Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Section 31: Abyss

By David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang

 

It's important to note right up front that Abyss, while part of the Section 31 "miniseries" that ran through most of the Star Trek fiction line, does not require you to have read any of the other Section 31 novels, nor does it set up any of those other stories.  The Section 31 books were designed to stand alone completely independent of one another, somewhat like the Captain's Table books, which likewise did not have a continuing story but rather a unifying theme.  It is equally important to note that this is the third book published in the relaunch of the Deep Space Nine books that were published after the conclusion of the television series, and thus is an important book in establishing the new DS9 continuity.

In a story vaguely reminiscent of Joseph Conrad's classic novella, Heart of Darkness, Dr. Julian Bashir is approached by Sloan, an operative for the shadowy black ops organization which operates secretly from within the Federation known as Section 31.  Apparently, Section 31 had recruited Ethan Locken, a genetically enhanced human, to assist them in secret operations during the recently concluded Dominion War.  Predictably, Locken then went rogue, setting himself up as "the new Kahn," in charge of his own group of Jem'Hadar soldiers on a planet hidden in the unstable area of space known as the Badlands.  Not a good situation, and one that Sloan hopes Bashir (who is also genetically enhanced) can help them to resolve.  Reluctantly, Bashir agrees to the mission, partly in hopes of exposing Section 31, whom he has had dealings with in the past.  Bashir's girlfriend, Ezri Dax, now on the Command Track in Starfleet, Chief of Security Ro Laren, and Taran'atar, the Jem'Hadar sent by Odo to live and work with the crew of DS9, accompany Bashir on his mission.  A further, intriguing wrinkle is added to the story when Bashir comes to expect that DS9's new first officer, commander Elias Vaughan, may have a connection to Section 31.

Bashir's group is separated during a crash landing on the planet where Locken is hiding.  While Ro Laren and Taran'atar work with the natives of the planet to fight against Locken's Jem'Hadar soldiers, Bashir and Ezri Dax are captured, and it seems as though the charismatic (and clearly insane) Locken may be tempting Bashir to the dark side.

Although I like the concept of Section 31, I have never been a huge fan of those stories involving Bashir's genetic enhancement, and so a lot of this admittedly well constructed novel fell flat for me.  I never really bought that Bashir would be tempted for even a moment to switch to Locken's side, and Locken himself comes across as Kahn Lite.  Years later, Star Trek: Enterprise would revisit the concept of genetically enhanced humans in a much more interesting fashion.  Still, for DS9 fans, this is probably a must read, particularly for the insights into some of the new characters, specifically Elias Vaughan and Taran'atar.  Ultimately this is a solid, early entry in the well-conceived Deep Space Nine relaunch.

This Month in Star Trek Books: April 2012

The following Star Trek books are available this month.

 

 

Star Trek Volume 1

written by Mike Johnson, drawn by Steve Molnar
available: now

From the Publisher:

The adventures of the Starship Enterprise continue in this new story that picks up where the blockbuster 2009 film left off! Featuring the new cast of the film, these missions re-imagine the stories from the original series in the alternate timeline created by the film, along with new threats and characters never seen before! With creative collaboration from Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, this new series begins the countdown to the much-anticipated movie sequel premiering in 2012!

 

 

Star Trek: DTI: Forgotten History

by Christopher L. Bennett

available: 4/24/2012  

 

 

 

From the Publisher:

 

The agents of the Department of Temporal Investigations are assigned to look into an anomaly that has appeared deep in Federation territory. It’s difficult to get clear readings, but a mysterious inactive vessel lies at the heart of the anomaly, one outfitted with some sort of temporal drive disrupting space-time and subspace. To the agents’ shock, the ship bears a striking resemblance to a Constitution-class starship, and its warp signature matches that of the original Federation starship Enterprise NCC-1701—the ship of James T. Kirk, that infamous bogeyman of temporal investigators, whose record of violations is held up by DTI agents as a cautionary tale for Starfleet recklessness toward history. But the vessel’s hull markings identify it as Timeship Two, belonging to none other than the DTI itself. At first, Agents Lucsly and Dulmur assume the ship is from some other timeline . . . but its quantum signature confirms that it came from their own past, despite the fact that the DTI never possessed such a timeship. While the anomaly is closely monitored, Lucsly and Dulmur must search for answers in the history of Kirk’s Enterprise and its many encounters with time travel—a series of events with direct ties to the origins of the DTI itself. . . .

