Image via WikipediaThis "novel" is a tie-in for the new Star Trek Online MMORPG. It was written from the POV of Jake Sisko, by now a famous writer, who interviewed many of the "celebrities" of his time, about the latest threat to the Federation, a new shapeshifter threat called the Undine, that makes the Founders look like amateurs. Klingons have turned back into hostiles. The universe is a messy place. And who is this Undine? They are formerly known as Specie 8472 (yes, the fluidic space people from Star Trek: Voyager).The problem with this war is nobody quite know who is the enemy, as they can look just like your neighbors and friends. So the Federation is sometimes reduced to suspecting anyone and everyone, and some of the deepest moral principles have been compromised, but how far?
The problem with the book is they are presented as a bunch of interviews with the various parties Jake have access to during his time... i.e. personalities from the various episodes of DS9 and VOY. While all the characters are in character, the problem is they turn into sort of... uh... sounding platform for that person's philosophy on dealing with the Undine threat, and some of that philosophy is just completely outrageous... at least to a normal guy like you and me. Or in other words, what's supposed to be scifi turned into a political and moral discussion.
If you can pick this up from a used bookstore it can serve as a good intro to STO, the MMORPG. However, as a standalone book it is quite lacking except for the "ensemble" effect (i.e. all the familiar characters are here).
Rating: Skip it (unless you're a Trekker)
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