Where Sea Meets Sky (Star Trek: The Captain's Table, Book 6)

Book Description

There's a bar called "The Captain's Table," where those who have commanded mighty vessels of every shape and era can meet, relax, and share a friendly drink or two with others of their calling. Sometimes a brawl may break out but it's all in the family, more or less. Just remember, the first round of drinks is always paid for with a story...fishy or not.

Years before Kirk took command, Captain Christopher Pike guided the Starship Enterprise™ on a five-year mission. Pike's journey took him to many new and unexplored realms, none more strange or perilous than a devastated star system where huge, space-faring lifeforms, vital to the survival of one inhabited star system, wreak havoc on the humanoid inhabitants of the other. Captain Pike must thrust the Enterprise into deadly danger as he fights to save one innocent civilization without dooming the other.

Customer Reviews:

A conundrum:.......2007-07-27

The overall value of this book is much less than the sum of its parts.
It is a frame story, in which we get a story told by Captain Pike in the first person, at a tavern called "The Captain's Table".

The story told by Pike is marvellous; fast-paced, complex, with excellent characterizations and insightful looks into the first pilot characters. That internal story, I would rate five stars without hesitation.

The story in which that frame is put is also entertaining: Pike telling his story to, and interacting with, Captain Nemo of "20,000 Leagues Beneath The Sea" fame (although he doesn't realize it until very nearly the end of the book) and a female Klingon from far enough up the timeline to know how he meets his end, was enjoyable, and worth four stars in its own right.

The concept of The Captain's Table, a semi-mystical, alternate-dimensional tavern where all captains of all races and times are welcome, and only captains are welcome, and can enjoy the society of their peers without problems of communication or enmity, is an interesting enough concept; "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" meets the galactic federation. If the idea were standing alone, I would rate it four stars.

But the idea does not stand alone; it chooses to be wedded to the "Star Trek" universe, to make it more marketable. And unfortunately, it simply doesn't work in the Star Trek universe. As even my then eight-year-old could see, when told about the idea, and that captains from the long past sailing ship days are there along with starship captains, "Doesn't that violate the prime directive?"

I would love to see the "Captain's Table" concept continued, but with NEW characters and a NEW background universe. Leave Star Trek out of it; some concepts just don't mix. (You might have some really fine, five-star orange juice, and some excellent four-star chocolate milk, but would you really want to mix them?)

If you aren't enough of a Star Trek fan to insist on continuity with the background world, but enjoy the stories simply as stories, you'll find much to like in this book. But if you're even a little bit of a Star Trek purist, you'll have trouble swallowing the basic premise here.

When Sea Meets Sky or Whales in Space...........2006-06-21

The author must have been inspired by Star Trek IV. In this one Pike meets Whales...in space! Without giving away the premise, it's a good novel to end the series with. We get more insight on the character of Captain Pike. His style of command was closer to Picard's than Kirk. Pike was the first one to use the phrase "engage". Only it didn't catch on because actor, Jeffrey Hunter was only in the first pilot.

I hope to see more of Captain Pike with the new novel coming out next month from Pocket Books. I believe it's entitled "Burning Dreams" by Margaret Wander Bonnano.

The chronicles of Pike's 10 year mission have a lot of unanswered questions. A good example would be what happened to his original crew with "number one" and all the others. We never saw them again.

Where Reader Meets Satisfaction.......2003-08-23

Whales in Space sounds like the premise for another, hokey, syruppy Greenpeace diatribe ala Howard Weinstein. Fortunately, Weinstein is nowhere to be found here. Instead, Jerry Oltien presents us with a tale that is interesting and at times even gripping. The space whales turn out to be vicious predators, eating machines that would make the aliens of Aliens proud. When, early on, one literally takes a bite out of the Enterprise, you know you're in for a good time. The Captain Pike here is not entirely consistent with that seen in The Menagerie, and Peter David did a better job with Pike's crew in The Rift than Oltion manages here. Nevertheless, Oltion does a creditable job, giving us a book more than worth any Trek reader's time.