 

 

 

This Month in Star Trek Books: March 2012

The following Star Trek books will be available later this month:

Star Trek: Destiny
by David Mack
available: 3/13/2012

From the Publisher:

THREE THRILLING STAR TREK NOVELS IN ONE VOLUME!

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy’s greatest scourge, the Borg, returns to wreak havoc upon the Federation—and this time, its goal is nothing less than total annihilation.

Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth’s first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity.

From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains that some destinies are inescapable. For Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise, defending the future has never been so important, or so personal—and the wrong choice will cost him everything for which he has struggled and suffered. For Captain William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan, that choice has already been made—haunted by the memories of those he was forced to leave behind, he must jeopardize all that he has left in a desperate bid to save the Federation. And for Captain Ezri Dax of the U.S.S. Aventine, whose impetuous youth is balanced by the wisdom of many lifetimes, the choice is a simple one: there is no going back—only forward to whatever future awaits them. . . .

CONTAINS THE COMPLETE AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DESTINY TRILOGY

GODS OF NIGHT

MERE MORTALS

LOST SOULS

Star Trek: Vanguard: Storming Heaven

by David Mack

available: 3/27/2012

From the Publisher:

“I WAS THERE UNTILTHE END, MATE. THE BITTER, BLOODY END.”

Vanguard is under siege. Surrounded by enemies, Admiral Nogura sends the scout ship Sagittarius to find an ancient weapon that might be the Federation’s only hope of stopping the alien threat known as the Shedai . . . Qo’noS is wracked by scandal. Councillor Gorkon fights to expose a Romulan plot to corrupt members of the Klingon High Council, only to learn the hard way that crusaders have few allies, and even fewer friends . . . Tholia teeters on the brink of madness. To prevent Starfleet from wielding theShedai’s power as its own, the Tholians deploy an armada with one mission: Kill the Shedai—by destroying Vanguard.

THE EPIC SAGA’S EXPLOSIVE FINALE

Star Trek, Volume 1

written by Mike Johnson, drawn by Steve Molnar

available: 3/27/2012

From the Publisher:

The adventures of the Starship Enterprise continue in this new story that picks up where the blockbuster 2009 film left off! Featuring the new cast of the film, these missions re-imagine the stories from the original series in the alternate timeline created by the film, along with new threats and characters never seen before! With creative collaboration from Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, this new series begins the countdown to the much-anticipated movie sequel premiering in 2012!           



Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Avatar, Books One and Two

by S.D. Perry

In 2001, Pocket Books, longtime publishers of Star Trek fiction, tried something new.  For the first time, they would continue the story of one of the television series beyond the events of the final episode.  A considerable challenge, especially since the series in question was the excellent Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a series that was known for complex storylines and an ever-shifting status quo.  Not only was the quality of the series very high, but events in the final episode had removed many of the main characters from the cast.  The two-part Avatar series meets these challenges by providing a great story by S.D. Perry, a writer who had done little previous work in the Star Trek universe, and by introducing many new characters to the cast.

Book One opens with a timeline detailing all of the major events that occurred over the course of the DS9 television series, which served as a great reminder of where everyone was left after the final episode, and also reminded me of just how much I loved DS9.  After the timeline, the story begins three months after the events of the final episode (which is also the length of time that would have passed between seasons of the television series), with Jake Sisko's discovery of a heretical Bajoran prophecy, which seems to indicate that Jake must travel into the wormhole to bring back his father, Benjamin Sisko, who has ascended linear time to live with the godlike Prophets.  Meanwhile, Colonel Kira Nerys has assumed command of Deep Space Nine, which has been left nearly defenseless after the recently concluded Dominion War.  While repairs are being made to the station and to the Defiant, the U.S.S. Aldebaran has been tasked with providing the station's defense.  Despite the recently brokered peace, the station is indeed attacked by a small group of Jem'Hadar warships, and the Aldebaran is destroyed in the process.  The station is saved in the nick of time by the Defiant, under the command of Ezri Dax, whose experiences in the battle will lead her to reevaluate her life as a joined Trill and her career in Starfleet.  As in the television series, these books mix political intrigue with religious and mystical themes, as the same heretical text that contained the prophecy about the possible return of Benjamin Sisko also seems to indicate that a large number of Bajorans must die to herald the birth of the Avatar, the unborn child of Benjamin Sisko and Kasidy Yates.

