Millennium: Fall of Terok Nor/War of the Prophets/Inferno

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Millenium #1-3

by Judith Reeves-Stevens

Welcome, Emissary. As Benjamin Sisko picked his way over the wreckage that was his new command, a thousand questions, countless problems, dire reports, and the soon-to-be-familiar harangue of the Bajoran Liaison Officer clamored for his attention. From the shadows, a monk stepped out and greeted him. With all that had happened, it is no small wonder that Sisko took that greeting and relegated it to the back of his mind. Six years have passed. Despite the recent retaking of Deep Space 9™, it seems that the Federation is losing the Dominion war. As commander of a front-line post, Sisko focuses on the war effort, paying little attention to the latest rumor. "The fabled lost Orbs of the Prophets have been recovered. Legend holds that these orbs are the key to unlocking a second wormhole -- a second Celestial Temple." In war, sometimes the little things you don't notice are your undoing. Now Benjamin Sisko, a man of science and a Starfleet officer -- and also the Emissary -- is swept up in the ultimate war of good versus evil. Every decision he makes draws him, his family, and his crew into the abyss. Faced with the possibility that he alone must decide the fate of life in the galaxy, Captain Sisko must unlock the truth behind the fabled Orbs of the Prophets or the future, the past, and even the present will wink out of existence!

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

963 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked Deep Space Nine (and you are a fool if you did not), then you will like this book.

The Reeves-Stevenses are Star Trek geniuses. The book (just like Federation) reads exactly like an episode of DS9 (well, several episodes). Which means the dialogue is sometimes cheesy, and the "technology" and temporal mechanics are pretty ridiculous, but hey, that's Star Trek for you.

The action is believable and exciting, and cogently written. The characters are written exactly as we know them to be, and you can picture them perfectly. And the authors take advantage of the fact that they can describe things happening, and don't have to pay extra for special effects: the artificial gravity systems get effed up! Just like I always want them to! And Odo shifts often, and in fascinating manners (example: when he wants to see in dim light, he changes his eyes to be those of a Vulcan bat. Neat!)

Time travel was a big part of this, and you know how I'm a sucker for a good time travel story.

Garak was a fascinating character in the story, but then, he was always among the most interesting in the DS9 ensemble. It was neat to see what's going on inside his head.

The story was told from the perspective of different characters at different times -- what's odd is that I can't remember it ever telling the story from Major Kira's point of view. As the entire story revolves around the Bajoran Prophets, and Bajoran religion and texts, I found this strange. However, Kira is also one of my least favorite characters, so I was okay with that.

So, if you miss DS9, I highly recommend reading this. Even Vic Fontaine is in it! And it takes place sometime in season 6, which means that kick-ass Jadzia is in it, and not boring . . . whatsername.

[Ella Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this to be more. This series had an interesting start with interesting groundwork being laid. I was especially eager to see how it would address the implications of the Prophets as aliens who interfer with other species.

Unfortunately this quickly went off the rails. I completely lost track of where, when and if I'm being honest who anyone was. There is such a thing as too much time travel shenanigans and this book was waaaaaaaaaaaaay past that limit.

And the most egregious things and why I could not bring myself to rate this higher were the overblown unnecessary violence suffered by Quark, the mistreatment and misunderstanding of Worf, the sexualization of Jake by Vash, and the UNFORGIVABLE MOMENT BETWEEN JAKE AND CAPTAIN SISKO THAT I CANNOT BELIEVE MY BLACK EYES WERE SUBJECTED TO DURING THIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH.

[A.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book during my commute, and shortly after finishing a re-watch of the entire show on Netflix. I loved it. The reader was fantastic and the story was great. It sated my need to be back on Deep Space 9 after the show ended. I'm looking forward to listening to books two and three in the trilogy.

For those of you who know the story line of DS9, I think much of the action in this book takes place sometime during season 6, but before the finale of that season. Or perhaps it takes place between seasons 5 and 6. The timeline isn't too important to the overall story (at least so far) and it's easy to imagine it slotting in somewhere between episodes.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous read by Judy and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, authors who know and love Star Trek so well.

This is a love letter to DS9 and the fans but also tells its own epic tale: a complex story involving time travel and multiple characters spanning a three-book arc.

What's so fun about reading Judy & Gar's work is that they capture the characters' cadences so well. You can hear the voices of each character you know from televised series. They do especially well with Jadzia Dax, Quark, Odo, and Garak, but also well with Sisko, Nog, Worf, Jake, Vash, Weyoun, Dukat, Vic, Bashir, and okay with Kira, who of all the major characters in the massive ensemble probably gets the least pov time*. It's so fun to be immersed in the story.

