I'm resurrecting this old thread of mine because my literary trek was put on hold by grad school and other time-consuming endeavours. What now seems like many moons ago, I acquired a metric-ton of Star Trek books and started getting these crazy ideas about reading them all. Life sort of got in the way, but now I'm ready to bear down and crack open a literal Pandora's Box of head-cannon. I'm thinking about reading 2 novels at once, at least for now, and this strategy seems to be paying off so far with the DS9 Relaunch and the A Time To... series. It's sort of like watching back-to-back TNG/DS9 reruns late at night back in the day. From what I gather, both DS9R and ATT are converging starting points for a post-TV continuity universe that drives the Star Trek narrative towards Destiny. I understand there are a few books published before DS9R and ATT that I should eventually return to (The Lives of Dax, A Stitch in Time... any others?), but for now I'm just diving right into the swing of things circa 2001 and 2004.
Avatar, Books One & Two - S.D. Perry
****
Unlike the very early DS9 novels I read a few years ago, these two books ring true with the series on every level. S.D. Perry has a decisive understanding of what Deep Space Nine is all about, and what the characters should sound like. These books very much read like the television show, it is very authentic, you can easily visualize the scenes and hear the voices in your head as the story unfolds. This style of writing is very effective for Star Trek and for this kind of story, but in general it does make for a rather light read overall. It also makes Avatar lack the gravitas of reaching Star Trek's most compelling heights of storytelling.
What I most enjoyed about Avatar was that the new characters to DS9 may very well have been the best part of the two novels. Vaughan, ch'Thane, Taran'atar, and Ro, were all very distinct and had intriguing motivations and perspectives that made me anticipate the next time Perry would bring the focus back on each and every one of them. Having Kira as the station commander was also a natural fit, and her decision to upload the prophecy for all Bajorans to see was a gutsy move that came with dire consequences, but it sure showed us that she is a woman of character and conviction. The direction of the new Kira arc is certainly something that has piqued my interest, unlike some critics of the show I've always found Bajoran religion and politics quite fascinating, so for me it's cool to see her character take on new layers of emotional depth and complexity regarding her relationship with Bajor and the Prophets.
For all the hype I've read online about Vaughan over the years I was admittedly a little disappointed by his role in the Avatar duology. His scenes on the Cardassian freighter towards the beginning were really good, but while he played an important part in the story as a whole, his characterization didn't exactly rise above pages like the legend I was expecting. Talk of his legend was definitely hinted at in the books themselves, so I feel there's more to come with Elias Vaughan. I certainly didn't dislike him, I'd just prefer to see what he can do rather than just hear rumours about it. I think he makes a good replacement for Sisko on the station, and his link to the Prophets has got me hooked to find out more.
Ro was a brilliant addition to the cast, and her interactions with Kira and Quark are perhaps the character highlights of the two Avatar books. She is a great replacement for Odo as Chief of Security in an ironic casting of Michelle Forbes' classic TNG troublemaker. The tension between Kira and Ro sort of reminded me of Talia Winters and Ivanova in the early seasons of Babylon 5, but something tells me there's isn't going to be any lesbian eroticism between the two Bajoran women. Quark's infatuation with Ro is also very well handled, and provides some good comic relief throughout. Quark's presence is well-appreciated too, since the Deep Space Nine depicted in the Avatar novels is quite grim and gritty (especially since the war is supposed to be over now), so the lightheartedness of Quark is very reminiscent of the TV series, as his comic antics were always juxtaposed with the harsh realities of war and death.
There is a lot of destruction throughout the Avatar duology, though the major action set-pieces in both novels were a little underwhelming to be honest, particularly the climactic sequence at the end of Book Two. I'm sure on screen some of this stuff might have played out a little more engagingly, but those scenes didn't flow as smoothly for me as the rest of the story. Also, it's pretty clear that Avatar as a story would have been better edited into one comprehensive novel, but as it stands, it's actually pretty neat being split up almost like a classic two-parter. The only real problem is that as individual books they are very much incomplete. Avatar Book One doesn't resolve anything by the end, and it would have been extremely unsatisfying if I didn't have Book Two immediately on hand. It was all setup with zero payoff, but it did manage to introduce the Relaunch, the new characters, and the current status of the station with great effectiveness.
