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Deep Space NineTM is forced to curtail entry to the wormhole due to increased graviton emissions, and an air of biting tension settles over the station. This anxiety leads to the murder of an Edeman religious leader, Commander Benjamin Sisko and Security Chief Odo realize they face a larger problem.
Soon Sisko and Odo have more lifeless bodies on their hands and a killer who strikes without motive. Then, both the Edemans and Cardassians arrive threatening to destroy the station unless the murderer is given to them for retribution. In order to save Deep Space Nine and stop the killing, Odo must try to destroy a powerful assassin who is the only link to his mysterious past.
Soon Sisko and Odo have more lifeless bodies on their hands and a killer who strikes without motive. Then, both the Edemans and Cardassians arrive threatening to destroy the station unless the murderer is given to them for retribution. In order to save Deep Space Nine and stop the killing, Odo must try to destroy a powerful assassin who is the only link to his mysterious past.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1993
51 people are currently reading
582 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,568 books1,363 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
August 12, 2021
I originally gave this a 3.5 but after writing this review, I realize that I did like this 4 stars worth. This one took a bit to finish because I've been busy but I enjoyed it. As I read, it reminded me of Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders.
A serial killer running around on the space station is seemingly killing at random. First a member of a missionary group, then a Cardassian, then a Bajoran and yet another before all is said and done. Odo, as security chief is tasked with tracking and apprehending the culprit and it made for a very good read. Also interesting, is that it is revealed to the reader at the outset that the killer is a shapeshifter. This adds to the difficulty in discovering them and also serves to explore Odo's feelings about there being someone who shares the same origin. For Sisko's part, he's tasked with diplomatic endeavours to keep the Cardassians and Edemians, both in ships with weapons fixed on the station, at bay as they demand the murderer to be turned over to them for their brand of justice. Also worth mentioning were the interactions between Sisko and Odo. They're still getting to know one another and were a good team.
There's not a lot of suspense in some ways because as a watcher of the show, I knew none of the mains or secondary characters would be in any real peril of death. Still, the characters that did fall victim were interesting and there was good tension in wondering what would happen next. Also, when the true reason for all of this murder is revealed, it was quite satisfying. Misdirection is used to very good effect here. I think I liked this more as simply a mystery. The subplots were also interesting and not entirely predictable, Quark is trying to help Glav, a prior foe to purchase DS9 and Dr. Bashir is at odds with the missionary group as a child among them is in need of a simple medical treatment to prevent death and they refuse it.
Recommended.
A serial killer running around on the space station is seemingly killing at random. First a member of a missionary group, then a Cardassian, then a Bajoran and yet another before all is said and done. Odo, as security chief is tasked with tracking and apprehending the culprit and it made for a very good read. Also interesting, is that it is revealed to the reader at the outset that the killer is a shapeshifter. This adds to the difficulty in discovering them and also serves to explore Odo's feelings about there being someone who shares the same origin. For Sisko's part, he's tasked with diplomatic endeavours to keep the Cardassians and Edemians, both in ships with weapons fixed on the station, at bay as they demand the murderer to be turned over to them for their brand of justice. Also worth mentioning were the interactions between Sisko and Odo. They're still getting to know one another and were a good team.
There's not a lot of suspense in some ways because as a watcher of the show, I knew none of the mains or secondary characters would be in any real peril of death. Still, the characters that did fall victim were interesting and there was good tension in wondering what would happen next. Also, when the true reason for all of this murder is revealed, it was quite satisfying. Misdirection is used to very good effect here. I think I liked this more as simply a mystery. The subplots were also interesting and not entirely predictable, Quark is trying to help Glav, a prior foe to purchase DS9 and Dr. Bashir is at odds with the missionary group as a child among them is in need of a simple medical treatment to prevent death and they refuse it.
Recommended.
May 30, 2023
The Siege is the second Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Pocket book, but really the first completely original novel. There is also an immediate disclaimer that communicates that Peter David only had 5 episodes of the show to situate the story in, so that should ameliorate one of the most earnest critiques “that’s not the way that character would act.”
With that having been said, this is a dark novel involving a serial killer on the station. The serial killer happens to be a shapeshifter just like Constable Odo, so the situation is exacerbated by the fact that some station inhabitants already are xenophobically dubious of the constable. Of course there are diplomatic issues to be considered when two of the victims are alien: one Edeman and the other Cardassian. The Edeman was on a religious pilgrimage and the Cardassian was spying for Gul Dukat. A thoroughly enjoyable and complex horror-story read, written well by a thorough Star Trek mainstay writer.
With that having been said, this is a dark novel involving a serial killer on the station. The serial killer happens to be a shapeshifter just like Constable Odo, so the situation is exacerbated by the fact that some station inhabitants already are xenophobically dubious of the constable. Of course there are diplomatic issues to be considered when two of the victims are alien: one Edeman and the other Cardassian. The Edeman was on a religious pilgrimage and the Cardassian was spying for Gul Dukat. A thoroughly enjoyable and complex horror-story read, written well by a thorough Star Trek mainstay writer.
January 23, 2025
I haven't read this novel since it first came out in 1993. It's by one of my favorite Trek writers, Peter David, and I can't recall ever reading a poor book written by him. This was an outstanding read. Of note is this being the first original DS9 novel with only five episodes airing with this publication, so much has changed between this novel and what the show became.
The premise is a simple one: there is a serial killer on the station. He has the same shape changing abilities as Odo, causing stress upon the constable and suspicion from the residents. With the death of a religion figure, that race sends an armed ship to the station to ask for speedy justice or they will come on board to make their own. This is the same reason Dukot comes into the mix, as a Cardassian is killed. Adding to this is a Ferengi who has come to Deep Space Nine to purchase it, using Quark as an avenue to talk to the right people to purchase it.
The violence is heavy, with the deaths graphic and described graphically. This was somewhat shocking for me, as the series didn't linger too long on such crimes, but this book does. There's also quite a bit of swearing, more so than I remember from the series, which I just finished a rewatch of a year ago. Both of these elements were toned down considerably on the small screen, but are much more realistic given what's occurring.
I liked the solution to finding the killer and his reasons for doing so. This book has increased my intention to reread all the DS9 books.
Strongly recommended for Star Trek fans.
