The Mist

Star Trek: The Captain's Table #3

by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

There's a bar called "The Captain's Table", where those who have commanded mighty vessels of every shape and era can meet, relax, and share a friendly drink or two with others of their calling. Sometimes a brawl may break out but it's all in the family, more or less. Just remember, the first round of drinks is always paid for with a story... even on the planet Bajor.Do the people of the Mist have the ultimate cloaking device -- or a gateway to another dimension? Captain Benjamin Sisko doesn't know for sure, but the Klingons, the Cardassians, and the Ferengi Alliance will stop at nothing to obtain the device. Now Sisko finds himself in the middle of a deadly struggle that could change the balance of power throughout the entire Alpha Quadrant!

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

271 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Pen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley

Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.

With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.

Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.

Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.

Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book of the book event The Captain's Table from the franchise Star Trek. I was expecting that this one can be the strongest book in the event merely because the author, Dean Wesley Smith, was the one who came up with the idea of the event. Some mystical, timeless, bar where any captain at some moment in their lives found the way to got into the place and the drinks are free, since the price is a story. It's a great premise. And even, in this case, the author put Sisko where you expect him to be, in command of the station Deep Space Nine and the starship Defiant. And you have several action, however, I think that the story is like too crowded. I mean, the intention of making it the strongest novel in the event just overwhelmed its own inner premise and it became unnecessarily complicated. Too much material and characters in one single book.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A generally engaging story...though if you take away the (occasionally irritating) framing device, it's a very very thin story. However, this is mitigated by the fact that, yet again, there is little care with the pre-finale DS9 continuity, and many of the characters still seem slightly off. Let me enumerate: (1) the Cardassians have virtually no coherent forces at this point in their history; (2) Gul Dukat is off on his one-man war against the Klingons at this point; (3) the wormhole goes to the Gamma Quadrant, not the Delta Quadrant, (4) the station runs on the 26 hour Bajoran day -- it's still a Bajoran station, after all...; (5) Kira and O'Brien still seem very season one/stand-offish...but this is supposed to be early season five; (6) Klingons don't have warbirds; (7) only ONE mention of Odo, as a throwaway line...in a DS9 story? A lot of little nit-picks, adding up to a great big pile of annoyance that throws me out of the story. Only Sisko himself seems reasonably characterized...and someone forgot to let Dax actually use contractions like a normal person. I just don't understand...over 30 DS9 novels set prior to "What You Leave Behind"...and I count 5, at most, that manage a convincing depiction of the TV series. Very frustrating.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was outstanding! By far one of the best, if not the best Star Trek books I have read to date. This book is the third installment of the Captain's Table series, in which the focal character is Captain Sisko from DS9. The story begins with Bashir forcing Sisko to take a short vacation for some much needed rest and Sisko goes to a bar on Bajor. The bar is the Captain's Table, where the only folks allowed inside are Captains (seems prejudicial?). Sisko begins to relive a story of how he, along with another Captain in attendance at the bar, a Klingon, met with a mythical race of people referred to as The Mist. The authors did an outstanding job bouncing between Sisko telling the story and the goings on in the bar, including a great rapport with the Klingon and other attendees in the bar. My only complaint of this book was it made me very hungry! Sisko was ordering, describing, smelling, eating some very delicious sounding food, which was making me envious. Highly recommend!

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite story so far, which is odd because this is the one that the series' creator decided to write. Maybe it was because the characters kept insisting that Deep Space Nine was located in front of a wormhole that linked to the Delta Quadrant. Maybe it was because the narrative kept getting interrupted by Sisko eating, or the rambunctiousness of the bar's patrons.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too bad a read. The novelty of the storytelling conceit wears off relatively quickly and, at least for me, grew tiresome. Too bad the last 19 1/2 pages were about Janeway. Oh well. Gotta push the product!

[Bory · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really need to start learning from my mistakes.

At this point, I've read several of Dean Wesley Smith's Trek novels. The Escape was horrendous, Shadows was passable, and I legitimately liked Echoes, though he did work with two other authors on that one. I'm sad to say, The Mist, very much like The Escape, is atrocious.

