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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #11
Devil in the Sky
The Hortas of Janus VI are the greatest miners in the galaxy, capable of burning through solid rock the way humanoids move through air. Recruited to help rebuild Bajor's devastated mining industry, the Hortas could provide new hope for the planet's struggling economy.
But when Cardassian raiders abduct the Mother Horta, Commander Sisko finds himself stuck with twenty Horta eggs -- and then the eggs begin to hatch...
While Major Kira leads a desperate rescue mission deep into Cardassian space, Commander Sisko faces a ravaging mass of newborn Hortas -- uncontrollable, indestructible, and eager to consume Deep Space Nine™ itself!
But when Cardassian raiders abduct the Mother Horta, Commander Sisko finds himself stuck with twenty Horta eggs -- and then the eggs begin to hatch...
While Major Kira leads a desperate rescue mission deep into Cardassian space, Commander Sisko faces a ravaging mass of newborn Hortas -- uncontrollable, indestructible, and eager to consume Deep Space Nine™ itself!
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 7, 2023
Devil in the Sky is a Star Trek: DS9 novel #11 in the series written by Greg Cox that revolves around the Cardassian abduction of a Horta. The Horta have not been included in any Star Trek property since the original Star Trek TV series episode "Devil in the Dark." Here as usual there are two concurrent storylines involving the Horta abduction to a Cardassian mining colony and the subsequent attempt at rescue, meanwhile on the station, Horta babies wreak havoc and Commander Sisko attempts to find them a home before the situation becomes too chaotic. I enjoyed this novel because it had a unique storyline (not a murder mystery. I love murder mysteries but up until recently, DS9 novels have been mostly mysteries and Star Trek episodes without variation become tedious.) The DS9 crew are mostly written as one note characters more akin to first season, but I loved that this was a completely different ensemble type story where all the main characters and supporting characters had an opportunity to shine. I’m giving it a solid 4 Grey Geeks for a solid story with sketchy characterization. In Goodreads speak it is a solid 4 stars.
December 6, 2023
Okay. The horta shit was fun. Early stupid dorkwad Bashir was fun. Odo transforming into a horta-mama was fun. But you know what's not fun? Racism.
No, seriously, between the graphic descriptions of Bajoran slaves being ra*ed in Cardassian labor camps, Odo thinking nostalgically back to the days of the occupation (because at least the Cardassians, unlike Quark, hadn't turned the station into a tourist trap --pg 70) to multiple mentions of Nog's pornography and "erotic action figure" collections. This book is set in season two, so Nog's what, 15 at the oldest? But in all seriousness at one point Nog's box of old childhood toys, compared directly with Jake's kiddy baseball gear, are described as just a bunch of sex dolls, and O'Brien (DS9's resident Archie Bunker, as usual) is literally like:
The Next Generation bio-essentialist orientalism is strong with this one. And I get they didn't know yet how complex and beloved the Ferengi Fam would become as the show progressed, but just... generally fuck you? Like, fuck you all the more?
No, seriously, between the graphic descriptions of Bajoran slaves being ra*ed in Cardassian labor camps, Odo thinking nostalgically back to the days of the occupation (because at least the Cardassians, unlike Quark, hadn't turned the station into a tourist trap --pg 70) to multiple mentions of Nog's pornography and "erotic action figure" collections. This book is set in season two, so Nog's what, 15 at the oldest? But in all seriousness at one point Nog's box of old childhood toys, compared directly with Jake's kiddy baseball gear, are described as just a bunch of sex dolls, and O'Brien (DS9's resident Archie Bunker, as usual) is literally like:
"Ferengi, O'Brien thought. He shook his head to clear his brain of the ghastly image of tiny Ferengi toddlers at play with these obscene little models."
--pg 212
The Next Generation bio-essentialist orientalism is strong with this one. And I get they didn't know yet how complex and beloved the Ferengi Fam would become as the show progressed, but just... generally fuck you? Like, fuck you all the more?
