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Star Trek: Aventine #4
A Singular Destiny
The Shape of Things to Come
The cataclysmic events of Star Trek: Destiny have devastated known space. Worlds have fallen. Lives have been destroyed. And in the uneasy weeks that follow, the survivors of the holocaust continue to be tested to the limits of their endurance.
But strange and mysterious occurrences are destabilizing the galaxy's battle-weary Allies even further. In the Federation, efforts to replenish diminished resources and give succor to millions of evacuees are thwarted at every turn. On the borders of the battered Klingon Empire, the devious Kinshaya sense weakness -- and opportunity. In Romulan space, the already-fractured empire is dangerously close to civil war.
As events undermining the quadrant's attempts to heal itself become increasingly widespread, one man begins to understand what is truly unfolding. Sonek Pran -- teacher, diplomat, and sometime adviser to the Federation President -- perceives a pattern in the seeming randomness. And as each new piece of evidence falls into place, a disturbing picture encompassing half the galaxy begins to take shape...revealing a challenge to the Federation and its allies utterly unlike anything they have faced before.
The cataclysmic events of Star Trek: Destiny have devastated known space. Worlds have fallen. Lives have been destroyed. And in the uneasy weeks that follow, the survivors of the holocaust continue to be tested to the limits of their endurance.
But strange and mysterious occurrences are destabilizing the galaxy's battle-weary Allies even further. In the Federation, efforts to replenish diminished resources and give succor to millions of evacuees are thwarted at every turn. On the borders of the battered Klingon Empire, the devious Kinshaya sense weakness -- and opportunity. In Romulan space, the already-fractured empire is dangerously close to civil war.
As events undermining the quadrant's attempts to heal itself become increasingly widespread, one man begins to understand what is truly unfolding. Sonek Pran -- teacher, diplomat, and sometime adviser to the Federation President -- perceives a pattern in the seeming randomness. And as each new piece of evidence falls into place, a disturbing picture encompassing half the galaxy begins to take shape...revealing a challenge to the Federation and its allies utterly unlike anything they have faced before.
378 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 24, 2011
One of the things I love about reading the Star Trek books, other than it solidifies my geekiness, is the serial nature of the books. Stand-alone books are fine, but I like stories that build on each other, and that the characters are affected by what happens to them in these stories. Essentially that these stories "matter".
The Destiny series was a really good series that not only gave us the origin story of the Borg, but brought the Borg story to an epic conclusion. And in keeping with the epic, and seriel, nature of the story, everything isn't perfect in the next story. The Federation has to deal with the aftermath of war. Previously the books dealt a little with the aftermath of the Dominion War, but the almost documentary style in which this book is written takes it to another level. We follow the story through a couple of narratives, but interspersed throughout are these letters, transcripts, etc that add to the story. We get a couple great battles, but it's more about the politics of the Federation. I love it. It makes the *universe* feel more real.
I'd also like to say that Keith R.A. DeCandido is quickly becoming my favorite Star Trek writer. Look forward to working my way through the aftermath and on to the Typhon Pact Series.
The Destiny series was a really good series that not only gave us the origin story of the Borg, but brought the Borg story to an epic conclusion. And in keeping with the epic, and seriel, nature of the story, everything isn't perfect in the next story. The Federation has to deal with the aftermath of war. Previously the books dealt a little with the aftermath of the Dominion War, but the almost documentary style in which this book is written takes it to another level. We follow the story through a couple of narratives, but interspersed throughout are these letters, transcripts, etc that add to the story. We get a couple great battles, but it's more about the politics of the Federation. I love it. It makes the *universe* feel more real.
I'd also like to say that Keith R.A. DeCandido is quickly becoming my favorite Star Trek writer. Look forward to working my way through the aftermath and on to the Typhon Pact Series.
November 17, 2023
I very much enjoyed A Singular Destiny, and this novel is a perfect demonstration of why I love Keith DeCandido's writing. The stories that are woven together form a fascinating tapestry of life within the Federation and beyond in the aftermath of one of the most horrific events imaginable. I have always loved stories that explore the politics of the Federation and its neighbors, and DeCandido has done so here in a way that makes that fantastical future setting seem very real. A Singular Destiny has at its core two main objectives: first, to take a breath after the action-packed Destiny trilogy and regroup, taking the time to really reflect on what the calamity and incredible loss of life from those novels has wrought. And second, to set up the shape of things to come by introducing the next major obstacle to challenge the Federation. In my humble opinion, it absolutely excels at both, while at the same time delivering all of the heart and humanity one comes to expect from a Star Trek story.
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2020/04/a-singular-destiny.html
Full review: https://www.treklit.com/2020/04/a-singular-destiny.html
November 1, 2023
Star Trek: A Singular Destiny is a crossover-standalone Star Trek novel by Keith R. A. DeCandido. It was published by Pocket Books and was released in February 2009.
This book is like the Aftermath of Star Trek. While the novel "Aftermath" shows the crazy chaotic nature of the Star Wars universe after the events of Return of the Jedi, "A Singular Destiny" shows the chaotic nature of the Star Trek universe after the events of Star Trek Destiny. Both books also have little interludes that show life throughout the universe.
A Singular Destiny is very much a Star Trek politics based story, featuring the various empires and governments from the Post-Nemesis universe. We follow Sonek Pran, a professor called into duty by President Bacco to negotiate with various empires for refugees and trade resumptions. Along the way, he uncovers a plot to create a cold war style standoff that will impact the Star Trek lit verse for many books to come!
The political cold-war elements here are fascinating, as they carry over from some Star Trek projects like the “Vanguard” series, as well as the Post-Nemesis books. You see the strengthening of the alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, as well as the formation of the Typhon Pact.
This book also continues the storyline of the IKS Gorkon, the ship from the eponymous series also by DeCandido. This was interesting to follow, although it also might have worked better as a singular novel instead, although I understand why Pocket might have wanted it featured here.
This book is fun to read, especially if you are well versed in the "Litverse" of Star Trek, where you will feel rewarded for keeping up with all of the various Star Trek books. It also does a great job of making Destiny feel impactful, although to be honest it could have gone even harder!
The main crew of the book is the Aventine, and it is nice to see the junior members of the crew get plenty of time to shine. It is a crossover book, but if it had to have a label, I would have named it Star Trek Aventine: A Singular Destiny.
I enjoyed the political writing that was present, which is obviously a strong-suit of DeCandido. His political writing in “ A Time for War, A Time for Peace” and particularly in “Articles of the Federation” were amazing. If he ever has the opportunity to return to Star Trek publishing, I hope it has some grounding in Star Trek politics.
Because this book doesn’t have the major characters from the shows and movies. As it is, it currently has a high number of ratings on Goodreads, which makes me wonder if it is a residual of the popularity of Star Trek Destiny, which blew the walls off of Star Trek publishing.
Overall, a good book by DeCandido. Not his best, but an enjoyable read, particularly if you are a fan of the listverse. 4 out of 5! Well Done DeCandido!
This book is like the Aftermath of Star Trek. While the novel "Aftermath" shows the crazy chaotic nature of the Star Wars universe after the events of Return of the Jedi, "A Singular Destiny" shows the chaotic nature of the Star Trek universe after the events of Star Trek Destiny. Both books also have little interludes that show life throughout the universe.
A Singular Destiny is very much a Star Trek politics based story, featuring the various empires and governments from the Post-Nemesis universe. We follow Sonek Pran, a professor called into duty by President Bacco to negotiate with various empires for refugees and trade resumptions. Along the way, he uncovers a plot to create a cold war style standoff that will impact the Star Trek lit verse for many books to come!
The political cold-war elements here are fascinating, as they carry over from some Star Trek projects like the “Vanguard” series, as well as the Post-Nemesis books. You see the strengthening of the alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, as well as the formation of the Typhon Pact.
This book also continues the storyline of the IKS Gorkon, the ship from the eponymous series also by DeCandido. This was interesting to follow, although it also might have worked better as a singular novel instead, although I understand why Pocket might have wanted it featured here.
This book is fun to read, especially if you are well versed in the "Litverse" of Star Trek, where you will feel rewarded for keeping up with all of the various Star Trek books. It also does a great job of making Destiny feel impactful, although to be honest it could have gone even harder!
The main crew of the book is the Aventine, and it is nice to see the junior members of the crew get plenty of time to shine. It is a crossover book, but if it had to have a label, I would have named it Star Trek Aventine: A Singular Destiny.
I enjoyed the political writing that was present, which is obviously a strong-suit of DeCandido. His political writing in “ A Time for War, A Time for Peace” and particularly in “Articles of the Federation” were amazing. If he ever has the opportunity to return to Star Trek publishing, I hope it has some grounding in Star Trek politics.
Because this book doesn’t have the major characters from the shows and movies. As it is, it currently has a high number of ratings on Goodreads, which makes me wonder if it is a residual of the popularity of Star Trek Destiny, which blew the walls off of Star Trek publishing.
Overall, a good book by DeCandido. Not his best, but an enjoyable read, particularly if you are a fan of the listverse. 4 out of 5! Well Done DeCandido!
