But the fact that it would continue and continue as well as it has is nothing short of a miracle. The DS9 saga continues on the printed page and if you're a fan of DS9 or just looking for a good Trek saga, you can't really go wrong with Twilight. Twilight is the first of a four-book arc that delves in DS9 was the richest and most textured of any of the modern Trek shows, so the idea that it could continue long beyond our television screens and in a series of novels wasn't exactly a huge stretch.
Twilight is the first of a four-book arc that delves into the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. The story builds slowly, continuing the events of the last time we saw the DS9 crew in the Gateways saga. It then is content to move into the build-up to and exploration of the Gamma Quadrant by the Defiant. But there's a lot more being explored here than just space itself.
The relationships between characters are also being explored--from Vaughn and his daughter Prynn to Quark and Ro to Bashir and Ezri to Kira and her relationship with Bajor and the Federation now that she's been Attained. It's the character exploration that really powers the story and keeps the pages turning. And there are a good number of pages to be turned--this book checks in at just over pages. But it's worth it. There are some major surprises in here and some things that will have great interest to the on-going DS9 storyline.
I won't ruin them here for you--it takes out part of the fun.
George also takes on the length of the Star Trek universe by bringing in some old friends and new some races as well. It all adds up to what may be one of the most enjoyable Treks published this year--and with Greg Cox's latest Khan masterpiece, In the Name of Honor and Immortal Coil all lurking out there, that is saying a great deal. I will say this--if you've not read any of the other DS9 re-launch novels, I'd sugget picking them up first.
It will make this reading experience that much more rich and enjoyable. This is the kind of book that makes me anxious for the next installment and restores my faith in Trek publishing. Aug 09, Crystal Bensley rated it it was amazing. I loved this book! Its very long but the characters just get so many great moments its worth it! Aug 18, Adam rated it liked it. Twilight is the first in the four-book Mission Gamma series, forming part of Deep Space Nine's literary relaunch.
Coming in at over pages, the opus is a hefty read which chart's Starfleet's tentative first steps back to the Gamma Quadrant. Given the green light by Starfleet Command, the Defiant embarks on a three-month exploratory mission to the Gamma Quadrant. Commander Vaughn soon encounters the Vahni Vahltupali, a mute species who communicate visually.
With the new species' homeworld threa Twilight is the first in the four-book Mission Gamma series, forming part of Deep Space Nine's literary relaunch. With the new species' homeworld threatened by a strange energy pulse, Vaughn must solve a decades old mystery and confront his tempestuous relationship with his daughter.
Twilight 's central storyline - the Defiant's mission to save the Vahni - allows us to see our heroes involved in a fresh and original sci-fi concept while simultaneously confronting deeply personal demons. George is a man who likes to take his time - there's an awful lot of exposition here before the Defiant even leaves the station. As a hardcore fan of the show, I appreciated the slightly slower pace and touching character moments, especially those which involve the new additions to the crew.
Vaughn's relationship with his daughter Prynn takes center stage in much of this novel, and is given a gravitas which makes the final scenes between the two characters carry a strong emotional weight. Ironically, I enjoyed the character moments far more than the rather implausible explanation for the destructive energy pulse which threatened the Vahni. The concept of a "thoughtscape" - a domain containing just one being, plagued by loneliness and feelings of abandonment - is fascinating, however the way in which our heroes discovered it left much to be desired The initial scenes with the Vahni are far more enjoyable and believable.
I can get onboard with the Dax symbiont having some level of psychic contact, but we're then asked to buy the fact that Vaughn is also capable of "communing" with the entity, understanding its motives, communicating peaceful intentions and persuading it to spare the away team. This would be all well and good, except for the entire Prentara civilization previously failing and being wiped out where Vaughn single-handedly succeeds.
Indeed, the scenes involving Vaughn communing with the thoughtscape were particularly abstract, and left me unsatisfied with the way the story was resolved some definite Deus Ex Machina going on here.