The premise is a simple one: there is a serial killer on the station. He has the same shape changing abilities as Odo, causing stress upon the constable and suspicion from the residents. With the death of a religion figure, that race sends an armed ship to the station to ask for speedy justice or they will come on board to make their own. This is the same reason Dukot comes into the mix, as a Cardassian is killed. Adding to this is a Ferengi who has come to Deep Space Nine to purchase it, using Quark as an avenue to talk to the right people to purchase it.
The violence is heavy, with the deaths graphic and described graphically. This was somewhat shocking for me, as the series didn't linger too long on such crimes, but this book does. There's also quite a bit of swearing, more so than I remember from the series, which I just finished a rewatch of a year ago. Both of these elements were toned down considerably on the small screen, but are much more realistic given what's occurring.
I liked the solution to finding the killer and his reasons for doing so. This book has increased my intention to reread all the DS9 books.
Strongly recommended for Star Trek fans.
November 5, 2010
3.5 stars
Only PAD could make a book about a serial killer funny.
Only PAD could make a book about a serial killer funny.
March 13, 2018
A well-crafted, interesting story. The Siege can get a bit dark at times, but that is offset with Peter David's typically humorous writing. The characters are very well represented, especially given this novel's place so early in the creation of the Deep Space Nine television series. A lack of payoff to some of the plot elements doesn't detract too much from an otherwise excellent story.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2018/03/D...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2018/03/D...
September 5, 2020
A bit of a darker tale which I guess suits DS9s reputation as a series. Being the first original for this series I'd say the characters were done exceptionally well.
I very much love that the book universe gives opportunities for Odo to really shift his shape in a way that was never properly allowed for in the TV budget.
There are a few concepts in this book which you may recognise as having contributed to ideas for later episodes.
I very much love that the book universe gives opportunities for Odo to really shift his shape in a way that was never properly allowed for in the TV budget.
There are a few concepts in this book which you may recognise as having contributed to ideas for later episodes.
January 19, 2023
Second read – 18 January 2023 - **. I re-read this because I recently obtained a replacement for a lost copy in my ST:DS9 collection. I read my comments from my first read 18 years ago, and to be honest, my opinions haven’t changed much. On this read, I was additionally troubled by Bashir’s cruel use of the holodeck to change someone’s mind about medical treatment. On the plus side, Ferengi smarminess is always good for a solid laugh.
First read – 28 October 2005 - **. According to the author's forward, this is the first original DS9 novel, written when only 5 episodes had aired. The characters are over-explained (we already know them from the many episodes that came later), but are for the most part pretty authentic to the way they do turn out - except for Odo. Odo is like some kind of wild amoeba here, sprouting wings, sledgehammer fists, becoming a big drill-bit, and a molecule-thin string as needed. In fact, his antics began to remind me of a comic book superhero, where just about anything goes.
At any rate, there are a number of subplots, one per major character, the main one being the visiting shapeshifter serial killer. He kills an Edemian missionary (not the leader), bringing in an Edemian warship. He kills a Cardassian creep, bringing in Gul Dukat with a Cardassian warship. He kills a Bajoran, poses a threat to Keiko and Molly, and to Jake. The author pulls almost every string there is to pull, even throws in a Borg for no apparent reason.
First read – 28 October 2005 - **. According to the author's forward, this is the first original DS9 novel, written when only 5 episodes had aired. The characters are over-explained (we already know them from the many episodes that came later), but are for the most part pretty authentic to the way they do turn out - except for Odo. Odo is like some kind of wild amoeba here, sprouting wings, sledgehammer fists, becoming a big drill-bit, and a molecule-thin string as needed. In fact, his antics began to remind me of a comic book superhero, where just about anything goes.
At any rate, there are a number of subplots, one per major character, the main one being the visiting shapeshifter serial killer. He kills an Edemian missionary (not the leader), bringing in an Edemian warship. He kills a Cardassian creep, bringing in Gul Dukat with a Cardassian warship. He kills a Bajoran, poses a threat to Keiko and Molly, and to Jake. The author pulls almost every string there is to pull, even throws in a Borg for no apparent reason.
April 16, 2020
Exclusive live look at me during the last 60 or so pages: 
But hey, maybe I should just use DS9 gifs for this rant review. Alright. I can channel my rage in a relevant way!
Ahh, much better! Thematically appropriate! Let's carry on.
Good flipping riddance with this one. I've read a fair few Star Trek novels now, and I've made my peace that the writing will not be exceptional. That's cool, there's a time and place for books with a ridiculous plot and exaggerated characters where you can just shut off your brain and enjoy because it's still fun.
This was not that.
First of all I'm downright pissed at how Julian Bashir was treated here (I've got a soft spot for the doc, so sue me). Yeah, he can be an arrogant know-it-all who doesn't know when to shut up sometimes, but here he was portrayed as plain insane.
Uhhh, not quite like that (though I'm with O'Brien on that gif). More like he was absolutely sadistic. He steamrolled over the Prime Directive like Garak steamrolls over the concept of speaking in a straightforward manner. I kinda hated him by the end of it and his plotline was unreadable at points. What I got from this is that Peter David has some unresolved feelings about religion and medicine, and hey, I adamantly support everyone having healthcare - but what Julian did here was unforgivable and I'd say out of character. Bashir's capable of lying, pushing a tad too far because he believes he's right, and badly hiding James Bond holonovels, but he doesn't torture or verbally abuse people. Get out with that noise.
David also writes women in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Kira's character was generally okay, but generally women are portrayed as feeling helpless and used as sex symbols. Dax's "wisdom" relied heavily on her previous symbiont and most of her scenes described her sex appeal, Kieko was constantly having temper tantrums and was scared of phasers, and the nurse's security phrase with Bashir was "kiss me you fool"?! The holo-Dax and holo-Kira stripping down and sexy-dancing for Quark and Glav was frankly just gross, especially considering it was apparently necessary to mention their current bra sizes were stolen from Starfleet Uniform database (WTF????).
Azira's character development was the only exception on that front, but it was overshadowed by stereotypically flippant "women, amiright?" comments towards a female character with a damn good reason for being distressed and the almost compulsive need to have male characters fixating on the hips/bust of every women that moved in their internal dialogue.
Take a cold shower dude.