February 17, 2016
Star Trek: A Singular Destiny is the epilogue of the Star Trek: Destiny saga. With over sixty billion sapients killed, entire worlds lit on fire, and half of Starfleet looking like Wolf 359--it's been a profoundly crap week for the Federation. Taking a novel to deal with the consequences of this immense devastation, the reactions to it, and the changes in the political landscape is an excellent move by the writers.
The best part of the novel is, in my humble opinion, the stories of people reacting to the Borg invasion. One chapter consists entirely of listing casualties from the battles against the Borg. Another is a suicide note about a man who left his family to go to a pleasure planet only to have them die along with his entire world. Another still is the story of a Starfleet officer murdering a bunch of ex-Borg. These add context to the immense emotional toll exacted by the Borg upon Starfleet.
A Singular Destiny has a number of plots coming together but they appear to, initially, be separate. How they all connect turned out to be genuinely a surprise and I applaud Keith R.A. DeCandido for managing to come up with a way to reveal the big twist without telegraphing it. I won't spoil the twist but the changes it results in are ones I am eager to explore.
My favorite part of the book probably relates to the examination of the Romulan Civil War's aftermath. In real life, too often, the consequences of armed conflict are overlooked. People think of the death toll in purely military terms without thinking about the resulting casualties from famine or disease. It's interesting to see how the Romulan State splitting in two affects things, resulting in an almost a North Korea-like situation for one. Sadly, said state is doomed as its heart will be annihilated within a few in-universe years thanks to JJ Abrams.
A character I particularly enjoyed was the teacher/ambassador, Sonek Pran. While this character seems to have been set up to be deliberately "quirky" (he plays the banjo amongst other things) he actually serves as a nice embodiment of the Federation's values. A multi-species academic and peace-maker who is loathe to use violence--he's wonderfully evocative of what the UFP wants to be. While I think he persuades certain characters a little too easily of what he wants them to do, it's nice to see diplomacy (as opposed to phasers) work for a change.
Another element I enjoyed was the Kinshaya and their war against the Klingon Empire. This is where I'm going to turn off a lot of my readers by saying I love the Klingons but I prefer them as villains. Don't misunderstand, The Undiscovered Country was awesome, but they're a vicious gang of killers who get too often romanticized. The Kinshaya, a race of griffon-like religious theocrats, had my full support when they went to war with the Klingon Empire during this book. They seem entirely in the right given what we know of Klingon conquest policies.
Oddly, the part of the book which moved me the most was one Star Trek rarely touches on: a tribute to religion. Using the Bajorans, who exist so Star Trek can deal with issues of religion without touching on Gene Roddenberry's vision too much, it takes about how people of faith and those without it both come together in the aftermath of crises seeking answers. As a person of faith, it left me feeling touched. People are free to believe as they want but its important to note everyone is seeking comfort and we shouldn't lose hope for a better world.
Am I entirely satisfied with the way this book works out? Not quite. I would have liked to have seen more of the political fallout from the Borg invasion. Hearing about survivors having to deal with the loss of their homes and planets would have been potentially traumatizing but I suspect the author was up to the challenge. Likewise, I would have liked to have known about how people felt about the revelation the Borg were partially the creation of humanity.
In conclusion, I'm really impressed by this book and think it's an excellent wrap-up for Destiny while also a great jumping-on point for the post-Destiny Star Trek EU. I applaud the author's work and hope to see more from him in the future.
9/10
The best part of the novel is, in my humble opinion, the stories of people reacting to the Borg invasion. One chapter consists entirely of listing casualties from the battles against the Borg. Another is a suicide note about a man who left his family to go to a pleasure planet only to have them die along with his entire world. Another still is the story of a Starfleet officer murdering a bunch of ex-Borg. These add context to the immense emotional toll exacted by the Borg upon Starfleet.
A Singular Destiny has a number of plots coming together but they appear to, initially, be separate. How they all connect turned out to be genuinely a surprise and I applaud Keith R.A. DeCandido for managing to come up with a way to reveal the big twist without telegraphing it. I won't spoil the twist but the changes it results in are ones I am eager to explore.
My favorite part of the book probably relates to the examination of the Romulan Civil War's aftermath. In real life, too often, the consequences of armed conflict are overlooked. People think of the death toll in purely military terms without thinking about the resulting casualties from famine or disease. It's interesting to see how the Romulan State splitting in two affects things, resulting in an almost a North Korea-like situation for one. Sadly, said state is doomed as its heart will be annihilated within a few in-universe years thanks to JJ Abrams.
A character I particularly enjoyed was the teacher/ambassador, Sonek Pran. While this character seems to have been set up to be deliberately "quirky" (he plays the banjo amongst other things) he actually serves as a nice embodiment of the Federation's values. A multi-species academic and peace-maker who is loathe to use violence--he's wonderfully evocative of what the UFP wants to be. While I think he persuades certain characters a little too easily of what he wants them to do, it's nice to see diplomacy (as opposed to phasers) work for a change.
Another element I enjoyed was the Kinshaya and their war against the Klingon Empire. This is where I'm going to turn off a lot of my readers by saying I love the Klingons but I prefer them as villains. Don't misunderstand, The Undiscovered Country was awesome, but they're a vicious gang of killers who get too often romanticized. The Kinshaya, a race of griffon-like religious theocrats, had my full support when they went to war with the Klingon Empire during this book. They seem entirely in the right given what we know of Klingon conquest policies.
Oddly, the part of the book which moved me the most was one Star Trek rarely touches on: a tribute to religion. Using the Bajorans, who exist so Star Trek can deal with issues of religion without touching on Gene Roddenberry's vision too much, it takes about how people of faith and those without it both come together in the aftermath of crises seeking answers. As a person of faith, it left me feeling touched. People are free to believe as they want but its important to note everyone is seeking comfort and we shouldn't lose hope for a better world.
Am I entirely satisfied with the way this book works out? Not quite. I would have liked to have seen more of the political fallout from the Borg invasion. Hearing about survivors having to deal with the loss of their homes and planets would have been potentially traumatizing but I suspect the author was up to the challenge. Likewise, I would have liked to have known about how people felt about the revelation the Borg were partially the creation of humanity.
In conclusion, I'm really impressed by this book and think it's an excellent wrap-up for Destiny while also a great jumping-on point for the post-Destiny Star Trek EU. I applaud the author's work and hope to see more from him in the future.
9/10
March 1, 2013
I was not impressed. I went into the book, expecting a lot and stopped about half way because I couldn't stand it anymore!
The book is more like short unconnected segments with little pieces of news stories and letters mixed it and it drove me nuts!
Not to mention, the only main people in the book are off the Aventine and they only appear sparsely. The other characters are completely new. They also have expected you to have read SCE books as well which I have not and was completely lost when I got there.
Destiny was great. This, I'm not even taking the energy to finish. The new Voyager is supposed to be great. So is New Frontier. I suggest one of those instead.
The book is more like short unconnected segments with little pieces of news stories and letters mixed it and it drove me nuts!
Not to mention, the only main people in the book are off the Aventine and they only appear sparsely. The other characters are completely new. They also have expected you to have read SCE books as well which I have not and was completely lost when I got there.
Destiny was great. This, I'm not even taking the energy to finish. The new Voyager is supposed to be great. So is New Frontier. I suggest one of those instead.
July 13, 2021
A sturdy and clever bridge novel. Connecting two of the most essential post-Nemesis Star Trek novel series - Destiny and Typhon Pact - DaCandido created an exhilarating and thoughtful avatar in the character of Sonek Pram to drive the events. Admittedly, this story won't make much sense if you haven't read the Destiny trilogy, but then again, most people don't jump into Star Trek novels willy-nilly. It's a good read by one of the better Trek novelists working in the 21st century.
August 18, 2019
An excellent Star Trek novel! Twined between a series of snapshot vignettes and minor stories from across the Federation of post-Borg invasion of the Alpha Quadrant; the main story more than holds its own as a Mars university professor figures out a rising new threat.
April 27, 2024
Summary:
200+ refugees from Vulcan's sister planet T'Khut have been living for weeks in the 350 year old Earth Cargo Service vessel Zirkiv, in orbit of Cor Caroli IX. A shortage of topaline, needed to build atmospheric domes, is preventing new domes from being built, so a treaty is signed to expedite mining more on Capella IV.
Rebecca Greenblatt of the Janus Mining Corporation is assigned to upgrade the mining facilities on Capella IV. The technology is 100+ years old and their economy about to collapse; the Capellans refuse to let the Federation return to the planet for maintenance after the teer, Leonard Akaar, was overthrown and exiled by a group called the toora Maab.
The refinery is just about operational when a Capellan named Kuun insists that Rebecca show him how it works; however, en route, the refinery explodes. Scans reveal traces of Cabrodine, a common element used in explosives, leading them to suspect sabotage.
Sonek Pran, a former aide who was dismissed when President Zife resigned, is back to being a professor on Mars, but wishes he could help more directly with the current crisis. Serendipitously, he receives a call from the Palais de la Concorde asking him to a seemingly urgent meeting with the president's chief of staff, Esperanza Piniero, which he accepts.