September 13, 2025
I hadn't read this book since it first came out in 1995. I remembered nothing about it except it had a horta in it. After reading this again I realize there was more than one horta. Many more. And I really enjoyed this book.
The premise is simple: a mother horta and her clutch of ten eggs are on their way to Deep Space Nine where they will be taken to Bajor's surface to begin to mine. Their ship is intercepted by a Cardassian ship which kidnaps the mom, but fail to take the eggs. The eggs get to the station and are soon to hatch, so it's imperative to rescue mama so she can be there for the hatching. Kira, Dax, and Bashir, along with a security detail go on a rescue mission. The players are in place and the story begins to take off once the eggs hatch and start eating away at the station. Kira and her crew find mama horta, along with several dozen plot twists.
This was the perfect DS9 book. I loved the conflicts, with the station once again falling apart and race to save it, while the "away" mission is severely complicated. I honestly did not know which story I preferred more, because both are so good. A particular stand out character in this book was Bashir who finally gets some of that off station action that he's been yearning for. Though I think he would regret it.
Absolutely recommended.
The premise is simple: a mother horta and her clutch of ten eggs are on their way to Deep Space Nine where they will be taken to Bajor's surface to begin to mine. Their ship is intercepted by a Cardassian ship which kidnaps the mom, but fail to take the eggs. The eggs get to the station and are soon to hatch, so it's imperative to rescue mama so she can be there for the hatching. Kira, Dax, and Bashir, along with a security detail go on a rescue mission. The players are in place and the story begins to take off once the eggs hatch and start eating away at the station. Kira and her crew find mama horta, along with several dozen plot twists.
This was the perfect DS9 book. I loved the conflicts, with the station once again falling apart and race to save it, while the "away" mission is severely complicated. I honestly did not know which story I preferred more, because both are so good. A particular stand out character in this book was Bashir who finally gets some of that off station action that he's been yearning for. Though I think he would regret it.
Absolutely recommended.
July 16, 2010
Remember the Horta from the Original Trek episode "Devil in the Dark"? Sure you do! It was a silicon based lifeform that was only trying to product it's eggs that a bunch of human miners had dug up? Well, the Hortas are back and this time one of them is going to help Bajor find any valuable mineral deposits the Cardassians left behind. The Horta that volunteers for the mission is bringing her 20 eggs with her. Now stop and don't think too much about that. Don't ask why a single rock creature can do a better job than Federation technology. Don't ask why this creature would risk traveling away from Janus VI for the first time when her eggs are so close to hatching. Make sure you don't ask why the Cardassians would risk a war with the Federation to kidnap her. You get the idea.
It's actually not a bad book. There's another out of character, pointless Garak exchange. There's a lot of Bashir as buffoon. Of course Kira is the one dimensional angry warrior. Luckily, the writing is good enough I was about to set aside my complaints. Having said that, the more I think about it the closer this book gets to 2 stars instead of 3.
It's actually not a bad book. There's another out of character, pointless Garak exchange. There's a lot of Bashir as buffoon. Of course Kira is the one dimensional angry warrior. Luckily, the writing is good enough I was about to set aside my complaints. Having said that, the more I think about it the closer this book gets to 2 stars instead of 3.
May 18, 2024
A cute idea, but goes on far too long with too many action scenes and not enough character or plot development. Very clearly written from the series bible, despite not coming out until 1995 and being set in season 2, with horrible use of Bashir in particular, and a very raw, early Kira.
August 3, 2016
In the classic TOS episode, "Devil in the Dark", Kirk and the Enterprise were dispatched to a mining colony to discover and put an end to the monster that had been killing the colonists. The 'monster' turned out to be a silicon being, a Horta, who was waging a war of self-defense against colonists unwittingly destroying her eggs. Now a Federation outpost is again imperiled by the Horta, after a mother Horta is kidnapped and her eggs arrive on a freighter to Deep Space Nine as hungry orphans. The Horta had been invited to Bajor to jump-start a dormant mining industry, but she was kidnapped by Cardassians enroute. As Kira, Dax, Bashir are dispatched on a rescue mission into Cardassian territory, Sisko and the others labor to keep the hungry rock-slugs from literally eating them out of house and home.
