The Siege by Peter David
My favorite television series of all time is Deep Space 9 and my favorite author is Peter David, so it's rather appropriate I begin my detailed reviews here. When I first started reading Star Trek novels, indeed when I first really started reading for fun outside of school, this was one of the first books I picked up and it began a lifelong enjoyment. First, a rule about Peter David novels: If there is a preface, read it. Many prefaces are self congratulatory or just long lists of names with cryptic statements, essentially they tend to read a lot like high school yearbooks but this is not the case with Peter David. This novel has the best ending a preface ever had; it perfectly sets the tone for the book, the exact blend of humour and suspense. He warns the reader that this novel may not match future character development because it was written after only five episodes of the show had aired but as a DS9 aficionado I can safely say he hits the mark dead on with his characters. While this book is rooted in the first season, with minor alterations the story could occur anytime during the run of the show and regardless of that, it has a timeless appeal.
This book grabs you right out of the gate with an encounter with the federation's most lethal enemy (buy the book, folks no spoiling of Peter David's novels here). One thing Peter David does well in this book is having the crew prepare for possibilities that never occur. At first this might sound odd, so I'll explain. Many trek authors focus on the plot, the climax in particular, and everything revolves around that. Peter David is great in general but his B-story lines are just as strong, if not stronger, than the central plot. In this book in particular he adds realism and characterization by having Sisko and the gang doing things that really are useless. Wild goose chases as it were, since they have no more idea how things are going to end than we do - simply brilliant if you ask me. Aspiring writers beware: this can be overdone. Of course I find I only truly appreciate stuff like that after I've read it once already. I think part of why it is refreshing, and he hints at this in the preface, is that in TV and movies every second of film represents a huge expenditure of time and resources so nothing tends to appear that doesn't drive the central plot forward in some way but in a novel the author is free from such considerations and it makes for a richer experience as a result. Also, each character has their own distinct voice. You can tell who is speaking just from word choice and what they're saying. Pretty impressive considering it all comes from one man.
Final Verdict: This book is a must-have with endless rereading potential. Without a doubt one of my favorite novels of any genre.
Bloodletter by K. W. Jeter
Now whereas Peter David has all of his characterization down pat, K.W. goes in the other direction. Don't get me wrong, he's a great Science Fiction writer, just not much of a Star Trek writer. I get the distinct impression that he was trying to fit a story developed for another purpose into the Deep Space Nine universe. A good example is his belief that DS9 runs on a budget. Scarce resources, sure, but no transfer payments from Starfleet or anything like that. Not to mention this impulse engine refitting business so ships can pass through the wormhole. Sure, it may keep somewhat in line with a bit or two of dialogue from 'Emissary' (DS9), but I'm sure they would've mentioned it even by the time this book was written. Actually, the errors of both the general and the technical are glaring. Odo had no quarters for most of the show, yet magically he does here. You know, it's almost as if K.W. tried to take as many risks of being wrong as possible. I mean, come on, Bashir restoring a CD player? Hitting on Kira incessantly? I don't think so. At least as far as continuity is concerned, so far this has been a study in extremes Peter David on one end, K.W. on the other. Here is an example of a tiny technical nitpick: In O'Brien's "hydraulic system", distilled water is used. Now let's think here folks, odds are its replicated water. Now how many impurities would that have? H2O, how could you get that wrong? I could go on like this for days. Heck, he even has Odo shifting to look like other people for pete's sake! Has he even seen DS9? Also everything in this novel points to one event. Not Peter David level quality at all. Also, each character seems to speak with the same voice, even repeating phrases and entire chunks of dialogue another character said which they never heard. To put it simply, he has no understanding of the characters or the universe they inhabit. Perhaps I'm being a little overly critical because Peter David raises the bar pretty high but I think if I'm investing both money and time into a novel I'd like to feel as if the author has really thought everything through; it's like acting, paying attention to the small details makes the overall product feel more real. This is an interesting Sci-Fi story, but not Star Trek. Also a few editing errors, sentences missing the word 'not' for example, make for some very confusing reading. As for the ending, I take similar issues with it as DS9's "The Sacrifice of Angels". I suppose it ends up fitting in with the show that way, too bad it was a plot point I found rather lacking.
Final Verdict: If you want a good Sci-Fi Horror story with Politcal undertones, this is your book; but for a good Star Trek or DS9 novel, look somewhere else.
