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Section 31: Control (Star Trek) Mass Market Paperback – March 28, 2017

by David Mack (Author)

4.5 692 ratings

Part of: Star Trek: Section 31 (2 books)

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From the New York Times bestselling author David Mack comes an original, thrilling Section 31 novel set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe!

No law…no conscience…no mercy. Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, and answering to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group pledged to defend the Federation at any cost. The discovery of a two-hundred-year-old secret gives Doctor Julian Bashir his best chance yet to expose and destroy the illegal spy organization. But his foes won’t go down without a fight, and his mission to protect the Federation he loves just end up triggering its destruction. Only one thing is for certain: this time, the price of victory will be paid with Bashir’s dearest blood.

™, ®, & © 2016 CBS Studios, Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Part of series

Star Trek: Section 31
Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pocket Books/Star Trek
Publication date

March 28, 2017
Dimensions

4.13 x 1.1 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

9781501151705
ISBN-13

978-1501151705
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Mack is the multi-award-winning and the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-eight novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies. His extensive writing credits include episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and he worked as a consultant on season one of the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. Honored in 2022 as a Grand Master by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, Mack resides in New York City.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Star Trek: Section 31: Control

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1501151703
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books/Star Trek (March 28, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781501151705
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501151705
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.13 x 1.1 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,438 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)
- #11,244 in Space Operas
- #18,057 in Science Fiction Adventures

Customer Reviews:
4.5 692 ratings

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About the author

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David Mack

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DAVID MACK is the award-winning and The New York Times bestselling author of 37 novels and numerous short works of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.

Mack’s writing credits span television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, and comic books. He also has worked as a consultant on the animated television series Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy. In June 2022, the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers honored him as a Grandmaster with its Faust Award.

His most recent publications include Star Trek: Coda, Book III: Oblivion’s Gate and Harm’s Way, a Star Trek: Vanguard / Star Trek: The Original Series crossover novel. His upcoming works include several original short stories in various new anthologies.

Mack resides in New York City.

Visit his official website, http://www.davidmack.pro/ and follow him on Twitter @DavidAlanMack.

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4.5 out of 5

692 global ratings

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Anise

Dang, now THAT'S a plot twist!

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

Wow. This book... it's something else. I have to say that I've read many, many Star Trek books over time (not every last one, especially in TOS, but quite a few.) And I seriously don't think I've ever read one that had such a major revelation about the meaning of the entire Star Trek universe as a whole. Is this good or bad? Maybe a little of both.

First of all, it should be said that it's a very well written book, whatever you end up thinking about the plot twist that changes everything (and it does.) It feels like a great conclusion to the Section 31 series and a beginning of the next one. Whether or not they continue writing in this plotline, it's come to a conclusion in SOME way, and I think readers will agree. There's lots of action and suspense. The characters are great. The biggest drawback was the same thing it's been throughout the entire Section 31 series-- Sarina Douglas is just an awful, weak character, and it's impossible to believe she ever really cares about Julian-- and yes, that's a problem when the plot ends up hinging on how genuine their feelings for each other really are. But without giving anything away, you will feel at the end of this book that you have the explanation for what Section 31 really was, who was running it, why it existed in the first place, and much more. The book ends on a rather pessimistic note, but it feels realistic.

Now, for the spoiler-y part...
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The existence of the Star Trek universe is based on manipulation and computer spying. All that wonderful universal peace and humanity's problems solved... well, it rests on everyone being spied on all the time. But was that all worth it, considering what the UFP got in return? What makes this narrative twist so fascinating is that by the end of the book, you do not know whether the answer is yes or no. Planets that refused anything which would have facilitated the computer spying have terrible poverty and suffering while a few rich people get all the benefits. Maybe the price really WAS worth it. I'm still not sure, although it's safe to say that the bargain never would have worked out in the actual reality we all have to live in once we put down the book. The most fascinating thing of all, though, is that we finally h ave an explanation for why everything always worked out so perfectly for Kirk, Picard, Janeway et al!! And it wasn't because it was "only a movie" or "only a TV show" or "only a fictional universe." Strings were always being pulled behind the scenes.
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Okay, that's the end of the spoilers... basically, I would say that this is such a good book and raises such fascinating issues that everyone should read it, and not just Star Trek fans, either. But be prepared.

