DS9 Relaunch - Help?

[bterrik]

Hey all,

I just finished watching DS9. I know, I'm a little behind the times! Absolutely fantastic! But, unlike any of the other series for me, I felt like I want and need more time with the characters. I felt that although the series had ended, there is so much potential for new stories!

So, I've decided to embark on a reading of the DS9 post-finale books. I didn't think this would be a tough task, but I was wrong! I made some progress in sorting a list out, but trying to pick it up at this stage is difficult. My one bright spot is that my local library seems to have a rather robust Science Fiction section. I found a DS9 relaunch book list on Amazon, and I am able to get most of the books from there in the library. The others on the list I will have to buy, but so be it. One can't own too many books!

However, where I need help is in filling in any missing books from the list (it seemed like it hadn't been updated in a bit - I filled in a few books from my memory) and to sort the list into a reading order.

I, of course, would take recommendations on non-DS9 relaunch books that will help fill in the timeline, but alas, I'm not sure I'm ready to embark on reading *all* the post-Trek series finale novels yet! Although I'll make a special exception for anything Dax-related...

Anyway, here's the list I have. Any help adding (or subtracting) books and sorting them into a reading order would be greatly appreciated!

What You Leave Behind
Left Hand of Destiny 1 and 2
The Lives of Dax
Diplomatic Implausibility
A Stitch in Time
Avatar 1 and 2
Rising Son
Section 31: Abyss
Demons of Air and Darkness
Twilight Mission Gamma 1
This Gray Spirit MG 2
Cathedral MG 3
Lesser Evil MG 4
Unity
Worlds of Star Trek DS9: Cardassia and Andor
World of Star Trek DS9: Trill and Bajor
World of Star Trek DS9: The Dominion and Ferenginar
Warpath
Fearful Symmetry
Destiny: Gods of Night
Destiny: Mere Mortals
Destiny: Lost Souls

Help me to take my first steps into a world you all have had the opportunity to enjoy

 

[Ó Méith]

I would suggest that you add the Terok Nor trilogy, Prophcy and Change which is a anthology and contains a further post - finle Garek Story.

Folowing on from Fearful symertry their is The Soul Key, and then the Never Ending Sacrifice which starts around season 2 and continues into the post - finale time line.

As for the Destiny trilogy, it does contain some charcters fom DS9 but is set years later then the rest of the books.

I would suggest you use chronological order for the books, as found in the FAQ.

 

[DevilEyes]

The Lives Of Dax (anthology), A Stitch in Time and The Never-Ending Sacrifice are side stories that aren't really that connected to the rest of the relaunch books plots, so it doesn't really matter much when you read them. But I definitely suggest you read them, because they are great. TNES is still available from Amazon, the other two are not in stock, so you'll probably have to look at some used books store, or look for eBooks online. I'm not sure about The Left Hand of Destiny since I haven't read it yet, but I think it's also a side story about the Klingons that takes place immediately after the finale of DS9.

The rest of the relaunch books should be read in the order they were published.
Avatar 1/2
Abyss
Demons of Air and Darkness
Horn and Ivory (novella, first printed in "Gateways: What Lay Beyond" and later in the Twist of Faith omnibus)
Mission Gamma 1: Twilight
Mission Gamma 2: This Gray Spirit
Mission Gamma 3: Cathedral
Mission Gamma 4: Lesser Evil
Rising Son
Unity
Worlds of Star Trek DS9: Cardassia and Andor
World of Star Trek DS9: Trill and Bajor
World of Star Trek DS9: The Dominion and Ferenginar
Warpath
Fearful Symmetry
The Soul Key


The easiest way to start with the relaunch is to get the omnibus books:
Twist of Faith (the first 5 books: Avatar 1/2, Abyss, Demons of Air and Darkness, Horn and Ivory)
These Haunted Seas (the first two Mission Gamma books: Twilight and This Gray Spirit)
Both are still in stock and can be ordered from Amazon.

Unfortunately the next books (MG3 and 4, Rising Son, Unity) haven't been reprinted, so you'll probably have to look for used books or eBooks. I'm not sure about The Worlds of Deep Space Nine, some of them may be available from Amazon and some may be temporarily out of stock. Warpath, Fearful Symmetry and The Soul Key are still in stock, as is TNES.

As for the related books: Terok Nor trilogy is a prequel to DS9, it is about the Occupation of Bajor and spans some 50 years. I suggest you read it because it is awesome. And it's still available for direct order from Amazon.

Prophecy and Change is an anthology of DS9-related short stories, most of which take place during the timeline of the show. They're good, but not necessary and there's nothing Earth-shattering there. However, the last story, "The Calling" by Andrew Robinson, is his sequel to A Stitch In Time, and takes place a few years after the rest of the relaunch books. Obviously, you should by no means try to read it before ASIT, but even after having read it, it can be quite confusing, because there are a lot of references to things that have apparently happened in the stage play The Dream Box, which Robinson also wrote and played with Alexander Siddig at conventions, and which hasn't been printed or recorded anywhere, as far as I know.

(edit: I should also mention that A Stitch in Time, apart from Garak's life story as told by him, deals with the fate of post-Dominion Cardassia; and "The Calling" introduces a few big revelations about events on Cardassia in the few years after ASIT, and since it's set in 2380, this means that the rest of the DS9 relaunch has still to catch up with it, as the rest of the relaunch is set in 2376, within a year after the finale of DS9.)

 

[Thrawn]

^ Outstanding answer.

I second the recommendation to start with the two omnibuses - Twist Of Faith and These Haunted Seas. They'll make your life a lot easier! After that, it gets a little tough to track things down, but it's worth it.

Destiny takes place waaaay after the last chronological book in the DS9 post-finale novels; I think The Soul Key is in early 2377 and Destiny is in early 2381! But the next new DS9 book will make that time jump as well, and be set after Destiny, so your plan to read the post-finale books and then Destiny is a good one.

 

[JD]

Diplomatic Implausibility is actually a TNG book, so it really doesn't tie in to the DS9R at all. It does set up KRAD's IKS Gorkon/Klingon Empire series though, and I believe that series also ties into the LHoD. It's baisically the pilot for the series, which wasn't actually given it's own title until the third story featuring it's characters.

 

[ryan123450]

Also, no need to read What You Left Behind since you've already just watched it.

You could read Diplomatic Implausability if you want to read the adventures of Ambassador Worf. Another great one to read on this topic is TNG: A Time for War, a Time for Peace which is Ambassador Worf's final adventure.

Go ahead and read Destiny if you don't mind knowing what is going to end up happening in all the post-finale stories (TNG, Titan, Voyager) and a side story which takes place later in the Enterprise post-finale series. If you do read Destiny, then afterwards you have two Dax related stories: A Singular Destiny and one of the upcoming Typhon Pact novels. Another of the four Typhon Pact novels will be the newest DS9-relaunch entry, with the other two being TNG and Titan books.

 

[bterrik]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I've gotten started, having read The Lives of Dax and Avatar 1 and 2 so far and I loved them.

Going to head back to the library tomorrow and pick up Abyss and Demons of Air and Darkness at the least.