The Avatar duology gets Four Stars from me, although I seriously considered knocking it down a little because it's just not as good as it could be. Still, as a Star Trek story, and more importantly as an ensemble Deep Space Nine story, it does its job of re-establishing the setting without a losing a modicum of immersion. The only real weakness was the depiction of Bashir/Ezri in Book One. They seemed somewhat juvenile together and their relationship wasn't that interesting to me. By Book Two things start to come together between them, and Ezri really begins to build as a character, and as an individual among all the lives that exist inside her. Her command experiences on the Defiant at the beginning of the duology is also noteworthy, although it was quite disheartening to see Tiris Jast die so soon in the series. I suppose it is a credit to S.D. Perry for making me so invested in Jast despite never having heard of her before reading Avatar. As individual books I would give each of them *** 1/2, but Avatar is a case where the sum is greater than the parts. I concur with the general consensus that Avatar is indeed a great entry-point into the TrekLit universe, and the ramifications of Taran'atar's presence on DS9 and Jake's mission to find his Dad has left me wanting to know more. I can't wait to crack open Section 31: Abyss!
A Time to Be Born - John Vornholt
*** 1/2
This book seems to be much maligned on the Internet, and its sequel seems to get just as much flak. When I was reading through the book there were times I could honestly tell why, but in my head it seemed like the character and dialogue inconsistencies with Picard were because this was movie-era Picard, not television Picard. I was happy to find out that reading A Time to Be Born and visualizing a TNG movie rather than a TNG episode really paid off. There were a lot of scenes that would have looked great on the big screen, even if Vornholt's descriptions of vortexes and swirling debris did eventually become a little tiresome. The movie-era aesthetic crystallized for me when Data was drifting in space in various states of malfunction. Vornholt captured the distinct tone of the movies very well, even though the movies themselves are a little wonky and uneven.
The tension and hostility between Captain Jill Leeden of the U.S.S. Juno and Captain Picard was also a real treat to see. There was never a question of their loyalties to one another as Starfleet captains, but their adversarial relationship helped build a drama from within as the situation in Rashanar spun out of control. The cat and mouse game with the Androssians among the wreckage leftover from a battle during the Dominion War was interesting enough, if a little perfunctory, but the intrigue is matched well with the mysterious motivations of the Ontailians, and the almost supernatural cosmic disturbances that are happening throughout the Rashanar Battle Site. Picard's loss of his yacht, the Calypso, seems a little distressing at first since we aren't used to seeing Picard falter, but such a mistake in a whirlwind of bizarre of events seems to be completely understandable by the time the plot moves forward back to Starfleet Heaquarters for Picard's court-martial hearing.
The case against Picard is intriguing because you can see the reasoning behind both arguments. The Medusan prosecutor Commodore Korgan is an amusing inclusion, as it is said that a non-humanoid lawyer might better represent a non-humanoid member of the Federation such as the Ontailians during the proceedings. The trouble with the Ontailians is that we don't know much about them yet. Vornholt has sort of sold them short so far, but he has certainly set up enough mystery around them that I am expecting some key puzzle pieces to be revealed in the second book, A Time to Die. What little description we get of the Ontailians is indeed quite excellent, I'm really hoping Vornholt will deliver on them in the sequel. Picard's attorney is none other than Admiral Nechayev, who is as hard-nosed as she always is (this time on Picard's side!), and she makes a concerted effort to defend Picard from these outrageous charges, but can't guarantee a favourable outcome.
The destruction of the Vuxhal and the U.S.S. Juno is something Picard simply can't be held responsible for. When he turned down the plea bargain I couldn't help but feel like he was drawing a line, only willing to admit negligence in losing the Calypso, and not an inch farther. Picard did admittedly seem like a little reckless to me on the bridge during those crucial moments, but he was operating on the trust of Data's analysis, something's he's come to rely on time and time again. Data's usage of the emotion chip further complicates matters, perhaps Picard really should have considered the android's emotional state and recent malfunction of memory before firing on what looked like the Ontailian vessel? It is a legitimate argument against him if there isn't any hard proof of the mimic ship(s?) that seems to be haunting the Rashanar graveyard. The introduction of Counselor Colleen Cabot is also a nice touch in a key part to the story, though she seems like she will play a larger role later on. I quite enjoyed her holodeck program of a log cabin on Georgian Bay in Canada, because I grew up having a cottage on Georgian Bay, so I knew exactly what tranquility such a place could bring.
