Zwielicht (Mission Gamma, #1)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma #1

by David R. George III

Der Beginn der Mission Gamma!

Es ist die Zeit...für eine neue Ära der Forschung. Der Dominion-Krieg ist Geschichte, und so macht sich die Besatzung der U.S.S. Defiant auf eine Reise durch das Wurmloch. Commander Elias Vaughn und sein "Korps der Entdecker" wagen sich in die unerforschten Regionen des Gamma-Quadranten.

Es ist die Zeit,...in der eine Zivilisation am Scheideweg steht. Während sich politische Mächte aus dem gesamten Alpha-Quadranten auf Deep Space 9 versammeln, um über die Zukunft des Planeten Bajor zu entscheiden, steht dessen theologischer Zusammenhalt vor dem Aus. Der Pfad der Propheten scheint ins Chaos zu führen - insbesondere für Colonel Kira Nerys.

Es ist die Zeit,...in der sich ein Vater und eine Tochter ihrer Vergangenheit stellen, während eine Mutter und ein Sohn um die Zukunft kämpfen, in der Liebende Prüfungen unterzogen werden, in der sich Freundschaften wandeln und die für eine Welt das Ende für eine andere den Aufbruch in einen neuen Morgen bedeuten kann.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Media Tie In

587 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The start of this book was a slow interminable slog where nothing happened except pages of unnecessary exposition. Indeed, with some sharp editing at least two hundred pages could be cut out without sacrificing plot or character moments just by deleting unnecessary explanation at every turn. The last third, when the plot finally started picking up some momentum, however was excellent and left me eager to start the next book, capturing what I love most about DS9.

There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary. On the positive side, I really appreciate how *alien* the non-humans introduced are, wondrous and strange and fascinating. I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures.

This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.

[Mayaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun time. Or would have been, if it weren't for the author's tendency to reiterate every single statement a multitude of times, in a multitude of ways. Saying the same thing over and over again with slightly different words. Just repeating information that has already been readily made available to the reader on previous occasions, through both explicit and implicit means, in a continuous and unending fashion. Repetitive redundancies all over again.

Seriously, a 500 page book with maybe 150 pages of content.

Things I loved nonetheless:

A. I don't think I will ever recover from the sweetness which is Nog calling Kasidy every day. Or the fact that he uses his shore leave to visit her on Bajor and she makes him salty hot chocolate and they talk about their Siskos and how they'll be back soon, just you wait. Fuck. That shit nearly killed me.

B. Obviously, Quark and Ro getting their shit together. Even enjoyed Quark's adorable discussion with Vic where he finally admits that he cares more about lurve than moneys. Quark spent a lot of this book being disarmingly vulnerable and who can resist that? Not you, not I, nor anyone.

C. The actual nuance in our discussion of Bajor joining the Federation -- the straight up post-coloniality of this shit.

Also something something Vaughn has a daughter something something squid aliens blah blah Gamma Quadrant.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The universe is filled with unimagined wonders.

I really like the prospect of exploration that this novel brings. The Gamma quadrant still being unexplored to a great extent could, and does, bring new worlds and new species into the Trek universe.

The new race we get to know here is called the Vahni Vahltupali and their uniqueness is intriguing. Especially their way of communication which doesn't involve language in any way that I've heard of before. They speak through colors in their skin that changes as they speak. I found that to be a beautiful way of communication.

The translators captured the initial seconds - "We look to the sky and see" - and then delivered the low tone that signaled uninterpretable communication. All around the crew, Vaughn saw, the Vahni in the crowd began changing the colors and shapes on their flesh in time with the changes occurring on the Vahni onstage.
They're singing, Vaughn thought in wonder.

The danger to them and their planet also offers an adventure all in itself that brought mystery and action into the mix as well. What you think you see isn't always what you actually see, to say the least.

Back on the station there's a lot going on as well with all the political stuff concerning Bajor and its future. This is something that's not only a prelude to a coming change, but also something that has the potential to bring insecurity about a few people's place on the station after all is said and done.

The writing is another thing that I really like about this novel. David R. George III writes in a way that draws you in. It's as you can almost see the story play out in front of you. He writes with detail and has a clear focus on characterization. The characters grow both in their individual ways and in their relationships to each other. We have Ensign Tenmei and her father, Commander Vaughn, as well as Ensign ch'Thane and both his mother and his bondmates. And this is just two examples. Another one being Quark and Lieutenant Ro, which I'm both amused and intrigued to read about in their relationship to one another. I'm looking forward to see where this is going in the next couple of novels.

Despite the many things I like about this novel, I do have to admit that I found it to be a bit slow at times especially during the first half. In a way, though, I feel that - since the writing was so good - this wasn't all that much of a problem after all. It's all building up to something, and I guess I'm one of those people that doesn't need it to be all action and adventure all the time.

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Its very long but the characters just get so many great moments its worth it!

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining start to the Mission Gamma series. I've only read one David R. George III book, and that was a pretty weak book. However, this book is a significant step up.

What sets this book apart is it's length. Not only is it 500 pages, but it has the smallest print I've ever read for a Star Trek book, which means that the story itself is the longest single book I've read in Star Trek. For comparison, this book is longer than both DS9 Avatar books COMBINED. A true tome, this book covers a lot of ground, and covers it really well.

Where this book shines is it's handling of the station Deep Space Nine. The main plot where Admiral Akaar is introduced and begins talks for renewing Bajor's acceptance into the Federation was really well done. We see Colonel Kira Nerys struggle with her position in DS9 as well as her philosophical differences with Starfleet.

My personal favorite part of the book was the dynamic between Quark and Ro Laren. In the TV show, Quark always rubbed me the wrong way. However, I found his character charming and funny and probably the most interesting DS9 character. I wanted their relationship to develop and it was well paid off, but doesn't feel cliche. I laughed at both of them throughout the book.

The quartet that this book starts is "Mission Gamma", which means that we get the Defiant in the Gamma Quadrant under the leadership of Commander Elias Vaughn, a great new addition to the Literary universe. His character was flawed and dynamic but he also seemed fun at times. The story also includes Vaughn's daughter, Nog, Ezri Dax, and Julian Bashir. Bashir and Dax's story was the least interesting to me as a reader, but I know that their story gets much better later on.

In terms of set up for the rest of the "Mission Gamma" series, this book feels oddly standalone. This truly has a complete story, but lays the groundwork for more. I am interested to see if the tone is consistent throughout the books (as I know the page count is most definitely not!).

