Author Topic: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???  (Read 43891 times)

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Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #105 on: April 16, 2017, 01:28:18 PM »
So apparently the book has been pushed back to Fall 2017. More time to make the story complete and get everything together for the limited edition. We may have the North American dates before the book  :lol
« Last Edit: April 16, 2017, 02:56:48 PM by SystematicThought »
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Offline CB

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #106 on: April 16, 2017, 03:32:29 PM »
So apparently the book has been pushed back to Fall 2017. More time to make the story complete and get everything together for the limited edition. We may have the North American dates before the book  :lol

I hope they don't cancel it completely (like the plans for a dvd). The only thing I don't like about TA is the (imo) illogical behaviour of some characters in some parts of the story. I'm curious to see what a professional author does with the material and if he's able to give the story and characters more depth.

Offline ToT-147

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #107 on: April 16, 2017, 07:12:33 PM »
I hope they don't cancel it completely (like the plans for a dvd). The only thing I don't like about TA is the (imo) illogical behaviour of some characters in some parts of the story. I'm curious to see what a professional author does with the material and if he's able to give the story and characters more depth.

And that's because, probably, the story was actually based on reality more than in pure imagination or in a random Hollywood movie.. ;D
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Offline Architeuthis

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #108 on: April 17, 2017, 10:59:53 AM »
It would be wise for them to release the book right before the north American leg of the tour. They could sell alot of copies at the merchandise section.  Neil Peart books were available at the Rush shows, that's how I obtained my copies.  I'm alot less likely to order something like that..
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #109 on: April 17, 2017, 11:05:47 AM »
It would be wise for them to release the book right before the north American leg of the tour. They could sell alot of copies at the merchandise section.  Neil Peart books were available at the Rush shows, that's how I obtained my copies.  I'm alot less likely to order something like that..

You're totally right with this, that would be the best move on their part. Not sure it'll happen, though, they seem to be going very slowly with this project (which isn't an easy thing to do at all, so I understand).
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline Kotowboy

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #110 on: April 21, 2017, 04:34:49 PM »
Quote
Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???




::) Not only that - I hear they're writing a double concept album based off that iPhone app... Geeze guys....

Offline ytserush

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #111 on: May 13, 2017, 02:04:36 PM »
The Astonishing is almost like Dream Theater's answer to Clockwork Angels. Both epic concept albums with a novel to follow..  Both albums are very addictive imho! 

I have a feeling that they will run very different paths. Rush came out at the end of their career, wrote their first full concept album and really shocked everyone with how good it was. Among casual and die-hard fans it seemed to go over very well. The book was by an author I love, but frankly Kevin J. Anderson has done much better than the Clockwork Angels novel. It had far too many song/lyric reference/puns, that were good for awhile, but then just continued to get forced. The story was alright, but nothing spectacular. In general the book was a big step down from the album.

For Dream Theater, if Petrucci lets this guy do his job properly I think the novel can stand to do alright. Frankly I hope it diverts from the album in some key ways, which would really allow it to be much better from a story perspective. While I don't know if I'll have the interest to get the initial run, I'm sure I'll read the book eventually, and I expect it will be better than the album.

Totally agree with this. While I love Clockwork Angels (the album) I'm not touching the book since I don't want to ruin my interpretation of the lyrics (Well, that and I'm not at all a fan of Kevin J. Anderson and I don't want him to ruin the album for me.)

That said. I might be all over a novel of The Astonishing (unless Kevin J. Anderson writes it.) The lyrics are by far the weakest part of the album for me and the novel could be a great way to repair some of that damage. I'd consider it a masterpiece if not for the lyrics because I think the music is that good. It was even better live.

Offline Peter Mc

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #112 on: May 16, 2017, 06:46:51 AM »
Have ordered the book purely as I'm hoping it will be a nice thing to own, I have no real desire to read it but will no doubt give it a go.  It was a joint Christmas/birthday present off my brother so haven't had to pay for it!

