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I have just finished reading ‘Born For Adversity’ and really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure how the third series would go or what direction it would take but I was pleasantly surprised when two of my most hated aspects of series two were removed in the closing chapters of this book. I won’t mention them to avoid spoilers but if the books continue in this way I will be one happy Alphan who missed the boat. Not that anything would stop me from reading the books (well maybe a Star Trek crossover story đ ). Just waiting for Omega to arrive and I can immerse myself once again into my favourite universe.
Just finished BFA and have mixed feelings. I liked the book overall but felt the author tried to cram to much into the story while somehow leaving out necessary characterization at times. There is certainly a great deal to like about the book and it definitely feels “professional” and not fan-fic. like many star trek novels do (and believe me I am a huge trekkie but I gave up on the books a long time ago).
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I think Helena really was MIA in the book. Why didn’t Maya ask her to be present at the ceremony around mentor? she seemed left out of a lot of major scenes I would have expected her to be in. The characterizations seemed a bit off at times also .. Maya seldom “felt” like Maya. Liked the overall story, just thought it would have been better if a bit more straight forward and more time had been spent on characterization. Still, I realize it was a probably a difficult book to write as the author had to write year 2 characters in a year one style. Like that they are back to Main Mission. Anyway, I just finished the book and these were initial impressions … will post more later after I have a chance to digest.I agree that BFA is very professionally written and has set the bar high for Year 3 books.
As for characterizations [spoiler]I thought they were well done and Maya’s didn’t strike me as ‘off’. I attributed her tone to her current life circumstances.
There was one moment where I felt Koenig was described as more overtly macho than I would believe him to be. It went something like, “Koenig clenched his fists in frustration as if he wanted to break a face.” I just don’t see Koenig as a “break your face” kind of guy. That would be Tony. [/spoiler]
Actually with more time to have thought about it the issue is likely that the year 2 characters were, generally, so underwritten that any effort to write them as more fully realized people came off as their being “out of character”. Maybe this wasn’t a mistake or a bad thing as. in future novels, this will be more my idea of the character
This is a similar issue to “That character would never do that.” Well, that’s only true until they do it. Even in the series, the characters do things in certain episodes that–at least the first time we saw the episode–we thought they’d never do. THEN, once they’ve done it, we accept that “Of course they’d do that–because they did that!”
If you follow my drift.
This is not to say that it is impossible to write something out of character. Helena isn’t going to have a romantic fling with Tony. Maya isn’t going to live amongst the pigeons. Etc.
But sometimes “That character would never do that” really means “That character would never do or say anything they haven’t done or said before.” And therein lies the danger of being so faithful to the episodes that one is merely re-jiggering dialogue from earlier episodes or not allowing the characters to breathe and grow and suffer and well–the theme of Born for Adversity–CHANGE.
Annoyedchris, I salute you for posting one of the most important revelations about reading (and writing) these books. I am sure all of us at Powys, when we read your latest post, thought “EXACTLY!”
Thanks for posting that.
Better developed characters in the books compared to the TV series does reveal sides to individual personalities which we haven’t seen before. This is part of what makes the novels so much fun to read.
But maybe the paraphrased quote I mentioned wasn’t so surprising. Koenig was probably at his angriest in “All That Glisters” and I can see him wishing he could ‘break’ Dave Reily in that one.
Just think, if a character like Yasko were allowed to develop more in a future novel fans might finally come to appreciate her more. Well, its a thought anyway.
Just finished Born for Adversity, and in general I thought it was fantastic…
[spoiler]Loved the return of the Hawks! Always wondered why Alpha never had a few of ’em sitting around for emergencies. Also liked that a plausible reason was given for the replacement and repair of the Eagles over the years. Maybe I missed this in the earlier novels, but I also really appreciated an explanation for why everyone on Alpha walks under normal gravity. Did they ever touch that in the show? Can’t remember if they did.Also liked the brief return of Kano.
The only thing I wonder about is if this isn’t too much of an attempt at a “rewind” to the way things were in season one. To me, removing Maya’s ability was overkill. I think it is OK for Alpha to have a bit of a “secret weapon” in her. But in the context of the book’s theme, I can see why it was done.
Overall, though, great job guys. Look forward to reading the next ones.
[/spoiler]This post is 100% spoilers!
[spoiler]If you think about it, Maya’s metamorphic abilities was overused in Year Two. It seemed like situations and entire episodes were dreamed up just to have an excuse for another transformation. I LIKE the character of Maya and I loved Catherine Schell’s performance in the role. But the ‘Maya saves the day’ aspect was one of the sins of Year Two. It was a gimmick, and we are looking forward to telling stories with Maya, where her greatest attributes are her intelligence, wit, and loyalty. Born for Adversity set the stage for those stories. [/spoiler]
[spoiler]I for one loved the fact that Maya’s abilities were removed. It was one of the things I hated about Year two. I also loathed the Command Center set, too crowded and boxy, I much preferred Main Mission and cheered when I read about the return to it. I also loved the fact that Psyche was the one who gave the Psychons their abilities in the first place.