I knew I was in for a rough ride when right off the bat we start with a very glaring mistake - the Bajoran wormhole is not between the Alpha Quadrant and the Delta Quadrant, but between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants. It might appear a small thing to err on, but it shows a gross lack of attention to detail, and the fact that the mistake was made multiple times shows that it was not just a type in the beginning. Hell, we get a minor, unnamed cameo from Janeway at the very end of the book. Wouldn't she have loved to know that she could have just taken the wormhole and gotten her ship back home, instead of trekking through the Delta quadrant for seven years?

The story is nonsensical- it's not only a bad Trek story, but even a bad generic sci-fi story. The characters are poorly written. Sisko is the only character that gets any real "screen" time, and everyone else is just there for the dialogue. Hell, Odo only gets named dropped once, as does Quark. Even though Jadzia, O'Brien, Bashir, Worf, and Nog are part of the crew of the Defiant, they might as well have been completely different characters, for all they had in common with their show counterparts.

And do not get me started on the constant, unnecessary, infuriating interruptions. The constant shift between the in-story story and the bar scene was stupid and frustrating, and, worst of all, served no damn purpose. Diane Carey's Fire Ship, the follow up Captain's Table, was by no means a great book, but at least it didn't constantly yank you out of the story for irrelevant check ins with Janeway drinking and eating in the bar.

I'm done. This book is trash. I'm never picking up anything by this author again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice - your books get delighted to the bottom of the compost pile.

[Andrew Kyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up about twenty years ago for the grand total of 50p. My thinking was, i may never read it, but i don't want to waste the bargain. Fast forwards to what i'm calling my Star Trek novel renaissance (i just bought up all the ST:VOY books that i didn't acquire when i was younger), and i figured it was time to cross this one off the list.

With regards the mini-series "The Captains Table" - i'd read and loved the Voyager one. Believe it or not, the first ever first-person narrative i'd ever read, for as a child i had shyed away from them.

The plot of "The Mist" revolves around a strange alternate state of reality, and Sisko and his Defiant go in and out of it various times throughout the novel, and the station itself gets sucked in, i think. I can't remember.

I hated this book, i really did. My inability to remember isn't because i have a case of wandering brain, its because the narrative was so arrhythmic i couldn't make sense of it. The dialogue was so forced that i struggled to picture the characters saying it - its almost as if the novel was written by someone that has never even seen the show, but we know that not to be the case (Dean Wesley Smith has written many others, and some of them are apparently good, and he's one of the lead creators on The captains table concept). Was it ghost written and never checked?

Prime example of this, and the great big final nail in the coffin, is the consistent mention of the wormhole from the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant. Sorry, what?? This is like getting the name of Captain Picards ship wrong, or .. or... maybe saying that Klingons fly warbirds!! what!!

It may have a few good ideas in there but as a star trek novel, it truly falls below par. FAR below par.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jag giller det här konceptet allt mer, om man bortser från det metafysiskt oförklarliga i att det finns en pub som man kan komma till endast om man är kapten ombord ett skepp, var man än är någonstans i hela universum eller när man än är i tiden... Jag älskar historieberättandet, det gör att man känner sig som en del av berättandet, en del av den grupp som lyssnar på Benjamin Sisko.

Historien berättar om en hemlig och gömd nation med namnet Mist. Historien känns i huvudsak trovärdig - en detalj irriterar mig dock och det är att man kan färdas över från vårt universum till Mists universum, men inte på ett enkelt sätt färdas tillbaka. Det borde fungera åt båda hållen, menar jag, och detta är ett hål i historien. I övrigt är det "a glourious battle", som klingonerna säger, med strid på två fronter och med osäkerhet omkring vem man kan lita på. Så det blir både stridsscener, deckare och spioneri.

Betyget blir därmed mycket gott och trots de brister som här nedtecknats blir det sammantagna betyget 7 av 10.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Benjamin Sisko takes a turn at The Captain's Table bar and tells the tale, set during Season Three of Deep Space Nine, of how a group called The Mist took the Defiant and iconic space station into another dimension--or did they?

