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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #5
Fallen Heroes
When a troop of alien warriors demands the return of an imprisoned comrade -- a prisoner no one on Deep Space Nine knows anything about -- Commander Benjamin Sisko has a deadly fight on his hands. Under sudden attack from the heavily armed warriors, Sisko and his crew struggle desperately to repel the invaders and save the lives of everyone on board.
Meanwhile, a strange device from the Gamma Quadrant has shifted Ferengi barkeeper Quark and Security Chief Odo three days into the future to a silent Deep Space Nine. To save the station they must discover what caused the invasion to take place, and find a pathway back through time itself.
282 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
About the author
Dafydd ab Hugh
27 books42 followersDafydd ab Hugh (born David Friedman) is a U.S. science fiction author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
May 18, 2022
Another DS9 book that has at its center a mystery. This time Odo and Quark are transported three days into the future via an artifact and find the station in darkness and everyone dead. In the alternate timeline, the story of how that came to be played out. I didn't enjoy the latter part as it was very much a "stack them up and shoot them down" story. Add to that that by the end there's a solution that negates the entire story and there's no emotional payoff or lasting consequence. But the thread with Odo and Quark was what garnered the three stars rating and made me keep turning the pages. They were a great team and even gave moments of levity with their rivalry. Well done all the way around.
I will of course keep reading this series as I find those that interest me. Recommended if you're a fan of the show and also if Odo and Quark are faves.
I will of course keep reading this series as I find those that interest me. Recommended if you're a fan of the show and also if Odo and Quark are faves.
March 8, 2023
A lot of Star Trek novels fail because they get the characterization wrong. In Fallen Heroes the characterization is done right. Also, the story is compelling, which is important when you are writing about the sacred property of Star Trek. Of all the other shows, Deep Space Nine was mine. Here in this novel an unfamiliar race to the Federation steps through the Wormhole and immediately hails the station. They want one of their number to be released or they will attack the station. There is clearly a miscommunication: no one from the unknown race is being held prisoner. In the B story, Odo and Quark have been time-shifted into the future by a device that has propelled them back to a battle ravaged and silent DS9. Can they return to their original timeline and prevent the devastation of DS9? There is a "ticking clock" story device which serves to increase the suspense. The new alien race is heavily armed and apparently not very interested in diplomacy. This is one of the better paced novels. I had fun.
July 11, 2011
I went through a brief, regrettable phase in middle school during which I purchased many Star Trek novels (and many, many Star Wars novels). Most of them were pretty bad, or I never got around to reading them. This one, though, is pretty awesome, even if you never really watched Deep Space Nine, which I hadn't (and still haven't, except for maybe half a season on DVD).
The genre property tie-in novel is a weird thing. It gives the fan more of what they want, right? More of Luke Skywalker or Captain Picard of Sydney Bristow or Buffy. I certainly read enough of them, but they never really gave me what I wanted. Kibitz all you will about what is canon and what isn't, a tie-in novel is never real in my brain the same way the TV show is real in my brain. It's like methadone, stringing you along until the next fix -- movie, season, episode, whatever. Buffy Season 8 is not more Buffy, whoever is writing it (and thank goodness, because that shit makes season seven look like The Wire).
I'm basing all of this on vague memory, because I don't have the patience for this stuff any more, just like I don't have an interest in pretty much any episodic mystery-of-the-week type book series. I read about four Stephanie Plum books in high school for some reason (my friend Julie). I was at Target today and noticed that 13 books later, Stephanie still hasn't quite made up her mind about with guy she likes (there are even stickers in the back that say, basically, Team Edward and Team Jacob, except they are for Team Stephanie Plum Characters Whose Names I Don't Want to Admit I Totally Still Remember). Is that interesting to people? (Julie? Lady I work with who, every time I say "oh, what are you reading?" holds up a book with a big cartoon number on the cover?)
I don't have any complaints about this here Deep Space Nine book though. Fast-paced, thrilling story, fun with time travel, and EVERYONE DIES! It's pretty badass. I even bought a copy on audiobook somewhere, but alas, I no longer own a tape player so it is trapped on the cassette. Sad, really.
Am I really embarrassed that I like this book? Kind of. Not really. Even then, I knew there were better books out there, though, and I probably wouldn't want to admit how many hours I have spent poring over the details of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Did you know Han and Leia got married, and then had three kids, and they all became Jedi, and then eventually one became basically the next Darth Vader, and I think was killed by the other twin? I didn't even read most of those books, but for some reason I still know about them. Old habits. And wikipedia.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 18: Book you're most embarrassed to say you like.
EDIT: I just stumbled across the (former, hasn't published in 15 years) author's blog and read his post about New York legalizing gay marriage and now I'm really embarrassed to say I like this book. So, good choice, me.
The genre property tie-in novel is a weird thing. It gives the fan more of what they want, right? More of Luke Skywalker or Captain Picard of Sydney Bristow or Buffy. I certainly read enough of them, but they never really gave me what I wanted. Kibitz all you will about what is canon and what isn't, a tie-in novel is never real in my brain the same way the TV show is real in my brain. It's like methadone, stringing you along until the next fix -- movie, season, episode, whatever. Buffy Season 8 is not more Buffy, whoever is writing it (and thank goodness, because that shit makes season seven look like The Wire).