The murder mystery was the only interesting plotline, but even though that dragged on too long at the end with the Odo chase. The Borg plot point at the very beginning was random and was never really addressed again. The whole buying DS9 situation was meh, but I'm not a huge Ferengi fan in general. Even Miles, who I generally find endearing, came off as irritating more often than not. Also, no, Einstein did not fail math class. That's a myth. Having Sisko tell Jake that at the end did you no favours with the obscure detail police.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was writing a cathartic review and attempting to rip it apart.
But hey, maybe I should just use DS9 gifs for this rant review. Alright. I can channel my rage in a relevant way!
Ahh, much better! Thematically appropriate! Let's carry on.
Good flipping riddance with this one. I've read a fair few Star Trek novels now, and I've made my peace that the writing will not be exceptional. That's cool, there's a time and place for books with a ridiculous plot and exaggerated characters where you can just shut off your brain and enjoy because it's still fun.
This was not that.
First of all I'm downright pissed at how Julian Bashir was treated here (I've got a soft spot for the doc, so sue me). Yeah, he can be an arrogant know-it-all who doesn't know when to shut up sometimes, but here he was portrayed as plain insane.
Uhhh, not quite like that (though I'm with O'Brien on that gif). More like he was absolutely sadistic. He steamrolled over the Prime Directive like Garak steamrolls over the concept of speaking in a straightforward manner. I kinda hated him by the end of it and his plotline was unreadable at points. What I got from this is that Peter David has some unresolved feelings about religion and medicine, and hey, I adamantly support everyone having healthcare - but what Julian did here was unforgivable and I'd say out of character. Bashir's capable of lying, pushing a tad too far because he believes he's right, and badly hiding James Bond holonovels, but he doesn't torture or verbally abuse people. Get out with that noise.
David also writes women in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Kira's character was generally okay, but generally women are portrayed as feeling helpless and used as sex symbols. Dax's "wisdom" relied heavily on her previous symbiont and most of her scenes described her sex appeal, Kieko was constantly having temper tantrums and was scared of phasers, and the nurse's security phrase with Bashir was "kiss me you fool"?! The holo-Dax and holo-Kira stripping down and sexy-dancing for Quark and Glav was frankly just gross, especially considering it was apparently necessary to mention their current bra sizes were stolen from Starfleet Uniform database (WTF????).
Azira's character development was the only exception on that front, but it was overshadowed by stereotypically flippant "women, amiright?" comments towards a female character with a damn good reason for being distressed and the almost compulsive need to have male characters fixating on the hips/bust of every women that moved in their internal dialogue.
Take a cold shower dude.
The murder mystery was the only interesting plotline, but even though that dragged on too long at the end with the Odo chase. The Borg plot point at the very beginning was random and was never really addressed again. The whole buying DS9 situation was meh, but I'm not a huge Ferengi fan in general. Even Miles, who I generally find endearing, came off as irritating more often than not. Also, no, Einstein did not fail math class. That's a myth. Having Sisko tell Jake that at the end did you no favours with the obscure detail police.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was writing a cathartic review and attempting to rip it apart.
January 27, 2020
The preface of this book warns that it was written only 5 episodes into the first season of DS9, meaning that the author only had 5 episodes worth of material to familiarize himself with the characters and put a plot together. This is why I give this book 3-stars instead of 2.
It isn't worth complaining about characters being out of character. Even in the tv show, most of them weren't well-established until the tail-end of season 1 and Peter David does alright at keeping each of them in their general lane. This is just one of those books you have to take with a grain of salt.
~~Spoilers~~
The wormhole is closed down, as it currently has a tendency to shred apart any ship that enters it. Because of this, many travelers are left stranded aboard DS9, waiting until such time as they can safely pass through to the Gamma Quadrant. Included among these is an extremely religious group of alien missionaries (known as Endemions), on a quest to spread the word of their deity. Oh and there's a Ferengi named Glav -an old associate of Quark's who Quark managed to legally double-cross in the past. This Ferengi is, bizarrely, attempting to purchase DS9 (but more on that later). O'Brien is trying to learn to do magic tricks for Molly's birthday. Jake is mad at Sisko. And Keiko hates living and teaching on DS9.
This is a lot of plot threads to start out with, especially considering that the central story of this book has only a little to do with any of that and is, in fact, about a murder investigation. Also, this is an Odo story. It just takes awhile find its way there.
In the meantime, Bashir discovers that one of the Endemions (a child named Rasa) is extremely sick and slowly dying. He tries to convince his parents to treat him, but it's against their religion. They say if he's going to die, it's the will of their god and there's nothing to be done about it. Bashir is understandably angry but Sisko won't allow to violate the prime directive, so it's really out of Bashir's hands.
Just kidding, he goes ahead and violates the prime directive. He just does it behind Sisko's back.
Now a full 60 pages into the book, one of the Endemions does the reader a favor by finally getting gruesomely murdered by a changeling. The changeling paints a #1 on the wall, indicating that it will kill again, and then slithers off.
Sisko declares a quarantine, stopping all traffic in or out of DS9 on the assumption that the killer might try to flee. At this point they don't know that the murderer is a shapeshifter, but they figure it out pretty quick. Not through investigative work or anything like that, but because the changeling messes up and shifts in front of a Bajorean woman and her daughter while a Cardassian is trying to rape her.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention Gotto, a Cardassian who, for some reason, is there. Why is he there? As a spy or something, I guess. Except he's not a very good spy because everyone knows he works for Gul Dukat. And he's not even going the Garek route and pretending to be anything other than a spy so uh...
Yeah, anyway. The changeling crawls inside of him and makes him explode. Once again, very gruesomely.
Odo intervenes and manages to chase the changeling off before it can murder the Bajoreans. Even though he's out of character a bit, Odo's pretty much the saving grace of this story. The lack of budgetary constraints allow the author to utilize his shapeshifting abilities in a way the tv show couldn't and the fight sequences between he and the other shapeshifter are entertaining, if a bit over-the-top.
Meanwhile O'brien keeps practicing magic tricks and Glav and Quark keep trying to buy the station. Another murder occurs off-screen and Bashir continues trying to convince the Endemions to treat their dying son before he shrivels away to dust.
