Pliable Truths

Star Trek: The Next Generation

by Dayton Ward, Robert Petkoff (Narrator)

A thrilling new Star The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine adventure from New York Times bestselling author Dayton Ward!

2369: Shortly after Starfleet thwarts a Cardassian attack on a Federation star system, the Cardassian government orders an end to its fifty-year occupation of the planet Bajor. As a result, a newly installed Bajoran government requests immediate assistance from the Federation to mediate how the withdrawal will proceed and what recompense, if any, Bajorans are owed from their brutal oppressors. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is ordered by Starfleet Command to oversee these tense negotiations on Terok Nor, the massive Cardassian space station still orbiting Bajor, even as he still deals with his own recent trauma as a prisoner held and tortured by a Cardassian interrogator.

As these critical peace talks get underway, Ensign Ro Laren receives a call for help from a friend thought long dead, exposing an insidious secret from inside Cardassian space. Now, Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise must act to prevent an interstellar incident from reigniting deadly hostilities between the Federation and the Cardassians, and shattering any hope of justice for the Bajoran people…

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Star Trek The Next Generation, Fiction, Media Tie In, Military Fiction

11 pages, Audible Audio

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Dayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.

Ask him sometime how well that worked out.

In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reviews

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows Picard as the Enterprise enters Bajoran space right before the events of the Deep Space Nine premiere. We see Picard and the Enterprise crew as they mediate the changeover from Cardassian control to Bajoran control.

What makes this book so special is its themes. It deals with excellent themes about power and forgiveness and revenge and strategy. It also excellently analyzes when one group loses power to another and how that transfer operates. I found it dealt with similar themes as Ward's other novel "Peaceable Kingdoms" from the Fall Series, but I believe that this book is better!

The book also deals with its characters quite well. Jean Luc has the most development, but Crusher, La Forge, and O'Brien all get excellent subplots and arcs as well, particularly O'Brien. We also see Gul Dukat, Elim Garak, and other Cardassian and Bajoran characters throughout the book who are fascinating.

We also get to see a ton of the DS9 cast as they start to make their way to the station. This book could be marketed as a crossover between TNG and DS9, but I don't believe they have a solid marketing plan for crossovers and the book is more TNG than DS9. (it helps that TNG sells better I believe, so they use the TNG titlecard on the cover).

The book also has a subplot featuring a group of Bajorans trying to escape their Cardassian captors which I thought was just fine. It was the only part of the book I didn't particularly like. It was just fine.

Overall, this is an excellent book, and a true calling card for Dayton Ward. I believe that his best novel is still "From History's Shadow", but I really believe that this is his second best work. 9 out of 10!

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend always to appreciate any book that gives me a better grasp of the worldbuilding of any Sci-fi story. I've watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and rather enjoyed it. But this novel stands out since it gave me a great insight into the way in which Deep Space Nine came to be, and also made me appreciate the TV series as well.

Terek Nor. A Cardassian Deep Space Station orbiting the planet of Bajor. The Bajorans have been under Cardassian occupation for several decades. But that is all about to change. In light of events (must have been in other novels), the Cardassian civilian council is forcing the Cardassian military to withdraw and free Bajor. The Federation, in the form of Captain Picard and the Enterprise, is coming to oversee the transition and host talks.
Not only are many in the Cardassian military unhappy about the turn of events, but the Intelligence Service, the Obsidian Order, has unlawful experiments on Bajorans they are trying to hide, and a mass extermination of a labor camp that may know the secrets, all before the Federation arrives.

From explaining where Kira and Odo came from, as well as many characters who were staples of the show, it gives a great background into the severe tension and dislike of the Bajorans for the Cardassians. I really appreciated the background lore of the Bajoran-Cardassian conflict, as well as finding out about characters from the show and their motivations for being on what would become Deep Space Nine.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events at Minos Korva have forced the Cardassian Empire into an embarrassing climb down, leading to their withdrawal from the B'hava'el system and the liberation of the Bajorans. Captain Picard is assigned to assist with peace negotiations on Bajor, where he finds himself facing his former torturer, Gul Madred.

'Pliable Truths' is a sequel to "Chain of Command" and a prequel to "Emissary", introducing readers to the characters of Kira, Garak, Odo and Quark just prior to the redesignation of Terok Nor to Deep Space Nine. Ward has placed a nice diplomatic A story alongside an intriguing espionage style B story and helps sow the seeds for O'Brien's move from the Transporter Rooms to the Operations Centre of Deep Space Nine.

[Stella Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should start by saying I think that the plot(s) of this book were quite good! I just don’t think this was the right way to attempt them. This is a Next Generation book, but it also works as a prequel for Deep Space 9, and I don’t think that it works well as either.

TNG is about how Starfleet is utopian. The villains that the Enterprise runs into are always wrong, and are often able to be convinced to come into the light of the Federation. TNG’s greatest villain is the Borg: an unequivocally evil enemy. A TNG episode is very often about our main cast *commenting* on an outside practice or culture, instead of really having to reckon with their own. What this means in the context of this book is that the characters are ill-suited for anything *other* than a black-and-white conflict. This isn’t necessarily a problem sometimes (we can all agree the Cardassian occupation was evil, for example), but it robs the villains and the setting of DS9 of their complexity. This setting works in DS9, because the purpose of that show is watching the characters interrogate their own limits, and watching them have to compromise on their morals to work with, say, the Maquis, or Sisko’s status as a reluctant religious leader. Picard as a character simply isn’t equipped for that here; he is meant to be a shining paragon of virtue, and putting him into as complex a scenario as Bajor flattens it.

