Greetings Earthlings. I have been a long-time lurker around these parts and I decided it's time for me to start contributing some content. What better time than now? I recently came into possession of some 300 Star Trek novels and in due time I will read the entire Star Trek literary canon. I'm not starting anywhere specific for a particular reason, but I am eagerly awaiting Avatar Book 1 to arrive in the mail so I can begin reading into the relaunch portion of the series ASAP. Recommendations for future novels you think I should read are most welcome. TNG and DS9 are my favourite shows but they all are good in my book. I have seen every episode of every series at least 5 times but have only ever read the first few New Frontier novels as a kid. And so, deciding to skip the novelization of Emissary for now, I have picked up #2 in the DS9 series, The Siege, by the inimitable Mr. Peter David.
Legend
***** = Outstanding
**** = Great
*** = Good
** = Average
* = Sub-Par
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - #2 - The Siege - Peter David
***
Peter David prefaces this novel with a bit of a caveat emptor, saying that he had only seen the first five episodes of Season One prior to writing this book, which he did in just a few weeks! While the characterizations are not perfect they are still surprisingly accurate (credence to the DS9 writers bible I suppose), with perhaps the one glaring exception being Odo. Both in his abilities and his demeanor, this Odo seems a little different than the one we know, but the only real distraction is when he constantly refers to Sisko as “Sisko” rather than the more formal and familiar title of “Commander”. The novel speaks of Odo’s problems with authority, but that really doesn’t hold up well seeing how Odo himself is a figure of authority. This inner-conflict is manifested in the aforementioned awkward exchanges with Sisko, which at times make the good Constable seem out of character. Also, Odo’s shape shifting abilities are a little too powerful here, which makes his actions scenes feel more at home in a comic book than in a paperback (or for that matter, on the TV show). Nevertheless, even though Odo is the main focus of the story and his shape shifting abilities play a crucial role in the plot, the discontinuity and apocrypha are nowhere near enough to make this novel a poor outing. In fact, the characterizations and the story tones fit remarkably well into Season One, hitting all the familiar elements we enjoy seeing on the screen.
The A plot of The Siege is Odo trying to capture a serial killer who is hunting people seemingly at random around the station after the wormhole malfunctions and causes several ships to be stranded at Deep Space Nine. As soon as the first victim is found DS9 goes on lockdown and nobody is allowed to leave or enter. This causes all sorts of intrigue after more murders occur and several parties demand answers and insist on conducting their own investigations. While this serial killer plot is nothing original, and is rife with clichés like blood writing dripping from the wall, it is indeed a suspenseful turn by Peter David as he weaves the various plotlines until they come to a head with his perhaps trademark comic-book styled ending. He adds the welcome elements of action, humor, and horror to Star Trek storytelling, which serves both this novel and the Deep Space Nine universe quite well.
The B plot of The Siege is Bashir trying to save Rasa, the son of Edemian religious leader Mas Marko, from a deadly virus that is draining the life energy from his fragile body. The Edemians were on their way to the Gamma Quadrant as missionaries to spread the word of their deity K’olkr, of whom they attribute all great things in life such as destinies and fate. Due to Mas Marko’s deep religious fidelity to the will of K'olkr, he does not allow his son to get medical treatment. This refusal of medical aid because of religious reasoning is somewhat of an allegory to the Mormon faith, and David develops a comical and satirical portrayal of the followers of K'olkr that reflects the earnestness as much as the misguidedness of their beliefs. This plot line also reminds me of the Babylon 5 episode “Believers”, another series in which Peter David wrote for, but the publication of this novel seems to be a year before that early B5 episode.
The C plot of The Siege is Quark’s old business associate Glav coming aboard the station not to seek revenge against Quark for causing his bankruptcy, but to actually purchase DS9 with his new found fortunes. This ties in well with the other plot lines, along with a foreboding visit from the Cardassians, and a thread about Chief O’Brien fumbling around trying to figure out how to perform magic tricks for Molly’s upcoming birthday party. There was also a brief Borg appearance, but other than demonstrating that the wormhole is non-operational due to “sub-space compression”, their cameo seems to be more kitchen sink than we really needed. That ship could have easily been a Bajoran vessel or a Gamma Quadrant visitor, but perhaps David is making a slight acknowledgement to one of his earlier Trek outings about the Borg, the unnumbered TNG "Giant Novel" Vendetta.
What really makes The Siege come together and elevate its quality to above average is the way it accurately depicts the early tones of the show, especially the ethical dilemma of the Bashir story and how Mas Marko ties in with Odo’s murder investigation. As for being the first original Deep Space Nine novel one could not have really asked for much more from Peter David, except perhaps using Odo in less of a super-hero role and making him act more like a detective than a supernatural being. This would have evened-out the characterizations as well as made the novel more consistent with the subsequent episodes. Also, Kira and Dax seem to be portrayed as relatively thin characters in The Siege, but their memorable nude scene in Quark’s holosuite more than makes up for their diminished roles in the novel (even if such a concept would later be ruled out by the Season Three DS9 episode “Meridian”). Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I could easily picture in my mind’s eye as being a filmed episode with only a few minor adjustments here and there. Peter David is clearly a talented author who knows Star Trek, and what stands out most about his writing is his knack for humor. While there were a couple swings and misses that were really quite groan-inducing, most of the witty dialogue David writes is actually funnier than the comedy we see on the show. Overall, this is a solid novel that uses the DS9 characters and setting in a believable way that actually adds to the oeuvre that is Season One of Deep Space Nine.