The Endemions (I'm sure i spelled this wrong everytime, but the book is like on the other side of the room and I can't be bothered to retrieve it) want the killer to face justice on their home planet. Seeing as a Cardassian was murdered, Gul Dukat wants the killer to face justice on Cardassia. In order to demonstrate how serious they are about this, they both show up with warships and threaten to attack DS9.
This, for me, is where the credibility of these plot threads really starts to stretch. Dukat is a jerk by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems implausible that he would risk outright war over this. Also, in a society like this, one would think there would be some protocols about extraditing a criminal that didn't involve blowing up a space station.
Bashir shows up at Quark's and intrudes on he and Glav in the middle of a really gross holo-suite program, inadvertently rescuing Quark from the enemy changeling just as its about to cave his head in. Odo fights it off again and it manages to escape, this time to murder Bashir's nurse. Bashir is sad about it for... I dunno, like two pages?
Bashir figures Quark owes him a favor so he convinces him to mock up a holosuite program so that Rasa's mother can witness his slow death firsthand. Then he uses the program to ruthlessly, mentally and emotionally torture her into agreeing to let him treat her son.
I promised I wasn't going to complain about the characters being out of character so I guess I'll just let that one go.
O'Brien comes up with a plan to make it difficult for the changeling to move through the vents. While he's modifying the junctions, he and Odo once again discuss magic tricks and misdirection. And this is when Odo finally solves the mystery, realizing that the changeling is not just a psycho killer, but that it has an actual agenda.
On the Promenade, Glav is informed by Rom that Quark has sold him the bar for a song and escape from DS9. Glav races to catch him in his quarters, where Quark appears to be packing with the lights turned down low. Quark asserts that Glav has actually hired the changeling as an assassin, intending to get even for the time Quark double-crossed him many years earlier.
Glav admits it and his suitcase changes into the changeling, who promptly murders Quark.
Just kidding.
Because it's not Quark. It's actually Odo. The two changelings fight, murdering Glav in the process. The whole fight is way too much to go into to, but it's pretty entertaining and even though I find the presence of Dukat extremely implausible, he does add some good tension to the climax of the story.
Eventually the murderous changeling is killed (sort of) and Dukat and the Endemenions just sort of shrug their shoulders and go oh well and go on their merry way.
As for Dr. Bashir, he manages to save Rasa's life, but both he and his mother are exiled from their society for going against the will of their deity. Bummer.
Odo is sad because the only other changeling he's ever met has turned out to be a vicious killer. Double Bummer.
O'Brien never does learn how to do a magic trick, but Odo agrees to appear as a pony so that Molly can ride him around the Promenade, which is what she actually wanted anyway. Cute.
I didn't like this one as much as Peter David's other Star Trek books, but I didn't exactly hate it either. Usually I can get through one of these in a day, but this one took almost a week. Overall, the parts that are good are really quite good and the parts that are bad are mostly easy to ignore. One thing he does get right is Odo's single-minded pursuit of justice and boy oh boy does he throw all-in on that one. The end of the story comes together in a way where the reader is just a little ahead of the characters. But not TOO FAR ahead. There's at least enough twists and turns to stay entertained and have the occasional surprise. And Peter David is funny. As always.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone except die-hard fans of the Star Trek books. With that being said, I wouldn't try to dissuade someone from reading it either. It's one of those books that just sort of is. Could be better. Could be worse.
It isn't worth complaining about characters being out of character. Even in the tv show, most of them weren't well-established until the tail-end of season 1 and Peter David does alright at keeping each of them in their general lane. This is just one of those books you have to take with a grain of salt.
~~Spoilers~~
The wormhole is closed down, as it currently has a tendency to shred apart any ship that enters it. Because of this, many travelers are left stranded aboard DS9, waiting until such time as they can safely pass through to the Gamma Quadrant. Included among these is an extremely religious group of alien missionaries (known as Endemions), on a quest to spread the word of their deity. Oh and there's a Ferengi named Glav -an old associate of Quark's who Quark managed to legally double-cross in the past. This Ferengi is, bizarrely, attempting to purchase DS9 (but more on that later). O'Brien is trying to learn to do magic tricks for Molly's birthday. Jake is mad at Sisko. And Keiko hates living and teaching on DS9.
This is a lot of plot threads to start out with, especially considering that the central story of this book has only a little to do with any of that and is, in fact, about a murder investigation. Also, this is an Odo story. It just takes awhile find its way there.
In the meantime, Bashir discovers that one of the Endemions (a child named Rasa) is extremely sick and slowly dying. He tries to convince his parents to treat him, but it's against their religion. They say if he's going to die, it's the will of their god and there's nothing to be done about it. Bashir is understandably angry but Sisko won't allow to violate the prime directive, so it's really out of Bashir's hands.
Just kidding, he goes ahead and violates the prime directive. He just does it behind Sisko's back.
Now a full 60 pages into the book, one of the Endemions does the reader a favor by finally getting gruesomely murdered by a changeling. The changeling paints a #1 on the wall, indicating that it will kill again, and then slithers off.
Sisko declares a quarantine, stopping all traffic in or out of DS9 on the assumption that the killer might try to flee. At this point they don't know that the murderer is a shapeshifter, but they figure it out pretty quick. Not through investigative work or anything like that, but because the changeling messes up and shifts in front of a Bajorean woman and her daughter while a Cardassian is trying to rape her.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention Gotto, a Cardassian who, for some reason, is there. Why is he there? As a spy or something, I guess. Except he's not a very good spy because everyone knows he works for Gul Dukat. And he's not even going the Garek route and pretending to be anything other than a spy so uh...
Yeah, anyway. The changeling crawls inside of him and makes him explode. Once again, very gruesomely.
Odo intervenes and manages to chase the changeling off before it can murder the Bajoreans. Even though he's out of character a bit, Odo's pretty much the saving grace of this story. The lack of budgetary constraints allow the author to utilize his shapeshifting abilities in a way the tv show couldn't and the fight sequences between he and the other shapeshifter are entertaining, if a bit over-the-top.
Meanwhile O'brien keeps practicing magic tricks and Glav and Quark keep trying to buy the station. Another murder occurs off-screen and Bashir continues trying to convince the Endemions to treat their dying son before he shrivels away to dust.
The Endemions (I'm sure i spelled this wrong everytime, but the book is like on the other side of the room and I can't be bothered to retrieve it) want the killer to face justice on their home planet. Seeing as a Cardassian was murdered, Gul Dukat wants the killer to face justice on Cardassia. In order to demonstrate how serious they are about this, they both show up with warships and threaten to attack DS9.