I also don’t particularly care for this book as a Deep Space 9 prequel, although I think that has more to do with prequels in general than with this book. We meet several DS9 characters (Kira, Odo, Quark, and O’Brien), but this doesn’t make for an interesting story. These characters are at the very beginning of their character arcs; the things we as an audience like about them haven’t happened yet. Kira is an interesting character because she has to learn to like Starfleet. Odo is interesting because of what happens with the Founders. In this book, particularly in regards to Kira, the two are stuck before they become 3-dimensional. I’m more ambivalent about O’Brien’s storyline, largely because he actually gets to do something plot-relevant, and his decision to stay on the station is an interesting bit of character analysis, but the rest of the book as a prequel doesn’t do anything.

I did really like the “great escape” plotline at the labor camp. By being wholly original characters, Ward actually had the freedom to attack the complexities of the occupation without being bogged down. I honestly wish more of the book had been devoted to that plotline; I found myself becoming very invested in it.

Overall, this was a moderately interesting look at the period immediately preceding DS9’s pilot episode, but I find myself wishing that it had been entirely standalone, with minimal interference from familiar characters. I wonder if it would have been able to tackle bigger issues that way.

[reherrma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein neuer Roman aus der Timeline der TV-Serien, in dem geschildert wird, wie auf Bajor nach der Befreiung von den Cardasianer das Leben gemeistert wurde. Die Förderhation wurde nach DS9 (oder wie es damals noch hieß: "Terek-Nor") befohlen um die Friedensverhandlungen zwischen Bajor und Cardassia zu leiten. Außerdem wird geschildert, wie auf einem unbekannten Planeten der Cardassianer, hunderte von Bajoraner einen Sklavendienst verichten mussten und geheime Experimente mit ihnen angestellt werden....
Eine sehr spannende und emotionale Geschichte, in der endlich geschildert wird, wie es dazu kam, dass Terek Nor in Deep Space Nine umbenannt wird, wie die Friedensverhandlungen z.T. von dem cardassianischen Geheimdienst und dem Militär torpediert werden, wie Garak als Schneider auf Terek Nor heimisch wird usw. usf.
Wer DS9 liebt, der kann diesem Roman nicht missen...

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the heyday of Star Trek’s first revival, when we had The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager soaring across our screens, I was a devoted reader of the wider tie-in literary universe. There was nothing like going to the bookstore and seeing a new ‘episode’ on the shelves, just waiting to be devoured.

As Trek disappeared from our screens, it largely disappeared from my shelves as well. I came back to it on occasion, as cover blurbs drew me in, but it felt as if the tie-in universe had been stretched too far, with too many authors struggling to capture the personalities of the characters. Strange New Worlds rekindled my love of all things Trek, however, so when I saw a TNG/DS9 crossover with Picard and Garak on the cover, I decided to beam aboard.

I am delighted to say Dayton Ward demonstrates precisely the grasp of the universe and its personalities that I missed. Pliable Truths felt like a missing episode that more directly connects the TNG and DS9 universes. It explores the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajoran, the skepticism with which the Federation’s assistance is seen, and the consequences of war on all sides. Given all that’s happening in the Ukraine and Palestine, it’s a very timely story, and one that reminds us of how well Trek has always shone a spotlight on current affairs.

One of the things I felt Ward did really well was explore Captain Picard’s discomfort in facing the Cardassians again, so soon after his torture at their hands. He’s still the strong, capable, commanding officer we know, but we see him get agitated and distracted in a way that was never really explored in the series. I also felt Ward did an exemplary job of making this about more than just Picard and the Enterprise crew. While they are there to render assistance and help negotiate peace, it’s as allies, not saviors. Indeed, significant portions of the book explore how the Bajorans themselves band together to resist, infiltrate, and quietly combat their oppressors.

Being something of a gap book that takes place before DS9, we don’t encounter a lot of that cast, but I enjoyed seeing how characters like Kira and Miles came to join the crew, and how Odo, Quark, and Garak were already establishing their odd camaraderie. There was enough here to feel familiar, but the story itself felt necessary, a tale that needed to be told as opposed to just an excuse to revisit old friends.


https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/...

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a bit on the fence with this one, which I did end up enjoying, but found had a couple of weaknesses that repeated for me throughout the experience.

The good was the overall narrative set-up and how it played out: Picard facing off with his former torturer, the bridging of the gap between TNG and DS9 prior to Enterprise arriving with Ben Sisko, and a more in-depth picture of what it was like when Cardassia was forced to withdraw from Bajor—and giving me more of an understanding of why they left, which had to do with them flubbing the Minos Korva thing back in "Chain of Command." All of that, I enjoyed, and I liked seeing the Enterprise Crew spread out and doing their thing in multiple places at one time: Data, Geordi, and O’Brien on the station trying to get it running, Picard and Troi handling the diplomacy between Cardassians and Bajorans, Crusher and Keiko on the planet dealing with a medical outbreak, and Riker, Worf, and Ro on the Enterprise, chasing down something that might—or might not—make all the difference in whether or not this peace lasts. Sabotage, attempted assassinations, explosions, bad-faith diplomacy… it all has a "there are so many balls in the air, and we can’t afford to let any of them drop" whole to it.