Twilight 's other major plotline involves Bajor's admission to the Federation and Kira taking centre stage as she attempts to play diplomat under the scrutiny of the rather acerbic Starfleet Admiral Akaar. The stationside activity was a welcome distraction from the events in the Gamma Quadrant, and I really enjoyed reading George's expanded narrative for both Kira and Ro with one major Ferengi caveat.
Kira is learning to live with the Attainder, the directive which prohibits her from engaging with the Bajoran religion due to her transgression earlier in the relaunch series. She's more sure of herself and her place in the universe than ever, and exhibits newfound skills of diplomacy that would make Jean-Luc Picard proud.
Her reaction to Bajor's imminent admission to the Federation is well written, and I enjoyed seeing her handle the challenge posed by Akaar even if it felt slightly too drawn out. Akaar himself is an interesting addition to the crew, and I'm hopeful he'll be fleshed out a bit more - right now he's a tad one dimensional, taking on the role of the arrogant Admiral a bit too easily. I mentioned a Ferengi caveat. Hope that the relaunch writers would drop the idea of Ro and Quark disappeared in this opus as we're lead through a number of cringeworthy scenes where the two take the tentative first steps in a relationship.
Try as I might to roll with it, I really hate the direction the author went here. Despite his slight softening later on in the series, Quark has always been a solitary fellow, and he works best scheming and flirting his way through life on the station. Seeing his dumb lovestruck attempts at flirtation being reciprocated by such a strong character as Ro exhausted my supply of willing suspension of disbelief. I hope this fades away A few other points to mention: It's nice to see her character enjoying some stability, although I worry that she may become isolated as story focus stays on the station and in the Gamma Quadrant.
We're introduced to his three bondmates here, although I can't say I'm too invested in their feelings with the current lack of development of Shar's character. It's light hearted stuff, although I wonder if she may become a more key player later on. What have they done to you? Another book where the prodigal son is seemingly forgotten, with only passing mention given to the fact that he's still lost or, as the reader knows, marooned in the wormhole with an uncertain fate.
His storyline is in danger of becoming increasingly irrelevant if it's not continued soon. Here's hoping the next book will do just that.
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All in all, a nice new chapter in the DS9 relaunch saga. My excitement is buoyed now that the Gamma Quadrant is open for exploration, and I'm enjoying the continued character development which always made DS9 such a stand-out series. The rather convoluted resolution to the Vahni crisis loses Twilight a couple of stars, along with some overly verbose sections which slowed down pace a bit too much.
Sep 09, Jill Carroll rated it it was ok. The worst of the DS9 books so far. Not horrible, but not good. Feb 09, Jessica rated it it was ok Shelves: The start of this book was a slow interminable slog where nothing happened except pages of unnecessary exposition. Indeed, with some sharp editing at least two hundred pages could be cut out without sacrificing plot or character moments just by deleting unnecessary explanation at every turn.
The last third, when the plot finally started picking up some momentum, however was excellent and left me eager to start the next book, capturing what I love most about DS9. There was way too much effort to t The start of this book was a slow interminable slog where nothing happened except pages of unnecessary exposition. There was way too much effort to try to get the reader to care about Vaughn and his relationship with his daughter, but frankly I don't think anything can save him from being deadly dull and unnecessary.
I was surprised by how interesting the role of the Jem Hadar has been-- great exploration of culture clash, as a minor plot. Shar and his particular Andorian dilemma were also interesting, as was how Kira, Ro, Ezri, and Quark all relate to their respective identities and cultural pressures. This is a fun read, if you don't mind skimming for pages to get to the good stuff.
Apr 13, Breeanna rated it really liked it. A little slow to get started, but ultimately a very enjoyable read. I could have done with a little less of Vaughn's manpain re: The plot on the planet was a little dragged out and the resolution was a l A little slow to get started, but ultimately a very enjoyable read.
