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Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma: Lesser Evil (book 4 of 4) by Robert Simpson
01/02/2004 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster. 266 page paperback. Price: £ 5.99 (UK), $ 6.99 (US) and $10.50 (CAN). ISBN: 0-7434-1024-6. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.simonsays.co.uk and www.startrek.com
One thing that is virtually guaranteed by the Star Trek genre is a good read. The fact that they are written to order and formula should not put off the potential reader. It does what it says on the tin and that should be enough. The problem is that nothing much can happen, in much the same way as an episode in the series usually brings us back to the status quo at the end of 45 minutes, these books do the same.
DS9 has finished on the television apart from perpetual re-runs though not on the BBC which probably means it will show up in 20 years on Channel 5. The characters of DS9 are therefore fair game for being spun half-way across the universe with no royalties for repeats.
Some of the characters appropriated for other projects such as the endless and now rather dull films have to be left alone. It is the peripheral characters that have not been offered a movie deal that can be played with. They do have to be kept safe just in case. So in this book we get Kira Nerys, Eszri Dax, Ro Laren, what's left of the Siskos and the O'Briens.
'Lesser Evil' is Book Four of Four in the Mission Gamma sequence and is part of the canon of Deep Space Nine books that continue the story after the Dominion War. This is Part Four and I haven't read the other three. Luckily, this is Star Trek and they are used to people picking up the series in different places. It forms a complete story but guess what, it leads into another book! Depending on how grabbed you are by this, you may take up the option.
All seems to be going well as Bajor finalises its plans to join the Federation. After long years of war, first with Cardassia and then with the Dominion, it seems things are finally returning to harmony. For some families, life will never be the same again as Joseph Sisko struggles to come to terms with losing a son and his grandson, Jake. Only the timely arrival of the O'Briens might shift his mood so he can come to terms with Kassidy expecting his new grandchild.
For Kira Nerys, Bajor and the Federation joining seems to be fitting into the way she has grown to feel about her extended family on DS9. Unfortunately instead of unification, the first minister is horrifically assassinated and it seems the Federation is responsible.
All bets are off on Bajor and it looks like Ro Laren's retirement might have to be postponed. Working on instinct, Ro decides she knows better than anyone who the assassin might be and it is a race against time for the facts to be established.
Eszri Dax has her problems as her commanding officer seems to be following his own personal mission putting everyone on the ship USS Defiant in danger, including his own estranged daughter Prynn. Both of them are still coping with the loss of Prynn's mother in a Borg attack seven years ago. Now Vaughan is following a transponder signal that may lead back to the USS Valkyrie where she died but he is afraid of what they will find.
With several seemingly unconnected stories on the go, this is a typically fast moving Star Trek novel. There is good interplay between the characters and little touches that make it feel like home. It is the feel of the familiar characters with a few I don't know so well that make this a comfortable read.
It doesn't get you over excited and is rather like a dose of Ovaltine before bed. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it but if you know what you like and like what you know then this will do fine.
Sue Davies
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