This, for me, is where the credibility of these plot threads really starts to stretch. Dukat is a jerk by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems implausible that he would risk outright war over this. Also, in a society like this, one would think there would be some protocols about extraditing a criminal that didn't involve blowing up a space station.
Bashir shows up at Quark's and intrudes on he and Glav in the middle of a really gross holo-suite program, inadvertently rescuing Quark from the enemy changeling just as its about to cave his head in. Odo fights it off again and it manages to escape, this time to murder Bashir's nurse. Bashir is sad about it for... I dunno, like two pages?
Bashir figures Quark owes him a favor so he convinces him to mock up a holosuite program so that Rasa's mother can witness his slow death firsthand. Then he uses the program to ruthlessly, mentally and emotionally torture her into agreeing to let him treat her son.
I promised I wasn't going to complain about the characters being out of character so I guess I'll just let that one go.
O'Brien comes up with a plan to make it difficult for the changeling to move through the vents. While he's modifying the junctions, he and Odo once again discuss magic tricks and misdirection. And this is when Odo finally solves the mystery, realizing that the changeling is not just a psycho killer, but that it has an actual agenda.
On the Promenade, Glav is informed by Rom that Quark has sold him the bar for a song and escape from DS9. Glav races to catch him in his quarters, where Quark appears to be packing with the lights turned down low. Quark asserts that Glav has actually hired the changeling as an assassin, intending to get even for the time Quark double-crossed him many years earlier.
Glav admits it and his suitcase changes into the changeling, who promptly murders Quark.
Just kidding.
Because it's not Quark. It's actually Odo. The two changelings fight, murdering Glav in the process. The whole fight is way too much to go into to, but it's pretty entertaining and even though I find the presence of Dukat extremely implausible, he does add some good tension to the climax of the story.
Eventually the murderous changeling is killed (sort of) and Dukat and the Endemenions just sort of shrug their shoulders and go oh well and go on their merry way.
As for Dr. Bashir, he manages to save Rasa's life, but both he and his mother are exiled from their society for going against the will of their deity. Bummer.
Odo is sad because the only other changeling he's ever met has turned out to be a vicious killer. Double Bummer.
O'Brien never does learn how to do a magic trick, but Odo agrees to appear as a pony so that Molly can ride him around the Promenade, which is what she actually wanted anyway. Cute.
I didn't like this one as much as Peter David's other Star Trek books, but I didn't exactly hate it either. Usually I can get through one of these in a day, but this one took almost a week. Overall, the parts that are good are really quite good and the parts that are bad are mostly easy to ignore. One thing he does get right is Odo's single-minded pursuit of justice and boy oh boy does he throw all-in on that one. The end of the story comes together in a way where the reader is just a little ahead of the characters. But not TOO FAR ahead. There's at least enough twists and turns to stay entertained and have the occasional surprise. And Peter David is funny. As always.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone except die-hard fans of the Star Trek books. With that being said, I wouldn't try to dissuade someone from reading it either. It's one of those books that just sort of is. Could be better. Could be worse.
June 21, 2020
The Siege is a tub of milkshake in a salad bar.
November 25, 2017
This was unquestionably the worst Star Dreck book I ever read during my time as a Star Dreck fan. It's sleazy, tasteless and extremely violent. One more reason to consider Peter David a highly overrated writer.
On top of everything else, David obnoxiously inserts a brief and completely pointless cameo by the Borg: a cube tries to travel through the wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant, but the wormhole destroys it and only its debris makes it through. It serves no purpose but to make readers more interested.
A strong candidate for worst book I ever read of any kind.
On top of everything else, David obnoxiously inserts a brief and completely pointless cameo by the Borg: a cube tries to travel through the wormhole from the Gamma Quadrant, but the wormhole destroys it and only its debris makes it through. It serves no purpose but to make readers more interested.
A strong candidate for worst book I ever read of any kind.
March 1, 2022
An interesting story, but marred by out-of-character characters thanks to the book being published far too early and the author having little information to work with. Which he warns the reader about in a preface.
This is a problem moreso than usual. It's an interesting read only if you can get past that. And that it is far too "descriptive", describing things in excruciating detail that anyone familiar with the show is already going to know better than the author. Excusable being the first original novel for the series, but hard to get through if reading it after having seen the series.
This is a problem moreso than usual. It's an interesting read only if you can get past that. And that it is far too "descriptive", describing things in excruciating detail that anyone familiar with the show is already going to know better than the author. Excusable being the first original novel for the series, but hard to get through if reading it after having seen the series.
August 25, 2013
At first this one bothered me. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written back when only a few episodes of DS9 had aired. Once i could get past the things the show contradicted I found The Siege to be a really engaging read. Now i find myself wishing the show followed it's lead.
March 29, 2015
A great, quick read, they should make a Graphic Novel from this book, the action, the dialogue, this one of the best original novels next to No. 5, "Fallen Heroes" which I still feel is the all time best DS9 novel.
Read
May 24, 2022The Siege was the first original Deep Space Nine novel to be published and as such it’s to be expected that things are going to feel a little rough at times. From what I can tell, Peter David had very little to go on in crafting this story as many of the elements of the show had yet to happen yet. And of course there is the added wrinkle of basing your book on the first season of a show which often proves to be the weakest of all the seasons.
Still, I found this book to be really entertaining and David manages to do really well with what little was given to him. It starts off exciting and manages to weave together an intriguing story that feels like it easily could have been pitched as an episode. We even had a quirky little subplot of Chief O’Brien trying to learn some magic tricks to do for his daughter’s birthday party.
I particularly liked how at odds much of the crew was with each other. David perfectly captures Quark paranoia whenever he is involved in less savory transactions, sure that any object in the room could actually be Odo in disguise. There’s also a great scene of O’Brien blowing up at Sisko and many of the characters seem to be less than thrilled with life at DS9, a nice reflection of the show.
There are also a ton of fun Easter eggs and references to plot points from early episodes which again serves to underline the feeling of reading an unaired episode. David clearly has a lot of love for Star Trek and it comes through nicely.
