Vulcan's Soul Book 3: Epiphany (2007)

Vulcan's Soul Book 3: Epiphany (2007)
("Star Trek" novel)
Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Third book in the "Vulcan's Soul" trilogy (follows Exodus and Exiles). In this final novel in the Vulcan's Soul trilogy, we see the fate of Karatek and his people stranded and enslaved on the frozen half of the Romulan twin world, Remus, and also the origins of both the Remans and the Watraii. In the present, post-Dominion War Next Generation time frame, Ambassador Spock, Captain Saavik, and the others aboard the U.S.S. Alliance face a confrontation with not only the Watraii but also the Romulans over the ancient Romulan relic stolen by the Watraii and recovered by Spock and company. Adding to the situation is the kidnapping of the Romulan Praetor by the Watraii, to which Starfleet sends in Captain Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E to assist. Over the course of the novel, the connections between the various sub-plots (the "Memory" sections from the time of the Sundering and those in the present) become apparent. Opinion: best of the three (then, again, I'm a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan in general, so my interest picked up even more when Picard and company came into the story. The Karatek storyline gets better here, too, however, as it nears it's inevitable conclusion. There are even some somewhat interesting side chapters delving into the minds of the various high ranking Romulan and Federation political figures. However, there are also a few parts where it is not entirely clear just what is being referred to if one has not already read Sherman and Shwartz's earlier novels, Vulcan's Forge and Vulcan's Heart. (Finished reading 2/2/10)

Work Related Reading (Children's Books)

A Book (2009)
Mordicai Gerstein
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Children's picture book. (Finished reading 1/20/2010)

*****
How Oliver Olson Changed the World
Claudia Mills; pictures by Heather Maione
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Children's chapter book. (Finished reading 1/20/2010)


(Quick blog entry. May go back and add more details at a later date.)

The Texas Run (1985)

The Texas Run (1985)
("V" novel)
Geo. W. Proctor
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Tenth original "V" novel (eleventh overall). California resistance member, Rick Hurley, unexpectedly finds himself drawn into the middle of a medical supply run into Visitor occupied Dallas/Fort Worth. Meanwhile, the Houston Visitor mothership commander has ambitions not only to further his own career status but also to capture resistance member, Sheryl Lee Darcy (whom Rick has fallen for). His goal: to force her to conceive another "star child" (like Elizabeth from the television series). When Sheryl Lee's mother, whom the commander is obsessed with, turns out to have died, the commander turns his sights on her daughter, Sheryl Lee. An okay enough "V" novel. Nothing special though. (Only television character in the book is Mike Donovan, in the first chapter.) Next book in my chronological "V" reading/viewing: The New England Resistance. (Finished reading 1/13/10)

The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker

The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker (1967)
Otto Binder
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Introduction by Stan Lee. First novel based on Marvel Comics characters. The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Goliath/Ant-Man, and the Wasp) must defeat "Karzz, the Conqueror" (an alien time traveller from the 70th century) who threatens to set in place "four world-doom catastrophes" to destroy the Earth out of revenge for humanity's stepping in the way of his complete rule over the galaxy in his own, future, time. By destroying the Earth in the 20th century, he plans to create an entirely different timeline where he is ruler of all. Notable for being the first novel based on Marvel Comics characters more than anything else. Very campy. (Makes Batman Versus Three Villains of Doom--see below--downright serious, in comparison.) Doubtlessly, Binder was trying to emulate the then "hip" writing style Stan Lee was using in the Marvel Comics of the time, but an entire novel of said style can be rather difficult to take, to put it lightly. For collectors/completists only, I'm afraid. (Oh, and by the way, while Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch appear on the book's cover, they are not actually present in the novel itself. However they and Thor are described as "former members" early on in the novel, and are represented by statues dedicated to each of them during an Avengers themed telecast.) (Finished reading 1/6/10)

Vulcan's Soul Book 2: Exiles (2006)

Vulcan's Soul Book 2: Exiles (2006)
("Star Trek" novel)
Josepha Sherman and Susan Schwartz
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Second book in the "Vulcan's Soul" trilogy (follows Exodus and continues in Epiphany). The two separate (but presumably related) stories begun in book one continue onward. The first, that of Karatek, his family, and contemporaries aboard the ships that thousands of years ago left their homeworld of Vulcan behind in what would later be referred to as "the Sundering". They eventually arrive at their new home. But, after surviving the many trials of the long voyage, Karatek and his family have one last betrayal to face upon their arrival. The second storyline, which takes place in the Star Trek: The Next Generation/Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 24th century time frame, follows Ambassador Spock, Captain Saavik, Captain Montgomery Scott, Lt. Commander Data, and Romulan expatrate Ruanek's attempt to rescue Admiral Chekov from the Watraii. (Finished reading 12/26/09)

Vulcan's Soul Book 1: Exodus (2004)

Vulcan's Soul Book 1: Exodus (2004)
("Star Trek" novel)
Josepha Sherman and Susan Schwartz
([LibraryThing] [Amazon])