Offline devieira73

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #113 on: August 18, 2017, 08:46:18 AM »
https://www.vaultbooks.pub/news/update-the-astonishing
Some updates. If I understood right, the author maybe can accept some suggestions from the fans about what it should be developed on the book.
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #114 on: August 18, 2017, 09:10:15 AM »
Peter's been posting updates on his FB and Twitter pages also.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline SystematicThought

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #115 on: August 18, 2017, 01:01:07 PM »
Wasn't this supposed to come out in the Spring? I kinda forgot that I ordered it to be honest.
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Offline Dublagent66

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #116 on: August 18, 2017, 03:42:01 PM »
The Astonishing?  What's that?  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.
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Offline Dream Team

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #117 on: August 19, 2017, 01:17:34 PM »
The Astonishing?  What's that?  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

Seems like you just click on the Astonishing threads just to shit on them. Not cool dude.

Offline Sycsa

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #118 on: August 19, 2017, 04:23:11 PM »
Funny how the OP seems offended by the mere prospect of an Astonishing book. :lol

I saw this on FB today, garnering 2,7K likes:


I know that after Scenes (and especially starting with ToT) every DT album had its share of controversy, but I'm pretty sure The Astonishing will go down as DT's all-time "most controversial/most passionately hated by a good chunk of the fanbase" album.


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Offline PetFish

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #119 on: August 19, 2017, 11:17:24 PM »
... and what exactly would "a good chunk of the fanbase" be?

Just like every album by every band ever there are people that like it and those that don't but to say "passionately hated" is pretty ridiculous and don't really understand how you can come to that conclusion.  I see people love it and hate it, just like usual, but statements like this just don't make any sense... unless you can back it up with a lot of evidence of this "passionate hate" cuz I just don't see it.

I also seem to remember people saying this junk about Falling Into Infinity, which now gets quite a lot of love.

If you don't like it, great, if you like it, great, but it's generally the people that don't like something that tend to make the wildest claims and exaggerations and so have the loudest voices trying to convince people to also share their opinion but for what?  Why tell your buddy to stay away when they may end up enjoying it?  That does nothing but hurt the music.

Offline Sycsa

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #120 on: August 20, 2017, 04:21:17 AM »
... and what exactly would "a good chunk of the fanbase" be?

Just like every album by every band ever there are people that like it and those that don't but to say "passionately hated" is pretty ridiculous and don't really understand how you can come to that conclusion.  I see people love it and hate it, just like usual, but statements like this just don't make any sense... unless you can back it up with a lot of evidence of this "passionate hate" cuz I just don't see it.

I also seem to remember people saying this junk about Falling Into Infinity, which now gets quite a lot of love.

If you don't like it, great, if you like it, great, but it's generally the people that don't like something that tend to make the wildest claims and exaggerations and so have the loudest voices trying to convince people to also share their opinion but for what?  Why tell your buddy to stay away when they may end up enjoying it?  That does nothing but hurt the music.
Well, I've been around for a few album cycles now, and the reactions The Astonishing gets, even so long after its release is definitely not the usual "some love it, some hate it." It's a polarising album, which incites unusual passion in both the "love" and the "hate" camps. You wouldn't find such FB posts (with that many likes - 3,5K now) like the one I linked to about any other DT album. This sentiment is also echoed on many forums.

A "good chunk" means a noticeable proportion. It's by no means the majority or even close to the majority.

I have 3 friends, who are lifelong, really hardcore DT-fans, and none of them liked the album, at all. They don't know each other, they all came to this conclusion independently. It's anecdotal, inconclusive evidence, but knowing them, and knowing what they each like about DT, it's very telling for me.

Also, the Astonishing tour was a flop. There may have been other factos at play, but I can't help but chalk some of it up to the album itself.