The Big Game by Sandy Schofield (Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
I have to say, the first five DS9 novels are memorable. That's why I chose them to review first. Compared with TNG & Voyager's first novels, these are on a whole different level. "The Mist" appears to borrow somewhat heavily from the latter portion of this novel, which would follow considering it's by the same authors, albeit under a different name. Also, the Madison and Idaho seem to be recurring ships cast as 'the cavalry'. Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch do a fantastic job as always but two things in particular that they do quite well is create a rising tension and, given the nature of the novel about a poker game, they create numerous characters so unique it's reasonably easy to keep track of them all.
Final Verdict: I know I don't have much to say about this book, but don't take that as anything less than a roaring endorsement for it. My silence simply means this novel has very few flaws.
Fallen Heroes by Dafydd Ab Hugh
GREATEST NOVEL EVER. I have read this particular novel so many times that my review of it here may not be entirely balanced or fair but it will be accurate. This novel has everything: humour, action, emotion, originality, time travel, eerie moments to frighten and warm moments both of which are good for the soul. It's a detective novel, action-adventure, and a comedy all in one while remaining true to Star Trek and the Science Fiction genres. It's an epic. Dafydd knocks it out of the park on his first outing and while grateful to him I also feel a little sorry for him because none of his later works begin to approach his genius here. "Vengeance" tries unsuccessfully to riff off of this novel but doesn't pull it off because the conflict of that story is diluted compared to this novel. And his Rebels trilogy was, while slightly amusing at times, a generally painful experience. That said, his TNG outing "Balance Of Power" was actually really good, but again can't approach the caliber of this particular novel. It's a shame because this novel could have been, nay, SHOULD have been the DS9 giant novel instead of that atrocity "Warped", but enough about other novels. Even after all these years this novel still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up - this book was meant to be read late at night when it is very, very quiet. The reference to the previous novel "The Big Game" (when Quark talks about lighting) was a nice bit of continuity that was rare when this was written - as well as the follow-up reference to the Peter David novel "The Siege" (when Sisko asks if a certain enemy are coming through the wormhole). Actually this book seems peppered with references to the earlier novels such as O'Brien being an amateur magician - another tip of the hat to "The Siege". Notice how he refers to the really good novels but forgets "Bloodletter"? I guess he agrees with my reviews.
This book really does have some of the most terrifying and endearing things I have ever read - I guess part of the reason for that is I really know these characters and they are written so well and accurately. Each voice is distinct, each character richly textured. If I had the money and the power I would spare no expense to rebuild the DS9 sets to make this into the next movie - this story deserves more mainstream attention, it should be a part of our collective mythos right up there with transporters and the Borg. I wonder if Dafydd ever considered crossing over to the techno-thriller genre, much like Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens I imagine he would do quite well at it.
Final Verdict: Greatest Novel Ever.
Betrayal by Lois Tilton
After the first five novels in this series it gets to be like the back nine in golf; you're tired and start thinking about what you'll be doing afterwards. Since this is the last of the memorable first 5 novels (not counting the first one, a novelization of the pilot episode - not reviewed here), better enjoy it while you can folks. Now of the first five, compared to all but Bloodletter this one seems to be dragging its heels, but I can hardly blame it because Fallen Heroes is a tough act to follow. Characterization wise, O'Brien comes off as timid and Sisko a hothead, but other than that things are pretty much on base. I must admit I like the ending, from back when all they had was their ingenuity to protect them from big, bad, alien ships. It's not just the frontier spirit but it forced the writer to be really creative in their resolution of the primary conflict.
Final Verdict: A good read, but not one that will stand out in your memory, which ironically means it has good re-reading potential as you're less likely to remember how it all turns out.
Warchild by Esther Friesner
I remember exactly one thing about this book; I read it once and put it on my shelf with a mental note never to read it again. Such notes will of course be suspended for the duration of these reviews. After reading this book, I felt a bit like a war child myself; in this instance seven was not a lucky number. At least the back nine in golf can still be fun, if tiring - this novel is just plain tiring. The editing mistakes begin a scant four pages into this little gem. The way the book is written isn't too bad, but Esther obviously isn't very familiar with the Star Trek universe, or at least not a nitpicker at any rate. I was in the guild, back before it disbanded, so I have an eye for these things. Thinking the runabouts were Cardassian is a pretty glaring and somewhat silly mistake. Not to mention getting storybooks to give children...don't even get me started on this one. It does get better in the second half; apparently she understands Bajor just fine, but DS9 must baffle her. This book is like a cross between the worst aspects of Medicine Man and Ernest Goes To Camp, both fine films in their own right, but the result is neither Trek, DS9, nor Science Fiction. If you're a fan on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, this is your book. Also includes a predictable ending with a pathetic attempt to tie the book in to actual events that took place in the series.