Cestus III has become a refugee center, since it was spared from the Borg invasion. An Andorian ship, the Kovlessa, was turned away from Zalda. Governor Gari tells them they'll house them in a baseball staidum.
Sonkek Pran arrives at the Palais de la Concorde and meets with Piniero, who says Bacco is again requesting his services; he accepts. While the Federation recognizes Donatra's government, they're providing aid to Romulus, which refuses to trade with the Star Empire. The Aventine will take Pran to Achernar Prime to speak with Empress Donatra, which he is quite happy to do.
President Bacco attends the Federation Council session addressing Zalda turning away the Kovlessa. After hearing the play-back between the ship and Orbital Control, the Zaldan Councillor says they will not be part of a Federation of liars--lying being completly intolerable to the Zaldans--and exits the chamber. Zalda is stricken from the refugee list until the reason for refusal can be determined.
Ty'Gokor is serving as the temporary capital of the Klingon Empire until the First City is rebuilt; Martok may make it the permanent chair.
Martok's son, Captain Drex of the I.K.S. Rovlaq, patrols near the planet Krios, protecting the Mempa refugees from potential Kinshaya attacks. The Kinshaya, a small nation that have been at war with the Klingons for centuries, recently conquered the Kreel, adding their fleet to the Kinshaya's own.
A fleet of 12 Kinshaya ships attack, upgraded with Breen disruptors and enhanced Romulan shields. They destroy many of the convoy ships, as well as Governor Doq's satellite, before the Rovlaq can stop them. Ultimately, the Rovlaq is also destroyed by the overwhelming numbers.
Dax and Bowers welcome Pran onto the Aventine; Pran can immediately tell Bowers doesn't want him there. Later that night, Pran plays his banjo for the crew, and they are enamored.
Riots break out in New Samarkand on Alpha Centauri over medication; Starfleet is called in to help.
The SCE ship USS Musgrave is ordered to Maxia Zeta IV, where a new dilithium mine has been opened up. However, this released farantine into the atmosphere, which stops electronics from functioning. The SCE team previously devised a paint that somewhat negates these effects, but removing it from the atmosphere will be significantly more complicated.
Pran, Altoss, his assigned security, Bowers, and Keddair take a runabout to Artaleirh to deliver food. The Romulans there are all emaciated, but tell them to leave regardless, saying the services of the Federation are no longer required. Sonek convinces them to take the food, since it's already there, and they accept. Back on the runabout, Sonek says it's more than pride that's stopping them from accepting the charity.
Back on the ship, Pran checks FNS news, which reports that the explosion on Capella IV was caused by the toora Maab, who haven't been active for 100 years. He can't help by draw a line between these disparate factions refusing Federation help for seemingly no reason.
Sonek meets with Empress Donatra. He says she's already beaten Tal'Aura; she told Bacco and Martok about Donatra's plans to form the Imperial Romulan State weeks before she announced it, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. Donatra has superior forces and the support of the people, so she just has to wait it out; but the people will suffer the most this way. He says if she offers to trade with Tal'Aura, the Romulan Empire will know who fed them, and the Federation will be on her side. She agrees to consider his proposal.
The next day, Donatra asks for a tour of the Aventine. She tells Dax she wants to open a trade dialogue with Praetor Tal'Aura, but wants Dax to open the negotiations, to which she agrees. Tal'Aura refuses to any negotiations between the Federation or Donatra, and says any aid agreements are terminated. Pran says nothing they could've said would've made a difference, because Tal'Aura knows something they don't.
Archbishop Retej, leader of the Seventh Holy Kinshaya Attack Fleet, takes his ship to conquer H'atoria, a world on the Klingon/Federation border. Upon arrival, they find it devastated by the Borg, but its location is more valuable than its resources.
Kalavak, the Romulan Star Empire's ambassador to the Federation, shows up at Bacco's office to tell her that the Empire will no longer take aid from the Federation, and no Federation ships will be allowed to enter their space without permission.
After the Romulan ambassador leaves, Bacco meets with Akaar to discuss the situation on Capella. There is replacement equipment on Starbase 10, they just need a ship to pick up and deliver it. Just then, Dax reports in on Pran's lack of success, so Akaar orders the Aventine to deliver the equipment to Capella.
Afterwards, Bacco meets with Klingon Ambassador K'mtok, who first asks about the topaline delay, then asks for Starfleet support against the Kinshaya attacks on H'atoria and Krios, where Martok's son was killed. Akaar says the earliest they can send ships is in 2 weeks, and K'mtok says the Klingons will remember this day.
Commander Bojan Hadzic of the Musgrave reviews the scans of Maxia Zeta III and finds there's no farantine on it; Maxia Zeta IV is a sister planet to III, so if there's none there, it must have been placed there as sabotage. They need a sample of the faranite to test it, but can't beam back from the planet once they beam down. They decide to outfit a shuttle with chemical thrusters to break out of the atmosphere.
The SCE is secretly working on Project Reassimilation: collecting salvaged Borg technology to try and reverse engineer it. However, since it's all inert, no progress has been made.
Pran starts piecing together the disparate attacks and disasters that have happened over the last few weeks, and sees a pattern emerging wherein the trade and shipping routes between the Federation and the Klingons are being cut off. He does a search for farantine and finds an article about a Ferengi named Sekki who was caught selling artificial faranite to a group called the Matter of Everything. He asks to speak with Dax right away.
Martok orders Klag to take 5 ships and recapture Krios; the other dozen ships in the fleet will guard the convoy to Mempa.
Pran asks Dax for runabout to take to Zalda; he believes the Ferengi woman, Sekki, is part of a conspiracy to drive a wedge between the Klingons and the Federation, and Zalda is the key--though he's not sure why. He says when Bacco asked Ferengi Ambassador Derro to hire the Breen as mercenaries against the Borg, he also tried to sell them weapons; however, he was outbid by Sekki, who upsold them better weapons--the same ones used by the Kinshaya. Sekki was arrested for selling artifical farantine, which was used on Maxia Zeta IV. Dax doesn't really buy it, but says they need Zalda back anyway, so she agrees.
The runabout arrives at Zalda and Pran requests a meeting with Councillor Molmaan; he's told he's unwelcome and to leave. He says if they turn him away, they're practically declaring war on the Federation, and Molmaan answers. He says Pran is lying because the Federation wouldn't attack a planet housing its own refugees; Pran is surprised to learn they do have refugees there. Pran explains that someone is lying to intentionally divide Zalda and the Federation, and that Molmaan needs to go back to Earth and actually talk to the president this time. Molmaan agrees, and says that no refugees in need will ever be turned away.
Pran contacts the president and gives her the good news; she's at a loss for words. Akaar says he'll start diverting refugees to Zalda right away. Afterwards, Pran tells Altoss and Trabka to take him to Maxia Zeta now that he's sure there's a conspiracy going on, despite their orders to go to Capella.
Aventine arrives at Capella, but Dax has decided that Pran's theory may hold water, so she tells Rebecca Greenblatt that she won't hand over the replacement equipment until Security Chief Kedair investigates. The Capellan teer agrees.
Kedair scans the site, then interviews all witnesses; she learns that the last Ferengi supply ship to Capella had been different than the previous few times, and had been delivered by a woman. Greenblatt says the graffiti left by the toora Maab was made by a jorni plant; Lonnoc scans the area and detects some in a nearby cave. Inside the cave she finds a Capellan man, who throws a bladed kligat into her chest; luckily, Takarans are hard to kill. He admits to being the toora Maab, and is placed under arrest, awaiting the teer's judgement.
Helkara reports back that Kedair's scans showed that the explosive chemical was not cabrodine, but nitrilin modified to look like cabrodine. Nitrilin is only found on a Ferengi planet, and only the Breen have technology to mask compounds like this. The investigation concluded, Dax agrees to hand over the equipment.
The captain of the Kovlessa is arrested on Cestus III after it's discovered she was using a drug to alter her DNA in order imitate the deceased captain of the Kovlessa, Captain zh'Ranthi. The imposter, Torethirala zh'Vres, was arrested by Ferengi authorities for fraud, but released when they were bribed.
Pran arrives at Maxia Zeta IV and speaks with Captain Dayrit and XO Hadzic of the Musgrave. They've already figured out that the Ferengi woman named Sekki is responsible for the farantine and are trying to track her down. Dax interrupts to chew out Pran for running off with the runabout, for which he apologizes, but says they need to contact the Palais immediately. Sonek fills in Piniero about everything they've found, and she tells them about zh'Vres. Ultimately, they decide the next step is to track down Sekki.
Klag's fleet is one of the few in the KDF to have the newest cloaking tech that can counter the Kinshaya's anti-proton scans, so they go undetected at Krios. They launch their attack, quickly destroying 2/3 of the Kinshaya force. However, 6 new ships decloak: 2 Breen, 2 Gorn, and 2 Tzenkethi, and the 4 Klingon ships besides the Gorkon are destroyed. With a captured Kinshaya vessel in tow, Klag decides to retreat--but 3 more Klingon vessels decloak, having completed their escort mission, and turn the tide of the battle. All enemy ships are destroyed, save for a Tzenkethi vessel that cloaks and retreats.