I'm basing all of this on vague memory, because I don't have the patience for this stuff any more, just like I don't have an interest in pretty much any episodic mystery-of-the-week type book series. I read about four Stephanie Plum books in high school for some reason (my friend Julie). I was at Target today and noticed that 13 books later, Stephanie still hasn't quite made up her mind about with guy she likes (there are even stickers in the back that say, basically, Team Edward and Team Jacob, except they are for Team Stephanie Plum Characters Whose Names I Don't Want to Admit I Totally Still Remember). Is that interesting to people? (Julie? Lady I work with who, every time I say "oh, what are you reading?" holds up a book with a big cartoon number on the cover?)
I don't have any complaints about this here Deep Space Nine book though. Fast-paced, thrilling story, fun with time travel, and EVERYONE DIES! It's pretty badass. I even bought a copy on audiobook somewhere, but alas, I no longer own a tape player so it is trapped on the cassette. Sad, really.
Am I really embarrassed that I like this book? Kind of. Not really. Even then, I knew there were better books out there, though, and I probably wouldn't want to admit how many hours I have spent poring over the details of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Did you know Han and Leia got married, and then had three kids, and they all became Jedi, and then eventually one became basically the next Darth Vader, and I think was killed by the other twin? I didn't even read most of those books, but for some reason I still know about them. Old habits. And wikipedia.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 18: Book you're most embarrassed to say you like.
EDIT: I just stumbled across the (former, hasn't published in 15 years) author's blog and read his post about New York legalizing gay marriage and now I'm really embarrassed to say I like this book. So, good choice, me.
January 25, 2020
Great story packed with action and violence, as secretive aliens from the Gamma quadrant threaten DS9 for reasons that aren't immediately understood. The action centers around Quark and Odo, who have always made a great pair, total opposites and adversaries in most situations. It's always fun to see when their interests align and necessitate grudging cooperation. Their relationship is captured exceptionally well here.
May 13, 2011
Another of my favourite Trek books. Probably my favourite DS9 books.
January 26, 2014
+1/2 star for the plot; -1/2 star for some of the technical absurdities
The aliens' armor is impervious to energy weapons but completely useless against their own projectile weapons? And the attempt to explain this is that the technology for the armor and the weapons keeps pace with each other??? Nobody tell the cops who wear body armor against bullets, hmm?
And the whole bit with the replicators and matter v. energy made no sense either, as well as being inconsistent with canon.
Nonetheless, a fun read.
The aliens' armor is impervious to energy weapons but completely useless against their own projectile weapons? And the attempt to explain this is that the technology for the armor and the weapons keeps pace with each other??? Nobody tell the cops who wear body armor against bullets, hmm?
And the whole bit with the replicators and matter v. energy made no sense either, as well as being inconsistent with canon.
Nonetheless, a fun read.
March 13, 2017
Considering this book seems to be set in either late season1/early season 2, none of the characters behaved or spoke like their TV counterparts.
Read
December 25, 2020So
This happened.
Dear god did I not need to live through a horrific mass murder of everyone. A lot of weird choices went into this book and I'm not sure if I enjoyed myself. I think the fact that this was an audio book and the narrator was Rene Auberjonois made this much better.
Also, there's some clear weirdness about Quark. It's unclear whether the author wanted to be as insulting as possible or thought this was...a complimentary story? Like, yes Quark saves everyone, but he does it in the most humiliating way possible and gets no credit.
Le sigh.
Anyways, come for.... The post book confusion? And stay for.... something.
This happened.
Dear god did I not need to live through a horrific mass murder of everyone. A lot of weird choices went into this book and I'm not sure if I enjoyed myself. I think the fact that this was an audio book and the narrator was Rene Auberjonois made this much better.
Also, there's some clear weirdness about Quark. It's unclear whether the author wanted to be as insulting as possible or thought this was...a complimentary story? Like, yes Quark saves everyone, but he does it in the most humiliating way possible and gets no credit.
Le sigh.
Anyways, come for.... The post book confusion? And stay for.... something.
January 15, 2023
3.5 rounded up
Nice addition to the series. Enjoyed seeing Jake and Nog play significant parts in the story.
Nice addition to the series. Enjoyed seeing Jake and Nog play significant parts in the story.
March 22, 2015
An action packed Star Trek novel
6 April 2012
Normally I would probably not give a tie-in novel such a high score except for the fact that this was actually one of the best Star Trek novels that I have actually read (though that is not saying much considering I have not read many Star Trek novels). Once again this novel involved a murder and also involves Odo trying to figure out who the murderer is (it seems like DS9 gets its fair share of murderers passing through) however the difference is that pretty much everybody on DS9 is dead.
Now, unfortunately I cannot remember much about this novel beyond the basic plot. Okay, I can't remember how it ended, but that is not too much of a problem because you probably do not want to know how it ends, unless you've actually read it them you already know how it ends. Well, you can probably guess how it ends anyway because the series continues on after this novel and everybody is still alive. However, that is one of the problem with tie-in novels: you cannot make any drastic changes to the series into which the novel is being tied. However, the author does do a very good job at looking back over the previous season and the previous novels.
This story is set in the past and the present. The present is an empty DS9 with only Quark and Odo wondering around trying to work out what has happened. The past involves DS9 getting invaded by an alien force that is attempting to rescue a prisoner that nobody knows anything about, and involves everybody, except Odo and Quark, getting killed. This does make an interesting technique, and also throwing Odo and Quark together (which happens quite often in the series) would work to bring out the best in the writer. If it works then it will work really well, however if the author fails to capitalise on the opposites of the two characters, then the whole technique will fall flat.
