Rating: 
Summary: "Mission Gamma" fizzles, but sets up next books
Review: I thought that these four books would be a great space to explore the Gamma Quadrant, but the focus is on the characters rather than the quadrant. Fortunately, character development is one of Star Trek's strengths, and it's done well in these books. Trekkers will also appreciate the return of charaters like Akaar ("Leonard James Akaar?") and Weyoun. Also, the book does set up events for "Rising Son" and "Unity," two books to follow. This would have been a five-star book, but the "Mission Gamma" saga felt like it just ended, instead of climaxing.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW! WOW! WOW!
Review: It doesn't get much better than this in the world of Star Trek in print. What an incredible conclusion to this DS9 series. Whatever you do don't read any spoilers, and if you have a weak heart, have your medication nearby.
Rating: 
Summary: The Mission Gamma series ends...oh, did it really end?
Review: Robert Simpson's Lesser Evil brings Deep Space Nine's "Mission Gamma" miniseries to a close, in a sense, but unfortunately it's more like a placeholder for the hardcover Unity then it is a culmination of the story itself. The book is incredibly short (the previous three books clocked in at over 400 pages while Lesser Evil is a measly 266. It continues the Bajoran political story and has a minor story that ties the entire Gamma Quadrant story together in a rather perfunctory fashion. I was mildly disappointed with it.
Simpson packs a lot into a very tiny package, and I think it suffers for it a bit. The Borg storyline feels incredibly simple, and while I enjoyed reading about Vaughn and his daughter's reaction to what they find, it all seemed to end almost as soon as it began. The situation down on the planet where they find the Borg is over quickly and it seems like it was there only to set up the conclusion of the book that leads into Rising Son. It's certainly not that interesting by itself. The only thing that saves this story at all is the strong characterization of Vaughn and finding out more about why he came to Deep Space Nine and the orb vision that sparked his decision. While we have known that the conflict with his daughter was because of what happened to his wife, we never knew exactly what did happen to her. That was neat to see. I just think it called for a bit more story than we actually received.
Once again, the Bajoran story is the highlight of the book. We finally learn the secret behind what's been happening for the last three books, and it's a doozy. Of course, as I've said, I already knew it, but I didn't know the details. When I discovered them, it was still a bit of a shock. The sequence where Kira has to try and regain control of the ship is riveting, and it's full of even more twists and turns. In hindsight, one of the twists is obvious, but I admit that I was fooled. Unfortunately, the climax of this story (or should I say this part of the story, since it does continue in Unity) reads very much like the concluding scene of the episode that introduced this villain (and I won't say which one as that will, obviously reveal who it is). It would have been nice to see a little more originality. Thankfully, Simpson nails Kira's characterization, and he also does a good job with the crew of the Gryphon. Kira shows the battle smarts that got her through the Occupation when she has to come up with a way to keep the other ships on her side from firing on them. It makes wonderful use of continuity and it's little dashes like this that give me hope for the Star Trek books.
The main problem with the book is that it just seems to be treading water waiting for the first hardcover of the new Deep Space Nine series. At the end of Cathedral, the whole Joseph Sisko problem was introduced, and this story spends a lot of time with him as he's slowly coming to terms with what's happened to his son and grandson. It brings back some familiar faces, which is nice, and the story is very sweet. The characterization of Joseph is great, as is the characterization of the guests. So while it gave me a pleasurable feeling, I couldn't help the feeling that it was all just included to get Joseph to Deep Space Nine for Unity.
Thus, the "Mission Gamma" series comes to an end, not with a blast, but with a "to be continued." However, the series itself can still be judged, as the Gamma Quadrant portion of the story is over. Ultimately, I found the Gamma Quadrant stories to be weaker in all four books. Some of that may be my interest in Bajoran politics taking precedence, but I think part of it is also my feeling that the stories just weren't that substantial. I realize that the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant was to be more of an exploration of the characters who went on the mission, but does that mean that we couldn't be given any interesting external elements? The only interesting species were the Yrythny in This Gray Spirit, and we weren't given any good characters within that species to really make us sit up and take notice.
The series itself was quite good, just not as good as it could have been, saved by the Bajoran political angle. Unfortunately, Lesser Evil ends the series on a bit of a fizzle, forcing us to look to the intriguing Unity to bring it out of its doldrums.
David Roy
Rating:
Summary: A satisfying end to a great series!...
