Rating: 
Summary: Political intrigue at its best
Review: A continuing problem with the Mission Gamma series of Deep Space Nine books has been character angst. There's just been too much of it. In Cathedral, Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin give us a plot that would seem to call for a lot of angst. Thankfully, they tone it down to a dull roar, thus making the book a lot more bearable. They've created an interesting mcguffin that gives our characters a lot to deal with, and they do it beautifully. Add a killer ending that leads into the next book into the mix, and you have a satisfying piece of the Gamma Quadrant puzzle.
Once again, the most interesting part of Cathedral takes place on the station. I'm a sucker for Bajoran politics, and the characters there continue to fascinate. I'm a big Ro fan, so watching her wrestle with Quark, her feelings about the Federation, her growing attraction to a Trill security operative, and everything else going on around the station was extremely interesting to me. As I said in my review of This Gray Spirit, what's truly going on in the Bajoran plot had been spoiled for me, but it was still interesting to piece everything together. I pegged what was going on with Shakaar immediately, but trying to piece together how everybody else fit in was fascinating. The events in the Andorian plot in This Gray Spirit meant that a lot of my gripes about that book didn't carry over to Cathedral, which I was very happy with. The Andorians didn't figure much at all, except for Shar's reaction to these events, and that's a good thing.
Which brings us to the Gamma Quadrant. While the events back on the station deeply affected Shar, Mangels and Martin avoid having him wallow in his grief, at least externally. I could tell that he was heavily affected, but we didn't get pages and pages of him moaning about it. That's one plus right there. Secondly, the plot involving the Defiant was finally interesting. On first glance, it suffers from the same problem that This Gray Spirit had, where we aren't really given any characters to care about other than our heroes. This time, however, it didn't make that much of a difference. The two alien species are more a plot obstruction that the Defiant crew have to deal with, rather than having the plot deal with them. Thus, the interest is in seeing how the crew gets past their obstruction. One of the aliens is given a little bit of character, but it seems to be more a plot convenience than anything else. He points them in the right direction, and then he gives them some stumbling blocks later on in the story. I really enjoyed that.
This gave us a chance to see how Bashir, Nog, and Ezri dealt with their own situations. Again, Mangels and Martin avoid the heavy angst that permeated the first two books. This is surprising because if any plot called for angst, this one did. I loved how Bashir's log slowly degenerated as his genetic augmentation failed. Ezri's doubts about her abilities as first officer of the Defiant were also well-handled, as was Vaughn's reaction to it. We finally get some resolution from Ezri's heavy reliance on her previous hosts abilities that I found a bit heavy-handed earlier in the series. When that ability is stripped from her, it's intriguing to see how she handles it. The scene where Vaughn convinces her that she is still valuable is wonderful.
Even better is Nog, as he has to deal with two things: the fact that his leg is growing back, and the fact that he is the only one of the three characters who actually had something good happen to him. His secret desire to keep his good leg runs up against the certainty that none of these things can be reversed if all of them aren't is almost heart-breaking. The scene where he and Shar share their secrets (Nog's guilt and Shar's tragedy) is well-written. The only bad thing about the whole Gamma Quadrant plot is the relatively quick resolution. I realize that the point of the story was how these characters deal with the loss of their abilities, rather than how to solve the problem, I still found that the solution was almost too easy. Sure, the Defiant had to go through a lot and there was a chance that they couldn't retrieve the three wounded people, but it was too easy for the characters themselves. Still, that's a small niggle and doesn't detract that greatly.
Then we come to the ending. Whoa, boy! I had a general idea of what was going on, and I was still floored. Talk about your cliffhanger! Thankfully I had the next book right there and could continue immediately. I don't know how I would have been able to wait a whole month to find out what happened. It takes the Bajor plot in a whole new, satisfying direction. Kudos to both Martin and Mangels.
In fact, many compliments to them for saving what had been a good, but fairly lackluster series. For once, I wasn't reading the Gamma Quadrant sequences while saying "I have to get through these in order to get back to the station." Both sides held my interest equally. Here's to a rollicking conclusion!
David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, touching read
Review: Already pleased with the Mission Gamma series, since we had begun to encounter strange new worlds, I moved on to CATHEDRAL not knowing what to expect. It began inauspiciously enough, but moved into what I feel really separates Star Trek, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine in particular, apart from the rest of science fiction: taking an anomaly, an event, having it affect the characters, and then watch the characters develop -- then finally watching them make important CHOICES. Vital choices. In good Star Trek, problems aren't resolved with phasers (as in Voyager), but by choices (as in Original Series and DS9). Because of this, I cannot recommend CATHEDRAL more than I am: it is the best book of the series, I feel, for this reasons and for people with those tastes. Particularly touching is how we see Dr. Julian Bashir in the novel -- (SPOILER:) his interactions with Ezri, for instance, as a neurologically degenerating Jules are heart-rending. Even more poignant are the scenes in Jules' own mind, how he knows he's going, where he's going... and the vast vistas of his mind, beautifully illustrated in his own Hagia Sophia, that dissolve before us. I highly recommend this novel, as it is a compelling addition to Star Trek Deep Space Nine's saga and legacy which I feel ought to be canon.
