Critical Myth-Interpretations

The original novel was one of my childhood favorites, and a book I still cherish.  When this “sequel” first arrived more than ten years ago, I avoided it because it wasn’t so much a novel as a collection of short stories.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of short story collections, and I was a bit wary of the possibility of disappointment.

I finally decided to read this since I was on vacation and had the opportunity, and my impressions are mixed.  Much of the book is filled with short stories related to the rabbits’ mythology involving El-Ahrairah, and as interesting as it is, the contextual relevance of the tales in the original novel always made them more intriguing and charming.  Some of the messages in the stories, taken on their own, now seem overly obvious.

Also, when the stories finally turned to a description of the events following the main conflict of the original novel, they seemed to be more connected, as if telling a larger story.  Unfortunately, that was not really the case.  The stories never came together very well, and by the end, I was left wishing for a more stirring and fitting final word.

On the other hand, it was good to get a fresh look at the unique culture of “Watership Down”, even if it didn’t feel quite substantial enough.

Rating: 7/10

According to the authors, this is the first volume of a new trilogy called the “Lost Chronicles”, supposedly based on material that had to be cut from the original trilogy of “Dragonlance” novels back in the mid-1980s.  One might be forgiven for a measure of doubt, since the novels of the new trilogy are longer than the original books.  If the ideas were discarded for length, they were certainly fleshed out in the new incarnation.

The story itself, as promised, fills a gap in the original trilogy with the discovery and recovery of the Hammer of Kharas.  In the end, however, this is not the highlight of the story, since it is really just an extended chapter in an established story.  None of the characters are really in any believable jeopardy.

Instead, the joy is getting a fresh look at the classic Companions, years after their introduction and well after their collective passing in the main sequence of the franchise.  No matter how interesting the new primary characters might have been in the “War of Souls”, the original companions were far more diverse and iconic.  With so many years having passed, the familiar characters are approached with a bit more understanding of their eventual fates.

This book also focused on Flint and tied into many of the events of the “Legends” trilogy, which was a nice touch.  Flint was one of the first companions to go, and this is a massive opportunity to get to know the character better.  It should be interesting to see if any elements from this novel tie into the rest of the new trilogy, making it more than a collection of “lost chapters”.

Rating: 8/10

Media tie-in fiction, particularly outside of the episodic Trek milieu or the pre-planned arcs of the Star Wars Extended Universe, has a built-in complication.  If the franchise in question is based on a television series that is a mixture of episodic elements held together by long-term plot and character arcs, one is justified in assuming that the vast majority of the arc will be on-screen.  Thus any novel set in the continuity cannot realistically include events that are more substantial than the events on-screen, or one would wonder why those events were never referenced.

There are ways around this problem.  The first is simple: set the story outside of the “current” timeline.  Say, a prequel or “alternate reality” story.  In fact, there is a comic series covering some of the initial adventures of John Winchester, and all of that territory is fair game.  But this initial novel is set squarely in the center of the second season, and as such, must co-exist with a complicated set of character arcs for the Brothers Winchester.

The author’s solution to the problem is relatively simple: accept that the events are going to be low-key and focus on the characters themselves.  Both of the situations in the book are fairly simple, and it’s easy to believe that the brothers would never really mention what happened, especially with other concerns on the horizon.  But this leads to the problem of relevancy; a number of readers, especially those devoted to fan fiction, will likely feel this is a lightweight affair.

The Brothers Winchester are, with very few exceptions, in character.  The author gets the personalities down very well, and one might perceive that as part of the problem.  This is such a relatively minor case that the brothers spend a lot of time in casual pursuits, and that makes the quirks pop out as exaggerations.  Dean gets the brunt of this, with his obsession with music and women.  All that said, it rings true; neither brother is suddenly obsessed with something never before mentioned.

When the author keeps the story casual, there’s little to complain about.  There’s also little to rave about, but it’s a very pleasant read.  When continuity is brought into the mix, there are some odd notions that may not work.  First, there’s the hint that John Winchester approved of Sam’s educational choices far more than previously revealed.  It’s not very important to the story, however, so it’s hard to imagine why it was included.

The second addition is closer to the plot, involving a cop named McBain who considers herself part of a small network of policewomen who help hunters stay out of trouble.  As interesting as this concept is, and as much as it helps to explain how the hunters operate without too much law enforcement interference, it’s never been mentioned in the series.  It works for the purposes of the story, and it’s a minimal addition overall, but it felt a little intrusive.

Given the constraints of the tie-in genre, especially the first novel for a franchise, there’s little surprise that the author would stick with the familiar, focus on the Brothers Winchester, and keep the story close to home.  The author lives in New York, so the novel boils down to “Dean and Sammy Visit the Big Apple”.  For those happy enough with a lightweight adventure, this is worth the time; I was inspired to watch the pilot on DVD again after reading it.  Those wanting something as substantial as the series itself should simply wait for the third season premiere.

Rating: 6/10

After the more serious stories in the collection, this was something of a breath of fresh air.  There was such a level of absurdity that the only failing was the occasional attempt to insert seriousness into the mix.  The supposed death of a character fell flat because it was just a matter of time before all of the horrible circumstances were reversed.

This is, however, one of those stories that could never be done satisfactorily on-screen.  It might have made for an ambitious episode of “Farscape”, where the absurdity would have fit quite well, but the mixture of Douglas Adams and the Trek franchise wouldn’t have worked off the page.  That makes this story a success just in terms of making the fusion work in a medium suited to its style.

