Cathedral

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Mission Gamma, Book Three of Four
Cathedral by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
Published October 2002
Read January 25^th 2014

Previous book (Deep Space Nine): Mission Gamma, Book Two: This Gray Spirit
Next book (Deep Space Nine): Mission Gamma, Book Four: Lesser Evil

Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Cathedral, Mission Gamma, and the rest of the Deep Space Nine relaunch!

From the back cover:

SIREN SONGS

As a small child, Jules Bashir underwent illegal genetic enhancements that forever altered the natural course of his life. As an adult, ever since the day he discovered what his parents had done, Dr. Julian Bashir has wondered what he might have become if "Jules" had been allowed to live, certain he would never know the answer. But when the lure of a strange alien artifact in the Gamma Quadrant inexplicably begins to reverse Bashir's enhancements, the person he had thought long dead is given a second chance at life.

Ninety thousand light-years away, as the crew of Deep Space 9 tries to comprehend a shocking tragedy, Ro Laren makes a fateful decision about her life aboard the station. And although political maneuverings and failing diplomacy have already extinguished all hope of a real, lasting peace between Bajor and Cardassia, one man's search for his true calling may lay a new foundation for the future.

My thoughts:

As with the two previous Mission Gamma novels, Cathedral features two main storylines, one taking place on the Defiant as she continues her mission of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant, and the other taking place on Deep Space Nine, where preparations are underway to bring Bajor into the United Federation of Planets.

In the Gamma Quadrant side of things, a survey crew aboard the shuttlecraft Sagan discovers a massive artifact in space, seemingly partially in our universe and partially in another. The crew, which consists of Nog, Bashir, and Dax, each exhibit peculiar symptoms upon their return to the Defiant. Ezri begins to reject her symbiont, Bashir begins losing the mental edge that his genetic enhancements provide, and Nog begins re-growing the leg he lost in "The Siege of AR-558."

While these stories provide a great opportunity to explore these characters in a way we've never seen before and consider "what might have been," I felt that the Defiant story was the weaker part of the novel. There were some interesting character tidbits that were fun to learn, such as Bashir's method of storing information in a sort of mental Haggia Sophia, and the journey that the four characters (Ezri, Nog, Bashir, and Dax) go on is a great character study, but too much about the "cathedral" is left unexplored.

As has tended to be the case with the books of Mission Gamma so far, I find myself drawn more towards the story of Bajor and Deep Space Nine than the goings-on in the Gamma Quadrant. For unknown reasons, Bajoran First Minister Shakaar is sabotaging the normalization of relations between the Bajorans and the Cardassians, instead pushing for Federation membership before that can happen. Things come to a head as tragedy strikes just as the historic deal is about to be finalized.

For me, the most interesting part of this story is the partial redemption of Vedek Yevir. Yevir had been the one to push through Colonel Kira's attainder after she uploaded the Ohalu prophecies to Bajor's public comnet. The prophesies had been deemed heretical by the Vedek Assembly, and Yevir felt that making them available to the general public would unnecessarily threaten the Bajoran faith. In the tradition of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at its finest, Yevir is revealed to be a complex character with many facets in Cathedral. Rather than simply a one-note foil to our heroes, Yevir begins on the path towards redemption, seemingly about to fulfill the destiny he believes the Emissary set him on in the episode "Rapture."

Vedek Yevir may finally be following the path that The Sisko laid out for him...

Final thoughts:

The writing team of Martin and Mangels maintains the high quality of this miniseries for the most part. As has been the case with the previous books, I was more engaged by the story happening on the station than the Gamma Quadrant portions. However, that story wasn't bad. The characters in this novel come across as real and dynamic rather than one-note villains or heroes. Also, as a special bonus, it was a treat to see the enigmatic Garak, even if only for a few short pages.

Overall, I would give Cathedral a solid four out of five. An excellent entry in what has been the very strong Deep Space Nine relaunch.

More about Cathedral:

• Podcast: Literary Treks 87: Like The Godfather Part III

Also by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels:

• Star Trek: The Lost Era: The Sundered (2003)
• Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 2: Trill: Unjoined (2004)
• Star Trek: Titan: Taking Wing (2005)
• Star Trek: Titan: The Red King (2005)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: Last Full Measure (2006)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: The Good That Men Do (2007)
• Star Trek: Excelsior: Forged in Fire (2007)
• Star Trek: Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru (2008)

My next read:

Due out on Monday the 24th is an e-book exclusive by Star Wars veteran John Jackson Miller: Titan: Absent Enemies, the first follow-up to last year's The Fall. This is Miller's first foray into Trek novels, and I am looking forward to seeing what he does with Riker and his crew! I recently read his Star Wars: Kenobi, the first Star Wars novel I've ever read, and I very much enjoyed it.