Final Verdict: Well written, but so completely out of touch with the reality of DS9, it's almost impossible to get through.
Antimatter by John Vornholt
This novel is somewhat hamstrung by its flawed initial premise that Antimatter is valuable cargo in the 24th century. We've been able to produce it since the 50's and we're suppose to believe its some rare substance (anti-substance if you prefer)? By the 24th century it should be included in kid's chemistry sets! "One of the rarest and most valuable commodities in the galaxy"? Then why did Quark never try to sell any? Why did the Enterprise of yore run out of Dilithium but never antimatter? Get me two particle accelerators, a chimpanzee, and two cadets and I'll make you some antimatter. As you can imagine, this is not a good beginning. With a laughable plot hole the size of Bajor, you can see how keeping a straight face while reading this book is a challenge. The beginning and premise for the book seem rather contrived: let's ship the supposedly most dangerous substance to the most unstable planet we can find. As well the characters are either inaccurate such as Sisko wanting to observe the launch from the station because of the danger or caricatures of themselves such as Kira bluntly stating her shortcomings without any prompting. The concept of a Bajoran shipyard however is a good idea, if somewhat continuitally awkward - John makes some good arguments for this but refers to a Federation "contract" which seems awkward given their lack of an economy. Furthermore 2,000 cubic meters of antimatter escorted by 2 cruisers that could only fuel a starship for 2 years seems grossly inefficient and inaccurate, if such regularly shipments were to be made and Earth on the 50s could make it, why not just make it onsite? And I sincerely doubt that Sisko gave Odo the moniker "Constable" and Odo dislikes it. Actually I'm fairly certain it was Kira that came up with it and Odo was only annoyed by the way Starfleet Security Lieutenant Primmin said it. This book is just ripe for nitpicking! Isn't "epoxy" glue? Am I to believe the head of the shipyard has a desk made out of cracked glue? Getting back to characterization Jake seems particularly out of character, can you imagine if he had torn up the scenery every time his father left on a mission? I would have been the founding member of the Kill Jake fan club! It's almost as if the first half of the book suffers from too much Shakespearean influence with Kira directly telling the reader in dialogue all about her issues and Jake's over emotionalism. Once the action starts things do get pretty interesting, the only interruption to which is Jake's histrionics which, while out of place, do set the scene for a nice bit with one of the cruiser's captains. I can't help but wonder at the genesis of this novel: did John want to write a heist story or did someone at Paramount licensing decide it was time for a story about Antimatter, similar to Voyager's painful Dark Matter novels? Well if it were the latter I take the lack of "Dilithium Crystal" or "Transporter" novels as a good sign.
Final Verdict: Requires more of a suspension of disbelief than your average Trek novel but a good read if you give it a chance.
Proud Helios by Melissa Scott
This is one of two novels I read when I'm sick - the other being TNG's "Blaze Of Glory". I don't know what it is about pirate stories - I guess you could call it comfort literature. I always thought a story about a Bird Of Prey in the hands of the Maquis would make a great novel - this is the closest thing available. I suspect this book was written before "The Search" since the only mention of the Defiant is a line with the lame excuse of the ship being at Utopia Planitia for repairs - which makes no sense since the first chapter goes on at length about how DS9 is now fully functional. An Historian's Note to put it in context would have shown more intellectual respect for the reader but I don't think it was a standard convention at the time this was written so I suppose we can let it go this time. My theory is further supported by their use of the Ganges which was destroyed in "Armageddon Game" a pre-Defiant episode. The Gift Of Flight bit from the beginning is pretty gripping the first time around but becomes tedious in future readings. Sure enough while reading this book for the purpose of this review I ended up getting sick - I wonder if always reading the same 2 novels when under the weather may have inadvertently created a couple of plaque books. One thing this book does well to stay realistic, a challenge in all Science Fiction, is to have characters pursue solutions that end up not working or being unnecessary. Unfortunately the intriguing title of this novel is never really addressed.
Final Verdict: A strong story but with unremarkable characters.