Review: So many times a series starts off with a roar and ends with a whimper. This is NOT the case here. Reading this book was a truly satisfying experience that left me hungry for more. Lesser Evil is a fast-paced, action-packed book that answers some questions for readers while at the same time leaving them with new ones to ponder. We get more insight into Vaughn and Prynn's past and get a chance to spend some time with the Sisko family. The Defiant crew is reunited with some old friends and old enemies as some startiling and ominous discoveries are made in the Gamma Quardant. My only complaint is that this book is shorter that the first 3 in the series which made the storytelling feel a little rushed at times (I would have like to see the flashbacks with Vaughn a little more fleshed out, but whatever). Still, the fact that I finished the book in a day speaks to the book's overall quality and it's ability to hold a reader's interest (You GO Robert Simpson!). This truly is the eighth season of Deep Space Nine. Whoever is in charge of structuring the overall plot of the DS9 relaunch has captured the complexity and richness of this particular corner of the Star Trek Universe to a tee. I can't wait to see what happens next!!!
Rating:
Summary: ST-DS-9: Mission Gamma: Lesser Evil
Review: Star Trek- Deep Space Nine: Misssion Gamma-Lesser Evil written by Robert Simpson is the fourth in a series of four books of Mission Gamma. This series started out with "Twilight, then This Gray Spirit and Cathedral" all richly written with a very descriptive narrative. Now, comes the fourth in this series and it does tie-up some of the loose ends found in the first three books. But, this volume also sets up the continuation of the series relaunch by incorporating items that need to be resolved in the future. I found this to be very clever from the author's point of view too guarentee the continuation of the series. As you know from reading the earlier volumes in the Mission Gamma Series that there are two distinct plots within this series. One on Deep Space Nine and the other on the Starship Defiant. Colonel Kira Nerys in this book is in a dangerous chase into the heart of the Federation as she is in hot pursuit of a killer. The second plot revolves around Commander Elias Vaughn and the Defiant crew as they make it back through the wormhole to Deep Space Nine and makes a startling discovery. Vaughn's discovery shakes him to the core, as the truth is unvailed as to what was behind his tragic mission in the Gamma Quadrant. Now, you have Nerys and Vaughn both searching indepentantly for the truth. This book has some really good set-up to continue the series and good action-adventure. The set-up of the characters was excellent in these first three books and it carried through to this volume making for some very interesting reading. There is doubt cast on the final outcome of the Gamma Quadrant mission by Vaughn and Nerys' seeks to avenge a crime that has some very far-reaching implications... what is the secret that could divid the Alpha Quadrant? This is an excellent well-written series and is highly recommended. The next books in this series are; "Rising Son and Unity" both written by S.D. Perry and the "Lives of Dax" written by various author's is coming out in Mass Paperback in January of 2003. The next books to arrive at my door are the Star Trek "The Brave and the Bold" series of two books. Looks like I'll be reading TREK for awhile... See you around the galaxy... warp-on... engage.
Rating:
Summary: ST-DS-9: Mission Gamma: Lesser Evil
Review: Star Trek- Deep Space Nine: Misssion Gamma-Lesser Evil written by Robert Simpson is the fourth in a series of four books of Mission Gamma. This series started out with "Twilight, then This Gray Spirit and Cathedral" all richly written with a very descriptive narrative. Now, comes the fourth in this series and it does tie-up some of the loose ends found in the first three books. But, this volume also sets up the continuation of the series relaunch by incorporating items that need to be resolved in the future. I found this to be very clever from the author's point of view too guarentee the continuation of the series. As you know from reading the earlier volumes in the Mission Gamma Series that there are two distinct plots within this series. One on Deep Space Nine and the other on the Starship Defiant. Colonel Kira Nerys in this book is in a dangerous chase into the heart of the Federation as she is in hot pursuit of a killer. The second plot revolves around Commander Elias Vaughn and the Defiant crew as they make it back through the wormhole to Deep Space Nine and makes a startling discovery. Vaughn's discovery shakes him to the core, as the truth is unvailed as to what was behind his tragic mission in the Gamma Quadrant. Now, you have Nerys and Vaughn both searching indepentantly for the truth. This book has some really good set-up to continue the series and good action-adventure. The set-up of the characters was excellent in these first three books and it carried through to this volume making for some very interesting reading. There is doubt cast on the final outcome of the Gamma Quadrant mission by Vaughn and Nerys' seeks to avenge a crime that has some very far-reaching implications... what is the secret that could divid the Alpha Quadrant? This is an excellent well-written series and is highly recommended. The next books in this series are; "Rising Son and Unity" both written by S.D. Perry and the "Lives of Dax" written by various author's is coming out in Mass Paperback in January of 2003. The next books to arrive at my door are the Star Trek "The Brave and the Bold" series of two books. Looks like I'll be reading TREK for awhile... See you around the galaxy... warp-on... engage.