There are two serious flaws here. First, the ending is abrupt, pat, and weak. Typical Star Trek happy ending. The other is that Oltion is forced to work within the god-awful Captain's Table concept. Fortunately, he makes our job easy by alternating chapters between the bar and Pike's story, making skipping blessfully easy.

The Captain's Table as a whole produced one exceptional book, (Janeway's Fireship), three very good books (Kirk/Sulu, Pike, and Peter David's Calhoun) and two down-right stinkers (Picard and Sisko, sadly). With the possible exception of the Kirk/Sulu tale, the books that succeed do so in spite of the Captain's Table concept, not because of it. The concept was a stupid one and the Trek universe is worse off because of it. Discerning Trek readers should still read the four good books, however; simply skip everything about the bar and enjoy the rare first-person perspectives.

A great conclusion to "The Captain's Table" series!.......2002-07-22

I must admit that I personally was not particularly enthralled with the character of Captain Christopher Pike in the TOS episode. This was also the first trek book I'd be reading written by Jerry Oltion. It was with these reservations that I opened this book up to page one. Upon reflection, these trepidations were completely baseless. The author, turned for me, what was an uninteresting character, into an absolute page turner. The idea of the "Titans", space creature's controlled by humanoids, I thought would be less than captivating to say the least. Wrong again. The character interaction's in "The Captain's Table" were extremely well done. I especially liked the reference to the captain of the Titanic being there. Without giving too much of the story away and spoiling it for those who've not read it yet, I'll just read this one. You will not regret it. I hope the author is given the opportunity in the future to bring this character back to life again. Thank you to Jerry Oltion for a great read.

Christopher Pike and a story about "space whales".......2000-12-28

"Where Sea Meets Sky" presents Christopher Pike's first person narrative in the Captain's Table series. If the Jean-Luc Picard story was a pirate tale set in space then this final book in the series is clearly a whaling tale set in space as Pike and his crew deal with the ecological mystery of the titans, a species of creatures nearly the size of the Enterprise that are used by the Aronnians as interstellar dirigibles. Unfortunately for them the creatures have not returned from their annual migration, and Pike is ordered to find out what is going on out there. As Jerry Oltion reveals in his acknowledgments, the idea for the titans came from a Treasurecon III convention panel once upon a time in Billings, Montana, where the group created plausible creatures that might live in space. Oltion had just been waiting for the right opportunity to bring those crazy space whales to light. If you are interested in the creative use of biotechnology, along the lines of what Harry Harrison came up with in his "West of Eden" trilogy, you will find the "science" in this book to be quite interesting. The idea that ecological problems can be solved ecologically is always nice to hear. However, if you are expecting any hint of the nature of the relationship between Pike and his science officer Mr. Spock that compelled the Vulcan to violate General Order 7 and take his former captain back to Talos IV, you are going to be disappointed.

Customer Reviews:

A prime example of how NOT to behave underwater........2005-01-02

It was an exciting new format whereby an attractive young blonde (they are always blonde) female presenter placed something resembling a large goldfish bowl upside down over her head to her shoulders and then ventured underwater to tell BBC television viewers all about fishes and other sea creatures. The goldfish bowl was a master-stroke because it allowed us to see the face of this presenter without the hindrance of modern scuba diving equipment - especially those all important and cumbersome bits that go into the divers mouth. Instead she was wearing a headset and microphone as though she was in the studio. I remember when the show was first aired. The presenter - Martha Holmes (author of this book) got very, very excited when a huge Napoleon Wrasse approached her and took from her hand the hard boiled egg she had offered and promptly ate it.

The problem of course was an old one. I first qualified as a scuba diving instructor almost 30 years ago and one of the first lessons I learned was that the most dangerous instructors on earth are those who were outstanding at putting over the points they wished to convey - but who had their facts wrong!!! What you have is good instructors teaching dangerous practises - and teaching them well.

The Napoleon Wrasses of the Red Sea had never tasted boiled eggs before. They don't get to do much cooking under the surface. But!, successive visitors to the Red Sea (and elsewhere) soon got the message from Sea Trek and hand feeding was the new way of protecting our marine wildlife. But it had the opposite effect and just as the chefs in waterside hotels and on Safari boats could not understand why so many tourists were eating so many hard-boiled eggs, so the numbers of certain species began to decline. Of course it wasn't always eggs - but hand feeding had started and it took off.

