David R. George III: Star Trek: The Fall: Revelation and Dust Review (includes spoilers!!!)

David R. George's new novel faces one problem. It has to layout a complete new setting for future novels. It has to describe the new Deep Space Nine. It has to describe the persons still there, to explain why some aren't still there and introduce all the new ones. So the first half of the book resembles a guest list and a technical manual. If you have survives this part and some of the rather superfluous character developments - Did they have to analyze Bashir's and Dax's relationship again? Sarina is annoying etc. - then the book gets interesting. The story about President Bacco and what happens to her - I won't tell - is really well written and the character of Ro Laren whom I liked very much in TNG, but who annoyed me sometimes in the DS9 relaunch, gains some depth. I would have expected more of Odo's story, but the way the character is treated they could have left him out all together. So the storyline is OK, but sometimes boring. The story about Kira on the other hand is great. It begins with Kira reliving Sisko's first contact with the prophets. Then we find out more about Kira's other existences. The previous novels shed some light on Sisko's alter ego Benny Russel from "Far Beyond The Stars" and Kira's character from that story together with another one during a conflict in Bajor's history are developed in this book and the story gets really great. I don't quite know what to make of the end, I'm not absolutely sure what has happened and that's somewhat annoying, but I guess, we will find out sooner or later. So, the book is certainly not the greatest Star Trek novel ever, but definitely not the worst either and well worth reading and I hope we get a continuation.