Finished Prophecy and Change and I loved it! This is a short story collection that mostly takes place during the run of #DS9 and I’ve included my thoughts on each story below. 1/34 #StarTrek #trekbooks

Revisited, Part One by Anonymous: This serves as a framing device for the collection, but it’s great! We see the older Jake, but the encounter with Melanie is different from what we see in “The Visitor” as he’ll be telling her stories from his time on DS9. 2/34

Ha’mara by @KevinGSummers1: I absolutely loved this story! It takes place a few days after “Emissary” & focuses on a visit to Bajor by Ben, Jake, Kira, and Bashir. The Bajorans are my fav species in Trek bec of their rich history, culture, religion, and strength of spirit. 3/34

This story is wonderful because it feels like it could easily be the episode right after “Emissary.” All of the momentous consequences for Bajor that came from that episode are explored here with great character interactions and character growth. 4/34

The story especially adds to the Sisko/Kira relationship that’s so tense at first but evolves and grows in amazing ways throughout the series. You see important ways in which that relationship begins to evolve. 5/34

Kai Opaka is one of my favorite DS9 characters and I love the role that she has to play as such a genuine and inspiring figure of hope. I can’t say enough good things about this amazing story! 6/34

The Orb of Opportunity by Michael A. Martin and @AndyMangels: I loved this story! This takes place between the S3 episodes “Life Support” and “Heart of Stone.” It centers on a mission to recover an Orb in which both Kai Winn and Nog become involved. 7/34

That’s an unusual pairing, but it really works in this story. Winn is a character often seen as one of DS9’s greatest villains, but she does have moments in the show when you see the hardships she went through during the Occupation and you can see there’s more to her. 8/34

I appreciate that this story picks up on that, while at the same time acknowledging Winn’s selfishness and manipulation. Nog is a fav character for me & it’s fantastic to see the events of this story that lead up to him asking Sisko to sponsor him to Starfleet Academy. 9/34

Broken Oaths by @KRADeC: I loved this story! It takes place shortly after the S4 episode “Our Man Bashir” and concerns the aftermath of the episode “Hippocratic Oath.” 10/34

I loved the focus on O’Brien & Bashir & as always, Keith DeCandido is so spot on with every character that I clearly heard all of their voices in my head. It manages to simultaneously transport you so you feel you’re on the station while being a beautiful character story. 11/34

We get to see lots of great characters in such a short story, but they all feel three-dimensional and none of them feel short-changed. This story is so good that I wanted it to keep going to the next scene and the next scene and the next scene without end! 12/34

...Loved I Not Honor More by Christopher L. Bennett: I really enjoyed this story! It takes place during the S5 episode “Soldiers of the Empire.” This is a great story with Quark and Grilka following up on her two previous appearances. 13/34

Grilka is a wonderful character and the Quark/Grilka relationship has always been fascinating. That’s continued here with some fantastic character development for both of them and a story that feels right at home on DS9. 14/34

Three Sides to Every Story by Terri Osborne: I absolutely loved this story! It takes place during the last half of the S6 opening arc and focuses on a friendship between Jake and Ziyal. Tora Ziyal has always been a fascinating character for me. 15/34

In the great Star Trek tradition of characters caught between worlds, Ziyal is trying to make the best out of the difficult situations in her life and always manages to have a joy and determination that’s wonderful to behold. 16/34

That shines through in this powerful and haunting story that examines a new and deep friendship with Jake that’s tragically cut short. The opening S6 arc is already one of the finest achievements in Star Trek, but this story adds other amazing dimensions to that story. 17/34

I was hooked from start to finish and even though I knew how it would end, it still brought me to tears several times and was pitch perfect on every page. 18/34

The Devil You Know by Heather Jarman: I have mixed feelings about this story. It takes place after the S6 episode “In the Pale Moonlight” and leads up to “Time’s Orphan.” The story focuses on Jadzia’s involvement in a war initiative with the Romulans on DS9. 19/34

This is a dark, moody, haunting, and challenging tale in the best senses of those words. It’s very well-written and tells a powerful story. However, even though Jadzia goes through a lot in this story, her behavior feels out of character and that was distracting for me. 20/34

I felt that either Sisko or Kira would have been better choices for the central focus as their personalities and prior actions would have been in character for the actions and decisions we see in this story. 21/34

Foundlings by Jeffrey Lang: I absolutely loved this story! It takes place between S6 & S7 & centers on an investigation conducted by Odo & his predecessor Thrax. I love Odo stories & this is an amazing one that slowly unfolds and keeps building in exactly the right way. 22/34

It’s a wonderful glimpse into station life in this period, but also has some incredible character moments for both Odo and Thrax. This feels like it would have been a perfect bonus mini-episode between the seasons. I just loved everything about it! 23/34

Chiaroscuro by Geoffrey Thorne: I loved this story! It’s set after the S7 ep “Afterimage” & focuses on Ezri undertaking a difficult mission related to Jadzia’s past. Ezri is one of my favorite characters in Star Trek and I always love to see her in short stories and novels. 24/34

She’s brilliantly written here to represent the challenges she faces in early S7 and I would have loved to see this as an episode of DS9. Ezri gets some amazing character development in a story that unfolds in wonderful and challenging ways. 25/34

Every time I read a great story with Ezri I wish that we would have been able to see her for more than one season, but I’m grateful to spend more time with the character in fantastic stories like this one. 26/34

Face Value by @UnaCormack: I absolutely loved this amazing story! It takes place during the S7 episode “The Dogs of War” and expands on Kira, Garak, and Damar’s time on Cardassia Prime. 27/34

What we see of this time in DS9 is already amazing, especially in adding to Kira’s arc from fighting to free Bajor from Cardassia to fighting for Cardassia’s freedom. But this story adds some incredible scenes, interactions, and texture to this period. 28/34

Seeing the three of them grapple with working together despite their pasts is written so well and feels so real. Some of Una McCormack’s novels are already toward the top of the list of my favorite Star Trek novels. 29/34

It’s astonishing, though, that this story was her first professional sale. This is an accomplished, confident, insightful story that perfectly portrays every character and every aspect of the story. It’s a wow, from start to finish! 30/34

The Calling by Andrew J. Robinson: I loved this story! It takes place after the post-DS9 events in the amazing novel A Stitch in Time. The story centers on the struggles of post-war Cardassia & how Garak influences events & is personally influenced by those events. 31/34

As in A Stitch in Time, Robinson knows the character of Garak inside & out, both by playing him & by writing his life story. The tale crafted here is layered and wondrous and beautiful and ugly and challenging and rewarding and expected and unexpected, all at the same time. 32/34

It contains all of the contradictions of Garak that continue to fascinate us about one of the most complex characters ever created. I only wish we had gotten more Garak stories from Andrew Robinson. 33/34

Revisited, Part Two by Anonymous: This story to closes out the collection. It’s only a few pages, but I love what we see & it’s amazing to think about the older Jake’s writing journey as it actually happens. It’s a beautiful way to an end an amazing short story collection! 34/34