This is one of the things that does make DS9 stand out from the other Star Trek series. Okay, while it still follows the same formula and and the rather unrealistic view of human evolution in the future, it does bring the entire series back down to Earth. However, one of my friends once commented that science-fiction may be good but science-fiction for the sake of science-fiction is not. This in a way is what Star Trek is about: it is science-fiction for the sake of science-fiction. As I have also suggested in the past is that science-fiction is not truly a genre (well, there are only three genres: drama, prose, and poetry, but the definition has changed somewhat) but rather a setting or a vehicle. Is a murder-mystery set in space science-fiction or a mystery novel; is Star Wars science-fiction or adventure; is a court room drama set on an alien planet science-fiction or a courtroom drama. This is in a way what I have noticed, especially as I expose myself to science-fiction I have read in the past and also ones that I am reading in the present.
This particular book is simply an action-adventure set on a space station. Since it is in space, and in the future, I am more likely to set it under the heading science-fiction rather than adventure. It is an adventure, and the other books in the series have been a mix of mystery and adventure. In a way this book is also a mystery as Odo and Quark attempt to find out what happened. A part of me, seeing the rave that this book gets, and also the fact that I really enjoyed it when I read it, makes me want to read it again. Fortunately Star Trek books are quite short, but then when I look at my shelf, and all of the books I want to read (and reread), unfortunately (or fortunately), the tie-ins tend to find themselves relegated to the bottom, somewhat above the books that I would simply not even consider glancing at again.
6 April 2012
Normally I would probably not give a tie-in novel such a high score except for the fact that this was actually one of the best Star Trek novels that I have actually read (though that is not saying much considering I have not read many Star Trek novels). Once again this novel involved a murder and also involves Odo trying to figure out who the murderer is (it seems like DS9 gets its fair share of murderers passing through) however the difference is that pretty much everybody on DS9 is dead.
Now, unfortunately I cannot remember much about this novel beyond the basic plot. Okay, I can't remember how it ended, but that is not too much of a problem because you probably do not want to know how it ends, unless you've actually read it them you already know how it ends. Well, you can probably guess how it ends anyway because the series continues on after this novel and everybody is still alive. However, that is one of the problem with tie-in novels: you cannot make any drastic changes to the series into which the novel is being tied. However, the author does do a very good job at looking back over the previous season and the previous novels.
This story is set in the past and the present. The present is an empty DS9 with only Quark and Odo wondering around trying to work out what has happened. The past involves DS9 getting invaded by an alien force that is attempting to rescue a prisoner that nobody knows anything about, and involves everybody, except Odo and Quark, getting killed. This does make an interesting technique, and also throwing Odo and Quark together (which happens quite often in the series) would work to bring out the best in the writer. If it works then it will work really well, however if the author fails to capitalise on the opposites of the two characters, then the whole technique will fall flat.
This is one of the things that does make DS9 stand out from the other Star Trek series. Okay, while it still follows the same formula and and the rather unrealistic view of human evolution in the future, it does bring the entire series back down to Earth. However, one of my friends once commented that science-fiction may be good but science-fiction for the sake of science-fiction is not. This in a way is what Star Trek is about: it is science-fiction for the sake of science-fiction. As I have also suggested in the past is that science-fiction is not truly a genre (well, there are only three genres: drama, prose, and poetry, but the definition has changed somewhat) but rather a setting or a vehicle. Is a murder-mystery set in space science-fiction or a mystery novel; is Star Wars science-fiction or adventure; is a court room drama set on an alien planet science-fiction or a courtroom drama. This is in a way what I have noticed, especially as I expose myself to science-fiction I have read in the past and also ones that I am reading in the present.
This particular book is simply an action-adventure set on a space station. Since it is in space, and in the future, I am more likely to set it under the heading science-fiction rather than adventure. It is an adventure, and the other books in the series have been a mix of mystery and adventure. In a way this book is also a mystery as Odo and Quark attempt to find out what happened. A part of me, seeing the rave that this book gets, and also the fact that I really enjoyed it when I read it, makes me want to read it again. Fortunately Star Trek books are quite short, but then when I look at my shelf, and all of the books I want to read (and reread), unfortunately (or fortunately), the tie-ins tend to find themselves relegated to the bottom, somewhat above the books that I would simply not even consider glancing at again.
February 24, 2017
3.5 stars.
I've read a few Star Trek novels now (although this is my first DS9), and I know you generally have to go into them suspending some disbelief, but this actually wasn't that bad as far as unrealistic events go. There were certainly a few times where I thought someone was acting out of character, but it was a great story that at times I couldn't put down. It was one of those books you can only open when you know you have a decent amount of time because once you start, you won't want to stop until you've had your fill. The one complaint I did have was the last few pages. The climax itself was fantastic, but that very last bit just seemed slightly lazy. But the last third was really intense, and that greatness hugely overrides that annoyance in my brain. Overall, it was very entertaining and was exactly what I needed: just a fun, but still shocking, gripping, and dark Star Trek novel. Not exactly an easy thing to master, but Fallen Heroes did it well. I'll be holding onto this one for sure.
I've read a few Star Trek novels now (although this is my first DS9), and I know you generally have to go into them suspending some disbelief, but this actually wasn't that bad as far as unrealistic events go. There were certainly a few times where I thought someone was acting out of character, but it was a great story that at times I couldn't put down. It was one of those books you can only open when you know you have a decent amount of time because once you start, you won't want to stop until you've had your fill. The one complaint I did have was the last few pages. The climax itself was fantastic, but that very last bit just seemed slightly lazy. But the last third was really intense, and that greatness hugely overrides that annoyance in my brain. Overall, it was very entertaining and was exactly what I needed: just a fun, but still shocking, gripping, and dark Star Trek novel. Not exactly an easy thing to master, but Fallen Heroes did it well. I'll be holding onto this one for sure.
