Starting DS9 Relaunch

I just finished the first DS9 relaunch omnibus and have the second ready to go. Congrats on a great tale with H&I - loved it!

I am SO impressed with the relaunch so far. I just bought the new DS9 novel and I don't know if I can hold off skipping to it once I finish Omnibus #2. It's calling me!

 

Thanks very much! Glad you liked it!

 

To those of you who don't know what to pick up, what's integral, etc...

I like to pretend it's all integral. Even though I am the ULTIMATE sucker when it comes to falling for marketing tricks, I'm the kind of continuity nut who likes to put everything in order and read it over again.

If you want some "essential" reading, however...that is, stuff that gets mentioned later...you might want to look into the S.C.E. books that tie in to DS9's relaunch. The very first story, Cold Fusion, is pretty integral and flows right from Avatar to Section 31. Aftermath isn't really referenced, but Malefictorum, Lost Time and Wounds all feature DS9 characters. I'd also recommend checking out Kira's first visit to the Captain's Table.

Other things that aren't very integral at all, but still worthy DS9 tales in their own right: The N-Vector comics and the Divided We Fall comics, A Stitch In Timeand The Lives of Dax.

Stuff that contains cameos/stuff that's not nearly as important: Diplomatic Implausibility mentions DS9 through Worf, who is acting as the Klingon ambassador. He gets a message from Dax and replies to it. Maximum Warp actually takes place prior to Avatar, with cameos of Jast and other members of the crew. They were doing something for 3 months, after all!

What can I say? I'm nuts about this stuff. But I also hate being limited in my post-series material. There's still more out there that I haven't read, and it makes me happy. I actually haven't read a couple of those S.C.E. stories or The Final Artifact...but I'm hunting them down!

I like a series that accounts for every moment that goes by, and shows the organic nature of life, and how every event affects everything that follows it. So yeah...three months go by before things get interesting with those characters and locales again? Nuts to that.

So uh...that's all for now. Peace.

 

I love the DS9 relaunch, but haven't been able to read any farther than Demons of Air and Darkness because of an inability to find the first two books in the Mission Gamma miniseries or the final book of the Gateways series. With the release of These Haunted Seas, which I picked up two days ago, I can now read the entire MG mini, but still don't have access to 'Horn and Ivory', so I'm wondering something: is it absolutely essential to read H&I in order to understand what's going on in the first two books of Mission: Gamma, or do I need to wait until I can pick up Twist of Faith?

 

It's not "absolutely essential" to understand what follows, but it is a significant part of Kira's character arc in the Relaunch.

 

I was forced to skip "Horn and Ivory" when I went through the relaunch a few years ago because I couldn't find "What Lay Beyond" anywhere for some reason. I just dove into Mission Gamma and figured out what was going on pretty quickly. Much later I finally found and read it...a terrific story, but if you have no way to read it you'll be able to move on without too much trouble. Definitely keep looking, though.

 

You could always pick up the eBook if it's still out there? It's not a long story by any means so even if you're not a fan of the format it wouldn't be a big deal.

 

I got lucky with Horn and Ivory - I had no access to it at all for about 2 years and wasn't really willing to buy What Lay Beyond as I had no interest in most of the other tales. Then about a fortnight ago WLB just popped up from nowhere in my local library! I still haven't read it yet, but it's next on the list after I re-read Demons...

 

In regards to essential reading for the relaunch; would 'The Left Hand of Destiny' be classed as a must-read. I'm currently reading 'Demons of Air and Darkness', and so if it is required, what point in the book order would be the best time to read it?
I know that chronologically it is set before 'Avatar', but as I started 'Avatar' first, I want to make sure that if this book is required, I read it at the right point.

 

The publication order would place it between Rising Son and Unity, but I personally felt that that order screwed up the story momentum establised in RS and Lesser Evil. I would recommend that you read TLHoD after Unity and before Worlds of DS9, as IMHO the Klingon-centric story fits in better thematically with WoDS9. YMMV.

 

I haven't read LHoD at all, and I don't feel as though I have missed anything. I always figured I'd get around to it eventually, or I'd read it if another Relaunch book involved the Klingons much. So far, none has.

 

I don't think they've really referred back to the story, at least not that I noticed, so I would say you can read it at pretty much any time you like. I don't think I read it until after I'd already read Unity and at least the first WoDS9 book.

 

^^That's when I read it, too. I can't recall them referring back to it either, but that doesn't discount the fact that it's a must-read Klingon epic on its own.

 

Agreed, if you like the Klingons at all you really need to read the story. I just remembered that I think it is referred back to in A Time For War, A Time For Peace, and I think I've heard people talking about it in relation to the IKS Gorkon/Klingon Empire books.

 

I'd have to read it again to really tell you, but TLHoD does serve as an explanation of what Worf is up to before Diplomatic Implausibility...not that that book is particularly relevant to the relaunch, but it does tie in a bit more directly. And after that, we don't really see Worf.

 

Frankly, I don't consider Left Hand of Destiny to be DS9-R at all, despite the title and logo.

I would lump it in with Diplomatic Implausibility and the Gorkon/Klingon Empire books, myself.

 

What Lay Beyond can be found at half.com.

http://product.half.ebay.com/Gateways_W0QQprZ1886191QQtgZinfo

They have several copies new and used.

 

I'm glad to hear that TLHoD is not essential to the relaunch. The Klingon stories out there have never really appealed to me. I've always found the Romulans more interesting. That being said, I loved Lang's "Section 31: Abyss," so I may pick up TLHoD after I complete the remaining DS9-R books. I finished "Unity" last week and am waiting for the three "Worlds" books to arrive to continue my DS9-R exploration.

 

While the Klingons never really appealed to me, I really, really enjoyed The Left Hand of Destiny. It is very well written and enjoyable to follow.

That being said, the others are right, so far, it has not tied into any of the other relaunch books. Additionally, I think the timeline puts it before, or at best, concurrent with Avatar.