S.D. Perry has a firm grasp on the tone of the series and the characters.  Kira Nerys struggles with the burden of command and suffers a devastating loss at the very end of Book Two.  Dr. Julian Bashir and Ensign Ezri Dax's budding romance is handled with nuance and complexity.  The Ferengi barkeep  Quark provides his usual comedic relief, even as his nephew Nog continues to come into his own as a capable Starfleet officer.  As well as these familiar characters are handled, it is in the introduction of some exciting new characters that the Avatar books really shine.  Among the new members of the cast are:

 * Ensign ch'Thane, an Andorian officer whose mother is a high ranking Federation diplomat.  As this novel was published before Star Trek: Enterprise was on the air, the Andorians were a still somewhat unexamined alien race in the Star Trek universe, and the addition of ch'Thane should open up a lot of storytelling possibilities, particularly as the young officer seems to be hiding a lot of secrets about his past.

 * Commander Elias Vaughn, a 101 year old Starfleet officer who has been involved in covert missions for decades, and who experiences a spiritual epiphany when he and the crew of the Enterprise uncover the lost Bajoran Orb of Memory.  While it has long been established that humans of the twenty-fourth century live considerably longer than their counterparts in the present day, the concept has never really been explored on any of the various Star Trek series, making Elias Vaughn an intriguing and welcome addition to the cast.

 * Ro Laren, a popular supporting character from Star Trek: The Next Generation, formerly of Starfleet and the Maquis, now serving with Bajoran Special Forces and assigned as the new security chief of Deep Space Nine. The agnostic Ro is an excellent foil for the devout Colonel Kira.  One of the best things about Odo, the previous chief of security, was his antagonistic relationship with Quark.  The relationship between Ro Laren and Quark is quite different but no less entertaining: He is in love with her.

 * Taran'atar is perhaps my favorite of the new characters, a Jem'Hadar soldier with a genetic immunity to ketracel white who has been sent by Odo to learn about humanity from his friends aboard DS9.  All of the various incarnations of Star Trek have included an outsider character who struggled with the concept of humanity, and Odo was that character on DS9.  Having him send Taran'atar to the station, ostensibly to fulfill that role anew, was a brilliant move that should, again, provide for rich storylines.

These books kept me on the edge of my seat, and are excellent science fiction novels that maintain the high level of quality established by the television series.  The bar was set very high by the television show, and the Avatar books have likewise established a very high level of quality that I hope the following books in the series are able to match.  An excellent start to an exciting new chapter of Star Trek fiction.

Star Trek: S.C.E. #5: Interphase, Book Two

by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore

The second of a two-part series about the Starfleet Corp. of Engineer's efforts to rescue the derelict U.S.S. Defiant from interphase space provides a more or less satisfying conclusion to the story set up in book one.  Sonya Gomez and her team of engineers are trapped aboard a powerless Defiant in interphase, and must devise a creative solution to reopen the interspatial rift and return to normal space.  Meanwhile, back in normal space, Kieran Duffy finds himself in command of the da Vinci, as the da Vinci's captain, David Gold, is stranded with Gomez and her crew aboard the Defiant.  A group of hostile Tholians has targeted the da Vinci with one of their deadly energy webs, in an eerie parallel of the situation faced by the crew of the Enterprise decades ago.  While the conclusion was a bit abrupt, I enjoyed the mounting tension in this book, and all of the nods to the original series episode The Tholian Web, including cameo appearances by Montgomery Scott and another of the original Enterprise crew.  Together, the two Interphase novels are probably the best of the S.C.E. books to date, and are especially recommended to fans of The Original Series.