October 14, 2018
There are certainly some good aspects of Fallen Heroes, and it's true that the novel takes some risks that other novels of the time tended to avoid. Even the reset button ending doesn't bother me as much as it really should, and I chalk that up to the heroic actions undertaken by Quark and Odo that sell the ending for me. However, there are some very rough characterizations here, as well as some astounding leaps of logic that drive the rating down. Definitely an interesting story, but with a lot of issues that took me out of the story from time to time. 2.5/5.
Full review: http://www.treklit.com/2018/10/DS95.html
Full review: http://www.treklit.com/2018/10/DS95.html
August 25, 2017
If you like books where no one behaves in character, where every detail is over explained, where folks who are actually pretty smart act like common sense is a limited resource, and where everything falls all the way to shit only to be conveniently rolled back into a rip off of the tired "It Was All a Dream" trope, then this book is for you!
Everyone else will think it's trash, though. I mean, even for a Star Trek novel. Even for a Deep Space 9 novel.
Everyone else will think it's trash, though. I mean, even for a Star Trek novel. Even for a Deep Space 9 novel.
May 14, 2023
Needed a palette cleanser and this was a good one. Enjoyed the story, the darkness, and the characterization/banter between Odo and Quark. Loved that Odo had no technological limitations in book form so got to use his shapeshifting in fun and unique ways. Had to keep reminding myself that this book takes place early on in the series, when most of the characters did not know each other very well.
But come on we get it, O’Brien is Irish and Sisko likes baseball. Weird Japanese, even for a toddler, and mochi in a snack box lol. Some pretty shaky dialogue, but nailed Sisko at the end. Fun overall.
But come on we get it, O’Brien is Irish and Sisko likes baseball. Weird Japanese, even for a toddler, and mochi in a snack box lol. Some pretty shaky dialogue, but nailed Sisko at the end. Fun overall.
December 21, 2020
If you want 90's action hero Quark (complete with crawling shirtless through air vents) and literally everyone else dying horrible, graphic deaths, this is the book for you.
Except Odo, obviously, he's with Quark. Who, I repeat, spends most of the book shirtless, sometimes on fire. This was a weird book and to be perfectly honest I don't entirely know how I feel about it.
Except Odo, obviously, he's with Quark. Who, I repeat, spends most of the book shirtless, sometimes on fire. This was a weird book and to be perfectly honest I don't entirely know how I feel about it.
September 3, 2022
I've read better fanfic on AO3 than this story but I did enjoy the companionship between Odo and Quark. That basically made it worth the effort of finishing it.
It has some kick-ass moments but overall I wasn't impressed with it. Sorry to say.
It has some kick-ass moments but overall I wasn't impressed with it. Sorry to say.
October 4, 2020
I frankly can't understand how this book made it to press, let alone how it has so many positive reviews. Who authorized a Star Trek novel that added up to nothing more than a military thriller version of horror movie torture porn?
When I want to think about Star Trek, it's to experience the possibilities of an exciting sci-fi future setting or to explore a scientific or ethical question posed in story form. It is certainly not because I want to read the detailed and intense descriptions of hundreds of people killed one-by-one with "projectile weapons."
This didn't feel like a script from a Star Trek series, it felt like the author was a child playing at being an adult. An immature person trotting out all the horrors he can think of just to say that he did it, rather than actually trying to tell a good and compelling story. The almost gleeful way he described in detail the murder of each main character told me just how much he enjoyed being able to say he was the one who killed all the characters we've connected to and come to love. The "Mary Sue" type of villains with extreme god-mode abilities and little to no weaknesses, the cliche time-travel "reset" of the ending, all such paper-thin story telling.
The willful ignorance of the established canon of Star Trek in order to shoehorn in more violent weapons and more horrific scenes of carnage was obvious and obnoxious. There was no need for the aliens to use "projectile weapons" (i.e. guns) in this story. Phaser weapons are the norm for this franchise and the story would not have changed if the aliens had used "normal" weapons instead. (I'm not saying that projectile weapons could never exist in a Star Trek universe, I know they have before. But it's obvious they were only here this time because the author wanted to gleefully describe modern-day bullets tearing into our heroes, like he was a child burning ants with a magnifying glass.)
The author also took liberties to world-building and characterization that was ridiculous at times. I will forgive a great deal of inaccuracies due to the fact that this was written early on in the show's history, but there were things thrown in that I couldn't guess at why the author included them. At some points, the author describes Dax's spots changing color with her emotions/distress, like she's some sort of fricken mood ring! Even if this novel had been written during the first season of the show, these are obvious facts the author just made up.
I'll admit the story idea had some merit. A time travel story which is a mystery the characters have to piece together to undo is an interesting idea. I won't say the author is totally unskilled, either. I was definitely gripped and read the 300-page story in two short days. Unfortunately it was not because I was enjoying myself, but because I was so sickened by the story that I hoped reading the ending would wash the proverbial bad taste out of my mouth. I had to finish it as quickly as possible so I could put it behind me and never come back to it.