Finally! Absent Enemies E-book Cover Revealed!

This one's a little later than usual!

Simon and Schuster has finally revealed the cover for the upcoming Titan e-book, Absent Enemies, scheduled for release on February 24th!

Check it out below, along with the back-cover blurb and link to purchase from Amazon. And, as always, we will have a review of the novella for you shortly after release!

Newly promoted Admiral William Riker and the crew of the U.S.S. Titan are ordered to race to Garadius IV—a planet Riker knows all too well from an unsuccessful peace mission when he was still first officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. But this time, he finds a mysterious new situation: one with the potential to imperil the entire Federation. One of the warring parties has simply vanished…

Purchase (E-book only!) from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Protectors

Star Trek: Voyager
Protectors by Kirsten Beyer
Release date: January 28^th, 2014
Read February 2^nd 2014

Previous book (Voyager): The Eternal Tide
Next book (Voyager): Acts of Contrition

Purchase Protectors (paperback): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
(e-book): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Protectors and the Voyager relaunch continuity!

From the back cover:

Following the destruction of four fleet vessels at the hands of the Omega Continuum, the U.S.S. Voyager and U.S.S. Demeter set course for a region of the Delta Quadrant far beyond anything previously explored. Captain Chakotay is determined to prove to Starfleet Command that the fleet’s ongoing mission is vital to Federation interests…and the key to doing so may lie in a distress call Voyager received nine years earlier, but could not investigate. 

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway is recalled to the Alpha Quadrant for an evaluation period to determine her next assignment. Given the trauma she has recently endured, Admiral Akaar, Starfleet’s Commander-in-Chief, questions Janeway’s fitness to command the fleet. Janeway’s primary concern remains the fleet’s safety. For their mission to continue, she must find a way to secure the resources they require. But the uncertainty of her superior officers has left her powerless to act in their best interests...

My thoughts:

One of the highlights of Trek Lit in recent years has been the excellent novels of the Voyager relaunch series helmed by Kirsten Beyer. The first three, Full Circle, Unworthy, and Children of the Storm were some of my favorite novels. The most recent entry, last year's The Eternal Tide, didn't quite rise to the level of the previous books, but was still very enjoyable and an excellent entry in the series. So, how does this month's new release, Protectors, compare?

In many ways, Protectors seems like a bit of a return to the style of Children of the Storm. If you read my review of that novel, you know that I was HUGELY impressed by it. The tone and style of Protectors seems to be modeled on that earlier work. Back once again is that Star Trek ideal of seeking out new life and adding to the sum of our knowledge.

One thing about Protectors that was very impressive was the ability of Kirsten Beyer to take what is the very definition of a "meh" episode and craft an utterly fascinating tale from it. Near the beginning of the second season of Voyager was an episode called "Twisted," in which the structure of Voyager is warped such that crew-members get lost and no one can find their way to critical areas of the ship. In the end, the anomaly that causes this effect leaves without explanation after having dumped a huge amount of data into Voyager's computers. This data is never mentioned again. In the "A plot" of Protectors, Captain Chakotay leads the Voyager and Demeter to the area of space near where Voyager first encountered the anomaly. Lieutenant Kim, having pieced together some of the information that was uploaded to Voyager's computer, believes that the initial contact was in fact a distress call. They hope to make contact with the "waveform" anomalies to find out how they can assist.

"Twisted" - A very lackluster episode, but Kirsten Beyer was able to revisit it to craft an amazing tale!

Kathryn Janeway is recalled by Starfleet, who wish to evaluate her condition following her rather unorthodox "resurrection." Meanwhile, in the beta quadrant, a frontier outpost makes a shocking discovery: a former Borg drone who did not join the Caeliar Gestalt. This person turns out to be Axum, Seven of Nine's former "acquaintance" from Unimatrix Zero.

More than anything else, Protectors is a character study. Kathryn Janeway is completely de-constructed in her counseling sessions and must build herself back up again. Kirsten Beyer shows incredible aplomb in handling her character in particular. As someone who was never really a Voyager fan, and a Janeway fan even less-so, the fact that Beyer made me truly care and appreciate this character is astounding.

