Rating: 
Summary: Star Trek at its finest
Review: I've always said that Deep Space 9 was the last good Trek series and was the best of them all. This book does what hasn't been done since DS9 went off the air by weaving an intricate story and does so using parts of the Star Trek universe's past. I wanted to cry at the end because I truly miss DS9, those characters, and the well written stories it gave us. I was saddened by the thought of not having any new DS9 material immediately at hand. I can only hope that more books are coming. You've got to read the Avatar and Mission Gamma books and then wrap it all up with this. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Unity
Review: This book provided something that so many serial books do not: a sense of closure. At last we see the end of an episode. The rollercoaster ride, sudden twists and turns finally resolve themselves and leaves a feeling of satisfaction. However, as exciting as it was to read the book, a couple of things nagged at me. Firstly, I was a bit annoyed by the "Benny" connection with Vaughn. Perhaps it works for some, but to me the connection is so tenuous that it could break at any moment. I don't buy it. Secondly, talk about "deus ex machina;" Wex is Odo! Come on ,now! I have never seen such a weak and obvious plot device to wrap up a story. I suppose it works ok, but the character of Wex added a potential dimension that could have been developed into a more dynamic character for future episodes; a new direction for Jake, perhaps. Odo has no need to travel for weeks to return to the Alpha Quad. It also does not jive that the Jem Hadar ship in the Delta Quad that returned Jake, Opaka, and Wex to the Defiant could not have identified Odo as a Changeling. They after all did get a reading of the lost Founder aboard the Defiant. It works, but my goodness how overtly manufactured and contrived. However, overall, I did enjoy the series. Isn't that the point? and I got a good sense of closure from the book, and was left with a sense that the "saga continues." Well done!
Rating:
Summary: I suppose you want the office!
Review: Those were the first words out of Kira mouth when she first met Ben Sisko, and it seemed only fitting that she say the same ones to him when Ben returned from the Temple. Perry not only wrote a wonderful story about DS9, she made all the characters real. I couldn't put Unity down. It was like I was watching an entire season of DS9 in my head. For all those trekkies out there who miss DS9, do yourself a favor and read Unity and all the other previous books detailing DS9 after the episode "what you leave behind". You will not regret it. I can't wait to see what else is waiting for us with the upcoming worlds of DS9 novels. If it is half as good as Unity was, I will have a blast!
Rating:
Summary: Now *this* is an ending!
Review: With Unity, by S.D. Perry, the first section of the continuation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is concluded. It's a nine-month arc that carries through the pregnancy of Ben Sisko's wife, Kasidy, and how the station has functioned since Ben was taken away by the Prophets to exist outside of "linear time." Perry started the whole shebang with Avatar, so it's only fitting that she be allowed to end it as well. Unity is an explosive conclusion that ends a few plotlines, continues a few others, and sets the table for any future books to come. It has to deal with the Ben Sisko situation, bring back a lot of other Deep Space Nine characters, and also tell an exciting story. Can any one book do all of that? Thankfully, yes. Perry hits one out of the park with Unity, creating a book that I literally could not put down (I had to force myself a couple of times, but that was it).
Perry throws everything except the proverbial kitchen sink in there, yet the story doesn't feel overstuffed. Every Deep Space Nine character is seen in some capacity, no matter how briefly. The threat to the Federation is handled extremely well, with the tension so thick you could cut it with a phaser. Perry brings it all together with aplomb, never feeling rushed and allowing the characters to reflect a little bit on what's been going on. Many of the ongoing storylines are resolved (Vaughn's and Kira's especially, but also the "should I stay or should I go" routine from both Ro and Quark) and others get new directions (such as the O'Briens, who have come to the station with Joseph Sisko for the birth of Kas' child). The direction that O'Brien's story takes is actually very interesting, and is leading to a good story in the first Worlds of Deep Space Nine book, so that's good news. It's also good to see everybody again, seeing how they interact and fall into the relationships that had been put on hold when they went their separate ways. Perry does this and still gives us a story filled with action and adventure.
Perry does still give us a little humour, though. One scene involving the threat and its interaction with Taran'atar (the Jem'Hadar character, who is one of the few to get short shrift) is very abrupt but hilarious, adding a little levity to the whole proceedings. Overall, though, the mood is dark and Perry allows you to feel every bit as nervous as the characters feel. She's so vivid in her descriptions that she even makes you feel Kas' labour pains. Now *that's* effective! Perry has a beautiful style that keeps you involved with the characters, wanting to go just that little bit farther. Especially effective are the scenes in the asylum with "Eli" and Benny, as Vaughn wallows in his guilt and Benny tries to help him. I have complained about the excess angst in the Mission: Gamma books, but here the angst is used for a purpose that I found interesting, and thus it didn't become as annoying as it did in those books. This angst is the very problem Vaughn has to deal with, and it illuminates not only Benny's character as he helps, but also Opaka's character before the asylum sequence. The scenes between Opaka and Vaughn are wonderfully written, with lines such as:
"Of course," she replied, recognizing his need for control, or what he believed that to be. It was unfortunate that he struggled so. Over time, she'd come to believe that the only true emotional infirmity was denial; once a thing was accepted, it could be met without fear. She wished she could tell him that it was no weakness, whatever he was fighting against, though she suspected that he would perceive her comment as intrusive."
Unfortunately, a couple of characters are sidelined to make room for all of this. I already mentioned Taran'atar, but the other one is Dr. Bashir. He does a few things and he has a few lines, but he doesn't really impact the reader at all. His main function is to do research on the problem at hand and to be concerned for Ezri. This doesn't make him a very interesting character, but he has had a lot of time in the spotlight recently, so I guess it's justifiable. Any other flaws in the book are extremely minor and steamrolled by the quality of the rest of the book. At the end, they're flattened to irrelevance by this steamroller of a story, and I have to say that I enjoyed this book very much. The ending is simply wonderful, especially the scene in Kira's office which brings the entire series full circle, with Kira repeating a line that she used in the opening story, Emissary, to great effect. The whole sequence is touching and this story is effectively over. Nevertheless, there is much groundwork for future stories to begin, and while some of the placesetting is a little awkward and trite (especially Quark's ending), the rest of it makes me desperately wish for more stories to come soon. That's the sign of a good conclusion, and just reinforces why Deep Space Nine is my favourite Trek.
David Roy
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