On a more constructive note, I continue to wonder why so many Star Trek books don’t utilize proper section breaks in a chapter. One second we will be with Odo and literally in the next paragraph Jake is talking to Sisko and if you blink you might miss it.
So while the tone of the characters isn’t quite right and some plot points happen here that are out of place with the timeline of the show, I’m okay with it. Take the book on its own. It doesn’t need to be shoehorned into the continuity of the series.
There was one point in the book that I did take issue with. While entertaining, Quark reveals that he has a somewhat sultry holosuite program featuring lookalikes for Kira and Dax, scantily clad and ready for pleasure.
And while I realize this is a logical extension of the technology, the issue of people having their likeness used for a holodeck character is one that has been tackled several times on Star Trek and is portrayed for the serious violation that it really is. Having it so casually dropped into the story made it feel a little uncomfortable.
In DS9 in later seasons, Quark is actually asked by a customer to program an image of Kira for him to use on the holosuite and for all his profiteering and for as much as his morality might slip, Quark doesn’t want to do it. He is ultimately swayed by a massive payday waved in front of him but the point is, he seems to have enough character to recognize how wrong it would be to invade a persons privacy by using them in this way and I thought it was the wrong idea to have him doing this in the book. Much of Quark’s journey on the show is finding how much he really does care so this part of the book does fall short pretty hard.
That was one point though and overall this book was a pleasure to read. And frankly, comparing it to some of the early TNG novels I have read, this is a much greater success. I would definitely recommend it.
Still, I found this book to be really entertaining and David manages to do really well with what little was given to him. It starts off exciting and manages to weave together an intriguing story that feels like it easily could have been pitched as an episode. We even had a quirky little subplot of Chief O’Brien trying to learn some magic tricks to do for his daughter’s birthday party.
I particularly liked how at odds much of the crew was with each other. David perfectly captures Quark paranoia whenever he is involved in less savory transactions, sure that any object in the room could actually be Odo in disguise. There’s also a great scene of O’Brien blowing up at Sisko and many of the characters seem to be less than thrilled with life at DS9, a nice reflection of the show.
There are also a ton of fun Easter eggs and references to plot points from early episodes which again serves to underline the feeling of reading an unaired episode. David clearly has a lot of love for Star Trek and it comes through nicely.
On a more constructive note, I continue to wonder why so many Star Trek books don’t utilize proper section breaks in a chapter. One second we will be with Odo and literally in the next paragraph Jake is talking to Sisko and if you blink you might miss it.
So while the tone of the characters isn’t quite right and some plot points happen here that are out of place with the timeline of the show, I’m okay with it. Take the book on its own. It doesn’t need to be shoehorned into the continuity of the series.
There was one point in the book that I did take issue with. While entertaining, Quark reveals that he has a somewhat sultry holosuite program featuring lookalikes for Kira and Dax, scantily clad and ready for pleasure.
And while I realize this is a logical extension of the technology, the issue of people having their likeness used for a holodeck character is one that has been tackled several times on Star Trek and is portrayed for the serious violation that it really is. Having it so casually dropped into the story made it feel a little uncomfortable.
In DS9 in later seasons, Quark is actually asked by a customer to program an image of Kira for him to use on the holosuite and for all his profiteering and for as much as his morality might slip, Quark doesn’t want to do it. He is ultimately swayed by a massive payday waved in front of him but the point is, he seems to have enough character to recognize how wrong it would be to invade a persons privacy by using them in this way and I thought it was the wrong idea to have him doing this in the book. Much of Quark’s journey on the show is finding how much he really does care so this part of the book does fall short pretty hard.
That was one point though and overall this book was a pleasure to read. And frankly, comparing it to some of the early TNG novels I have read, this is a much greater success. I would definitely recommend it.
November 19, 2024
THE PLOT
A shapeshifter infiltrates DS9 and begins gruesomely killing random people, including diplomats and Starfleet officers. Odo has an interesting conundrum: He meets his FIRST shapeshifter, which breaks canon, but he cannot trust anything this murderous “Meta” has to say. Odo is outmatched, as Meta is a better shapeshifter, stronger, more creative, and sneaky as hell. It takes many MANY attempts to catch this guy, to the point I was vocally grumbling whenever he got away.
THE GOOD
This is the first original book for the DS9 series and is luckily not plagued by inaccurate characterizations, unlike the first books in the TNG and VOY series. Every character seemed on point with their first-season TV counterpart. Although the story lacks many of the ‘visuals’ found in the predecessor series, it makes up for it with excellent tête-à-tête and internal politics.
Also the SUBPLOTS! Sooo many SUBPLOTS!
- Sisko squabbles with both Cardassians and Edemians when diplomats from both species are killed.
- Julian contends with parents who refuse treatment for their child.
- Nog plays a pretty terrible practical joke.
- O'Brien practices magic tricks to impress his daughter on her birthday.
- And there’s even a plot involving Quark trying to buy the station from The Federation.
THE BAD
The most disappointing aspect of this story is the killer’s motive: which does not invoke any intrigue from me. Now, his reason for being on the station was a nice little twist I did not see coming, but he has no specific targets or plan, opting to just kill randomly.
There are also a lot of fight scenes, specifically hand-to-hand combat between shapeshifters. While the two combatants throw a few party tricks like turning into birds or giant rolling rocks, it was still a tedious read to get through.
All in all, not a bad little read. It’s nice to take a break and read a Star Trek novel where the stakes don’t threaten the entirety of the whole galaxy. Sometimes smaller scrambles are all you need to appreciate your favorite characters even more.
A shapeshifter infiltrates DS9 and begins gruesomely killing random people, including diplomats and Starfleet officers. Odo has an interesting conundrum: He meets his FIRST shapeshifter, which breaks canon, but he cannot trust anything this murderous “Meta” has to say. Odo is outmatched, as Meta is a better shapeshifter, stronger, more creative, and sneaky as hell. It takes many MANY attempts to catch this guy, to the point I was vocally grumbling whenever he got away.
THE GOOD
This is the first original book for the DS9 series and is luckily not plagued by inaccurate characterizations, unlike the first books in the TNG and VOY series. Every character seemed on point with their first-season TV counterpart. Although the story lacks many of the ‘visuals’ found in the predecessor series, it makes up for it with excellent tête-à-tête and internal politics.
Also the SUBPLOTS! Sooo many SUBPLOTS!