In conclusion, one of the worst examples of a Star Trek novel I've ever read, but at least it wrapped everything up to a satisfying conclusion, so there is that. Our heroes did triumph in the end, of their own accord. There was also one particular point near the end where one of the last survivors reflects that each death of the main cast helped him along the way to fixing the timeline, thus giving each of their deaths meaning. For that reason only, I give this book two stars instead of one.
When I want to think about Star Trek, it's to experience the possibilities of an exciting sci-fi future setting or to explore a scientific or ethical question posed in story form. It is certainly not because I want to read the detailed and intense descriptions of hundreds of people killed one-by-one with "projectile weapons."
This didn't feel like a script from a Star Trek series, it felt like the author was a child playing at being an adult. An immature person trotting out all the horrors he can think of just to say that he did it, rather than actually trying to tell a good and compelling story. The almost gleeful way he described in detail the murder of each main character told me just how much he enjoyed being able to say he was the one who killed all the characters we've connected to and come to love. The "Mary Sue" type of villains with extreme god-mode abilities and little to no weaknesses, the cliche time-travel "reset" of the ending, all such paper-thin story telling.
The willful ignorance of the established canon of Star Trek in order to shoehorn in more violent weapons and more horrific scenes of carnage was obvious and obnoxious. There was no need for the aliens to use "projectile weapons" (i.e. guns) in this story. Phaser weapons are the norm for this franchise and the story would not have changed if the aliens had used "normal" weapons instead. (I'm not saying that projectile weapons could never exist in a Star Trek universe, I know they have before. But it's obvious they were only here this time because the author wanted to gleefully describe modern-day bullets tearing into our heroes, like he was a child burning ants with a magnifying glass.)
The author also took liberties to world-building and characterization that was ridiculous at times. I will forgive a great deal of inaccuracies due to the fact that this was written early on in the show's history, but there were things thrown in that I couldn't guess at why the author included them. At some points, the author describes Dax's spots changing color with her emotions/distress, like she's some sort of fricken mood ring! Even if this novel had been written during the first season of the show, these are obvious facts the author just made up.
I'll admit the story idea had some merit. A time travel story which is a mystery the characters have to piece together to undo is an interesting idea. I won't say the author is totally unskilled, either. I was definitely gripped and read the 300-page story in two short days. Unfortunately it was not because I was enjoying myself, but because I was so sickened by the story that I hoped reading the ending would wash the proverbial bad taste out of my mouth. I had to finish it as quickly as possible so I could put it behind me and never come back to it.
In conclusion, one of the worst examples of a Star Trek novel I've ever read, but at least it wrapped everything up to a satisfying conclusion, so there is that. Our heroes did triumph in the end, of their own accord. There was also one particular point near the end where one of the last survivors reflects that each death of the main cast helped him along the way to fixing the timeline, thus giving each of their deaths meaning. For that reason only, I give this book two stars instead of one.
March 15, 2015
Generic sci-fi dreck, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fallen Heroes is a rather clichéd time-travel adventure. Written by Dafydd ab Hugh (and narrated in the audiobook by Rene Auberjonois), Odo and Quark are accidentally transported three days into the future where they find that Deep Space Nine has been attacked by an alien ship and that the station crew has been massacred, which leads them to search for a way to get back to their own time and prevent the attack from ever happening. The storytelling is pretty good; particularly in how it’s able to switch back and forth between the two time frames, seamlessly going from the attack to the aftermath that Odo and Quark come upon. However, the alien attackers are rather uninteresting and the plot is extremely predictable. Additionally, the time-travel element lets the audience know that everything can be undone and dulls the effects of what are some very powerful scenes. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Fallen Heroes feels like a rote episode of the series in which nothing of consequence happens and everything resets at the end.
January 14, 2022
An extremely tight action thriller story, thoroughly well-constructed.
If you want something more from your Star Trek, this isn't quite that. However, there is a lot of character drama surrounding death and there is a LOT OF DEATH. At times, the book can even be harrowing: a teenage boy carrying around a little girl who has to start wearing diapers again, because she can't handle all the death. Each death comes to mean something at the end.
And then there's the Odo in the Inferno scenes, which are impressive too. Yes, this is rather more the summer blockbuster type of story telling. There's some neat symmetry when there the POV characters encounter some terrible scene and then the dramatic death is described, or vice versa. There's a neat build up of tension and extremeness.
Taut. Efficient. Neat. If you want something less neat and tidy, then this probably isn't it either. Like I said, rather more like a tightly-plotted movie thriller, rather than an expansive book. But with plenty of human drama.
If you want something more from your Star Trek, this isn't quite that. However, there is a lot of character drama surrounding death and there is a LOT OF DEATH. At times, the book can even be harrowing: a teenage boy carrying around a little girl who has to start wearing diapers again, because she can't handle all the death. Each death comes to mean something at the end.
And then there's the Odo in the Inferno scenes, which are impressive too. Yes, this is rather more the summer blockbuster type of story telling. There's some neat symmetry when there the POV characters encounter some terrible scene and then the dramatic death is described, or vice versa. There's a neat build up of tension and extremeness.
Taut. Efficient. Neat. If you want something less neat and tidy, then this probably isn't it either. Like I said, rather more like a tightly-plotted movie thriller, rather than an expansive book. But with plenty of human drama.
July 5, 2023
A solid DS9 romp with a premise that enables the author to really go to town with a dark vision of what might happened if a brute force of invaders overwhelms DS9. Interesting premise with some clanky backbone - but what the heck. Some of the characters are not in line with their TV counterparts (Kira getting drunk, Kira fancying Sisko etc.) but nothing to write home about. The ending is underwhelming, since it is - like most franchise tie-ins - limited in its capability to deviate from the canon.
