Well, I'm not really a Niner, but I know the storyline and character. So I was at the library today, thought "what the heck", and grabbed Twist of Faith and Prophecy and Change. So, since Twist of Faith is an omnibus of DS9 relaunch, I wanted other people's opinions on how they liked it. I might just become a Niner convert after reading these books!
It's good to see a newcomer willing to try out the DS9-R. Well, I have all the relaunch novels so far and I think they are a great continuation of the series. New characters like Commander Vaughn (the new XO), Shar (the new Andorian science officer), and Taran'atar (the Jem'Hadar observer) really grow on you, and you do care for them. But those who left DS9 in the finale aren't completely out of the picture. O'Brien, Worf, Odo, etc. all pop up at various points throughout the novels, sometimes when you don't expect it. The Twist of Faith omnibus contains the first five stories (four novels and one short story) in the relaunch so it's good that you're starting there. Well I hope you enjoy them. Let us know your thoughts as you read on.
Thanks for that. Right now I'm reading Q&A, then I'll read Before Dishonor, both of which I'm re-reading just for kicks, then I'm gonna start on Twist of Faith. Expect to hear back within a day.
I just discovered the DS9-R myself about a month ago. DS9 was never my favorite of the Trek shows. I grew up watching TOS and TNG. I picked up "Twist of Faith" on a whim, and I was entirely sucked in! The Avatar books are some of the best Star Trek novels I've ever read, up there with Bennett's "Ex Machina." Since then, I have gone back to rewatch DS9, and have picked up and read the three Terok Nor novels. In the past month I've read 8 DS9/Terok Nor novels, and each and every one of them have been satisfying and interesting. I'm currently finishing up Book 2 of "Mission: Gamma" in my copy of "These Haunted Seas," and I'm hunting for book three. It's interesting reading these novels, especially compared with Star Trek novels of the late 80s/early 90s. While there were some good stories there, there was little sense of awe or impact. Knowing that the characters in the relaunch can change or be affected by the events they experience adds a definite degree of excitement and interest. So, in short, enjoy the relaunch. I know I am!
I've loved the DS9 Relaunch since I first started reading it 3 or 4 years ago. In fact, it was reading the DS9R that actually first got me to move beyond New Frontier, which was the first Trek I ever read. It really does an absoultely perfect job of capturing the feel of the show and moving it's plotlines forwards. They also brought in alot of really great characters to replace the people who moved on in the series finale, my personal favorites are Prynn Tenmei (the Defiant's navigator), Shar (the Andorian science officer) and Elias Vaughn (the new XO). Not only are they a really great fit for the series, but they also bring about some really interesting new plotlines.
Hi everyone I've just got into the relaunch series in the last couple of weeks myself. Flew through both Avatar books, and I've got myself the Section 31 series next... I wasn't planning on reading the Gateways series (at least, not at the moment), but I was wondering if by skipping it, I'd be missing any major plot points to the relaunch series?
The relaunch is good stuff, although I'm not too crazy about the Shar or Ezri plot lines. And it seems to me as if they picked Macet just to make comparisons to Dukat. I don't necessarily disagree with the choice, but I do wonder if it wouldn't have been better just to pick a different Cardassian to fill that role.
I'd really recommend reading just the DS9 entry, with its short novel resolution in book 7, because some important stuff does happen and it's just generally a great story. It might bother you that you won't figure out what's Really Going On unless you read the TNG entries, but it's not that important (the DS9 book and followup definitely stand alone) and the rest of the Gateways series is pretty skippable.
For what it's worth, I've been reading Star Trek books since the early 1970s, and I think the DS9 relaunch is one of the best things to happen in the history of Star Trek novels. It's a combination of a number of factors that make it so special. First, there's DS9 itself, a series that was about deeper exploration of cultures than the other Trek formats allowed for, and a series that allowed for a richer variety of supporting characters (not just Federation starship crew). DS9 also had writers who'd worked on TNG and grown up on TOS, so they were fans of the Star Trek universe and made the most of the opportunity to look at it in a different way. DS9 also had the most character change and growth of any ST series; its core regulars went through some major changes, and many of the seemingly minor supporting characters became very important parts of the show. The novelists take a similar approach, and took advantage of the changes to the series status quo at the end of "What You Leave Behind" to introduce new characters and situations while remaining entirely true to the feel of the TV series. The characters we knew from TV continue to go through changes, and the new characters soon become as familiar and well-rounded as the TV characters. The books balance a variety of story arcs just as the series did, and manage to blend suspense, adventure, humour, relationship drama, and action just as the TV series did. It's good stuff.
But you got some really cool stories you might never have read. (I heard of some people who just skimmed their favourite series' entry in a "Borders" coffee shop and put it back on the shelf.) Or, you could have bought the "Gateways: What Lay Beyond" audio book. It works quite well as a standalone collection of interesting tales about Star Trek captains.
Sure. It's 240 mins total. But they are novellas in "What Lay Beyond" anyway, and I never sat down to do a blow by blow comparison. Simon & Schuster only did abridged ST. The only commercially-available unabridged ST audios are from Recorded Books (the "Vulcan's Soul" trilogy) and the version of "Nemesis" done by Sound Library/BBC Audiobooks America. (S&S's "Nemesis" was abridged.)
No, it was a novella, and a separate tale from Demons of Air and Darkness -- in fact, I wrote H&I several months after I wrote DOAAD....
Both Demons of Air and Darkness and Horn and Ivory are reprinted in the Twist of Faith omnibus, and they're the only Gateways-related volumes you need to read in order to follow the DS9 Relaunch. But those two volumes are entirely integral to the DS9 continuity and should definitely not be skipped.
I picked this up and am really enjoying it. The only character I'm unsure about is Vaughn but it's early days yet.
I agree wholeheartedly! It's a very exciting time for Trek lit, and I'm buying more of the latest books than every before.