- Sisko squabbles with both Cardassians and Edemians when diplomats from both species are killed.
- Julian contends with parents who refuse treatment for their child.
- Nog plays a pretty terrible practical joke.
- O'Brien practices magic tricks to impress his daughter on her birthday.
- And there’s even a plot involving Quark trying to buy the station from The Federation.
THE BAD
The most disappointing aspect of this story is the killer’s motive: which does not invoke any intrigue from me. Now, his reason for being on the station was a nice little twist I did not see coming, but he has no specific targets or plan, opting to just kill randomly.
There are also a lot of fight scenes, specifically hand-to-hand combat between shapeshifters. While the two combatants throw a few party tricks like turning into birds or giant rolling rocks, it was still a tedious read to get through.
All in all, not a bad little read. It’s nice to take a break and read a Star Trek novel where the stakes don’t threaten the entirety of the whole galaxy. Sometimes smaller scrambles are all you need to appreciate your favorite characters even more.
February 16, 2025
3.5 stars. I rather enjoyed this. When you take into account that the author pulled this story together when only 5 episodes of DS9 had aired, it's really quite impressive. Of course, certain character traits and details no longer apply, but either the series bible was extremely detailed this early on or the author has a gift of prescience. Even some of the worst and most disgusting choices the show later made are presaged in here.
The content of the novel is dark and gory, which is unusual but not unheard of for a Star Trek series - this plot would have done well as a one-off scary episode à la Empok Nor.
It did lose a little ground for me in execution. Some of the scenes felt shoehorned in to get an info-dump across - for instance, the final two pages were especially cringe-worthy, when the same information could have been imparted in a few carefully chosen sentences of prose without giving the whole scene a feeling of awkward farce. The religious side-plot took up too many pages and got grating quickly. Bashir's cruelty was over the top, which seemed especially nonsensical since at this point of the show he resembled nothing so much as a wide-eyed Golden Retriever puppy wagging his tail in a small room.
I really loved the funny parts of the story, though. The opening scenes had me in stitches and looking forward to diving into the rest.
All in all, a great effort. If you're willing to put character inconsistencies aside and accept this is more of a "could have been" because it was written so early on, I think it's definitely worth a read.
The content of the novel is dark and gory, which is unusual but not unheard of for a Star Trek series - this plot would have done well as a one-off scary episode à la Empok Nor.
It did lose a little ground for me in execution. Some of the scenes felt shoehorned in to get an info-dump across - for instance, the final two pages were especially cringe-worthy, when the same information could have been imparted in a few carefully chosen sentences of prose without giving the whole scene a feeling of awkward farce. The religious side-plot took up too many pages and got grating quickly. Bashir's cruelty was over the top, which seemed especially nonsensical since at this point of the show he resembled nothing so much as a wide-eyed Golden Retriever puppy wagging his tail in a small room.
I really loved the funny parts of the story, though. The opening scenes had me in stitches and looking forward to diving into the rest.
All in all, a great effort. If you're willing to put character inconsistencies aside and accept this is more of a "could have been" because it was written so early on, I think it's definitely worth a read.
August 15, 2021
Peter David writes some of the most entertaining Star Trek fiction, though his roots are clearly in superhero comics. In this case, the changeling battles are really heavy on the special effects side, with Odo and Meta essentially using their powers like Metamorpho, with omni-arm weapons and the like. Great fun, though there are two ways of looking at it. Some might like the books to read and feel like a standard (if well-padded) episode, with the same general tone. Others might prefer the novels to actively "break the bank" since they have no fx budgets or television-imposed mores. I stand somewhere in the middle and freely admit that Odo-as-superhero goes beyond fx concerns and actually contradicts the tone of the character. Still, for a book written in a couple weeks using only the series bible and first handful of scripts, David gets DS9. The characters generally sound and act like themselves, many of them get some attention and a little subplot (except maybe Dax and Kira). There's a lot of action, but also a classic Star Trek dilemma/allegory, with the Edemians standing in for those faiths that don't allow, for example, blood transfusions. In fact, it's nice that David could include a religious issue in the first DS9 novel (#1 was the Emissary novelization), and probably did well to steer clear of the still developing Bajoran faith. Doesn't quite stand up in light of later continuity, but as an action-packed romp, a qualified success.
September 19, 2020
A really good #2 in the Star Trek: DS9 pocketbooks series - this time, written by well-known author, Peter David.
This story is in, many respects, similar to “Warped.” There is a murderer loose on the station, Odo has to solve it, and the entire crew has to deal with themselves and each other.
There were a few genuinely good subplots thrown in, though my favorite was between Dr. Bashir and an alien woman who wanted to save her son from a debilitating disease, yet her religion prevented her from doing so. There were times where Dr. Bashir seemed to be a bit out of character, but at the same time, looking back, why wouldn’t he have gone through the lengths he did to save the child, especially as we learn about his superhuman status later on the show. David is certainly a good predictor of characters.
The overall story is interesting and relates specifically to Odo, and the weakest bit, for me, seems to be the part with Quark and another Ferengi scheming to buy DS9.
Overall, good book. Fun book. I’m impressed David wrote these characters this well with only the story Bible and five teleplays to reference.
This story is in, many respects, similar to “Warped.” There is a murderer loose on the station, Odo has to solve it, and the entire crew has to deal with themselves and each other.
There were a few genuinely good subplots thrown in, though my favorite was between Dr. Bashir and an alien woman who wanted to save her son from a debilitating disease, yet her religion prevented her from doing so. There were times where Dr. Bashir seemed to be a bit out of character, but at the same time, looking back, why wouldn’t he have gone through the lengths he did to save the child, especially as we learn about his superhuman status later on the show. David is certainly a good predictor of characters.
The overall story is interesting and relates specifically to Odo, and the weakest bit, for me, seems to be the part with Quark and another Ferengi scheming to buy DS9.
Overall, good book. Fun book. I’m impressed David wrote these characters this well with only the story Bible and five teleplays to reference.
September 19, 2017
Really enjoyed this DS9 novel.