September 17, 2017
Could not finish. None of the characters even feel (or speak) like the ones from DS9, and the language used gets so tiresome after a while - so the author knows "smart" words (and/or knows how to use a thesaurus) this wasn't the best place to use them all... I still can't get over the "dilate and disgorge" to explain that a door slid open and someone walked through - those aren't really even good verbs for these actions.
May 5, 2016
A fun fast paced little time travel tale. It's interesting to see the characters and their interplay. Still, it's slight and simple and lacking any real twist to make it more than a straightforward heroic save the day kind of story.
November 10, 2016
I wanted something something light and fluffy - this was good, but was it ever DARK. It was nice to revisit these characters, but everybody dies horribly (and then there's a time travel jump to conveniently erase it). It was surprisingly tough to watch them all die, really.
October 30, 2020
Star Trek Deep Space Nine Fallen Heroes: A harrowing dark mystery that does not quite deliver
I really really really liked this novel.
Really really.
But then the ending……
Sigh.
Fallen Heroes is the fifth Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel, written by Dafydd ab Hugh and published in 1994. And yes, I have had this book since it came out and only read it in 2020. And yes 26 years having an unread book is not my record. Sadly.
But enough about me, back to Fallen Heroes.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine is the third Star Trek series (fourth if you count the animated series) and the first one created after the passing of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It features a motley collection of Starfleet officers working with Bajorans on a space station that was once run by the Cardassians, who had conquered and damaged Bajor for decades. The station is also next to a wormhole which connects to a far off section of space. Between that and being near the edge of known space, strange aliens can show up and cause plot complications.
And that is what happens here.
Quark, the unscrupulous bar owner, gets ahold of an artifact that he knows not what it is. He activates it, and he and Constable Odo, the justice seeking shape shifter, get shunted three days into the future.
Meanwhile, the device sends a signal and a powerful alien race arrives and immediately demands the return of their comrade. But Sisko, the station commander, has no idea what they are talking about. So the beings violently and brutally attack the station, slaughtering everyone.
At this point Fallen Heroes splits the narrative between the two time periods.
The horrific tale of the crew trying to stop the brutal invaders and halt the senseless mass deaths against impossible odds.
The horrific tale of Odo and Quark wandering the dead in the devastated station and trying to piece together what happened and how to get back and prevent this insanity.
Fallen Heroes is a very graphic and violent and graphic and triggering.
The now story of the deaths is brutal and may be much for some readers, with favourite characters meeting grisly ends, and the wholesale slaughter of the people, including children, on the station. Desperate measures taken by Sisko, O’Brien, Dax and Kira are heroic but futile but ultimately leave clues without their knowing that are helpful in the future. Seeing the characters react to not knowing what is going on and realizing friends are probably dead really pushes them harder and harder to somehow save the day.
The not now story of the aftermath shows not only Odo and Quark’s shocked reaction to the death and carnage, especially when they see what happened to friends. Their PTSD they experience is real and unflinching and gets worse as they witness more and more. But they try to keep themselves together, literally in Odo case as his shapeshifting body requires rest soon, in order to piece together the mystery of what happened and how to stop it. It gets more desperate as they realize the window of getting back is rapidly closing.
Hugh creates a tight scary story that is not an easy read, but very fascinating as this is an almost prelude of the war show that DS9 would become in later seasons, but this concept was not even a glimmer in the shows creators eyes, so Hugh is very very good at predicting the way DS9 would evolve. In fact, the mysterious aliens are very Dominion like, and that makes another interesting wrinkle to this novel. One flaw, which is completely not Hugh’s fault, is how sometimes our heroes appear slightly out of character and such, but this is easily because of how massively early in the series this book comes out. But why O’Brien did not figure out something earlier was silly.
Now to go on about the ending.
After all the harrowing drama and bloodshed and seriousness, the finale where our fallen heroes are saved, is played for goofiness and laughs, and the last pages between Odo and Quark are frankly infuriating. Methinks a rewrite mandated by above softened the tale and tried to minimize its impact. Also my spidersense says this might have been planned as a hardcover, but again orders from above said otherwise.
Fallen Heroes is a great concept very well written by Hugh, if you ignore the ending.
Scoopriches
I really really really liked this novel.
Really really.
But then the ending……
Sigh.
Fallen Heroes is the fifth Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel, written by Dafydd ab Hugh and published in 1994. And yes, I have had this book since it came out and only read it in 2020. And yes 26 years having an unread book is not my record. Sadly.
But enough about me, back to Fallen Heroes.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine is the third Star Trek series (fourth if you count the animated series) and the first one created after the passing of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It features a motley collection of Starfleet officers working with Bajorans on a space station that was once run by the Cardassians, who had conquered and damaged Bajor for decades. The station is also next to a wormhole which connects to a far off section of space. Between that and being near the edge of known space, strange aliens can show up and cause plot complications.
And that is what happens here.
Quark, the unscrupulous bar owner, gets ahold of an artifact that he knows not what it is. He activates it, and he and Constable Odo, the justice seeking shape shifter, get shunted three days into the future.
Meanwhile, the device sends a signal and a powerful alien race arrives and immediately demands the return of their comrade. But Sisko, the station commander, has no idea what they are talking about. So the beings violently and brutally attack the station, slaughtering everyone.
At this point Fallen Heroes splits the narrative between the two time periods.
The horrific tale of the crew trying to stop the brutal invaders and halt the senseless mass deaths against impossible odds.