8 people found this helpful

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Steven Tagawa

Another conflicted review (spoilers below)

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017

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Well, like many others I am highly conflicted about this novel. I give it four stars because David Mack's writing is (almost) at its best here, and at his best Mack is unquestionably a giant of Star Trek lit (even better than Diane Duane, whose one "flaw" is somewhat stylized dialogue). The plot is action-packed but easy to follow, the pace impeccably breathtaking, the characters spot on. Most people seem upset by the broader philosophical implications of the story (which I understand), but I confine my conflict to the book itself. My conflict arises (no spoilers yet) from the final twist presented in the very last chapter. Put simply: the first 39 chapters are brilliant. Chapter 40 is brilliant. The first 39 chapters and Chapter 40 together are a catastrophe. The one thing that "Control" fails miserably is the Retcon Test—that is, when a plot twist massively alters the context of the story, can you go back and see that everything that happened before STILL MAKES SENSE given the new context. In this case, the answer is emphatically no: the plot twist at the end in fact renders all of the action of the Third Act entirely implausible. (The question of whether or not it renders the entire Star Trek universe implausible is another issue entirely.)

Details (and spoilers) down this way...

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So I think I get why this happened. The climactic battle between Data and Bashir and Uraei/Control (and a broken and brainwashed Sarina) is excellently plotted and executed; and the notion that the entire thing (and not only it, but decades of circumstances preceding it) were all an infinitely intricate plot by Control to shed its dependence on the Uraei code and expand its watch over the galaxy is extremely tempting. But the two concepts are utterly, intractably incompatible.

Start with the most obvious: Sarina's murder. Control kills Sarina (by forcing her to gut herself) after Bashir has successfully uploaded the code that will prevent Uraei from restoring itself. Now, as a final act of vengeance by an evil entity lashing out in its dying moments, this at least makes some sort of visceral sense. (Although on deeper reflection it doesn't even really make much sense in that context, since Control is never shown to have an emotional aspect.) But in the context of Bashir succeeding being what Control really wants all along?? In this context, murdering Sarina AFTER Bashir has succeeded makes absolutely NO sense.

And for that matter, if this is what Control wants to happen, why did it arrange to fight Data and Bashir at all?? Did it really calculate, for example, that Sarina's last knife attack wouldn't just kill Bashir instantly, or that Lal would appear and destroy Control's avatar, after Data has been almost destroyed? Both Data and Bashir come within a hairsbreadth of losing this fight against Control—which begs the question: why in the world would Control deliberately set up that thin of a margin for error? Especially when it's absolutely not necessary? Driving Data and Bashir to develop the ultimate weapon against Uraei is one thing...but after they've come up with their plan to irrevocably obliterate the Uraei code, the most logical thing for Control to do is to JUST LET THEM DO IT. There aren't even "appearances" to keep up—its obvious that Section 31's biological agents have no clue what's going on and would do whatever Control told them to, and even if it were trying to keep up appearances, this is the final move of the game. There's nothing afterwards to keep up appearances for.

So that's the book's fatal flaw. I suspect that the twist was created at the end, and that its implications weren't fully thought through. Given the choice between the two, I think the last chapter should have been jettisoned to save the integrity of the rest of the story.

One other little nit: Uraei is highly reminiscent of the Whisper in The Breach (another excellent book). But in that case, the omniscient, omnipotent adversary was based on alien technology that was not centuries, or millennia, but literally eons ahead of humanity. So the idea of a piece of 22nd-century computer code advancing as far and as fast as Uraei does (note that it's carrying out intricate assassinations within a few years of its inception) is just a tad far-fetched. But that's a minor complaint.

All in all, if you can get past the story's inherent contradictions, this is one of Mack's finest works. And if you can—stop reading after Chapter 39.

5 people found this helpful

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James Yanni

Excellent story.

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2023

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Epic saga of the battle between Bashir, Data & co. vs an insurmountable foe, and their apparent victory against all odds, and with great sacrifice. Action packed, convoluted plot with an only slightly less than totally surprise ending.

Helpful

Penthar

The past 200 years of the United Federation of Planets is based on a lie!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

I'm very conflicted by this latest installment in the Section 31 saga. Very, very conflicted. The book itself and plot are great, full of action and adventure, and the return of an old friend from Star Trek The Next Generation.

But I'm conflicted by the revelation about the origins of a united Earth and humanity and the origins of the Federation. This is the ultimate retcon of the Star Trek Universe created by Gene Roddenberry. Everything he envisioned about humanity being united, about Earth finally at peace and becoming a utopian paradise with no crime and poverty, of an Earth at the heart of the United Federation of Planets expanding outward through peace and exploration ... all of that is based on a lie. One big fat lie! No spoilers but reading this book and the great secret at the heart of it all that began over 200 years ago at the very dawn of the Federation made me a bit disillusion about the whole Star Trek Universe now! In the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode 'For the Cause' where Michael Eddington defected to the Maquis, he said that the Federation was worse than the Borg, that the Federation's expansion throughout the galaxy was insidious. After reading this book, I think Eddington was right.

