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Title: Rising Son (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) by S.D. Perry ISBN: 0743448383 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09
Rating: 5
Summary: What's it like being the son of a prophet?
Comment: Rising Son is part of the post-television continuity Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Not only that, but it runs parallel with all of the other books except Avatar. It explains what happened to Jake Sisko after he disappeared into the wormhole during that book, and his experiences as he tries to get home (or tries to decide whether or not he even wants to go home). It's a very intriguing character study of young Jake and it includes an interesting plot as well. We've been waiting months and months to find out what happened to Jake, and it was well worth the wait.
If you're a fan of Deep Space 9, especially the post-television continuity, this is a must-own book for you. I've only read a couple of the newer books, but I've wondered when the Jake story would be told, and I'm glad they waited until the tenth anniversary of the show to tell it. Perry writes a very satisfying book, with interesting characters and a good story to go with it. I enjoyed reading about Jake and the touch decisions he has to make in it. Perry really portrayed well the tug-of-war between Jake's new friends and his ideals. The crew is not the most honest bunch around, and they make some of their living by doing illegal things. They don't do things out of the goodness of their hearts and helping people is only a priority if they are getting paid. This goes completely against how Jake was brought up and he finds himself doubting. Should he stay with these people who have accepted him? Should he build his own life, away from the Federation and from being "Ben Sisko's son?" Is sacrificing his ideals worth it? And then when the prophecy rears its ugly head again, Jake is even more torn. It seems like, even this far away from home, Ben Sisko is reaching out to grab him and pull him in. Jake's final decision looks more and more obvious as things progress (Dez can't understand why Jake is having a problem with the way they do things, and thinks he needs to grow up), but it's still heart-wrenching to see him go through it. I think this would be a marvelous vehicle for Cirroc Lofton (the actor who played Jake) if a TV movie ever got made (not that it will happen of course). I think that's the highest compliment to the book.
Dez is an good contrast to Jake. He desperately wants Jake to like him, to give Jake the opportunity that he never had with his own father. He is baffled by Jake's ethical code that has a problem with the way he does things. He finally decides to pretend that they will become a more altruistic crew while Jake becomes further immersed in the crew's life. Then, when Jake is unable to get himself out, he'll force Jake to realize that what they do is not a bad thing. While you don't like what Dez does, you can understand it and almost sympathize with him. It makes him a sad character in a way, and as you watch Jake agonize, you know that there is no real good or bad side in this conflict. There are only a couple of times where the character doesn't ring true, as he goes just that little bit further to convince Jake and seems to go over the top. It's not often, though, and Dez turns out to be a fascinating character to read about.
The crew of the Even Odds is an eclectic bunch, with a few familiar Alpha Quadrant races (2 Ferengi and a Cardassian) and one Gamma Quadrant race we're familiar with (the Wadi). Thus, Perry can wrap her other, unfamiliar characters in a sheet of familiarity that Trek fans can handle. I'm a bit disappointed in that aspect, but Perry does a good enough job with them that it's not a bad thing. The Caradassian is fairly non-descript, though he does learn some things during the course of the story. The Ferengi are stereotypical, but it's the new races that are so very interesting. The best of the bunch is Stessie, a joined being with numerous different facets. Only one can talk, but all the facets have their own personality even as they are part of the whole. While this sort of thing has been done before (even in Trek), Perry imbues the character with an interesting personality that makes her (it?) a wonderful piece of work. The other crew members aren't really that interesting, fulfilling their roles admirably but not doing much else. Facity, the Wadi first officer and Dez's lover, provides an interesting viewpoint as she watches the interplay between Jake and Dez, but I didn't find much of interest in her personally. She serves almost as a spectator, viewing the game between the two of them and commenting on it.
The writing is standout for a Star Trek book, with no real waste or padding visible in the book. The only pointless point of the story is the ending, where a surprise personality from the television series meets up with them, adding a slight bit of tension but then quickly dissipating it. The story also ends with a "To Be Continued," but in itself it is fairly self-contained. If you're just interested in what happened to Jake, you will find that out and don't have to continue further if you don't want to (but what DS9 book fan will not want to continue?).
The book is well-written enough that if you're not a fan, you would probably still enjoy it. If you are a fan, though, you should check it out. The book is marvelous and it is a fine addition to the DS9 library of books. Bring on Unity!
Rating: 3
Summary: The DS9 relaunch shines on Jake
Comment: The latest - and somewhat weakest - in the relaunch of DS9 since the show ended, "Rising Son," suffers mostly in that the only "on-screen" character from the series that we follow is Jake, and the rest of the book is mostly voiced by the crew of a ship who rescues him when the Prophets dump him off somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant.
These characters, who are made up of some interesting races from the Gamma Quadrant, and some cast-offs of the Alpha Quadrant, are good, but it's hard to get as interested in them as it is in the characters we know and love from the series. Still, the attempt was well done.
They're just not all that rich a bunch of characters, so it gets a little stale, and rather quickly. What does save the tale is Jake's 1st-person journal entries, Jake's moral confusion over a group of people "doing good for profit," and Jake's surety that he is where he is specifically to find and restore his father back to the universe.
The surprise re-emergence of a character I, for one, had written off from ever appearing in DS9 again was nicely done, but what really got me going was the actual ending of the book, which promises big changes for the upcoming books in the series. If that part of the tale had happened a bit earlier, and been written a bit longer, this probably would have earned 4 stars from me.
'Nathan
Rating: 4
Summary: Here it is
Comment: The long awaited "Jake" novel is finally here. We finally get to learn to what happened to Jake's ill-fated journey into the wormhole all the way back in "Avatar, Book 2".
This book is full of likeable new characters, the re-emergance of the long missing Kai Opaka, and answers to previously unanswered questions that have dominated this latest "season" of DS9. When it's not answering questions about prophecies, there is enough action and suprises to keep you wanting more.
The best part of "Rising Son", however, is that Jake finally gets some real character development. In the show, his development was usually second to that of his dad, which considering the nature of his destiny is understandable. However, Jake is now given an opportunity for some serious sef-evaluation and growth.
All in all, "Rising Son" is a worthy addition to the series, and leaves me excited for the new hardcover, "Unity".
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Title: Lesser Evil: Mission Gamma, Book 4 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) by Robert Simpson ISBN: 0743410246 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Mission Gamma Book Three : Cathedral by Michael A. Martin, Andy Mangels ISBN: 0743445643 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Left Hand of Destiny, Book 1 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) by Jeffrey Lang, J. Hertzler ISBN: 0671784935 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Left Hand of Destiny, Book 2 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) by J. Hertzler, Jeffrey Lang ISBN: 0671784943 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Brave and the Bold Book Two by Keith DeCandido ISBN: 0743419235 Publisher: Star Trek Pub. Date: 26 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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