In this book, we see the intrepid Holmes stroking the neck of a Turtle near the surface of the sea. Inside there is one photograph where she appears behind a giant clam and "must" be resting her body on the coral seabed. In another photograph she has a Crown of Thorns starfish over the up-turned bowl on her head. I suppose it just swam along and rested there - just like great big starfish do! I also recall from the TV series divers standing on corals.

Not a great book - but the worst part of all, is there are those who will think this is the way all divers should behave.

NM

Average customer rating:

A prime example of how NOT to behave underwater.

SEA TREK.
Martha. Holmes
Manufacturer: BBC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O5JOEY

Customer Reviews:

A prime example of how NOT to behave underwater........2007-05-16

X-Factor Annual #4 : I Must Go Down to the Sea Again (Atlantis Attacks - Marvel Comics)

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X-Factor Annual #4 : I Must Go Down to the Sea Again (Atlantis Attacks - Marvel Comics)
John Byrne
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Bomba the Jungle Boy and the Hostile Chieftain Or, A hazardous trek to the Sea

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Bomba the Jungle Boy and the Hostile Chieftain Or, A hazardous trek to the Sea
Roy Rockwood
Manufacturer: Cupples & Leon, 1934
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5ZGXC

Environmental education learning experience

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Environmental education learning experience
Samuel S Bland
Manufacturer: N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006PH04S

Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer #69 : One if by land, Two if by Sea (Marvel - Epic Comics)

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Sergio Aragones' Groo the Wanderer #69 : One if by land, Two if by Sea (Marvel - Epic Comics)
Mark Evanier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Average customer rating:

Great Book!

First class read for every elk hunter

The Ultimate Guide to Elk Hunting
Bob Robb , and Gerald Bethge
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Hunting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Shooting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1585741809

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2006-03-27

My husband is reading this book (I bought it as a present for him), and I know it's good because he spends time EVERY night pouring through the pages, comparing notes with other books, and planning his next hunt. :) RT

First class read for every elk hunter.......2005-09-02

As a fellow author and elk hunter I try to read everything I can get my hands on, on the subject of elk and elk hunting. Theodore Roosevelt said," People who love the outdoors should be omnivorous readers. If so, they have the best of two worlds. They learn more-and enjoy life more."
Bob Robb's, The Ultimate Guide to Elk Hunting is a must read for elk hunters of all skill levels.

Amazon.com

Jean Marie Stine has created perhaps the ultimate how-to book: Writing Successful Self-Help and How-To Books. Among the many editorial positions Stine has held in her 15 years as an editor (and sometimes ghostwriter) of self-help and how-to books is editor in chief at the esteemed self-help publisher Jeremy P. Tarcher. She edited more than 50 self-help titles, including Women Who Love Too Much and Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. If an author's qualifications, as Stine says in her book, are of utmost importance for a book's credibility, she is supremely qualified to write such a book.

Writing Successful Self-Help and How-To Books is less about writing than about every other element that goes into making a successful self-help/how-to book. Since "publishers," as Stine says here, "buy 90 percent of their books based on proposals," she addresses in detail every element of the book proposal, from overview ("mak[e] your book sound like a must-have") and analysis of the competition to sample chapter and annotated table of contents. Her insider information on everything from title creation--"the right title alone," she confides, "can make your book a success"--to the importance of including interactive elements such as checklists, quizzes, and exercises is invaluable. Still, for the beginning writer--and Stine seems to assume that the reader of this book is an expert in a field other than writing--there is surprising little, given the book's title, about the writing process itself. --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

"If you follow only a third of Jean's advice, you'll have a successful book." —Jeremy Tarcher, Publisher Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.

