Tales of the Dominion War (Star Trek (Unnumbered Paperback)) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

It is not often that I read a story anthology and can honestly say that I enjoyed every one. I can say that about TALES OF THE DOMINION WAR. Each and every story has something singular to offer.

Featuring stories from a wide range of popular authors, TALES OF THE DOMINION WAR is one of this years must read Star Trek titles. Edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido this anthology gathers together twelve stories that span the Star Trek universe and provide for the reader a unique overview of the war and the fight to protect the Alpha quadrant from the overwhelming forces of the Dominion and their allies.

There are stories that illuminate events we know took place but we never got much detail on such as one of the pivotal moments of the war, the fall of Betazed. Keith R.A. DeCandido takes it upon himself to place the reader on Betazed when it falls under Dominion attack in "The Ceremony of Innocence is Drowned". Through Lwaxana Troi we experience the lightening quick attack against an almost defenseless population.

Another crucial moment in the war was the Breen attack against Earth. Both "Eleven Hours Out" by Dave Galanter and Howard Weinstein's "Safe Harbors", a sweet little story that perfectly captures the camaraderie between Scotty and McCoy, tackle the Breen attack but from totally different perspectives. "Eleven Hours Out", set on Earth during the attack, provides not only a vivid description of the destruction and the aftermath of the attack but also manages to be a nice character piece for Jean-Luc Picard.

In Star Trek: Nemesis we were introduced to a clone named Shinzon and told that he served the Romulan Empire with distinction during the Dominion War. In "Twilight's Wrath" David Mack not only tells Shinzon's tale but also manages to clear up some of that movies other incongruities.

As agreeable as it is to have events we've wondered about clarified, the stories that don't elucidate previously known events were just as enjoyable for their distinctiveness. "Night of the Vulture" by Greg Cox has an entirely different tone. With a palpable sense of menace Cox spins a tale that cleverly utilizes his unique storytelling gifts, the Jem'Hadar, and an old menace, the Beta XII-A entity.

"Blood Sacrifice" by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz takes us to Romulus where on the eve of the Romulans entry into the war Ambassador Spock finds himself trying to unravel the mysterious motivation behind the assassination of the Romulan Emperor.

"Mirror Eyes" marks the first time that Heather Jarman and Jeffrey Lang have collaborated on a story. Based on "Mirror Eyes" I certainly look forward to anything else these two should come up with. Told in first person, through the journal entries of a Tal Shiar agent working undercover on Deep Space 9, "Mirror Eyes" is both riveting and poignant.

Some of the stories utilize literary based characters such as "Field Expediency" by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore that features the crew of U.S.S. da Vinci from the Starfleet Corps Engineers series in a story that perfectly captures the spirit of that series.

In a nod to the Stargazer series "What Dreams May Come" by Michael Jan Friedman opens the volume with a story set early in the war where nothing is quite as it seems. Told from the perspective of Sejeel, a pampered Vorta who has been lulled into a sense of complacency, "What Dreams May Come" is classic Michael Jan Friedman.

Robert Greenberger's "A Song Well Sung" highlights Commander Klag of the I.K.S. Gorkon in the ultimate survivors tale while Peter David spins a fantastical New Frontier story, "Stone Cold Truths", that only he could tell.

Rounding out the volume is the final story "Requital" by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. Set concurrently with Deep Space Nine's final episode "What You Leave Behind", for me this story was the saddest and most difficult to read because you can't help but recognize the parallels to our own world.

Twelve stories and not a dud in the bunch, TALES OF THE DOMINION WAR is a very satisfying read indeed.

"Tales Of The Dominion War" is an anthology of stories related to the Dominion War, which was chronicled for the last two years of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Most of the stories range from good to excellent. I enjoyed each one to varying degrees, the worst being (in my humble opinion) "Field Expediency," a Starfleet Corps of Engineers story, the best being "Safe Harbors," a story starring Admiral McCoy and Captain Scott.

I especially enjoyed "Mirror Eyes," a story about a female Tal Shiar agent working in Deep Space Nine's infirmary as a Vulcan nurse during an outbreak of a Vulcan-specific viral infection created by the Dominion. It's told in the first person, and I really enjoyed the agent's sense of humor (translation: I laughed a lot while reading this story ... especially when the agent describes her Vulcan roommate's imagined reaction to the agent eating a raw steak).

In "Safe Harbors," Admiral McCoy and Captain Scott need repairs and set down on a neutral world where they are not welcome because of the repair yard's supervisor's fear of Dominion ships finding them there, and are given a mere three hours for all repairs to be completed. Eventually they are found by the Defiant class Saladin, whose captain was killed in a skirmish with a Dominion patrol. The Saladin is given the same time limit for repairs, and when they are about to leave, a Breen patrol is found on long-range sensors. The deputy supervisor literally ties up the supervisor and asks that the two Starfleet ships land on the planet again, this time to be hidden from the patrol in subterranean caverns. Needless to say, their repairs are completed this time, and they are warmly welcomed by the alien engineers, who have a welcome spread laid out for the two weary crews. Later, Scotty and McCoy fly over NYC on their way home and look for the Statue of Liberty, which survived the Breen attack on Earth.

In "Eleven Hours Out," we find Picard and Deanna Troi at Starfleet Headquarters during the Breen attack on Earth. Picard takes charge of the just-graduated cadets and moves them all to an underground shelter/command center (not unlike the one we have at Stratcom here in Omaha) while the crew of the Columbia, stuck behind the deadened doors of Starbase One, try to get out and defend Earth against the Breen attackers. The Enterprise gets there just in the nick of time, helping both the Columbia and Picard defend Earth from the Breen. The names of the crew of the Columbia are the same as the crew of the Challenger disaster, and I find that a kind, wonderful tribute to those men and women.

Both of the stories about the attack on Earth had me in tears.

In "The Ceremony of Innocence Is Drowned," we have Lwaxana Troi's experience of the invasion and fall of Betazed to the Dominion. It interweaves characters from the book, "The Battle of Betazed," by another, different author, quite nicely.

I have only spotlighted the stories that made the greatest impression on me, but all the stories have memorable parts, and, all in all, I enjoyed this book very much. If you want to get into more of the Dominion War than just what was shown on STDS9, this is the book for you.

I've attempted to read a book or two set up much like this and couldn't stand half of what was in it. This book however was gripping and left you wishing for more after each and every tale. I wish more of these books were done much like this.