Wednesday 25 April 2018

Book bits: Novel and non-fiction covers and updates

A few bits of Star Trek book news today, including updates on novels, audiobooks and non-fiction titles. Continue below for all.

First up, Voyager novelist Kirsten Beyer recently appeared on TrekFM's Literary Treks podcast to discuss her most recent book, Architects of Infinity. Some time ago it was revealed Beyer was set to write a further Voyager novel, To Lose the Earth, after this book, but of course her new role writing for Discovery has already delayed work on both books. Fortunately Beyer was able to confirm work on To Lose the Earth is still going ahead, and so we should at some point get to continue Voyager's ongoing adventures in the Delta Quadrant; albeit with such a busy schedule, just when that book will come remains a mystery.

Beyer also briefly discussed her role as Discovery's media tie-in coordinator, which of course includes having a hand in the development of James Swallow's forthcoming Discovery novel, Fear Itself. That book is due out in June, and Simon and Schuster have now revealed the audiobook edition cover, which is as usual a somewhat expanded version of the previously released print edition cover:


Robert Petkoff returns for his second Discovery novel to read this audio-edition. Here's a reminder of the blurb:
Lieutenant Saru is a Kelpien, a member of a prey species born on a world overrun by monstrous predators…and a being who very intimately understands the nature of fear. Challenged on all sides, he is determined to surpass his origins and succeed as a Starfleet officer aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou. But when Saru breaks protocol in order to prove himself to his crewmates, what begins as a vital rescue mission to save a vessel in distress soon escalates out of control. Forced into a command role he may not be ready for, Saru is caught between his duty and the conflicting agendas of two antagonistic alien races. To survive, he will need to seek a path of peace against all odds, and risk compromising the very ideals he has sworn to uphold….

Coming in October, it appears Larry Nemecek's Stellar Cartography book and map set from 2013 is getting a reprint. Here's the new cover, which is similar to the original, but the elements have been rearranged somewhat.


This appears to be a straight reissue, with the blurb not suggesting any new content, and the publisher (now being released by Epic Ink, a different imprint of the previous publisher) listing the same details for size and format. The original edition included a short book describing ten separate folded large sheet maps illustrated by Ian Fullwood, Geoffrey Mandel, and Ali Ries - It's a really great release, which you can read about at length in my review. Here's the blurb:
Star Trek Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library assembles ten original, never-before-seen large-format maps of the Star Trek universe. Pulled from the cartography archives of Starfleet Academy, these beautifully reproduced maps provide a rare opportunity to view the expanse of Federation space—and beyond—through the multiple lenses of the Galaxy's key players.

The maps include an ancient Vulcan map, a Klingon Empire map from the pre-Organian Peace Treaty era (in the native Klingon), an official Romulan government map of the Empire, a native Cardassian Union map from the Bajor occupation, along with Federation maps from the modern era. Housed in a handsome clamshell case and paired with a fully-illustrated reference book providing detailed information on planets, systems, and topography, this exclusive collection showcases the Star Trek universe like never before.

Finally, just released by Running Press is their latest Star Trek Miniature Edition novelty book and model set, this time a TNG era tricorder, with lights and sound. They have released a new image showcasing the final product:


To keep track of all the latest Star Trek book releases, hit the books button on my 2018 schedule page. You can also find series reading lists and author bibliographies on my dedicated Star Trek lists site.



1 comment:

  1. Shame Stellar Cartography is just a reprint--it was a great idea, but the execution was... lacking.

    Re: Beyer, I'm really glad there's another book coming. Architects of Infinity ends on a really asinine cliffhanger (it's not really a spoiler: in the last paragraph one of the ships blows up. Out of nowhere. It's very cheap). That said, apparently the contract for the new book was signed at the same time as Architects, so the sequel doesn't indicate anything one way or another about the future of TrekLit.

    Have you ever written about what the hang-up is, 8of5? My understanding is that it has something to do w/ the licensing of the Discovery novels somehow affecting the Prime Universe stuff.

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