The only high point here, really, is Kira and Bashir's maturing 'friendship'. Bashir begins as a caricture of himself. His youthful arrogance and total confidence in himself are taken up to eleven, and made all the more obnoxious by Bashir swaggering around like a lady-killer. Kira, with an established disdain for Bashir's patronizing view of Bajor, only likes him slightly more than the Cardassians. Forced to work together to free the Horta from a death camp filled with Bajorans, however, Bashir matures and Kira starts to find him tolerable. It's the Bashir-Kira version of that Bashir-O'Brien episode: evidently the key to liking the doctor is facing death with him.
The rest is fairly average: Odo is grumpy and doesn't like Quark, Quark is scheming, Jake and Nog get into trouble, that sort of thing. There's at least one nice call back to the original episode, in which the Mother Horta is forced to communicate by writing letters in acid on the floor -- not "NO KILL I", but "FOLLOW ME". Sisko takes entirely too long to remember that Bajor has deserted moons that he can stick the Horta babies on without angering the Bajoran government who have suddenly decided that nope, Horta have no place in Bajor's delicate ecosystem.
If the first one hundred pages -- of Bashir being utterly obnoxious, far more so than he was in the show -- can be survived, it's an enjoyable enough action tale.
The only high point here, really, is Kira and Bashir's maturing 'friendship'. Bashir begins as a caricture of himself. His youthful arrogance and total confidence in himself are taken up to eleven, and made all the more obnoxious by Bashir swaggering around like a lady-killer. Kira, with an established disdain for Bashir's patronizing view of Bajor, only likes him slightly more than the Cardassians. Forced to work together to free the Horta from a death camp filled with Bajorans, however, Bashir matures and Kira starts to find him tolerable. It's the Bashir-Kira version of that Bashir-O'Brien episode: evidently the key to liking the doctor is facing death with him.
The rest is fairly average: Odo is grumpy and doesn't like Quark, Quark is scheming, Jake and Nog get into trouble, that sort of thing. There's at least one nice call back to the original episode, in which the Mother Horta is forced to communicate by writing letters in acid on the floor -- not "NO KILL I", but "FOLLOW ME". Sisko takes entirely too long to remember that Bajor has deserted moons that he can stick the Horta babies on without angering the Bajoran government who have suddenly decided that nope, Horta have no place in Bajor's delicate ecosystem.
If the first one hundred pages -- of Bashir being utterly obnoxious, far more so than he was in the show -- can be survived, it's an enjoyable enough action tale.
September 3, 2012
Ok...somewhere between pages 60 and 70 I simply gave up (and THAT rarely happens). There have been other really terrible "Star Trek" novels (I'm looking at you, "The Fearful Summons"), but this is one of those books that simply frustrates the hell out of me. Bland plotting akin to wallpaper, and the ultimate caricatured season one characters...which is astonishing, given that this is set in season two. Yet it reads like the authors only ever watched a season one episode like "The Passenger" for guidance. It wasn't until "Station Rage" and "Time's Enemy" that the DS9 novels really figured out their act...best to skip the rest of the early novels entirely, if you don't fancy a fanboy headache. Peter David's sterling contribution excepted...
October 18, 2017
Well Hortas are always fun to have around a whole litter of them on board the station definitely created its chaos. The solution to their problems was about as easy to figure out from page 10 so it was just a matter of watching it play out on the pages. I enjoyed Odo turning into a Horta and parading the babies around. However, no one really ever seems to know how to write Kira in these books - though she does eventually get pretty awesome near the end she is pretty much unbearable for the first half.