Now the Alphans are able to think for themselves once more without Maya just changing into a monster and using brute force to save the day.
Something which might be interesting would be for Maya to get into trouble by not being able to change anymore, since it was second nature to her, it would be a real handicap to her, like going blind.
So far so good, keep up the excellent work. [/spoiler][spoiler][quote]It was a gimmick, and we are looking forward to telling stories with Maya, where her greatest attributes are her intelligence, wit, and loyalty. Born for Adversity set the stage for those stories. [/quote]
Yes, I can understand that rationale. If you rely on her too much she becomes the alien version of a “ghost in the machine.” And I shouldn’t pass judgement on stories I haven’t read or that haven’t even been written yet.
Still, I wonder if this move doesn’t remove her uniqueness. I’m not sure what differentiates her from Sandra or just being a female version of Dr. Bergman. Lots of other ensemble sci-fi shows have had a crewmember or two with special abilities. Perhaps the thing to do was to give her a weakness along with her strength? Dunno.
I don’t really want to second guess your decisions, though. I know–plotting is tough, tough work. Especially when you’re plotting over a series of books. And i’ve really loved most of what Powys has done so far.
And yes, having Main Mission back is fun. I never understood why that change happened in the show. I mean, they had the set built already, right? :unsure: [/spoiler]
[b]mateo wrote:[/b]
[quote]This post is 100% spoilers![spoiler][quote]If you think about it, Maya’s metamorphic abilities was overused in Year Two. It seemed like situations and entire episodes were dreamed up just to have an excuse for another transformation. [/quote]
This has always been my #1 complaint about the character. (As I dodge any thrown rotten tomatoes, I [b]do [/b]have complaints #2 & #3, and so forth, but this was always primary. Actually, my #2 has also been addressed in BfA to some extent as well.) Year 1 was often about the strength of the human spirit in overcoming their struggles, and in having to deal with the consequences of their choices. Heck, just being in space under those circumstances was a struggle, and they managed to hold on and even thrive to some extent. Marek even notes it – it may be [b]humanity’s[/b] universe, but it’s not [b]theirs [/b]- they weren’t prepared for it. Nevertheless, they made it because of their tenacity, for the most part.
No character should ever be infallible or omniscient. That’s just not life. Some may be more heroic, or more intuitive, or have some deep scars that need healing, but that is what makes an ensemble most enjoyable: the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. [/spoiler][/quote]
By the way, I am re-reading [u]BfA [/u], taking time to hear the words instead of just reading them. Lore is better the second time around!
-Pat.
Well, Iâm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I finally got around to reading Born For Adversity just last week (and still have Omega and Alpha on the night stand). And yes, itâs been tricky to read and post on this forum without accidentally getting spoiled on some really key points about these books, but so far so goodâŚ
Regarding BFA, I thought it was a fantastic âseason premiereâ episode for Year 3. Iâm not a fan of Year 2 by a long shot, but I do find that Iâm really enjoying the serious approach to the material – which is the overriding ideal in all the Powys novels. The two transition novels (The Forsaken and Survival) had storylines and events that gave me workable and acceptable reasons for the transformation of the world of Alpha from Year 1 to what we got stuck with in Year 2 (with the exception of the destruction of Main Mission, which I felt was completely pointless and unnecessary in Survival). BFA continues that directive and provides a serious look and assessment of what can be done in a Year 3 environment. From this book I found that I can enjoy Year 2 â as long as Iâm not being subjected to the worst elements of Freibergerâs makeover (although there was that little nod on page 117 to his ridiculous abuse of warning signs with large lettering. But I had to laugh at that). I do have some minor quibbles though, mostly technical in nature, but overall this was a superb achievement and a great addition to the Powysverse suite of novels.
Pros: As was been mentioned in an earlier review and is worth bringing up again, this is an excellent, professionally crafted novel and clearly not a work of fan fiction. It was well written, suspenseful, and demonstrated a strong knowledge of the 1999 universe by using thoughtful, episode based explanations to what would otherwise be the unbelievable coincidences that drive the narrative. The suspense in the story is derived from knowing that Powys has been and is still making significant changes to the 1999 universe, but not knowing what the changes to the universe are going to be – who leaves, who arrives, who lives, who dies – keeps the reader on edge. (Going in to this book, I secretly hoped it was Maya that would be leaving and heading out to the stars foreverâŚ).
The characterizations were really solid as well. For the most part I could hear the actors saying the words as written. The conversations and discussions worked well amongst all the players. And the best part was seeing that the characters had matured and the story was addressing adult themes, something that was glossed over in Year 2.
It was another interesting push forward in the 1999 universe, told with well thought-out use of in-universe story elements to tie it all together.
