Teaser

There is something rotten in Deep Space Nine. Violent murders, political upheaval, and religious strife threaten the fragile peace. But what links these threats, and is Jake Sisko in the greatest danger of all . . ?

Review

Prior to reading this book, I knew only two things about author K. W. Jeter. The first was that he invented the term steampunk, and the second that he has written sequels for everything from Blade Runner to The Time Machine. I was actually a little surprised to learn that K. W. Jeter is a man, as when it comes to science fiction, years of pseudonyms have trained me to think that initialled names are most often used by female authors. None of this is immediately relevant to Warped but, as the old saying goes, context is for kings.

I have something of a reputation for not enjoying Star Trek books set during a series’ run as much as those that come after. Generally speaking, I don’t seek them out. But when a relative hands you a stack of books, it’s rude to decline the opportunity. Now, the reason I avoid these books is that they tend to be, in my experience, very light. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but books written to such tight schedules often feel rushed, quite often they’re based on world bibles rather than established canon, and as a general rule of thumb, continuity is not their strong point. These books are best viewed as missing episodes of the show. Sometimes they’re very good, but it’s impossible to know if you’re in for brilliance or mediocrity until you’re a few chapters deep.

Warped opens with Jake Sisko sitting by as another child tortures small animals. As openings go, it’s a pretty solid statement that this is going to be one dark story. The first half of the book more than lives up to this promise, and is filled with murder, seemingly evil voicers, and disturbing visions. trek doesn’t dabble in horror terribly often, but this is among the best of the stories that do. Deep Space Nine went to some pretty dark places, so it fits right in, even though this particular story is set towards the end of the first season. the darkness kicks up a notch at the end of the book when the true nature of the threat is revealed, and even the way the problem is resolved is satisfyingly horrific. If this had been the whole book, it would have been nearly perfect.

There is, unfortunately, more to it. Jeter invokes the spectre of Bajoran politics, which must forever be entangled with Bajoran religion, to create even more suspense. This is where the novel falls short for me, because this particular plot arc ends with a resounding punch of the reset button in order to not contradict the series. I did appreciate seeing the legacy of Kai Opaka, but the actual political wrangling fell completely flat. It ended up being an unnecessary addition to an otherwise excellent book.

Excellent is still the word, however, and even with it’s faults, Warped has rocketed into my favourite Deep Space Nine novels. I’ve still got a handful to read, and I’ll also be keeping an eye out for Jeter’s other works too. because if this is what he can create within the constraints of a TV tie-in, I can only imagine what he’ll do when his skills are allowed to run rampant.

Book Stats

• A Deep Space Nine Novel
• Published by Pocket Books in 1995
• Space Opera
• 345 pages