The less-good comes down to a couple of repeating patterns, and a few characterization issues. The first repeating pattern was the "hey, remember when?"s tossed in throughout the telling of this story. It felt like Crusher, Picard, Geordi and Riker seemed to like nothing more than to reminisce (often while not paying attention to what was happening in front of them) about previous episodes. Multiple times, characters had to say, "sorry, I wasn’t paying attention" and… that felt off for these competent, focused people. The second repeating pattern was Ro. She was… softer, gentler, had some "as you know, Commander Riker…" dialogs that were really stilted, and—I realize this might seem nitpicky and I’ll own that—I can’t forsee an instance where Ro Laren allows herself to get sniffly or cry in front of the entire Bridge. I just… can’t. Also and also nitpicky, for some reason, the author decided not to have her in the pilot’s seat, but rather the Ops station and there was this whole clunky "Picard likes people cross-trained" and it felt like a Chekov’s Gun that never went off. I kept waiting for the payoff for Ro not being where she always was, and… nope.

Lastly, I don’t know why Robert Petkoff has the monopoly on performing these books, but while I don’t mind most of his attempts at the men—he does an admirable Garak, for one—when he performs the women it’s… oof. Kira comes off like a teenager? Ro sounds soft rather than the iron she usually has. I’m starting to reconsider whether or not to keep listening to these books if he’s performing them, which is frustrating, as I want to enjoy them more than I have been, and a lot of that comes down to his performance of the women of Trek.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written & sharply characterized as always; I'm surprised it took this long to fill this particular storytelling gap in the canon. But I must say that the reading experience left me feeling "meh". I would have preferred a brand new adventure at this point...it feels like nice but unnecessary back-tracking.

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wanted more about Bajor kicking the Cardassians to the curb, and I finally got it! And closure for a TNG episode I never knew I needed. It was a great crossover between TNG and DS9, with a lot of great character interactions I would have loved to see actually happen. Even though some of my favorites were missing (I know WHY Dax couldn't be there, but I wanted to see Dax!), there were plenty of familiar faces to make up for it (it takes her a while but Kira does eventually turn up). An excellent read that really made me want to go watch The Emissary again.

[Eggith · Rating 4 out of 5]

good one off story that ties tng and ds9 together. its a tng story though. makes ya wanna dive into ds9 both the series and the post launch books. will be reading again. easy read ta boot.

F Dukat! haha

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ve never plummeted to my death aboard a man-made fireball before, sir,” said O’Brien. “Thanks for not letting today be that day.”


I’d forgotten I’d preorderd this, so was pleasantly surprised to finish it on a lazy Sunday morning with coffee and chocolate cake.
The idea sat well with me: seing the genesis of DS9 was potentially quite interesting, and watching events of the turbulunt time during the withdrawal of the Cardassian occupying forces of Bajor would be fascinating.

This only worked to a point. The first thing that stuck in my craw was the 6 times someone “blew out” his or her breth. This is perhaps because I’ve just finished a reread of another novel where this happens a lot too, so I was over-primed to be annoyed with it.

Secondly there were far too many times when someone went off into a daydream, far too close together to be anything other than authorial license to showboat their knowledge of canon. Picard is perhaps understandable – the book serves as a ceiling on the events of the TNG two-parter Chain of Command in the same way the episode Family did after the Best of Both Worlds – but to then follow-up with Crusher, particularly to no meaningful result, felt overdone. The Starfleet officers come across as unfocused airheads much of the time, because every new environment triggers flashbacks. Realistic if they were real people given how much got thrown at them over their televised careers, but perhaps less believable from a fictional perspective.

Next, The introduction of Madred as a character was necessary for Picard’s closure of course, but also the slapdown of Dukat didn’t really fit, nor did Madred add anything meaningful to the negotiations. In that sense he was put into the book purely for Picard, and could’ve served a better role without stealing Dukat’s thunder – but then B-stories never work as well in modern Trek as they used to.
Finally on the irritating scale, explosions and IEDs are obviously important terrorist fair, but to bomb a shop and then implicate Garak is pure folly. after all, you never tell the same lie twice. He’d be very offended if War’ds contention is that this was a test run because our innosent tailor would never be so gauche. Lastly, we had to have Ensign Ro, but we also had her in Picard S3. Jaxa might have fit better here, given RO’s defection was still to come, although I suppose Ro is more well-known to more people.


On the positives, I wont pretend I wasn’t impressed with Ward’s handling of timeline; he has a very narrow path to tread in writing characters at a point in their history that we as an audience have seen very far beyond. That took no small skill and was masterfully done. It was also, as I hoped, great to see our crew back again, whole and healthy. I enjoyed watching Picard but the characters have aged. A story with them in their prime was balm to the soul. I also took great pleasure in the nods to Lower Decks (the series, not the episode). Seeing a California Class starship and having the dialogue around second contact was great. Exactly the sort of retcon I can get behind.