The other thing that is so great about Judy & Gar's work is their curiosity and delight in exploring real-world scientific concepts, questions, and observations and imbuing the fiction of the Star Trek universe with these notes by imagining technical solutions but hewing close to real science rather than simply waving hands over improbabilities. This is also true of their other genre masterworks, namely Star Trek: Federation, and this turns up in the kinds of detailing they layer in about inertial dampeners, the structural integrity field, time-travel curves, the nature of stardates, relativity, the quantum foam, spacetime, subspace, and in this novel especially time/causality paradoxes from both technical and philosophical standpoints. It provides a sort of signature of quasi-realism that you also feel in their Enterprise scripts, underscoring how if these two had been showrunners, things might have gone every differently for that series.

The third thing they do really well is threading other callbacks throughout the book on a sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph level. This serves to keep the reader immersed in the scenic and character details we are familiar with from watching DS9 and TNG, etc., but also make buoyant relevant plot foreshadowing to remind the reader what to pay attention to before it comes up. Since there is so much to keep track of, this is a reader service but evokes the way television scripts function to do the same thing. This ranges from small notes like figurative language about Morn, the stained glass artwork in Quark's Bar, the choice of setting in space and time with some major activity happening on the lower underexplored regions of the space station and in time just prior to the arrival of Starfleet to administer Terek Nor. All things we notice, and they use the novel as a medium to play there.

The fourth thing they do so well that you feel in so much of the best new Trek of the past few decades, basically post-2017 with Discovery, Picard, etc., is creative storytelling with attention and respect to canon but looping through big territory based on the gaps of what was mentioned but underexplored in other scripts. We've got red orbs, a new wormhole, pending apocalypse, overlapping universes of characters, gaps in time, and a reshuffling of roles and personalities by those antagonists inhabited by Pah-Wraiths. You can see the kinds of stories Judy & Gar wrote here in 2000 -- just after DS9's finale (1999) but just before Voyager returned home (2001) and before Enterprise launched (2002). They feel like the kinds of scripts in Discovery and Picard with the multiverse possibilities hinted by the conclusion of Lower Decks and Prodigy. They were basically several decades ahead of the curve. You feel you can trust them with respect to the enrichment of the Trek universe.

I'll also note that there are lessons to learn from how they play with a complex time-travel story. In some ways it's fresh from the slipshod way that time-travel can be used as a panacea for poor scriptwriting. They can get away with more technobabble in book form than popular scriptwriters can likely in TV/streaming, but even so there is rigorous logic and plotting, consistency, and easter eggs throughout the three-book arc here to drive home a consistent frame -- and though you as the reader feel they may deviate from it at some point (as do the characters) -- they stay true. While any ending of such a massive undertaking necessarily winds itself down and may underwhelm, this one was pretty good in tying up enough, giving themselves a pass on some notes that just weren't as important, and staying true to the tonal core of DS9 and Trek overall. It's on the order of the multi-ending ending of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. There's a lot to settle, but they do stick the landing.

The inciting incident in the novel occurs in what would be DS9's sixth season before the dramatic last episode that sets the stage for the seventh season, and the authors are very sensitive to the choice to center the action then. This choice works, and also serves to strengthen some of the story weaknesses of DS9's own finale by placing it in a more reverent context and this book situated as a sort of penultimate climax before the show's completion.

And the way they play with Nog and Picard, you just have to believe that the likes of Matalas and Paradise have read this or are otherwise very aware. Judy & Gar were doing great things two decades before the Trek resurgence. The 2000 publication date is also poignant in retrospect for emerging prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and all that did to change narratives and expectations about the public good.

Judy & Gar deserve a lot of credit.

*my only quibble with the text is Kira's pov, though the time she does get is spot-on Kira in terms of her words -- it's just never as internal as some of the other characters get: for example, many of the viewpoint characters spend a bit of the third book in their own personal recursive hells, but we don't see Kira's hell -- perhaps because she's already lived through the oppression and injustice of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. Judy & Gar create their own Bajoran character, Arla Rees, who is a sort of foil for Kira, and it seems that her time is shared with or balanced against Arla's. This is done to good story effect, but it's still noticeable that this book is not predominantly a Kira story. It is fairly balanced as the best ensemble work during the series.

