Spoilers TP: Zero Sum Game by David Mack Review Thread

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Sorry...but once again, Julian's interactions with Ezri were very different from his interactions with Jadzia. He may have seen her as a "second Jadzia" in that scene in "Afterimage", but Ezri shot it down.

For the rest of the show, it was different.

And again...it took an entire season for Julian to realize that he had feelings for Ezri--which is in stark contrast to his other relationships.

I think it still goes to show that the tendency towards idealizing women exists in Julian, though. It's been a while since I watched the 7th season, but as I recall, he spent a lot of time bumbling around her, which suggests that he did have feelings for her long before he finally admitted (to himself? / to her) that he felt that way.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Sorry...but once again, Julian's interactions with Ezri were very different from his interactions with Jadzia. He may have seen her as a "second Jadzia" in that scene in "Afterimage", but Ezri shot it down.

For the rest of the show, it was different.

And again...it took an entire season for Julian to realize that he had feelings for Ezri--which is in stark contrast to his other relationships.

I think it still goes to show that the tendency towards idealizing women exists in Julian, though. It's been a while since I watched the 7th season, but as I recall, he spent a lot of time bumbling around her, which suggests that he did have feelings for her long before he finally admitted (to himself? / to her) that he felt that way.

He was actually a lot more confident around Ezri, after "Afterimage"--at times giving her some support, like in "Field of Fire"--until "Dogs of War". The "bumbling" only lasts for the first half of that episode.

Still...I do see your point about idealism on his part, though. However, I would say that his views towards Ezri were a bit more grounded in reality--hence, the lack of bumbling.

But one could say that this "idealism" could be a good thing. Rather than seeing women as they "are", he sees them as they "could" be. But--that's just me.

 

[Shon T'Hara]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ plausible deniability. if they were never there, how could they save a bunch of breen? this was a covert op.

But that's exactly the cover story Bacco gave Tezrene at the end of the book-- the Aventine detected a distress call and raced in to save the day. ISTM Ezri could've forseen that and bolstered the story by actually making an attempt at rescuing the crew while surrupticiously making sure the ship itself didn't survive, instead of very physically blocking the ship from leaving the hangar in a way that the Breen might've seen if they sent any more fighters to investigate.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^Perhaps she--or Sam--thought that, had she done so, the survivors would have spread the "true" story.

 

[VDCNI]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

I voted average, the book was well written but it really didn't do anything for me.

I like Bashir & Ezri but without anyone interesting for them to bounce off they weren't as much fun as usual. Sarina was more of a plot device than an actual character and the Aventine crew were all pretty bland in this book - I guess we're supposed to care about Bowers but really the only character trait he's ever been given is a love for protocol.

The book kind of brought up a wider point for me in that it feels like we've got so many new crews to deal with that the main TV characters are getting spread thinner and thinner to sustain so many different books. There are the new characters on the Enterprise, DS9 & Voyager plus most of the crew on the Titan & Aventine plus the New Frontier lot. I have been enjoying most of the books and most of the time it doesn't bother me but here all we had was a grumpy Bashir and an Ezri who isn't written like her TV character these days.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the new characters and obviously things have to progress but there weren't enough familiar characters working together for this book to really work for me.

 

[ares93]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ what is it been, five(?) years between the ds9 relaunch and ZSG? in five years a lot can happen, trust me... bashir is having a mid live crisis (would explain his grumpiness) and frankly, being rushed into command as a lieutenant commander can definitely change someone. not to mention an all out invasion afterwards. although, i as very fond of Ezri as she was in DS9, i like her even more now.

BTW: has anyone else have their copy of seize the fire en route? cause apparently, mine is. we'll see in two days though.

 

[Enterprise1981]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

In writing my fanon of how the Jack Pack came together and Section 31's role in turning the group's attention to a Big Crunch that will never happen, I just thought of something else. Maybe Sarina is some kind of sleeper agent, just like how Sloan accused Bashir of being a sleeper agent for the Dominion. Since she had the personality of an impressionable child upon being roused from her long slumber, who is to say 31 isn't using her more than she may be using Bashir?

As someone who recently started following "Curb Your Enthusiasm", I know that even the seemingly innocuous or insignificant elements can be significant later on in the story. This wouldn't the first time Mack left us hanging, like with Tom and B'Elana's apparent split first alluded to in the Destiny trilogy and then the names "B'Elana Torres" and "Miral Paris" appearing on a casualty list in KRAD's" A Singular Destiny.

On a different note, ZSG did not specifically mention Nog, but this might be a clue as to what he's up to.

 

[ares93]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

In writing my fanon of how the Jack Pack came together and Section 31's role in turning the group's attention to a Big Crunch that will never happen, I just thought of something else. Maybe Sarina is some kind of sleeper agent, just like how Sloan accused Bashir of being a sleeper agent for the Dominion. Since she had the personality of an impressionable child upon being roused from her long slumber, who is to say 31 isn't using her more than she may be using Bashir?

I agree. It is indeed very possible.

As someone who recently started following "Curb Your Enthusiasm", I know that even the seemingly innocuous or insignificant elements can be significant later on in the story. This wouldn't the first time Mack left us hanging, like with Tom and B'Elana's apparent split first alluded to in the Destiny trilogy and then the names "B'Elana Torres" and "Miral Paris" appearing on a casualty list in KRAD's" A Singular Destiny.