So yes: a reasonably good story and some nice page-time for some of our favourites. Worth it if you, like me, have missed our heroes in days of yore.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story, and one that I greatly enjoyed in particular because it was set in the good old TNG days. I can't overstate how very much I miss the days of the numbered mass market paperbacks. I really hope, now that the relaunch books are done, that Trek books will go back to that kind of format. One book = one story, preferably with at least a fair few of them going back to the time of the series as it was airing. Picard is all well and good, but TNG is the Star Trek of my heart.

My favorite part of this whole book was the Easter egg reference to the Warp Core Breach drink from Quark's Bar. I have imbibed a Warp Core Breach before and the Denobulan was right - the first fifty sips are the hardest. I seriously miss Star Trek: The Experience from Vegas. I wish they'd bring that back. 😭

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marked at 3 but calling it a definite 3.5. I have a great love for DS9 and the plight of the Bajorans. Whose colonization and oppression by the Cardassians is all the more relevant today given current affairs.

I just think there were too many concurrent plots existing during this particular novel. You've got Bajor planetside, Terok Nor x2 essentially and then Panat and the rescue mission. All are great and I think if there was an added say 50-100 pages we would have gotten a lot more out of those individual plot lines. Whereas in reality I felt I just didn't get enough of each.

[Andrew Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun to delve into the Star Trek books and definitely acts as an interesting prelude to DS9, but while I know that it was supposed to be centered around diplomacy, I still wanted some more action. I also feel like it wrapped up and still had like 5 chapters left which was a little strange, but I still enjoyed it and definitely won’t be my last Star Trek book

[omiczech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story from the TNG timeline just before DS9 beginning.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 1 out of 5]

TNG: Pliable Truths by Dayton Ward

I have been a strong Ward fan. I liked the story he submitted for Strange New Worlds (not the show) Vol.1 but that’s the only thing of his that I have enjoyed. This book unfortunately continued that trend. It had no real energy or stakes to it. Picard confronting the Cardassian who tortured him and a book exploring Bajor in the immediate aftermath of the Occupation? Sign me up. I felt a lot of joy when characters from DS9 were being introduced as it’s really interesting to see where they end up before the pilot. But everything else was just… meh. There was a brief exploration of Picard dealing with the trauma of seeing Madred again but it wasn’t explored enough in detail.

This book could have worked far better under a better writer but it was very disappointing.

4/10

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant idea for a Star Trek novel!


This is a stand-alone prose novel, situated right after “Chain of Command” Parts One & Two episodes from ST-TNG and before “Emissary” from ST-DS9.


Captain’s Log:

The USS Enterprise-D is assigned to arbitrate the negotiations between the Cardassian Union and the Bajoran Provisional Government, after the unexpected annoucement by the Cardassian Civilian Detapa Council ordering to release the planet Bajor and all its population in that world and any other world in the Cardassian Union, along with retiring all military personnel. The diplomatic talks are celebrated at Terok Nor, an uridium ore processing space station orbiting Bajor.

The USS Oceanside, a California-class starship, is assigned to support assistance to the Enterprise-D in the additional mission of giving maintenance to the Terok Nor station and bringing medical help to the Bajoran population at the surface.


Senior Staff:

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Commanding Officer)
Cmdr. William T. Riker (First Officer)
Lt. Cmdr. Data (Operations Manager & Second Officer)
Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Troi (Ship’s Counselor)
Lt. Worf (Chief Security Officer)
Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge (Chief Engineering Officer)
Dr. Beverly Crusher (Chief Medical Officer)

Support Crew:

Ensign Ro Laren (Helmswoman)
Chief Miles O’Brien (Chief Transporter Officer)
Ensign Sonya Gomez (Engineering Officer)
Ensign Lindsay Bridges (Transporter Officer)

Oceanside Crew:

Capt. Tamiko Hayashio (Commanding Officer)
Dr. Tropp (Chief Medical Officer)
Cmdr. Sarah McDougall (Chief Engineering Officer)

Guest Stars:

Constable Odo (Terok Nor Chief Security Officer)
Kira Nerys
Garak


LOST CHAPTER

This is indeed a “lost chapter” since this prose novel gives a link between ST-TNG and the beginning of ST-DS9 since it’s situated right after Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was tortured by Gul Madred during the events of Chain of Command and before that Terok Nor would become a Starfleet administered station and be called Deep Space Nine, which I think it’s a great idea for a prose novel in the Star Trek universe.

Where you have the introductions of known characters of Deep Space Nine before of taking their roles, along with reading about the decision of Chief O’Brien of leaving the Enterprise-D but also old minor characters of The Next Generation will return doing priceless cameos, and even character from the “future” of expanded universe prose novels.


