By S. D. Perry Unity (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) (New edition) [Mass Market Paperback]

Old library book look but doesn't have any writing in it, nice plastic cover as well incase of spillage .

As a story on its own, it is out of context but put it together with "The Lives of Dax" and "Star Trek: Worlds (Trill)", it is inspired because so much about Trill is secret, you can write almost anything!

With Unity, by S.D. Perry, the first section of the continuation of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is concluded. It's a nine-month arc that carries through the pregnancy of Ben Sisko's wife, Kasidy, and how the station has functioned since Ben was taken away by the Prophets to exist outside of "linear time." Perry started the whole shebang with Avatar, so it's only fitting that she be allowed to end it as well. Unity is an explosive conclusion that ends a few plotlines, continues a few others, and sets the table for any future books to come. It has to deal with the Ben Sisko situation, bring back a lot of other Deep Space Nine characters, and also tell an exciting story. Can any one book do all of that? Thankfully, yes. Perry hits one out of the park with Unity, creating a book that I literally could not put down (I had to force myself a couple of times, but that was it).Perry throws everything except the proverbial kitchen sink in there, yet the story doesn't feel overstuffed. Every Deep Space Nine character is seen in some capacity, no matter how briefly. The threat to the Federation is handled extremely well, with the tension so thick you could cut it with a phaser. Perry brings it all together with aplomb, never feeling rushed and allowing the characters to reflect a little bit on what's been going on. Many of the ongoing storylines are resolved (Vaughn's and Kira's especially, but also the "should I stay or should I go" routine from both Ro and Quark) and others get new directions (such as the O'Briens, who have come to the station with Joseph Sisko for the birth of Kas' child). The direction that O'Brien's story takes is actually very interesting, and is leading to a good story in the first Worlds of Deep Space Nine book, so that's good news. It's also good to see everybody again, seeing how they interact and fall into the relationships that had been put on hold when they went their separate ways. Perry does this and still gives us a story filled with action and adventure.Perry does still give us a little humour, though. One scene involving the threat and its interaction with Taran'atar (the Jem'Hadar character, who is one of the few to get short shrift) is very abrupt but hilarious, adding a little levity to the whole proceedings. Overall, though, the mood is dark and Perry allows you to feel every bit as nervous as the characters feel. She's so vivid in her descriptions that she even makes you feel Kas' labour pains. Now *that's* effective! Perry has a beautiful style that keeps you involved with the characters, wanting to go just that little bit farther. Especially effective are the scenes in the asylum with "Eli" and Benny, as Vaughn wallows in his guilt and Benny tries to help him. I have complained about the excess angst in the Mission: Gamma books, but here the angst is used for a purpose that I found interesting, and thus it didn't become as annoying as it did in those books. This angst is the very problem Vaughn has to deal with, and it illuminates not only Benny's character as he helps, but also Opaka's character before the asylum sequence. The scenes between Opaka and Vaughn are wonderfully written, with lines such as:"Of course," she replied, recognizing his need for control, or what he believed that to be. It was unfortunate that he struggled so. Over time, she'd come to believe that the only true emotional infirmity was denial; once a thing was accepted, it could be met without fear. She wished she could tell him that it was no weakness, whatever he was fighting against, though she suspected that he would perceive her comment as intrusive."Unfortunately, a couple of characters are sidelined to make room for all of this. I already mentioned Taran'atar, but the other one is Dr. Bashir. He does a few things and he has a few lines, but he doesn't really impact the reader at all. His main function is to do research on the problem at hand and to be concerned for Ezri. This doesn't make him a very interesting character, but he has had a lot of time in the spotlight recently, so I guess it's justifiable. Any other flaws in the book are extremely minor and steamrolled by the quality of the rest of the book. At the end, they're flattened to irrelevance by this steamroller of a story, and I have to say that I enjoyed this book very much. The ending is simply wonderful, especially the scene in Kira's office which brings the entire series full circle, with Kira repeating a line that she used in the opening story, Emissary, to great effect. The whole sequence is touching and this story is effectively over. Nevertheless, there is much groundwork for future stories to begin, and while some of the placesetting is a little awkward and trite (especially Quark's ending), the rest of it makes me desperately wish for more stories to come soon. That's the sign of a good conclusion, and just reinforces why Deep Space Nine is my favourite Trek.David Roy

