The Lives of Dax (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Marco Palmieri (Editor) "STRANGE AS IT may seem, that was how it started..." (more)
Key Phrases: transporter suit, warp frequency, transport pod, Captain Styles, Star Trek, Curzon Dax (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"One of the best novels on Deep Space Nine isn't a novel at all."
-- Cinescape "Remarkably effective....A cadre of solid science fiction tales....Easily one of the year's better anthologies, and one of the least predictable."
-- Amazing Stories

"The Lives of Dax does not disappoint."
-- Dreamwatch

"Live The Lives of Dax and discover what being human is all about."
-- Comics Corner

About the Author
Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens first sat at the Replimat seven years ago to eavesdrop on Odo and Quark as part of their research for The Making of Deep Space Nine, the first of four behind-the-scenes books they have written about Star Trek film and television productions. They are also the authors of three classic Star Trek novels, including the groundbreaking Federation, as well as the soon-to-be-published epic DS9 trilogy, Millennium, about the catastrophic discovery of the Bajoran system's second wormhole. In addition, the Reeves-Stevenses are co-writers with William Shatner for the ongoing series of bestselling novels chronicling the continuing adventures of Captain Kirk after his "apparent" death in Star Trek Generations.

The Reeves-Stevenses' other novels include the Los Angeles Times bestseller Icefire -- hailed by Stephen King as "the best thriller of its type since The Hunt for Red October" -- and Quicksilver, which Publishers Weekly proclaimed "a warp-speed technothriller." The Reeves-Stevenses are also the authors of the classic sf/fantasy crossover trilogy The Chronicles of Galen Sword, which is now available in a trade paperback omnibus edition from Babbage Books. For more details, please log on to reeves-stevens.com.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743456823
• ISBN-13: 978-0743456821
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #431,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives of Dax -- Tales well told!, November 29, 1999

By	J. McCain "Jim McCain" (Shreveport, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lives of Dax (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) (Paperback)

Lives of Dax had me hooked from the moment that I saw it's cover. The book is an excellent anthology telling stories from each of the different hosts of the symbiont Dax from Star Trek Deep Space. Using the few continuity clues provided from the show the numerous authors weave powerful tales for each of the Dax symbionts. We see many familiar faces in the stories from Vic Fontaine to T'Pau, Dr. McCoy, Christopher Pike and others. These familiar characters help to blend the stories seamlessly into the Trek mythos. The stories were all first rate. I could not pick a favorite story from the bunch. Each of them could easily have made an excellent DS9 episode. Fans of DS9 and Star Trek will find this a must read. Kudos to the authors and editor.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lives of Dax is one amazing anthology!, December 2, 2002

By	K. Wyatt "ssintrepid" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lives of Dax (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) (Paperback)

Ezri - "Second star to the right..." by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens

This is a wonderful short story about Ezri running into Vic Fontaine in the holodeck, when she was expecting Julian; unfortunately he's called away for emergency surgery. She breaks down somewhat and tells Vic about the circumstances surrounding her becoming the current Dax host. She then begins to impart the stories of all the previous Dax hosts.......

Lela - "First Steps" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

This fantastic short story is, of course, about Lela, the first Dax host. This is an excellent story, which recounts Lela's experience as a junior member of the council. It covers her meeting T'Pau of Vulcan. The story beautifully covers how Trill finds that it must overcome their desire for isolationism and embrace the knowledge that the Vulcan's are more than willing to impart upon them about their neighbors in the galactic neighborhood. This is a wonderfully well written story.

Tobin - "Dead Man's Hand" by Jeffrey Lang

Tobin, Dax's second host is kind of unsure of himself and a little nervous. He's is on a human ship, the Heisenberg. The ship is mostly manned by humans, but has one Vulcan, Skon. He befriends Skon. This story takes places during the Romulan, Terran war. The Romulans seize control of the ship, Tobin and Skon set out to free the rest of the crew and save the ship. This is a great short story that adds some interesting lore to the Dax character. SPOILER - The author makes it such that Tobin/Dax were the first to be transported and also that Skon and Tobin are the ones that suggest to Starfleet the idea of being able to separate the engineering and primary hulls. Great story!

Emony - "Old Souls" by Michael Jan Friedman

"Old Souls" is another extremely well written story by one of Star Trek's top authors. Emony is a champion gymnast who is now a judge for interstellar competitions. She happens to be on Earth for one held at Ole Miss, where a certain young man by the name of Leonard McCoy happens to be attending college. A great story that sets the non canonical back story that Emony Dax and the circumstances of this story are what inspires Leonard McCoy to take up his father's profession as a Doctor. Great read!

