Wednesday 28 May 2014

Book bits: Aventine novel titled, pop-ups, New Visions, Klingons, and German dates

A few bits of book news starting with the title of John Jackson Miller's first Star Trek novel (following his first entry in the Trekverse this year, his Titan ebook, Absent Enemies). Simon and Schuster now list a TNG novel, Takedown, set for release in January next year. No other details are listed there, but if we assume this is the novel expected from Miller, then the USS Aventine crew, and Admiral William Riker, will also be appearing in this tale, alongside the USS Enterprise-E crew.

Due out in November this year is Star Trek Pop-Ups, set to feature pop-art art from across the prime timeline designed by Courtney Watson McCarthy, with text from Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann. An updated version of the cover for this one has now been released, a more refined version of the previously revealed cover.

Recently released was the first issue in John Byrne's new photo-comic series, New Visions, and Amazon now have a listing up for the first omnibus from the series, which will include the first two issues, as well as the one-off annual that kicked the whole idea off. Amazon have this description up:
John Byrne presents all-new Star Trek: The Original Series episodes like you've never seen them before! Including the 2013 Photonovel Annual as well as the one-shots "Core" and "Cry Vengeance" - done in the fumetti-style by one of the greatest living comic book artists!
I believe this needs an update though, as the first issue in the series was The Mirror, Cracked (perhaps Cry Vengeance was a working title for this, it would certainly fit the story), and the second issue will be Time's Echo (which definitely did have Core as a working title).

Already out is The Klingon Art of War, Keith R.A. DeCandido's new Klingon philosophy/self help/history book. DeCandido was recently interviewed by TrekFM's Literary Treks podcast, and gave this summary of breadth of the material he has created for the book:
...there are examples from the time and Kahless, that illustrate each of the precepts. Involving Kahless, involving Kahless' mate, Kahless' family, Kahless' friends, people Kahless encountered over the years and such. And going into the origins of things like the first bat'leth and mok'bara, and I got my John M. Ford on and also included the game of klin zha which John M. Ford introduced in the novel The Final Reflection, and some other stuff as well.

Then in addition to that, the modern commentary includes stuff that's more recent; things that are both familiar and not, but things that the modern Klingon would understand. There are anecdotes involving characters that we know like Kor, and Kang, and Koloth, and Worf, and Martok, and so on, Gowron, Chang, all those guys. And there's also new examples of stuff from other Klingons, both ones we've seen before, and one's I made up for the book. I got to come up with all sorts of interesting things, including explaining where the term dahar master came from, and who the first dahar master was. And how the system of emperors worked in the old empire, and how things changed eventually to a chancellor...
Talking about future Star Trek projects DeCandido had nothing to report right now, but did seem to suggest potential in other species, particularly picking out the Vulcans, for a similar book treatment.

Finally a little updated from Cross Cult, the recently announced German translation's of Greg Cox's Eugenics Wars duology now have a release date; you can expect them in December and January.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! Thanks for the update on the Pop-Up book. If Amazon is to be believed, however, we think it's due for release in November, rather than September. It's our DS9 ebook novella, "Lust's Latinum Lost (And Found)" that's set for September.

Thanks!
Paula Block and Terry Erdmann

8of5 said...

Whoops! Fixed that now :)

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