As I was typing my original comment, FII came to my mind as well, but I get the impression that, in retrospect, most people seem to really like it (one of the most often cited positive opinions regarding Sons of Apollo is that it echoes FII). Remains to be seen how TA will be regarded in the more distant future.

Your last paragraph is completely misdirected, I couldn't care less about trying to "convince" anyone about liking or not linking anything, that would be just silly and childish. I just expressed what I perceived. If anything, I hope that more and more people like it, and it has commercial success, so DT will go on making music for long.


« Last Edit: August 20, 2017, 09:59:53 AM by Sycsa »


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Offline ToT-147

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #121 on: August 20, 2017, 10:42:19 AM »
You wouldn't find such FB posts (with that many likes - 3,5K now) like the one I linked to about any other DT album. This sentiment is also echoed on many forums.

I had the feeling that Facebook didn't exist until 2004 and didn't became popular after several years, same case with DT forums.. So that rules out like 3/4 out of those "other DT albums", right?.. :biggrin:

Ok, seriously now, I think this very same thing was discussed before, and I think now almost exactly what I thought back then: we can't know for sure whether a "good chunk of the fanbase" strongly hates the album, or if only half of it hates it, or any other possible combination of words trying to describe the "general consensus" about the album, metaphorically speaking.. What I'd be more interested to know, rather than what words we use to express how we felt and feel now about TA, is the amount of times we listened to it and, probably more important, under what circumstances.. Not the same if you only listened to it once (I know a few that did this and claim to dislike it) than if you listened to it let's say at least three or four times... but, clearly not the same either if you merely "hear" it, while driving or while doing other stuff in your house than if you really sit and listened to it..

Then again, yeah, all of this cannot be other than speculative, because doing some kind of poll or survey (one that reaches at least the majority of DT fans) in order to know all of this is just impossible..
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Offline Evai

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #122 on: August 20, 2017, 01:53:16 PM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs, and sadly they're the only people who would actually take the time to listen to it...
Jordan took Moore's boring, pedestrian parts and elevated them considerably to take them from barely palatable to stellar.

Offline Sycsa

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #123 on: August 20, 2017, 02:34:03 PM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs, and sadly they're the only people who would actually take the time to listen to it...
It's a double concept album set in a dystopian future, I thought you pretty much had to be a snob to enjoy it. :lol


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Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #124 on: August 20, 2017, 08:20:49 PM »
You wouldn't find such FB posts (with that many likes - 3,5K now) like the one I linked to about any other DT album. This sentiment is also echoed on many forums.

I had the feeling that Facebook didn't exist until 2004 and didn't became popular after several years, same case with DT forums.. So that rules out like 3/4 out of those "other DT albums", right?.. :biggrin:

I'm pretty sure they had ytsejam forums back in the 90's. A few years ago someone linked me to some of the archives of their threads when Awake was about to come out. The reactions were very interesting.  :lol
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Offline Evai

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #125 on: August 20, 2017, 11:25:44 PM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs, and sadly they're the only people who would actually take the time to listen to it...
It's a double concept album set in a dystopian future, I thought you pretty much had to be a snob to enjoy it. :lol

In my eyes, it's a bunch of awesome 90's pop ballads  :rollin
Jordan took Moore's boring, pedestrian parts and elevated them considerably to take them from barely palatable to stellar.

Offline RoeDent

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #126 on: August 21, 2017, 12:02:20 AM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs...

...who can't appreciate a good tune when they hear it. Honestly, the lukewarm reaction to The Astonishing has been one of the most disappointing things I've seen in my time in prog.

Offline Adami

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #127 on: August 21, 2017, 12:18:50 AM »
It's true. When people don't like something I don't like, it's their fault and it's because they're wrong and flawed. Clearly what I like is perfect.
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Offline rumborak

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #128 on: August 21, 2017, 12:35:01 AM »
As I was typing my original comment, FII came to my mind as well, but I get the impression that, in retrospect, most people seem to really like it (one of the most often cited positive opinions regarding Sons of Apollo is that it echoes FII). Remains to be seen how TA will be regarded in the more distant future.