The birth referenced in the title of this novel is that of Wesley Crusher. Wesley was never my favourite character, but he was tolerable most of the time, and he even had a few good stories here and there throughout TNG's run involving his boywonderdom and his subsequent fall from grace. In A Time to Be Born he becomes "re-born" as a fully fledged Traveller, and primarily spends the course of the novel observing the court room drama disguised as a non-descript Ensign named Brewster. The Traveller was also never one of my favourite characters, and while I can see the beginnings of this Wesley arc as veering into potentially dangerous territory rife with cliches and deus ex machinas, I enjoyed his presence in A Time to Be Born because he acted almost like a camera for the court proceedings and the various meetings between the admiralty. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Wesley, especially because Vornholt seems intent on keeping his supposed godlike powers in check.
Overall, A Time to Be Born was quite enjoyable and a quick read. Unlike Avatar Book One, this book had setup and payoff all in the same volume, while still leaving plenty of threads loose for wrapping up in A Time to Die and beyond. Vornholt's movie characterization of Picard can sometimes be a little off-putting to digest, and since the whole story is predicated upon Picard's "unusual" behaviors and actions, I can totally understand how some people may have a difficult time getting through it. While it's certainly not flawless, A Time to Be Born is still a fitting start to a series and makes me excited to keep on reading the continuing adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. Since I read it at the same time as the Avatar duology, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than either of the Avatar books individually, but it didn't quite satisfy me as much as Avatar did collectively. It might be more fair to re-evaluate them all after I've read A Time to Die, but this first ATT book at least felt like a complete story. Vornholt writes a good mystery and is well grounded in the lore of Star Trek, though he sometimes gets bogged down by descriptions of astronomical phenomena and meandering plotlines that get rehashed during the court sequence. I would rate this novel equally with Avatar as a good entry point into the Star Trek literary universe, as its positives far outweigh its negatives, and it starts to fill in the gaps between the TNG movies. Expectations are somewhat high for the next book, here's hoping the mystery pays off!
Avatar, Books One & Two - S.D. Perry
****
Unlike the very early DS9 novels I read a few years ago, these two books ring true with the series on every level. S.D. Perry has a decisive understanding of what Deep Space Nine is all about, and what the characters should sound like. These books very much read like the television show, it is very authentic, you can easily visualize the scenes and hear the voices in your head as the story unfolds. This style of writing is very effective for Star Trek and for this kind of story, but in general it does make for a rather light read overall. It also makes Avatar lack the gravitas of reaching Star Trek's most compelling heights of storytelling.
What I most enjoyed about Avatar was that the new characters to DS9 may very well have been the best part of the two novels. Vaughan, ch'Thane, Taran'atar, and Ro, were all very distinct and had intriguing motivations and perspectives that made me anticipate the next time Perry would bring the focus back on each and every one of them. Having Kira as the station commander was also a natural fit, and her decision to upload the prophecy for all Bajorans to see was a gutsy move that came with dire consequences, but it sure showed us that she is a woman of character and conviction. The direction of the new Kira arc is certainly something that has piqued my interest, unlike some critics of the show I've always found Bajoran religion and politics quite fascinating, so for me it's cool to see her character take on new layers of emotional depth and complexity regarding her relationship with Bajor and the Prophets.
For all the hype I've read online about Vaughan over the years I was admittedly a little disappointed by his role in the Avatar duology. His scenes on the Cardassian freighter towards the beginning were really good, but while he played an important part in the story as a whole, his characterization didn't exactly rise above pages like the legend I was expecting. Talk of his legend was definitely hinted at in the books themselves, so I feel there's more to come with Elias Vaughan. I certainly didn't dislike him, I'd just prefer to see what he can do rather than just hear rumours about it. I think he makes a good replacement for Sisko on the station, and his link to the Prophets has got me hooked to find out more.
