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jdhills13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
ethana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jazzypizzaz's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of this book is really intriguing -- the insidious politics of how Cardassia wormed its way into occupying a prosperous, stable Bajor -- and it did deliver on that adequately. I also appreciate how it made both societies/planets feel like real places, with vast richness of histories and cultures. Unfortunately, most of it had a distinct lack of narrative momentum (this was supposed to be my "easy fun" read when I started it back in early December!), and I also couldn't remember relevant information about any characters that were in a given scene except for Darrah (who was a boring trope of a guy) and Dukat (who, while interesting to read, was a shallow, imo inaccurate interpretation of his characterization in DS9 show). That said, I did get what I wanted from the book overall, and it did make me excited to eventually continue along with the trilogy (plus the next two are written by an author that does well with characters).
lefthandedmatt's review
4.0
Aimed at only a small subset of certain Star Trek fans, this book managed to entrance me. Set around 50 years before the beginning of Deep Space Nine, Day of the Vipers is the first book in a trilogy telling the story of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor (something which becomes a major plot point of the TV show).
This book specifically shows events that lead up to the occupation beginning. It's a character-focused story which contains very few recognisable people from the TV show outside of Dukat. A large number of the characters are established as background players in various episodes from as early as The Next Generation, but they aren't people we know well at all. That's one of the book's strengths, because the fact that this is a prequel means we know how it's all going to end; by using new faces it allows for much more freedom and surprises.
The book is actually quite slow, building at a measured pace and most of the scenes being political in nature. People talk a lot and not a huge amount happens, and yet I got extremely wrapped up in it all. We get told the tale from the viewpoints of both the Bajorans and Cardassians, and within that we get to see from the religious, political and military factions.
And that's what I meant early by the book appealing to only a certain subset of fans. I absolutely love the Bajorans and Cardassians, they were fleshed out on the TV show to an enormous degree and the conflict between them remains one of my favourite parts of the Trek franchise, so I lapped this up. The book takes an enormous amount of tiny facts and information from the various episodes and weaves them in here beautifully.
The only reason I didn't completely love it is because of it's fairly languid pace, and it also feels like there are a lot of characters to follow (the cast list included was referred to often). One particular revelation at the end managed to completely catch me out, it was done well. Among the best Star Trek books I've read, and while none of them are canon I appreciate the efforts that goes into making all current novels sync up together.
This book specifically shows events that lead up to the occupation beginning. It's a character-focused story which contains very few recognisable people from the TV show outside of Dukat. A large number of the characters are established as background players in various episodes from as early as The Next Generation, but they aren't people we know well at all. That's one of the book's strengths, because the fact that this is a prequel means we know how it's all going to end; by using new faces it allows for much more freedom and surprises.
The book is actually quite slow, building at a measured pace and most of the scenes being political in nature. People talk a lot and not a huge amount happens, and yet I got extremely wrapped up in it all. We get told the tale from the viewpoints of both the Bajorans and Cardassians, and within that we get to see from the religious, political and military factions.
And that's what I meant early by the book appealing to only a certain subset of fans. I absolutely love the Bajorans and Cardassians, they were fleshed out on the TV show to an enormous degree and the conflict between them remains one of my favourite parts of the Trek franchise, so I lapped this up. The book takes an enormous amount of tiny facts and information from the various episodes and weaves them in here beautifully.
The only reason I didn't completely love it is because of it's fairly languid pace, and it also feels like there are a lot of characters to follow (the cast list included was referred to often). One particular revelation at the end managed to completely catch me out, it was done well. Among the best Star Trek books I've read, and while none of them are canon I appreciate the efforts that goes into making all current novels sync up together.
bdplume's review
4.0
Not bad, though it felt a tiny bit ponderous at first. Probably the difficulty of establishing a bunch of new characters in an existing and well-developed setting.
kgagne's review
4.0
Day of the Vipers, part one of a trilogy, is a prequel to the opening of my favorite Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine. This book addresses the question of how Bajor came to be occupied by the Cardassians, with the main characters being the infamous Skrain Dukat and Darrah Mace, a Bajoran law enforcement officer. The similarities between the two cultures is not nearly as poignant as knowing the holocausts with which the TV show begin and end; reading this book, we know the consequences of the main characters' decisions but are helpless but to watch the inevitable occur.
The epilogue includes an index of the book's people and places and where in Star Trek lore they may have previously appeared. The author deftly weaves in characters that had only cameos or passing references in televised episodes, making me want to watch them again with the new depth Day of the Vipers gives them.
An excellent yet melancholy tale fitting of the DS9 mythos.
The epilogue includes an index of the book's people and places and where in Star Trek lore they may have previously appeared. The author deftly weaves in characters that had only cameos or passing references in televised episodes, making me want to watch them again with the new depth Day of the Vipers gives them.
An excellent yet melancholy tale fitting of the DS9 mythos.