If I can give DRGIII a compliment it is that he writes books that FEEL like DS9. This book really felt like I was reading an episode of television, and the breaks in the parts of the book felt like natural tv episode breaks. I highly enjoyed his handling of the characters and can't wait to read his other DS9 books.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were elements of the Gamma Quadrant plotline that I didn't love, but overall it was really well done. Impressive that David was allowed to write such a long book, but it was well worth it. 8.0 out of 10!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

DS9 was the richest and most textured of any of the modern Trek shows, so the idea that it could continue long beyond our television screens and in a series of novels wasn't exactly a huge stretch. But the fact that it would continue and continue as well as it has is nothing short of a miracle. The DS9 saga continues on the printed page and if you're a fan of DS9 or just looking for a good Trek saga, you can't really go wrong with Twilight.
Twilight is the first of a four-book arc that delves into the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. The story builds slowly, continuing the events of the last time we saw the DS9 crew in the Gateways saga. It then is content to move into the build-up to and exploration of the Gamma Quadrant by the Defiant. But there's a lot more being explored here than just space itself. The relationships between characters are also being explored--from Vaughn and his daughter Prynn to Quark and Ro to Bashir and Ezri to Kira and her relationship with Bajor and the Federation now that she's been Attained. It's the character exploration that really powers the story and keeps the pages turning. And there are a good number of pages to be turned--this book checks in at just over 500 pages. But it's worth it.

There are some major surprises in here and some things that will have great interest to the on-going DS9 storyline. I won't ruin them here for you--it takes out part of the fun. David R. George also takes on the length of the Star Trek universe by bringing in some old friends and new some races as well. It all adds up to what may be one of the most enjoyable Treks published this year--and with Greg Cox's latest Khan masterpiece, In the Name of Honor and Immortal Coil all lurking out there, that is saying a great deal.

I will say this--if you've not read any of the other DS9 re-launch novels, I'd sugget picking them up first. It will make this reading experience that much more rich and enjoyable. This is the kind of book that makes me anxious for the next installment and restores my faith in Trek publishing.

[Breeanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow to get started, but ultimately a very enjoyable read. I could have done with a little less of Vaughn's manpain re: his daughter, but the Bajoran/Federation politics were interesting, and basically all of the aliens were incredibly well done. Star Trek has a reputation for having mostly only aliens that are basically humans with face wrinkles, but not so in this book -- all of the aliens are actually *alien*. The plot on the planet was a little dragged out and the resolution was a little more tell than show, but the actual plot of it was really, really interesting. I liked Ezri as a counselor, but it's nice to see her settling into command and actually being quite good at it. Oh, and the continued reveals of Andorian biology/culture are super interesting! A solid entry in the relaunch series that has me reaching for the next book.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dipping back into the old continuity...and my goodness, is this an incredibly dense, packed text...I've never seen such tiny type in a Trek novel, trying to keep it to 500 pages. Considering it's a DS9 book, I shouldn't be surprised, as it covers innumerable plot lines. The one I was actually least interested in was the Defiant exploring the Gamma Quadrant...as usual, the political/social/emotional/family stories and plot machinations back on the station were my go-to pages. Kira, as usual, owns the story.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's summer, which means I'm tearing through a bunch of summer reads these days, purposely easier reads that are often also called "beach and airport novels," which I've been deliberately doing for the last several years now as a nostalgic homage to my '70s childhood, when I would participate in my public library's summer reading challenge and tear through a bunch of easy reads in exactly this same spirit. And man, it doesn't get much more summery and easy than Star Trek novels, which longtime readers will remember is something fairly new to my life that I've gone back and forth about many times, regarding their relative cheesiness versus the relative enjoyment I get out of their cheesiness.

Thankfully I've had a chance to steer towards the higher end of these 800+ books, by concentrating on an astounding 100-book series called the "Relaunch Novels" that one can realistically call "semi-canon" books, in that soon after the end of the television run of the highly serialized Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Simon & Schuster asked for and remarkably received from Paramount permission to do a series of DS9 books that actually maintain a consistency to character and plot developments from one book to the next. This allows major characters to die and never come back, or new complications to be added to their milieu that are still there 20 books later, essentially turning these books into an unofficial "eighth season" of the show (or I suppose more like an unofficial eighth through twelfth seasons by this point, although the run was officially finally ended in 2021 with the three-book "Coda," so that the running storyline wouldn't clash with the just-released new TV show Star Trek: Picard).

That's amazing, because usually non-canon genre novels (no matter what TV or movie series you're talking about, whether Star Trek or Star Wars, Buffy or Supernatural) are deliberately meant to be disposable, meaning that they have to be written in a way so that you can pick up any random one at any random time at any random yard sale without needing to know even a single thing about what came before in the book series and what came after; that essentially traps most non-canon genre novels in amber like a fossil, where nothing of importance or permanence ever happens to the characters or their situations, which is a huge aspect of why so many people look at non-canon genre novels with disdain. So I'm glad to be reading these Relaunch novels, and was especially excited to get to the books I just recently completed, the four-book miniseries "Mission Gamma" that tells one big unified story over the course of 1,600 freaking pages, which I read right in a freaking row over the last six freaking weeks of my life without taking even a slight freaking pause between each of them, aaaaahhhhhhhh yiiiiiiiiisssss.

That's the best way to approach these four novels, to just read them all in a row without stopping, because they're all thematically connected through a fascinating turn of events: basically, now that the Dominion War is over, Starfleet decides to convert the DS9 warship Defiant into a science and exploration vehicle like the Enterprise, and then sends a collection of our cast members out through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant to do the Federation's first-ever outreach to "new civilizations" and "strange new worlds" in this vastly distant section of the Milky Way Galaxy, one that's suddenly now within a moment's reach because of this cosmic hiccup known as the wormhole that played such a large role on the original television show. And that's basically why I wanted to do one long write-up for all four of these novels as well, because they're essentially like watching four episodes in a row of the TV show, with a familiar formula that doesn't really change from one to the next (basically -- discover new civilization, something about new civilization gets all fucked up, crew spends the rest of the book trying to fix the fuckup).

There isn't a lot to say about each individual "crisis of the week" here, but collectively they were exactly what I wanted from a summer reading project like this -- something exciting yet intelligent, something well-written but not too complex, something I can read on my front porch on a summer Sunday and perhaps fall asleep in the middle of but don't need to feel guilty about doing. That said, easily the most interesting crisis of the week here is in book #3, Cathedral, in which the Defiant crew stumbles across a doomsday weapon from a highly advanced civilization that destroyed itself more than half a billion years ago, basically a "quantum bomb" that takes any living creature that gets close to it and then tries to mesh that creature with the untold trillions of other versions of that creature that exist in the infinite alternative realities of the quantum multiverse, essentially the entire climax of Everything Everywhere All At Once but compressed down into a millisecond.