"After Jean reworked my first draft, paperback rights sold for $137,000." —Timmen Cermak, M.D., author of A Time to Heal: The Road to Recovery for Adult Children of Alcoholics

Mastering the craft and understanding the mechanics of writing self-help and how-to books is the key to getting publishers to take notice of your work. Now, in the first guide to writing self-help and how-to books, Jean Stine offers an insider's view of this growing genre. Her easy-to-follow program takes you step-by-step through the complete writing process. You'll learn the importance of:

Structure and Style
Clear, easy-to-understand exercises
Creating catchy and compelling titles, subtitles, and chapter headings
Using lists, charts, and graphs to maximum effect
Checklists and other interactive elements
Writing a proposal that sells
Negotiating permissions for quotations, photos, and illustrations
Preparing your manuscript for presentation to a publisher

Customer Reviews:

Great for writers of self-help, motivational + personal achievement books.......2007-05-29

This book is unique in it that specifically addresses the writer of self-help or how-to-books. It's perfect for psychologists, motivational writers, or anyone who wants to write about self-improvement. This is a specialized market, and Stine's stylistic guidelines and suggestions are excellent for this target market.

Interestingly, Stine encourages writers to develop a "sales pitch" for their book, and write a benefit-driven book. Your readers want to know "what's in it for me?" Stine also encourages writers to make promises to the reader-- by listing specific outcomes or benefits that will result from reading and applying the advice in your book. That's excellent advice! Most of us have read a self-help book that failed to present a succinct strategy or plan-- and came across more like an encyclopedia or a personal journal entry. Benefits are what readers crave, Stine says, and keeps them reading until the very last page.

At the same time, Stine warns against over promising and under delivering. She suggests that you keep a running list of your promises, intended outcomes or benefits, and be sure to delete anything that isn't addressed in your book.

Some of the negative reviews posted on Amazon about Stine's book are a reflection of how frustrating and difficult it is to write a good self-help book. Even if you have a good idea for a self-help book, it is a challenge to develop and fine-tune your ideas so that you can present it in an understandable, concise yet creative way that catches your reader's attention. As a writer, I must admit that I love those times when someone asks me a question, and all of a sudden, it all comes together-- and it's a brilliant concept that could be developed into an article, chapter or book. My friend Kalinda Rose Stevenson (a published author) reminds me that writing is often "slogging" around. Writing is hard work, and sometimes we have to dig around (reading, observing and contemplating) until the pieces come together.

Stine's book is not something that will launch you into a flow state, where bestselling book ideas and topics flow out of you faster than you can write them down. Instead, Stine's book is more of a stylebook or guidebook. It is the voice of a critic... which you really don't need if you're still brainstorming or formulating your ideas.

If you're struggling with your writing, take a deep breath... and relax. Be gentle with yourself, as you continue to focus and re-think your ideas. Your book will eventually come. If you're still formulating your ideas, then let your creative muse run wild.

When you're ready to get critical, give Stine's book a chance. Remember that a critic stifles your creativity if you're still in the early stages of developing your book idea. But when you're ready to write your book proposal, structure your book, or fine-tune your ideas, then Stine's book can help you get it together. Here's to all us little guys who are hungry to write a successful self-help book. May all of our hard work and effort result in a contract with a literary agent or publisher. If not, there's always self-publishing!

Great book.......2007-05-12

This book is a must for anyone writing a "how-to" book for the first time!

This book helped me get an agent..........2005-10-31

...and to sell my book!
Complaints of "lacking sample queries and proposals" against this text seem fairly thin when her suggestions clearly (and repetitively, but some of us need that!) direct readers on how to compose their own!

For those seriously (read: willing to do the necessary legwork and research) seeking direction on how to create a thorough, presentable, and persuasive proposal on your "How-To" concept, I'd recommend this book without reservation!

Writing Successful Self-Help and How To Books.......2005-09-27

Fantastic Book! I'm grateful to have received it. Ms. Stine gives us the benefit of her experience in publishing. While writing my proposal, following her program, I clarified the book I'm currently writing. Thanks to Jean Marie Stein for a great job and a valuable book. Lee Benton

Disappointing, Repetitive, Outdated.......2004-10-11

Save time and money - read the Table of Contents then reshelf the book. The remainder of the text is am excruciatingly boring repeat of the TOC. In today's fast-paced, highly competitive market, readers expect concise facts and promises that deliver. In my opinion, Stine fails.

