The Long Mirage

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

by David R. George III

Continuing the post-television Deep Space Nine saga comes this thrilling original novel from New York Times bestselling author David R. George III!

More than two years have passed since the destruction of the original Deep Space 9. In that time, a brand-new, state-of-the-art starbase has replaced it, commanded by Captain Ro Laren, still the crew and residents of the former station continue to experience the repercussions of its loss. For Quark continues his search for Morn, as the Lurian—his best customer and friend—left Bajor without a word and never returned. Quark enlists a private detective to track Morn down, and she claims to be hot on his trail. Yet the barkeep distrusts the woman he hired, and his suspicions skyrocket when she too suddenly vanishes. At the same time, Kira Nerys emerges from a wormhole after being caught inside it when it collapsed two years earlier. She arrives on the new DS9 to discover Altek Dans already there. While inside the Celestial Temple, Kira lived a different life in Bajor’s past, where she fell in love with Altek. So why have the Prophets moved him forward in time…and why have They brought him and Kira together?

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

386 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thrust myself far ahead into the DS9 timeline with this, way beyond anything I've previously read. There were some disadvantages to this in the Kira/Bajor story line in particular. Although more contemplative I found this the less interesting of the two, partly perhaps due to my own lack of knowledge of prior events but mostly because it moved slowly and uncertainly and ultimately didn't produce any gratifying conclusions or even hints to the big questions it explored. The other story line, centering around Nog, Quark, Ro, Vic Fontaine and Morn was more entertaining and fast paced, with more crew interactions and a sense of adventure and urgency. The two story lines remained completely separate throughout, begging the question why they even appear in the same book and why wasn't some effort made to find some synergies between them, if not directly than at least thematically? In any case, ultimately it was quite satisfying catching up with the developments and characters of DS9 nearly a decade after events that I had previously read of.

[Nicky2910 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Long Mirage by David R. George III This novel picks up right where "Ascendance" left off with Kira reemerging from the Wormhole.
 
And hers is by far the most interesting part of the novel. First of all, she reunites with Altek Dans, and then returns with him to Bajor where she's faced with a schism within the clerical community - ones who like her believe the Prophets to be gods, and others who deny that fact, backed up by the artifact found on Bajor's moon. Once again her trust issues come forward, trust issues concerning her superiors, in this case the kai and her management of the situation. Granted, Kira's been burned quite often, but this becomes a bit tiresome because it renders her character stagnant if she's faced with the same problems whereever she goes, be it as an officer or as a vedek.
 
I enjoyed the Altek twist. It's obvious now and mind-boggling that this option didn't even occur to me. But in this case the endless repetition about him being from the distant past succeeded in pulling the wool over my eyes. I'm curious to see where this plotthread on Bajor is going next. I'm glad that the love-triangle with Ro and Kira wasn't really an issue, although I hoped for a better resolution with Ro because despite her (then) unsolved relationship with Quark, what she shared with Altek rang true.
 
Absolutely loved Kira's short reunion with Odo. Their relationship felt so real within the series, and George managed to rekindle that with just a few phrases. I'm also curious as to where Odo's is going next with the Dominion-refugees. I just hope that despite all the difficulties on Bajor and with the refugees, Kira and Odo are allowed to spend some time together. But unfortunately all this marked just a third of the novel, the other 2 thirds didn't work so well for me as I'm simply not interested in either Vic or Morn. On the other hand, those plotthreads are led to a (temporary?) conclusion, so that's something at least. Quark and Ro's relationship is over. Wouldn't have minded them being a couple, but not if Ro keeps cheating on Quark and/or their goals for the relationship continue to differ. I could have done without the endless repetition of how hurt Quark is, or how sorry Ro is for hurting Quark... again, the situation is not that complex. Nog's obsession with restoring Vic was heart-felt, given that he in a way owes his recovery to Vic. But the situation within the programme dragged on way too long, and I'm not sure I like the sentient/non-sentient-conundrum. First of all, what's the agenda of the scientist? And secondly, we already had such a question with Data, the Doctor and with Moriarty. I'm not sure I need this issue on DS9 as well. So overall, I really hope the next novel will focus on Bajor, DS9 (the crew still needs fleshing out after all), Odo, bring back Sisko... now that all those loose sideplots with Vic, Morn, and the Ascendants (in previous novels) have finally been resolved.