But don't worry, we still keep checking in on things back at the station during these four novels too! Among those developments is one of the more intriguing ones I've seen so far in these Relaunch novels, which is basically that it's looking more and more likely that there's going to be a Protestant Reformation soon on the deeply religious planet Bajor which serves as the space station's "home base" both on the show and in these books. In an earlier novel, series regular Kira Nerys had an opportunity to release a recently discovered holy book to the general population of her home planet, after their religious elite tried to hide the book's existence because of it seemingly teaching moral lessons that don't jibe with the traditional ethical rules their religion teaches. That essentially has started turning Nerys in the last couple of books into a sort of Martin Luther figure among her people; and one of the major "domestic" developments of this four-book series is a growing amount of Bajorans actually starting a brand-new sect of their religion, which may or may not eventually turn into a bloody civil war just like the real Protestant Reformation did in Europe back in the 1500s.

I have to admit, I've been eating this stuff up with a spoon, along with such other developments as the growing unlikely romance between slimy bar owner Quark and tough-as-fuck Bajoran security specialist Ro Lauren (an interesting addition to the novel series, in that in real life, Michelle Forbes' Ro from The Next Generation was actually meant to fill the role Kira eventually did on Deep Space Nine, but then the actress got cold feet right before making the seven-year commitment), or the growing embrace of humanity by the rogue Jem'Hadar named Taran'atar who now lives on the station, a race that was barely explored during the original TV run (they were essentially the Dominion's hired muscle) and that the novel authors are doing a great job expanding and complexifying here in the books. I'm finding this all very satisfying, and right now these books continue to deliver exactly what I want from them; so I'm looking highly forward to launching myself into yet more of them later this year, starting next with SD Perry's Rising Son, in which we FINALLY learn what Ben Sisko's son Jake has been doing the entire time he's been plunged into the wormhole in an attempt to track down his missing, ethereal father, which happened way back like six books ago. This is actually considered by many to be in the top 10 Star Trek novels in quality out of all 800 of them, so I suspect I'll be getting to this one soon!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twilight is the first in the four-book Mission Gamma series, forming part of Deep Space Nine's literary relaunch. Coming in at over 500 pages, the opus is a hefty read which chart's Starfleet's tentative first steps back to the Gamma Quadrant.

Given the green light by Starfleet Command, the Defiant embarks on a three-month exploratory mission to the Gamma Quadrant. Commander Vaughn soon encounters the Vahni Vahltupali, a mute species who communicate visually. With the new species' homeworld threatened by a strange energy pulse, Vaughn must solve a decades old mystery and confront his tempestuous relationship with his daughter.

Twilight's central storyline - the Defiant's mission to save the Vahni - allows us to see our heroes involved in a fresh and original sci-fi concept while simultaneously confronting deeply personal demons. David R. George is a man who likes to take his time - there's an awful lot of exposition here before the Defiant even leaves the station. As a hardcore fan of the show, I appreciated the slightly slower pace and touching character moments, especially those which involve the new additions to the crew. Vaughn's relationship with his daughter Prynn takes center stage in much of this novel, and is given a gravitas which makes the final scenes between the two characters carry a strong emotional weight. The Bashir / Ezri relationship is another example of one which is allowed to evolve here, as Ezri confronts the burdens of command and Bashir must check his personal feelings at the door - not an easy prospect when the doctor is so overly protective.

Ironically, I enjoyed the character moments far more than the rather implausible explanation for the destructive energy pulse which threatened the Vahni. The concept of a "thoughtscape" - a domain containing just one being, plagued by loneliness and feelings of abandonment - is fascinating, however the way in which our heroes discovered it left much to be desired (The initial scenes with the Vahni are far more enjoyable and believable). I can get onboard with the Dax symbiont having some level of psychic contact, but we're then asked to buy the fact that Vaughn is also capable of "communing" with the entity, understanding its motives, communicating peaceful intentions and persuading it to spare the away team. This would be all well and good, except for the entire Prentara civilization previously failing (and being wiped out) where Vaughn single-handedly succeeds. Indeed, the scenes involving Vaughn communing with the thoughtscape were particularly abstract, and left me unsatisfied with the way the story was resolved (some definite Deus Ex Machina going on here).

Twilight's other major plotline involves Bajor's admission to the Federation and Kira taking centre stage as she attempts to play diplomat under the scrutiny of the rather acerbic Starfleet Admiral Akaar. The stationside activity was a welcome distraction from the events in the Gamma Quadrant, and I really enjoyed reading George's expanded narrative for both Kira and Ro (with one major Ferengi caveat). Kira is learning to live with the Attainder, the directive which prohibits her from engaging with the Bajoran religion due to her transgression earlier in the relaunch series. She's more sure of herself and her place in the universe than ever, and exhibits newfound skills of diplomacy that would make Jean-Luc Picard proud. Her reaction to Bajor's imminent admission to the Federation is well written, and I enjoyed seeing her handle the challenge posed by Akaar (even if it felt slightly too drawn out). Akaar himself is an interesting addition to the crew, and I'm hopeful he'll be fleshed out a bit more - right now he's a tad one dimensional, taking on the role of the arrogant Admiral a bit too easily.

I mentioned a Ferengi caveat. Hope that the relaunch writers would drop the idea of Ro and Quark disappeared in this opus as we're lead through a number of cringeworthy scenes where the two take the tentative first steps in a relationship. Ugh. Try as I might to roll with it, I really hate the direction the author went here. Despite his slight softening later on in the series, Quark has always been a solitary fellow, and he works best scheming and flirting his way through life on the station. Seeing his dumb lovestruck attempts at flirtation being reciprocated by such a strong character as Ro exhausted my supply of willing suspension of disbelief. I hope this fades away... fast.

A few other points to mention:
- I enjoyed our brief visits to Kasidy on Bajor. It's nice to see her character enjoying some stability, although I worry that she may become isolated as story focus stays on the station and in the Gamma Quadrant. Hopefully not!
- Shar's Andorian family drama isn't boring, but it's treading a fine line. We're introduced to his three bondmates here, although I can't say I'm too invested in their feelings with the current lack of development of Shar's character.
- Treir continues to ratchet up her control at Quark's, hiring a new dabo boy and renegotiating her contract. It's light hearted stuff, although I wonder if she may become a more key player later on.
- Jake, oh Jake. What have they done to you? Another book where the prodigal son is seemingly forgotten, with only passing mention given to the fact that he's still lost (or, as the reader knows, marooned in the wormhole with an uncertain fate). His storyline is in danger of becoming increasingly irrelevant if it's not continued soon. Here's hoping the next book will do just that.

All in all, a nice new chapter in the DS9 relaunch saga. My excitement is buoyed now that the Gamma Quadrant is open for exploration, and I'm enjoying the continued character development which always made DS9 such a stand-out series. The rather convoluted resolution to the Vahni crisis loses Twilight a couple of stars, along with some overly verbose sections which slowed down pace a bit too much.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just need to know that Nog is going to be happy.

