9/13/2012

The War of the Prophets (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Millennium Book 2 of 3) Review

The War of the Prophets (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Millennium Book 2 of 3)
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Well, so far, the Reeves-Stevens clan is definitely making me re-think my aversion to Star Trek books, mentioned in my review of "The Fall of Terok Nor". This second chapter of the "Millenium" trilogy is also a winner.
One of the most interesting things about the DS9 TV show was its ability to include the topics of faith, religion, spirituality and mysticism in the Star Trek universe, topics that were rarely touched upon in the original series and Next Generation. This book's primary focus is on those topics, which puts a fascinating spin on the events that unfold.
The second book brings on the titular "War of the Prophets", as the crew of the crippled Defiant, after witnessing the destruction of Deep Space Nine by a *second* wormhole at the end of the first book, finds itself in a distopian future (25 years ahead of the "real" Star Trek universe), with a Bajoran/Romulan-led Jihad consuming the entire galaxy. Starfleet is in tatters, humans, Klingons, Cardassians, and Founders are all but extinct. The leader of the Bajoran Ascendancy, Kai Weyoun (! ), is claiming he is the Emissary to the True Prophets (the Pah-Wraiths), and that Sisko's appearance heralds nothing less than the end of the universe itself. In the meantime, Captain Nog and Admiral Jean Luc Picard race against time and apocalypse, embarking on an extremely dangerous plan to change the past without destroying the present ... or the future.
Whew! This book had a LOT to keep track of, with no less than four major plotlines interweaving with each other, as well as numerous side plots or character asides to keep things interesting. Yet the story never gets unwieldy, even though I felt I was being propelled at warp speeds through the action.
Once again, certain characterizations are spot-on. Jake and Garak shine again, and Gul Dukat was pretty horrifying, but the authors really have got the obsequious (and now galactic messiah/warlord) Weyoun down cold. I miss seeing that smarmy little Vorta every week! :) However, again, Kira serves little more purpose than to provide strident counter-point to the less-than-spiritual Bajoran Commander Rees, which is a shame, given the fact that in this future, her people have become every bit as despotic as the Cardassians she fought to drive from her homeworld in the series. A couple of characters, most notably Picard and some of the Voyager crew, feel like they were little more than pointless cameos, though I reserve final comment on their use until the third volume.
The book ends with an even more jaw-dropping cliffhanger than the first volume. With the two wormholes in the Bajor system now joined, it seems the true "war of the Prophets" will be fought on a battlefield where time literally has no meaning. The final volume of this so far outstanding series has a lot to live up to, and if it does, this trilogy should go down as one of the best.

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The crew of Deep Space Nine must carry out their separate missions to ensure the survival of the Federation. But scattered across the Quadrant, they cannot know that Gul Dukat, Emissary of the Pah-wraiths, has raised an army of mindless warriors, the Grigari.

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