Ambassador Derro replies back saying he has nothing to say to Pran. He contacts Dax to give her the bad news, but she gives him more: his wife Rupi was killed on Ardana during an earthquake. Despite his obvious sorrow, he says he still has a duty to perform and tells her about Derro; she says give her an hour.
An hour later, Derro contacts Pran and says Sekki recently bought a mansion on Thalezra. Derro's price for the info is that Pran tell Dax his intel was valuable, which he does; howeever, Dax says Derro has a long way to go before his debt is paid. Aventine and the runabout head to Thalezra. Pran tells the Musgrave they're leaving, and the Captain says that with the sensor data Dax provided, they should have the dilithium mine running in 24 hours.
Sonek contacts his estranged son Ayib. His sister already told him about his mother's death, and Pran apologizes for not telling Ayib himself. Pran says he'll see him on Mars for the funeral, and Ayib thanks him for calling.
Altoss hacks into the Thal database and finds the location of Sekki's mansion. 11 hours later they reach Thalreza, disguised as Lissepians to get past orbital control. Pran and Altoss beam down and find the mansion nearly empty; however, in an upstairs bedroom, they find Sekki's body, and her computer, which has been wiped. They discover a hidden safe filled with coins that say "TYPHON PACT" on them. Just then the Aventine arrives; Pran tells Dax they need to get back to Earth right now.
Bacco meets with Ambassador Tezrene of the Tholian Assembly. She shows her the Typhon Pact coins and says she knows that the Romulan Star Empire, the Gorn, the Breen, the Tzenkethi, the Kinshaya, and the Tholian Assembly have formed the Typhon Pact, but she doesn't understand why. Tezrene says it's because of Bacco: when she asked them to join the force at the Azure Nebula, she convinced them that they would be stronger if they stood together, and since none of them wanted to join the Federation or Klingons, they started their own government.
Bacco holds a press conference about the Typhon Pact. She says a summit will be held on Zalda in 2 weeks with the Klingons, Imperial Romulan State, Ferengi Alliance, Talarian Republic, and Cardassian Union to discuss an expansion of the Khitomer Accords to include those other governments.
Epilogue: On Mars for the funeral, Sonek tells Ayib that he loves him, and that they owe it to Rupi to try and talk every once in a while, even if there's not best friends.
200+ refugees from Vulcan's sister planet T'Khut have been living for weeks in the 350 year old Earth Cargo Service vessel Zirkiv, in orbit of Cor Caroli IX. A shortage of topaline, needed to build atmospheric domes, is preventing new domes from being built, so a treaty is signed to expedite mining more on Capella IV.
Rebecca Greenblatt of the Janus Mining Corporation is assigned to upgrade the mining facilities on Capella IV. The technology is 100+ years old and their economy about to collapse; the Capellans refuse to let the Federation return to the planet for maintenance after the teer, Leonard Akaar, was overthrown and exiled by a group called the toora Maab.
The refinery is just about operational when a Capellan named Kuun insists that Rebecca show him how it works; however, en route, the refinery explodes. Scans reveal traces of Cabrodine, a common element used in explosives, leading them to suspect sabotage.
Sonek Pran, a former aide who was dismissed when President Zife resigned, is back to being a professor on Mars, but wishes he could help more directly with the current crisis. Serendipitously, he receives a call from the Palais de la Concorde asking him to a seemingly urgent meeting with the president's chief of staff, Esperanza Piniero, which he accepts.
Cestus III has become a refugee center, since it was spared from the Borg invasion. An Andorian ship, the Kovlessa, was turned away from Zalda. Governor Gari tells them they'll house them in a baseball staidum.
Sonkek Pran arrives at the Palais de la Concorde and meets with Piniero, who says Bacco is again requesting his services; he accepts. While the Federation recognizes Donatra's government, they're providing aid to Romulus, which refuses to trade with the Star Empire. The Aventine will take Pran to Achernar Prime to speak with Empress Donatra, which he is quite happy to do.
President Bacco attends the Federation Council session addressing Zalda turning away the Kovlessa. After hearing the play-back between the ship and Orbital Control, the Zaldan Councillor says they will not be part of a Federation of liars--lying being completly intolerable to the Zaldans--and exits the chamber. Zalda is stricken from the refugee list until the reason for refusal can be determined.
Ty'Gokor is serving as the temporary capital of the Klingon Empire until the First City is rebuilt; Martok may make it the permanent chair.
Martok's son, Captain Drex of the I.K.S. Rovlaq, patrols near the planet Krios, protecting the Mempa refugees from potential Kinshaya attacks. The Kinshaya, a small nation that have been at war with the Klingons for centuries, recently conquered the Kreel, adding their fleet to the Kinshaya's own.
A fleet of 12 Kinshaya ships attack, upgraded with Breen disruptors and enhanced Romulan shields. They destroy many of the convoy ships, as well as Governor Doq's satellite, before the Rovlaq can stop them. Ultimately, the Rovlaq is also destroyed by the overwhelming numbers.
Dax and Bowers welcome Pran onto the Aventine; Pran can immediately tell Bowers doesn't want him there. Later that night, Pran plays his banjo for the crew, and they are enamored.
Riots break out in New Samarkand on Alpha Centauri over medication; Starfleet is called in to help.
The SCE ship USS Musgrave is ordered to Maxia Zeta IV, where a new dilithium mine has been opened up. However, this released farantine into the atmosphere, which stops electronics from functioning. The SCE team previously devised a paint that somewhat negates these effects, but removing it from the atmosphere will be significantly more complicated.
Pran, Altoss, his assigned security, Bowers, and Keddair take a runabout to Artaleirh to deliver food. The Romulans there are all emaciated, but tell them to leave regardless, saying the services of the Federation are no longer required. Sonek convinces them to take the food, since it's already there, and they accept. Back on the runabout, Sonek says it's more than pride that's stopping them from accepting the charity.
Back on the ship, Pran checks FNS news, which reports that the explosion on Capella IV was caused by the toora Maab, who haven't been active for 100 years. He can't help by draw a line between these disparate factions refusing Federation help for seemingly no reason.
Sonek meets with Empress Donatra. He says she's already beaten Tal'Aura; she told Bacco and Martok about Donatra's plans to form the Imperial Romulan State weeks before she announced it, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. Donatra has superior forces and the support of the people, so she just has to wait it out; but the people will suffer the most this way. He says if she offers to trade with Tal'Aura, the Romulan Empire will know who fed them, and the Federation will be on her side. She agrees to consider his proposal.
The next day, Donatra asks for a tour of the Aventine. She tells Dax she wants to open a trade dialogue with Praetor Tal'Aura, but wants Dax to open the negotiations, to which she agrees. Tal'Aura refuses to any negotiations between the Federation or Donatra, and says any aid agreements are terminated. Pran says nothing they could've said would've made a difference, because Tal'Aura knows something they don't.
Archbishop Retej, leader of the Seventh Holy Kinshaya Attack Fleet, takes his ship to conquer H'atoria, a world on the Klingon/Federation border. Upon arrival, they find it devastated by the Borg, but its location is more valuable than its resources.
Kalavak, the Romulan Star Empire's ambassador to the Federation, shows up at Bacco's office to tell her that the Empire will no longer take aid from the Federation, and no Federation ships will be allowed to enter their space without permission.
After the Romulan ambassador leaves, Bacco meets with Akaar to discuss the situation on Capella. There is replacement equipment on Starbase 10, they just need a ship to pick up and deliver it. Just then, Dax reports in on Pran's lack of success, so Akaar orders the Aventine to deliver the equipment to Capella.
Afterwards, Bacco meets with Klingon Ambassador K'mtok, who first asks about the topaline delay, then asks for Starfleet support against the Kinshaya attacks on H'atoria and Krios, where Martok's son was killed. Akaar says the earliest they can send ships is in 2 weeks, and K'mtok says the Klingons will remember this day.
Commander Bojan Hadzic of the Musgrave reviews the scans of Maxia Zeta III and finds there's no farantine on it; Maxia Zeta IV is a sister planet to III, so if there's none there, it must have been placed there as sabotage. They need a sample of the faranite to test it, but can't beam back from the planet once they beam down. They decide to outfit a shuttle with chemical thrusters to break out of the atmosphere.
The SCE is secretly working on Project Reassimilation: collecting salvaged Borg technology to try and reverse engineer it. However, since it's all inert, no progress has been made.
Pran starts piecing together the disparate attacks and disasters that have happened over the last few weeks, and sees a pattern emerging wherein the trade and shipping routes between the Federation and the Klingons are being cut off. He does a search for farantine and finds an article about a Ferengi named Sekki who was caught selling artificial faranite to a group called the Matter of Everything. He asks to speak with Dax right away.
Martok orders Klag to take 5 ships and recapture Krios; the other dozen ships in the fleet will guard the convoy to Mempa.