(Twilight was totally okay - it was a bit over-written in some parts [this dude has some definite ticks - extending beyond the way words are arranged, actually - and they don't all work], and needed streamlining, and I also want to break up Julian and Ezri [not cause I don't like Ezri, I like Ezri, but would you want to look over your shoulder all your life for your bf's arch Cardassian ex??? no] but I wish they weren't doing it quite this way you know? I mean, it's not news that ST isn't great at relationships or anything. Still. :| Also, Kira's plot line was much more compelling than the exploration plot line, even though I'm into the original characters and stuff - it always felt like I was being dragged back to them and away from the More Important Things on the station/Bajor.)

[Jill Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst of the DS9 books so far. Not horrible, but not good.
Cons: prose ranges from cringeworthy to merely adequate, jarring bits of sexism/racism that would be out of place today let alone in a Trek future
Pros: good characterization and dialogue with Kira, Kasidy, Quark and Ro.

[sunnygecko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall story was decent. The author's style is overly wordy and dramatic for me, but it got there eventually.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

My detailed thoughts: https://www.tor.com/2019/11/13/star-t...

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: DS9 - Mission Gamma: Book One: Twilight by David R. George III, David R. George III

Adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.

Medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0 Stars

I have to say that my favourite character in this book...was Vaugn. He's definitely NOT perfect, and makes a ton of mistakes...but he learns (with a little help, from another).

Prynne was a character that I misunderstood, and by the end...her arc was more comprehensive and conclusive.

Shar and the struggles that he was going through...were interesting. I still don't understand his personal ANGER issues, but I the family (racial) dynamic within their intimate society (and the society as a whole), is very interesting...and I hope that the other authors will delve into this some more (a LOT more, hopefully).

Benjamin Sisko is ever present, throughout the entire book, either through Jake, Kasidy and her ongoing pregnacy, Kira (who always thinks of him), the Bajoran people, who honour him...and the legacy of DS9 and all that has happened in the last seven years. Ever present.

Loved Kira Neryse's struggle with Admiral Akaar (and the shadow of mystery that surrounds EVERYTHING he does)...and how it frustrates Colonel Kira.

Loved the subplot of the budding friendship/relationship between Quark (who feels like a man in love...not just puppy love) and the hardened and ever serious Security Officer, Ro Laren on DS9. I would NEVER have put them together. This is surprising for EVERYONE.

Love the honest and tumultuous relationship with Bashir and Ezri Dax. They've got complicated issues, but hey are not glossing it over...and actually dealing with them.

Not sure where it will end, but the experience is fun to watch/read.

Also, love to see the Command track Ezri Dax. She's her own person, even though she's a Trill and has ALL the experiences and connections with the previous hosts. Need more clarification on how that is SUPPOSED to happen, versus what is ACTUALLY happening.

This Gamma Mission series is fun...and looking forward to more

Oh, how could I have forgotten about the local Jem'Hadar representative...and all the antics that he's up to. I so love his interactions with EVERYONE.

On to the next book. This Gray Spirit...what?

#BookTrek 2024

[Derkanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: 4.5 stars. It's pretty slow to start, the author is way overly verbose and redundant, and at least 100 pages should've been edited out, but the story and characterizations were great.

Summary:
--Part 1--

Four Jarada ships pursue the Defiant, doling out massive damage--and killing Commander Vaughn's daughter Prynn, who was at the conn. Unable to fire back for political reasons, Vaughn makes a last ditch decision to drop out of warp while cloaked, leaving the Jarada searching aimlessly and giving them time to repair.

The USS Mjolnir docks 3 weeks earlier than expected, and Admiral Akaar asks Kira to come aboard and meet with him, where he asks endless questions about the Europani on Bajor, the Cardassian aid efforts, and her command of DS9. He also says the Mjolnir is not staying at DS9 while the Defiant heads to the Gamma Quadrant, and she realizes the Federation is headed for Bajor.

First Minister Shakaar receives notification from Ghemor, the head of the provisional Cardassian government, that the Cardassians want to normalize diplomatic relations with Bajor.

Bashir tells Vaughn that his daughter Prynn will make a full recovery in a few days. He is afraid she will hate him even more because of the accident; he made her life hell in an incident 7 years ago.

Taran'atar asks Kira to train in a holosuite program he concocted; she reluctantly agrees, but cannot complete the training. She thanks him for the custom knife he made her at least.

Vaughn visits Prynn while she convalesces in her quarters. He says he's sorry for everything, and that even though she hates him, if she wants to travel to the Gamma Quadrant, she has to stop acting like it as she's undermining his authority. He apologizes for what happened to her mother, and she agrees to work with him--though inside she will never forgive him.

--Part 2--

The Defiant's repairs are behind schedule for their 3 month mission to the Gamma Quadrant, and it might have to be pushed back. Vaughn asks Taran'atar if he's ever been to any of the sections they'll be traveling to; he says that he has, and that they are unremarkable.

It has been 2 months since Jake disappeared and no one knows what happened to him. The Starfleet Corps of Engineers completely decontaminated Europa Nova in less than a month, and Gul Macet, cousin of Gul Dukat, arrives at DS9 on the Trager to help relocate the refugees off of Bajor. He says Admiral Akaar sent him, though Kira wasn't informed.

Upon arriving at DS9, Akaar immediately visits Vaughn in his quarters, where they share a dinner. Afterwards, Akaar tells Vaughn he's reassigning Prynn to another ship, since a commander shouldn't have his family on his crew; Vaughn desperately please for him not to, seeing this as his last chance to reconnect with his daughter. Akaar agrees to let her stay, hoping neither of them regret it later.

Nog gives Kassidy a surprise visit at her new house on Bajor, before he's due to ship out on the Defiant. He tells her that he's sure Jake will be back, even though he has no evidence, and not to worry. Kassidy believes him and feels just a little bit better.

Shar's mom Zhavey is aboard the station and he feels obligated to have dinner with her before leaving on the 3 month mission. When he enters her quarters, his 3 bondmates are also there waiting, and he feels ambushed; he is so angry he almost attacks Zhavey. They plead with him to return to Andor to finish their shelthreth, but he won't concede, feeling that the arranged partnerships in Andorian culture are not going to save his homeworld. As he's boarding the Defiant, Thriss pleads with him to come back to Andor; he finally concedes, but says it will be when he gets back.

With Dax as his XO, Bashir in medical, Bowers at tactical, Nog in engineering, ch'Thane at the science console, and his daughter Tenmei at the helm, Vaughn takes the Defiant into the wormhole.

--Part 3--

Prylar Eivos visits Kassidy, bringing her a beautiful figurine unearthed at B'hala in memory of Jake. He also mentions that there is a good deal of unrest in the Vedek Assembly due to the translated Ohalu texts that Kira uploaded.