Star Trek: S.C.E. #4: Interphase, Book One

by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore

This first book in a two-part series provides an irresistible hook to fans of The Orignal Series: The U.S.S. Defiant, the Enterprise's sister ship last seen in the TOS episode "The Tholian Web," has been spotted drifting in and out of interphase space.  Obviously, this is of particular interest to Captain Montgomery Scott, who dispatches the da Vinci and her crew of S.C.E. officers to investigate this decades old mystery.  Tensions run high in this first novel, which mostly provides the setup for book two, as the Federation must work with the Tholians, with whom they have forged a delicate alliance.  It is clear that the Starfleet Admiralty considers smooth relations with the Tholians more important than the recovery of the Defiant.

When the S.C.E. crew discovers a secret Tholian weapon aboard the Defiant, the Tholians turn against the da Vinci, and part of her crew become trapped aboard the Defiant in interphase.  Ward and Dilmore take advantage of this longer S.C.E. story to establish tension as well as explore the characters in a bit more depth than the authors are often afforded.  It is also a treat to learn how the Tholians interact with Starfleet in the twenty-fourth century, and the opening scene even takes place from the point of view of that mysterious race.  As sometimes happens with Star Trek novels, the continuity established here would later be contradicted by a couple of very entertaining episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Star Trek: New Frontier #11: Excalibur: Resoration

by Peter David

Reports of the death of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun prove to have been greatly exaggerated, in this, the third and final book in Peter David's Excalibur trilogy.  Like the previous two Excalibur novels, this book follows former crew members of the destroyed starship Excalibur in parallel storylines.  Here we find that Calhoun did in fact escape the Excalibur's destruction (unbeknownst to the rest of his crew, who believe that he died), and has crashed his shuttlecraft on a planet that is home to a pre-warp civilization.  The wonderful Mackenzie Calhoun is Peter David's single greatest contribution to the world of Trek fiction, and he is in fine form here as David places him in a familiar genre that fits the renegade officer like a glove: the western.  All of the tropes of that genre are on display here, including a climactic shootout.  Calhoun first ends up in jail, and then becomes the alien society's equivalent of sheriff.  He keeps his origins a secret, constantly referring to himself as a man "just passing through." 

Despite this, Calhoun appears to be completely stranded with no conceivable way of making his way off planet or even contacting Starfleet.  He reluctantly begins to make a life for himself on this world, becoming particularly attached to a strange young woman named Rheela, and her young son, Moke.  Rheela appears to have the extraordinary ability to control the weather, which causes her to be shunned by the superstitious community who nevertheless depend on her abilities to create much-needed rain.  Characters with semi-mystical abilities are a hallmark of David's Trek work, as are the colorful casts of brand new characters, such as those introduced here as the inhabitants of the town.  While it appears Calhoun and Rheela are headed for a romance, Calhoun's heart clearly belongs to his estranged ex-fiance and former first officer, Elizabeth Shelby, whose own story provides the other half of this novel.

Shelby has finally been granted her greatest desire: command of her own starship.  As captain of the Exeter, Shelby finds her moral resolve tested in a difficult situation in which a group of aliens who initially refuse membership in the United Federation of planets nevertheless require the Exeter's help against their enemies.  Commander Garbeck is introduced as Shelby's first officer, and provides a great foil, as Garbeck is similar to Shelby and tends to play the role Shelby did as first officer of the Excalibur, constantly quoting Starfleet rules and regulations even as Shelby begins to feel stifled by them.  Shelby finds she is becoming more like Calhoun than she ever imagined she would be.

By novel's end, the former Excalibur crew has been reunited aboard a brand new ship, but the conclusion of this book assures that things will never be completely the same.  Change seems to be the only constant in the New Frontier novels, which is one of their strengths.  While I ultimately prefer those books in which all of the characters are together aboard a single ship, this book, with its strong characterization and compelling dual narratives, provides a great conclusion to the Excalibur trilogy, closing the door on another chapter in the lives of this unorthodox crew, while opening another.