Rating:
Summary: Grand (and other words like it found in any thesaurus)
Review: As I have been reading this re-launch, it occurred to me (duh) that my beloved characters are growing and changing - some, perhaps, in ways I would prefer them *not* to - but certainly none of them are at the place they were when we last saw Deep Space Nine on the tube. I count this as a good thing, whether I agree with the changes or not. And that's the whole point of this effort, I believe: To lengthen and re-shape characters and situations, *not* to have them lie fallow in our memories, but to continue to move forward into events that might not have fit the mold a few years ago. For one, the idea of Bajor actually becoming part of the Federation was like a pipe dream when the show was airing - a dream not everyone embraced. Now it's a reality, but this brings a new reality to people like Kira, Ro, and Quark, as well - and still, as you would expect, the idea of Bajor being part of the UFP has not been welcomed by everyone. As for the Defiant's mission in the Gamma Quadrant, I can only say here is where the book's title really hits home. Three (well, four) crewmembers are decidedly changed after being scanned by an alien artifact, and what they must go through to return to their former selves involves leaps of faith and trust that you or I might never dare to attempt. And throughout this novel are hints and whispers of things to come that tug uneasily at the heartstrings. Too sappy for you? Too bad! You're missing a good series if you're not reading this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Another in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine Misson Gamma Series
Review: Authors Michael Martin and Andy Mangels have written another intriguing installment in the "Star Trek Deep Space Nine Mission Gamma" series focusing on diplomatic efforts between Cardassia and Bajor to establish a long-lasting peace via a treaty prior to Bajor's admission into the United Federation of Planets. Colonel Kira Nerys and her security chief, Lieutenant Ro Laren, have their hands full as they contend with the unexpected unraveling of Bajoran-Cardassian diplomacy. A Bajoran religious leader soon intervenes, joining forces with his Cardassian counterpart. Meanwhile the USS Defiant stumbles upon an ancient structure in space - a "Cathedral" - which is tapped to multiple dimensions of space and time; a nexus point of a multitude of universes. The away team's brief exposure results in some unexpected, almost dire, consequences for Chief Medical Officer Julian Bashir, Lieutenant Ezri Dax and the Defiant's Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Nog.
Rating:
Summary: Another in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine Misson Gamma Series
Review: Authors Michael Martin and Andy Mangels have written another intriguing installment in the "Star Trek Deep Space Nine Mission Gamma" series focusing on diplomatic efforts between Cardassia and Bajor to establish a long-lasting peace via a treaty prior to Bajor's admission into the United Federation of Planets. Colonel Kira Nerys and her security chief, Lieutenant Ro Laren, have their hands full as they contend with the unexpected unraveling of Bajoran-Cardassian diplomacy. A Bajoran religious leader soon intervenes, joining forces with his Cardassian counterpart. Meanwhile the USS Defiant stumbles upon an ancient structure in space - a "Cathedral" - which is tapped to multiple dimensions of space and time; a nexus point of a multitude of universes. The away team's brief exposure results in some unexpected, almost dire, consequences for Chief Medical Officer Julian Bashir, Lieutenant Ezri Dax and the Defiant's Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Nog.
Rating: 
Summary: Must demand more
Review: Deep Space Nine isn't about pedantic droning on and on, it was the official action series. The wild, wild west of Star Trek. Thsi story makes it as boring as TNG where there is minimal damage to all involved. If Vaughn is so secret ops that he can refuse a captaincy, then how come he's not more dangerous, more manipulative. There's got to be a good space between the audacity of Kirk and Calhoun and the supreme balances of Picard and Sisko. DS9 is crawling along. These stories seem shadowy, willowy, like there is a towering giant of past stories of quality hovering over these stories whgich is why they aren't simply weaker but overshadowed. What does the series need? Direction! Maybe one writer holding this series for a year at a time, taking it into directions unexplored before. But the mix and match of timidity is ruining potential characters really breaking out. All of these books have been about characters upset at who they are and DS9 was about people upset by the galaxy around them and who they were becoming.
The series straddles trying to hark back to the past without creating it's own identity. It's time for it to be a book unto itself.
Rating:
Summary: The stuff on the station keeps me going.