[Justin Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely fantastic. An entire epic series in one book and almost every last bit is an enthralling DS9 wonderful adventure. The first two books ( the fall of terok nor, and the war of the prophets) are by far the best two and are arguably some of the best DS9 trek i have ever read. The third however (inferno) fell short of the brilliant writing f the two before it. Though not a terrible story, the writing lacked the capturing of characters and overall excitement of the previous two. But overall this omnibus is a must read for trek fans everywhere.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting and a fun read all the way through. If they ever did a DS9 movie, I would hope it would be like this. Makes full use of the non-linear nature of the Prophets. I love time travel shenanigans, but at times the convoluted plot really tested my patience; it only made less sense as it went. But, an epic adventure regardless.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some interesting ideas, but ultimately it seems to stray a bit too far into fan fiction territory.

There are some recurring issues that really bothered me. On several occasions throughout the series, the action grinds to an absolute halt as characters go into a lengthy conversation that may or may not actually involve what's going on in the story. In some instances, it's a dull, technobabble-laden exchange of exposition. At worst, it's a lengthy tangential discussion on metaphysics, ethics, or whatever else the characters (or authors) seemed to want to get off their chests.

The authors also tend to spend a great deal of time introducing seemingly important elements that later have little or no bearing on the story. The Bions in book two, for example, are set up at length in one chapter, and then barely mentioned for the rest of the book (and not at all in the third). This feels almost like a vestigial chunk of a plotline that got edited from the book. The entire concept of "two Starfleets" in book two feels similar, a concept introduced for some shock value but then receiving a muddled explanation and having minimal pay-off. The Grigari are basically this writ large; either that, or they're the authors' pet alien species that they want to plug. I have absolutely no idea what the point of the half-ferengi Base was, other than he was a character that the authors thought was great and were determined to get him on paper, regardless of the context.

Tonally, the three books are all over the place. The first is a fairly dull murder/sci-fi mystery story. The characters progress through the story, generally meet the stakes that the story established, and then lose anyway thanks to a sort of bewildering deus ex machina that blows up the station.

The second volume is the one with the story you actually came here to read, and it's serviceable but disappointing. The authors split up the main characters, and each grouping gets a slightly different spin on the situation they find themselves in. This is likely intended to emphasize the confusion of the setting and the war of information being waged, but in practice, it just makes things unnecessarily difficult to follow.

The third book is a train wreck of ill-described time travel and metaphysical nonsense. There's a lot of technobabble that basically translates to "there are no rules" and the story's cohesion pretty much reacts accordingly. Mysterious hooks from the first book are paid off, but frankly, they weren't terribly interesting to begin with.

And throughout, there's the aforementioned fanfic indulgence. Captain Picard building the biggest ship ever! The Grigari, a race you've never heard of, are sort of somehow kind of involved or perhaps behind everything but probably not! Captain Sisko's son is the Bajoran messiah! Name drops or cameos by all of your other favourite TOS/TNG/VOY characters and episodes!

It's not all bad. Some of the individual scenes work well. The authors have a great sense for writing dialogue for the characters that feels very true to what was established on screen (aside from Jake Sisko, who seems to have gotten a bit less mature than he was at this point in the series). There are some genuinely fun ideas here (the concept, if not the execution, of Kai Weyoun comes to mind).

Ultimately, though, for me this one was a drag to read. My curiosity for the events of the second book forced me through the first one, and then I was too committed not to finish it. I was relieved to be done it, and that's not exactly what I'm looking for, even from a Trek novel. There are better ones out there, you should probably read one of them instead.

[Gabe Waggoner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, but don't overthink it

The plot is full of vibrant detail. Although definitely an enjoyable romp through the space-time continuum and the Trek universe, the book wasn't quite what I expected—especially considering who wrote it. The first novel, in particular, seemed to plod along at times, I suppose to set up the background grid through which we were to view the novels that came after. Some distracting inconsistencies with established canon emerged. I also found it unlikely that the station had a heretofore undiscovered section with its own "holosuite." Also, the later books go into probably too much detail on temporal physics—so much so that the reader can get lost while trying to keep track of who is where and when.

But the character development in these books is phenomenal. You feel like you're in the minds and hearts of the people we saw on screen for all those years. I'm glad I read the books, but some of the changes that the crew finds in the future are hard to accept and seemed like reaches to me. And the end confused me: it kept hinting that Bajoran prophecy had something special in mind for Captain Sisko's child with Kasidy Yates, as though Sisko himself weren't the true Emissary.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bok 1: Spännande, om än rörig, första bok i en serie om tre böcker. Spännande kamp mellan gott och ont där man inte kan vara säker på vad som är gott och vad som är ont. En kär återkomst av tidigare fiender. Mycket härlig bok. 4/5 i betyg.