Cons: The multiple technical errors (see quibbles below) and the odd pacing through the last few climactic chapters. The finale swung from moments of intense fighting and fast pacing to pages of leisurely discussions without a sense of urgency of the life-and-death battle swirling around the base. And although overall the read was a professional experience, one element of the story stood out as pure fan service to me, and that was the creation of the Hawk ships within a matter of days. Itâs one thing to perhaps manufacture a basic structure and hull of a ship in just a couple days but to outfit the guts of the ships with the thousands and thousands of machined or electrical items to really make a spaceship fly is beyond the credible. As well, as interesting as the prologue was, it spoiled the true nature of the Pyschons as aggressors as soon as I read that Psychons were aboard the non-Psychon ship in Chapter 6 â as it was then immediately obvious that the marauders in the prologue were just shape-shifted Psychons. It took away the âare they or arenât theyâ element to their true intentions.
Overall: a fantastic work digging into Maya, her background, loyalties and resolve in the face of life altering events. A solid edition to the Powys lineup. 9/10.
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The Quibbles: Unfortunately, I found numerous technical issues in the novel, and although this has never been a strength with Space: 1999, I can still hope for a story that gets much of the science right. For the most part, these errors didnât really diminish my enjoyment of the book, but being a rocket scientist, they all made me wince, or confused me as to what was going on or just flat out distracted me enough to completely pull me out of the story. (Mateo â if you need technical QA of any of the upcoming novels, let me know, Iâd be happy to vet them) :cheer:Chapter 1 was filled with the most errors â The readings of the Eagleâs ranges, velocities and times to impact didnât match up â the specific values given didnât track out accurately as the events progressed. Shuttle Mission Control is at JSC, not KSC. Alanâs last minute high-rate-of-speed 180-degree yaw of the Eagle before impact, although dramatic, is bad flying. As an astronaut Alan would know that starting the yaw maneuver as early as possible and at a much slower rate would be the far better thing to do, providing more time and safety to the action. The phrase Terminal Velocity is used incorrectly, so I donât really know what the author is trying to say with the phrase âeuphemistically called terminal velocityâ.
After that first chapter there was huge improvement, and only a handful or so of things bothered me for the remainder of the book, things like the continual swapping between English and Metric units, the occasional erroneous words and phrases (âterminal velocityâ, âthe lunar satellite of our home planetâ, âtook up a geosynchronous orbitâ, âitâs going haywire, literallyâ), the random typo (I counted five) or little inconsistencies in story elements.
[b]Ultra wrote:[/b]
[quote]… as interesting as the prologue was, it spoiled the true nature of the Pyschons as aggressors as soon as I read that Psychons were aboard the non-Psychon ship in Chapter 6 … it was then immediately obvious that the marauders in the prologue were just shape-shifted Psychons. It took away the âare they or arenât theyâ element to their true intentions.
[/quote]
Interesting – I might have moved this into the Pro category, actually. Part of what I found intriguing was that, as readers, we knew things the others did not. It is interesting to see characters be WRONG about things. With a 52-minute time-frame, there is no room to be making incorrect assumptions. But the Psychons being as confused about the computer issues as the Alphans, and the Korth Pathfinder sniffing out the differences between humans and Psychons? Those added another layer of credibility for me.[quote] …being a rocket scientist, they all made me wince, or confused me as to what was going on or just flat out distracted me enough to completely pull me out of the story.[/quote]
Ah, so it it [u]does [/u]take a rocket scientist to pick up on those things. Can I quote you on this? Really, can I? [i]*whisper*: Don’t tell anybody, but [strike]there’s some shaky biology in there too. [/strike]:dry:[/i]
[quote]…the continual swapping between English and Metric units…[/quote]
When Koenig got the distance in kilometers/kilometres and then called Helena, I thought it was, um – OK I’ll say it – cute that he switched to miles. It saves her the trouble of doing the conversion in her head; even though she’s a scientist, She’ a doctor, dammit, not a rocket scientist, and to visualize it, she’s most likely going to think in miles.
Nice review.
-Pat.
I’m no rocket scientist either – but I hope I know what makes a good Michael Bay moment…
[quote]PatS wrote:
Ah, so it it [u]does [/u]take a rocket scientist to pick up on those things. Can I quote you on this? Really, can I? [i]*whisper*: Don’t tell anybody, but [strike]there’s some shaky biology in there too. [/strike]:dry:[/i]
[/quote]Shaky biology’s kind of a prerequisite in this kind of series, where you’re dealing with crossing terrestrial and extraterrestrial species. So you have to sort of… develop something you know is rubbish, but sounds good!
Obviously it’s different if you’re writing a completely original novel, because then you can be as accurate or fantastical as you like.
Then again, I like to take the piss as well – in other books I’ve had a Minkowski Generator as part of a ship’s engine (to wind up the mathematicians), a nightclub monitored by closed-circuit radio, and so on.
So in addition to the demands of balancing realism and fantasy, some of nits are going to have been deliberate gags…
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