PEACE SOMETIMES IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN WAR

After the debacle at Minos Korva where a Cardassian fleet was stopped by the strategy of Capt. Edward Jellico (at that moment in command of the Enterprise-D) the Civilian Detapa Council in Cardassian gives a totally unexpected order of retiring all military presence of the Cardassian Union in the Bajoran system and liberating all Bajoran population in any other Cardassian sector…

…however that order isn’t comply as smooth as you could hope, since the Cardassian Central Command gives indications of damaging all possible Bajoran resources and any Cardassian technology left behind…

…but the worse is that there are secret labour camps in other planetary systems where the liberation order will be changed to extermination process.

It’s up to the Enterprise-D and Oceanside crews to do their best in repairing Terok Nor station, finding the source of a provoked decease in Bajor’s surface, but also finding out about one of those secret camps where an old friend of Ro Laren is kept captive along with many other Bajorans.

Capt. Picard will have his hands full not only dealing with Gul Dukat but also with the now Legate Madred, a very uncomfortable reunion right after their previous torturing meeting.
I would wish to have more presence in the story by Ro Laren, and while she does pivotal things in the novel, still I’d love to have her in a more relevant role.

Also, while Garak is on the cover along with Picard, they didn't share any scene and Garak isn't doing really much in the story. (I'd prefer a photo art cover instead of this artistic representation that I guess they don't need to pay to the actors to use them in the cover)

This is a The Next Generation novel but you will have the birth of Deep Space Nine too. Highly recommended for fans of both spin-offs of Star Trek.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek series, so when I saw a new novel coming out related to DS9 I knew I had to give it a try. It turned out to be a fun little tie-in story, even if it was sometimes more fan service than substance.

I think it's a clever way to connect TNG with DS9. Not long after his capture and torture at the hands of the Cardassians (in the TNG episode "Chain of Command"), Jean-Luc Picard is assigned to mediate peace talks between the Cardassians and the Bajorans, aboard the mining station known as Terok Nor. This setup brings the familiar TNG characters into the world of what will eventually be called Deep Space Nine. Since Picard had personal (and traumatic) experience with Cardassians, I thought it was interesting narratively to have him involved in the handover.

So the concept is all well and good, but the execution was a little odd sometimes. Most of the TNG characters didn't feel much like characters a lot of the time. I probably wouldn't be able to identify anything distinguishing about them if I didn't already know them from the show. Admittedly, probably no one is going to read this that hasn't watched the show, but still, most of them came across as pretty bland. And the way they talked was at times bizarre and barely human (seriously, who would ever say "I do not like that individual"?). Still, it was fun to see them in action again.

I was more excited to see the DS9 characters show up, but some of them seemed to serve no purpose other than fan service. Kira Nerys got some cool stuff to do, although it was quite the coincidence that she was assigned as Doctor Crusher's guide. And as much as I love Garak, it seemed like he appeared just for the sake of appearing (why is he pictured on the cover?). You could almost see the characters pausing to let the audience cheer each time a familiar character showed up.

It seemed like the author was winking at the audience in other ways too. More than once a character would reflect on how the crews of California-class ships were known for being unorthodox, in an unsubtle nod to Star Trek: Lower Decks. And it was cool to see Keiko O'Brien have more to do than usual, but I did wonder if the author was deliberately responding to some of the online discussions I've seen about her character. Even Riker had a chance to pause and reflect (there is a lot of pausing and reflecting in this book) on why he hadn't chosen to take his own command yet. It was like this book was trying to answer every question.

I'm complaining a lot here, but I will say overall that this was a decently fun read. Maybe a little inconsequential, but still fun. If you enjoyed TNG and DS9, you'll probably enjoy this book. Just maybe don't expect anything earth-shattering.

One final nitpick: I may be crazy, but I'm pretty sure the author confused the bridge positions of flight controller and operations. Normally that wouldn't matter, but he did draw attention to them specifically a couple times, so it really stood out. Conn is on the right, ops is on the left—Memory Alpha will tell you that. Data never sits at conn, but this book has him sitting there piloting the ship. The higher-ranking officer usually sits at ops (I'm not sure why, but that's always how it is in TNG). This isn't really a big deal, but it was weird that it was incorrectly called out in the book more than once. Especially considering how many Star Trek novels this author has written. Okay, rant over.

[Bradon Jurn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pliable Truths" is a must for fans of TNG and DS9! This crossover event chronicles crucial moments in both franchises, and serves up an exciting adventure along the way.

Taking place just months after the events in "The Chain of Command", we find Picard still recuperating from his horrific ordeal under the tutelage of Cardassian interigator Madrid. Meanwhile, the Cardassian government have ordered the withdrawal of all forces from Bagorian space, and the release of all Bajorian nationals. This includes withdrawing from the ore processing center orbiting Bajor, the giant space station known as 'Terok Nor'.

Picard and crew are ordered to proceed to this space station and commence negotiations between the Bajorians and Cardassians to discuss compensation and withdrawal terms.

Meanwhile, on an undisclosed planet, members of a Bagorian labor camp find out the new armisist may spell certain death to them all. Their only hope may be a desperate plea for help to Ensign Ro Laren.

As a superfan of both shows-I found alot to love in "Pliable Truths". It serves as both a sequel to "The Chain of Command" and a prequel to "The Emissary". This gives the reader a fly-on-the-wall perspective of crucial events involving both franchises.

