Lesser Evil (Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Simpson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Trek Deep Space Nine (Unnumbered Paperback) | Publication Date: October 1, 2002

A four-book odyssey of space exploration, political intrigue, religious schism, deadly conspiracies and startling revelations, this is Deep Space Nine at its best. Following the shocking death of a recurring Deep Space Nine character from the television series, the space station erupts into chaos as a tenuous political alliance -- established at great cost after years of bitter conflict -- unravels in the midst of the hunt for the killer. Elsewhere, the commander of the Starship Defiant faces the ghosts of his past as he makes a dangerous attempt to set right the tragedy that years ago cost him the love of his life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"After seven addictive seasons...the best sci-fi soap opera of them all" -- The Times "The best incarnation of Trek yet" -- Starburst

About the Author

Robert Simpson is a contributor to the acclaimed Star Trek anthology, THE LIVES OF DAX.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743410246
• ISBN-13: 978-0743410243
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple and unsatisfying, June 10, 2003

By 

Elim Garak (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lesser Evil (Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

The fourth book of the Mission Gamma series is, in my opinion, the weakest book of the series, and I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end. I also must warn people that this review does contain significant spoilers of the book itself.

The book continues from the previous books int her series, with the Defiant finally beginning to head home in this novel, yet even on their way home they are still passing through uncharted space.

There was also a rather large technical error at the beginning. The author claims that the Defiant and the probes it launched had charted over 1200 cubic light years of space. That figure is ridiculous, no ship the size of the Defiant could possible chart that much space in only 3 months. Even Voyager, which was faster than the Defiant, could only make 438 light years per year.

But to other things. The book launches into the Defiant picking up a strange signal in the Gamma Quadrant, a signal that the ship's commander, Elias Vaughn, has seen before, and he orders the ship to investigate the signal and also hides this form the rest of the crew.

Meanwhile in the Alpha Quadrant, we see two seperate story lines evolve, one centred on Joseph Sisko on Earth, and the other centred on the crew on Deep Space Nine. The first AQ (Alpha Quadrant) storyline shows Joseph Sisko settled into some sort of depression over the loss of both Ben and Jake, and the efforts of his daughter Judith to get him back into action. This plot line is fairly simple, yet the resolution involves an old series favourite, Miles O'Brien, and I found it to be the most enjoyable of the book.

The second AQ plot line is on DS9, and deals with the aftermath of the assassination of Shakaar and the hunt for the killer. At this stage, Colonel Kira leaves the station on a Federation starship following what they think is a cloaked vessel heading for Trill, which creates a third AQ storyline with Kira away from the station.

The Defiant storline in the Gamma Quadrant continues and shows the crew discovering the wreckages of both a Jem'Hadar and a Borg-assimilated ship crashed on a planet. The assimilated ship holds a link to Vaughn's past, which is interesting, and is later explained when Vaughn has a 'tell-all' session with Ezri Dax, revealing his full background and the devestating decision he made regarding Prynn's mother. While Vaughn's story is interesting, it is very simple and straightforward, and in some parts is very weak, although I did find the story of Prynn's namesake to be very touching. Personally, I was expecting something exciting, interesting and a downright throrough explanation of his past. Instead, we got a chapter with a very fast paced story showing the important points of Vaughn's life with regards to Prynn and Ruriko, which was disappointing.

The Defiant plotline quickly continues, and we see an incredible seen where a Borg drone attempts to assimilate a Founder. I found this scene both incredible and bizarre, even more so as it served no real purpose to the development of the story. In the end, Vaughn is forced to make a devestating decision all over again, totally destroying any development in the relationship between himself and Prynn.

The AQ plotlines continue, and the crew on DS9 make a startling discovery about an old enemy from TNG, the parasites from 'Conspiracy', which are in some way related to the Trill species. They also learn that the parasites have taken control over someone on the starship Kira is travelling on, leaving Kira to eventually save the day. Relating the 'Conspiracy' parasites to the Trill was a very nice twist indeed, probably th best in the book, a real credit to the writer(s).