October 11, 2020
Yeah! This one was great. Very clever, quite an interesting idea and a well told story. I loved the use of horta in this and enjoyed the way we were shown their perspective. I found the devious Cardassians perfectly deceptive, in that I was completely confused about something the nasty Gul was saying.
October 23, 2020
Not a bad DS9 novel. I'm starting to find (and with eleven books in now, I feel fairly confident) that these novels were more an attempt to sell written literature to those enjoying Star Trek: DS9 while it was on air. It's not that they are "bad," per say. Some of them have been very good. Some have been merely okay. Some have been passable. The authors are probably all very talented, but this early on, it seems like all they had to go on was the DS9 story bible. As DS9 was uniquely serialized, most of the characters on the show don't necessarily "return to the status quo" at the end of each episode. They grew in character, established relationships, and became better people.
This isn't really reflected in most of the early DS9 books, and it's very evident here. As usual, Kira is hotheaded; Sisko is commanding; Bashir is a flirt; O'Brien is fatigued; Keiko is frustrated; Quark is malicious; Odo is irritated. It's really the same old "song-and-dance."
There are two simultaneous plots running in this novel. Doing some research, I've found that the two authors of this novel handled each individual plot, and then collaborated near the end of the story. The "A" plot involves rescuing a Horta from Cardassian kidnapping. The "B" plot involves taking care of the Horta's children while keeping the station running. The "A" plot was a nice change of pace, as we saw a lot of action off-station. The Cardassians were never really given a strong explanation for kidnapping the Horta. They want her to dig for latinum, but the overarching goal was very hazily written. It is a fun away mission, though, by Kira, Bashir, and Dax.
The "B" plot was where much of my issues lay. It starts out with Nog and Jake getting up to trouble. This happens throughout DS9, so it's not too much of a concern. Where the story went really off-the-rails was by having Nog and Jake STEAL AN UNHATCHED HORTA EGG, and then proceed to nearly destroy the station because of it. While they've gotten into hijinks before, I can't ever see them as having been written to KIDNAP an unhatched baby, nearly destroy the station because of it, and then get off with no punishment. It was incredulous to me, and I'm surprised this plot made it through editing.
Another concern, and this is mainly the fault of editorial, I would imagine, is that the Defiant is given a single line of lip service in the previous two books and is nowhere mentioned in this book. Obviously, this book was likely written before the Defiant ever became a thing, but why have editorial throw in a sentence about the Defiant in the two previous books and then completely disregard it here. It doesn't make much sense. To be honest, it would be better to not mention it at all until it becomes a focal part of the overarching stories.
I've written probably too much about "Devil in the Sky," but it's more a commentary of my overarching thoughts about the DS9 pocket series thus far. Hopefully, they get better as we go along. I've already got most of the DS9 relaunch books, and I can't wait to start that series.
This isn't really reflected in most of the early DS9 books, and it's very evident here. As usual, Kira is hotheaded; Sisko is commanding; Bashir is a flirt; O'Brien is fatigued; Keiko is frustrated; Quark is malicious; Odo is irritated. It's really the same old "song-and-dance."
There are two simultaneous plots running in this novel. Doing some research, I've found that the two authors of this novel handled each individual plot, and then collaborated near the end of the story. The "A" plot involves rescuing a Horta from Cardassian kidnapping. The "B" plot involves taking care of the Horta's children while keeping the station running. The "A" plot was a nice change of pace, as we saw a lot of action off-station. The Cardassians were never really given a strong explanation for kidnapping the Horta. They want her to dig for latinum, but the overarching goal was very hazily written. It is a fun away mission, though, by Kira, Bashir, and Dax.
