Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Avatar Book One

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: First of all, no need to be misled by the cover art this time. It's as true to the story as the artwork is beautiful. Applause to Cliff Nielsen, and I hope to meet him some day.

Second, allow me to make yet another point or two regarding how wonderful is the DS9 re-launch: This book clearly shows that more was going on in the universe during the Dominion War than just the war. While Starfleet might have you believe *everyone* was directly involved in the war effort, if you think about it, that could hardly be the case. I also enjoyed the continued idea that everyone doesn't use Federation lingo. You could never quite tell that from the show, but it certainly makes a whole lot of sense.

I'm also enjoying the running Morn joke, and I laughed right out loud at the reference to Vash. Too rich! Okay, onto the review:

Anyone who thought Jake Sisko should have been given better treatment as the series came to an end can take heart with the re-launch and with this book in particular. And I mean take heart. S.D. Perry has captured the true soul of this deep-thinking, honest young man. Ben Sisko raised his son well, and evidence of that can be read on every page.

Back in one of the first of the re-launch books, Jake left DS9, ostensibly to visit his grandfather on Earth, when in reality he was going to check out a prophecy revealed to him at B'hala. The story of what happened to him is told here, and, my, what a story it is - delightfully complex and containing ingredients guaranteed to keep you turning pages well after you should be asleep so you can make it to work on time the next day.

I would take up far too much space trying to explain every detail and nuance in this novel, so let's just say...in it, Jake Sisko comes full circle.

And so does Kai Opaka.

And we are all the better for it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: First of all, no need to be misled by the cover art this time. It's as true to the story as the artwork is beautiful. Applause to Cliff Nielsen, and I hope to meet him some day.

Second, allow me to make yet another point or two regarding how wonderful is the DS9 re-launch: This book clearly shows that more was going on in the universe during the Dominion War than just the war. While Starfleet might have you believe *everyone* was directly involved in the war effort, if you think about it, that could hardly be the case. I also enjoyed the continued idea that everyone doesn't use Federation lingo. You could never quite tell that from the show, but it certainly makes a whole lot of sense.

I'm also enjoying the running Morn joke, and I laughed right out loud at the reference to Vash. Too rich! Okay, onto the review:

Anyone who thought Jake Sisko should have been given better treatment as the series came to an end can take heart with the re-launch and with this book in particular. And I mean take heart. S.D. Perry has captured the true soul of this deep-thinking, honest young man. Ben Sisko raised his son well, and evidence of that can be read on every page.

Back in one of the first of the re-launch books, Jake left DS9, ostensibly to visit his grandfather on Earth, when in reality he was going to check out a prophecy revealed to him at B'hala. The story of what happened to him is told here, and, my, what a story it is - delightfully complex and containing ingredients guaranteed to keep you turning pages well after you should be asleep so you can make it to work on time the next day.

I would take up far too much space trying to explain every detail and nuance in this novel, so let's just say...in it, Jake Sisko comes full circle.

And so does Kai Opaka.

And we are all the better for it.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Reading
Review: It explains how a Jem'Hadar came to be on DS 9.

It was slow to start but has an excellent recap of Star Trek history

Rating:
Summary: I Missed Too Much
Review: With 4 stars I may be erring on the high side of rating this book. However I do so as it is well written. The Deep Space Nine television series is not one that I kept up with and I chose this book as it was to include The Next Generation cast that I am familiar with. Before the actual tale starts there is a history of Deep Space Nine up until the book's beginning so, if your lack of knowledge is like mine, a general overview is provided. It cannot make up for dozen of missed episodes but it does make the read possible and enjoyable.

This is book one of a series and The Next Generation plays the minor role in this first installment. I believe this will change dramatically in book two due to a discovery that the Enterprise makes on an old Cardassian Freighter that requires a trip to the space station DS9. The one character that I always wondered what happened to plays a key role in this book and I would guess in many others that have preceded this volume. Ro Laren was always one of my favorite enigmatic characters from TNG series, and after she betrayed Captain Picard's trust and fled I was always curious as to what happened to her. Her back story is explained in broad strokes, but at the time of this book she is now in a position of authority on DS9. Nothing about her personality has become any smoother, but it appears as though there may finally be an opportunity for her to find someplace where she will no longer feel suspect, feel the outsider.

Prior to taking on any more new DS9 material I will have to go well back and reach a point where I can appreciate these stories without only having a brief historical overview for a crutch. This book seemed well done and I believe that to the extent it failed it was solely due to my lack of knowledge.