So overall, I really hope the next novels will focus on Bajor, DS9, Odo, bring back Sisko... now that all those loose sideplots with Vic, Morn, the Ascendants (in previous novels) have finally been resolved.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Mirage finally continues the story of DS9 beyond the whole Ascendant arc, and I’m really happy to see some movement forward. It’s sadly a long time between novels, so the progress feels slow, but the story is finally moving in a direction that I’m really enjoying. It’s great to see Vic back, and I really appreciate that David R. George focuses so much on the really strong characters of DS9 and their relationships to one another.

Full review (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpVfL...

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

While showing Kira and Quark on the cover, this book really has three main story arcs that interweave, share characters and influence each other. One: Finding Vic featuring Nog & friends. Two: Chasing Morn starring Quark and Ro Laren. Three: Kira Returns, co-starring Altek Dans, the Kai, Odo and a bunch of Vedeks. The Chasing Vic story didn't interest me as much as the other two, however was definitely well-written as I kept reading, even if what the characters were doing meant less to me personally.

Finally, more Kira news! I really like the Relaunch character development we've seen Kira go through, it follows on so well from what we saw her go through in the seven years of televised stories. We've been with Kira on her journey from angry young woman to responsible adult to spiritual teacher and I've loved every step of that journey!

Very much enjoyed the Ro Laren storyline in this story as well. She's a Captain with a great deal of responsibility and while she's great at being a Captain and being the one in charge of DS9, she's crappy at managing her love life and being honest with Quark. In this book, we accompany Laren on a journey of self-discovery as she struggles with some of the choices she's made and examines her motivations for doing so. What she goes through feels very real and honest.

Then: Vic. Nog. Quark. Morn. Miles & Keiko. Everyone else. Loved the ending of the Vic Fontaine story outside of the holographic world Vic lives in. Was a bit taken back by the reason behind Morn's disappearance, however it does make sense and feels appropriate. Enjoyed Quark as always. What's so amazing about Quark to me is that, despite knowing that I wouldn't really like Quark as a person and would't be his close friend, I love him as a character and really do want him to thrive and be happy. And rich, of course, however I think I covered that when I wrote 'happy' ;-)

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I was interested in the Vic Fontaine caper...but that's the only part of a very rich & multifaceted novel that didn't hold my interest. There isn't a lot of action to be found here, but a great deal of politics, religious debate, character development, and contemplation...all of the things DS9 does so much better than all the other Trek series. This is far more sophisticated storytelling compared to what I recently experienced in the "Star Wars" Han Solo trilogy.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a little slow in parts and got confusing sometimes with the 3 different stories occurring but overall a good read!

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

Detailed review forthcoming

[Matthew Rushing · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. We finally get some movement on stories that have been lingering for a while, especially the Vic story. The Kira/Bajor story also saw some nice movement as well. Not sure where the DS9 story goes from here. One thing I do know, I hope we can have Bashir back after David Mack's "Control" and please give us Sisko back as well. DS9 is not the same without him.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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***Spoilers for this book and previous ones below***

In The Long Mirage, Quark has hired a private investigator to track down Morn, who has been missing for 2 years, since just after the original station Deep Space 9 blew up. Quark would have everyone believe that he misses having his best customer around, and Morn is certainly the 24th century equivalent to Cheers's Norm, wordplay on names and everything, but the truth is that Quark just missed his friend and is concerned about him. When the investigator he hired takes off with his latinum, Quark scrambles to track down the investigator as well as Morn. He's joined by Captain Ro Laren, who is doing some soul searching, deciding whether it is time for her to move on or stay at DS9. 

At the same time, Nog is trying to figure out what is wrong with Vic Fontaine's holo program, which was saved from the wreckage of DS9 but has been unusable for the most part since. Nog is worried about Vic because the last time he was able to enter the program, he witnessed Vic being kidnapped. Knowing that Vic is self aware and that the program continues running even without anyone else in it, Nog worries that Vic will come to a bad end in the 1960s Las Vegas program. He also has to work against time because he fears not only will the program erode beyond repair, but also there are some who want to fix it by reinitializing the entire program, a move that would reset it back to original specs and wipe out all of Vic's memories, effectively killing him. Nog's friend and fellow officer, John Candlewood, helps him sort out the mystery of Vic Fontaine. 

Then there's Kira Nerys who comes back from the wormhole after being lost and presumed dead for the last two years. She's been living a whole other life in Bajor's distant past, but now she's back with information that could rock Bajor to its core.

