Book review

Jun. 1st, 2018 07:31 pm
vr_trakowski: (Default)


Battlestations! (Star Trek: Fortunes Of War, #2)Battlestations! by Diane Carey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is one of the odder Classic Trek books, or at least it was when it was first published--it's in first person, and the main characters aren't canon. Piper is a Command candidate who finds herself scrambling to deal with dangerous situations, only some of which are her own fault, accompanied by her own nascent team of officers. It's good fun, mostly lighthearted, and while I would say it sometimes veers too close to the edge of silly, I still enjoy the story and the banter.

Also, Kirk's response to the damage to the Enterprise is still one of the funniest things I've ever read in Trek.




vr_trakowski: (Default)
I just finished watching Fear in the Night, which I put on my Netflix list solely because it starred DeForest Kelley.  And was apparently his first film.  Normally I don't watch much that was made prior to Star Wars (pace snowydragon1776), in part because I have trouble telling people apart in black and white films--seriously, they're mostly white, the guys all have the same haircuts and dress alike, and there isn't much variation in the women either--but I was curious about his work outside of Star Trek.  Though I do want to look up a Western too.  

Admittedly I don't know much about films of the time, but it didn't seem very good to me.  Though I admit that my reaction to his first appearance was "Oh, he's adorable!"  *snerk*  Very young, at least compared to ST.  The plot was...implausible, to say the least, and the main character passed out at least three times in rapid succession.  Not to mention a blatant "oops" at one point, which I will not detail--I think this one has wound its way around to the point where that would be a spoiler.  But it wasn't a bad watch, I've seen worse, and it satisfied my curiosity.  

Other films I've watched recently:

Space Cowboys--amusing if predictable up to a point, and then they threw physics out the airlock and plausibility after it, though I admit I wasn't expecting the twist.  Also, the Russian general had a French accent. 

Mansfield Park (1999)--avoid, avoid, avoid.  Beautifully staged and nicely casted (I am fond of Johnny Lee Miller), but for some reason they mixed in elements of Jane Austen's life and then screwed up the plot further, and it's a total mess.  Ugh. 




vr_trakowski: (Wizard)
This started out as a comment, but it got long, and I decided to move it here.  So, thank you, [livejournal.com profile] aspidites, for prompting this! 

Diane Duane wrote quite a few Star Trek novels, though I always hope that she will write more!  Well, I always hope she'll write more anything, frankly.  Fortunately for me, she does. 

The Wounded Sky was lent to me almost twenty-five years ago by a fellow Trekker, for a cross-country trip.  I read it so much that I bought her a new copy when I returned. 

My Enemy, My Ally is the start of her take on the Rihannsu/Romulans; TNG eventually took them in a different direction, but many hold Ms. Duane’s vision to be better.  This and The Wounded Sky can be read individually. 

Spock’s World* was, IIRC, the first Trek novel to be published first in hardcover, and is a history of Vulcan intertwined with a present-day adventure for the crew.  This should be read, if for no other reason, to see Doctor McCoy debate the entire planetary population of Vulcan.  *snerk* 

The Romulan Way is sort of the other half of the Spock’s World story, though they can also be read separately. 

Doctor’s Orders centers on McCoy and is tremendous fun--to my mind she writes the characters as they should be (but aren’t always, even on screen), and her treatment of Bones is quite possibly the best out there. 

Swordhunt and Honor Blade are really two halves of one book that I suspect Pocket made her slice in two; they pick up the Rihannsu story and shouldn’t be read alone.  The Empty Chair is nice and thick and finishes that story. 

The Bloodwing Voyages and Sand and Stars are “collection” volumes, not original stuff. 

For TNG she did Intellivore, and Dark Mirror, which is TNG and the Mirror, Mirror universe. 

She also wrote stories in various Star Trek graphic novels and manga, and co-authored the TNG ep Where No One Has Gone Before, though she points out here that it bears little resemblance to the original script.

Some were co-authored with Peter Morwood.  Like all her works, these are rich with tributes, hat-tips, sly guest appearances, and inside jokes that still have me laughing after a quarter of a century of re-re-re-reading.  Remember, don't judge by the covers, and for more information check out her site.  She's done many other gorgeous books. 


* The audiobook was read by George Takei, and is, I believe, abridged (alas).  I tried to listen to it but broke down in uncontrollable laughter when hearing Mr. Takei do the Rec Deck computer.  His voicing of Kirk is just a bit too sly as well, not that I really blame him...it was done quite some time ago! 
vr_trakowski: (Wizard)
This started out as a comment, but it got long, and I decided to move it here.  So, thank you, [livejournal.com profile] aspidites, for prompting this! 

Diane Duane wrote quite a few Star Trek novels, though I always hope that she will write more!  Well, I always hope she'll write more anything, frankly.  Fortunately for me, she does. 

The Wounded Sky was lent to me almost twenty-five years ago by a fellow Trekker, for a cross-country trip.  I read it so much that I bought her a new copy when I returned. 

