Cardassian Imps

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Young Adult #9

by Mel Gilden, Todd Cameron Hamilton (Illustrator)

Jake and Nog are looking for action - in all the wrong places. They've played all the family holosuite games - and the adult games are strictly off-limits. So when Garak, the only Cardassian on Deep Space Nine, suggests a trip to the unknown depths of Level 45, they're ready to go. When they arrive on the musty, abandoned deck, they find a funny Cardassian toy that says "Moop" when activated.
And then they discover the replicator button on the toy. Perfect! They can replicate enough "Moops" for a baseball game. But suddenly the figures that stand before them are as tall as Nog - and they're replicating themselves!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Childrens

114 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Mel Gilden is the author of many children's books, some of which received rave reviews in such places as School Library Journal and Booklist. His multi-part stories for children appeared frequently in the Los Angeles Times. His popular novels and short stories for grown-ups have also received good reviews in the Washington Post and other publications. (See new publications under his name at the Kindle Store of Amazon.com.)
Licensed properties include adaptations of feature films, and of TV shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210; and NASCAR Racers. He has also written books based on video games and has written original stories based in the Star Trek universe. His short stories have appeared in many original and reprint anthologies.
He has written cartoons for TV, has developed new shows, and was assistant story editor for the DIC television production of The Real Ghostbusters. He consulted at Disney and Universal, helping develop theme park attractions. Gilden spent five years as co-host of the science-fiction interview show, Hour-25, on KPFK radio in Los Angeles.
Gilden lectures to school and library groups, and has been known to teach fiction writing. He lives in Los Angeles, California, where the debris meets the sea, and still hopes to be an astronaut when he grows up.

Reviews

[Eri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book needs to be read with The Original Series in mind. Though it's a DS9 book, the plot is reminiscent of some of TOS's most ridiculous plot lines, and it doesn't always follow through the logical paths and the characters are not always perfectly in character.

What it is, however, is hilarious. It's a very short book, intended for children, and can probably be read in an hour or two. If you read it ready for plot holes and gaps of logic, you will absolutely enjoy the ridiculousness of it.

I loved this in the same way I loved Spock's Brain - it's a terrible premise, nothing quite makes sense, but it is absolutely earnest in the way it presents itself. When Star Trek can't be good, it can at least be entertaining.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brisk read, better paced and more consistent than some of the preceding volumes, and fortunately not involving a game (though at first it looked like it might!). Belabors the explanation a bit, but the last few lines are pretty good.

[RoAnna Sylver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally deleted my review, so in short, this book is absolutely ridiculous in the best way, and sometimes I think about it and laugh so hard I cry a little.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a fever dream that Jake had during the events of S1E5. I refuse to accept it as canon.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Trek book focusing on Jake and Nog from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This one gets a little trippy! I like that the author takes the time to get the characters just right. While this series is geared towards a younger audience, I found it to be an entertaining, quick read.

For more on this, tune in to my special interview with author Mel Gilden for the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dumb premise but the characters are pretty good.