This book covers the years 2318 to 2328 - or rather, the day of official first contact between peace loving, religious Bajor and expansionist, war-torn Cardassia, up till the official start of the occupation.

It all starts when a Cardassian ship returns a lost Bajoran trading ship to Bajor. What is first seen as a friendly gesture by a race that some district ministers have contact with, leads to settlements of a persecuted religious minority (which bears similarities to Bajoran faith) and the presence of Cardassian military forces in Bajoran space. But Dukat and the Obsidian Order won't rest until Bajor is firmly under Cardassian jurisdiction.

This is a gripping account of the beginnings of Bajor's occupation, of how Cardassia slowly gains influence using puppets, sycophants, infiltrators and agitors and the actual occupation is practically a fait accompli even years before. It's a fascinating tapestry Swallow weaves about a forbidden religious minority that finds sanctuary on Bajor (but is used as a stepping stone in every way imaginable), about Dukat who abhors Bajor's richness in food (especially considering that his family is practically starving and immersed in civil unrest), its complacency, its strong religious foundation, about a kai who was shown in a vision an emissary would come, about the Obsidian Order's modus operandi and about the friendship of 3 Bajorans who are directly and indirectly affected by Cardassian presence on Bajor.

There are a few questions that remain, such as why Cardassia doesn't just invade, because Bajor has practically no defense ressources and invasion (or turning Bajor into part of their Union) was the goal from the start. At first Cardassia's still tied up with other military operations, so I'll grant them the first 5 years. But then? Perhaps it's the fact that although Bajor's in fact a conquered territory, that the Order managed to use their assets in a way that in the end it looked like the Bajoran government sanctioned, even asked for Cardassian troops to keep the peace. At least that's the reason (among others) why the Federation doesn't interfere. Bajor, after all, is an independent planet who decides its own fate - only that it doesn't really here.

But it's an intriguing tale about what it takes to make overt military action practically unnecessary, to destabilize a planet's government so that it practically asks for invasion. Compelling, and a bit frightening (especially given the recent talk about outside influence on elections) to think that one only has to manipulate a few spokes in order to get the whole wagon to tumble down. Definitely recommended - even if there are few better known characters in it, such as Dukat or Kotan Pa'Dar whose enmity with Dukat is explored a bit here. It just takes a while to really get going, but once it does it's difficult to put this book down.

This novel explores the Klingon-Cardassian relations when a Klingon ship discovers an ancient artifact on a planet in a region of space claimed by the Cardassians. The Federation is called in to mediate in the conflict, and Ambassador Curzon Dax proposes a rather unconventional approach to a solution.

I have read quite a few of DeCandido's books so far, but this one is certainly his masterpiece. Despite for once not focusing on the Federation and only sparingly offering known characters to relate to (such as Vaughn, Dax, and Ian Troi), this is one compelling read that manages to draw a lively picture of both cultures, Cardassian and Klingon. Not only must DeCandido be an expert on everything Star Trek, judging by all the little details he crammed into this story, but his writing style and tongue in cheek kind of humour, which never crosses the fine line to the ridiculous, turn this novel into a feast for every Star Trek-afficionado.

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review originally written in 2007.

Set in 2311, this second installment of the Lost Era-series (novels which can be read independently but which all cover the time between Generations and the start of TNG) deals with the background story to the Romulan absence from galactic affairs which lasts 40 years.

George spins an intriguing tale about politics, negotiations and secret operations, all aimed at preventing an alliance between the Klingon and Romulan Empires against the Federation. Of course, the worst-case scenario is prevented, but is deception and subterfuge really the base upon which to build a lasting peace? Granted, in this case, as TNG shows us, it was, but still it's incredibly risky to use such methods.

Captain Harriman of the Enterprise-B finally gets to shine in the spotlight, and a young Elias Vaughn is introduced as special ops officer. Perhaps George sometimes concentrates too much on advancing the plot, sacrificing characterization, but those instances are few and far inbetween. This is an exciting novel which will keep you at the edge of your seat right from the start to the finishing line.

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review originally written in 2007

The Lost Era-series of books is set inbetween the Enterprise-B part of GEN and TNG and deals with momentous events during that time-period of 70 years, featuring some of the less known characters.

"The Sundered" is set in 2298 and focuses on the Excelsior under the command of Captain Sulu, with Chekov and Tuvok and others starring as well. The Excelsior is sent on a diplomatic mission to negotiate a peace treaty with the Tholians who are secretly engaged in a war with a species called the Neyel who, as is later discovered, are the offspring of a human colony that got flung deep into space during an experiment on an early version of Cochrane's warp engine.

Very good characterization, interesting dilemma concerning the Prime Directive, especially the question how far (Earth's) humanity is responsible for the actions of a branch of humans that developed under far worse conditions and had no contact with Earth for 200 years... a definite recommendation here.

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remarks originally written in 2006

It took me 3 attempts, the last one spanning over a year to finally finish this novel. Why does it still get 2.5 out of 5 stars? Because the final 100 pages were captivating, living up to the hype surrounding the whole book in various internet fora. But let's start at the beginning.The Buried Age spans the time between the apparent destruction of the Stargazer and the launch of the Enterprise and consists roughly of 4 parts.

The first one deals with the court martial, alluded to in TNG's "The Measure of a Man". This was the plotthread I was most looking forward to - and perhaps which turned out to be the biggest disappointment because it read like a trial transcript. Facts and testimonies were reported but not shown, I felt removed from the events, from what the crew of the Stargazer and Picard had gone through. There was nothing to relate to.

The second part deals with Picard's subsequent leave of absence from Starfleet and dive into academic research. Prompted by Guinan he eventually leads an expedition into the whereabouts of an ancient race, older than all other known races. And this is where the story comes off the rails. I admit I'm not too fond of Bennett's writing style. He spends endless pages to describe some astronomical phenomena, technical details behind procedures or pseudo historical theories. I know that from his other books which were already difficult to get through due to these issues but he's really indulging himself here with needless technobabble. In short, this is where I stopped reading the first two times, and needed 18 months now to pick up the book yet again.

The third part is more of the same - but at the end it fortunately finally picks up speed again with an albeit rather obvious but still very welcome story twist of betrayal and an abuse of trust which leads to some much needed drama and heartfelt emotions in part 4. This is where the story becomes gripping, the emotions real and the characterization the main focus of the book which it should have been from the beginning.

So, yes, we do learn why Picard is the way he is at the beginning of TNG - intensely private, removed from his officers, focused on his job and guarded all the time. But it takes ages to get to these satisfying parts. This novel could have easily  been shortened by 100 or more pages and not have lost a single bit of plot. On the contrary, I'd rather say the concept would have benefitted enormously. Alas, it was not to be, and the result is a barely average novel.