Highlights include: Odo battling it out with a shapeshifter like he never got to on the show's limited budget; Sisko telling dad jokes; Dax offering to kill Dukat; Odo's last thought before he thinks he's going to die is "who's going to look after Quark?"; an offhand mention of Garak as the station's gossip monger
Lowlights: Dax commenting about how she likes doing ~girly~ things now that she's a ~woman~ again; Bashir continuing to prove that he's never taken an ethics class in his entire goddamn life; Dax and Kira playing very minor roles
The tone of this story is waaay darker than any of the episodes I've seen, but I still enjoyed it. The topic was dark, but there was still series-typical humor so the serial-killing plot didn't seem so out of place. I was laughing out loud at several points and caught up in the drama at others. Glad that I read it.
Highlights include: Odo battling it out with a shapeshifter like he never got to on the show's limited budget; Sisko telling dad jokes; Dax offering to kill Dukat; Odo's last thought before he thinks he's going to die is "who's going to look after Quark?"; an offhand mention of Garak as the station's gossip monger
Lowlights: Dax commenting about how she likes doing ~girly~ things now that she's a ~woman~ again; Bashir continuing to prove that he's never taken an ethics class in his entire goddamn life; Dax and Kira playing very minor roles
The tone of this story is waaay darker than any of the episodes I've seen, but I still enjoyed it. The topic was dark, but there was still series-typical humor so the serial-killing plot didn't seem so out of place. I was laughing out loud at several points and caught up in the drama at others. Glad that I read it.
April 15, 2023
Mit diesem Roman hat Peter David ein sehr durchwachsenes Werk abgeliefert. Die ersten achtzig Seiten sind recht langweilig; einige Figuren dürfen sich an Problemen abarbeiten, die schon im Vorgängerroman hinreichend dargelegt wurden. Danach passiert endlich etwas unterhaltsames und es geht auf Mörderjagd. Wer DS9 mag und es bis hier geschafft hat, kann gern weiterlesen und etwas Seriennostalgie erleben. Der Mittelteile ist am besten gelungen, das Ende der Geschichte ist nach meinem Geschmack übertrieben. Der medizinisch-religiöse Konflikt in einer Nebenhandlung ist vorhersehbar und die Eskalation dessen ist sehr derb ausgefallen. Die Figuren hingegen sind erkennbar getroffen (in den engen Grenzen der ersten Staffel der Serie). Fazit: DS9-Fans, die einen Zeitvertreib suchen, machen mit diesem Buch nicht allzu viel falsch.
May 2, 2018
This book isn't perfect, and yet, I'm giving it five stars. I enjoyed it upon its initial release, and I've enjoyed it again, many years later. I can't believe how true it rings to the Deep Space Nine series, when the series was so new when the novel was written. Sure, there are occasional lines of dialogue that sound a little off in my head, but these are few and far between. Overall, the characters are captured brilliantly here. And the story... The story!... Were they ever to have made a DSN movie, this could have been a prime candidate. Action, humor, suspense, drama... This book has it all, and in spades. Highly recommended!
May 6, 2020
Hard to assess this one really... Its a good book, sure. Is it a good DS-9 book? Not exactly. The characterisation is very hit and miss - to be expected since the series had barely begun when this was written! But of course it makes it feel a bit jolting when people act or speak in ways that don't fit them. It's also really quite gory, in a very non-Trek sort of way. I'm sure that's fine if you like gore, but I'm not a fan so it was off-putting. A big helping of needless objectification as well, which sits awkwardly. So, overall... Yes, strange. Not bad, certainly. But not exactly good either.
December 22, 2020
Not as epic as the name suggests, normally Peter David books are a solid blockbuster read but this is a small scale season 1 story. A fairly simple serial killer plot is the bulk of the book with a bit of the political arguments that DS9 is know for given it is home to so many different races and factions.
Reading this now is slightly frustrating as so much of it has been contradicted by later episodes, although this is noone's fault.
Not a bad Star Trek book but not one that is worth hunting down.
Reading this now is slightly frustrating as so much of it has been contradicted by later episodes, although this is noone's fault.
Not a bad Star Trek book but not one that is worth hunting down.
February 15, 2022
This book was ok. A lot of the characters acted rather different than they would in the show. Quark wouldn't have been so stupid as to think he could buy DS9, the Cardassians would never have gone along with it, Nog shouldn't have been so evil, Gul Dukat wouldn't have been so blatant in his threats and so causal about starting a new war.
The story was...ok. Nothing great. The religious storyline was more interesting than the murder storyline. The murder storyline just dragged on too long for me. The religious storyline had more vision and was more engaging.
The story was...ok. Nothing great. The religious storyline was more interesting than the murder storyline. The murder storyline just dragged on too long for me. The religious storyline had more vision and was more engaging.
January 9, 2023
Diverting enough, fast-paced plot that takes advantage of the written form to do some entertaining things that wouldn't be possible on screen. Some character voices and traits are a bit off, but that's always the way with the earlier novels in each series, though Sisko and Bashir are both particularly well captured, I felt. Notable that, like the producers in the early seasons, David clearly has no idea what to do with Dax.
April 30, 2024
This was written very early in DS9's run as a show, and it feels it, based not just on the characterization, but also in terms of what is deemed possible to happen. If you're very familiar with the show things might feel weird and out of place. The plot is tracking down a killer, mostly ineffectively, until some big action scenes at the end. It's not awful, but neither is it very interesting or memorable.
December 8, 2024
This has some interesting historical value, as it is the first Deep Space Nine novel not based on an episode. Peter David is pretty upfront with how he has Odo do things that would not be do-able on the TV show. It felt kinda weird having a character named Meta, given Facebook and Instagram's parent company. Also, this bit said by Odo is pretty ironic considering what happens in the series finale: “Besides, there is no way on Bajor that I would give Quark the satisfaction of watching me leave.”
April 24, 2018
Hands down a better book than the novelization of Emissary. Scary as hell (to a 14 year old who didn't like horror movies) full of awesome imagery. Odo as a giant buzzsaw? Hells yeah!
Plowed through this one. Was sadly disappointed that the series didn't continue in this direction, but alas, it was fun while it lasted.
Plowed through this one. Was sadly disappointed that the series didn't continue in this direction, but alas, it was fun while it lasted.
June 19, 2019
Considering how early in the series run this book was written, I think Peter David nails the characters to a remarkable degree. He also puts forth a very nicely detailed plot, and includes some philosophical questions that can't be wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow. Its an incredibly strong Star Trek novel.
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