6 days into their mission, the Defiant receives a subspace transmission from the Vahni system inviting them to their world. It is an immensely beautiful planet; the Vahni speak with gestures and color changes in their skin. Vaughn is about to beam back to Defiant to continue on with their mission when there is a great quake, and the tower he's on, with a Vahni named Ventu, collapses. Vaughn finds Bowers and Roness in the rubble, and they beam aboard the Defiant, who says they were hit by an unknown something.

The Vahni moon exploded. The Defiant and its shuttle set out to vaporize the bigger hunks of lunar debris, hoping to avert a nuclear winter on the planet. Ezri's shuttle gets hit taking out one of the last large chunks entering the atmosphere; she is knocked unconscious. She awakes aboard the Defiant, which tractored her shuttle before it hit the ground. Bashir says she will be OK, but he doesn't tell her that the pilot, Gerda Roness, has died before Dax passes out again.

The Defiant crew attends a memorial service for those lost. The Vahni say that for hundreds of years, an unidentifiable energy pulse has been passing through their system, continually growing stronger and occurring at more frequent intervals. If not for the moon, the planet itself would have been destroyed.

Kira has another meeting with Akaar, and after more pointed question from him about Bajor's rehabilitation, she finally snaps. He tells her the questions are to gauge Bajor's readiness to enter the Federation, and that there will be a delegation coming to DS9 shortly to decide it's fate.

Taran'atar gets caught shrouding in a school, then again later at Quark's. This frightens the observees, but Ro says he has not committed a crime.

The Defiant traces the source of the pulse to another star system, where seemingly all of the planets have been turned to rubble. Upon closer inspection, they find a lone class M planet that seems to be the source of the blast. They send a probe through the dense atmosphere, but lose contact before it transmits any data. When they try to move Defiant closer, a discharge from the clouds hits the ship. They find an opening in the clouds and send a probe through.

Kira meets with Ro, who tells her about Taran'atar. Kira tells her about the Federation delegation coming to vote on Bajor's admittance, and Ro tells her that she and Akaar don't get along--but that she'll do her job the best she can.

The probe finds industrial ruins on the planet, along with an unknown energy source that Nog and Shar determine will unleash again in 3.5 days. Vaughn, Prynn, and ch'Thane harrowingly take a shuttle to the planet's surface to try and stop the pulse at its source, leaving Dax in charge of the Defiant.

Kira tracks down Taran'atar in the holodeck, who is shockingly doing calculus. He explains what happened at Quark's and, sympathetic, she says he should stop shrouding so people get used to seeing him.

Nog's best theory only gives them a 3% chance to deflect the pulse with deflector shields. The engineering console blinks out right around the time Bowers reports that they found a small hull breach where the Defiant was hit by the energy blast.

Ro realizes DS9 is starting to feel like home, and is worried that if Bajor joins the Federation, the Bajoran militia will be incorporated into Starfleet and they'll arrest her.

The shuttle is suddenly pummeled by multiple bursts of energy, ripping open a hole in the roof. A gray wisp reaches in and touches Shar, who screams in anguish just before they crash.

In one of Defiant's Jeffries tubes, they find a small glob of gray goo that seems to carry the same electrical charge as the pulse and clouds. Ezri asks Bashir to study it, but they can't get a lock on it to beam it to sickbay. It moves, making contact with Ezri and she lapses into a coma.

Treir, Quark's new dabo girl, tells him that she hired Hetik to be a dabo boy, thinking the variety would draw in new customers. Quark is furious and tells her to fire him.

Vaughn, Prynn, and Shar are banged up--Shar has a broken leg--but they're still alive, thanks to Prynn pulling off an emergency maneuver called the "Sulu Shuttle Stunt" right before they crashed. Prynn says she might be able to salvage the shuttle's transporter to beam them closer to the energy source. Vaughn tells her to work on that, but he's going to try and walk to the pulse, which could be 50-250km away.

Ezri wakes up after several hours. Before Bashir puts her back to sleep with a hypo, she says the blob was a being and that she thinks it took her to another universe. After running some tests, they find that while it's not in another universe, it does exist partly in subspace. They conclude that the pulse might similarly extend to other domains of the universe.

Quark returns to the bar to find Hetik running the dabo table. He plans to fire both he and Treir, but she makes a wager with him to try Hetik out for a week and he agrees. After he closes the bar, Ro hits him up and they talk for hours; he even walks her back to her quarters (where she tells him to stop wearing his cologne).

Vaughn walks all day and makes it about 50km. It's dark, but scans reveal a dead city ahead. He's just outside communication range, but Prynn says she has had some success with the transporter.

Quark finds his bar more packed than it has been in some time, thanks to Hetik on the dabo table. Treir flirtatiously asks to be a junior partner, but Quark turns her down--though he says perhaps a merger is in order. Ro sees him flirting with Treir and seemingly gets jealous.

Vaughn's scans of the city reveal it has been dead for 200 years, all the humanoid inhabitants seemingly committing mass suicide--whereas the other cities they'd flown over had died in myriad other ways, like fire, panic, war. Suddenly, Vaughn sees a 50 year old man in a Starfleet uniform beckoning him down the street. He follows him, but the trail abruptly ends. His tricorder confirms that it was exactly who he thought it was: John Harriman from the USS Enterprise.

Vaughn comes to a dark tower that seems to be identical to the one in the Vahni city. At the top of the tower, he sees Ventu again. He tries to talk to him, but the tower collapses, again, and Ventu is once again killed.

Kira meets with Minister Shakaar upon his arrival, and is happy to find that he is still willing to speak with her even though she's been Attainted, and even asks her opinion on who should be the next kai.

Ezri touches the gray goo and enters a coma again, but this time her vitals remain stable for a while. Eventually they drop off and Bashir pulls her back out.

Vaughn sees his daughter Prynn lying near-dead from the explosion on the Defiant again. He knows it's not real, but feels the sorrow again, all the same. He continues on and sees the energy clouds touch down to the ground like a tornado; he realizes they are reorganizing matter into people and places and events from his past. He soldiers on and eventually makes it to a complex with a circle of darkness.

Somehow Prynn experiences herself lying injured on the Defiant the same way her father did, making her feel sorry for him. She gets the transporter working, but the interference is too great to teleport very far, though she has some ideas for workarounds. Shar asks what happened between her and Vaughn, and she says he sent her mom on a mission that led to her death. Shar asks if it was the right decision, and she is shocked, never having thought of it that way.

Vaughn sees a vision of his mother, on the night she told him she was dying of a disease. He realizes he feels abandonment for his mom the same way Prynn does. He thinks about throwing himself into the camp fire, but ultimately vows to finish the mission so as never to abandon his daughter again.

