book review Bear, Greg: Corona. Heyne, 1984/1988.
Story: The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 follows a ten- Year-old emergency call to a remote research post. Captain Kirk , Spock and pill are based on many victims, but the greater the confusion, as the head of the institution in good health and totally absorbed in one of its projects encounter.
Further investigation can then be easily startled the officers, for it is clear that the volcanic researchers couple and their children to hide anything and hinder the rescue of the remaining located in cold sleep researchers deliberately.
late, almost too late to find the crew members out at last that a strange, disembodied nature of the will of the station staff controlled and stretches out his feelers to the Enterprise and its crew. It pursues a diabolical plan that the existence of the universe as we know it ends and leads back to a state that existed just after the Big Bang .
Work on an apparatus for the extinction of the universe is almost complete and Captain Kirk must look on helplessly as the galaxy slowly begins to unravel ...
praiseworthy aspects : The most brilliant of "Corona" said Roman is without question its author, Greg Dale Bear . In the inclined friends of science fiction, the man is a stranger, for he is not only the son of the writer legend Poul Anderson , but has long since acquired with novels such as " Darwin's Radio ", " The city on the edge of time " or " votes " a reputation that he was in previous family celebrations a comfortable seat at the family table in sight of the family patron saint guaranteed.
So it's no surprise that Bear the awards of the genre were just thrown behind Sun Even Doris Lessing , the literary Nobel Prize winner in 2007 and Aunt Gregor Gysi evidenced by their open enthusiasm for the author and his work:
" I also admire the classic science fiction, like, blood Music 'by Greg Bear. He is a great writer. "
(freely translated quote from the English-language Wikipedia article removed)
That he was taken for a (single) Star Trek novel is not surprising, since 1984, the subsequent success of Star Trek novels had long not in sight. The fifteenth book ever published with a profitable guest writers to bring more sales is old hat and the Bears address it just seems the right place to be, proves to be similarly comprehensive commitment to Star Wars , Halo and Ringworld novels (which Star Trek species of the Kzinti owes). By
Bears many years as author of various science fiction 'also explains the frequent Techno Babbel in this book. The author tried, namely, their own, to project ideas gained through his work on the Star Trek universe. Of course, reads measure that for the modern reader, for which the rules of the Warpfluges after six series and eleven films have gained clear contours, somewhat cryptic, but in the early days of Star Trek novels, the books often had with the products of other authors . let Finally
It was Isaac Asimov , so to speak, the prophet of science fiction literature, the Star Trek as a serious part of the established genres, as according to his own testimony was
" Star Trek ... the most ambitious example of science fiction on television. "
freely translated quote taken from Starlog, Issue No. 02, 1976 , from the article" Gene Roddenberry Article from Starlog # 2 "of the very interesting blog" My Star Trek Scrapbook "
Only later drifted the relatively rigid Star Trek universe and the various independent science-fiction worlds so far apart that a guest authorship and this was hardly possible. All the more remarkable is that it manages the surprise star here and there, sometimes miteinzubringen a slightly different perspective.
For example, the abstraction is the concept of freedom for a non-humanoid beings quite a considerable meta-level, which is only rarely in episodes or movies attention, although it was not without a certain logic:
to Where do we think a being that never in a shaped society lived to know the legal theory Terminus? In addition, also from Bear
fill gaps that had been deprived of the understanding. He explained as simple as brilliant, why people give priority to the USS Enterprise in service do (see p. 10).
Corona - Who invented it?
criticisms made aspects: The confusion begins in the title. What is a Corona?
course you can push the name to that imported from Mexico beer the blame for the 224 pages in the shoes. Even more difficult is the Polish football club from Kielce or even the Toyota model from the eighties. Who
contrast from the beginning to the outermost layer of spheres thought the sun may, perhaps in law feel, but is still wrong, because the term is in fact an alien, non-humanoid species described, around which the story turns slightly knitted.
In itself 'life in other forms, "Yes an interesting topic, but it was already in the classical series treated quantitatively adequate and qualitatively better. In its published form it is able to convince any second, to tie or even to arouse interest in some form. It lags in all the author's expertise in terms of science fiction is simply behind the standard that has set the TV series back in the sixties.
Anecdotal evidence shows that Bear has dealt with only half-heartedly with the template; for these shortcomings are continued in the characters. The triumvirate of Kirk, Spock and pill shows at best a superficial similarity to the models on television and also the supporting characters, no additional scope for development is given.