Yeah, hard to foresee. They are/were disliked for different reasons though; FII mostly was disliked I feel because of stylistic choices/influences (by the label), whereas the criticism towards TA is more about the songwriting I think.
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Offline Sycsa

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #129 on: August 21, 2017, 01:35:12 AM »
As I was typing my original comment, FII came to my mind as well, but I get the impression that, in retrospect, most people seem to really like it (one of the most often cited positive opinions regarding Sons of Apollo is that it echoes FII). Remains to be seen how TA will be regarded in the more distant future.

Yeah, hard to foresee. They are/were disliked for different reasons though; FII mostly was disliked I feel because of stylistic choices/influences (by the label), whereas the criticism towards TA is more about the songwriting I think.
Perhaps by then people just won't have the time for music anymore, so it wouldn't matter anyway.


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Online Ben_Jamin

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #130 on: August 21, 2017, 08:39:53 AM »
The songwriting is what I enjoy about the music. Ive been to Operas before and it is exactly that. An Opera with metal music.

I bet a lot of people wouldn't be complaining if they released it as Dream Theater presents The Astonishing. Or John Petrucci presents the Astonishing with the music by Dream Theater.

I'm waiting for the day when someone decides to make it into an Opera production. It'd be really cool.
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Offline Dublagent66

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #131 on: August 21, 2017, 11:15:11 AM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs

No, the prog community hates TA because it isn't prog.
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Offline Sycsa

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #132 on: August 21, 2017, 11:39:23 AM »
The songwriting is what I enjoy about the music. Ive been to Operas before and it is exactly that. An Opera with metal music.

I bet a lot of people wouldn't be complaining if they released it as Dream Theater presents The Astonishing. Or John Petrucci presents the Astonishing with the music by Dream Theater.

I'm waiting for the day when someone decides to make it into an Opera production. It'd be really cool.
"John Petrucci presents the Astonishing with the music by Dream Theater" would work if they had different singers for every character, maybe an orchestra and other different contributors. With only DT members collaborating on it, it's purely and simply a DT album, no matter how you slice it.


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Offline mikeyd23

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #133 on: August 21, 2017, 11:40:35 AM »
It is my firm belief that the prog community hates The Astonishing because they're a bunch of snobs

No, the prog community hates TA because it isn't prog.

 :lol That's funny on a couple levels.

Offline Mosh

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #134 on: August 21, 2017, 12:18:24 PM »
It's my firm belief that some people like things and  other people don't like things.
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #135 on: August 21, 2017, 12:44:05 PM »
It's true. When people don't like something I don't like, it's their fault and it's because they're wrong and flawed. Clearly what I like is perfect.
Clearly.  :tup
 
 
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Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #136 on: August 21, 2017, 11:43:26 PM »
 :biggrin:
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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #137 on: August 22, 2017, 09:50:33 AM »
The snobbery and bashing towards this album in all corners of the web astounds me... sheesh... Bloody great album and I'm excited for the novel...
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Offline Samsara

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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #138 on: August 22, 2017, 11:41:47 AM »
The snobbery and bashing towards this album in all corners of the web astounds me... sheesh... Bloody great album and I'm excited for the novel...

I think the novel will help flesh out the story a bit more. Peter Orullian is a fantastic author, and a hell of a singer himself. (LaBrie is a big influence.) I am not thrilled with The Astonishing as a record, but I am very much looking forward to the book, and then revisiting the record after I've read it.
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Re: Now there's going to be a novel for "The Astonishing"???
« Reply #139 on: August 23, 2017, 09:14:31 AM »
The snobbery and bashing towards this album in all corners of the web astounds me... sheesh... Bloody great album and I'm excited for the novel...
Prog fans can be quite terrible lol.
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