Dax senses the other beings, but cannot communicate with them. However, she can see visions of the away team on the planet, as well as the Prentara, those who has populated the planet before. They relied heavily on virtual reality, and somehow they opened up a rift into another universe called the thoughtscape, which they integrated into their VR. However, the thoughtscape ended up being the minds of living beings called the Inamuri. The pulses are the Inamuri trying to invade our universe, the clouds the interface the Prentara used to tap into the thoughtscape. With this info, Nog gets to work on developing explosive devices similar to the Jem'Hadar Houdini mines that will be capable of exploding in our space and subspace, hopefully sealing the pulse gateway.

Vaughn makes it to the center of the complex and finds a singularity 100 meters across. His scans indicate the next pulse will trigger in 4 hours.

Prynn and Shar get both transporters working, but just as they're about to "skip transport" to the site of the pulse, a probe lands. Inside is a padd detailing the plans devised the Defiant, along with the subspace bombs. Prynn programs the probe to find Vaughn, but the power cell was damaged by an energy blast from the clouds. She replaces it with a cell from one of the transporters and sends it off, leaving them with only one working transporter again.

Quark finally gets a chance to apologize to Ro for flirting with Treir, and his earnest pleas eventually win her over. She finally tells him that the summit he's been catering has been about Bajor entering the Federation, and he's devastated, since they have a no-money economy. She commiserates that she is unsure about her future as well, since Starfleet might not take her back.

The probe finds Vaughn, who immediately gets to work setting the charges. Suddenly, he realizes the mists are part of the interface with Inamuri, and he gets a surge of understanding: the energy clouds squeezing through such a small interface are causing the pulse. The Inamuri are trying to use the clouds to reorganize the matter of this world into a form that they can inhabit. The Inamuri is a single consciousness, and it was only trying to establish contact with the Prentara, not intentionally trying to destroy them. Vaughn cannot bear to condemn it to a life of loneliness, so he disarms some of the mines so the interface will be opened wider instead of destroyed, allowing the Inamuri to come through. He feels terrible for abandoning Prynn yet again, but with only seconds left before the detonation, Vaugn throws himself into the vortex.

Shakaar makes an announcement on the Bajoran news net, not just to announce the summit, but to say that Bajor's petition for Federation membership has been approved. Bajor will be admitted in 6 weeks.

--Part 4--

Kira goes to Akaar's quarters and asks why he has given her such a hard time during his time there. Surprisingly, he says he was judging her personally, not as a Bajoran representative, and that his vote was up grant her a captaincy and keep her in charge of DS9 when Bajor enters the Federation. He does not have a similarly high opinion of Ro, and Kira says she deserves another chance.

Gray clouds surge violently and cover the entire planet, but the energy pulse appears to be gone. 2 holes open and the Defiant detects 3 life signs.

Quark waits for Ro after closing up shop. He thanks her for buying him a drink earlier, and walks her give He asks if she will go out with him, and she says "yes."

Prynn wakes up and when she realizes she's in sickbay, she cries, mourning the loss of her father. Bashir says Vaughn will be just fine.

The thoughtscape protected Vaughn when he jumped into the vortex, and he's perfectly well--aside from the depression he feels from opening all his emotional wounds back up. He tells Dax to contact the Federation and the Vahni, as he promised the Inamuri that he would make sure it's never alone again. When he returns to his quarters, Prynn comes to visit; they embrace and cry and tell each other they're sorry and that they need each other.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.

It starts off really strong - on a cliffhanger really. The character development is solid. The action is great. There is a huge build-up to the first long mission into the Gamma Quadrant. The lines ooze palpable excitement. Everyone gets upset when the mission is pushed back a day. We, the reader, are ready to finally explore the next "Final Frontier" of the Gamma Quadrant.

And then things just sort of flounder. I really like Vaughn as a character. His intense and troublesome relationship with his daughter is a great character point, and he is still very mysterious. He was a great lead to the Gamma Quadrant mission. But once we get there, the plot just isn't that interesting. The final conflict, especially, on the planet is written so cryptically and metaphysically that it's difficult to read through. I wanted this mission to be over and done with and I'm ready to explore the rest of what the Gamma Quadrant has to offer.

The B-Plots are actually quite exciting. In actuality, the primary B-plot, the entrance of Bajor into the Federation, should have been the main plot, as this is what DS9 fans have been wanting to see for years! The secondary B-Plot, a budding relationship between Quark and Ro Laren, is actually quite exciting. They're a weird match you cheer on. I enjoyed reading about them. Along the way, we also check in with some other characters like Bashir, Dax, and Kassidy.

Here's the real kicker though - this book is 500 PAGES LONG. Of small print. If it's not the largest Star Trek book there is, it's up there in the top two or three. I don't mind long books generally. Some of my favorite books are really glorified paper weights. The problem is that this is Star Trek. And Star Trek is, for me at least, about levity and enjoyment. This book was really anything but that. It took itself mostly seriously, and I'm really dreading that this is only part 1 of a 4-part series. Let's hope the other books are shorter, or we may find ourselves on a Promenade break during the Relaunch read.

If this tells you anything, I read two books and played an entire video game between starting this book and finishing it. There were some really great parts. I just wish the bad ones weren't there.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all of the DS9 relaunch novels so far, this one feels to me like the closest thing to watching the actual show. While some of the previous stories have certainly been more fun and more exciting, this is extremely character-focused. It's also extremely verbose and needlessly long, but that helps to provide a lot of depth.

For the first time I felt like an author had really got under the skin of the characters and presented them to me properly. This is especially true for the new characters created for these books, such as Vaughn and Shar. As it turns out, Vaughn isn't really as interesting as I had hoped (and the whole relationship with his daughter is needlessly melodramatic), but this at least really gave me a better sense of him.

The story is divided mostly into two narratives, one taking place on Deep Space Nine and the other following the Defiant on its exploration of the Gamma quadrant. I found the DS9 story to be the far more interesting one. That's possibly because it contains all of the familiar characters, but it's also just generally better told. Unlike the Defiant plot, which contains weird abstract alien concepts to wrap your head around, the station story is immediate and moves with purpose. I also found the pairing of Quark and Ro to work thanks to the amount of time spent developing it.

In regards to the alien story, this is actually one thing I really don't like about many Trek books. They take the fact that they no longer have budget concerns or visual effects to worry about, and they make their aliens REALLY alien. It never works for me and I just end up getting bored as the bizarre concepts are thrown at me.