The horrific tale of Odo and Quark wandering the dead in the devastated station and trying to piece together what happened and how to get back and prevent this insanity.
Fallen Heroes is a very graphic and violent and graphic and triggering.
The now story of the deaths is brutal and may be much for some readers, with favourite characters meeting grisly ends, and the wholesale slaughter of the people, including children, on the station. Desperate measures taken by Sisko, O’Brien, Dax and Kira are heroic but futile but ultimately leave clues without their knowing that are helpful in the future. Seeing the characters react to not knowing what is going on and realizing friends are probably dead really pushes them harder and harder to somehow save the day.
The not now story of the aftermath shows not only Odo and Quark’s shocked reaction to the death and carnage, especially when they see what happened to friends. Their PTSD they experience is real and unflinching and gets worse as they witness more and more. But they try to keep themselves together, literally in Odo case as his shapeshifting body requires rest soon, in order to piece together the mystery of what happened and how to stop it. It gets more desperate as they realize the window of getting back is rapidly closing.
Hugh creates a tight scary story that is not an easy read, but very fascinating as this is an almost prelude of the war show that DS9 would become in later seasons, but this concept was not even a glimmer in the shows creators eyes, so Hugh is very very good at predicting the way DS9 would evolve. In fact, the mysterious aliens are very Dominion like, and that makes another interesting wrinkle to this novel. One flaw, which is completely not Hugh’s fault, is how sometimes our heroes appear slightly out of character and such, but this is easily because of how massively early in the series this book comes out. But why O’Brien did not figure out something earlier was silly.
Now to go on about the ending.
After all the harrowing drama and bloodshed and seriousness, the finale where our fallen heroes are saved, is played for goofiness and laughs, and the last pages between Odo and Quark are frankly infuriating. Methinks a rewrite mandated by above softened the tale and tried to minimize its impact. Also my spidersense says this might have been planned as a hardcover, but again orders from above said otherwise.
Fallen Heroes is a great concept very well written by Hugh, if you ignore the ending.
Scoopriches
July 4, 2024
WOW! For a tie-in novel from early in the show's run, I wasn't expecting such a compelling read. One of its great strengths is that it nails the characterisation of the show's central figures, with each getting their moments to shine as the plot unfolds.
While investigating a Gamma-quadrant artifact acquired in the latest shady deal, Quark and his nemesis Constable Odo are suddenly transported into the near future where they find Deep Space Nine has been devastated and abandoned. Meanwhile, the rest of the DS9 crew face a seemingly unstoppable invasion from a new enemy. Overlapping storylines follow, with Quark and Odo racing against time to find a way back while in the past DS9 prepares to defend itself against a superior force which renders Star Fleet's advanced weapons and technologies almost useless.
And boy, does it get dark! We see the DS9 crew face .
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Its sombre tone feels appropriate for a show which wasn't afraid to show the horrors of war in its later seasons and it handles with appropriate respect. Odo and Quark shine in particular, and I look forward to re-visiting this one in the future.
While investigating a Gamma-quadrant artifact acquired in the latest shady deal, Quark and his nemesis Constable Odo are suddenly transported into the near future where they find Deep Space Nine has been devastated and abandoned. Meanwhile, the rest of the DS9 crew face a seemingly unstoppable invasion from a new enemy. Overlapping storylines follow, with Quark and Odo racing against time to find a way back while in the past DS9 prepares to defend itself against a superior force which renders Star Fleet's advanced weapons and technologies almost useless.
And boy, does it get dark! We see the DS9 crew face .
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Its sombre tone feels appropriate for a show which wasn't afraid to show the horrors of war in its later seasons and it handles with appropriate respect. Odo and Quark shine in particular, and I look forward to re-visiting this one in the future.
May 22, 2018
Excellent book! When a troop of alien warriors demands the return of an imprisoned comrade - a prisoner no one on Deep Space Nine knows anything about - Commander Benjamin Sisko has a deadly fight on his hands. under sudden attack from the heavily armed warriors, Sisko and his crew struggle desperately to repel the invaders and save the lives of everyone on board.
Meanwhile, a strange device from the Gamma Quadrant has shifted Ferengi barkeeper Quark and Security Chief Odo three days into the future to a silent Deep Space Nine. To save the station they must discover what caused the invasion to take place - and find a pathway through time itself.
"Fallen Heroes" is the kind of fun story that utilizes time-travel extremely well and in which every character shines in the face of what appears to be certain doom. While some may find some of our heroes' inevitable deaths and "resurrections" to be predictable, each death has each character playing to their strengths and leaving a clue for those stuck in the horrific future to determine what appears to be an invulnerable foe.
That Quark and Odo - and perhaps one lone survivor - are left to work together to save everyone on DS9 is told with perfect chemistry.
After reading this, I really wish Dafyyd ab Hugh had done more "Trek" novels. This tale reminds us why we love these characters and is full of emotion and suspense.
Meanwhile, a strange device from the Gamma Quadrant has shifted Ferengi barkeeper Quark and Security Chief Odo three days into the future to a silent Deep Space Nine. To save the station they must discover what caused the invasion to take place - and find a pathway through time itself.
"Fallen Heroes" is the kind of fun story that utilizes time-travel extremely well and in which every character shines in the face of what appears to be certain doom. While some may find some of our heroes' inevitable deaths and "resurrections" to be predictable, each death has each character playing to their strengths and leaving a clue for those stuck in the horrific future to determine what appears to be an invulnerable foe.