The negotiations on Terok Nor are a tense battlefield of words and wills, as Picard does his best to see that the Bajorians are compensated for over forty years oppression. As a negotiator, Picard is in his element-trying to keep all parties happy and not let old resentments undermine the fragile peace.

The aftermath of Picard being tortured by Madrid is fully explored and given the attention not given on the show. His vulnerability makes the stakes higher as he is forced to deal with the Cardassians so soon after his internment.

This book boast some excellent verbal sparring matches. Many of these exchanges involve fan favorite characters who use words as daggers and insults as bombs. These vocal exchanges will have you thoroughly entertained and pining for popcorn!

The prison camp segments of this story are compelling enough to make a book unto itself. It has all the trappings of a classic prison movie, with many of the same themes. The players involved are given excellent depth and backstory, giving the reader great insight into Bajorian oppression under Cardassian rule.

"Pliable Truths" may be titled a TNG novel, but I felt it leaned slightly more towards being a DS9 story with the TNG characters as chaperones. Picard, Troi, and Crusher are showcased terrifically, each of them written spot on. I enjoyed seeing characters from both shows interact and work together.

"Pliable Truths" succeeds at unifying both show's mythologies with a very important story. What makes it important is how it showcases the consequences and repercussions of events. The Cardassians left an almost permanent stain on both Picard and the Bajorian people; this book chronicles the first steps moving forward.

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of 4.5.

Leading Star Trek author Dayton Ward presents a compelling new tie-in novel that bridges the gap between two of the franchise’s most iconic shows in the outstanding and impressive Pliable Truths.

Following a tumultuous series of events, Starfleet has managed to thwart a planned invasion of a Federation system by the Cardassians. Thrown into political disarray by their military defeat, the Cardassian civilian government has acceded to Starfleet demands and ordered the withdrawal from the occupied planet of Bajor. Long enslaved by the Cardassians, the Bajorans are determined to once again rule themselves, but they first reluctantly require the assistance of the Federation.

To ensure a peaceful transition of power to the new Bajoran government, Starfleet orders Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise to the Bajor to oversee negotiations between the Bajorans and the Cardassians. Still recovering from his own recent trauma suffered at the hands of a Cardassians torturer, Picard is unsure if he is ready to fairly arbitrate the question of recompense and justice. But with no other choice, Picard travels to the massive Cardassian space station orbiting Bajor, Terok Nor.

Attempting to stay neutral and calm, Picard soon finds his patience tested by the disruptive tactics of the Cardassians, as they seek to gain advantage from the chaos surrounding the withdraw. The situation looks to become even more complicated when Ensign Ro Laren receives a message from a long-missing friend, exposing deadly secrets from inside Cardassian space. Forced to balance the needs of the Bajorans with a desire to stop a new war erupting between the Federation and the Cardassians, Picard will need to utilise all his diplomatic skills to salvage the situation. But can even Picard remain calm when he comes face to the face with the man responsible for his recent torture?

Dayton Ward continues to showcase why he is one of the top authors of Star Trek fiction with this compelling and intriguing read. Serving as a brilliant bridge between two key shows, Pliable Truths has an outstanding story behind it that does an amazing job diving into the iconic lore and characters of the Star Trek universe.

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[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a half-century of vicious occupation, the Cardassian Empire is finally cutting bait and withdrawing from Bajor, pushed by aggressive resistance movements. The Federation has been asked to meditate the terms of a peaceful withdrawal and settlement and has asked Picard to employ his delicate touch. This is not easy for the captain, so recently tortured by the Cardassians to obtain intelligence for a military attack they later aborted — but Duty compels. Pliable Truths is an excellent bridge novel that links TNG to DS9’s beginning and accomplishes a few minor coups like explaining how O’Brien transitioned from transporter dogsbody in TNG to Deep Space Nine’s chief engineer.

Pliable Truths opens with two concurrent and gradually intersecting stories. As the Enterprise crew begins working with the new Bajoran government and militia to repair Terok Nor — which is to host the peace conference — a group of Bajoran prisoners on a planet removed from maps by the Cardassian military learns that their labor camp is hiding a secret science lab, and that the Cardassians have orders to destroy every portion of the camp rather than risk the returning prisoners’ drawing any attention to the planet. Doctor Crusher and Keiko O’Brian are also investigating some water pollution near a labor camp on Bajor, while Garak verbally spars with everyone to my constant glee. Meanwhile, a series of terrorist incidents and acts of sabotage hinder efforts to repair the station and stabilize Bajoran-Cardassian relations, setting the stage for its shambled status in “Emissary”. The result is a good mix of different drama — personal, political, espionage, and direct combat. and they’re not strictly separated: the Cardassians send Gul Madred to upstage Gul Dukat and at the same time rattle Captain Picard, as Madred had literally been torturing Picard a few weeks prior. There’s also an excellent mix of TNG and future DS9 characters, though admittedly O’Brien is both so that’s cheating a bit. Still, any book that has both Kira and Ro is a winner even though they don’t get to be surly action heroes together.

As a die-hard Niner and a longtime reader of Dayton Ward, I expected to like this novel and wasn’t disappointed. Characterization was solid, the drama was varied and well-paced, and Ward does a good job of portraying the Bajorans’ mixed feelings over the Federation’s presence without beating the reader over the head.