Other characters are handled perfectly by Beyer as well. The Doctor stands out in particular, so when his reactions to Seven aren't what we expect, it comes across as all the more strange because he is written so closely to how he was portrayed in the series. From the heart-wrenching decision that The Doctor made about his programming to the heartbreak and rash decisions made by Julia Paris, Tom Paris's mother, every character great and small has their moment. Even the description of Axum's torture by the Borg Queen was absolutely heart-wrenching and horrible.

Axum, Seven's companion from Unimatrix Zero, is found by Starfleet.

I love that Kirsten Beyer is so averse to using the dreaded "reset button" that was such a hallmark of the Voyager television series. Rather than glossing over what happened previously and returning to business as usual, Janeway and company must face the fallout from the events of the previous novels. This is very refreshing in a universe that has, in the past, used the reset button an alarming number of times.

Final thoughts:

Protectors was a truly great read. The high point of the Voyager relaunch is, for me, still Children of the Storm, but Protectors comes very close to reaching that level as well. The plot points left hanging are very enticing, and I can't wait to find out more about the Paris family situation as well as learn more about The Worlds of the First Quadrant in the next installment!

An absolutely excellent and enthralling story that returns to what I love about the Voyager relaunch. A scientific mystery combined with seeking out new life and new civilizations. Mix equal parts character study. Stir in excellent writing, and add genuinely emotional moments to taste. Perfect!

More about Protectors:

• TrekBBS review and discussion thread for Protectors
• Interview with Kirsten Beyer on Trekcore.com
• Podcast: Literary Treks 49: Deconstructing Kathy - Kirsten Beyer discusses Protectors

Also by Kirsten Beyer:

• Star Trek: Voyager: String Theory, Book 2: Fusion (2005)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Full Circle (2009)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Unworthy (2009)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Children of the Storm (2011)
• Star Trek: Voyager: The Eternal Tide (2012)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Acts of Contrition (2014)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Atonement (2015)
• Star Trek: Voyager: A Pocket Full of Lies (2016)
• Star Trek: Voyager: Architects of Infinity (2018)

My next read:

Continuing my re-read of the Deep Space Nine relaunch, my next review will be for Mission Gamma, Book Three: Cathedral by the writing team of Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels.

The Captain's Daughter

Star Trek #76
The Captain's Daughter by Peter David
Published December 1995
Read January 10^th 2014

Previous book (The Original Series): #75: First Frontier
Next book (The Original Series): #77: Twilight's End

Purchase The Captain's Daughter:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for The Captain's Daughter!

From the back cover:

When Demora Sulu, an exemplary young Starfleet officer, suddenly attacks her commanding officer, who kills her in self-defense, everyone is stunned. No one is more grief-stricken than her father, Captain Hikaru Sulu of the U.S.S. Excelsior. Determined to learn the truth behind his daughter's bizarre death, Sulu goes to the planet where she was killed, and finds himself confronted by an old enemy eager to destroy Sulu's reputation and his life!

My thoughts:

One of the more intriguing new releases coming later this year is David R. George III's The Lost Era: One Constant Star, featuring Captain Demora Sulu of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-B. A revisit to that era has piqued my curiosity. In anticipation, I decided to go back and read a couple of books that featured that ship and her crew.

The first, The Captain's Daughter, is a great story by Peter David featuring the early days of the Enterprise-B's career. Set shortly after the presumed death of Captain James T. Kirk at the beginning of Star Trek: Generations, The Captain's Daughter is partly concerned with the fallout from that incident. In Generations, the character of Captain John Harriman comes across as barely competent; or, at the very least, in way over his head. And when, on a mission to investigate a distress call, Ensign Demora Sulu ends up being killed by Harriman in an act of self-defense, the Captain's problems seem to multiply.

I feel that The Captain's Daughter is the beginning of an attempt to redeem his character somewhat. We get an insight into what Harriman's failures in that ill-fated shakedown cruise have done to him, and how much of what happened was not entirely his fault. Chekov almost seems to serve as a proxy for the Star Trek audience who saw Harriman as incompetent. When Demora (who is Chekov's goddaughter) is allegedly killed, the hatred of Harriman comes to a head. However, we see that Harriman's actions were at best justified, and at the very least unavoidable.