Pran asks Dax for runabout to take to Zalda; he believes the Ferengi woman, Sekki, is part of a conspiracy to drive a wedge between the Klingons and the Federation, and Zalda is the key--though he's not sure why. He says when Bacco asked Ferengi Ambassador Derro to hire the Breen as mercenaries against the Borg, he also tried to sell them weapons; however, he was outbid by Sekki, who upsold them better weapons--the same ones used by the Kinshaya. Sekki was arrested for selling artifical farantine, which was used on Maxia Zeta IV. Dax doesn't really buy it, but says they need Zalda back anyway, so she agrees.
The runabout arrives at Zalda and Pran requests a meeting with Councillor Molmaan; he's told he's unwelcome and to leave. He says if they turn him away, they're practically declaring war on the Federation, and Molmaan answers. He says Pran is lying because the Federation wouldn't attack a planet housing its own refugees; Pran is surprised to learn they do have refugees there. Pran explains that someone is lying to intentionally divide Zalda and the Federation, and that Molmaan needs to go back to Earth and actually talk to the president this time. Molmaan agrees, and says that no refugees in need will ever be turned away.
Pran contacts the president and gives her the good news; she's at a loss for words. Akaar says he'll start diverting refugees to Zalda right away. Afterwards, Pran tells Altoss and Trabka to take him to Maxia Zeta now that he's sure there's a conspiracy going on, despite their orders to go to Capella.
Aventine arrives at Capella, but Dax has decided that Pran's theory may hold water, so she tells Rebecca Greenblatt that she won't hand over the replacement equipment until Security Chief Kedair investigates. The Capellan teer agrees.
Kedair scans the site, then interviews all witnesses; she learns that the last Ferengi supply ship to Capella had been different than the previous few times, and had been delivered by a woman. Greenblatt says the graffiti left by the toora Maab was made by a jorni plant; Lonnoc scans the area and detects some in a nearby cave. Inside the cave she finds a Capellan man, who throws a bladed kligat into her chest; luckily, Takarans are hard to kill. He admits to being the toora Maab, and is placed under arrest, awaiting the teer's judgement.
Helkara reports back that Kedair's scans showed that the explosive chemical was not cabrodine, but nitrilin modified to look like cabrodine. Nitrilin is only found on a Ferengi planet, and only the Breen have technology to mask compounds like this. The investigation concluded, Dax agrees to hand over the equipment.
The captain of the Kovlessa is arrested on Cestus III after it's discovered she was using a drug to alter her DNA in order imitate the deceased captain of the Kovlessa, Captain zh'Ranthi. The imposter, Torethirala zh'Vres, was arrested by Ferengi authorities for fraud, but released when they were bribed.
Pran arrives at Maxia Zeta IV and speaks with Captain Dayrit and XO Hadzic of the Musgrave. They've already figured out that the Ferengi woman named Sekki is responsible for the farantine and are trying to track her down. Dax interrupts to chew out Pran for running off with the runabout, for which he apologizes, but says they need to contact the Palais immediately. Sonek fills in Piniero about everything they've found, and she tells them about zh'Vres. Ultimately, they decide the next step is to track down Sekki.
Klag's fleet is one of the few in the KDF to have the newest cloaking tech that can counter the Kinshaya's anti-proton scans, so they go undetected at Krios. They launch their attack, quickly destroying 2/3 of the Kinshaya force. However, 6 new ships decloak: 2 Breen, 2 Gorn, and 2 Tzenkethi, and the 4 Klingon ships besides the Gorkon are destroyed. With a captured Kinshaya vessel in tow, Klag decides to retreat--but 3 more Klingon vessels decloak, having completed their escort mission, and turn the tide of the battle. All enemy ships are destroyed, save for a Tzenkethi vessel that cloaks and retreats.
Ambassador Derro replies back saying he has nothing to say to Pran. He contacts Dax to give her the bad news, but she gives him more: his wife Rupi was killed on Ardana during an earthquake. Despite his obvious sorrow, he says he still has a duty to perform and tells her about Derro; she says give her an hour.
An hour later, Derro contacts Pran and says Sekki recently bought a mansion on Thalezra. Derro's price for the info is that Pran tell Dax his intel was valuable, which he does; howeever, Dax says Derro has a long way to go before his debt is paid. Aventine and the runabout head to Thalezra. Pran tells the Musgrave they're leaving, and the Captain says that with the sensor data Dax provided, they should have the dilithium mine running in 24 hours.
Sonek contacts his estranged son Ayib. His sister already told him about his mother's death, and Pran apologizes for not telling Ayib himself. Pran says he'll see him on Mars for the funeral, and Ayib thanks him for calling.
Altoss hacks into the Thal database and finds the location of Sekki's mansion. 11 hours later they reach Thalreza, disguised as Lissepians to get past orbital control. Pran and Altoss beam down and find the mansion nearly empty; however, in an upstairs bedroom, they find Sekki's body, and her computer, which has been wiped. They discover a hidden safe filled with coins that say "TYPHON PACT" on them. Just then the Aventine arrives; Pran tells Dax they need to get back to Earth right now.
Bacco meets with Ambassador Tezrene of the Tholian Assembly. She shows her the Typhon Pact coins and says she knows that the Romulan Star Empire, the Gorn, the Breen, the Tzenkethi, the Kinshaya, and the Tholian Assembly have formed the Typhon Pact, but she doesn't understand why. Tezrene says it's because of Bacco: when she asked them to join the force at the Azure Nebula, she convinced them that they would be stronger if they stood together, and since none of them wanted to join the Federation or Klingons, they started their own government.
Bacco holds a press conference about the Typhon Pact. She says a summit will be held on Zalda in 2 weeks with the Klingons, Imperial Romulan State, Ferengi Alliance, Talarian Republic, and Cardassian Union to discuss an expansion of the Khitomer Accords to include those other governments.
Epilogue: On Mars for the funeral, Sonek tells Ayib that he loves him, and that they owe it to Rupi to try and talk every once in a while, even if there's not best friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2015
Ah, the good old days when you could pick up a Star Trek novel and just read it. Of course, you had to be familiar with whichever show it belonged to (The Next Generation, Original Series, Deep Space Nine, Voyager), but other than that, you were good to go. They were basically stand alone non-canon goodness. But then, they (Pocket, et. al.) started doing massive crossovers of all the serieses. But still, if you knew all the shows it was mostly okay, and you could go with the flow and they rehashed enough in the books that you could put it together. But now... Not only do you need to know all the shows, but to truly understand the books it helps to read them in order, not just in their respective series, (whether that be the TV ones, or the new novel only ones like New Frontier, Titan, Vanguard), from all different times. Some of these story lines have never been anywhere near a TV or movie screen. Confusing. (Also, causing my To Be Read pile/list to go all to hell).
Still, the book itself was awesome. It was an intricately constructed political novel about the fallout of the Destiny crisis. With information appearing in the beginning or middle of the book that applies to things that are in the end of the book. It's up there with Q-Squared in regards to how tightly its put together. Though, that one was more of an action story and this one is most definitely political in nature. Also DeCandido is quite the author, creating characters that almost always inspire some sort of feeling by the reader, whether it be positive or negative.
Still, the book itself was awesome. It was an intricately constructed political novel about the fallout of the Destiny crisis. With information appearing in the beginning or middle of the book that applies to things that are in the end of the book. It's up there with Q-Squared in regards to how tightly its put together. Though, that one was more of an action story and this one is most definitely political in nature. Also DeCandido is quite the author, creating characters that almost always inspire some sort of feeling by the reader, whether it be positive or negative.
May 20, 2017
By Keith R.A. DeCandido
Published in 2009
4 Stars
I don't know about you but I really do love Star Trek but I'm not a fanatic like some people out there that get into their full Klingon getup or paste on their Vulcan ears and go to Comicon. Not that it's wrong to do that. I've done it myself once or twice back when I was a teenager.
I didn't dress up though but I did get a chance to meet Nicelle Nichols who played Uhura in TOS. She's such a sweetheart and beautiful despite her age. I also met George Takei (Sulu, TOS) who since then has come back into stardom. Maybe not as much as back in the day, but I'd have to say he was a fun guy to meet in person.
There's a little history about Star Trek and I, although there's tons more stories to tell which I may just write a separate post for that. What do you think, would you like to hear more about my story? Let me know in the Disqus comments below.
Now onto the main content of the post.
Stardate 94984.8
Historian's Note
This novel commences in late April 2381, about two months after the conclusion of Star Trek: Destiny trilogy, and a year and a half after the feature film Star Trek Nemesis.
I find that these post 'Nemesis' books seem to be more original than any of the other Star Trek books out there. One of the reasons is because there have been no Star Trek series covering the events after Voyager returns home.
A Singular Destiny takes place after the hugely successful Star Trek Destiny series by David Mack where the Borg have completely annihilated most of the Federation, Klingon Empire, Vulcans, Romulans and virtually the rest of the species in the Alpha Quadrant. Only few were spared.
Unfortunately I haven't read the Destiny series yet but after reading A Singular Destiny I can tell you from personal experience that you don't need to read the Destiny series in order to understand this book although it might actually help to understand some of the references to battles that took place. There's no doubt that I will be reading Destiny as soon as I get the chance.
