In my review of Vectors, I wished for something different in the third "Double Helix" novel. Boy, did I get my wish. Red Sector is an excellent book that introduces some fantastic new characters and concepts into the Star Trek universe.
While I enjoyed previous entries in this series, I found the writing to be of professional quality but rather workmanlike. The same basic story of the plague virus was told using the TNG and DS9 characters, with subplots and extraneous detail kept to a minimum. Diane Carey takes an entirely different approach in Red Sector. Not only does this novel offer the most unique take on the virus we've seen so far (it has now been engineered to target Romulans of the royal bloodline), Carey also presents the story of ensign Eric Stiles, a young Starfleet officer who is in charge of escorting Ambassador Spock off of an alien planet that has turned hostile towards the Federation representatives that have been working there. During the evacuation, Stiles is captured and held prisoner on the planet for several years, his only companion a fellow prisoner, a Romulan scientist named Zevon. Because the alien world on which Stiles has been imprisoned has become hostile towards the Federation and all outside influence, it has been declared a "red sector," meaning the Federation cannot mount a rescue attempt.
Eventually, Stiles is rescued by a very elderly Dr. Leonard McCoy, but sadly must leave Zevon behind, despite the fact that the two have grown very close during their years in captivity. Eventually, Stiles becomes a Lieutenant Commander in command of the Saskatoon, a Combat Support Tender (CST) that is a kind of "floating space station," designed to assist, refuel, and repair starships, sometimes in the middle of combat situations. The concept of the CST is a terrific idea, and Carey populates this new ship with a dynamic and diverse crew of young officers.
There is a lot going on in this book, and it is about 100 pages before the plague virus is introduced into the story. Once that happens, the book proceeds along two parallel tracks, with Dr. Beverly Crusher and Data attempting to cure the dying Romulan Empress on Romulus, and Stiles and his crew, along with Spock and McCoy, attempting to rescue Zevon from the red sector. Zevon has royal blood and may hold the key to a cure for the virus. In addition to an exciting story with appealing characters, I enjoyed this book because Diane Carey is a fantastic writer. She has built a wonderful character arc for Eric Stiles, following his development over a number of years. She also captures the personalities of Spock and McCoy perfectly, and is equally adept at writing exciting action sequences. Two of the best moments in the book involve edge-of-your seat space battles, both involving the Saskatoon. We first encounter the CST when it is attempting to repair a damaged Federation starship in the middle of a firefight with the Romulans, and the Saskatoon's battle with the alien ship while escaping red sector towards the end of the novel is tense and exciting as well.
I hope the rest of the books in the "Double Helix" miniseries follow the example of Red Sector, using the basic story of the plague virus as a springboard to tell fast-paced adventure stories with great character development.
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