The "B" plot was where much of my issues lay. It starts out with Nog and Jake getting up to trouble. This happens throughout DS9, so it's not too much of a concern. Where the story went really off-the-rails was by having Nog and Jake STEAL AN UNHATCHED HORTA EGG, and then proceed to nearly destroy the station because of it. While they've gotten into hijinks before, I can't ever see them as having been written to KIDNAP an unhatched baby, nearly destroy the station because of it, and then get off with no punishment. It was incredulous to me, and I'm surprised this plot made it through editing.
Another concern, and this is mainly the fault of editorial, I would imagine, is that the Defiant is given a single line of lip service in the previous two books and is nowhere mentioned in this book. Obviously, this book was likely written before the Defiant ever became a thing, but why have editorial throw in a sentence about the Defiant in the two previous books and then completely disregard it here. It doesn't make much sense. To be honest, it would be better to not mention it at all until it becomes a focal part of the overarching stories.
I've written probably too much about "Devil in the Sky," but it's more a commentary of my overarching thoughts about the DS9 pocket series thus far. Hopefully, they get better as we go along. I've already got most of the DS9 relaunch books, and I can't wait to start that series.
October 17, 2020
The return of the Horta delighted me, and I enjoyed seeing Bashir and Kira have to get along with each other and rescue a prison camp almost more than I enjoyed the scenes taking place on DS9. After reading this, I really wish we got more Bashir/Kira interactions on the show. There was one brief scene in particular, when Bashir has to sit in the captain's seat and make command decisions, that I really enjoyed.
It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a nice light-hearted action story. One particular thing that had me shaking my head was
Also the repeated focus on random erotic scenes had me chuckling throughout the course of the book, because it felt like a teenage boy had snuck some scenes into his father's manuscript but no one had caught them before the book went to print (including "Ferengi adolescent erotic action figures" WHAT?!)
It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a nice light-hearted action story. One particular thing that had me shaking my head was
Also the repeated focus on random erotic scenes had me chuckling throughout the course of the book, because it felt like a teenage boy had snuck some scenes into his father's manuscript but no one had caught them before the book went to print (including "Ferengi adolescent erotic action figures" WHAT?!)
December 26, 2022
On the 11th DS9 book entry, the characters are finally starting to act more like they do in the series, so no jarring distractions of out-of-character behavior.
Add to that, the story does what the books should do... goes into an in-depth storyline which fits into the world of DS9, and as well covers territory that the series never could due to budget constraints.
The amount of damage done to DS9 in this book is the only thing that's questionable, as it was over the entire station and would obviously take a very long time to repair.
This story fits in well with the time frame of the first two seasons of the show.
The book's title is a play on "The Devil in the Dark", the name of an episode of the original (TOS) Trek series where the Horta made their first and only TV series appearance. They are brought back as this book revolves around them.
Add to that, the story does what the books should do... goes into an in-depth storyline which fits into the world of DS9, and as well covers territory that the series never could due to budget constraints.
The amount of damage done to DS9 in this book is the only thing that's questionable, as it was over the entire station and would obviously take a very long time to repair.
This story fits in well with the time frame of the first two seasons of the show.
The book's title is a play on "The Devil in the Dark", the name of an episode of the original (TOS) Trek series where the Horta made their first and only TV series appearance. They are brought back as this book revolves around them.
July 5, 2017
I normally don't read the Deep Space Nine books but bought this one due to the promise of the Horta from TOS. Unfortunately as others point out the plot and characters here were very one-dimensional. The Horta was just a plot device to add tension. In the end it was unsatisfying.
Reads like a TV episode, I could almost see where the commercial breaks would be. It actually would have made a decent throw-away episode for the series -- Hortas are eating Deep Space Nine! Can Sisko and crew save the station in time? (Of course they can!)
Reads like a TV episode, I could almost see where the commercial breaks would be. It actually would have made a decent throw-away episode for the series -- Hortas are eating Deep Space Nine! Can Sisko and crew save the station in time? (Of course they can!)