A character I was always curious about: Ensign Demora Sulu.

Half of the story occurs in flashback, and we learn the origins of Demora Sulu. When I first watched Generations twenty years ago (GOOD LORD! Twenty YEARS?!?), I was very curious about her character. Like Kirk, I wondered "when did Sulu find time for a family?" In The Captain's Daughter, Peter David has fleshed out that story beautifully.

Best scene in the novel: Captain Harriman relieving his father, Admiral "Blackjack" Harriman, of command of the Enterprise. This selection showcases Peter David's formidable wit at its finest!

Final thoughts:

The Captain's Daughter was a delightful read, both when I read it nearly ten years ago, and again when I read it to write this review. While Peter David's work can sometimes border on the farcical, I found that this novel had just the right amount of whimsy and David's trademark "tongue-in-cheek" style. He managed to strike the perfect tone for a story that is both serious and amusing. Like a lot of PAD's works, The Captain's Daughter has a certain amount of heart, making for a sentimental yet fun read.

Further resources:

• Podcast: Literary Treks 58: You're a Baby Daddy, Sulu!

Also by Peter David:

• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Vendetta (1991)
• Star Trek #57: The Rift (1991)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Imzadi (1992)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #2: The Siege (1993)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q-Squared (1995)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Triangle: Imzadi II (1999)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: I,Q with John deLancie (1999)
• Star Trek: New Frontier: Gateways, Book 6: Cold Wars (2001)
• "New Frontier: Death After Life" from Star Trek: Gateways, Book 7: What Lay Beyond (2001)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor (2007)
• Star Trek: New Frontier: Blind Man's Bluff (2011)
• Star Trek: New Frontier: The Returned, Part 1 (2015)
• Star Trek: New Frontier: The Returned, Part 2 (2015)
• Star Trek: New Frontier: The Returned, Part 3 (2015)

My next read:

At the moment, I'm reading the new release for February: the much-anticipated continuation of the Voyager "relaunch," Kirsten Beyer's Protectors!

Release Day! Voyager: Protectors

The new release for this month is the much-anticipated continuation of Kirsten Beyer's stellar Voyager series: Protectors. Since the release of Full Circle nearly five years ago, Beyer's take on the Voyager "relaunch" has been a highlight of the Trek novel line.

Below, find the cover, back-cover blurb, and links for purchasing Voyager: Protectors.

And, as always, enjoy!

My Review of Protectors

Publisher's description:

Following the destruction of four fleet vessels at the hands of the Omega Continuum, the U.S.S. Voyager and U.S.S. Demeter set course for a region of the Delta Quadrant far beyond any­thing previously explored. Captain Chakotay is determined to prove to Starfleet Command that the fleet’s ongoing mission is vital to Federation interests . . . and the key to doing so may lie in a distress call Voyager received nine years earlier but could not investigate. 

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway is recalled to the Alpha Quadrant for an evaluation period to determine her next assignment. Given the trauma she has recently endured, Admiral Akaar, Starfleet’s commander in chief, is questioning Janeway’s fitness to command the fleet. Janeway’s primary concern remains the fleet’s safety— for their mission to continue, she must find a way to secure the resources they require. But the uncertainty of her superior officers has left her powerless to act in their best interests.

Purchase Voyager: Protectors:

Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk 

E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Previous Release: The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms

Next Release: Titan: Absent Enemies (e-book)

A TON of new Star Trek book news!

Wow! Talk about a wealth of new information about upcoming Star Trek titles! Let's get right to it!

One of my "must listen" podcasts is Literary Treks, from the good people over at Trek.fm! Every week, Matthew Rushing and Christopher Jones discuss the latest developments in Star Trek novels and comics. Often, they feature interviews with the authors or other people in the Trek publishing industry. Well, this past week, they had Margaret Clark on, the editor who works on the Trek book line. And wow did she have a lot of information to dish!

First up, there are a few announcements of new books coming in 2014. In October, we have the next installment of Kirsten Beyer's Voyager series, much sooner than expected! Look for Acts of Contrition to hit the shelves on or around September 30th.

Clark also spoke briefly about the upcoming TNG novel, The Light Fantastic, the follow-up to David Mack's excellent Cold Equations trilogy. The Light Fantastic should be available towards the end of June.

