“After the destruction of the original space station by a rogue faction of the Typhon Pact, a larger, more advanced starbase has been constructed in the Bajoran system. Now, as familiar faces arrive at the new station, Captain Ro Laren will host various heads of state to an impressive dedication ceremony. The dignitaries include not only the leaders of allies—but also those of rival powers. But as Ro’s crew prepares to open DS9 to the entire Bajor Sector and beyond, disaster looms. A faction has already set in action a shocking plan that, if successful, will shake the Alpha and Beta Quadrants to the core…”

The Typhon Pact concept has led to some strong material in the Star Trek novel continuity, and with recent events in the Ukraine refueling the memory of Cold War tensions, the setting seems ever more relevant.  The Fall is a five-book saga that details a sixty-day period in this future history, a period when the act of a zealous few sets forth a chain of events that challenge the ideals of the Federation.

The first book, Revelation and Dust by David George III, sets the stage by following up on the destruction of Deep Space Nine in the previous Typhon Pact duology.  This is clearly the continuation of much of the DS9 post-finale novel continuity, so much so that one would could easily believe that the entire five-volume story arc would focus on these characters.  Instead, George III kicks off the event with the assassination of a key political figure, even as he spends much of the book’s length advancing DS9-related plot and character threads.

It’s a rough start, because uncharacteristically for the author, many of the main characters don’t quite sound like themselves.  There is also a running subplot involving the fate of Kira Nerys that will obviously be resolved in some future novel, but ultimately has nothing at all to do with The Fall.  It’s an odd way to start a story that quickly, in the next volume, takes a very different (and better) direction.

The second book, The Crimson Shadow by Una McCormick, is far superior, and might even be the crowning jewel of the whole endeavor.  Set on Cardassia, the story is roughly concurrent with the events of Revelation and Dust, providing context to the assassination that occurred in that novel.  Most importantly, the novel gives the character of Elim Garak a lot of time in the limelight, and considering he was perhaps the best thing about Deep Space Nine, that alone would be enough to make this a treat.

It’s the detailed and convincing depiction of Cardassia’s internal political struggle, and how that presages some of the political strife to come in the Federation itself, that kicks this up another notch.  There is a relentless nature to how the fragile alliance between the Federation and Cardassia strains and threatens to break.  Meanwhile, decisions on the part of Federation leaders that seem somewhat reasonable and understandable have unintended consequences, even as the reader is left wondering if those decisions are being made in good faith.

That all comes to a head in the third book, A Ceremony of Losses by David Mack, in which the long-running question of the potential extinction of the Andorians comes center stage.  Andoria, a founding world of the Federation, seceded after the Typhon Pact revealed that the Federation was keeping vital scientific data that could save the Andorian people classified.  Between the Typhon Pact’s and Andoria’s ruling political coalition, however, advances have been intentionally held back, all in the name of using Andoria as a pawn in the larger cold war.

Enter Dr. Bashir, who conspires to unearth the classified data and use it to develop a cure to save the Andorians.  With a small group of allies, he defies the ever more questionable edicts of the Federation leadership, and his plight begins to reveal just how corrupt those leaders actually are.  Those familiar with post-9/11 politics will see a number of intriguing parallels emerge.

The fourth book, The Poisoned Chalice by James Swallow, picks up directly on the questions surrounding the current Federation leadership, and just how far they are willing to go to protect their interests.  William Riker leads a number of familiar faces on a quest to uncover the truth, at no small degree of danger to himself, his family, and his friends and allies.

Fans of Babylon 5 will no doubt see a number of similarities to the excesses of the Clark administration, and enough beloved characters are put in convincing jeopardy to make the struggle to bring the Federation back from the brink of unnecessary war a thrilling prospect.  The question of security vs. freedom is very much at the center of the tale.

The final book, Peaceable Kingdoms by Dayton Ward, has the slightly unfortunate duty of pulling all the main story arc threads together and resolving them in a satisfying manner.  Captain Picard comes to the fore to help find the evidence needed to topple the corrupt Federation leadership.  Enough damage is done to the Federation at this point, internally, that one is left wondering how the situation can be salvaged.  A strong case is made, even if the revelation of the true identity of the architect behind the assassination comes a bit out of left field.

That said, what could have been a standard science-fiction trope is given a more grounded approach.  Ultimately, the notion that major events in history can be the result of seemingly isolated and resolved atrocities from decades earlier hits home, as does the point that the darkness here is not some looming alien threat, but something far more “human”.  It’s all too easy to understand the rationale of the “villains” of the tale.

While the immediate crisis is resolved, several characters are spun into new directions, which should give the future follow-up novels a solid foundation.  Considering the relatively slow rate at which new Trek novels are released, and the huge number of ongoing lines still being maintained, it’s nice to see the Original Timeline continuity getting some love and pointing to the future.

Released: August-December 2012
Price: ~$35 (Kindle version)
Acquisition method: Amazon.com