The plot on the planet was a little dragged out and the resolution was a little more tell than show, but the actual plot of it was really, really interesting. I liked Ezri as a counselor, but it's nice to see her settling into command and actually being quite good at it. A solid entry in the relaunch series that has me reaching for the next book.
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Sep 28, William Sariego rated it really liked it Shelves: Set six months after the end of the series, this was a surprisingly good read. Much better than the usual serializations. Some old characters remain, and new ones are introduced, bringing a freshness to the narrative. Veteran fans of DS9 will no doubt devour it in a handful of sittings, but it must be said that Star Trek literature is meant to be a journey for the soul of the reader, as well as the brain, and thats where this book falls short.
There are no classic moments that provide the cherished sense of wonder, likewise, there are little or no moments of profundity that gives the reader pause to simply stop and think. There are certainly moments of high emotion, however, and yet essentially they all occur at book's end when everybody wants a happy ending, and surprise, surprise, just about everybody gets one.
The writing style is pure Trek, though, which means its perfectly written from that point of view. The characters all jump right out of your kindle screen, straight from the show's finale or whichever book you read last so kudos for achieving that goal, too. Another big problem is plot. Everything resolves itself so neatly at the end that it forces you to wonder what's the point of buying book two? But as it stands, it feels like the series was written for DS9 tragics and no-one else. So to be honest i can only give this book three stars.
So what am i going to read next?
Straight onto book two, of course. I said it was for ds9 tragics, and I certainly fit that bill. Out of all of the DS9 relaunch novels so far, this one feels to me like the closest thing to watching the actual show. While some of the previous stories have certainly been more fun and more exciting, this is extremely character-focused. It's also extremely verbose and needlessly long, but that helps to provide a lot of depth.
For the first time I felt like an author had really got under the skin of the characters and presented them to me properly. This is especially true for the new characters Out of all of the DS9 relaunch novels so far, this one feels to me like the closest thing to watching the actual show.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma Series by David R. George III
This is especially true for the new characters created for these books, such as Vaughn and Shar. As it turns out, Vaughn isn't really as interesting as I had hoped and the whole relationship with his daughter is needlessly melodramatic , but this at least really gave me a better sense of him. The story is divided mostly into two narratives, one taking place on Deep Space Nine and the other following the Defiant on its exploration of the Gamma quadrant.
I found the DS9 story to be the far more interesting one. That's possibly because it contains all of the familiar characters, but it's also just generally better told. Unlike the Defiant plot, which contains weird abstract alien concepts to wrap your head around, the station story is immediate and moves with purpose. I also found the pairing of Quark and Ro to work thanks to the amount of time spent developing it. In regards to the alien story, this is actually one thing I really don't like about many Trek books.
They take the fact that they no longer have budget concerns or visual effects to worry about, and they make their aliens REALLY alien. It never works for me and I just end up getting bored as the bizarre concepts are thrown at me.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma Series
Be prepared for just how long and wordy this is, but also revel in spending such quality time back on Deep Space Nine. Not bad, but a bit too long and unfocused. Would work much better as two sepparate novels. Still, the characters are well written and the part of the story that takes place on Deep Space 9 feels natural and compelling while the Gamma Quadrant part is pretty uninteresting and kept dragging.
Jan 14, GaryT rated it really liked it. Sep 22, Henry rated it really liked it Shelves: With the Dominion War behind them, the crew of the USS Defiant journeys through the wormhole as Commander Elias Vaughn leads a "corps of discovery" to blaze new trails into the unexplored reaches of the Gamma Quadrant. This book was written by David R.
Over all this book suffered from one major flaw. The book, when you read it feels like there should be something before. Most of the new characters are not explained and random facts pop up in the middle of the story and you feel that you should have heard them before, then the story would continue like nothing had happened.
Even though the book suffers from some flaws, it is overall a good read and bears the Star Trek title well. The characters were believable and most if not all of the dilemmas were believable as well. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Aug 18, Michael rated it it was amazing. This book should have been split into two. Books In This Series 13 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Product details File Size: November 2, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers.
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