A Singular Destiny is all about loss, rebuilding and working together to do so. Resources are running thin, many ships are understaffed and hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of refugees are seeking new homes.
The Federation is doing its best to aid all its neighbors, allies and even enemies like the Romulans. The Klingon Empire has asked the Federation to aid in taking back Krios and H'atoria from the Kinshaya but can only do so much since it's got its own people to protect first and with an unknown entity sabotaging every move The Federation makes, these rebuilding efforts are being delayed drastically along with a few casualties from the unknown attackers.
One thing that I loved about A Singular Destiny is that Keith R.A. DeCandido took a different approach with the perspective of the story being that Professor Sonek Pran at McKay University, Endurance, Mars, a mixed Human, Vulcan, Bajoran and Betazoid (wow, what a crazy mix!) history professor was the main character. I haven't seen many Star Trek books that have a non-Federation perspective so for me it's what made this book stand out as unique.
Sonek Pran is a cheerful intellect that gets recruited to board the Aventine by President Bacco from the Palais in France as diplomat to the Federation to try and convince Empress Donatra of the Imperial Romulan State to open up relief efforts to her sworn enemy Praetor Tal'Aura of the Romulan Star Empire. Why would she ever agree to such a thing? Professor Pran has the unique ability to persuade almost anyone to do anything. It's not a special power, Pran is just very good with words.
We also get to see some of the inner workings of the Palais (similar to the White House) and the personality of President Bacco. I don't think she makes the best president ever but then again the galaxy had just lost billions of lives just two months previous so she's got a lot on her shoulders. She does play a major role in the plot of this book.
A shot of the Aventine
Did I forget to mention the Aventine is captained by Ezri Dax! Yes, we get to see a bit of that slipstream drive in action. For those of you that don't know, the slipstream technology was brought back by Voyager from the Delta Quadrant. Dax was great in this book. She makes a great captain. Her crew, specially First Officer, Bowers, had some hilarious lines with Sonek Pran. Bowers isn't an easy man to get along with but at heart he knows his duty and what's right.
(ALMOST DONE...I have so much to say about this book but I don't want to bore you guys. Bare with me here as I have a few more things to say.)
Another great thing that made A Singular Destiny standout was the fact that in between each chapter there was either a 'real' news article, report logs, letters and even a suicide note which really gave you a sense of how the galaxy was feeling and coping with all the loss and chaos going on around them. These weren't just random reports though. I felt like they were the glue between the seams holding the story line together. It's what made the book feel more real.
Keith R.A. DeCandido in my opinion only made one mistake with A Singular Destiny. The chapters of the book where it just focused on the Klingon side of the story felt a bit out of place because the rest of the story focuses on Sonek Pran on the Aventine, and President Bacco at the Palais. The details of this side of the story weren't the problem, actually the details on the Klingon side were just one essential part of the whole story, but the problem was the perspective. It felt off kilter. You've got two Federation points of view and one Klingon. Why not just find a way to make it all Federation?
Other than that, DeCandido really knows his Star Trek history and probably spent hours upon hours of sorting out history lines when he was planning and writing this book. His style of writing was not a problem at all. He entertained me, made me sad and happy and just wrote an overall great Star Trek story.
Here's to Star Trek! Live long and prosper.
Did you enjoy the review? If so kindly leave a comment and share this post with your other Trekkie friends. Thanks guys and gals!
P.S. BONUS! Doctor Leonard McCoy as we know him makes an appearance in A Singular Destiny!
Related Posts:
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Takedown
Star Trek: Voyager: Unworthy
June 11, 2009
I think this was a somewhat unusual Trek novel. At least, it was unusual for the Trek books I've read. Maybe some of the ones I missed were similar to this. But I really enjoyed this one. It was more political, more behind the scenes, or at least not focused entirely on Starfleet for once. I may have to go back and read Articles of the Federation, because I liked President Bacco in this book. I'd like to read more about her.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the troubles that happened after the Borg invasion. It was refreshing to see that the Federation could be troubled by relatively minor things, not just by some monolithic threat that the Borg had posed. I think it made some interesting dynamics between various groups that we might not otherwise have seen.
I *really* liked the character of Sonek Pran. I look forward to seeing him in future books. He probably wasn't all that special or unique of a character, but I just liked him and found him to be a really sympathetic character.
Just a good, fun read. I don't think you would even need to read the preceding Destiny trilogy to understand the events in this one. DeCandido did a good job making references to the events in the Destiny books in such a way that you could have figured out what happened even if you hadn't read them.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the troubles that happened after the Borg invasion. It was refreshing to see that the Federation could be troubled by relatively minor things, not just by some monolithic threat that the Borg had posed. I think it made some interesting dynamics between various groups that we might not otherwise have seen.
I *really* liked the character of Sonek Pran. I look forward to seeing him in future books. He probably wasn't all that special or unique of a character, but I just liked him and found him to be a really sympathetic character.
Just a good, fun read. I don't think you would even need to read the preceding Destiny trilogy to understand the events in this one. DeCandido did a good job making references to the events in the Destiny books in such a way that you could have figured out what happened even if you hadn't read them.
October 11, 2014
This reminded me a bit of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War: there were lots of short scenes showing how different people have reacted to these events. That's unusual for a Star Trek novel, but I'm ok with it.
The main plot moved things along by setting up the next Big Event, but that seemed to come out of nowhere. I don't mind it as a concept, but it wasn't a very satisfying pay-off. Also, when the Aventine was investigating a mining problem, I expected Ezri's prior experience (i.e. her family running a mine) to be relevant. Maybe it was, but if so then it happened "off page".
Still, KRAD is a reliable writer, and the individual pieces of this book held my attention, so that's good enough.
The main plot moved things along by setting up the next Big Event, but that seemed to come out of nowhere. I don't mind it as a concept, but it wasn't a very satisfying pay-off. Also, when the Aventine was investigating a mining problem, I expected Ezri's prior experience (i.e. her family running a mine) to be relevant. Maybe it was, but if so then it happened "off page".
Still, KRAD is a reliable writer, and the individual pieces of this book held my attention, so that's good enough.
June 18, 2018
A Singular Destiny kicks off after the previous book with Dax, Bowers and the rest of the Aventine crew as well as the Federation all still heavily starting in the rebuilding efforts following the Borg invasions that the Federation and it's allies have been through! :D A Singular Destiny gives a multiple POV's of both the characters that we already know as well as introducing us do new ones as well such as Professor Pran who spends the book getting to know the various people and crew much to the initial exasperation of Bowers and the amusement of Ezri! :D In many ways the book serves as a great viewpoint on post Borg events with over 30 billion casualties the book has the feel of the ST: TNG episode Family with hints of Rogue One's tones! :D Where we get to see the personal cost of the victories and this really ram it home what these characters have been through! :D At the same time the book is fun and brilliant as Pran, Dax, Bowers and co have to adjust and the addition of Ensign and Lieutenants aplenty keep the POV's and characters flowing in brilliantly! :D
The book has a very detective feel to it as Pran investigates the possibility of an outside force trying to slow both the Federation and the Klingons rebuilding efforts! :D This leads to sub plots investigating mining on Capella IV headed by Lonnoc Kedair with a somewhat Rebecca Greenblatt in tow that neatly dovetails into Pran's own investigations into why dilithium production is being disrupted! :D This brings in the USS Musgrave and it's slightly misfit chief Engineer Bojan Hadzic and exasperated Captain Manolet Dayrit which eventually leads to a hilarious conversation between all of the and the Federation President Bacco! :D This also continues the running gag throughout about Pran's level 20 clearance that apparently never got revoked! :D
The book also serves a clever well paced set up for future books as we get to see the formation of the Typhon pact and all that that entails! :D The politics on display are multi level and kind of remind you of The Empire from Star Wars or the manoeuvring of the Klingons in the ST:DS9 episode Way of the Warrior as they are bound to really shake things up! :D Bacco again comes across as an excellent President with the good of the Citizens of the Federation at stake and of course this give Admiral Akaar with crisis on Capella a chance to pop in and even though there page time is shared with other it really still helps to build them and rest of the Federation political staff up in character development showing that those not on a starship bridge are aware of those that are! :D This certainly show politicians of the Federation in better light! :D This really shows the 24th Federation to be actually enlightened actually serving the people! :D
Throughout though there a really neat cameo's throughout with a cantankerous Admiral McCoy, Rom (from a distance), Klag who continues to climb the Klingon political ladder, Martok still ruling the Empire etc all popping up! :D The book thrives with world building and developing it's characters and the efforts it goes to set things up but at the same time maintain the fun adventurous feel is brilliant! Ezri's attempts to get the crew a exploration mission is cleverly done as is Bower's reaction to the news! :D The crew of the USS Aventine continue to develop in leaps and bounds and you can see them growing together and inserting Pran into the mix for this book really gives Dax and Bowers a chance to develop as well! :D