I don't usually care much for the books written by David R George III, and this one was essentially the same. But it was the next Trek book in the stack so I tried to approach it with more of an eye for overarching themes than plot points. That helped, though DRG3 is just not my favorite Trek authors. I don't know why, it's just something about his writing I don't like. In any case, this novel was full of themes of friendship and love, in all their variations. Ro and Quark reflect on their relationship over the past decade and come to a decision a long time in the making. Nog and Candlewood also reflect friendship in the best way - Candlewood simply doesn't think that Vic is sentient and sees no problem with resetting the program, but he knows Vic is important to Nog, so he does anything he can to help his friend. Quark hands over piles of latinum, something he never thought he would do, to find Morn and make sure his friend is safe. No theme of love would be complete without a triangle of some kind, and we get that as well with the Altek-Ro-Kira saga. No one end up super happy with that one, which is at least believable and realistic.

There is also lots of self reflection and self evaluation throughout. Characters seem unusually able and willing to view their own actions and come to a realization, whether it paints them in a good or bad light, with somewhat unbelievable frequency and ease. I like that some of them do this, but basically every point-of-view character does a lot of navel gazing and figures out things about their own actions which have been less than ideal. I think it was a little too much, though I applaud anyone taking the time to evaluate themselves and make changes to their behavior as needed. I think the debate on Vic's sentience was rather unnecessary, though. The sentience of "inanimate" objects, for lack of a better term, has been gone over and over and over with Data, Moriarty, and the Doctor. We get it; they're sentient. Having that element didn't add anything and kind of dragged it out more than necessary.

I enjoyed the debate / crisis of faith on Bajor, which resulted from the discovery years before of a new set of holy texts and a hidden temple. These things caused some Bajorans to have a crisis of faith, others to shrug it off, and others still to believe the newly discovered beliefs rather than traditional beliefs. In this, the book mirrored a lot of actual history, recalling elements of the Reformation as well as conflicts between major religious groups. It highlights a lot of politics and religion today, and I thought some of the best sections of the book were included in these discussions.

Overall, I enjoyed this DRG3 novel more than previous ones. Whether I would have anyway or if it's because of my revised approach to reading it, I don't know, but I'd say it was a decent addition to the DS9 novels. 

Favorite lines (potential spoilers!):

"Debates are loud, and sometimes shrill, with a great deal of talking and very little listening. People demonize each other for differing beliefs. It is both turbulent and disquieting. … I am sad because of what all of this turmoil reveals - namely that there are many believers whose faith is so weak that they fear the falsework because they perceive it as a threat to the foundations of their lives. There is no room in their worldview for growth. They cannot abide change, whether for better or worse." (135-138)

"In my experience," Altek said, "people are never so threatened as when facts disagree with their deepest held beliefs - religious or otherwise." (211)

"Wanting to cling to my convictions in the face of evidence to the contrary is the product of ego, or arrogance, or possibly just fear." (215)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the majority of the book I'd have given it 2 stars but then there was one tiny scene towards the end that made me little shipper heart beat a bit faster, hence the extra star :)

[Nimrodds · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר מאוד נחמד וקל לקריאה, מתנהל באווירה רגועה ודי שגרתית, מומלץ בחום לחובבי וקוראי התחום

[reherrma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieser Band spielt im Jahre 2386, kurz nach der Beendigung des Aszendenten -Themas und die Thematik um die cardassianische Agentin Iliana Ghemor, siehe . Kira Nerys wird vom Wurmloch ausgespien, nachdem sie mehrere Jahre in der baijoranischen Vergangenheit gelebt hat, zur Überraschung aller in der gleichen Zeit wie der Arzt Altek Dan, der schon Wochen vorher aus dem Wurmloch zur neuen Station Deep Space Nine gekommen war. Beide können nicht feststellen, aus welcher Periode der Vergangenheit Bajors sie gelebt haben, auf jeden Fall eine Periode, in der die bajoranischen Götter oder Wurmlochwesen noch nicht gewirkt hatten. Weiterhin haben sie festgestellt, dass Bajor in der Vergangenheit nur 4 Monde hatte, in der Gegenwart jedoch fünf. Als auf diesem 5. Mond Bajors, Endalla, ein künstliches Gerüst gefunden wurde, in dem offenbar das Wurmloch verankert wurde, führte dies zu einer religiösen Kontroverse, da dadurch die Göttlichkeit der Wurmlochwesen in Frage gestellt wurde. Dieser Konflikt wird auch mit Gewalt vorangetrieben, während Kira, die inzwischen als Vedek innerhalb des religeösen Klerus wirkt, zusammen mit den staatlichen und religiösen Autoritäten versucht, den Konflikt friedlich zu lösen, ohne dass die spirituelle Grundlage der Bajoraner zerstört wird. Gleichzeitig wird erzählt, wie Quark zusammen mit der DS9-Kommandantin Ro Laren auf der Suche nach Morn ist, obwohl sich die romantische Beziehung zwischen Quark und Ro Laren sich wegen der Zuwendung von Laren zu Altek Dan in Schwierigkeiten befindet. Gleichzeitig will Nog das Hologramm von Vic Fontaine retten, er wurde in der Holosuite von skrupellosen (Holo)-Gangstern gekidnappt und befindet sich in der Hand der Gangster. Beide Erzählebenden, die von Quark/Morn und Nog/Vic Fontaine kommen zusammen und werden zum Wohlgefallen gelöst, wobei der Förderations-Geheimdienst und die Behörde für temporale Ermittlungen eine gehörige Rolle darin mitspielt. Und Kira und Odo sehen sich in einer emotionalen Begegnung wieder...
Der Roman hatte Spannung, Humor und Esprit, er macht Spaß und löst einige Probleme, die während der Aszendenten-Romane aufgeworfen wurden, so ist Bajors Vergangenheit, in der Kira und Altek gelebt haben, wohl eine Parallelwelt, alle DS9-Akteure sind wieder an Bord, Kira, Odo, Quark, Nog, Vic Fontaine und Ro Laren haben einiges hinter sich, leben aber noch immer im Bajor-System, auf DS9 und anderswo.
Bin gespannt, was Deep Space Nine in Zukunft noch zu bieten hat, einige Romane in der Zukunft dieser Geschichte habe ich ja schon gelesen...