Be prepared for just how long and wordy this is, but also revel in spending such quality time back on Deep Space Nine.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slog at times, and Vaughn continues to be one of THE most boring characters (full offense, I was disappointed when he miraculously didn't die), but overall, another enjoyable addition to the DS9 Pocket Books canon. The most compelling storyline continues to be Bajor's development as a planet & a people and the existential musings that surround discussions regarding its petition to join the Federation. They're doing a great job stringing along Sisko's absence, and I'm liking the attention Kira is getting in the meantime. Shar is probably my favorite of the "new wave" characters, though I wish they'd give more attention to Prynn, rather than shoe-horning her into "estranged daughter of the boring hundred-year-old captain," because I feel like she's got potential. My final complaint -- aside from the unnecessary swaths of words that stretched the book to 504 pages (@ Pocket Books, hire me as ur editor) -- is that the Dax/Bashir and Quark/Ro romances continue to be painfully juvenile, heteronormative, and cliched. But alas, we can't have everything, now can we? That's what fanfiction's for... 3.5 stars

[Beckerjr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is supposed to be the first in the series of the Defiant exploring the Gamma quadrant. Its 500 pages, the longest ST book ever. About 150 is the actual mission touted. The rest is DS9 "drama". Its almost a third of the book before the mission starts. The author was more interested in the budding Ro/quark rommance(yea you read that right) and other characters feelings of life than amazing new discoveries. The Gamma story is actually interesting but there could have been so much more done. This was at best a 300 page book dragged out way longer than it needed to be. An editor should have stepped in to make a full rewrite and condensing of the massive bloat of this book.

[Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like what could've been a tight 250-300 page book drawn out into a 500 page slog. So much of it was overwritten, the parts featuring the old characters and the station were well done, but the new characters, (especially the amount of time spent on Vaughn when I think him the least interesting of the new cast, despite what the author obviously feels, and the Andorian's soap opera style problems) just made this book seem interminable. The relaunch seroes started off well and I hope it continues to but boy was this book tough to get through.

[William Sariego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set six months after the end of the series, this was a surprisingly good read. Much better than the usual serializations. Some old characters remain, and new ones are introduced, bringing a freshness to the narrative.

[A.K. Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure where to start with this book. If you just want the review because you’re up to date on all of the other books that follow the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV series, then skip ahead. However this book will make a lot more sense for those who aren’t up to date if they consider the following.

The book literally follows a number of others that continue after the series ends, so it may help you to remember the events in these episodes -

Star Trek: The next Generation
Series 5
Episode 3- Ensign Ro (Ro Laren is introduced to the Trek universe)

Series 7
Episode 24- Preemptive Strike (Ro joins the Marquis)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7
Episode 8 - The Siege Of AR-558 (Nog loses his leg as a result of a fight with the Jem Hadar)
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta for Ferenginar)
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf Is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien moves back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war and Kai Winn is taken by the Pah Wraiths).

As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books-
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) - (Commander Vaughan and Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Prynn,. Vaughn’s estranged daughter and Shar, an Andorian. We also find out that Ro Laren has been brought in as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks and may no longer pray in the temples, Etc).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss - (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole and Bashir goes on a mission for Section 31 with Ro and Taran ‘Atar).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways) Demons Of Air And Darkness & What Lay Beyond - Kira and Taran ‘Atar are lost in the Delta Quadrant whilst helping to evacuate a planet in the Alpha Quadrant & Kira spends time in her cultures historical past as a result of the Gateway. It is not really necessary to read any of the other books in the Gateways serial.
The Jaradans from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series 1 Episode 11 - The Big Goodbye are featured in this volume and at the beginning of Mission Gamma - Twilight.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son - (This story runs alongside the Gateways and Mission Gamma stories, but doesn’t seem to affect them, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to him?)
Star Trek: S.C.E - Indistinguishable From Magic (Nog teams up with Scotty - I haven’t read it yet, but it doesn’t seem to effect things too much here)

**Please see my reviews for these books for other episodes that are necessary to remember certain elements from the series.

On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too as elements are featured in Mission Gamma - Twilight-

Star Trek: The Next Generation -

Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage. I think they are building up to him being quite prominent).

Episode 21 - Drumhead (We meet Simon Tarses, a half Romulan Medical Officer who has been transferred to Deep Space Nine before the Avatar storyline)

Star Trek VII: Generations (Captain Harriman is introduced on the Enterprise B)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 1
Episode 18 - Duet (Aamin Maritza arrives at the station and is accused of heinous war crimes)

Series 3
Episode 5 - Second Skin (We meet Ghemor, a Cardassian who believes that Kira is his daughter with altered features -He also features in Series 5, Episode 26 - The Adversary)

Episode 24 - Shakaar (The First Minister is a key figure in this book)

Review:

This story seemed slow to start, but actually I think it was just that the writer was keen to establish the characters in a bit more depth as we finally get to grips with and find out more about Vaughn, Prynn, Shar and even Ro. It’s a great crew actually and I like the balance with the others that we already know and love, as well as the jumps between the Defiant crew in the Gamma Quadrant and those left behind on the station.
It is obvious that David R. George III is a fan and that he has thought seriously about the back stories of his characters new and old. He writes well because he knows what he wants to say and how the series has worked for so long.

There are some interesting elements throughout, including the revelation of what caused the estrangement between Vaughn and Prynn. I would have liked it to have been a bit more complicated personally and for it to have perhaps gone on for a long time.
There is also a look at prejudice, particularly aimed at Taran ‘Atar. It shows how hard it is to forgive and to move on.

Overall, I am really enjoying the new personalities and the exploration of what happened when the war was over. I look forward to the next book and hope that it is done the same justice as this one.

[Yvette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring but you have to read it to get to the good books.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midway through the book now. I had initially planned to read this book and its sequel together, and while it may be me or the writing style, I’m finding it a slow read. There are multiple plot lines going, and we alternate from one to another with regularity, but each of those plot lines shows slow progress.

Vaughn and Dax have to investigate a mysterious planet, so we check in with them from time to time, but first we travel to the planet, then scan the planet, then meet to discuss the planet, then plan to go down to the planet, then crash on the planet, then meet to decide what to do now, so by the time we get to the destination the book is over. I like slow burns. I truly feel we’re getting to the point where I’m going to follow Nog to work and watch him fill out repair claim forms to get reimbursed for the new warp nacelle.

What works and what doesn’t? I like Vaughn. I think his plot is too slow, but everything with him and his daughter is fine. I’m loving the Quark/Ro dynamic. I wish we had more of that. Kira with Taran’atar is fine, but the plot is slow moving. The same with Akanaar.

