ST9: Fallen Heroes (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Rating:
Summary: Recommended.
Review: Quark and Odo open Pandora's box and are teleported into the future to see firsthand the results of the evil that they have unleashed upon the station. You have to make allowances for the fact that this novel was written when Deep Space Nine was still in its infancy - and it shows. A lot of the character development that would occur throughout the television series is absent here. This novel is distinctive in that it is one of the most (if not THE most) violent Star Trek novels ever written with lengthy descriptions of terrible battles and the grisly toll that they take on the station and its inhabitants as well as graphic depictions of cold-blooded executions. On the whole, not a bad read although the graphic depictions of wanton violence can be disturbing. What ever happened to the Bekkir?

Rating:
Summary: Interesting plot, poorly written
Review: This book is a good example why the Star Trek series accept story ideas from outside the writing staffs, and an equally good example why the scripts themselves are written by the experts. The plot is truly interesting, and in the hands of someone with a better grasp of the characters, this could have been dynamite. However, unlike the Avatar books, for example, there were far too many examples of characters saying or doing inappropriate or uncharacteristic things. An apparent attempt to capture some of the popular give-and-take between Odo and Quark from the early seasons of DS9 is badly handled, and the mood swings wildly from somber to silly. Unnecessary sexual dialogue during the story's climax (no pun intended) is just an example of the type of thing that jarred me out of the plot. This is a book with a neat plot idea. I wish the author had collaborated with someone who could write the characters in a more believable way. Somewhat interesting read for the plot but ultimately not satisfying for me.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Deep Space Nine books.
Review: This book was great! It was the first Deep Space Nine novel I ever read and convinced me to buy more. The interaction between Quark and Odo as they try to save the station is both clever and hilarious, and brought comedy to a book that is otherwise rather morbid and frightening in tone.

I really liked the style of writing the author uses, and the way he skips back and forth between past and future, allowing us to see the results of the invasion, as well as how they came about.

Another good thing about the book is that it does not focus on one particular character, and, although Quark and Odo are at the centre of the story, each individual character has at least one big moment in which to shine.

The portrail of the enemies was brilliant, making them actually seem frightening, instead of cliched and ridiculous, and the writer brings a lot of dramatic tension to the book as the heroes are killed off one by one.

I recommend this book to all Star Trek fans, especially fans of Odo and Quark. Even people who have never seen an episode of Star Trek will enjoy this book. In my opinion it is one of the best DS9 novels, if not of any of the Star Trek series. My advice is: BUY THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: A classic book set in a classic series
Review: When I sat down to read this book I already knew what would happen - I had heard the CD version but this tale appealed to me in just the same way. It was still gripping and tense and the story line was perfectly crafted. There are classic death scenes which are good fun to read (although they were more tense when I heard them). This book shatters the normal peaceful story that you would expect from a novel where everything turns out okay after 100 pages - don't expect that. This book is filled with violent endings for almost all the characters. This IS _THE_ book which Paramount should dramatise. It would make a brilliant episode if it were adapted for the latest series or maybe even a film. The villains are violent and they are also cold - like the Borg they appear to be killing for no good reason. Finally I must quickly say that this is the BEST Star Trek book available currently and it's ending is unparrelled - you can quote me on that!