Ro was a brilliant addition to the cast, and her interactions with Kira and Quark are perhaps the character highlights of the two Avatar books. She is a great replacement for Odo as Chief of Security in an ironic casting of Michelle Forbes' classic TNG troublemaker. The tension between Kira and Ro sort of reminded me of Talia Winters and Ivanova in the early seasons of Babylon 5, but something tells me there's isn't going to be any lesbian eroticism between the two Bajoran women. Quark's infatuation with Ro is also very well handled, and provides some good comic relief throughout. Quark's presence is well-appreciated too, since the Deep Space Nine depicted in the Avatar novels is quite grim and gritty (especially since the war is supposed to be over now), so the lightheartedness of Quark is very reminiscent of the TV series, as his comic antics were always juxtaposed with the harsh realities of war and death.
There is a lot of destruction throughout the Avatar duology, though the major action set-pieces in both novels were a little underwhelming to be honest, particularly the climactic sequence at the end of Book Two. I'm sure on screen some of this stuff might have played out a little more engagingly, but those scenes didn't flow as smoothly for me as the rest of the story. Also, it's pretty clear that Avatar as a story would have been better edited into one comprehensive novel, but as it stands, it's actually pretty neat being split up almost like a classic two-parter. The only real problem is that as individual books they are very much incomplete. Avatar Book One doesn't resolve anything by the end, and it would have been extremely unsatisfying if I didn't have Book Two immediately on hand. It was all setup with zero payoff, but it did manage to introduce the Relaunch, the new characters, and the current status of the station with great effectiveness.
The Avatar duology gets Four Stars from me, although I seriously considered knocking it down a little because it's just not as good as it could be. Still, as a Star Trek story, and more importantly as an ensemble Deep Space Nine story, it does its job of re-establishing the setting without a losing a modicum of immersion. The only real weakness was the depiction of Bashir/Ezri in Book One. They seemed somewhat juvenile together and their relationship wasn't that interesting to me. By Book Two things start to come together between them, and Ezri really begins to build as a character, and as an individual among all the lives that exist inside her. Her command experiences on the Defiant at the beginning of the duology is also noteworthy, although it was quite disheartening to see Tiris Jast die so soon in the series. I suppose it is a credit to S.D. Perry for making me so invested in Jast despite never having heard of her before reading Avatar. As individual books I would give each of them *** 1/2, but Avatar is a case where the sum is greater than the parts. I concur with the general consensus that Avatar is indeed a great entry-point into the TrekLit universe, and the ramifications of Taran'atar's presence on DS9 and Jake's mission to find his Dad has left me wanting to know more. I can't wait to crack open Section 31: Abyss!
A Time to Be Born - John Vornholt
*** 1/2
This book seems to be much maligned on the Internet, and its sequel seems to get just as much flak. When I was reading through the book there were times I could honestly tell why, but in my head it seemed like the character and dialogue inconsistencies with Picard were because this was movie-era Picard, not television Picard. I was happy to find out that reading A Time to Be Born and visualizing a TNG movie rather than a TNG episode really paid off. There were a lot of scenes that would have looked great on the big screen, even if Vornholt's descriptions of vortexes and swirling debris did eventually become a little tiresome. The movie-era aesthetic crystallized for me when Data was drifting in space in various states of malfunction. Vornholt captured the distinct tone of the movies very well, even though the movies themselves are a little wonky and uneven.
The tension and hostility between Captain Jill Leeden of the U.S.S. Juno and Captain Picard was also a real treat to see. There was never a question of their loyalties to one another as Starfleet captains, but their adversarial relationship helped build a drama from within as the situation in Rashanar spun out of control. The cat and mouse game with the Androssians among the wreckage leftover from a battle during the Dominion War was interesting enough, if a little perfunctory, but the intrigue is matched well with the mysterious motivations of the Ontailians, and the almost supernatural cosmic disturbances that are happening throughout the Rashanar Battle Site. Picard's loss of his yacht, the Calypso, seems a little distressing at first since we aren't used to seeing Picard falter, but such a mistake in a whirlwind of bizarre of events seems to be completely understandable by the time the plot moves forward back to Starfleet Heaquarters for Picard's court-martial hearing.