April 4, 2023
DS9 #11: Devil in the Sky by Greg Cox and John Gregory Betancourt
When I saw Greg Cox on the title, I was immediately interested. Cox’s books tend to be some of the better Trek books and this was the case also. If this was episode of DS9, it would have been an above average episode. Nothing too special, but lots of fun. Bringing back the Hortas from TOS was fun and then causing a mess on DS9 was very entertaining. There’s not much to say about this book, as otherwise it’s quite average but a fun quick read.
6.5/10
When I saw Greg Cox on the title, I was immediately interested. Cox’s books tend to be some of the better Trek books and this was the case also. If this was episode of DS9, it would have been an above average episode. Nothing too special, but lots of fun. Bringing back the Hortas from TOS was fun and then causing a mess on DS9 was very entertaining. There’s not much to say about this book, as otherwise it’s quite average but a fun quick read.
6.5/10
October 18, 2025
4/5
What a joyful story! Simple but effective, with some awesome insight to the characters' thoughts..
Some things I enjoyed were:
- Learning that everyone knows that Odo needs bucket time.
- The interactions between Julian, Kira, and Jadzia (and loving the lean-in to Julian's simping).
- The just-desserts for Nog and Jake because SERIOUSLY BRO XD
- The way the action and injury was written! Good descriptions and didn't hold back from being a bit gorier.
- Just a unique character - I really like non-humanoid aliens in Star Trek!
- Made me laugh and also surprisingly emotional at the end XD
What a joyful story! Simple but effective, with some awesome insight to the characters' thoughts..
Some things I enjoyed were:
- Learning that everyone knows that Odo needs bucket time.
- The interactions between Julian, Kira, and Jadzia (and loving the lean-in to Julian's simping).
- The just-desserts for Nog and Jake because SERIOUSLY BRO XD
- The way the action and injury was written! Good descriptions and didn't hold back from being a bit gorier.
- Just a unique character - I really like non-humanoid aliens in Star Trek!
- Made me laugh and also surprisingly emotional at the end XD
October 8, 2019
Enjoyed the story, and the inclusion of the Horta. I didn't so much like the portrayal of the characters. The ending was very short compared to the build up at the beginning, which I feel does the story a disservice.
April 22, 2025
Examines cultural/physiological/sensory experiences/assumptions of assorted alien creatures. These can make for misinterpretations.
Ttan was a fascinating creation and maternally endearing. The plight and actions of her offspring was imaginative (and fun in a destructively youthful way).
Ttan was a fascinating creation and maternally endearing. The plight and actions of her offspring was imaginative (and fun in a destructively youthful way).
March 29, 2019
This book thrilled and chilled me.
December 17, 2021
Ay yo! It wasn't that bad considering. I mean it do get a little boring part way through. Honestly would probably play well as an episode. The consistent slug jokes around Dax though were lame AF.
January 18, 2023
Solid DS9 story.
April 3, 2023
Devil in the Sky is high-speed bumper cars.
March 21, 2024
Stupid. Two stars instead of one, though, for the scene with the horny off-duty officer in the holosuite. An underused but totally plausible character, even in Roddenberry’s 24th century utopia.
August 15, 2025
It's decent, but there are things that happen in this book that would have to have major ramifications. Odo is meaner than I remember. Also, what is with the random naked guy?
June 17, 2020
Characterizations are based on how the characters were portrayed early in the series. Kira comes across like a trigger happy rogue who is bloodthirsty to hunt Cardassians. How the crew coped with the hortas lose on the station was much more interesting than the rescue mission.
July 29, 2014
Return of the Horta
20 April 2012
This book brings one of the creatures from the original series to DS9: the Horta, a silicon based lifeform that can eat through rock and locate precious minerals. The Horta is brought to DS9 so that it can assist the Bajorans reignite their mining industry, though why they need to do that when they now have a wormhole to bring in any commerce is beyond me. I have noticed that others have criticised this book for its one dimensional and pointless characters, and also question why they need a Horta when the Federation has all of this wonderful technology. My answer would be that if the Cardassians can't get the minerals with their technology then it is unlikely that the Federation could either (though I am trying not to slip into German since I have been watching the DS9 episodes with German subtitles).
It is interesting the comments that are made of the characters though, like Kira and Basheer. In the TV series I do not think the characters are that bad, though I must admit that Basheer is somewhat annoying. He is a pretty boy prima-donna, but then again so is Ryker from The Next Generation. Personally I do prefer Basheer to Ryker, and in fact I simply cannot stand Ryker. For an enlightened individual, Ryker still comes across to me as a self-righteous prick. He is so much more of a prima-donna than Basheer ever could be. However, I still consider Basheer to be somewhat annoying.
As for Kira, well, she can be quite annoying as well. I think one of the reviewers was right when she was described as the warrior-woman with a chip on her shoulder. I guess as the series moves on she becomes somewhat more stable, but then I still find her a little annoying, and also very unattractive, though I must admit that I am way beyond the 'I think a character on TV is incredibly attractive' phase. Okay, there are some characters that I like, but once again they are characters that have been created out of somebody's imagination. I have a feeling though that an imaginary character for a novel, or a movie, or even a TV series, is never going to be like a real person. When it comes to good guys it is almost instinctive to create them too good, while with bad guys it is also a temptation to create them too bad. I wouldn't necessarily say that this is the case here, though I do note that the series does tend to create intrigue, and also has numerous twists and turns with the individual characters.
Anyway, this is the last of the DS9 books that I read, and I do know that I read it because the cover is very, very familiar (you tend to look at the cover a lot when reading a book, namely because it is the first thing you see when you pick it up to continue reading it). Anyway, that is it for all of the DS9 books, and in a way, that is it for all of the Star Trek books, which I'm somewhat glad about because I can now go on and write up books that are a lot more interesting, and hopefully I will be able to pad out some of the other shelves and genres.
20 April 2012
This book brings one of the creatures from the original series to DS9: the Horta, a silicon based lifeform that can eat through rock and locate precious minerals. The Horta is brought to DS9 so that it can assist the Bajorans reignite their mining industry, though why they need to do that when they now have a wormhole to bring in any commerce is beyond me. I have noticed that others have criticised this book for its one dimensional and pointless characters, and also question why they need a Horta when the Federation has all of this wonderful technology. My answer would be that if the Cardassians can't get the minerals with their technology then it is unlikely that the Federation could either (though I am trying not to slip into German since I have been watching the DS9 episodes with German subtitles).
It is interesting the comments that are made of the characters though, like Kira and Basheer. In the TV series I do not think the characters are that bad, though I must admit that Basheer is somewhat annoying. He is a pretty boy prima-donna, but then again so is Ryker from The Next Generation. Personally I do prefer Basheer to Ryker, and in fact I simply cannot stand Ryker. For an enlightened individual, Ryker still comes across to me as a self-righteous prick. He is so much more of a prima-donna than Basheer ever could be. However, I still consider Basheer to be somewhat annoying.
As for Kira, well, she can be quite annoying as well. I think one of the reviewers was right when she was described as the warrior-woman with a chip on her shoulder. I guess as the series moves on she becomes somewhat more stable, but then I still find her a little annoying, and also very unattractive, though I must admit that I am way beyond the 'I think a character on TV is incredibly attractive' phase. Okay, there are some characters that I like, but once again they are characters that have been created out of somebody's imagination. I have a feeling though that an imaginary character for a novel, or a movie, or even a TV series, is never going to be like a real person. When it comes to good guys it is almost instinctive to create them too good, while with bad guys it is also a temptation to create them too bad. I wouldn't necessarily say that this is the case here, though I do note that the series does tend to create intrigue, and also has numerous twists and turns with the individual characters.