The book finishes with the Defiat nearing the wormhole, Kira heading back to DS9, and Joseph Sisko heading to Bajor to be with Kasidy.

Several plotlines/characters developments didn't reach any meaningful conclusion, they were:

-The Andorian problems involving Shar, a big part of the 1st two novels, were forgetten about.

-The relationship between Quark and Ro was barely mentioned.

-Commander Mathias, station counselor, was nowhere to be seen. A shame really, I liked her character, and there was also supposed to be some mystery surrounding the Bajoran ancestral roots of her husband.

-The issues between Nog and Taran'tar didn't really come to a conclusion.

-Vedek Yevir was virtually non-existent during the plot, which was unfortunate considering the large part he'd played in the last book.

Overall, I found the book had been written in a very simple manner with very quick plot developments and resolutions, some of which seemed totally irrelevant to the story. This resulted in a very short book with large print, and the more I read it the more I got the impression that the whole thing had been a rush job. The book seemed closer to one of those 'junior' Star Trek books than anything else.

The Mission Gamma opening book, 'Twilight', was much slower and far more detailed, and yet the final book in the series is a rush job with very simple, very basic plot twists. All the work done by the previous books to mend the relationship between Vaughn and Tenmei is undone, and at the end the reader is left unsatisfied. I believe the authors may have been trying to set the scene for the next two books, but setting the scene for the next book at the expense of finishing the last book is not only bad writing, it also dishonours the rest of the series.

I was also interested to note that there was no 'about the author' section at the end of the book. Virtually every Star Trek book I have read contains one of these sections, and I enjoy getting some insight into the author and his/her interests and background. This is simply more evidence to a rush job.

If you've followed the Mission Gamma series so far, you may as well buy this book. If you're just a casual fan, forget about it, as this book just isn't worth reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The relaunch continues..., December 9, 2002

By 

Kevin G. Summers (Amissville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lesser Evil (Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Finished Lesser Evil this weekend. Good book with a killer ending. I noticed that each book in the Gamma series ended with a cliffhanger, and they escalated each time. This is, of course, the moment we've all been waiting for a year now, ever since Avatar. I think Vaughn was the best that I've seen him in this book, and I like how the events of Twilight played into this book so well. I am still wondering what exactly went down with Vaughn and Captain Harrimann, but that is another story. I wish the book had been longer, and that we could have seen more emotional build-up with the Gamma storyline, but it was nice to finally get some resolution on the Vaughn/Prynn storyline. And it is incredibly cool that Marco has been serializing these books. From a reader's point of view, it makes me feel much closer to the story and the characters. I am anxiously awaiting Rising Son and Unity. I get the sense in this book that big things are all about to come to a head. In my mind, the DS9 relaunch is the best series of Trek books ever. Go buy them!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're Resistance is Silly, READ THIS BOOK!, November 4, 2002

By 

Antoine D. Reid "80sforever" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lesser Evil (Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is just... ugh. It's beyond words. The entire Mission Gamma series is beyond words. It has gone beyond my expectations and I believe it's surprised many people. Yes, this book is smaller than the others but that doesn't mean it's less of a book. This book will leave you guessing, it will stun you, it will go beyond what you've heard about it, it's simply one of the best books you could spend your money on unlike that snore fest of a new Shatnerverse that was released earlier. This book is not the finale to the DS9 Relaunch, its a turning point so don't expect it to wrap up every single little thing. Yes, you're going to be left with wanting more but that's what is supposed to happen! Rising Son and Unity come out next year and if they can top off these past four books they bravo to them. It's short, far from simple, and it hits certain things right on the head and delves down to the point. To quote Nigel Powers from Austin Powers in Goldmember, it's not the size that matters, its how you use it. Simpson certainly showed he had a great ability to use this short, condensed book to cover a lot. You'll like it, get it. DS9 finally runs into the Borg... and another big Trek enemy returns FINALLY that will just make you cry at the end because you have to wait until next year to find out what happens! It's worth your time, read it.