Valhalla by Nathan Archer
This book starts off on the wrong foot with a completely horrible rendition of Kira on the cover - I know, I know "don't judge a book..." and all that but this is REALLY bad. Details are important, if you're not going to put the time and effort into getting them right it detracts from the story you're trying to tell. I grow weary of novels that behave as if no one has ever seen the show before - I realize this may increase the potential audience but it does not make for good re-readability. Do they really think someone who has never seen the show or read another novel is going to pick #11 up? This must take place right after Proud Helios - the Defiant is still away care of only a fragment of dialogue. The creepy croaking crab aliens almost harkens back to Bloodletter in terms of eerie-ness. The B-plot about Cardassians politics seems an unnecessary and confusing distraction, the intention may have been to raise the stakes but if that's the case it failed - the story would be better without it. Frankly I think it takes away from Sisko and Kira's nobility and makes the overall story less cohesive. While the book does take some occasional digressions, it's intelligently written - however that results in some odd choices like describing Gomtuu for no reason and then immediately thereafter assuming the reader knows all about Turing machines. The novel accepts that you've never seen DS9 or TNG but assumes you'll be an expert in Turing machines? I had to look it up and I'd like to think I'm reasonably aware. The story of the ship is compelling and memorable.
Final Verdict: One of the last noteworthy novels from the era in which the DS9 crew had to out-think their enemies because they were so grossly out-gunned.
Devil In The Sky by Greg Cox and John Gregory Betancourt
At first glance my concern most definitely was that this was a sorry attempt to bridge the gap between TOS and DS9 by bringing back the Horta much like season one of the show seemed to have a different TNG guest star on every episode, largely unsuccessfully which the exception of Q. The fact is DS9 had such inherently strong stories just waiting to be told that crossovers and borrowing from other series wasn't necessary. Unfortunately I can't say that my concerns were unfounded. The dialogue for example goes from mediocre to disappointing to downright painful and back again. It even goes so far as to paraphrase and almost directly plagiarize lines from the beginning of the second season. From very early on in the story the word 'contrived' comes to mind; the ship just happens to be attacked as the Bajoran government discovers the private mining contract and suddenly decides not to allow it just as Nog accidently disables the stasis field. The worst thing is the 'thieving unaware Ferengi letting something out of stasis by accident' has been done before on TNG! Not only is it contrived, it's un-original! I think the absurdity of this novel is typified in this example: when Odo receives a call from Sisko that sounds urgent within earshot of Quark he uses the bottom half of his body to form a Cone Of Silence! Would you believe they actually call it a cone? The most memorable part of the entire novel is its poor man's answer to Vulcan Love Slave. They even throw common scientific knowledge out the window when they use the runabout to physically push an asteroid that they hide behind for fear its engines might be heard across the void of space! There are even frequent grammar and typographical errors, I feel like I'm reading a rejected draft. I could go on but I think you get the point...it's Star Trek meets Get Smart and tries it's hand at porn. It's not entirely bad, the Kira B-plot is interesting and they do finally make use of an idea I had for years, use the transporters on the runabouts if the ones on the station fail.
Final Verdict: It is, at best, a parody of a decent novel. Still better than anything Michael Jan Friedman ever wrote which isn't saying much.
The Laertian Gamble by Robert Sheckley
The first page of this novel includes 2 factual inaccuracies which begins a trend continued throughout the novel, I could list them all here but that would itself be a novel. The sad and simple fact is within the first few chapters you have to ask yourself why they let this person write a DS9 novel, he has no understanding of the series or characters as the gross and frequent inaccuracies and horrible dialogue make plain. He thinks DS9 is a ship for God's sake! His pacing is so badly broken up as the chapters are on average only 3 pages long I begin to think this person has no business writing at all! He creates interesting characters but even saying that took some effort on my part to find something nice to say. He keeps spewing randomly invented names and places that have nothing to do with anything, at times it reads like a mad-lib written by a 6 year old. The only characters that behave with any internal logic are the ones he created; the DS9 regulars become inconsistent caricatures. Frankly the lack of effort put into this book is an insult to the intelligence of anyone who would dare read it. At best it's Chaos Theory taken to a bizarre extreme and having nothing to do with Star Trek. The conclusion is a Dues Ex Machina of epically absurd proportions.
Final Verdict: Easily one of the worst DS9 books ever written.
