jazzypizzaz's review
2.0
The start of this book was a slow interminable slog where nothing happened except pages of unnecessary exposition. Indeed, with some sharp editing at least two hundred pages could be cut out without sacrificing plot or character moments just by deleting unnecessary explanation at every turn. The last third, when the plot finally started picking up some momentum, however was excellent and left me eager to start the next book, capturing what I love most about DS9.
There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary. On the positive side, I really appreciate how *alien* the non-humans introduced are, wondrous and strange and fascinating. I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures.
This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.
There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary. On the positive side, I really appreciate how *alien* the non-humans introduced are, wondrous and strange and fascinating. I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures.
This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.
alexbe2ab4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mousie_books's review
3.0
This is part of the DS9 relaunch series, that is, it takes place after the series ends, and continues the storyline. The plot has depth, arc-ish, and involves many of canon characters: Kira, Nog, Ezri, Quark, Ro, and some non-canon. Despite this, I had a hard time getting into this book for some reason. The main threads involved crew of the Defiant (Elias Vaughn, Ezri, Bashir, Nog, Thirishar ch'Thane) helping with the evacuation of Europa Nova and then exploring the Gamma quadrant and the DS9 crew (Kira, Quark, Ro) dealing with Bajor's renewed application to the Federation. One nit is that although I liked the interaction between Quark and Ro, it didn't strike me as true to character for either of them.
navithefairy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.75
lefthandedmatt's review against another edition
4.0
Out of all of the DS9 relaunch novels so far, this one feels to me like the closest thing to watching the actual show. While some of the previous stories have certainly been more fun and more exciting, this is extremely character-focused. It's also extremely verbose and needlessly long, but that helps to provide a lot of depth.
For the first time I felt like an author had really got under the skin of the characters and presented them to me properly. This is especially true for the new characters created for these books, such as Vaughn and Shar. As it turns out, Vaughn isn't really as interesting as I had hoped (and the whole relationship with his daughter is needlessly melodramatic), but this at least really gave me a better sense of him.
The story is divided mostly into two narratives, one taking place on Deep Space Nine and the other following the Defiant on its exploration of the Gamma quadrant. I found the DS9 story to be the far more interesting one. That's possibly because it contains all of the familiar characters, but it's also just generally better told. Unlike the Defiant plot, which contains weird abstract alien concepts to wrap your head around, the station story is immediate and moves with purpose. I also found the pairing of Quark and Ro to work thanks to the amount of time spent developing it.
In regards to the alien story, this is actually one thing I really don't like about many Trek books. They take the fact that they no longer have budget concerns or visual effects to worry about, and they make their aliens REALLY alien. It never works for me and I just end up getting bored as the bizarre concepts are thrown at me.
Be prepared for just how long and wordy this is, but also revel in spending such quality time back on Deep Space Nine.
For the first time I felt like an author had really got under the skin of the characters and presented them to me properly. This is especially true for the new characters created for these books, such as Vaughn and Shar. As it turns out, Vaughn isn't really as interesting as I had hoped (and the whole relationship with his daughter is needlessly melodramatic), but this at least really gave me a better sense of him.
The story is divided mostly into two narratives, one taking place on Deep Space Nine and the other following the Defiant on its exploration of the Gamma quadrant. I found the DS9 story to be the far more interesting one. That's possibly because it contains all of the familiar characters, but it's also just generally better told. Unlike the Defiant plot, which contains weird abstract alien concepts to wrap your head around, the station story is immediate and moves with purpose. I also found the pairing of Quark and Ro to work thanks to the amount of time spent developing it.
In regards to the alien story, this is actually one thing I really don't like about many Trek books. They take the fact that they no longer have budget concerns or visual effects to worry about, and they make their aliens REALLY alien. It never works for me and I just end up getting bored as the bizarre concepts are thrown at me.
Be prepared for just how long and wordy this is, but also revel in spending such quality time back on Deep Space Nine.
ehsjaysaunders's review
5.0
We throw in some classic Trek exploration with DS9 serialized drama? Yes, please.
4.5/5 Slightly overlong for the story it tells, but I still love the journey.
4.5/5 Slightly overlong for the story it tells, but I still love the journey.
sailsgoboom's review against another edition
2.0
The start of this book was a slow interminable slog where nothing happened except pages of unnecessary exposition. Indeed, with some sharp editing at least two hundred pages could be cut out without sacrificing plot or character moments just by deleting unnecessary explanation at every turn. The last third, when the plot finally started picking up some momentum, however was excellent and left me eager to start the next book, capturing what I love most about DS9.
There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary. On the positive side, I really appreciate how *alien* the non-humans introduced are, wondrous and strange and fascinating. I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures.
This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.
There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary. On the positive side, I really appreciate how *alien* the non-humans introduced are, wondrous and strange and fascinating. I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures.
This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.
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