This was an okay tale simply because half of the book seems to be interruptions from the other captains at the bar. They occurred too often and didn't add anything to their characters. I found myself impatient during these interruptions--and would that be the first food item Sisko orders off the menu?--and the tale of The Mist was too much of teleport in, teleport out, teleport in, teleport out, teleport...you see where this is going. The dialogue is absolute true for the famous characters from the series, but the antagonists didn't seem all that threatening and the scenes in the bar were too intrusive.

Hopefully Janeway's story is better...

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book in "The Captain's Table" series. I was at first bothered by some egregious errors in the opening chapters, but after that - I enjoyed this story. I think the story-in-a-story is an interesting approach, but I'll admit that I got annoyed by all the "bar chatter" and interruptions in the book just like the patrons did! But the actual story of The Mist was a good Star Trek tale (though I feel like they would go in and out of normal space and Mist space an awful lot, it was like playing with a light switch!). But if you are a Star Trek fan looking for an easy Deep Space Nine read, this is a good book.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry is of Captain Benjamin Sisko's visit to the Captain's Table and his story of his run in with the people from The Mist. They are from a slightly different dimension than the Federation is in. They want to take DS9 into their fold of planets captured from other dimensions and held together as a group similar to the Federation or the Klingon Empire. They have a device which transports anything up to whole solar systems to their dimension to put into their sphere of influence. Recently a rogue leader wants to take the station plus some other ships to their side. A number of twists occur to make things interesting. Recommended.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a decent Captain's Table book. The Captain's Table sections do seem to detract from the main narrative though they weren't as bad as War Dragons they didn't flow as well as Dujonian's Hoard. It was an interesting story but the peril of the situation does seem to get lost when you know they survive, etc. which even the characters in the Bar point out. However, it was a fun story with an interesting enough premise but it just wasn't an overly remarkable book.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall story was pretty good but there was definitely room for improvement. The point of this Captain's Table series is for different Star Trek captains to tell a story in a bar. This third installment had more interruptions from the bar patrons than I remember the previous two parts having which got distracting after a while...

[Bookreader1972 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. I am reading the Captain's Table book in order, & this one is the Best so far. I really enjoyed book one with Kirk and Sulu, & I thought that book two with Picard was very good, but this one is fantastic.
I look forward to the next one.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The delta quadrant?
Lasers?
Hyperspace?
Have we not been watching the same series for the last few years???

those clangers aside, I really enjoyed this. Ben's story was told well, and somehow this is the best so far.

[Aaron Eichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tale Sisko gave, it would have been fun to see on the screen, but I could still see it in my mind. I did find one error in the book on the bottom of age 91, they wrote the Dominion were in the Delta Quadrant, but they are in the Gamma Quadrant.

[P.C. Haring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a day. I NEVER read books in a single day. While the overall premise is not the most unique I've ever seen, Smith's execution and writing pulls you through a story that is as intriguing as is thought provoking. The final confrontation is both exciting and demonstrates an ingenious use of tactics unique to the circumstances of the plot that had me...well.... giddy.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

PLOT OR PREMISE:
This is the third in the series dealing with the bar called "The Captain's Table", a bar only for Captains across time and space. Sisko is in need of some rest, so he visits Bajor and finds the bar. And finds that the interesting aspect of the bar is that everyone gets to tell a tale. His tale is of a group known as The Mist. Centuries before, the Mist shifted themselves and their worlds out of normal space into a phased sub-space. Having left normal space behind, they have been excluded from the trials and tribulations of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, the Romulans and the Cardassians. However, they lure Sisko into their space to help them fight an apparent revolt by subversives who are going to phase-shift DS9 and use it in Mist space to attack other worlds.
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WHAT I LIKED:
The story is interesting enough, particularly some of the new-to-the-Star-Trek-universe characters, and good involvement of the Klingons.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The story jumps back to "normal" time too often to show the bar, when the story Sisko is telling is far more interesting. The characters and Klingon involvement are good, but are either not well-integrated in the main plot or just not developed enough. Plus, Kira comes off as some cartoonish clone of her real character.
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BOTTOM-LINE:
Worth a read but not a "must read"
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the authors, but I do follow her on social media.