In comparison, only the minor characters were able to cut off even worse.
the first place it would be to call the press representative Rowena Mason. It is not even their occupation, their sex or age the problem, but the fact that they are more or less (rather more) turned out to be disguised space Nazi. Your socialized racism seems so anachronistic in a world of Member Federation And a time when the Terra Prime should long since a thing of the past that you feel literally pushed the nose forward to get here have rather served up a current day political issue. So I really hope fervently that the eventual conversion of the reporter and how to overcome their own prejudices no thinly disguised parable about the slow time in the USA incipient social abolition of racial discrimination or which is to be apartheid in South Africa .
only marginally more comfortable reading the figure of the computer experts Veblen, for behind the innocuous sounding name hides a poorly disguised Image of the 'nerds ' in the classic sense. There are in fact "[...] a small and chubby man [...], whose appearance "slanted eyes " also by a "large bulbous nose " and is determined (see p. 24). He works in a windowless room deep inside the ship, and spends his time with the maintenance and monitoring of computers.
So much for the cliché - but of course the future is not so rosy when the supposed outsider would not be yet another oh-so-great member of the oh-so-great crew of an oh-so-great ship.
peace, joy, pancakes!
The ugly duckling can be a beautiful swan and the nerd readers bask in the well-being, but none of the useless existence or shade product of society. One wonders even now and then, for which Bear has the target group of his novels.
While one can see the 'Nerd' problem as such, is designed to identify the Vulcans as a much more difficult, but this is not limited only to the few grünblütigen figures remain the same but affects the entire species.
This starts already at the door.
As the home system of the pointy eared Federation members will namely Epsilon Eridani (see p. 217) called. This is not unreasonable, because the system, also known as 18 Eridani located only 10.5 light years away from our own - that is at a distance, the curious out by research teams in Star Trek VIII justified.
have, however, influential voices like Gene Roddenberry (the creator Star Trek), James Blish (the first Star Trek author) or Diane Duane (the author of the authoritative work ' Spock's World ') volcano locates across the board in the similar-sounding system 40 Eridani, which is also better to give evidence in the Enterprise episode " home" matches, after which amount to the distance from the earth 16 light years.
Now it may of course in the heat of the moment perfectly well happen that one confused by 18 Eridani, 40 Eridani. But people with Vulcans?
the descriptions of the author, according to people were actually rather be able to evade the psionic influence Coronas, as the Vulcans, have the least facilities of sophisticated mental techniques and in order to protect itself against foreign intellectual influence, how about in the TOS episode "Spock out of control" and "Wild West in space" and in the Voyager two-parter " workers can see. " Here the universe but taking the head. Vulcans are not able to resist the Corona-being, while most people immune to the efforts of the overpowering nature are to obtain access to their consciousness.
Vulcans seem inferior by a direct comparison - a conclusion which can not meet with the statements of the classic series.
far from the window leans Bear finally with descriptions of specific volcanic rituals. The claim that children show some Vulcans Spock their respect in that they wash his hands (cf. p. 216) is no less ridiculous than the alternative Vulcan greeting (see P. 217), by which the relatives of Spock same is adopted.
finger cusps facing ears: The Secret volcanic Masonic greeting
translation : You can tell this novel only too clear that he is one of the early works of translation experiments out of the Heyne-Verlag.
First, you meet clumsy old friends like " Starfleet " (p. 14) instead of ' Starfleet ', " Starbase " (p. 14) instead of ' Starbase' or " discus " (S . 48) instead of ' saucer ' again, but you can also old unknowns such as " Gleitpalette " (p. 107) instead of ' anti-gravity lift ', " flying boat " (p. 122) instead of ' Shuttle ' or ' Dockdüsen ( p. 137) instead of 'maneuvering thrusters ' encounter.
confusing the term " Andoraner " (p. 10), or as stated on page 21: " Andorran . This, however, by no means
are residents of a small European states in the Pyrenees meant, but actually ' Andorian '. Here I
must admit that the species already in the German dubbing of the TOS episode "Journey to Babel " has been assigned to that flaw. Although her name was in contrast to 'telluric' and 'Romulaniern' exceptionally pronounced correctly, but according to Kirk is the home of the blue skins, therefore called 'Andorra'. The inhabitants of this planet as 'Andorran' to refer to, is therefore only logical that even if often the term 'Andorian' falls in order to know better.
would be a uniform spelling of the species - in whatever form - certainly was not too high fretted claim.
similar discrepancy exists at the George Orwell of masterpiece ' 1984' reminiscent monitoring devices that can get here all the wrong plural " monitors " (from p. 25) imposed. Did you used to it, the book suddenly swung around again, and is the correct form " monitors" (p. 200).
prove to be particularly stubborn is also once again the old problem of misplaced prefixes. While you can ignore the single mention of " Ergschilde " (p. 97) yet confidently, another prefix pulls on the thin nerve ceiling. This time, however, is
they do not " Medo-" but simply " Med ", so cold you are in " Medjacken " (p. 90) to death pushes " Medakten " (p. 97) in the shredder or enjoys the meager equipment of a " Medzentrums " (p. 130) of 23 Century!