[Solitairerose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pliable Truths - Dayton Ward

This novel is essentially a prequel to Deep Space 9’s pilot, and as such it has a lot of heavy lifting to do. It needs to set up the situation and characters that won’t pay off in the novel, it has to be an engaging Next Generation Story, and it has to have a full story that can stand on its own. That’s a lot to do in one novel, but for the most part it pulls it off.

There are three plots interwoven here. The first is about a planet hidden away that the Cardassians are using Bajoran slave labor as the Cardassians announce their withdrawal from Bajor. This is the plot that starts the novel, and is the one that struggled to keep my attention. The setup for this part of the story takes too long to establish, and doesn’t directly tie into the other two stories, so it almost feels like an intrusion when we go back to it later on.

The DS9 setup is going to feel unfulfilling, as it does not get to have a conclusion per se, but the author does a solid job of putting the pieces in place and making sure we know where the known characters are, emotionally, as we end the plot a day before the Pilot episode.

The final plot is the best, by far, and Picard has been called in to help negotiate the handover of DS9 and withdrawal of the Cardassians from Bajor. Here we get rich characterization for Picard, recovering from his torture at the hands of the Cardassians, as well as the aftereffects of the Borg as e deals with diplomatic issues. You don’t expect such a look into diplomacy in a Star Trek novel, but the back and forth of negotiations as well as the look into Cardassian internal struggles is where the book shines.

The book doesn’t quite pull together (as is seen in the need for a long epilogue) and if you aren't versed in the long term stories of both Next Generation and DS9, many sequences will feel confusing. But, for the hard care fans who are looking for the links between Next Gen and DS0, the book is a solid read with some well done tension.

[Zachary Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Accountability feels like oppression when you’ve never been held to account” - Kira Nerys

My first dive into written trek and I was blown away. This author really brought out the best of trek with this book. So much to love about it but I’ll start with how faithfully the author handles the source material. Every character feels consistent and yet fresh, a difficult balance to achieve and this author masters it. Every scene between Data and Geordi felt like it could’ve been straight from the show. Picard and Tori were a great pair. Keiko got action even!

The story centers on negotiations for the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor on the decrepit Cardassian space station Terok Nor. Bajorans, under Cardassian occupation for the last 50 years know freedom for the first time. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is tasked with leading these talks while confronting his own trauma with the Cardassians after being held as their prisoner of war several months earlier. Meanwhile in an unnamed system, hundreds of Bajorans are being held as laborers, unaware that their freedom has come. The Federation is invited to these talks at the request of Bajor, though many Bajorans are rightfully wary and resentful of the Federation’s presence on their world. The Federation, the great moral center of the galaxy, sat by and did nothing while Cardassia pillaged Bajor for all that it had. Sound familiar?

I found the story quite compelling and especially enjoyed the negotiation scenes and getting to see Will Riker in command of the Enterprise, which is always a treat. The new characters were also complex and well thought out. It’s a shame we don’t see more Denobulans they’re always so fun!

Overall this was a fantastic story that read like the best TNG episode. It’s an excellent bridge between Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation and I highly recommend for fans of either. Now it’s time to start my Deep Space 9 rewatch again! Starr out.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story takes place during TNG just before DS9 kicks off, with Picard negotiating between the Bajorans and Cardassians. Picard has his own experience with the way Cardassians treat their "guests" and so there's an added element to his assignment that Troi is there to help navigate.
I appreciate that the story gave Troi a chance to do what she does, counseling not just as a therapist for Picard but also as a diplomatic liaison. She didn't get to flex her abilities enough in the show.
I did have a few disappointments with this story. Garak is on the cover and yet doesn't even make an appearance until about halfway? Anyone looking for more time with our favorite simple tailor will be disappointed. He's not really in the book much at all.
There's also not much Data in it which is always a disappointment for me, but I understand not every story can revolve around him and he's at least not on the cover.
The biggest issue may be that the story has elements that just .. don't feel resolved?

**I'll try to keep this spoiler free but still, may be a bit of a spoiler anyway:
Theres a big Cardassian secret, but the focus isn't really on that. Just on the Bajorans who are in proximity to it. There's also a bit on Bajor itself that seems like it would tie in to the secret but then it just .. doesn't?**

Overall, I enjoyed it for being a Trek novel. There were some great "I understood that reference" moments and I like how it gave us a little look at what happened just before DS9 kicked off.

I just would have liked a little more resolution in some things and at times I didn't even know where the story was going. It felt like slowly making our way to a dead end. Even though the journey was with some familiar friends.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up to a 4

So the cover is kind of deceiving, Garak is not a very prominent character in the story and does not have some great moments with Picard on DS9.

This is my main problem with Star Trek books, especially the modern ones, there are way too many side plots. I think the authors want almost all of the main staff to have their own moments and shine and make it feel like a multi part episode, but it just makes everything feel bloated, and gives certain strong plot points not enough time to shine. The best plot points in this book in my opinion were the ones with Picard, Troi, and Madred, Garak, and the Bajorans trying to gain their freedom. Crusher and Keiko's side adventure started off okay, but I felt didn't need anything past that first chapter. This book was good, don't get me wrong, it just felt like a little too much. I also have adhd, so it could just be me.