That Quark and Odo - and perhaps one lone survivor - are left to work together to save everyone on DS9 is told with perfect chemistry.
After reading this, I really wish Dafyyd ab Hugh had done more "Trek" novels. This tale reminds us why we love these characters and is full of emotion and suspense.
April 29, 2019
I'm fairly certain I read this once upon a time, when I had gotten all of the early DS9 books, but it's been so long since this came out, I definitely do not remember it now. And have to add my usual caveat that I found the audiobook, which I'm fairly certain at just about 2 hours means it's abridged, so never know how it truly compares to the full novel.
Anyhoo, I liked it - Odo and Quark stories are always fun, and even though this one went towards a serious set up, they still brought their arguments and charm. So in short, yep, strange gamma quadrant aliens are looking for something at the station, they aren't finding it, no one is helping, so they are killing everyone they find. But something keeps Odo and Quark from being there, so they can piece together what was going on and how to fix everything. But listening to them figure it out, while going back and forth to see the actions of the people involved at that moment; it complimented each other nicely, which surprised me because going back and forth between the past (even if it was just two days like here) and the present can be annoying. Anyway, a good story, although at times dark.
As for the audio itself, it's narrated by Rene Auberjonois, who does the most perfect Odo. ;) But his Quark was pretty darn good too!
Anyhoo, I liked it - Odo and Quark stories are always fun, and even though this one went towards a serious set up, they still brought their arguments and charm. So in short, yep, strange gamma quadrant aliens are looking for something at the station, they aren't finding it, no one is helping, so they are killing everyone they find. But something keeps Odo and Quark from being there, so they can piece together what was going on and how to fix everything. But listening to them figure it out, while going back and forth to see the actions of the people involved at that moment; it complimented each other nicely, which surprised me because going back and forth between the past (even if it was just two days like here) and the present can be annoying. Anyway, a good story, although at times dark.
As for the audio itself, it's narrated by Rene Auberjonois, who does the most perfect Odo. ;) But his Quark was pretty darn good too!
August 15, 2021
Damn, this thing is dark. Dark, but excellent. Despite the necessary reset button, Dafyyd ab Hugh creates an engaging thriller, both tense and literate, rare in the so-called "numbered" novels. The book intercuts nimbly between Odo and Quark's discovery of the massacre and the courageous and doomed actions of the other characters a couple days before. It's very filmic that way. Each character's point of view is also better represented than even on the TV show, with unique cultural and psychological differences. The deaths of the main characters are violent, which may put off some, but aesthetically beautiful. Keiko's is particularly moving, though everyone's death is meaningful and revelatory. The finale, with Odo testing his boiling point is properly epic, going a long way to redeem the resolution in which Quark basically just has a few short words with the aliens. But you quickly realize that the book is about the massacre and the ultimate sacrifices of the heroes, not about defeating the alien invaders.
November 17, 2023
DS9 #5: Fallen Heroes by Dafydd ab Hugh
Seriously, why did I not read this book for so long? This is easily one of the best DS9 books out there. It had no right to be this good. The various numbered novels out there about the various series aren’t usually very good. But there is quite a few diamonds in the rough, and this is one of them.
Besides, some characterization that was a little off (Quark came off as too much of a pervert in my view and Sisko felt more chatty than he should), this book was really good. Given how it was written so early on in the series, it’s incredible the quality of it. The characterization and feel is spot on, which is rare for a lot of Trek books like this. The Bekkir were an interesting race and the story of the main crew trying to stop them was heartbreaking. The relationship between Quark and Odo was spot on, and it’s great to see a story focus on the two of them. Eventually when the mystery is pulled out from beneath the rug, it was a great reveal. I really recommend this book if you’re a DS9 fan and like Odo. This is the book for you.
8/10
Seriously, why did I not read this book for so long? This is easily one of the best DS9 books out there. It had no right to be this good. The various numbered novels out there about the various series aren’t usually very good. But there is quite a few diamonds in the rough, and this is one of them.
Besides, some characterization that was a little off (Quark came off as too much of a pervert in my view and Sisko felt more chatty than he should), this book was really good. Given how it was written so early on in the series, it’s incredible the quality of it. The characterization and feel is spot on, which is rare for a lot of Trek books like this. The Bekkir were an interesting race and the story of the main crew trying to stop them was heartbreaking. The relationship between Quark and Odo was spot on, and it’s great to see a story focus on the two of them. Eventually when the mystery is pulled out from beneath the rug, it was a great reveal. I really recommend this book if you’re a DS9 fan and like Odo. This is the book for you.
8/10
June 24, 2018
What an unexpected gem., but I'd also say that when reading this, you need to take into account when it was written. It was written around season two of the show and set I think between seasons 1 and 2.
This is a dark and violent novel and one where these days you can easily guess how the story will pan out and the origins of the alien race don't quite work either, but those are tiny niggles. The characters all work well, but not 100% of the time, but for a book written so early in the series run and being a very early DS9 novel, it hits more than it misses.
A fun recommended read and feels like a time capsule in a way a novel like Ghost Ship or early Voyager novels do. Except this ones very very solid.
This is a dark and violent novel and one where these days you can easily guess how the story will pan out and the origins of the alien race don't quite work either, but those are tiny niggles. The characters all work well, but not 100% of the time, but for a book written so early in the series run and being a very early DS9 novel, it hits more than it misses.
A fun recommended read and feels like a time capsule in a way a novel like Ghost Ship or early Voyager novels do. Except this ones very very solid.
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