First book in the "Vulcan's Soul" trilogy (is followed by Exiles and Epiphany). In the present day scenes, which take place within the Next Generation/Deep Space Nine time period just one year following the end of the Dominion War, the Romulan Empire is attacked by a mysterious race calling themselves the Watraii, who claim that the Romulan home planets of Romulus and Remus rightfully belong to them and not the Romulans. Ambassador Spock, Captain Saavik, Admiral Uhura, and Admiral Chekov work to resolve the situation, ultimately leading a fleet of vessels from various races confronting the Watraii before the latter can attack Romulus. The larger portion of the novel, however, follows events on Vulcan two thousand years earlier, just prior to the exodus of a segment of the greater population leaving their home planet in hopes of finding a planet to colonize so that at least some small portion of the Vulcan race might survive. Prominent characters in the flashback portions include a former physicist at the Vulcan Science Academy named Karatek who comes into contact with Surak--the radical philosopher and pacifist and father of the Vulcan logic movement--and who eventually becomes the reluctant leader of the Vulcans in exile (who eventually become the Romulans). The flashback portions take place from 280 A.D. to 380 A.D., while the present day scenes take place in the year 2377 (the Dominion War ended in late 2375), with a brief prologue that takes place soon following the Next Generation episode, "The Neutral Zone", in 2364, and a chapter showing Admiral Chekov's reaction to the start of the Dominion War in 2373. (Finished reading 9/14/09)

Five Weeks in a Balloon

Five Weeks in a Balloon [via Project Gutenberg] (1863; English translation, 1869)
Jules Verne
([LibraryThing])

Originally released in French in 1863; first published in English in 1890 (English translation by William Lackland). First in Verne's Extraordinary Voyages series. Full title: Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Gentlemen. In this first of Verne's adventure novels, you can start to see the mix of ingredients which would later make him so popular: adventure, exotic locations, entertaining dialogue between the principal characters, and a pinch of science (or pseudoscience) tossed in. In Five Weeks in a Balloon, there are just three principal characters: Dr. Samuel Ferguson, his man servant Joe, and his friend, sportsman, Richard "Dick" Kennedy. Dr. Ferguson and his companions launch upon an unprecedented journey across the continent of Africa in a hot-air balloon filled with hydrogen of Ferguson's design. The three characters face many trials and dangers on their journey, from threats of starvation, less than cooperative weather and wind currents, capture by dangerous African tribes, and even condors threatening to rip their balloon apart. Verne's writing style overall is a nice and easy one to follow, although at times he tosses in historical details which some might find themselves skipping over. Interest in Africa was still high at the time Five Weeks came out as the continent had not yet fully been explored and Verne's novel fully demonstrates this. Most disconcerting (and at times outright uncomfortable) is the very negative stereotypes of the African natives, which would be completely unacceptable by today's standards. For a work written in the early 1860s, while the Civil War was raging over in the U.S., it probably should not be all that surprising, but that realization does not make it any the more pleasant. Outside of this aspect, however, I found Five Weeks to be an enjoyable read. While certainly not his best, I imagine (this is the first Verne novel I've read, I believe), it was worthwhile to go back and start reading his works from the beginning in order to see how they developed as he went along. (Read as part of my "1860s to 1920s" project.) (Finished reading 8/31/09)

Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) (Movie)
(Internet Movie Database entry)
While this brightly colored film directed by Irwin Allen (who had just Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), and would later go on to create television series such as Lost in Space and Time Tunnel) and starring Red Buttons, Fabian, Barbara Eden, Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Richard Haydn, and Barbara Luna is an enjoyable enough--if at times silly--movie for it's time period, it certainly makes little to no effort to anything more than very loosely based upon Verne's novel.

Right from the start, let's look at the cast of characters. In the novel there were just three, all male, feature characters (Ferguson, Kennedy, and Joe). Well, of the three, only Ferguson survives for the most part intact in the film adaptation. Joe has been transformed into "Jacques" (Fergusson's Canadian servant, played by Fabian). Kennedy's character is absent, although Richard Haydn's character of Sir Henry Vining (a bumbling military commander who initially scoffs at Ferguson's helium balloon) does share at least a few of Kennedy's traits, if lampoonishly so.

The rest of the cast is created specially for the movie. There were no women characters in Verne's novel, so Barbara Luna's slave girl character, Makia, and Barbara Eden's captured school marm, Susan Gale, both rescued from slave peddlers, are written in. As is Red Button's character, Donald O'Shay, the son of a prominent American newspaper publisher sent along on the expedition (by his father, largely so to keep O'Shay out of trouble and out of the limelight for awhile).

There is also Peter Lorre's character of Ahmed--the slave peddler who turns up along with Barbara Eden's character--who has the tables turned and is captured by Ferguson and his companions in order to stand trial once they return to England.

There is also a chimpanzee. The less said about that, the better...

The basic motivation for the trip itself is changed in the film. Instead of seeking to be the first cross Africa in the balloon, Ferguson and company find themselves in a map to beat a party of slavers to a distant part of Africa in order to plant the British flag there ahead of the slavers.

There are one or two scenes that can be seen to have been derived from Verne's version (in particular the sequence where the balloon and its passengers are believed by a native tribe to be the "moon god"; they must make a hasty retreat when the real moon rises and the natives realize that they have been tricked; this is also in Verne's novel).

But by far most of the movie is geared around the characters who are not in Verne's novel. That, plus the comedic-adventure-romance style of the movie makes it pretty much an entirely different story.

Taken by itself, it's an enjoyable enough movie (although there will inevitably be part of it which will elicit groans and rolled eyes, especially the stuff with the chimpanzee). It has that wonderful bright Technicolor look to it and at times one can see that this was a big movie production for the day. Barbara Eden (here three years before I Dream of Jeannie) is gorgeous, as one would expect, as is Barbara Luna. Suprisingly enough, I wasn't as annoyed by the presence of Fabian as I thought I might be (although by the third or so time he was sitting around singing the movie's theme song, I wanted to yell, "Doesn't he know any other songs??!!!") Red Buttons does a decent job portraying the American, O'Shay, although it's pretty obvious from the start that the path that his character would take.

(Viewed 9/1/09 on DVD)