There were some really great parts, including the every continuing ever more complicated relationship between Ro Lauren and Quark.

However, the book as a whole had a hard time keeping my attention. Mack really tried to fit too many sub-plots within one story. There were at least 5 distinct stories (within chapters intermixed with the other) and some of the characters referenced in Chapter one were not even identified until the final chapter.

In addition the storyline around Taran'atar seemed really weak. It was as if he just decided he didn't like what David George did in the last book and tried to find someway to undue it. Which is sad because what George did before I felt completely made up for some of his earlier work.

As with almost every other book in the DS9 Relaunch series the most interesting part of the story was the ongoing storyline back on the Station, and not these other distractions. This is the first book in the series that when it ended it didn't lead me to wanting to get the next in this series as my next book, even with it not being the worst book in the series (that belongs to A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson) ( )

I have been a fan of the DS9 series since it launched. I like the "re-launch" though I still would prefer more novels set during the run of the show. As a continuation of the story of DS9 and it's characters, this is ok. There are too many plotthreads and the development of some of them is weak. At times it held me...but then the incident with the comet occured. (spoilers follow)

Elias Vaughn has over eighty years of experience as a Star Fleet Officer (ooo, yes, I am that much of a DS9 geek). The guy is over 100 years old...there is no way in hell (or on any planet of your choosing) that he would automatically assume that Prynn's combadge was the person herself. It's destroyed & he's suddenly certain she's dead & Taran'atar killed her. I was willing to stretch my disbelief to cover him...but when EVERYONE bought that line without a dissenting voice, the book fell to pieces.

Still, I am looking forward to the next one; it's my soap opera afterall! ( )

http://defcons-treklit.livejournal.com/25175.html#cutid1 ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?book=1016 ( )