My Enemy, My Ally is the start of her take on the Rihannsu/Romulans; TNG eventually took them in a different direction, but many hold Ms. Duane’s vision to be better.  This and The Wounded Sky can be read individually. 

Spock’s World* was, IIRC, the first Trek novel to be published first in hardcover, and is a history of Vulcan intertwined with a present-day adventure for the crew.  This should be read, if for no other reason, to see Doctor McCoy debate the entire planetary population of Vulcan.  *snerk* 

The Romulan Way is sort of the other half of the Spock’s World story, though they can also be read separately. 

Doctor’s Orders centers on McCoy and is tremendous fun--to my mind she writes the characters as they should be (but aren’t always, even on screen), and her treatment of Bones is quite possibly the best out there. 

Swordhunt and Honor Blade are really two halves of one book that I suspect Pocket made her slice in two; they pick up the Rihannsu story and shouldn’t be read alone.  The Empty Chair is nice and thick and finishes that story. 

The Bloodwing Voyages and Sand and Stars are “collection” volumes, not original stuff. 

For TNG she did Intellivore, and Dark Mirror, which is TNG and the Mirror, Mirror universe. 

She also wrote stories in various Star Trek graphic novels and manga, and co-authored the TNG ep Where No One Has Gone Before, though she points out here that it bears little resemblance to the original script.

Some were co-authored with Peter Morwood.  Like all her works, these are rich with tributes, hat-tips, sly guest appearances, and inside jokes that still have me laughing after a quarter of a century of re-re-re-reading.  Remember, don't judge by the covers, and for more information check out her site.  She's done many other gorgeous books. 


* The audiobook was read by George Takei, and is, I believe, abridged (alas).  I tried to listen to it but broke down in uncontrollable laughter when hearing Mr. Takei do the Rec Deck computer.  His voicing of Kirk is just a bit too sly as well, not that I really blame him...it was done quite some time ago! 
vr_trakowski: (pages)
Barbara Hambly's Ishmael is one of my favorites among the early Star Trek Pockets (#23).  It's a bit obvious, and it makes the rather glaring error of calling Vulcan "Vulcanis", but it's delicately, beautifully written, a must for Spock fans.  Good, old-fashioned time travel, better handled than such things often are (Terminator II, I'm looking at you); a strong understanding of the characters and relationships on board Enterprise; and some stellar OCs.  It could be argued that it is fanfic, but if so, it's fanfic of the highest quality; and anyway, most of those early Trek novels are.  The pre-Pocket ones, for instance, are an amusingly horrifying collection...  

Part of the delight for me, in this one, is the inside jokes.  Much like Diane Duane, Ms. Hambly tips her hat to several other space-going stories--I can count at least three and there may be one or two I'm missing--but she does so in a way that doesn't interrupt the plot at all.  Watch for them, and admire. 
vr_trakowski: (pages)
Barbara Hambly's Ishmael is one of my favorites among the early Star Trek Pockets (#23).  It's a bit obvious, and it makes the rather glaring error of calling Vulcan "Vulcanis", but it's delicately, beautifully written, a must for Spock fans.  Good, old-fashioned time travel, better handled than such things often are (Terminator II, I'm looking at you); a strong understanding of the characters and relationships on board Enterprise; and some stellar OCs.  It could be argued that it is fanfic, but if so, it's fanfic of the highest quality; and anyway, most of those early Trek novels are.  The pre-Pocket ones, for instance, are an amusingly horrifying collection...  

Part of the delight for me, in this one, is the inside jokes.  Much like Diane Duane, Ms. Hambly tips her hat to several other space-going stories--I can count at least three and there may be one or two I'm missing--but she does so in a way that doesn't interrupt the plot at all.  Watch for them, and admire. 

Question

Oct. 6th, 2010 10:35 pm
vr_trakowski: (huh)
I am way, way out of date.  Is there any other Trek book besides John M. Ford's How Much for Just the Planet? that uses the word "dagnabbit"?

Question

Oct. 6th, 2010 10:35 pm
vr_trakowski: (huh)
I am way, way out of date.  Is there any other Trek book besides John M. Ford's How Much for Just the Planet? that uses the word "dagnabbit"?
vr_trakowski: (huh)
Human blood uses iron to transport oxygen molecules.  Oxygen-carrying blood is red--it's oxidized, after a fashion...rusty.  Fine. 

Vulcan blood (I know, work with me here) uses copper to transport oxygen.  Oxygenated copper turns green (or greeny-blue).  So... 

Is unoxygenated Vulcan blood...red? 
vr_trakowski: (huh)
Human blood uses iron to transport oxygen molecules.  Oxygen-carrying blood is red--it's oxidized, after a fashion...rusty.  Fine. 

Vulcan blood (I know, work with me here) uses copper to transport oxygen.  Oxygenated copper turns green (or greeny-blue).  So... 

Is unoxygenated Vulcan blood...red? 

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