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[b]mateo wrote:[/b]
[quote]Wow, Cricket, I am impressed. I don’t how to make a link like that!
[/quote]:laugh: :laugh:
Well, I wish I could take credit for being clever, but it is actually just a function of the site. Just copy and paste a link and it is neatly truncated when you save the posting.
This has already been addressed. May I suggest you read this thread:
Arrived last night. I remain very impressed with Lulu’s speed and quality. The cover is gorgeous. I hope to have time to start reading it this weekend!
Just notified my copy of [i]Omega[/i] has been mailed. Very pleased with this turnaround time for print-on-demand.
[b]kalthon wrote:[/b]
[quote]
I was hoping that David Welle might have contributed to [b]SM[/b], actually – maybe the next one.
[/quote]Indeed. Another fanfic writer of very high calibre is Ellen Lindow.
I’ve enjoyed David’s stories immensely. In fact, he posted a new one just yesterday which is part of his ‘Bridges and Anchorages’ series and immediately follows ‘Bridge 2’, it is called ‘Whose Orders’:
[quote] Should we list the non-alien encounter stories?
[/quote]Breakaway
Another Time, Another Place
The Full Circle
The Testament of Arkadia (I don’t think animated skeletons count, or do they?)
Catacombs of the Moon
Space Warp[b]kalthon wrote:[/b]
[quote]I think the problem with naming [i]Full Circle[/i] as an example of the sort of story that you’d like is…that it was one of the weakest of the Year One stories! There might have been some nice character moments and flashes of humour, but that’s about it.[/quote]Yes, [i]Full Circle[/i] definitely falls in the category of ‘throwing popcorn at the screen’ fun, but it is also one of the episodes where we get glimpses of character development amongst the secondary characters, as does another (IMO) weak episode, [i]The Beta Cloud[/i]. Neither falls in my personal top 10, but I always enjoy reading/watching character development beyond the main characters. Perhaps the more subtle character development of the excellent [i]Black Sun[/i] would be another example.
[quote]I [i]do[/i] think though that there is always a danger that writers can get carried away with alien characters and civilisations at the expense of the Alphans (who should indeed be the main focus). In general I think the balance is well judged. Sometimes you need a little context in these stories, and Alpha’s brushes with alien civilisations (as in the tv series) provide a very rich source of character conflict. [/quote]
Agree, which is why I cited Muir’s [i]Forsaken[/i], which I enjoyed and have reread on occasion.
[quote]Now, you could [i]also[/i] say that novels solely based around the Alphans could do much the same (eg [i]Seance Spectre[/i] or [i]The Lambda Factor[/i] maybe?) but could they be sustained over the length of a [u]book[/u] without turning into a soap opera (or even worse, a sort of ‘romantic’ effort)? [/quote]
I believe there are novel-length stories out there revolving around small communities that do not necessarily equate to ‘soap operas’ or ‘romantic efforts’. McCaffrey’s [i]Dragonsdawn[/i] and Bradley’s [i]Darkover Landfall[/i] come to mind as novels based on small communities facing challenges. Both novels have strong plots and strong characterizations, and a singular lack of ‘mush’.
[quote]Presumably you didn’t like [b]Eternity Unbound[/b] then, [/quote]
I have read it once, but horror is not my genre of choice.
[quote] …. [i]’The Astelian Gift'[/i] in [b]Shepherd Moon[/b]? [/quote]
Actually, I quite enjoyed the story.
[quote]I think to skip sections of books just because you aren’t that interested in the Psychons (for instance) does the books a disservice quite frankly.[/quote]
Perhaps. But it is also a compliment to the strength of the excellent writing and plotting that I did not simply put the book down. The Psychon story was integral to the plot, but I’ll also admit the quadruped aliens interested me much more and I would have greatly enjoyed seeing more of them and their interactions with the Alphans. I do hasten to add at this point, this is my opinion only, which Mateo has been asking people to give.
[quote]I wonder if perhaps more of an exploration of the Maya/Tony relationship (or indeed Helena/Koenig relationship, or any other relationships on Alpha for that matter) would be more to your taste in that case?[/quote]
If as well written as the stories we have seen so far from Powys, most likely I would; however, I do not necessarily equate character exploration with ‘relationship’ exploration. I do find character driven stories interest me as much, if not more so, than pure plot driven stories. Perhaps it is a gender thing. I do hope to see all the characters developed and explored more in future stories.
I put in a very strong vote for a Y1 story, with a tale that includes a focus on as many characters as possible (think [i]Full Circle[/i]) and less on aliens. I certainly agree alien cultures are an important foil for our Alphans, but I find myself skimming pages with waning interest when the focus shifts to them instead of Alpha and the Alphans. I think Muir did a nice job balancing alien and Alphan in [i]Forsaken[/i], while I’ll confess to skimming some of the Psychon sections in BfA, although that story is certainly as strongly written, and the quadruped aliens there as interesting.
[b]blatham wrote:[/b]
[quote]
Seriously, thank you right back. Mateo and I were just on the phone today, kidding each other about our long held belief that silence is unfortunately golden — if a Powys book is wonderful, you can hear crickets (not you, Meredith!), but heaven forbid there’s a typo!![/quote]Oh, dear. Unfortunately, I [i]am[/i] guilty as charged. I have enjoyed the new books, and I have also been silent… my apologies! I plead an incredibly crazy work schedule just now, but even so, that is a feeble excuse given all the work that has gone into the creation of these novels. The quality of writing is wonderful, and IMHO, beats the writing of much of the original 1970’s books hands down. While I realize the portrayal of the female characters in the early books was a product of its era, I am also glad to see the Alphan women portrayed as much stronger characters in the Powys’ books. I do wish we could have seen more of Helena in BfA, but there was so much going on in that book that I realize not every character could shine. I have ordering [i]Omega[/i] on my list of things to do next.
Let this chirping cricket, at the least, chirp a song of gratitude. Thank you all.
