A review by prationality
Prophecy and Change by Christopher L. Bennett, Una McCormack, Kevin G. Summers, Andrew J. Robinson, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Heather Jarman, Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels, Jeffrey Lang, Marco Palmieri, Terri Osborne, Geoffrey Thorne
4.0
Its hard for me to write a review about Star Trek, or anything tied into it, objectively. From 1987 to 2001, I watched some form of Trek on TV with my father on a weekly basis. From The Next Generation to Voyager my formidable years were shaped by those shows and the ideals. My dad will often lament the fact I remember DS9 the greatest since its darker tone and more cynical view of Roddenberry's 'future' in turn seemed to influence my sarcastic, cynical nature. That void though in my fannish life was never fully filled though. And then the re-launch began. Originally with Deep Space Nine, which by far has the unanswered questions of any of the 'newer' Treks, in recent years the entire novelization line has seen a dramatic shift towards continuing the franchise in that same vein.
Technically speaking Prophecy and Change is not part of the re-launch at all. Its actually a commemorative anthology celebrating the 10th anniversary of the show with stories that span from the first season to the seventh and even a little beyond. In the forward the Terry J Erdmann and Paula M. Block, the editors of the Deep Space Nine companion (which I dearly would kill to possess), talk about in the years after the shows finale they worked to gather material for the Companion book, rewatching reel after reel of footage. They realized how much they missed seeing Nog and Jake hang out on the balcony over the promenade, or watching O'Brien and Bashir have a friendly round (or few) of darts at Quark's. They missed the daily lives of the characters when they lived together. And so this anthology was born.
These aren't novelized versions of episodes but moments that happened before or after episodes. The moment when Kira realized that maybe Sisko really was the Emissary her people needed, the aftermath of O'Brien and Bashir's fight in the episode 'Our Man Bashir'...the consequences of the series finale and the emotional tumult thereafter. Each story has a small note before it, dating when it happens according to series chronology. With the grand exception of one story, Andrew J Robinson's, they are all set between seasons 1 and 7. Robinson, who played 'just a simple tailor' Garak, wrote a book called A Stitch in Time which has been retro-conned to fit into the re-launch and details Garak after the finale, wrote a story that is set after that novel about Garak once more.
It's not possible to read this anthology without any knowledge of DS9. I'd even venture to say its impossible to read without having watched the entire series. Every story depends upon several factors--the reader's knowledge of the characters and their relationships, an idea of the events that shaped many of their lives and an understanding of the show itself. If you didn't see the first episode, 'Emissary', then the first story "Ha'mara" will matter very little to you; you'll have no idea about the torment Sisko went through with the Prophets. If you haven't watched the show for five seasons, Quark regaining control of his bar will mean very little to you. In short, you won't find any interest or enjoyment in this book.
For fans though, this is a gorgeous, dedicated anthology depicting what DS9, and Star Trek in general, does best: a character's journey. These are, for the most part, important moments in these characters lives, but they're the sort of everyday importance that happens to everybody and no one thinks twice about. Sure everybody remembers when the Station was taken over by Gul Dukat once more--but who thinks twice about what Nog went through when he decided to go against every tenant of his people's beliefs to become a Starfleet Officer? Or how Dax felt when she decided to stop being a spectator to her past lives and start living her own?
This isn't to say that the stories were all A+ excellent writing--there's certainly flaws. Character decisions that I rather doubted or resolutions I felt were too neat considering. The first story for instance, "Ha'mara" both seemed likely, but unlikely. It didn't feel like it was the season 1 Sisko and Kira, it felt more like season 4 or 5 Sisko and Kira. It at least explained her drastic change in hair style from the pilot to episode 3.
In the end though, the book accomplished what it was meant to do--it gave me back a glimpse into lives I had forgotten I enjoyed watching so much. It renewed my love of the show and gave me the same feeling I always felt during those 14 years, a feeling I have long missed and welcomed back eagerly.
Technically speaking Prophecy and Change is not part of the re-launch at all. Its actually a commemorative anthology celebrating the 10th anniversary of the show with stories that span from the first season to the seventh and even a little beyond. In the forward the Terry J Erdmann and Paula M. Block, the editors of the Deep Space Nine companion (which I dearly would kill to possess), talk about in the years after the shows finale they worked to gather material for the Companion book, rewatching reel after reel of footage. They realized how much they missed seeing Nog and Jake hang out on the balcony over the promenade, or watching O'Brien and Bashir have a friendly round (or few) of darts at Quark's. They missed the daily lives of the characters when they lived together. And so this anthology was born.
These aren't novelized versions of episodes but moments that happened before or after episodes. The moment when Kira realized that maybe Sisko really was the Emissary her people needed, the aftermath of O'Brien and Bashir's fight in the episode 'Our Man Bashir'...the consequences of the series finale and the emotional tumult thereafter. Each story has a small note before it, dating when it happens according to series chronology. With the grand exception of one story, Andrew J Robinson's, they are all set between seasons 1 and 7. Robinson, who played 'just a simple tailor' Garak, wrote a book called A Stitch in Time which has been retro-conned to fit into the re-launch and details Garak after the finale, wrote a story that is set after that novel about Garak once more.
It's not possible to read this anthology without any knowledge of DS9. I'd even venture to say its impossible to read without having watched the entire series. Every story depends upon several factors--the reader's knowledge of the characters and their relationships, an idea of the events that shaped many of their lives and an understanding of the show itself. If you didn't see the first episode, 'Emissary', then the first story "Ha'mara" will matter very little to you; you'll have no idea about the torment Sisko went through with the Prophets. If you haven't watched the show for five seasons, Quark regaining control of his bar will mean very little to you. In short, you won't find any interest or enjoyment in this book.
For fans though, this is a gorgeous, dedicated anthology depicting what DS9, and Star Trek in general, does best: a character's journey. These are, for the most part, important moments in these characters lives, but they're the sort of everyday importance that happens to everybody and no one thinks twice about. Sure everybody remembers when the Station was taken over by Gul Dukat once more--but who thinks twice about what Nog went through when he decided to go against every tenant of his people's beliefs to become a Starfleet Officer? Or how Dax felt when she decided to stop being a spectator to her past lives and start living her own?
This isn't to say that the stories were all A+ excellent writing--there's certainly flaws. Character decisions that I rather doubted or resolutions I felt were too neat considering. The first story for instance, "Ha'mara" both seemed likely, but unlikely. It didn't feel like it was the season 1 Sisko and Kira, it felt more like season 4 or 5 Sisko and Kira. It at least explained her drastic change in hair style from the pilot to episode 3.
In the end though, the book accomplished what it was meant to do--it gave me back a glimpse into lives I had forgotten I enjoyed watching so much. It renewed my love of the show and gave me the same feeling I always felt during those 14 years, a feeling I have long missed and welcomed back eagerly.