Bok 2: Mycket stark start men boken kändes lite seg. Lite av känslan att de i tredje boken skall nå fram, men just nu tar vi en liten paus. Det händer mycket men då saker och ting stundtals känns svårt att greppa, ger jag inte boken ett högt betyg. 2/5 i betyg.

Bok 3: Mycket bra avslutning. Pusselbitarna faller på plats och kriget blir än mer intensivt, på det privata planet för så många i besättningen. De sätts snart inför risken att förlora sina anhöriga. 3/5 i betyg.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible miniseries that kept me wondering how all the pieces would fit together the whole time. This was the first book I've read by the Reeves-Stevenses and it certainly won't be my last. The characters are spot-on and the writing is extremely clever and complex without feeling tedious or overwrought. It's definitely not a book for the Star Trek uninitiated as there are lots of references dropped with no explanation. There's even something that I would consider a dues ex machina if I weren't so familiar with Deep Space 9 already, but since I am, I will forgive it.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

did I understand a single plot point after book 1? no. do I have complaints? some. did I wish this was a thousand-page murder mystery with zero time traveling hijinks and a lot more of Jadzia's banter? you bet. is it still the best Trek trilogy I've ever clapped eyes on and will I read it again and again? absolutely yes.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how each book in this trilogy kind of has its own feel/premise, so it doesn’t just all run together. I admit I did kind of roll my eyes at the Morn fakeout in the first book. But there’s some great stuff done with characters like Nog, for example. And we get to see what a different alternate future would look like.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I have to say about Millennium is, “Wow!” What a wild ride through time travel! I first read Millennium when I was a teen and nearly 20 years later I still enjoyed this DS9 adventure. A must read for any Star Trek fan.

[Brett Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…the future is the past, the past is the future, it all gives me a headache.”

At times I wondered if the threads would ever come together, but the writer did a nice job wrapping it all up at the end.

[Vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of Terok Nor - Classic setting aboard DS9, I’m with you.
The War of the Prophets - Holy shit, that’s dark.
Inferno - Fun time travel shenanigans. Wraps up too neatly after traumatic events but these characters do have to get back to season 6 of the show.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 outta 3 ain't bad?

Those first two books were pretty good, but that third one? Not great, if I'm honest. It was a bit of a slog, and difficult to understand. Thank goodness there's a time line at the end to help you make sense of it all.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the most grimdark Star Trek novels ever written, complete with religious fanatics on an interstellar rampage, Necrons, and even some servitors thrown in. Actually, considering Earth gets destroyed, humanity is almost annihilated, and the universe literally ends, I think they might actually beat Warhammer 40k in that respect. Shit got bleak.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally enjoy books by these authors but this one was just confusing. The first two parts were good: the last part was very hard to follow.

[David Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a Star Trek movie that never got made. I really enjoyed it in a Fanboy sort of way.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An omnibus edition, but it captures the entire trilogy...perhaps one of the most epic Star Trek tales ever told. Certainly, up until the shocking, terrifying end of book #2, this was the absolute pinnacle of Star Trek fiction. Unfortunately, book #3 takes a few dozen left turns into metaphysical-time-travel hell...but it doesn't stop the overall saga from remaining engrossing and astonishing.

This is a prime example of why Ds9 is the best of 24th century Trek series: it refuses to play by any rules, and tells it stories on the broadest possible canvas.

[John (JP) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the writing. The characters seemed like they came right out of the TV show. In this case they were hunting for red orbs . There are three of them. When they come together they will bring about the end of the world. Yet none the less our heroes go searching for them anyway. The book is unclear as to why, They face obstacles and conspiracies that try to thwart them. This their story. It lost a star because I disliked the ending. There was no point to it.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Deep Space Nine Book. I have read a lot of books from every Star Trek series, and I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who like ones that were not part of the original aired episodes.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

All three books are pretty wordy with many explanations as the action progresses. I found it to be slow in spots and hard to follow with all the time line shifts; but all in all it was worth the 946 pages.
I am looking for more books on these authors.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much the first time I read it years ago, but this time around it started feeling tedious by the 3rd book..

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always fun to read a ds9 story and the origins stuff was fun for some of the characters, but it was shallow and has some pretty deep plot holes that left it ultimately unsatisfactory...