Writing Successful Self-Help and How-To Books and Write Perfect Book Proposals: 10 Proposals That Sold and Why

Average customer rating:

Writing Successful Self-Help and How-To Books and Write Perfect Book Proposals: 10 Proposals That Sold and Why
Jean M. Stine
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Only Book in the Wellesley Bookstore in the 1st week of August 2005!

Amusing Prologue; Poignant Middle; Rather Sad Epilogue

Open House: Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search for a Room of My Own
Patricia J. Williams
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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Journalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312424590
Release Date: 2005-10-13

Book Description

A warm and seductive meditation on the personal and political from a renowned columnist and one of the great theorists of race and law (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.). With her trademark wit and insight, Patricia Williams relates stories from the many facets of her lifeas a lawyer, scholar, writer, African-American, descendant of slaves, mother, and single, fifty-something womanalways aware of the ironies inherent in situations where her many identities dont conform to societal expectations. The Open House of Williamss imagination takes us on a funny, often provocative, and entertaining journey which includes Oprah, Williamss Aunt Mary who passed as white, her Best White Friend, and tips on how to eat a watermelon without fear of racial judgment.

Customer Reviews:

Only Book in the Wellesley Bookstore in the 1st week of August 2005!.......2006-09-23

Patricia Williams has a column in the Nation, Diary of a Mad Law Professor, which I found out about
through reading this great book. I was at a music conference at Wellesley last summer and happened
upon this in the bookstore. There were not many other books, but thank God they decided at least
to have something there by an alumna, because the three books I had brought were not wearing well:
1) a cynical though I suppose funny report on Howard Dean's presidential campaign, 2) a book about how
to survive in a nasty office environment and 3) I forget the third. Not great energy! But Williams' book was
very warm and funny. I was particularly admiring of how much she knew of her own family background.
A lot of family background sections in the beginnings of autobiographies can be ho-hum. This one was
a wild ride! It reads as though she knew her ancestors personally. The book is a very important discussion
of race relations and you just want everything to go her way. The college bookstore had a much bigger selection THIS year.

Amusing Prologue; Poignant Middle; Rather Sad Epilogue.......2005-01-23

1/22/05 This library borrow had a few gaps(pages that I skimmed and decided that I was satisfied with learning of general content(especially those chapters dealing with the topic of whysome blacks are very pale complexion...I'm sure many of those who are very light compexion don't appreciate the topic either,since it serves no purpose whatsoever and especially since persons the complexion of Cuba Goodins Jr or Oprah Winfrey aren't having to explain why they arn't the maximum African Complexion of darkest blue black....However author Patricia J Williams has a very fine vocabulary which ribbets from every page I ead or skimmed, she has had great opportunity as well as many challenges to confront as a well educated black and it was very sorrowing on the last pages (Pgs 244-245) to see her listing of so many of her peers who've died prematurely(Jerome Culp,Dwight Greene,Mary Jo Frug,Teresa Brennan,Haywood Burns,Shanara Gilbert,Denise Carty-Benia,Andrew Haynes.Her Page 242 mentions author Erma Bombeck and the article re Ms Bombeck helped her to decide to hold "an open house" to celebrate the fact that her son had returned to good health .Ms Bombeck(author of "I hate housework, and also written during a trying period of illness that she wished she'd given more house parties without worry whether peple would approve of how the house looked" The book jacket is beautifully designed by aDebbie Glasserman to represent 5 keys of different sizes and shapes and going in differen directions for Open House of family,friends,food,piano lessons and the search for a "Room of My Own" with two keys on the back jacket perhaps reflecting the words "Current Affairs/Memoir which are written below the critics by authors : Henry Louis Gates Jr, Gloria Steinem, Derrick Bell, Letty Cottin Poprebin, Veronica Chambers, Maurice Berger. 1/22/05 abj

Open House : Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search for a Room of My Own

Average customer rating:

Open House : Of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search for a Room of My Own
Patricia J. Williams
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTS5CC

Average customer rating:

Open House: of Family, Friends, Food, Piano Lessons, and the Search for a Room of My Own
Patricia Williams
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K06Z90

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