Rating: 
Summary: Why in such a durned HURRY?
Review: The first three books in this series were superb, especially Book Two, MISSION GAMMA: THIS GRAY SPIRIT, by writing neophyte Heather Jarman (more! more!). Book Four seemed to have been written on the back of old scratch pads on a commuter train, as if the author couldn't wait to end it. The story moves along, but moves far too fast. There was little character development, and what little there was tended to be sketchily drawn or reflect negatively on characters like Vaughn. And God forbid, they brought the Borg back in to assimilate what might otherwise have been a good novel. Haven't they learned? The Borg were the most snoring-boring of all Star Trek villains, among whom only Hugh on TNG and those semi-Borgs on VOYAGER remain somewhat interesting. I couldn't stand "Seven of Nine" and never again watched Voyager after Kes departed. The "Borg Queen" in the Star Trek movie FIRST CONTACT was downright embarrassing, the concept unworthy of intelligent life. As for Picard as a temporary Borg, give me TNG's THE INNER LIGHT any old time. The only good thing ever to result from the Borg was actress Alfre Woodard's comment in FIRST CONTACT: "Borg? Sounds Swedish." It cracked up the theater audience, including me. Unfortunately there's nothing as impressive as that quip in this novel. The author's credentials are not given, and I am hoping he decides not to write any more DS9 novels.
Rating:
Summary: Why in such a durned HURRY?
Review: The first three books in this series were superb, especially Book Two, MISSION GAMMA: THIS GRAY SPIRIT, by writing neophyte Heather Jarman (more! more!). Book Four seemed to have been written on the back of old scratch pads on a commuter train, as if the author couldn't wait to end it. The story moves along, but moves far too fast. There was little character development, and what little there was tended to be sketchily drawn or reflect negatively on characters like Vaughn. And God forbid, they brought the Borg back in to assimilate what might otherwise have been a good novel. Haven't they learned? The Borg were the most snoring-boring of all Star Trek villains, among whom only Hugh on TNG and those semi-Borgs on VOYAGER remain somewhat interesting. I couldn't stand "Seven of Nine" and never again watched Voyager after Kes departed. The "Borg Queen" in the Star Trek movie FIRST CONTACT was downright embarrassing, the concept unworthy of intelligent life. As for Picard as a temporary Borg, give me TNG's THE INNER LIGHT any old time. The only good thing ever to result from the Borg was actress Alfre Woodard's comment in FIRST CONTACT: "Borg? Sounds Swedish." It cracked up the theater audience, including me. No paragraph appears at the end, giving us this weak author's credentials. I refuse to believe that this "Robert Simpson" is one of my top favorite writers, the "Frederic Brown of Canada," Robert J. Simpson, multiple prize-winning author of ENEMY ALIEN and other must-read sci-fi and mystery novels. At least I hope not! If so, he's either going senile or has treated this assignment as nothing more than a commercial money-maker in between real novels. Does anyone know?
Rating:
Summary: Simple and unsatisfying
Review: The fourth book of the Mission Gamma series is, in my opinion, the weakest book of the series, and I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end. I also must warn people that this review does contain significant spoilers of the book itself. The book continues from the previous books int her series, with the Defiant finally beginning to head home in this novel, yet even on their way home they are still passing through uncharted space. There was also a rather large technical error at the beginning. The author claims that the Defiant and the probes it launched had charted over 1200 cubic light years of space. That figure is ridiculous, no ship the size of the Defiant could possible chart that much space in only 3 months. Even Voyager, which was faster than the Defiant, could only make 438 light years per year. But to other things. The book launches into the Defiant picking up a strange signal in the Gamma Quadrant, a signal that the ship's commander, Elias Vaughn, has seen before, and he orders the ship to investigate the signal and also hides this form the rest of the crew. Meanwhile in the Alpha Quadrant, we see two seperate story lines evolve, one centred on Joseph Sisko on Earth, and the other centred on the crew on Deep Space Nine. The first AQ (Alpha Quadrant) storyline shows Joseph Sisko settled into some sort of depression over the loss of both Ben and Jake, and the efforts of his daughter Judith to get him back into action. This plot line is fairly simple, yet the resolution involves an old series favourite, Miles O'Brien, and I found it to be the most enjoyable of the book. The second AQ plot line is on DS9, and deals with the aftermath of the assassination of Shakaar and the hunt for the killer. At this stage, Colonel Kira leaves the station on a Federation starship following what they think is a cloaked vessel heading for Trill, which creates a third AQ storyline with Kira away from the station. The Defiant storline in the Gamma Quadrant continues and shows the crew discovering the wreckages of both a Jem'Hadar and a Borg-assimilated