Thats what I love about the guy. Yes, I complain a lot about it. But somewhere deep inside i actually like it. And despite of everything I have said about his endings and cliffhangers, I'm not afraid to admit to have used the same technique on occasion. (Keep an eye out for "Starship Kir'Shara" in the fanfic forum)

So all in all. Yes, I'm a hypocrite.

 

[garoo1980]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Just finished the first new Trek book in months, and it saddens me to say that I was left with a distinct *meh* feeling.. It just feels a bit.. small...

As Mack is probably my favorite TrekLit author, I can't help but feel disappointed by the scope of the plot - too much time was spent on the action scenes, and not enough on what goes on in the halls of power in both the UFP and the TP.

I realize not every storyline can be the next Destiny, but I was waiting for this for so long... Hopefully the next books in the (mini)series prove to be more to my liking.

(I voted Above Average, btw. I can't bring myself to rate a Mack book lower than that...)

That's exactly how I felt. It was ok, but hardly special. In fact if I didn't know better I wouldn't have thought DM wrote it. Maybe its because I'm not much of a DS9 fan. No wait, I did enjoy Ezri's part of Destiny.

I agree with popular thinking, its part of something bigger. Maybe a "set up book" is too harsh, but there's something going on here

 

[Thrawn]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ Not for slightly over a year, at least.

 

[nickyboy]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ Not for slightly over a year, at least.

Is there any rumors or news on what is next in regards to the larger 24th century arc after Typhon Pact?

 

[Thrawn]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ Not for slightly over a year, at least.

Is there any rumors or news on what is next in regards to the larger 24th century arc after Typhon Pact?

A Voyager novel, Christopher's Department of Temporal Investigations novel (which takes place before TP), and a sort-of-crossover that seems to be bringing together a bunch of random engineers and Guinan called Indistinguishable From Magic. Oh, and a new NF novel.

Everything else on the schedule takes place well before TP, and that covers through January 2012.

 

[Enterprise1981]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

At least we're inching closer to New Frontier becoming part of the Destiny/Typhon Pact mix.

 

[JD]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Yeah, but Peter David always kinda does his own thing, so I doubt it will ever actually become part of the post-Destiny arc. TBH I'd be fairly suprised if any reference to Destiny or the events leading up to it were ever made in NF.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Well, PAD, at least in the books of his I've read, does tend to make BRIEF fleeting references to the "main storyline" of the books--just so we get that "those events are happening--just Calhoun and Shelby and Co. are off somewhere else...."

 

[Turtletrekker]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Yeah, but Peter David always kinda does his own thing, so I doubt it will ever actually become part of the post-Destiny arc. TBH I'd be fairly suprised if any reference to Destiny or the events leading up to it were ever made in NF.

I wonder if NF will be consistant about having Jellico step down or not. It could actually make sense even if PAD were just being consistant between NF and Before Dishonor.

 

[Sci]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Yeah, but Peter David always kinda does his own thing, so I doubt it will ever actually become part of the post-Destiny arc. TBH I'd be fairly suprised if any reference to Destiny or the events leading up to it were ever made in NF.

I wonder if NF will be consistant about having Jellico step down or not. It could actually make sense even if PAD were just being consistant between NF and Before Dishonor.

It could open the door for a new arc for Jellico's character...

 

[nickyboy]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

^ Not for slightly over a year, at least.

Is there any rumors or news on what is next in regards to the larger 24th century arc after Typhon Pact?

A Voyager novel, Christopher's Department of Temporal Investigations novel (which takes place before TP), and a sort-of-crossover that seems to be bringing together a bunch of random engineers and Guinan called Indistinguishable From Magic. Oh, and a new NF novel.

Everything else on the schedule takes place well before TP, and that covers through January 2012.

Well Voyager & New Frontier are off doing its their thing, and it was my understanding that Indistinguishable From Magic will not be concerning the Typhon Pact storyline. It looks like we could be in for a bit of a wait for the story line to advance once Paths of Disharmony has been released.

Oh well a NF book along with a couple of Vanguard books will help pass the time.

At least we're inching closer to New Frontier becoming part of the Destiny/Typhon Pact mix.

I would love to see the Excalibur take part in the larger overall storyline of the 24th Century then go off an do its own thing for a few books in a similar way to the Titan.

 

[Enterprise1981]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

Of course, they're all going to be doing their own thing. The rest of the universe didn't come to a stop during the Dominion War. But the changes on the astro-political scene will still be a major player to some degree (i.e. Star Trek: Insurrection and DS9 episodes "The Reckoning", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "Field of Fire", etc.). But I don't see Calhoun and the Excalibur doing anything as grandiose as not getting in on the action because of a miscalculated slingshot around a star.

 

[Reanok]

Re: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game Review thread

I finally had time to start reading this novel today I've read 10 chapters so far the story has been fastpaced. it seems to me Ezri and Bashir don't get along very well after their breakup.That they still have unresolved issues.Nice to see President Bacco again in a novel and her discussions about the spy mission with Nechayev could go wrong because of the Aventine being shadowed by a Romulan ship.