25 people found this helpful

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PABLO

Top 5 of all Star Trek books

Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2022

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Control would have been a great movie. Has all the plot twists and tragedy you can imagine. Bashir has changed quite a bit since DS9 ended on TV. Characters from all over Star Trek lore come out for this one. Read it now!

Philip Williams

One step ahead

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

Can an almost ominscient machine be outwitted?

This book keeps you guessing.

Another great from David Mack.

Really enjoyed the read

KGBeast

Geschichte auf den Kopf gestellt - interessante und aktuelle Bedrohung

Reviewed in Germany on May 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

Dr. Julian Bashir und Sarina Douglas arbeiten weiterhin als Doppelagenten in den Rängen von Section 31 für StarFleet Intelligence. Dabei scheint allen Seiten ihre jeweilige Rolle klar zu sein, aber aus irgendeinem Grund besteht Control, der Führer von Section 31, den die anderen Administratoren nur als ein stark verzerrendes Hologramm kennen, darauf, die beiden weiter agieren zu lassen.

Die beiden Verschwörer und Liebenden sind sich ihrerseits ihrer eigenen Funktion nicht mehr ganz klar und sehen auch die Gefahr, in der sie sich andauernd befinden. Da kommt eines Tages eine Reporterin zu ihnen um sie zu einem Gespräch in einer Art Faradayschem Käfig zu überreden. Bei diesem Gespräch erfahren sie, dass seit über 200 Jahren – praktisch seit der offiziellen Vereinigung der Regierungen der Erde, jedes Stück an Computertechnologie mit einem Stück Software versehen ist, das hilft Dinge aufzeichnen und zu kombinieren und in Gefahrsituationen die betreffenden Autoritäten zu informieren. Seine Hauptaufgabe ist der Schutz der Menschheit. Dieses Stück Software namens Uraei hat sich über die Jahre angepasst und die Expansion der Menschheit, die Entstehung der Föderation und alle folgenden geschichtlichen Ereignisse mit vollzogen und ist dabei zu eine unabhängigen Intelligenz geworden, die ihr Kernprogramm immer weiter ausgedehnt hat und nun auf praktisch alle Aspekte des Lebens im Umkreis der Föderation Einfluß nimmt. Und deswegen benötigen mögliche Verschwörer gegen dieses Programm Faradaysche Käfige, denn wenn Uraei erfährt, dass jemand unberechtigt von ihm weiß, hat diese Person oft sehr unauffällige Unfälle.

Im Zusammenhang mit ihren weiteren Ermittlungen erfahren Bashir und Douglas auch noch Einiges über das Entstehen von Section 31. Um ihren neuen, unerwarteten Gegner zu bekämpfen schließen sich die Beiden mit Data und Lal zusammen, die inkognito auf einem etwas abgelegenen Planeten untergekommen sind – und die diesen sehr bald verlassen müssen, als sie versuchen Uraei direkt zu beobachten und dabei prompt erwischt werden. Für einige Zeit können sie Exil bei Kanzler Garak auf Cardassia Prime Asyl finden, aber selbst dessen handverlesenen Wachsoldaten sind kein Schutz gegen Sextion 31 und Uraei. So geht die Flucht an einen ganz abgelegenen Ort.

Die Idee der vollständigen Überwachung in der Föderation erscheint vor dem Hintergrund unserer aktuellen Situation mehr als plausibel und dass eine KI, die die Menschheit schützen soll die in erster Linie verdeckt tut ist vielleicht auch nicht so an den Haaren herbei gezogen. Die Frage ist, was das bedeutet und diese finde ich in diesem Roman zu wenig diskutiert. Was gibt den größten Nutzen für die Zivilisationen der betroffenen Quadranten? Wie hätte sich die Geschichte ohne Uraei und Section 31 entwickelt? Das sind relativ offensichtliche Fragen, die hier zu wenig behandelt werden, während die Möglichkeit ob ein Vorgehen gegen die Beiden überhaupt möglich ist sehr ausgiebig diskutiert wird. Und zwar in der Regel sehr positiv.

Es endet vergleichsweise unerwartet – und hat sicherlich noch Potential für weitere Betrachtungen – insbesondere in Bezug auf das oben Erwähnte.

One person found this helpful

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Dan

Emotional

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

I like section 31

P

Pretty good

Reviewed in Canada on August 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

Liked this one. The uraei plot is interesting (and relevant given how our current technology is developing). Was less interested in Data and Lal-- the novels' current habit of resurrecting minor and major characters is lame. Having all of the the main characters from the different series interact makes the Star Trek universe seem rather small. Writing style is appealing-- not too much exposition. Hoping that Bashir's story will continue in another novel.

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Section 31: Control (Star Trek) Mass Market Paperback – March 28, 2017

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