Bashir has me on my last nerve. He’s in a relationship with Ezri and she had a truly awful day at work, so he wants to use his authority as CMO to relieve her of her duty to spare her, and to anyone that thinks that wasn’t the case, ask yourself if he would have done the same to Sisko on his worst days. He’s incredibly condescending to her and it rubs me the wrong way just as it does Quark not wanting to hire a dabs boy. Those plot lines back to back gave me bad flashbacks to the 2000s.
—————

I finished the novel and moved onto the next in the series. I think 4 stars is fair. The complexity for a novel like this is it’s taking the entirety of DS9 and trying to keep all the characters moving. We go from Vaughn to Kira to Ro/Quark to Dax/Bashir down to Kassidy taking a walk through an art gallery back to Vaughn. I love most of the storylines except for Dax/Bashir, the latter of whom was joking about relieving her duty by the end that it was such a trope. I will say there were bits that were like watching paint dry. Aside from Quark and Ro and a touch of Kassidy, there was little joy to this book. I fully understand the novels give us the time to really bask in the details, but the moment Heather Jarman took over I immediately sat up straighter.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

DS9: Mission Gamma #1: Twilight by David R. George III

Hello, it’s been awhile. I switched it up recently by reading a Star Wars book but I’m back to Star Trek books as usual. I continue the DS9 relaunch and come to Twilight. Where are the sparkly vampires and werewolves?!?

Anyway, I kid but this book is a mixed bag. It feels very much like an endurance test and it started off really slow, but once you hit like the 160 mark, it starts to pick up steam. First of all, there’s a lot of great character moments and everyone, including the new characters is given a sizeable chunk of the book dedicated to them. But I could have really done without the Vaughn- Prynn stuff. The relationship wasn’t really that interesting and Thar’s relationship with his mother and bond mates was more interesting. I’m not opposed to new characters, but I’m mainly reading it for the legacy characters.

While the legacy characters do get alot of time to shine, they are overshadowed by the new characters. This is fine as the new characters need to be established and so on, but I found myself missing the old characters like Sisko, Odo, Garak and so on. I know they return later in the relaunch but there’s like this hole that’s missing because of them. I know given their circumstances they can’t return, but I would really liked to see them. It’s not as jarring as the first few Voyager relaunch books with Janeway missing though.

This book oversell was way too long for its own good. I absolutely loved George’s McCoy book but the length felt justified as you were exploring someone’s entire life. There was a lot of un needed dialogue, plot points and too much time is spent with the characters’ thoughts. The McCoy book didn’t feel like an endurance test but this did. But it was cool to see the Gamma Quadrant explored more as they didn’t brought of that in the show in my view. Overall, I would give his book a 7/10.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book continues the relaunch of the DS9 saga, post-TV series. As the subtitle indicates, it's the first of a four-part mini-series focussing on the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant beyond the wormhole that's parked near DS9. The book is a whopping 504 pages of small type, so as you might expect, there are several subplots being juggled here. The main story has Commander Elias Vaughn leading the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant where they encounter the alien Vahni Vahltupali whose world is threatened by a mysterious energy pulse. Vaughn's crew includes Lt. Ezri Dax, Doctor Bashir, engineer Nog, and Vaughn's daughter Prynn from whom he is emotionally estranged. The other major subplot involves DS9 commander Colonel Kira hosting a high-level summit aimed at determining whether her home planet Bajor will join the Federation. Smaller subplots involve Quark's tentative romantic overtures towards Lt. Ro, and pregnant Kassidy's relationship to the Bajoran people now that Captain Sisko is gone.

There's a lot of content in this book, but it develops slowly and with some repetition. I would have preferred a faster paced book, but with such a large cast of characters it's also nice to be able to spend time with them all (except Jake Sisko, who continues to be lost in the wormhole looking for his father, but who only gets mentioned in passing). Opening the Gamma Quadrant to exploration should bring some excitement to the series.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where's Edward and Bella?! This book had nothing about vampires but oh boy was it jammed with a lot of other non-sparkly stuff. A plethora of plot points moving throughout the book probably should have made it two books as a lot of the plot points did not intersect each other at all because they were on the opposite side of the galaxy. However, each story felt purely Deep Space 9 material and had a lot of ground to cover in each. The drama of the Ro and Quark relationship didn't get too far into the melodramatic but it danced on the edge of a knife but I think in the end it was a great way to truly get to the heart of Quark's motivations as he is such a strong character. Vaughn and the Defiant's story was pretty engaging (pun intended, har har!) and Ezri dealing with the trials of command, Prynn with serving with her father, Shar dealing with his family and work situation... there's a lot to work through in this book and that's not even covering everything back at Deep Space 9 and Bajor (Taran'atar's research, Kira dealing with her faith and Akaar, Shar's family, Kasidy doing Kasidy things on Bajor, the Summit and I am sure I am missing things). This book is long for a reason but maybe cutting a plot point or two could have kept the focus of the story but I don't know which one should be on the chopping block as I don't know what books 2-4 have coming.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not fully versed in the new Star Trek book continuity, but I'm making an effort to get into things when I can. I started on this series since it gives me a clear sequence to follow, but after this I think I'll try to go back to the "beginning" of the Trek novel restructuring.

This book focuses on Vaughn taking the Defiant on a rare exploratory mission of the Gamma Quadrant, but not before he nearly loses his daughter, who is serving in his command. Then on Deep Space Nine, Kira finds the station is to host a secret summit that will have serious ramifications for the future of Bajor. And we have a side story of the budding friendship between Chief of Security Ro and...Quark.

It took me a while to really warm up to this set of characters and this incarnation of Deep Space Nine. It was fortunate that I had happened to have read the Gateways arc before this one since it helped to provide some of the context of things. The big mystery that the Defiant crew faces was rather baffling for most of the book but the ending made enough sense from a Star Trek perspective.

Overall, it was an interesting start of a new adventure and I'm looking forward to reading the other three books.

[Peer Lenné · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puh! Wo soll ich anfangen? Am besten bei dem was mir gefallen hat. Twilight ist ein guter Anfang für die Mission Gamma Miniserie. Es gibt einige gute Charakterentwicklungen und die Geschichte von Deep Space Nine wird sehr gut weitererzählt. Die Handlung kommt voran und ist in allen Belangen nachvollziehbar.
Was nicht nachvollziehbar ist, ist dass das Buch gute 500 Seiten umfasst. Vor allem am Anfang neigt der Autor regelrecht zum Schwafeln. Kapitelweise wird der Leser mit unnötigem Ballast bombardiert, der die Handlung oder Entwicklung der Charaktere nicht um ein Stück weiter bringt. Es ist rätselhaft, warum hier das Lektorat nicht die Notbremse gezogen hat und diese unnötigen Teile gestrichen hat. Gefühlt hätte man damit wahrscheinlich knapp 150 Seiten tote Bäume retten können (metaphorisch gesprochen). Das macht das Buch zwar nicht wirklich schlecht, aber am Ende bleibt doch das Gefühl zurück, dass man zu viel Lebenszeit für zu wenig Handlung geopfert hat.