Rating: 7/10

After a couple of relatively intense stories, this felt far more conventional.  While I appreciate a story focusing on Dr. Lense, normally a character well in the background, this was more or less the stock story for a medical officer.  I found the plot to be predictable, even if some of the minor details were creative and conceptually intriguing.

The story was also shorter than most of the other installments in the “Grand Designs” collection, which also didn’t help.  It felt like it was rushing through the standard plot points.  The only way that the story could have surprised me was the death or departure of Dr. Lense.  Because that didn’t happen, it felt like the story was a bit too simple and predictable to stand out.

Rating: 6/10

It’s been some time since “Wildfire”, the SCE story that just about changed everything.  Something about this story, right from the beginning, made me nervous that this would be the next crushing blow.  More than once, I found myself worried that Carol Abramowitz would end up the next high-profile victim among the crew, and then I was even more worried when the rest of the away team seemed to be in the same boat.

Mack is always a favorite, especially his recent work on the “Vanguard” series, and he knows how to depict a gritty, seemingly hopeless situation.  In fact, given the circumstances, I think the survival of the entire away team is somewhat difficult to reconcile.  On the other hand, the experience does give everyone involved a new perspective of life, particularly Gomez and Abramowitz.

Rating: 9/10

This is another solid story from Ward and Dilmore, two of my current favorites in the Trek novel arena.  What appears to be a simple conflict between two planets, one originally a colony of the other, quickly becomes something disturbing on several levels.  Captain Gold’s control over his crew is compromised by the presence of an ambassador willing to use unethical means to achieve his goals, and that gives the story a lot more punch.

There’s not much space devoted to the conflict between mother country and colony/settlement, but what is on the page brings to mind how quickly situations can escalate out of control when pride and power are at stake.  While any student of history can tell where the escalation is heading, it’s hard not to experience the tension when the final die is cast.  A good plot twist prevents the most disturbing outcome, but it hardly resets the button for anyone, and that’s a good thing.

Definitely worth the time!

Rating: 8/10

I’m usually happy to delve into a story where events are told from an alternate, alien perspective.  I appreciate the author’s attempt to make alien contact a true mystery, with communication problems and differences in scale and biological compatibilities on nearly every level.  Unfortunately, it usually works better when the author has the page count available to get into more depth and explain things more clearly to the reader.

This was an interesting story, because it gave the SCE the opportunity to deal with threats both common (the Klingons) and uncommon (the aforementioned aliens).  The Klingons are initially presented as being quite different from Humans, especially in terms of culture, so the characters need to adjust.  This is followed by an encounter with aliens and environments that are vastly alien to both Humans and Klingons, which provides a nice touch of perspective.

I just never felt as though I understood what was happening with the aliens themselves, especially when seen from the more familiar points of view.  Because everything had to be reduced to simple terms, since the character knew nothing and had little means of explaining what was happening themselves, the descriptions of events were difficult to follow.  So while the actual story and the perspectives were worth the time, I struggled my way to the conclusion, and that took something away from the enjoyment.

Rating: 6/10

According to the biography in the back of the trade omnibus “Grand Designs”, which includes this story, this is the first professional fiction sale for the author.  That doesn’t necessarily mean very much, but as I read the story, I found myself wondering if the author had much experience and wasn’t surprised to discover that she was a relative beginner.

The writing itself is good, but I was struck by some of the odd choices for generating drama, particularly the issues surrounding Tev’s mother and the space elevator accident.  Without getting into details, Tev’s mother was killed in a horrific accident several years before the time of the story, and this is the originally presented reason for Tev’s displeasure in returning for the current mission.  Many characters are struck by his attitude and wonder why he’s acting strangely.

What bothered me was the idea that this information wouldn’t be available to those in authority, and that Captain Gold wouldn’t know about it.  It’s not even mentioned in Tev’s service record to ensure that someone would understand the personal dynamics involved.  Gomez and others are forced to make the connections over a period of time, and that’s just bad mission planning, especially since Tev’s psychological state could affect the success of the mission.

It’s also an unnecessary addition, since the story would have worked better by keeping Tev’s personal conflict with the politicians on the planet as the primary source of his angst.  There were levels of that interpersonal history left unexplored.  Between the odd choice of emphasis regarding Tev’s mental state and the odd logic to allow for more dramatic tension, I thought the strengths of the story were undermined.

Rating: 5/10

The first “APO” book was a disappointing effort on just about every level, written by one of the less impressive (yet somehow in-demand) tie-in authors.  This book was written by two members of the “Alias” writing staff, which immediately gives it more credibility.  Unfortunately, since this is also the first novel for both writers, there are some rough edges in terms of adjusting to a new medium.

The story itself fits “Alias” very well, and when one considers the events as they unfold, it’s not hard to see how they would work as an actual episode.  This book is set somewhere in the early fourth season (and seems to play certain relationships vaguely as a result).  We get a better look at some of the underlying tensions between the fathers and daughters, and they ring true to the time period.

At the same time, the authors don’t take advantage of the opportunity to explore the characters in more depth.  The tensions mentioned above were already on-screen, and it would have been interesting to see how all of the characters were reacting to the new status quo.  This is one of the big differences between the Trek franchise novels (where the writers take chances with character psychology and exploring holes in the continuity) and the “Alias” line.  There must have been a mandate to leave plot and character questions from the series unanswered, because none of that material is covered.

Rating: 6/10