A Singular Destiny hits all the right buttons developing characters, posing great mysteries requiring the crew to work in different ways that you normally expect! :D A Singular Destiny is full of a dry humour throughout with many cutting edge observations taking place that have clear analogies to other Sci FI and Fantasy as well real world events! :D The book has a great feel throughout full of adventure that you keep you guessing throughout as to the what is really going on, brings in intrigue new characters such as Pran, Hadzic, Dayrit etc we get to see Dax really settling into her role and she and Bowers work brilliantly together! :D The running gags such as the one with McCoy twill have you in stitches throughout ! :D A Singular Destiny is full, daring do, detective work, heroic and action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommended – make sure you have the next one!! :D
The book has a very detective feel to it as Pran investigates the possibility of an outside force trying to slow both the Federation and the Klingons rebuilding efforts! :D This leads to sub plots investigating mining on Capella IV headed by Lonnoc Kedair with a somewhat Rebecca Greenblatt in tow that neatly dovetails into Pran's own investigations into why dilithium production is being disrupted! :D This brings in the USS Musgrave and it's slightly misfit chief Engineer Bojan Hadzic and exasperated Captain Manolet Dayrit which eventually leads to a hilarious conversation between all of the and the Federation President Bacco! :D This also continues the running gag throughout about Pran's level 20 clearance that apparently never got revoked! :D
The book also serves a clever well paced set up for future books as we get to see the formation of the Typhon pact and all that that entails! :D The politics on display are multi level and kind of remind you of The Empire from Star Wars or the manoeuvring of the Klingons in the ST:DS9 episode Way of the Warrior as they are bound to really shake things up! :D Bacco again comes across as an excellent President with the good of the Citizens of the Federation at stake and of course this give Admiral Akaar with crisis on Capella a chance to pop in and even though there page time is shared with other it really still helps to build them and rest of the Federation political staff up in character development showing that those not on a starship bridge are aware of those that are! :D This certainly show politicians of the Federation in better light! :D This really shows the 24th Federation to be actually enlightened actually serving the people! :D
Throughout though there a really neat cameo's throughout with a cantankerous Admiral McCoy, Rom (from a distance), Klag who continues to climb the Klingon political ladder, Martok still ruling the Empire etc all popping up! :D The book thrives with world building and developing it's characters and the efforts it goes to set things up but at the same time maintain the fun adventurous feel is brilliant! Ezri's attempts to get the crew a exploration mission is cleverly done as is Bower's reaction to the news! :D The crew of the USS Aventine continue to develop in leaps and bounds and you can see them growing together and inserting Pran into the mix for this book really gives Dax and Bowers a chance to develop as well! :D
A Singular Destiny hits all the right buttons developing characters, posing great mysteries requiring the crew to work in different ways that you normally expect! :D A Singular Destiny is full of a dry humour throughout with many cutting edge observations taking place that have clear analogies to other Sci FI and Fantasy as well real world events! :D The book has a great feel throughout full of adventure that you keep you guessing throughout as to the what is really going on, brings in intrigue new characters such as Pran, Hadzic, Dayrit etc we get to see Dax really settling into her role and she and Bowers work brilliantly together! :D The running gags such as the one with McCoy twill have you in stitches throughout ! :D A Singular Destiny is full, daring do, detective work, heroic and action packed throughout! :D Brilliant, highly recommended – make sure you have the next one!! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2018
You know what I love about this book and about Keith R.A. DeCandido's Star Trek books in general? for decades Star Trek on TV, in the movies, comics and novels all focused almost exclusively on the Starfleet perspective. Oh sure, DS9 and Voyager gave lip service with the occasional Kira, Quark or Neelix episode. But really... it was the Starfleet franchise.
Now for decades the reason the books and comics didn't do stories about civilians, or federation government, or TOS era Klingons as heroes had to do with Roddenberry's overjealous assistant Richard Arnold setting down some crazy guidelines which Roddenberry may or may not have had input on. (The late Majel Barrett denied at least some of them and if anyone would know, it would have been her.)
Through the subseries he started with Articles of Federation and continues here, Decandido tells a story that includes Starfleet characters but is ultimately about the interaction between the Federation Government, former diplomats and Starfleet and how their decision effect Federation citizens. But in a tangential 'oooh the brave Starfleet crew saved the hapless people' way we're used to. In fact, the book hinges on the fact that sometimes (as occurred in the Destiny series and Losing the Peace) sometimes the brave Starfleet crews fail and those failures can leave scars. Not just on their crewmates but their friends and family. Instead of doing what we have seen before, the 'you accidentally killed by family, I must have revenge' sort of way. Okay, DeCandido does show a little bit with Martok. Its acceptable because Martok is Klingon and that's a entirely with not only what we know of the typical Klingons and their cultural/religious beliefs but of Martok himself. He might be one of the wisest Klingons who ever lived but even he has limits to his civility. Second, the grieving process is some way echoed by Professor Sonek who deals with it in a mature, meaningful and adult way. The way I think most of us hope we'd react if something that terrible were to happen to us.
In other words, when it comes tie-in book authors understanding what Star Trek is supposed to be DeCandido is up there with Diane Duane and Peter David.
Now for decades the reason the books and comics didn't do stories about civilians, or federation government, or TOS era Klingons as heroes had to do with Roddenberry's overjealous assistant Richard Arnold setting down some crazy guidelines which Roddenberry may or may not have had input on. (The late Majel Barrett denied at least some of them and if anyone would know, it would have been her.)
Through the subseries he started with Articles of Federation and continues here, Decandido tells a story that includes Starfleet characters but is ultimately about the interaction between the Federation Government, former diplomats and Starfleet and how their decision effect Federation citizens. But in a tangential 'oooh the brave Starfleet crew saved the hapless people' way we're used to. In fact, the book hinges on the fact that sometimes (as occurred in the Destiny series and Losing the Peace) sometimes the brave Starfleet crews fail and those failures can leave scars. Not just on their crewmates but their friends and family. Instead of doing what we have seen before, the 'you accidentally killed by family, I must have revenge' sort of way. Okay, DeCandido does show a little bit with Martok. Its acceptable because Martok is Klingon and that's a entirely with not only what we know of the typical Klingons and their cultural/religious beliefs but of Martok himself. He might be one of the wisest Klingons who ever lived but even he has limits to his civility. Second, the grieving process is some way echoed by Professor Sonek who deals with it in a mature, meaningful and adult way. The way I think most of us hope we'd react if something that terrible were to happen to us.
In other words, when it comes tie-in book authors understanding what Star Trek is supposed to be DeCandido is up there with Diane Duane and Peter David.
November 25, 2017
It took me a while to get through this book, due to a combination of a hectic life and the somewhat mundane nature of this novel. I soldiered on, though, and came away mostly satisfied. I have always found Keith DeCandido to be rather hit-or-miss; this novel actually landed somewhere in the middle.
The Federation and its allies are still recovering from the devastating Borg invasion we read about in the Destiny trilogy. A mysterious mine explosion occurs, a power known as the Kinshaya locks horns with the Klingons, and the Federation is led to believe that its alliance with the Klingons is being undermined. Enter the primary character of the novel, Professor Sonek Pran, a history teacher with a steady job on Mars. He is a galactic mutt- part human, Vulcan, Bajoran, Betazoid, and god knows what else, but he is also a brilliant negotiator. The Federation sends him to talk to people (I won't reveal who because of spoilers) as well as intervene in refugee situations, and he turns out to be excellent at his job. But he also catches the scent of a plot to undermine the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons. The rest of the novel centers around him investigating this.
While Sonek Pran's character is well-written and likeable, I didn't find much else that was particularly special in this novel. Nothing of major interest happens, although the final result of Pran's investigations turn out to be of significant importance to the later novelverse. Very few canonical characters appear in the novel, which isn't a big deal but can make it difficult for non-Trekkers to enjoy. On the flip side, there really isn't much negative to say about the novel either. It is a bit mundane, but that's about it. The storytelling is good, the pace is good, and the payoff is...well, there. Don't expect to be blown away, but if you want to understand much of the later novelverse, read this.
Three out of five, because it's getting close to Christmas.
The Federation and its allies are still recovering from the devastating Borg invasion we read about in the Destiny trilogy. A mysterious mine explosion occurs, a power known as the Kinshaya locks horns with the Klingons, and the Federation is led to believe that its alliance with the Klingons is being undermined. Enter the primary character of the novel, Professor Sonek Pran, a history teacher with a steady job on Mars. He is a galactic mutt- part human, Vulcan, Bajoran, Betazoid, and god knows what else, but he is also a brilliant negotiator. The Federation sends him to talk to people (I won't reveal who because of spoilers) as well as intervene in refugee situations, and he turns out to be excellent at his job. But he also catches the scent of a plot to undermine the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons. The rest of the novel centers around him investigating this.
While Sonek Pran's character is well-written and likeable, I didn't find much else that was particularly special in this novel. Nothing of major interest happens, although the final result of Pran's investigations turn out to be of significant importance to the later novelverse. Very few canonical characters appear in the novel, which isn't a big deal but can make it difficult for non-Trekkers to enjoy. On the flip side, there really isn't much negative to say about the novel either. It is a bit mundane, but that's about it. The storytelling is good, the pace is good, and the payoff is...well, there. Don't expect to be blown away, but if you want to understand much of the later novelverse, read this.