Of course it's nice that a prefix is used, as he ended with ' Medkit ' in the German dubbing Star Treks. This, however, no license was issued for every really ever so slightly of medical related object arbitrarily by " Med to deface. Since one wishes almost " Medo-" back! But only almost, because even if it with an extra 'o' sounds a little better, the situation is absurd in itself.
Although it may not fit so completely under the heading 'Translation', I must also complain that the cover has to do really anything with the contents of the book.
In addition, it is even the same that also " McCoys dreams " graces and there already seemed completely out of place. Why do those responsible for the fact Heyne for this book cover to be thought " Mutiny on the Enterprise moved, where it does not make sense, will probably remain a mystery.
But I swear at all?
So a lecturer, translator , cover designers or editor is only human, and I know after reading this transmission experiment: A
" Invidumm " (p. 150).
Anachronisms: When the earliest (1984) book, it stands to reason that its contents will be obtained sooner or later, following the canon of films and series.
This book is not different, but for a moment I have to protectively in front of it. The speed mentioned
Warp eleven (see p. 30) that is going all right, because most Trekkies know since episodes like " stone and dust " or "My name is Nomad " that at times a different TOS Warpskala was used than in TNG (a small, non-serious and more collegial dig at the very readable review of ant ).
scold Then I'd rather be at the continued use of money as cash (see, eg, p. 11, p. 27, p. 63, etc.).
strange but seem to little clues that are given to the chronological order. McCoy's statement, ten years are the longest known "[...] Hibernationsphase "(p. 103) suggests that the events of the episode" Space Seed took place. "
The statement that Kirk will include 45 Lenzen (see p. 23) puts the action between the first and the second feature film while Spock's age of 79 years to a time long after the " Generations "and refers to the Abbleben Kirk.
short, complete nonsense.
But hardly anyone is concerned about all the trouble, the absurdity of these times at all points to note, if already can be read on page nine, that the USS Enterprise will be the first large ship, "[...] which was equipped with a warp drive . "This reckless assertion bites actually with just about anything to that time in TOS ( metamorphosis ") or TAS (" The Time Trap ) was observed on the subject.
gropest addition, writer Greg Bear in a Fettnäpfen that Ira Graves in the TNG episode understood " The strange memory " to use for the more enjoyable ways:
He is on record that Vulcan Romulans and Klingons were related to each other (see p. 62) - if Worf would hear that!
The 'grandfather' Data's also provides a wonderful transition to the failure to be technical possibilities, the Bear of the TOS-era attributes. Thus, the
is mentioned Robosteward (see p. 23) with a view to androids as Ruk , Rayna Kapec or Norman understandable but as a glimpse into the next century is revealed, mankind still a long way from being to produce androids such as Data (see " Whose Data? ").
But that is not enough. A "[...] tiny implant in the neck [...]" Kirk will not only ensure that foreign languages are translated simultaneously, but also for the mental Receiving high-speed data transfers (see p. 28). Futuristic nonsense, which was already mentioned in the episode "Metamorphosis" by the existence of a technical device called universal translator the water was dug. It also raises the question in the space, why not try the corona being tackled with technical means, if you were already in possession of such technology.
The anachronisms go largely due to lack of knowledge of the original series and had can be avoided if Bear had really settled down to what already existed in 1984 Star Trek episodes and movies. This alone would
errors as the speech of female crew members as 'Mister' (p. 10) can be prevented, it was already at that time in any series, and still yet to hear any film.
Conclusion: It is often in Hollywood trying to make up for a bad screenplay by massive star presence. This works but very rarely and usually ends in a product that does not justify the expense.
behaves similar with this book. Guest writer Greg Bear can not do it, the pool of previously published works to contribute an exciting, appealing, or even challenging work.
On the contrary, Corona is one of the weakest books in the Star Trek novels ever. The reason for this is tragic as the author himself, since he failed to adequately deal with the presentation and to include figures, environment and context in their nature.
Memorable quotes :
" engine room. "
" Mr. Scott here, Captain. "
" Can we set sail and put to sea? "
" have the boiler pressure, sir. "
" Then give steam, Mr. Scott. "
" Aye, sir. Bring it on. "
Kirk and Scotty , p. 41
" No. I also let myself down not to beam with the first team. Star Fleet does not believe space ship commanders received unnecessary risks. "
Kirk (from a parallel universe?), P. 77/78
" Good heavens! Slow me this great and spitzohrige type of ice is also nice! "
McCoy, p. 109
" If the military is using his wits' end, we need to help civilians. "
Mason, p. 218
Rating: unnecessary cameo.