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Mirage picks up right where the previous book in the Deep Space Nine relaunch left off. Here we find Kira slowly coming to terms with what happened to her and her role in the Falsework, Altek Dans's appearance in her timeline/universe, and all of her previous memories. We also have Nog and Candlewood trying to rescue Vic Fontaine's holosuite program in 1960's Las Vegas. Ro and Quark are trying to find Morn with the help of a private investigator Quark has hired. Finally, we have Odo recuperating from his ordeal on the research station and trying to make his way back to the Dominion.

The Long Mirage was alright, it wasn't action packed and seemed more like a bridge to bigger and better stories. Captain Sisko, Dax, and Doctor Bashir were nowhere to be found in this book, but the EMH from Voyager was mentioned, as was some of his unique technologies. I didn't like Nog's story much, I simply never got attached to the recreation of 1960's Las Vegas in the holosuite and found Vic Fontaine a bit grating after a while in the series. Ro and Quark's story is tied in with Nog's very loosely in the beginning, then slowly gets tighter as the story nears the end. Kira's story was the best part of the book for me. I always liked her character and seeing her come to terms with Bajor's current state after being "Dead" in the Celestial Temple is a joy. On a related note, the author beautifully encapsulates her and Odo's relationship towards the end of the book.

Overall, The Long Mirage is an easy read with three or four stories going on simultaneously. Aside from the Nog part, I liked this book overall. I'm eager to read the next installment of the Deep Space Nine relaunch to see what becomes of Odo and Kira. I'm also eager to see how Ro continues forward after her time with Quark, Federation Security, and the Department of Temporal Investigations.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It looks like we’ve reached a natural stopping point for the David George-scribed books in the DS9 Relaunch. With only two books left to go, one of them being an unrelated George book, plus the Coda trilogy, I’m somewhat relieved that we’ve reached the end of this phase in the relaunch.

With interconnected plots moving between multiple books written over multiple years, the plots herein have lost some of their luster. Since his introduction, I still have no care for Altek Dans or his plot. The falsework is an interesting concept, but I doubt we will see its conclusion in the Coda series. Kira’s development has been solid under George, and so has Ro’s, but multiple false starts over the last several books have caused me to just wane in my appreciation.

I miss the earliest books in the Relaunch - the symbiont invasion, the newness of the Relaunch. There was genuine excitement in the beginning, like the newest season of DS9. Here, we reach the end of one plot, with holes left open.

I realize I’ve talked little about the actual plot here. Perhaps it’s because this book is the end of an exhausting miniseries in the DS9 Relaunch with not a lot changed.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this one with REALLY high expectations. For the most part, David R. George III's Star Trek books have been pretty solid. Not only that, this one was putting two of the long running plot threads from the post destruction of the original Deep Space Nine plot threads front and center. The fate of Vic Fontaine and where is Morn? The problem was... it mostly wraps up the really boring Kira as the new emissary story... and puts her in a stupid love triangle with time traveling Bajor guy and Ro. And it is BAD. Plus there is a really rush Odo story.