Three out of five, because it's getting close to Christmas.
May 6, 2024
Good not great. If you already love Star Trek, you’ll be happy to be back in that universe, dealing with familiar characters and ideas. The messaging is good optimistic Trek messaging.
The biggest thing that didn’t work for me was the overall plot. It felt very front loaded: a lot of table-setting without much forward movement. It’s 90% into the book before you realize there’s a connection between the disparate mysterious events, and then the reveal comes out of nowhere at the very end. It honestly felt like the first part of a two-part episode, but it’s supposed to be a standalone book.
I also didn’t love the protagonist, Sonek Pran. He just seemed too confident, too smart, too has-all-the-cleverest answers to everyone’s questions. I could see where DeCandido tried to give him some flaws and a little bit of texture, but it didn’t quite land for me.
Overall, a decent continuation of the Trek universe following David Mack’s epic trilogy, but definitely not as well-written and with a weird front-loaded pacing.
FFO: banjos, intercultural exchange, intergalactic diplomacy, news bulletins, Efrosian visibility.
The biggest thing that didn’t work for me was the overall plot. It felt very front loaded: a lot of table-setting without much forward movement. It’s 90% into the book before you realize there’s a connection between the disparate mysterious events, and then the reveal comes out of nowhere at the very end. It honestly felt like the first part of a two-part episode, but it’s supposed to be a standalone book.
I also didn’t love the protagonist, Sonek Pran. He just seemed too confident, too smart, too has-all-the-cleverest answers to everyone’s questions. I could see where DeCandido tried to give him some flaws and a little bit of texture, but it didn’t quite land for me.
Overall, a decent continuation of the Trek universe following David Mack’s epic trilogy, but definitely not as well-written and with a weird front-loaded pacing.
FFO: banjos, intercultural exchange, intergalactic diplomacy, news bulletins, Efrosian visibility.
September 6, 2021
Another good addition to beta canon from Mr DeCandido. The punch was taken out of it by knowing from either Full Circle or one of the Titan books what the Typhon Pact was, but I'll chalk that up to me probably reading them in the wrong order and won't hold it against this book. Even still, it was interesting to see how the pact came about in more detail. As with Articles, I enjoyed the snippets between chapters that gave us a short but different look at the events going on. There were some enjoyable references/near fourth wall breaks that prompted a bit of an eye roll, but it reminded me of Lower Decks, which is a good thing!
Pran was an interesting character, who somehow actually reminded me a lot of the actor who plays Garak. His wife's death genuinely made me sad, however, I felt his sadness wasn't portrayed very much which made his family storyline seem a bit tacked on. Loved that he was from a travelling band though!
The ending felt a little anti-climactic, like everything had been wrapped up a little too neatly, but I'm excited to begin the Typhon Pact series.
Pran was an interesting character, who somehow actually reminded me a lot of the actor who plays Garak. His wife's death genuinely made me sad, however, I felt his sadness wasn't portrayed very much which made his family storyline seem a bit tacked on. Loved that he was from a travelling band though!
The ending felt a little anti-climactic, like everything had been wrapped up a little too neatly, but I'm excited to begin the Typhon Pact series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2023
A Singular Destiny by Keith R. Decandido
Now this was a pretty good book! It was interesting to see the aftermath of the Destiny trilogy on the larger galaxy, beyond the main cast of TNG, VOY and DS9. The Star Trek universe is full of trillions of beings beyond the cast of the main shows, so something like the Destiny trilogy is bound to affect everyone regardless of who they are. It was nice to get a civilian and non Starfleet POV on so such galaxy changing events. Pran was an interesting character being descended from four different species (human, Vulcan, Bajorian and Betazoid) and I wish he was featured in more books, but this is the only one he’s ever in apparently.
Gave off strong Arlo Guthrie vibes, which was intentional on the author’s part. It’s also fun to see McCoy is still alive after 150 freaking years! This book contains great politics, great storytelling and episonage to boot. Also sets up the Typhon Pact in an organic way. Overall an 8/10.
Now this was a pretty good book! It was interesting to see the aftermath of the Destiny trilogy on the larger galaxy, beyond the main cast of TNG, VOY and DS9. The Star Trek universe is full of trillions of beings beyond the cast of the main shows, so something like the Destiny trilogy is bound to affect everyone regardless of who they are. It was nice to get a civilian and non Starfleet POV on so such galaxy changing events. Pran was an interesting character being descended from four different species (human, Vulcan, Bajorian and Betazoid) and I wish he was featured in more books, but this is the only one he’s ever in apparently.
Gave off strong Arlo Guthrie vibes, which was intentional on the author’s part. It’s also fun to see McCoy is still alive after 150 freaking years! This book contains great politics, great storytelling and episonage to boot. Also sets up the Typhon Pact in an organic way. Overall an 8/10.
May 27, 2021
Karaktären Sonek Pran är oerhört intressant och det är sällan som en person berör mig så här mycket. Han är en härlig mix med ett riktigt bra deduktivt sinnelag. Bättre deckare får man leta efter och det politiska arbetet bakom försöken till återuppbyggnad av Federationen och andra stora nationer är viktiga att förstå sig på. En ny fara närmar sig och verkar börja sabotera för främst Federationen och Klingonska imperiet. Endast Sonek Pran ser detta, vilket presenteras på ett mycket logiskt sätt. Karaktären känns mycket verklig och berättelsen som berättas för oss läsare är trovärdig och medryckande.
Keith R.A. DeCandido är som vanligt en oerhört god författare. Wow - vilken underbar fortsättning på Destiny-serien!
Keith R.A. DeCandido är som vanligt en oerhört god författare. Wow - vilken underbar fortsättning på Destiny-serien!
June 19, 2020
It is obvious that DeCandido did a tremendous amount of research to make this book a treasure for fans. This is a testament to what it takes to pick up the pieces after a terrible tragedy, and that often by attempting to make progress, there are often people who get overlooked and mistreated.
On the surface, this book's sole major contribution is to introduce the Typhon Pact to the Star Trek lit-verse, however, it is at it's soul a character-driven story about coming home.
Well done and recommended!
(TOS fans will get a special cameo from Leonard McCoy!)
On the surface, this book's sole major contribution is to introduce the Typhon Pact to the Star Trek lit-verse, however, it is at it's soul a character-driven story about coming home.
Well done and recommended!
(TOS fans will get a special cameo from Leonard McCoy!)
November 25, 2018
My Review of A Singular Destiny
I gave 4 stars for this book because it was a little confused for me.
There were a number of different characters that I don't identify with ,because they were new to the forum of characters in the Star Trek universe.There are many different stories merged into one,and not enough of one to really get to know them,as the story goes from one place to another,and one person or group to another.
I don't know if I should recommend this book or not.
I gave 4 stars for this book because it was a little confused for me.
There were a number of different characters that I don't identify with ,because they were new to the forum of characters in the Star Trek universe.There are many different stories merged into one,and not enough of one to really get to know them,as the story goes from one place to another,and one person or group to another.
I don't know if I should recommend this book or not.
July 19, 2021
There's a self-referential moment in the story when a character wonders aloud who would read a book based on a "serial drama." All I can say is the last nine books I've read, none of which were media tie-in fiction, were all one- to three-stars so this was a welcome change of pace. I enjoyed the mystery even though I already knew the resolution and really liked Sonek Pran the chatty human-Vulcan-Betazad-Bajoran history professor-turned-diplomat/intelligence agent.
February 13, 2019
Great continuation of the Destiny series
Highly enjoyable, especially after how much I enjoyed the Destiny series. The characters are well thought out and the reactions hold true with Star Trek ideology. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has read that series and wants to learn about some of the fallout.
Highly enjoyable, especially after how much I enjoyed the Destiny series. The characters are well thought out and the reactions hold true with Star Trek ideology. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has read that series and wants to learn about some of the fallout.
December 17, 2022
An interesting book dealing with the fallout from the Destiny books. I like that it dealt with the more political side of things and will be interesting to see where it leads. I am really enjoying the inter-connected style of these books :)
June 1, 2023
They say not to judge a book by its cover, and this is a pretty ugly cover. Even setting that aside, I did not have fun at all reading this one. It felt all over the place trying to do too many things at once. Didn't really feel like a TNG book.
June 5, 2017
Really enjoyed the story, sets up things to come. I really hope the Prof Pran continues to show up in the Typhon Pact books. Also really enjoyed the interludes in each chapter.
February 12, 2019
It's pretty much a given...if it's a Star Trek novel...I'll like it...
March 20, 2019
A pretty good Star trek novel. Not bad. =)
August 11, 2019
Like all of this author’s Star Trek books, it was a joyful read. The characters were well developed. Humor and drama abound. In my top 5 (so far) of post nemesis novels.
August 16, 2019
Great storyline
The book was a very good continuation of the book I read 2 weeks ago and 2 books prior to this. Very good a must read
The book was a very good continuation of the book I read 2 weeks ago and 2 books prior to this. Very good a must read
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