The case against Picard is intriguing because you can see the reasoning behind both arguments. The Medusan prosecutor Commodore Korgan is an amusing inclusion, as it is said that a non-humanoid lawyer might better represent a non-humanoid member of the Federation such as the Ontailians during the proceedings. The trouble with the Ontailians is that we don't know much about them yet. Vornholt has sort of sold them short so far, but he has certainly set up enough mystery around them that I am expecting some key puzzle pieces to be revealed in the second book, A Time to Die. What little description we get of the Ontailians is indeed quite excellent, I'm really hoping Vornholt will deliver on them in the sequel. Picard's attorney is none other than Admiral Nechayev, who is as hard-nosed as she always is (this time on Picard's side!), and she makes a concerted effort to defend Picard from these outrageous charges, but can't guarantee a favourable outcome.
The destruction of the Vuxhal and the U.S.S. Juno is something Picard simply can't be held responsible for. When he turned down the plea bargain I couldn't help but feel like he was drawing a line, only willing to admit negligence in losing the Calypso, and not an inch farther. Picard did admittedly seem like a little reckless to me on the bridge during those crucial moments, but he was operating on the trust of Data's analysis, something's he's come to rely on time and time again. Data's usage of the emotion chip further complicates matters, perhaps Picard really should have considered the android's emotional state and recent malfunction of memory before firing on what looked like the Ontailian vessel? It is a legitimate argument against him if there isn't any hard proof of the mimic ship(s?) that seems to be haunting the Rashanar graveyard. The introduction of Counselor Colleen Cabot is also a nice touch in a key part to the story, though she seems like she will play a larger role later on. I quite enjoyed her holodeck program of a log cabin on Georgian Bay in Canada, because I grew up having a cottage on Georgian Bay, so I knew exactly what tranquility such a place could bring.
The birth referenced in the title of this novel is that of Wesley Crusher. Wesley was never my favourite character, but he was tolerable most of the time, and he even had a few good stories here and there throughout TNG's run involving his boywonderdom and his subsequent fall from grace. In A Time to Be Born he becomes "re-born" as a fully fledged Traveller, and primarily spends the course of the novel observing the court room drama disguised as a non-descript Ensign named Brewster. The Traveller was also never one of my favourite characters, and while I can see the beginnings of this Wesley arc as veering into potentially dangerous territory rife with cliches and deus ex machinas, I enjoyed his presence in A Time to Be Born because he acted almost like a camera for the court proceedings and the various meetings between the admiralty. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Wesley, especially because Vornholt seems intent on keeping his supposed godlike powers in check.
Overall, A Time to Be Born was quite enjoyable and a quick read. Unlike Avatar Book One, this book had setup and payoff all in the same volume, while still leaving plenty of threads loose for wrapping up in A Time to Die and beyond. Vornholt's movie characterization of Picard can sometimes be a little off-putting to digest, and since the whole story is predicated upon Picard's "unusual" behaviors and actions, I can totally understand how some people may have a difficult time getting through it. While it's certainly not flawless, A Time to Be Born is still a fitting start to a series and makes me excited to keep on reading the continuing adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. Since I read it at the same time as the Avatar duology, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than either of the Avatar books individually, but it didn't quite satisfy me as much as Avatar did collectively. It might be more fair to re-evaluate them all after I've read A Time to Die, but this first ATT book at least felt like a complete story. Vornholt writes a good mystery and is well grounded in the lore of Star Trek, though he sometimes gets bogged down by descriptions of astronomical phenomena and meandering plotlines that get rehashed during the court sequence. I would rate this novel equally with Avatar as a good entry point into the Star Trek literary universe, as its positives far outweigh its negatives, and it starts to fill in the gaps between the TNG movies. Expectations are somewhat high for the next book, here's hoping the mystery pays off!
Last edited:
