Customer Reviews

Prophecy and Change (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The "Misson: Gamma" series came out and sated appetites. "Rising Son" revealed what Opaka and Jake Sisko endured during the months of the aforementioned "Gamma" saga. And "Unity" still hasn't been released, so what is a fan of the continuing saga to do?
Purchase "Prophecy and Change," of course.
I was anticipating this release, and when I finally finished the last story, Andrew J. Robinson's "The Calling," which furthers Garak's character and has to be the best story of the bunch. I mean, this IS Garak, and as "A Stitch in Time" proved, no one knows the character better than the man behind the mask. I always chuckled at the dark humor behind Garak's oblique statements and rather droll yet bold declarations, and it's like you have an audio loop of Robinson delivering every line.
However, his is not the only story of note. The highlights of this anthology are Terri Osborne's tale of Jake and Ziyal's blossoming friendship during the Dominion's takeover of DS9; Keith R. A. DeCandido's "Broken Oaths" which finally ties the thread of "how and why did O'Brien and Bashir kiss and make up after 'Hippocratic Oath,'" a story that proves DeCandido is one of the best Trek authors to come down the pipeline in a very, very long time; Heather Jarman's "The Devil you Know" which allows us to catch up with T'Rul and empathize with her character, something we never had the opportunity to do in the series; and, finally, Andy Mangels and Michael Martin's tale of Kai Winn and Nog teaming up, the much-hyped story that pays off in the end, a story that explains why Nog had a desire to do something as...altruistic...as join Starfleet.
"Prophecy and Change" works because it gives us a chance to revisit the characters from new standpoints, almost always at pinnacles of their development. The stories are set before, after, and during the series, and all are worth a read.
Excellent anthology. Highly recommend to anyone who casually watched the series or is immersed in the relaunch.

In celebration of Deep Space Nine's tenth anniversary Pocket Books newest anthology of stories "Prophecy and Change" takes the reader on a journey back to the characters and events of the series. It is a very pleasurable and mostly rewarding journey. Ten original stories are included in this lengthy collection from authors both familiar and new. Nine of those stories are set during the series, with only the final contribution being set post-finale. Each regular character has a chance to shine in at least one story, and many of the recurring characters as well.

As with any type of story anthology the writing styles vary, but each story has one thing in common--each succeeds in capturing the mood and atmosphere of Deep Space Nine. Some of the stories look at events set between episodes; others at changes the characters underwent that were never addressed onscreen and still others at unseen events set during specific episodes. Some stories answer questions others raise new ones. Just as the variety of beings who populated Deep Space Nine contributed to the gratifying experience of watching the series, the variety of stories in this volume make for a full and rich reading experience.

Ultimately, each individual who reads this anthology will form his or her own opinions about each story. There will be stories you will probably like or dislike based on your own tastes and preferences. Some may even love them all. I know that sometime in the future I will want to revisit this collection and it will be interesting to see if my favorites during my first read through this volume, "Broken Oaths", "Foundlings", "Face Value", "Ha'mara", "Three Sides to Every Story" and "The Orb of Opportunity" provide the same level of pleasure when read for a second or third time. But that is ultimately what I enjoy most about reading a great anthology--and I believe "Prophecy and Change" fits the description--it stays on the shelf for a period of time but eventually you find yourself wanting to revisit old favorites. Deep Space Nine fans definitely won't want to miss this collection.

As I stated in my subject line, this book is the tour de force of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, revisiting the most complicated Star Trek series ever made and tying up loose ends.

The anthology consists of 10 short stories which go a little deeper into the story of Deep Space Nine, from 'Emissary' to 'What You Leave Behind', this book fills in all the blanks, all the loose ends (few that there were) from all 7 years of Deep Space Nine.

The authors are the 'newer' breed of Trek authors, mainly those that have come through the Strange New Worlds competition and written some of the DS9 relaunch books. If the stories from 'Prophecy and Change' and merely the 'early works' of these authors, then I shudder to think just how brilliant their writing will be when these men and women hit their prime.

The stories themselves are mastefully told, and are presented as stories being told by Jake to the young woman that came to see him in 'The Visitor', when Jake is an old man.

Each story is great, but the standouts are definitely 'Three Sides to Every Story', 'Foundlings', and 'Chiaroscuro'. Each of these stories are just brilliant, and cover the last 2 seasons of DS9, which was where the series really hit it's peak.

My only problem with this book was the last story, the Garak story by Andrew J. Robinson. I throughly enjoyed his previous work about Garak, entitled 'A Stitch in Time', but I did not enjoy his contribution to this book, entitled 'The Calling'. I found the story disjointed and at some points just plain confusing. Robinson made some reference to a play entitled 'The Dream Box' which I have never heard of. I'm guessing that this play is the step between 'A Stitch in Time' and 'The Calling', but I have never seen this play, so 'The Calling' was utterly confusing to me.

My only other negative point about this book was concerning a specific plot point. Please be warned, this paragraph contains spoilers. If you wish to avoid them, skip this paragraph. In 'Three Sides to Every Story', Ziyal gives Jake a precious Bajoran earring belonging to her mother, asking Jake to keep is safe for a while. After Ziyal's death, Jake goes to Ziyal's body and considers giving the earring back, but then decides that he should keep it, thus fufilling his promise to Ziyal. This was a wonderful piece of writing, but I think that the author could have gone a step further. The last part of the book is the conclusion of the meeting between Jake and the young woman that comes to see him. I believe that Ziyal's earring should have been mentioned there as still being kept safe by Jake. This would work in two ways, firstly, it would add weight the Jake-Ziyal story by making direct reference to it in the 'objective' sections at either end of the book. Secondly, it would help to reinforce the fact that Jake had an active role in these events. It's a fairly trivial point to be sure, but it was something that I felt should have been included in the story. But that is really a matter of opinion.

Overall, if you are a fan of DS9, either casual or serious, then you should buy this book. It's absolutely fantastic.

DEEP SPACE NINE was always the most literate corner of the STAR TREK universe. It's no surprise, then, that this tightly-edited anthology uses a clever framing story which allows us to imagine that all the stories are being told by a post-middle-aged Jake Sisko, Deep Space Nine's own resident author, reflecting on his time aboard Deep Space Nine. While this means that PROPHECY AND CHANGE isn't technically a part of the so-called "Season 8" relaunch of the series in book form, it does make it a valuable prologue to these newer adventures.

Within just a few pages, you'll quickly see that this is a different kind of STAR TREK than most people knew existed. This is a rich, messy universe, far, far beyond the scope of the other STAR TREK series. In these post-ENTERPRISE days when STAR TREK seems to be a disgraced genre, the one constant source of good new material is the DEEP SPACE NINE line. This first stop along the way back to STAR TREK will both give you new material while reminding you of the high points of each of the seven televised seasons.

Perhaps the best story of the lot is Kevin Summers' "Ha'mara", which takes us all the way back to Sisko's first journey to the Bajor that would become his home over the course of the television series. Notable for giving us our first real look at a lot of introductions that the television pilot left out, it weaves together broad political themes with the very personal struggles of Ben and Jake Sisko. DEEP SPACE NINE was always remarkable for its deft handling of the big and small pictures, but maybe there's never been quite as poignant a moment in any part of the DEEP SPACE NINE legacy--televised or literary--as Summers gives us here. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that in the midst of exploring exactly why the Bajorans were so distrustful of the new Federation presence, Summers takes the time to give us a portrait of the exact moment Jake Sisko became a writer. So simply moving was this scene that I can still remember it now, some two years after having read it.

If there had been nothing else in this book but that one moment, I would have felt my purchase price fully justified. Happily, there's so very much more in this rich collection, which leaves no major character without a truly signature moment.

Reading this book felt like watching the television show (that's a good thing). Each story was probably about the same length as a TV episode, and had similar formats. Overall it was entertaining. A few of the stories I could have done without, but it was still readable. I would highly recommend this to someone who is feeling nostalgic and misses those old days.

Having seen all seven seasons of DS9 I was somewhat worried that this book would be a cheap attempt to capitalise on such a wonderful series. How wrong I was! This is without doubt, one of the best Star Trek novels I have ever seen and I have seen a lot. I enjoyed every single story as well as the insight it gave me into every DS9 character. If you are a person who enjoyed DS9, then buy this book. It truly is money well spent.

I bought this novel for two reasons.
1) To read the much-anticipated follow up to Garak's life in "A Stitch in Time", and
2) To see how O'Brien and Bashir made up after their fight in "Hippocratic Oath".
I was NOT disappointed. In fact, describing my reactions via a negative does not do justice. IT WAS EUROPHIC!
To be honest I have yet to read the other stories which take place during, not after, the DS9 series. [The stories are almost entirely fill-in-the-blank stories, covering things that were not covered in the show but nonetheless happened to the characters, be they fictional or not.] But if the first two stories I read are any indication this collection of stories is amazing. If the rest suck, it was well worth buying PLAIN and SIMPLY for the Garak story!!

I have now also read the Jake-Ziyal story. It is very excellent. The similarities between the two makes one wonder why they never actually DID develop a relationship on the show, since quite obviously they should have! 5 out of 5.

This anthology is a wonder collection of stories from some of the best short fiction writers in the Star Trek genre. Short stories have always been a personal favorite and I jumped into this book with glee. I was excited when I glanced at the cover and saw a new story from Andrew J. Robinson about the continuing adventures of our favorite simple tailor, Garak.

I enjoy Garak and the love what Robinson does to continue the character but I was slightly disappointed with this tale. The writing exceptional I have grown to expect from this multi-talented individual but I felt the gap in the story. Robinson's story, "The Calling," continues after his novel "A Stitch in Time" and a stage play "The Dream Box." I search to find the manuscript but failed and the breach in the story line jumped out.

The first story showed the initial step of Kira accepting Sisko as the Emissary, a powerful story and considering the quality of all the stories the best in the collection. Marco Palmieri complied a terrific collection of tales from both amateur authors and seasons professionals.

If you are a Deep Space Nine fan, take the time to pick up this anthology, you will not be disappointed.

These stories are basically like novelisations of really good episodes of the show. Everything that made the show worth watching is here. The writing is consistently of very high quality, the characterisations are perfect, and the descriptions are good. The stories are almost entirely fill-in-the-blank stories, covering things that were not covered in the show but must have taken place in some way. As such, I think this collection is for DS9 fans. Whether people unfamiliar with the shows characters and events would understand it or enjoy it so much I don't know. I do have one issue with this anthology, however: it's depressing. The stories start out very serious and when they hit the Dominion War they turned depressing as well. It might be appropriate for the period but it's not fun to read. The TV series was always careful to have one light or humorous episode after two or three very serious ones. This collection really needed at least one light-hearted story. I would definitely recommend this to all DS9 fans, but don't read it right through like I tried to do. The stories are too intense for that.

DS9 was the first series to get an anthology like this and it is probably still the best nearly a decade on. Broken Oaths is probably the best story and picks up the threads from "Hippocratic Oath".