Station Rage by Diane Carey
The title of this book is evocative of an epic space battle which does occur but nowhere near the scale of 'epic'. The book has a pretty good plot and is well written but not outstandingly so. This could easily have been an episode, something akin to 'Empok Nor' (DS9). The premise is interesting and a little creepy and I have mixed feelings about sending Jake adventuring through the unexplored crawlspaces of the station at this stage in his development.
Final Verdict: Don't let the short review fool you, this is a really good novel!
The Long Night by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch
I find it interesting that 2 back-to-back novels both deal with cryogenic-type suspended animation, a betrayal that caused the timeframe to be extended, AND secret rooms on DS9. The ruse the title refers to was a cool idea and a cute unexpected tie-in. This novel has some slight similarities to the beginning of Time's Enemy but I think they're more thematic than anything else. It's nice to see the Defiant finally playing a role in the novels.
Final Verdict: Another good novel that warranted a brief review, the first book to make good use of the Defiant.
Objective: Bajor by John Peel
With a title that harkens back to TOS episodes of old this is one of only two DS9 novels to deal with the Maquis, even if it is in the periphery. It's odd that there hasn't been a DS9 novel about the Maquis as the group originated on the series whereas TNG had Rogue Saucer. I suppose there may have been a concern about taking potential plots away from Voyager, as they seem to have a lack of quality stories in the franchise. I can definitely identify with the character that is thrust into a leadership position and tries to hold on to the values and perspective he had before the politics, entitlement, and perks. However I dislike novels that establish characters, provide them a backstory, just to kill them a page later in a way that knowing those characters doesn't drive the story forward or provide any relevant information. The author may think this adds an emotional dimension but to be it seems like a gimmick - the load sound randomly in a horror movie that doesn't make any sense yet makes you jump for no reason. Most of this story doesn't even feel like a DS9 story, it's as if any series could be made to fit the plot, heck I could even see Han Solo and Luke Skywalker fielding this one. The monofilament weapon is very interesting but probably the only memorable part of the book. The action picks up near the end but it also becomes clear that subplots like the framed sabotage and Jaro aren't central to the story and could have been left out.
Final Verdict: A fine book but could have easily taken place in any era or universe.
Time's Enemy by L.A. Graf (Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone)
Ladies and gentlemen I give you the last great DS9 novel; on par with Fallen Heroes and The Siege this book will keep you up nights in fascination and terror. The proper definition of the word 'awesome' is fear and wonder and it fits this book well. This book was part of the phenomenal and groundbreaking Invasion! crossover series but since it doesn't actually deal with the Furies it works beautifully as a stand-alone novel as well. The initial mystery will entice you, the story of Bashir and Dax will haunt you, and the action back at DS9 will have you on the edge of your seat. The novel also tips its hat to previous novels The Big Game and Antimatter. There's a lot of really great stuff here from drama to suspense to plot to dialogue and even some fascinating science like the ansible thing with Dax. One thing that can sometimes get tiresome in all forms of entertainment be it novel, TV show, movie, or videogame is that the heroes generally have exactly what they need to solve the problem, sometimes like mana, but however contrived or natural it is they usually bring the right people or tools they need for the unexpected. James Bond is a classic example, when does he get a gadget from Q that he doesn't end up desperately needing later in the movie? Well this novel makes a wonderful departure from the norm by having our hero decide NOT to take the person he needs to save the day. It heightens the drama and conflict but best of all makes it all seem more real, always a challenge for Science Fiction. And the climactic conclusion is unlike anything you're likely to ever encounter again.
Final Verdict: The last of the truly great DS9 novels, this will keep you up nights and not be soon forgotten.
The Heart Of The Warrior by John Gregory Betancourt
The Historian's Note refers to The Trojan Spaceship, presumably an earlier working title. The first novel after Worf joins the crew of DS9, this is the other book which involves the Maquis. The author gets some minor details wrong such a confusing Starfleet Academy and the Federation as well as Worf's title, those errors may seem the work of an amateur but they don't effect the plot in any substantial way. The bit about combining two ships on the other hand is one of several pointless digressions. The personal cloaks definitely have a ring of James Bond about them.
Final Verdict: A decent but unremarkable outing for the DS9 crew.