Anyway, this is the last of the DS9 books that I read, and I do know that I read it because the cover is very, very familiar (you tend to look at the cover a lot when reading a book, namely because it is the first thing you see when you pick it up to continue reading it). Anyway, that is it for all of the DS9 books, and in a way, that is it for all of the Star Trek books, which I'm somewhat glad about because I can now go on and write up books that are a lot more interesting, and hopefully I will be able to pad out some of the other shelves and genres.
October 19, 2012
The premise seems promising, but for me the bad characterizations got in the way. The authors kindly inform us the story takes place during the second season, but the characters seems like they're based on their *very* early first-season portrayals--all stereotypes and one-dimensionalness. The book was published in June 1995 (which, if memory serves, would have been a month after the end of the second season, and DS9's sophomore year didn't allow the characters to develop in great leaps and bounds, I readily admit), but even taking into account a protracted production schedule, the authors should have had more insight into who the characters are than just who they were in the first two to four episodes of the show's run. Oh gee, Kira's a trigger-happy bitch. Oh gee, O'Brien is always yelling at the station's computer and complaining about Cardassian technology. Oh gee, Odo's always a grump (okay, he's pretty grumpy throughout the show's run, but it takes on more facets and nuances). Oh gee, Quark is the station's peep show operator because his holosuites only offer entertainment of a sexual nature. Oh gee, Sisko is...very flat. Oh gee, Bashir's always acting like a hormone-crazed teenager. Oh gee, Dax is...well, we're not going to use her much except for science-y tech stuff because in this world of one-note characters, she's a half-note.
I know, I know, I expect too much from a book written so relatively early. But still, I would think the writers would have had a bit more material at their disposal to get a better understanding of the characters they were working with and the world in which they inhabited.
I know, I know, I expect too much from a book written so relatively early. But still, I would think the writers would have had a bit more material at their disposal to get a better understanding of the characters they were working with and the world in which they inhabited.
February 1, 2013
Great Ensemble Piece
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was as if I were watching a long lost TV episode of DS9 itself. Often that's not the case with the novelisation of a TV show, however here the characters and their interactions are true to the way they are seen on screen, and the dialogue is believable, including the language they each use. The story is tightly plotted and well thought out, and the authors don't skimp on descriptive passages just because the readers already know and love the show. It was great to see a story line including non-humanoid aliens too, and they were so well written that you could really feel for the poor Horta. An excellent read, one of the best TV-tie-in books I think I know.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was as if I were watching a long lost TV episode of DS9 itself. Often that's not the case with the novelisation of a TV show, however here the characters and their interactions are true to the way they are seen on screen, and the dialogue is believable, including the language they each use. The story is tightly plotted and well thought out, and the authors don't skimp on descriptive passages just because the readers already know and love the show. It was great to see a story line including non-humanoid aliens too, and they were so well written that you could really feel for the poor Horta. An excellent read, one of the best TV-tie-in books I think I know.
January 13, 2013
This is one of my favorite DS9 books of all time. The characters are very well written and it is wonderful to be able to include the Horta in that as well. The story is well thought out, even if the whole "Send x to Bajor or a Bajoran moon to get what you can from what's left" idea is a little overused in the novels of this season. You really get the feeling of watching an episode as you go through the pages and by the end you find yourself really feeling as if you'd seen it on screen. Good balance of the ensemble, too.
July 11, 2011
Very clever book, that would have made a good TV episode.
A Horta ( the blobby alien that eats through rock from the original TV series) working as a geologist for the Federation is part of a group kidnapped by terrorists. It gets worse, as she left her young behind on DS9 and the kiddies are starting to eat through walls and important pieces of equipment.
Nice use of an older Trek character in a newer series. It was always fun when they would do that.
A Horta ( the blobby alien that eats through rock from the original TV series) working as a geologist for the Federation is part of a group kidnapped by terrorists. It gets worse, as she left her young behind on DS9 and the kiddies are starting to eat through walls and important pieces of equipment.
Nice use of an older Trek character in a newer series. It was always fun when they would do that.
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