ship crashed on a planet. The assimilated ship holds a link to Vaughn's past, which is interesting, and is later explained when Vaughn has a 'tell-all' session with Ezri Dax, revealing his full background and the devestating decision he made regarding Prynn's mother. While Vaughn's story is interesting, it is very simple and straightforward, and in some parts is very weak, although I did find the story of Prynn's namesake to be very touching. Personally, I was expecting something exciting, interesting and a downright throrough explanation of his past. Instead, we got a chapter with a very fast paced story showing the important points of Vaughn's life with regards to Prynn and Ruriko, which was disappointing. The Defiant plotline quickly continues, and we see an incredible seen where a Borg drone attempts to assimilate a Founder. I found this scene both incredible and bizarre, even more so as it served no real purpose to the development of the story. In the end, Vaughn is forced to make a devestating decision all over again, totally destroying any development in the relationship between himself and Prynn. The AQ plotlines continue, and the crew on DS9 make a startling discovery about an old enemy from TNG, the parasites from 'Conspiracy', which are in some way related to the Trill species. They also learn that the parasites have taken control over someone on the starship Kira is travelling on, leaving Kira to eventually save the day. Relating the 'Conspiracy' parasites to the Trill was a very nice twist indeed, probably th best in the book, a real credit to the writer(s). The book finishes with the Defiat nearing the wormhole, Kira heading back to DS9, and Joseph Sisko heading to Bajor to be with Kasidy. Several plotlines/characters developments didn't reach any meaningful conclusion, they were: -The Andorian problems involving Shar, a big part of the 1st two novels, were forgetten about. -The relationship between Quark and Ro was barely mentioned. -Commander Mathias, station counselor, was nowhere to be seen. A shame really, I liked her character, and there was also supposed to be some mystery surrounding the Bajoran ancestral roots of her husband. -The issues between Nog and Taran'tar didn't really come to a conclusion. -Vedek Yevir was virtually non-existent during the plot, which was unfortunate considering the large part he'd played in the last book. Overall, I found the book had been written in a very simple manner with very quick plot developments and resolutions, some of which seemed totally irrelevant to the story. This resulted in a very short book with large print, and the more I read it the more I got the impression that the whole thing had been a rush job. The book seemed closer to one of those 'junior' Star Trek books than anything else. The Mission Gamma opening book, 'Twilight', was much slower and far more detailed, and yet the final book in the series is a rush job with very simple, very basic plot twists. All the work done by the previous books to mend the relationship between Vaughn and Tenmei is undone, and at the end the reader is left unsatisfied. I believe the authors may have been trying to set the scene for the next two books, but setting the scene for the next book at the expense of finishing the last book is not only bad writing, it also dishonours the rest of the series. I was also interested to note that there was no 'about the author' section at the end of the book. Virtually every Star Trek book I have read contains one of these sections, and I enjoy getting some insight into the author and his/her interests and background. This is simply more evidence to a rush job. If you've followed the Mission Gamma series so far, you may as well buy this book. If you're just a casual fan, forget about it, as this book just isn't worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: You're Resistance is Silly, READ THIS BOOK!
Review: This book is just... ugh. It's beyond words. The entire Mission Gamma series is beyond words. It has gone beyond my expectations and I believe it's surprised many people. Yes, this book is smaller than the others but that doesn't mean it's less of a book. This book will leave you guessing, it will stun you, it will go beyond what you've heard about it, it's simply one of the best books you could spend your money on unlike that snore fest of a new Shatnerverse that was released earlier. This book is not the finale to the DS9 Relaunch, its a turning point so don't expect it to wrap up every single little thing. Yes, you're going to be left with wanting more but that's what is supposed to happen! Rising Son and Unity come out next year and if they can top off these past four books they bravo to them. It's short, far from simple, and it hits certain things right on the head and delves down to the point. To quote Nigel Powers from Austin Powers in Goldmember, it's not the size that matters, its how you use it. Simpson certainly showed he had a great ability to use this short, condensed book to cover a lot. You'll like it, get it. DS9 finally runs into the Borg... and another big Trek enemy returns FINALLY that will just make you cry at the end because you have to wait until next year to find out what happens! It's worth your time, read it.
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