Saratoga by Michael Jan Friedman
I suppose I had best come forward and admit my negative bias before continuing; I don't like Michael Jan Friedman. As far as I'm concerned he's a hack who somehow gets his hands on good novel premises and then ruins them. He spends more time describing the irrelevant scenery than explaining the critical plot points, I know what everything looks like in agonizing detail but I don't know who said what or who just got punched. As far as I'm concerned before even opening the book I knew this would be a tired rehash of Reunion which is the exact same premise of the captain's old crew reuniting and one of them can't be trusted except Sisko is standing in for Picard and the Saratoga is the Stargazer. Okay, I've been intellectually honest and identified my bias, let's get this over with. From the beginning the book is riddled with inaccuracies and unnatural dialogue, I won't bother to list them lest someone think I had it out for my most hated author. It even has typos; not many and I've seen books with worse but still the kind a good proof-reading should have caught but spell check never would have. He even makes up words, and I don't mean technobabble, I'm talking adjectives. I can never remember which character turns out to be the bad guy in either this book or Reunion, largely because almost every character is unremarkable - I would need to remember a character to remember whodunit. The climax of the story is definitely full of suspence but the entire situation is contrived, their solution remembers probes but neglects escape pods, shuttles, the captain's yacht, and the detachable warhead to say nothing of the melodramatic reveal of our villan. In fact no part of any of the conflict in this novel holds up to any scrutiny. even the epilogue completely forgets Star Trek IV. All that having been said this could be MJF's best novel, it was fairly painless afterall.
Final Verdict: Completely unremarkable, you may forget it within minutes of reading it and that's not really a bad thing.
The Tempest by Susan Wright
This is one of the handful of books I was not looking forward to having to re-read for the purpose of these reviews; Susan is also responsible for the TNG novel Sins Of Commission which I also take pains to avoid. The science is either nonsensical gibberish or above my head, either way it does not make for good reading when you have two characters spouting terms at each other without context or explaination - it comes across as filler and for someone who appreciates and understands most non-medical technobabble that's saying something. O'Brien is so out of character it's nearly offensive. One bit of the nonsensicale pseudo-science I was able to parse was "dangerous alpha radiation" - alpha radiation, if memory serves can't penetrate PAPER much less the hull of a starship, there's nothing dangerous about it so it looks like my suspicions were correct, the endless science chatter is actually a madlib. The only interesting people in the book are Worf and Odo and neither plotline amounts to anything.
Final Verdict: If you plan on reading this book the forecast calls for boring with a chance of nonsense.
Wrath Of The Prophets by Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, and Robert Greenberger
Harkening back to the TNG novel Doomsday World this novel is a 3-way collaboration with 3 of the 4 people who wrote that book. The problem is that book was an unremarkable 'away team on an industrialized planet' story in a long string of such stories. Sadly this book follows suit, easily being confused with Warchild. The Author's Note admits MJF's talent is writing "filler"! I knew it! Vindicated! Right off the book illustrates it's bizarre dichotomy with 2 pages describing a place (clearly MJF at work) and then launches into a hilarious homage to Cheers and Mos Eisley (go PD! Only he could pull that off). This novel could never be made into an episode or movie because when it's on a screen, be it large or small, everything must serve a purpose due to the budgets involved and the attention span of the audience. In this particular novel both Lieutenant Ro and her bajoran odyssey with Kira are completely unnecessary as they do not move the story forward. Ro's presence just results in endless pointless bickering that doesn't bring anything new or interesting to light and the odyssey on bajor literally goes no where and only serves to give Kira a minor emotional arc - as it's not relevant to the plot the time spent on such a minor payoff seems inefficient at best and a waste of time to try the reader's patience at worst. Did Sisko not take ANY of the crew of the Defiant with him? Crew compliment of 50, but he just takes a Fergeni. And who was looking after the ship while they were on the station? I can understand wanting to have Sisko and Quark work together but this just doesn't make any sense.
Final Verdict: Not a bad novel, strictly speaking, but full of useless plotlines and irrelevant diversions you won't likely remember much of it afterwards.
Trial By Error by Mark Garland
The first 100 pages are somewhat maddening, throwing out question after question but never providing so much as a hint of an answer or even a clue of what's going on. You may likely find yourself wondering at the point of it all. Okay, so Jake is flung into the wormhole in an out of control runabout and rather than immediately chase after them in the Defiant, Sisko decides to have a relaxed meeting in Ops? And what's with O'brien suddenly becoming a science officer, his background is tactical, his current area is engineering, his speciality transporters but he's suddenly talking about gas giants like he was Spock. Essentially the entire novel attempts to create a mystery that isn't resolved until the last 10 pages or so, the problem is the mystery is uninteresting and dreadfully repetitive and the payoff is unfufilling.