Audrid - "Sins of the Mother" by S.D. Perry

"Sins of the Mother" is a heartfelt and somewhat frightening story that heralds S.D. Perry's debut in the world of Star Trek. This wonderful story is written in the form of a letter from Audrid Dax to her daughter, detailing the events of her father's death after several years of estrangement between the two of them. A truly well written story and I'm certainly looking forward to S.D. Perry's future endeavors in the world of Star Trek and the Deep Space Nine relaunch series!

Torias - "Infinity" by Susan Wright

Susan Wright as usual, does a wonderful job of giving depth and feeling to what we already knew of Torias having been killed in a shuttle accident. She skillfully entwined a lot of emotion and depth of character into such a short and tragic story. Another great piece of "Trek" fiction by this author!

Joran - "Allegro Ouroboros in D Minor" by S.D. Perry & Robert Simpson

This is a wonderfully well written story detailing how Joran, the murderous sixth Dax host was stopped and Dax's memories suppressed. S.D. Perry is obviously going to be one of the top Trek/DS9 writers and I believe this is Robert Simpson's first foray into the world of Trek. This story could've easily been expanded into a full length novel. It would be very nice to see these two fine authors team up for a murder/mystery Trek novel.

Curzon - "The Music Between the Notes" by Steven Barnes

From the author of the wonderful novelization of "Far Beyond the Stars," we are treated with another fine story! This short story is about Ambassador Curzon Dax and a young Ensign Sisko being in the middle of a trade negotiation and Curzon educating that young Ensign in the ways of the universe. My only minor complaint about this story is that this anthology is written in the format of Ezri Dax telling the stories of all of Dax's hosts to Vic Fontaine. This story is written from Benjamin Sisko's perspective, therefore making this story somewhat out of context. Who cares though, great author and a great story!

Jadzia - "Reflections" by L.A. Graf

I have in the past found the L.A. Graf writing teams efforts somewhat hit or miss. They score a huge hit with this effort. "Reflections" is a wonderfully well thought out and scripted tale about Jadzia being forced to go home to Trill because her sister is in huge trouble. Her sister Ziranne, a school teacher, never wanted to be a joined Trill, yet she shows up in a hospital with an implanted symbiont. Absolutely great story!

Ezri - "... and straight on "til morning." by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

This is a poignant closer to this outstanding anthology about "The Lives of Dax." It also, as with the episodes, leaves you wondering what Vic Fontaine is all about along with leaving you with that feeling that Ezri has worked out her emotional distress about not wanting to be joined.

Marco Palmieri and all of the authors deserve a huge round of applause for their efforts on this Star Trek masterpiece. I would recommend this to any and all Star Trek/Deep Space Nine fans.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic "Dax" Anthology Raises the Bar for Trek Books, January 17, 2000

By	H. Jarman (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lives of Dax (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) (Paperback)

As Trek fan that also loves to read, I've been frustrated that Pocket's offerings rarely reflect the progressive, dynamic Trek vision I fell in love with. No longer! "Lives of Dax" is a bold step toward more character-oriented, risk-taking Trek fiction. Instead of conforming to the stretch-an-episode template, "Dax" gleans guest stars, scenarios and events from canon and then takes those elements where episodes can't go. Each multi-faceted host is written in the unique style and voice of a different author. Consequently, "Dax" becomes a rich, tapestry of interwoven stories that never succumbs to homogenity. The authors have imbued their stories with affection for the characters and for the Trek universe.

My three favorite stories were Kristine Rusch's "Lela," the Reeves-Stevens' "Ezri" and Jeffrey Lang's "Tobin." While Rusch's vision of Dax's first host has an idealistic, almost regal tone, Lang's "Tobin" is smart, wry and clever. "Ezri" convincingly picks up where DS9 ended last year and provides much need backstory for Dax's ninth host.

Though the "Curzon" story had a few clumsy moments (pre-Academy grads are *never* called ensign), the sci-fi elements were intriguing. I wasn't as enamoured of S.D. Perry's "Audrid" as I was of her collaborative effort, "Joran," with Robert Simpson. Suprisingly, I thought L.A. Graff's "Jadzia" was the anthology's weakest offering.

Unlike many Trek books, "Dax" continues to yield treasures after multiple readings. The reader can selectively sample stories or enjoy the subtly crafted, cohesive narrative that the stories create when combined. The anthology works as both in indivdual parts or as a novel utilizing different voices.

"Dax" is a book for fans to get behind. It's fun, intelligent and thoughtful; it deserves to be read by fans of all Trek series. If the future of Trek fiction can be as luminous as this anthology, we can only hope the franchise continues to "live long and prosper."