I think there is a ton of great ideas in this book, and some great plot points, but to just hammer this home, there was just too much going on for me. I bet some people will read this and think I'm crazy for my thought, but what are you going to do.

Overall though, the moments between Picard and Madred, Garak's entrance and verbal duel with Madred, and Dukat's short moments making me just hate him even more, those were the moments I loved and were hyped to read. Ward really killed it during those interactions, and reminded me of Una McCormick's books, which tend to be my favorite Star Trek Novels.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pliable Truths is the perfect Next Generation and Deep Space Nine crossover. It takes place just after the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor has ended, and acts as the bridge between the two series, filling in the story of how Terok Nor transitioned to Deep Space 9, and how the characters got to where they are at the start of the DS9 show.

Although you would think Picard and Garak are the main characters of this book based on the cover, this story actually follows many characters across parallel plot lines. We get to see how the ending of the Occupation directly impacts Bajoran slave laborers; how the Enterprise crew struggles to get Terok Nor in order after the Cardassians screwed everything up on their way out; and even how Picard deals with his recent trauma after being tortured at the hands of Cardassians, only to have to meditate negotiations between them and the Bajorans. The story is very well-paced, with appropriate time given to all the characters.

This book leans in to DS9’s bold exploration of the impacts of colonial occupation, even touching on topics that the show didn’t, such as the environmental impacts of colonialism. Dayton Ward does a great job of representing all the ways the Cardassian Occupation ravaged Bajoran society. This attention to detail combined with perspectives from so many characters I love makes this book one I know I’ll be revisiting at some point. The ending did feel a bit obrupt, but when the rest of the book was so good, I can’t complain that much.

[Simon Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Next Generation Novel revolving around the Cardassian withdrawal from their occupation of Bajor, with events directly leading up to Sisko taking command of the newly renamed space station DS9.
As you can imagine anything to do with the Cardassian's is fraught with danger, deception and subterfuge. The multi layered plot and pov is handled very well and we get to see the events unfold from a Bajoran pov as well as from Picard and For a nice change Miles O'Brian.
There are some delightful cameos from DS9 regulars including the mind-messing verbal sparring between constable Odo and the wonderful Garak. It was also funny to see Quark trying to make money (gold pressed latinum) from Riker!! Picard not only has to deal with the political ramifications of Starfleets non-involvement in the decades long subjugation of the Bajoran people by the Cardassian's (which to me is shameful and a massive blot on Starfleet and the Federation's reputation) but also his personal recent history with the Cardassian's and his treatment when he was their prisoner in a call back to the wonderful STNG two parter 'Chain Of Command' as the mediator sent by the Cardassian's is none other than Legate Madred (Gul) All in all a very good Star Trek Novel.

[Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook read by Robert Petkoff, but will focus on the text first and foremost.

Pliable Truths has both the strengths and weaknesses we know from well-written prequels - strong character moments, both for already established characters, and from new characters, but the overall narrative doesn't hold anything unexpected.

The beginning felt a little bit meandering and the end had several chapters that felt like an unlabelled epilogue, at least in the audiobook version, but my patience was rewarded with many fantastic moments I'll excitedly recall on my next rewatch of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Now to the reading of the audiobook:
It was spoken clearly and paced expertly for me to follow along.
Due to the difficulties presented by unusual names and technobabble, I mostly listened at 1.5x speed instead of my usual double speed, but I did not have audio crackling even at triple speed, as is occasionally the case with lower quality audiobooks.

In conclusion:
If you want to read DS9 books, A Stitch In Time remains unmatched, but considering the very limited narrative overlap, reading both is a great idea for any fan of DS9 and the extended beta canon.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mostly enjoyable romp, very engaging, and made me feeling very nostalgic for that period of TNG/DS9, revisiting old friends and themes and has clearly been exhaustively researched by the author to seamlessly fit into the time period lead right up to the first episode of DS9.
I did like the touch of keeping Worf off the station, to stay in line with the continuity that he clearly meets all the DS9 personnel for the 1st time on his DS9 debut episode The Way of the Warrior.
On the negative side, and why i docked a star was for the almost countless times the lead characters went off into to daydreams or reminiscences only to jerked back to reality by someone. I feel this is a narrative that can be used once at most but it happened to every character !
Additionally, it had more endings than the Return of the King and then an additional two chapters after the story had essentially finished (felt like The Scouring of the Shire) that felt unnecessary and made me think the author had come short of an agreed wordcount?

[Jeremy Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Good

I thought this was an excellent novel and a perfect idea for a franchise that’s meandered all over the place trying to fulfill both new series and continue the older series. The author nails the voices and as you would guess there are a number of familiar figures from both TNG and DS9 and I could hear each actor or actress whenever they were featured. It’s a great tie in to pre DS9 as well as explaining O’Brien leaving, Picard aftermath of Chain of Command and even some insight into Kira.
My only knock is the author did too many summaries of past TNG episodes and while 1 makes sense I think he did 2 or 3 and that’s just wasted time IMO. I hope we get more books during this timeline (the Berman era TV shows) as there are hundreds of possibilities and authors willing to write them.