Avatar

In May 2001, Pocket Books published Avatar, a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel, in two volumes. It's written by S.D. Perry, who has previously contributed two stories to The Lives of Dax and has written the novelizations of Timecop and Virus. Under the name Stella Howard, Ms. Perry has written an original novel based on the series Xena: Warrior Princess.Avatar begins three months after DS9's finale, "What You Leave Behind," and focuses on Colonel Kira's command of the station. A surprise attack by what's left of the Dominion kills hundreds of Starfleet and Bajoran militia officers as well as civilians. As well, an ancient Bajoran text is discovered that incites religious controversy among the populace - one of its prophecies is that the birth of the son of the Emissary (Kasidy Yates' unborn child) will require the death of 10,000. What that actually means will be revealed at the end of the second volume, but several of the more conservative elements of Bajoran religious hierarchy have their own interpretation of it.We meet again a former Enterprise officer who becomes the station's new chief of security, and are introduced to three new characters - Commander Tiris Jast, a Bolian senior officer who commands the Defiant; Shar, the reticent Andorian science officer; and Elias Vaughn, a longtime Starfleet officer at a crossroads in his life.I found both volumes of the novel hard to put down. In the post-TOS era, Deep Space Nine has always been my favorite and I'm glad to see the "8th season" begin with a well-considered blend of action, characterization and thought-provoking issues of religion, culture and society. Pocket Books is taking up the threads of themes begun in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine quite effectively and I look forward to further adventures in this series.

I really enjoyed Avatar book one and two, and, the section 31 book that followed. I had just happened apon the Section 31 book earlier last week in a bookstore, thought it looked interresting and read it on and off over a day. The storyline was engaging and understandable enough with out avatar, but, there were things going on I didn't understand.. like Jake disappearing and how Ro ended up on Deep Space 9. It was like I missed an episode of the TV show. lol That's when I noticed (on the back cover) there was avatar that was supposed to go before the section 31 book.Anyway... I bought both of them and read them in two days flat. That's a major accomplishment for me as I have a small child - I'd read during naps and when playing with daddy. These books were a really fast read and were true to the characters already established in DS9 and TNG. Also, it was really great to see the mix of those two series. I've always thought someone should have done more to blend the two somehow.I"m giving the book 5 stars even if the epilogue read somewhat disconnected. Maybe the author wanted the book to be an obvious cliffhanger? (Hey.. what can I say...Empire Strikes Back was my favorite Star Wars movie. hehe) Well, it worked! Now I"m eagerly awaiting the next DS9 books to come out.

I was one of those fans who was devestated that DS9 had to be over. Then when I saw this book, promising a bold new beginning for the series, I was skeptical. But the author, S.D. Perry, really did a good job. He starts with a timeline, laying out the events from the DS9 tv series' 7 years in just a few pages. Surprisingly, he summed it up pretty well. That prepares you for the book itself. It and it's sequel tell the story of the beginning of the future of DS9. It adds Ro Laren, a Next Generation character many fans like, but doesn't forget all the others you'd expect to be there. I won't go into the story itself, but suffice it to say that there are multiple plots, only some of which are resolved. They will be continued in the subsequent books. I highly recommend these two books to any Star Trek fan, let alone a DS9 fan. You won't be disappointed.

This book was a most pleasant surprise for me. I have grown a little wary of the Trek book series (seems like every book that has come out recently is part of a series), but I was interested in the idea of continuing the tale of DS9 from the very beginning. The plot in Avatar is not complicated, but it is satisfying and not overly ambitious. Where the book shines is in the characterization and little details. Perry seems to have a very intricate knowledge of the Trek universe down to the little technical details. He even makes the technobabble make sense. The set-up was excecuted well and came out as very natural. Perry also left enough space for the new characters to grow and skillfully handled the relationships between the new and old characters. The only complaint I have is that the ending doesn't seem to be conclusive at all. I think part one and two should have been a single book. I guess the publishers just wanted for the fans to pay the seven dollars twice.

It's like season eight has begun with this new launch of the DS9 book series. Col. Kira has never been portrayed better than in this novel. There are the old familiar characters with lots of new ones to follow. It's a rare treat to read a novel that is very much like it's TV counterpart. I hope S.D.Perry continues to write this extrodinary series. Perry should have monthly or bi-monthly installments of this series to write. Of all the series; DS9 deserves a writer as good as this!