Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Books

I thought that DS9 was the best of the Treks. I could go into my overly thought out reasoning now, but I don't want to. I want to discuss some of the books.

See, I avoided the Star Trek books as a rule before the last season of DS9. I'd read a few, but they didn't have any oomph. They couldn't affect the status quo. Exciting things would happen, but in the end, the ship or station was okay and there was no change in any of the characters. (Okay, things did happen and change in Peter David's fun New Frontier books, but they don't connect to any show and therefore do not matter at the moment.) That was the case for all Trek books until DS9 ended.

The first to be released, I think, was called A Stitch in Time, written by Andrew Robinson (the guy who played Garak). The book takes the form of a letter (a 400 page letter) to Dr. Bashir about Garak's life before, during, and after DS9. Oh, and did I mention it's absolutely brilliant? Well, it is. I've read it three times now and each time I learn more about a complicated man and a complicated society. Sure, they're fictional, but they're more realistic that the people in Government here and the new governments getting set up in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As great as that book is, it doesn't really tell what happens to the station and the crew that's left after the show ended. That's where the Avatar books come in. I haven't read these in a while, but I'll try my best to give a plot. It's a month or so after the series ended, new crew has come on board. An Andorian named Shar becomes chief engineer. Kira is now the commander of the station so there's a new first officer (whose name I can't remember). Odo sends a Jem'Hadar to help protect Kira. And Ro Laren, from TNG, shows up as the new head of station security. An interesting crew, and some new prophecies. There's a strain on the treaty between the Dominion and the Federation. Oh, and there's also the U.S.S. Enterprise in the mix helping to stir things up. By the end of these two books, I knew that the DS9 corner of the galaxy had been changed and would continue to evolve along the lines. It still questions the things people do for "the good" (whatever that may be) and how a faith where the Gods do exist can effect everything.

Now, I admit, I've missed some, mostly because I do much of my book shopping at used bookstores, but I'm now onto one called Rising Son. See, in the Avatar Jake found a new prophecy that he thinks says he must enter the wormhole to bring back his father (but the prophecy only says "With the Herald, he [Jake Sisko] returns"). So he enters and is flung 5 months away from the wormhole. I'm curious as to what exactly will happen because Ben Sisko, The Emissary, does not appear on the cover. Kai Opaka does, however, appear on the cover with Jake. Has she found a way off the planet where no one can be killed? Or will it be The Emissary who does come back with Jake? I'm looking forward to finding out.

I've asked some people to get me more books following the end of the series for Christmas. If not, I'll be searching more stores come January. And you can bet some will be talked about here.