[Dianah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a three-star book, but I was annoyed by the errors. Not only are there minor errors about the established DS9 universe, there is a glaring contradiction in the story itself. Some of the story seemed to capture Sisko's voice, but much of it didn't. As I complained with War Dragons, the 1st person story telling part was often flawed. For example, if you are telling a story in a bar you wouldn't say ""They did not even scan us," Worf said.
"The ship or the cloudlike thing?" I asked.
"Neither," Worf said."
You'd say something like "Worf said, "They didn't scan us." I asked if he meant the ship or the cloudlike thing and he told me both." It's the difference between written and oral and they missed the mark in this one. The authors should have read this out loud to each other.

The Mist idea isn't bad, but they do push it to the point of incredulity which they themselves point out in the book. That was a nice touch.

Final problem - there's way too much filler about food. If Sisko had ordered dessert I would have screamed (even if it hadn't been ice cream...)

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was the best of these "Captain's Tables" books so far, but still far from a decent Star Trek novel. Here, finally, the concept of a captain telling a story in the bar to a group of comrades is treated well at least. Sisko's voice sounds accurate, and the constant back and forth between Sisko as storyteller and his audience was enjoyable. I kept awaiting these sections to come back page after page, because the story that Sisko is telling flat out sucks. From the concept of 'The Mist' to is explanation, to how the crises play out with their twists and turns... it all fails, it is all dull. This tale is really only half the book given how much space is (thankfully) given to relating events in the bar as Sisko tells it, yet it still seemed to drone on. Rather than continuing to drone on here too, I'll leave it at that.

[Murray Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mist. I look forward to reading the other books.

[Leland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the concept of these books. The captain goes into a magical bar and tells a story. That's great, but ultimately the stories that they tell are not satisfying. I don't turn to Star Trek books for fine literature and I wouldn't judge these books by that standard, so I don't really expect a whole lot. I do expect a solid story possibly along the lines of an episode but sometimes these Starlequins get to feeling a little sloppy and 'churned out'.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly enjoyable, but ironically the interruptions that pepper Sisko's telling of the story eventually started to bother me as much as they bothered the characters listening to it in the book. Between them, those interruptions and the absurdly long denouement - as Kathryn Janeway gives a rambling stream-of-consciousness description of how she walked into a pub - mean the actual story just isn't that substantial.

[Derek Glidewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, I really did. But it was just too juvenile and filled with odd filler dialogue and pointless "interruptions" that got rather annoying quick. None of the characters seemed in their element, and the whole novel felt uneventful. I can't say I'm a fan. I didn't dislike it but I'd encourage people looking for a Deep Space Nine novel to start elsewhere. Sisko comes off as smug, and I didn't find that fitting to the character.

[Jennifer Nanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about Deep Space Nine. Loved the story Sisko tells about these Mist people. Sisko tells the story in a Captain's bar and some got irritated when the story got interrupted.. well I did too! The Klingon captain chides Sisko for not trying harder to figure out Mist technology.. I agree with Sisko's priorities but The Klingon captain had a valid point. Some more research into the other world was warranted.

[Zachary Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bad:
The plot was interesting enough ... but the execution was terrible. It was pretty hard to get through, really.

The good:
The Captain's Table pieces of the story were fantastic, though. The bar's environment, Sisko's running argument with the Klingon ...

That made it a worthwhile read.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Captain's Table, sort of interesting to read the fiction of a fictional universe. DS9 has the deepest characters, so this was one of my favorites.

[Michael Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, easy to read, not heavy on plot. I enjoyed it, and I find the concept of the Captains Table fascinating.

[David Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Sisko saved me from Flannery O'Conner.

[Jacque Hodges (Carter) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It was ok. DS9 is the series I'm least familiar with, so I had trouble getting a feel for the characters. The story was interesting but I'm not on-board with Sisko yet.