Two more announcements: December's release is an as-yet-untitled novel from the TOS movie era by Greg Cox. And, in another exciting piece of news, John Jackson Miller will be returning to the Trek book arena following his release of Titan: Absent Enemies next month. In 2015, look for a full-size novel by Miller, featuring Captain Ezri Dax and the USS Aventine! I'm very excited about this one.

John Jackson Miller returns with a novel about Captain Dax and the Aventine. 

On Christopher L. Bennett's blog, he has announced the next two novels in the Rise of the Federation series! In 2015, we will get book three, tentatively titled Uncertain Logic. After that comes the fourth book in the series, as yet unnamed.

The return of Department of Temporal Investigations! Yay!

On the e-book front, we have several new announcements that are all very interesting! First of all, possibly coming later in 2014, we have a new entry in Department of Temporal Investigations! Also announced on CLB's blog, this will be the third entry in this quirky series. While not a full novel, Bennett describes it as a "hefty" e-book novella at 35,000 words. Long-time readers will know how much I enjoyed the first two entries in the series. I am very excited by this news!

Other e-book novellas coming in the next two years include a Deep Space Nine e-book titled Lust, Latinum, Lost and Found by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann. This sounds like a fun title, in which Quark realizes he is not the only game in town in the spacious new DS9. In the story, he attempts to get his hands on a copy of the new Vulcan Love Slave. No, this is not a joke, and yes, it sounds like a heck of a lot of fun!

Also revealed by Margaret Clark on the latest Literary Treks is an e-book novella called Q Are Cordially Uninvited, a story about Q and the wedding of Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard. The author has not yet been revealed. More on this as it develops!


With these announcements, the 2014 schedule is now complete:

January:
The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice by Dayton Ward

February:
Voyager: Protectors by Kirsten Beyer
Titan: Absent Enemies by John Jackson Miller (e-book)

March:
The Original Series: No Time Like the Past by Greg Cox

April:
Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel by Christopher L. Bennett
The Original Series: Seasons of Light and Darkness by Michael A. Martin (e-book)

May:
The Original Series: Serpents in the Garden by Jeff Mariotte

June:
The Lost Era: One Constant Star by David R. George III

July:
The Next Generation: The Light Fantastic by Jeffrey Lang
The Original Series: The More Things Change by Scott Pearson (e-book)

August:
Seekers #1: Second Nature by David Mack

September:
Seekers #2: Point of Divergence by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore

October:
Voyager: Acts of Contrition by Kirsten Beyer
The Original Series: Shadow of the Machine by Scott Harrison (e-book)

November:
Section 31: Disavowed by David Mack

December:
The Original Series: Untitled by Greg Cox

January 2015:
The Next Generation: Home Again by Una McCormack

As-Yet Unscheduled:
Deep Space Nine: Lust, Latinum, Lost and Found by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann (e-book)
Department of Temporal Investigations: The Collectors by Christopher L. Bennett (e-book)
The Next Generation: Q Are Cordially Uninvited by unknown (e-book)


As I said, lots of new news! If you haven't checked out Literary Treks yet, you most definitely should. It's a really great podcast, and Matthew and Christopher do an excellent job each week providing news, interviews, and reviews of works from all over the Star Trek literary landscape! In particular, make sure you listen to the latest episode with Margaret Clark, entitled "Tell Me a Good Story." Not only is there a lot of new news there, it was very enlightening about the process of publishing Star Trek novels. Behind-the-scenes information is always fun!

As always, use my 2014 Releases page to keep track of the new releases in Trek fiction. Also, I've just started my 2015 Releases page! There's not much on there yet, but it will be updated as more information is known.

Until next time, live long and prosper!

Cover for Jeff Mariotte's Serpents in the Garden

Pocket Books' latest Star Trek cover has been unveiled:

Early in his five-year mission commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk found himself caught up in a growing conflict on the planet Neural. To maintain the balance of power against a force being armed by the Klingons, he provided weapons to his friends, the Hill People. Years later, Admiral Kirk learns that the Klingon presence on the planet has grown considerably, in possible violation of the Treaty of Organia. Did his impulse as a young captain turn out disastrously wrong? Should he—could he—have done more to eliminate the Klingon threat? To find out, he embarks on a secret mission back to Neural—where he might just be the only person who can prevent an interstellar war.

Serpents in the Garden is a follow-up to the TOS episode "A Private Little War," and sees a movie-era return to the planet Neural. Serpents in the Garden is set to be released at the end of April. Click the links below to pre-order it!

Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk