By BWilliams / 07:00, 30 March 2005 / Reviews - Books

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Last fall Pocket Books culminated one of the most ambitious re-launches in publication history with the epic events of UNITY and the fallout from those events in Volume 1 of THE WORLDS OF STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. Now, Pocket Books continues its exploration into the DS9 universe with its second and third volumes, released simultaneously, that trace the threads of the post-relaunch saga with thorough, in-depth looks at more of the worlds that played such key roles through DS9's seven seasons on television and beyond. With such a rich tapestry already weaved since 1993, DEEP SPACE NINE has, in my opinion, held the richest of possibilities in all of the STAR TREK universe, and it's a tapestry that I'm proud to say continues in Pocket Books' latest volumes.

Volume 2 starts off with events unfolding on the planet Trill, home to the mysterious joined human and symbiont species first introduced in the NEXT GENERATION episode 'The Host', in the tale 'Unjoined', written by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. Right off the bat I can tell you that following the events of Volume 2 absolutely requires you to have previously read UNITY in order to understand what is happening in both "Unjoined" and "Fragments and Omens". Following the events of UNITY, Ezri Dax and Julian Bashir lead an investigation into the possible relationship between the Trill symbionts and the alien parasites that attacked several worlds during the events of the DS9 re-launch.

Both Mangels and Martin have an extremely strong grasp of the Trill culture and its many varied and fascinating aspects, as everything is uncovered and laid bare in "Unjoined". Their premise of a link between the Trill symbionts and the alien parasites, first seen in the NEXT GENERATION episode "Symbiosis", and the ancient Kurl race, first alluded to in the episode "The Chase", is quite interesting indeed, though the latter quarter of the tale never really defines the relationship between the two alien species. They do have an effective conclusion, one that changes the face of the Trill culture forever. I really enjoyed all of the social and political allusions Mangels and Martin presented in "Unjoined", including the allusion to past history and the origins of the Trill symbionts. If they had just clarified the alien parasites' role a little more, then this tale would have been a winner through and through. The lack of resolution to the alien parasites' story is the only downside to this tale.

The second half of this novel focuses on the planet Bajor, the most central of all the planets in the DS9 saga, in J. Noah Kym's tale "Fragments and Omens". In UNITY the formal paperwork between Bajor and the Federation was signed, and now it's time to get down to business with keeping the relationship steadily going in the right direction. For Bajorans such as General Lenaris Holem and Starfleet lieutenant Ro Laren, it means investigating one terrorist attempt after another to sabotage the fragile peace between Bajor and the Federation and determining its origins. It also means finding a new military liaison between the two cultures, despite the fact that no one in mind apparently wants the job.

Kym juxtaposes the main framework of the story with a smaller and equally compelling tale of self-discovery for Jake Sisko. Leaving behind his father, the recently returned Benjamin Sisko, his stepmother Kasidy, and his infant sister Rebecca, Jake embarks on a journey, not unlike the one he undertook in RISING SON, to learn more about himself and the life he wants to pursue. Accompanying Jake on his journey is Rena, a Bajoran artist who equally seeks to find the meaning in her own life.

What Kym presents in "Fragments and Omens" are two strongly balanced tales, one of a planet's political and military future, the other of a young man's growth and progression into adulthood, yet both firmly planted in the theme, as in "Unjoined", of essential and necessary change. And as with "Unjoined", the ending of "Fragments and Omens" is only the beginning of the next new chapter in the DEEP SPACE NINE saga.

While the second volume in the WORLDS OF STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE series may not answer as many questions as the first volume did, it does delve further into the Trill and Bajoran cultures and brings many new details to light, making for compelling reading through and through. We just can't get enough of this series, its characters, and its worlds! Next up: the worlds of the Dominion and the Ferengi are explored.

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