Up next is #3 in the Deep Space Nine series, cyberpunk author and Dick enthusiast K.W. Jeter’s Bloodletter…
(review coming soon…)
Legend
***** = Outstanding
**** = Great
*** = Good
** = Average
* = Sub-Par
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - #2 - The Siege - Peter David
***
Peter David prefaces this novel with a bit of a caveat emptor, saying that he had only seen the first five episodes of Season One prior to writing this book, which he did in just a few weeks! While the characterizations are not perfect they are still surprisingly accurate (credence to the DS9 writers bible I suppose), with perhaps the one glaring exception being Odo. Both in his abilities and his demeanor, this Odo seems a little different than the one we know, but the only real distraction is when he constantly refers to Sisko as “Sisko” rather than the more formal and familiar title of “Commander”. The novel speaks of Odo’s problems with authority, but that really doesn’t hold up well seeing how Odo himself is a figure of authority. This inner-conflict is manifested in the aforementioned awkward exchanges with Sisko, which at times make the good Constable seem out of character. Also, Odo’s shape shifting abilities are a little too powerful here, which makes his actions scenes feel more at home in a comic book than in a paperback (or for that matter, on the TV show). Nevertheless, even though Odo is the main focus of the story and his shape shifting abilities play a crucial role in the plot, the discontinuity and apocrypha are nowhere near enough to make this novel a poor outing. In fact, the characterizations and the story tones fit remarkably well into Season One, hitting all the familiar elements we enjoy seeing on the screen.
The A plot of The Siege is Odo trying to capture a serial killer who is hunting people seemingly at random around the station after the wormhole malfunctions and causes several ships to be stranded at Deep Space Nine. As soon as the first victim is found DS9 goes on lockdown and nobody is allowed to leave or enter. This causes all sorts of intrigue after more murders occur and several parties demand answers and insist on conducting their own investigations. While this serial killer plot is nothing original, and is rife with clichés like blood writing dripping from the wall, it is indeed a suspenseful turn by Peter David as he weaves the various plotlines until they come to a head with his perhaps trademark comic-book styled ending. He adds the welcome elements of action, humor, and horror to Star Trek storytelling, which serves both this novel and the Deep Space Nine universe quite well.
The B plot of The Siege is Bashir trying to save Rasa, the son of Edemian religious leader Mas Marko, from a deadly virus that is draining the life energy from his fragile body. The Edemians were on their way to the Gamma Quadrant as missionaries to spread the word of their deity K’olkr, of whom they attribute all great things in life such as destinies and fate. Due to Mas Marko’s deep religious fidelity to the will of K'olkr, he does not allow his son to get medical treatment. This refusal of medical aid because of religious reasoning is somewhat of an allegory to the Mormon faith, and David develops a comical and satirical portrayal of the followers of K'olkr that reflects the earnestness as much as the misguidedness of their beliefs. This plot line also reminds me of the Babylon 5 episode “Believers”, another series in which Peter David wrote for, but the publication of this novel seems to be a year before that early B5 episode.
The C plot of The Siege is Quark’s old business associate Glav coming aboard the station not to seek revenge against Quark for causing his bankruptcy, but to actually purchase DS9 with his new found fortunes. This ties in well with the other plot lines, along with a foreboding visit from the Cardassians, and a thread about Chief O’Brien fumbling around trying to figure out how to perform magic tricks for Molly’s upcoming birthday party. There was also a brief Borg appearance, but other than demonstrating that the wormhole is non-operational due to “sub-space compression”, their cameo seems to be more kitchen sink than we really needed. That ship could have easily been a Bajoran vessel or a Gamma Quadrant visitor, but perhaps David is making a slight acknowledgement to one of his earlier Trek outings about the Borg, the unnumbered TNG "Giant Novel" Vendetta.
What really makes The Siege come together and elevate its quality to above average is the way it accurately depicts the early tones of the show, especially the ethical dilemma of the Bashir story and how Mas Marko ties in with Odo’s murder investigation. As for being the first original Deep Space Nine novel one could not have really asked for much more from Peter David, except perhaps using Odo in less of a super-hero role and making him act more like a detective than a supernatural being. This would have evened-out the characterizations as well as made the novel more consistent with the subsequent episodes. Also, Kira and Dax seem to be portrayed as relatively thin characters in The Siege, but their memorable nude scene in Quark’s holosuite more than makes up for their diminished roles in the novel (even if such a concept would later be ruled out by the Season Three DS9 episode “Meridian”). Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I could easily picture in my mind’s eye as being a filmed episode with only a few minor adjustments here and there. Peter David is clearly a talented author who knows Star Trek, and what stands out most about his writing is his knack for humor. While there were a couple swings and misses that were really quite groan-inducing, most of the witty dialogue David writes is actually funnier than the comedy we see on the show. Overall, this is a solid novel that uses the DS9 characters and setting in a believable way that actually adds to the oeuvre that is Season One of Deep Space Nine.
Up next is #3 in the Deep Space Nine series, cyberpunk author and Dick enthusiast K.W. Jeter’s Bloodletter…
(review coming soon…)
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