Final Verdict: Repetitive boredom with an ending that is a good SciFi idea but the execution so poor as to negate any appeal.
Vengeance by Dafydd Ab Hugh
Although clearly if not a rehash then at least in the style of Fallen Heroes this novel does start out with some originality in the plot that draws the Defiant away and the initial attack by the Klingons. An invasion without casualties is certainly a departure from Fallen Heroes, almost plaintively so. At one point Dax says Klingons aren't supposed to use cloaking technology, what's that all about? One thing that always sticks with me about this book is when they crawl outside the station, it's fascinating but at the same time a little silly. Yes, the shield perimeter doesn't hug the hull, it's 300 meters out, but that atmospheric shield, protecting against hull breaches and decompression really should hug the hull as the power demands would be ridiculous otherwise. And of course the best moment of all that almost makes the whole thing worthwhile, when Jake comes up with the idea for Fallen Heroes the very novel, written by the same author, that this is a tired rehash of! And why evacuate the air, thus causing the first casualties in the conflict, when you could just as easily flood the station with gas? While the personal conflict for Worf is interesting the other Klingons, although familiar, are neither likeable nor particularly frightening.
Final Verdict: If you've previously read Fallen Heroes this can't help but come off as a rehash but either way still manages to be original enough to warrant a reading, just don't expect too much.
The 34th Rule by Armin Shimerman and David R. George III
There's an almost Michael Jan Friedman quality about the level of discription and discussion of minutiae which I find tedious. The Betazed gift box tip of the hat was nice, although I think there is less virtue when you tip the hat to yourself. I wonder what Avery Brooks would have to say about how his character is handled with specific regard to the issue of racism. Ironically, given that the novel is written by Quark the plotlines involving the other characters are the only really compelling stories. I can't say I like the Gallitep plotline, it's largely why I don't re-read this book and the Of Mice And Men reference is likewise poorly received. The entire Gallitep plotline was annoying, heavy handed, and a painfully transparent attempt to stir up righteous indignation and draw parallels to real world events.
Final Verdict: Had the Gallitep plot been left out this would have been a great novel.
Rebels: The Conquered by Daffyd ab Hugh
I don't get it, in his other works Daffyd writes the characters so well but here the dialogue just doesn't seem right, O'brien in particular is almost painful to read. I can't say I care for the Kai Winn backstory and frankly see no point to it. Trying to make Winn more likeable seems a pointless and boring endeavor. And don't even get me started on the cover art. The people on the planet aren't Bajoran, the Bajorans on DS9 aren't on a planet and the Bajorans in Winn backstory are religious figures, not young weapon-brandishing resistance fighters - so who ARE these people? One glaring example of character inconsistency is when Odo seems perfectly willing to use a weapon. He never fired a weapon on the show as a matter of principal. And for some real eye-rolling you may notice Sisko's access code spells HUNK and Kira's BABE - normally I like in jokes but this is painful.
Final Verdict: If this were a single book it would be alright, if unremarkable, but dragging it out to a trilogy is unconscionable.
Rebels: The Courageous by Daffyd ab Hugh
Again with the nonsensical cover art, it's completely misleading. It's so sad that this trilogy was the last trek fiction he wrote before turning to his right-wing blog, really went out on a low point. The talking horses are kind of funny, and while not really that strange a science fiction notion after all the other things thus far all the talking animals come off as a little absurd. The main problem with this entire trilogy is that it tries to do far too much. The Kai Winn backstory could be cut out entirely, the native plot scaled down and you'd have a decent 2-parter but much of this reads like Dickens (he was paid by the word). The plotline on DS9 gets more interesting as does the plot of the Defiant crew but Winn's backstory, even as it begins to tie in to relevant events in the present, could still be completely omitted.
Final Verdict: A noteable improvement over the first book but it still would have been better with an entire plot removed.
Rebels: The Liberated by Daffyd ab Hugh
The aliens attacking DS9 seem to have been borrowed heavily from Time's Enemy and to much less success. Frankly one begins to wonder if poor Daffyd has just run out of ideas, he even describes the aliens using the same words! Sisko's background is starship construction so why is he developing an antitoxin? Gul Ragat is an interesting character in the present but the backstory is boring and does not inform the depth of the later Ragat.
Final Verdict: A horrible end to a horrible trilogy and once-promising writing career.
Enterprise Novels | TNG Post-Nemesis Novels | Novels | What's New | E-mail CoW mAn