Review: During the first few seasons of DS9 on television, the Gamma Quadrant was *horribly* underutilized. Here we have Star Trek, this wonderful mythical universe that laid open the galaxy to human and alien explorers, and Deep Space Nine, a part of that rich universe, a remote outpost at the mouth of a galactic Nile River, the Gamma Quadrant wormhole. The writers during the first few years of the show could only use this premise for "funny alien of the week" stories. Until they started dropping hints about The Dominion, and suddenly, the wormhole and where it led became scary, ominious, dangerous. I think this illustrates some of the reasons DS9 has always been considered the 'problem' child of Trek mythos. DS9 doesn't really do the 'exploration' thing very well, but it does a fantastic job of putting good people in very bad places, and lets us see how they work things out. Their morals may get a little bruised, but for the most part, the Federation crew of DS9 is committed to exploring the most important part of the galaxy: the quest to find a way to unite sentient beings together in common cause. Cowboy diplomacy at its finest. So, 3/4 of the way through the "Mission Gamma" series, I find myself rushing through the sections describing the Defiant's current mission of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant. All the *really* fun and meaty stuff is happening back on the station. From Andorians in dire straits, to Cardassians, Bajorans, and Federation members celebrating (finally ... maybe) Bajor's entry into the Federation, these sections of "Cathedral" are alive, snapping and crackling with all the conflict, tense moments, huge cast, interweaving plotlines, and "Oh my god, I can't believe they can do that on STAR TREK" moments I've come to expect and love from DS9. As such, I found it very difficult to get "into" the experiences Bashir, Nog, and Ezri Dax have as a result with a mysterious alien artifact. The aliens who protect this artifact are one-dimensional, and are there only to provide artificial tension. Bashir's loss of his genetic enhancements reduces him pretty quickly to a gibbering idiot, yet log entries he makes are surprisinly lucid. It all just didn't mesh very well for me, and for the first time I felt the authors entrusted to carry on DS9 into an "eighth season" didn't quite have a full grasp on some of the characters they were writing. It's almost like one author wrote the Gamma Quadrant scenes in the book, and the other wrote the stuff back on the station. Perhaps that is indeed how the book was created, but unfortunately I found it jarring, taking me out of the story several times. Nevertheless, the incredible drama unfolding on the station, not to mention an absolute STUNNER of an ending, have got me salivating in anticipation over the last entry in the series, "Lesser Evil". The stuff on the station is definitely what has kept me going throughout this series, and it's so good I find myself able to forgive myself for not liking the "exploration" stuff. From one cleric's decision to act in accordance with his faith and not his politics, to a betrayal so shocking I was shaking when I put the book down, the Alpha Quadrant's where the action is at. Originally gave this book three stars, but bumped it up to 4. That cliffhanger, if you're a true fan of DS9, will really leave your jaw hanging.
Rating:
Summary: A cliff hanger worthy of Annie Wilkes
Review: I finished Cathedral over the weekend. Man, this book has a great cliff-hanger. Easily the best ending of the Gamma series. Also, we get to see some familiar faces that we have not seen in a while. This book is worth reading for nostalgia alone, but wait, there's more. The Gamma stuff was very good, and actually, I think the Gamma part of this book was the best of the three so far. This time the conflict was focused on the people we know, instead of some aliens we've never heard of before. It made me care about what was going to happen to Bashir and Dax and Nog. Nicely done. All in all, I think this one was very good. I don't think I have anything negative to say about it at all, actually. The relaunch keeps getting better.
Rating:
Summary: A cliff hanger worthy of Annie Wilkes
Review: I finished Cathedral over the weekend. Man, this book has a great cliff-hanger. Easily the best ending of the Gamma series. Also, we get to see some familiar faces that we have not seen in a while. This book is worth reading for nostalgia alone, but wait, there's more. The Gamma stuff was very good, and actually, I think the Gamma part of this book was the best of the three so far. This time the conflict was focused on the people we know, instead of some aliens we've never heard of before. It made me care about what was going to happen to Bashir and Dax and Nog. Nicely done. All in all, I think this one was very good. I don't think I have anything negative to say about it at all, actually. The relaunch keeps getting better.
Rating:
Summary: The Quality of this Series Continues to Rise!
Review: It is obvious that the powers-that-be behind the DS9 relaunch are working to make this the best-written set of Star Trek books to date. The "Mission Gamma" quartet continues to improve in quality of both writing and plot, and I, for one, can't wait for the next - and final - issue in teh quartet.
"Cathedral" continues the two major story arcs: the Defiant's exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, and the inception of Bajor into the Federation. The Defiant half deals with the apex of the trip through the Gamma Quadrant, where events conspire to force Nog, Bashir, and Ezri Dax to do some sincere soul-searching about the paths their lives have taken. The counterpoint of the various character's spiritual sides was quite an enjoyable reading experience, and as the summary gives away, watching Julian Bashir's genetic enhancing degrade was fabulous plot. The Bajor-Federation half of the story was just as satisfying, and there are hints of some pretty dark things on the way - I've come up with a few theories as to what is going on, but the book was written so well that I'm not sure, which is the perfect result. Of interest is that Vedek Yevir's taking of centre stage for a good deal of this half of the book, and doing so in a very well characterized way. He's not as one dimensional as we've previously seen, something that is well received of this reader, at least.
Martin and Mangels also brought us the Section 31 Next Generation novel "Rogue," which showed their already fantastic characterization and writing skills, and it is with great pleasure that I see them as a part of the DS9 Relaunch.
You certainly won't see the ending coming, that's for sure. It'll leave you waiting for more.
'Nathan
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