Unity is brilliant. In around 400 pages S.D. Perry writes humourously, caringly and affectionally, she makes the characters real and you really will feel for them all. Lots of strands are brought together and many concluded but some are left dangling, enticing you to come back to the universe of the DS9 relaunch in 2004. This book is so brilliant I could not pick it up because I knew if I did then it would eventually be finished and when I got to the end (for die-hard fans of DS9 the last chapter will bring a tear to your eye) it would be over. I reccommend getting the previous books in the series to get up to speed on the many new characters although there is a timeline telling you what has happened since the end of the Dominion war. I cannot praise this book highly enough, all I can say is Buy it and savour it.PS- I am not affiliated with S.D.Perry at all or pocket books, even though it may seem that way with my begging you to buy it. Honest.

I read this novel in one sitting and it is brillent. I will not spoil the surprises near the end of the book but I will say story lines are concluded but new ones are kick started and i'm a big fan of the series in fact i will say its the best trek series. The ending of the book makes you smile, a whole new wealth of stories are ready to be told and there are loose ends that will surely lead to even bigger things. Unity is a great novel and it is the conclusion of seven seasons of great drama and all i can say is more more very soon.

Unity is the best Star Trek Novel I have ever read. The descriptions of emotions, chratcer familiarity would forgive you for thinking you were reading a movie script. well done to SD Pery and my reccomendation BUY NOW!

It's a really poor story, doesn't go anywhere, and the ending is a deus ex machina of the worst kind, so much more could have been done about to expand on the parasites, but that's in other books.Basically it finishes up a series, if you've got this far you'll get this book and finish it...but on it's own merits it has none

I loved this book so much!A compelling story, featuring our favourite Deep Space Nina characters whom we love so much.I’m not usually one to stay up late, unable to put a book down, but several sleepy days were endured due to staying up nights unable to stop turning the pages. And we’ll worth it too.

In terms of content this is not as much a conclusion to Avatar as it is to DS9's final episode ("What You Leave Behind"). It is entertaining, amusing, and sometimes a little moving, but the strength is in the characterisation and the story is a bit thin. Perry's writing is so much in the DS9 style that she even has its problems. The book has a very tense scene close to the start. After that it settles down to an investigation, with a lot of character sub-plots. The atmosphere should be one of tension, but the writing is so true to the characters, so entertaining and often so amusing that the importance of the overall story gets a bit lost. The tension ratchets up as the climax approaches, but it never loses that light-hearted edge. The climax is a deus ex machina in the theatrical sense and some readers may not like it. It fits perfectly in the DS9 context, though, and is well written. The ending of the book caps this "season", as it were, but also leaves plenty of loose ends for the continuing series.Writing this review forced me to examine this work for flaws and dampened my enthusiasm a little, but not too much. It is not a book that generally grips the reader in anticipation of what happens next, but the writing is very entertaining and has a smoothness of flow that makes the pages pass without notice. If you love the characters of DS9 you will (I hope) enjoy it as much as I did.

I enjoyed it a lot, it made me laugh (the vole traps :-))))) ). I was happy to read about old chacters like Kira, Nog, Ro or Bashir. But I also liked to read about Commander Vaughn (spoilers: I only "met" him when he was already injured), his daughter, Shar. I liked how the story of one of the worst (in my opinion) TNG episodes was brought back. I think it was a very good story about an (almost) unseen enemy. And we got to see how Quark became an Ambassador.There is one thing I hated in this book: the way Admiral Akaar was portrayed... I liked him in other books and the way he was presented in this one... it was an unpleasant surprise.

Well a good story of a past story line. Remembering the parasites from an episode of "Star Trek Next Generation" was very ingenious and creative! As concluded in the "Next Generation" episode The parasites sent a signal out to space. Unbeknownst to the cast what message was sent, this was a great way to bring it around again. Not to mention bringing Captain Sisko back from the Celestial Temple! This story definitely worked for me!

I can't believe I waited too long to read this. It's a really nice story that fits well with the DS9 continuity and the touches to its history is welcome sight.