It feels crammed, and rushed, and way too many violoations of the 'show, don't tell' rule. Oh yeah, and at one point the proofread fell asleep and didn't noticed that even George himself forgot who was participating in a conversation... leaving to scenes where Vic talks to himself...

Yeah... not really the best... but amusing enough that it gets three stars because I'm feeling kind.

[Elliot Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly and easily my favorite DRGIII DS9 book since Raise the Dawn. That book and this one remain the only two that have been fun to read. The Long Mirage moved at an excellent pace—things actually happened in the first half of the book, unlike most of DRG’s novels. There were still the obvious and standard flaws that come from this subpar author, but I’m grateful that he delivered a moderately good read this time around. The book started with good premises and more or less delivered on them all—something of a rarity for DRG to accomplish in a single book (usually it takes him two to three books full of long, painful, and drawn out “set up” to finally get to the “plot”). I still want the people at Pocket Books to hand the DS9 keys over to other authors so we can actually start enjoying these storylines again.

[Bookreader1972 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars.
As other have noted, this book is really three separate stories. As Kira Nerys was never my favorite character of the TV series her stories in this book was my least favorite. I skipped all of the books relating to her story line in this book, DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry, DS9 novel: The Soul Key, DS9 novel: Sacraments of Fire, & DS9 novel: Ascendance . I just have never like DS9's mirror universe episodes. I don't care about Iliana Ghemor.
The other two story's, Nog trying to rescue & restore holodeck '60's Vegas crooner Vic Fontanie, & Quark's search for Morn, joined by Captain Ro Laren (my favorite short term character for TNG. Wish they had made her a series regular) were really, really good. If they book was just those two I'd give it 4.25 stars.

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Halfway through the book and I was still wondering what's the point of it all. Yes, it's that bad.

Not helping is the fact that part of the story is set in a place called Las Vegas (duh!) and there were too many references to casinos and related activities. Exciting read probably for those who've never heard of that place.

And for much of it, the book reads like a shallow romantic novel. The protracted anguish of the characters and their dialogues make it a pain to read.

I'm fine with having multiple story arcs in the same book, but the pacing is just abysmal.

[Jeremy Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

it's a solid novel. There are parts (Kira, Odo) that I really enjoy. I was never a big fan of the Las Vegas stuff in DS9 so that was a bit of a bite to me. My biggest complaint about the novel is the same with the last few by this author and it's the formatting. There's obvious "breaks" but they are divided into chapters which makes the novel feel longer then it needs to be. Also, include page numbers. It seems ridiculous not to (this was read on Kindle).

[Jimyanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Failed to stir my interest; your mileage may vary. Given that I have never been a fan of DS9 episodes that focus heavily on Bajoran mysticism OR those featuring Vic Fontaine, there was pretty much nothing of interest in either section of this story for me. If you don't share my disinterest in those plotlines, you may have a very different response to this book than I did; it's well-enough written and the established characters ring true enough.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

For 250 pages, this book was a tough slog, building up events and pushing the storylines. The last 100 pages were really good because we got a satisfying payoff in a couple of the storylines. I’m hoping DS9 can find a way to hit the rhythm of the Voyager re-launch books, or even from its own original re-launch with the Mission Gamma series.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original and Scintillating story that delivers.

This book was wonderfully written and was entirely original in its composition. It was very entertaining to read and it never lost its appeal. It was very refreshing and the story was lively in its drama.
Hats off to David R George III.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel deals with three bits of the Trek universe that I am not especially interested in: Bajoran religion, Vic Fontaine, and a relationship between Quark and Ro Laren. Though there were moments that challenged by ability to suspend disbelief, I enjoy George’s writing and by the end, the plots were left in satisfying places.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading this, I realized the actors who played Nog, Morn, and Ro have back to back birthdays. I loved seeing how committed Nog still was to trying to get Vic Fontaine back. And Quark goes looking for Morn while also having pretty real discussions with Ro Laren about what they are to each other. This book is really packed with a lot and I didn’t wanna put it down.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good, quiet book that resolves a lot of longstanding plot threads, pulling some together. A lot of relationships changing over the course of the book, and a general sense that everything is going to be all right.

[Judith Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several separate story lines are followed by this book, sometimes it gets irritating. Even so an enjoyable read moving the overall DS9 story arch on

[BBFlyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the Deep Space 9 series, ten years + after the DS9 tv series.

[Debra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kira's back and seems to have had a relationship in the past with ro's new beau. Meanwhile quark is looking for morn while nog is trying to save Vic.

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good conclusion to the Vic storyline and maybe the whole time traveling story

[Bill Winzenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good Vic Fontaine episode or book!