of Steel]

Kirsten, in some other thread you mentioned there would be a little appendix in the back that listed the other ships, their classes, crew complements and such, but are you at liberty to share that information with us here, now, for those of us who are preparing to take another swing through "Full Circle" and "Unworthy"? As a fan of the ships, I enjoy knowing what class they are and other minutiae while reading the books.

If you tell me I have to wait until CotS, I will understand. But I've never been good with delayed gratification.

Sorry, but you have to wait until CotS. It's not that there's anything particularly spoilery about this information, but I'm not at liberty to release it until the novel comes out.

Kirsten,

First want to say congratulations on your bundle of joy and hope she brings you and your husband years of happiness.

Thanks and she already does...every damn day.

Second,

I really liked Full Circle but enjoyed Unworthy even better. I have to say that I didn't see the end coming with Species 8472 posing as members of Starfleet. I thought it was genius however betrayed or hurt the crew might have felt.

My question is this: Does Children of the Storm pick up from this or is this an entirely new story with the outcome of Unworthy being told in a future novel?

Children of the Storm takes place concurrent with and immediately following the events of Unworthy. This is not to say that all of Unworthy's plot threads are resolved in CotS, but we are picking up right where we left off.

Hope you enjoy.

Best,
Kirsten

So will the effects of 8472 be felt or are they stil posing as officers... I for one thought that once they were revealed they'd move on and never be heard from again. I like them and all but I get they feeling that they are up to something and have a far sinister plan in mind when the time is right. I just don't trust them.

 

[JD]

I'm confused, I thought Batiste was just one member of his species (8472, Groundskeeper, Undine or whatever the hell you want to call them) who was accidentally left behind. I didn't think anything to do with a plot by them or anything like that . But I haven't read the book since it first came out, so I could be forgetting something big.

 

[Christopher]

^No, JD, you're right. Batiste was a loose end from a long-abandoned scheme.