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A review by lefthandedmatt
The Lives of Dax by Marco Palmieri
4.0
This contains a bunch of short stories, each detailing one of the hosts of the Dax symbiont. It makes for good variety with a common link. I loved Dax on the show, both as Jadzia and Ezri, so there's a lot here that I found to enjoy. As with any story collection, some of these are much better than others, but overall I would quite happily recommend this. If we're getting technical then it's the first entry in the DS9 relaunch novels, as it was retroactively added in, but certainly isn't an essential part of it.
Ezri: The framing story is set after the end of the TV show and shows Ezri finally beginning to come to terms with her unwanted joining. It involves Vic, who was never my favourite character, but he's on the sidelines. It's a strong opening and good insight into Ezri's feelings.
Lela: This is a delightful story about Dax's first host, and very true to the spirit of the morality of Star Trek. Lela is a young and inexperienced politician who deals awkwardly with a first contact situation and realises the importance of learning from the mistakes she makes, even when she felt like she was doing the right thing.
Tobin: He is a nervous and fidgety scientific engineer, serving on a research vessel when the Romulans attack. It's quite a humorous story, made all the more so by having him teamed up with a Vulcan.
Emony: the story of Dax's third host is a charming little tale, and I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was due to its simplicity. There's no sci-fi here, it's just a little romantic story against the backdrop of some simmering racial tensions. Interestingly, much of the story is told through the eyes of a very young Leonard McCoy.
Audrid: this tale is a bit more grim than anything else so far. It's presented in the form of a letter that Audrid has written to her daughter, attempting to explain the circumstances around her father's death. It ties into the early (and notoriously gruesome) TNG episode 'Conspiracy'. The fact that the story is presented with all the text in italics makes it a bit hard on the eyes, but it's mostly gripping.
Torias: a very short and direct story about how Torias dies. It sets up the DS9 episode 'Rejoined' and is well written, although doesn't really give us much character or detail. It's set shortly before Wrath of Khan and features Saavik. An exciting little story but a bit plain."
Joran: the least enjoyable story for me so far, given how full of clichés it is. It's trying to do a Star Trek version of a Hannibal Lector sort of tale, a tortured creative soul and the obsessed detective who's the only one who can understand how he's thinking. It ends very abruptly and is mercifully short."
Curzon: honestly, I have no idea what happened in this one. It seems like all Star Trek short story collections will inevitably have a story involving insane aliens that use organic technology and just make no sense. Plus, why is Ben Sisko narrating a story in a book of stories that are supposed to be about Dax telling HER own stories?
Jadzia: much like Curzon's story, I was a bit lost as to exactly what was happening here. This features Jadzia's sister, Ziranne, and is a follow up of sorts to the episode 'Invasive Procedures'. Confusing at points in regards to the weird science and unclear writing style, but there's some nice flashbacks to Jadzia's childhood.
Ezri: The framing story is set after the end of the TV show and shows Ezri finally beginning to come to terms with her unwanted joining. It involves Vic, who was never my favourite character, but he's on the sidelines. It's a strong opening and good insight into Ezri's feelings.
Lela: This is a delightful story about Dax's first host, and very true to the spirit of the morality of Star Trek. Lela is a young and inexperienced politician who deals awkwardly with a first contact situation and realises the importance of learning from the mistakes she makes, even when she felt like she was doing the right thing.
Tobin: He is a nervous and fidgety scientific engineer, serving on a research vessel when the Romulans attack. It's quite a humorous story, made all the more so by having him teamed up with a Vulcan.
Emony: the story of Dax's third host is a charming little tale, and I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was due to its simplicity. There's no sci-fi here, it's just a little romantic story against the backdrop of some simmering racial tensions. Interestingly, much of the story is told through the eyes of a very young Leonard McCoy.
Audrid: this tale is a bit more grim than anything else so far. It's presented in the form of a letter that Audrid has written to her daughter, attempting to explain the circumstances around her father's death. It ties into the early (and notoriously gruesome) TNG episode 'Conspiracy'. The fact that the story is presented with all the text in italics makes it a bit hard on the eyes, but it's mostly gripping.
Torias: a very short and direct story about how Torias dies. It sets up the DS9 episode 'Rejoined' and is well written, although doesn't really give us much character or detail. It's set shortly before Wrath of Khan and features Saavik. An exciting little story but a bit plain."
Joran: the least enjoyable story for me so far, given how full of clichés it is. It's trying to do a Star Trek version of a Hannibal Lector sort of tale, a tortured creative soul and the obsessed detective who's the only one who can understand how he's thinking. It ends very abruptly and is mercifully short."
Curzon: honestly, I have no idea what happened in this one. It seems like all Star Trek short story collections will inevitably have a story involving insane aliens that use organic technology and just make no sense. Plus, why is Ben Sisko narrating a story in a book of stories that are supposed to be about Dax telling HER own stories?
Jadzia: much like Curzon's story, I was a bit lost as to exactly what was happening here. This features Jadzia's sister, Ziranne, and is a follow up of sorts to the episode 'Invasive Procedures'. Confusing at points in regards to the weird science and unclear writing style, but there's some nice flashbacks to Jadzia's childhood.