Mission Gamma Book Three: Cathedral

by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels

Book Overview

A four-book odyssey of space exploration, political intrigue, religious schism, deadly conspiracies and startling revelations, this is Deep Space Nine at its best. Peace talks test the morality and resolve of two longtime enemies, the Bajorans and the Cardassians. But when politics and diplomacy fail, a strange alliance of alien religions offers unexpected hope for lasting peace. Meanwhile, a mysterious ancient artifact challenges the crew of the...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743445643
• ISBN13: 9780743445641
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Star Trek
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

excellent installment!

This book was throughly engaging. All of the plots kept me turning the pages wondering what was going to happen next. The three plots which are Bajor, DS9 and the Gamma Mission has all of the elements of a good science fiction story, all of the intrigue of a political thiller and all of the character development and dialogue one would find in a good drama. Bajor has long been a major focus in the Deep Space nine series but after the last installment of Mission Gamma I was losing interest in all of the politics involved. This book however has rekindled my interest and made Bajor one of my favorite plots to follow. Bajor's entry into the Federation is the primary focus, but other issues have to be delt with as well like Kira's attainer, the growth of a spliinter group and the Cardassian/Bajoran peace talks. All of these issues are delt with excellently. Garak even makes an appearance although his role is limited at the moment. The drama on board DS9 evolves nicely. Quark and Ro still seem to get along well and things are going well in their relationship but Ro in particular gets more and more concerned about her future as Bajor moves closer to joining the Federation. Meanwhile, Quark seems more concerned about his relationship with Ro as opposed to what's going to happen to him after the Federation takes over the station. It brings up some interesting questions because the Federation I understand is a moneyless organization so Quark won't be able to make a profit after the Federation takes over. Ro on the other hand does not have a very good reputation with the Federation or Bajor. On another front, Taran'atar continues to observe and study humanity. Some interesting dialogue takes place between him, Vic Fontaine and another. There is still no sign of Jake, but Joseph (Sisko's father) makes an appearance. The story of the Gamma Mission can be made into a full feature length movie by itself. It continues to impress me as the crew run into new alien species and artifacts. Everyone who has read about this installment knows that Dr. Bashir will lose his genetic enhancements somewhere along the line. The real meat of the story is not in him losing his enhancements, but in him and his crew's contact with an alien artifact. The alien artifact forces them to go back into their past and confront their most serious issues. WARNING SPOILER: A major player in one of the three plots is assassinated in the most dramatic ending to date in the series. It took me by complete surprise.

Absorbing, touching read

Already pleased with the Mission Gamma series, since we had begun to encounter strange new worlds, I moved on to CATHEDRAL not knowing what to expect. It began inauspiciously enough, but moved into what I feel really separates Star Trek, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine in particular, apart from the rest of science fiction: taking an anomaly, an event, having it affect the characters, and then watch the characters develop -- then finally watching them make important CHOICES. Vital choices. In good Star Trek, problems aren't resolved with phasers (as in Voyager), but by choices (as in Original Series and DS9). Because of this, I cannot recommend CATHEDRAL more than I am: it is the best book of the series, I feel, for this reasons and for people with those tastes. Particularly touching is how we see Dr. Julian Bashir in the novel -- (SPOILER:) his interactions with Ezri, for instance, as a neurologically degenerating Jules are heart-rending. Even more poignant are the scenes in Jules' own mind, how he knows he's going, where he's going... and the vast vistas of his mind, beautifully illustrated in his own Hagia Sophia, that dissolve before us. I highly recommend this novel, as it is a compelling addition to Star Trek Deep Space Nine's saga and legacy which I feel ought to be canon.

A cliff hanger worthy of Annie Wilkes

I finished Cathedral over the weekend. Man, this book has a great cliff-hanger. Easily the best ending of the Gamma series. Also, we get to see some familiar faces that we have not seen in a while. This book is worth reading for nostalgia alone, but wait, there's more. The Gamma stuff was very good, and actually, I think the Gamma part of this book was the best of the three so far. This time the conflict was focused on the people we know, instead of some aliens we've never heard of before. It made me care about what was going to happen to Bashir and Dax and Nog. Nicely done. All in all, I think this one was very good. I don't think I have anything negative to say about it at all, actually. The relaunch keeps getting better.

Grand (and other words like it found in any thesaurus)

As I have been reading this re-launch, it occurred to me (duh) that my beloved characters are growing and changing - some, perhaps, in ways I would prefer them *not* to - but certainly none of them are at the place they were when we last saw Deep Space Nine on the tube.I count this as a good thing, whether I agree with the changes or not. And that's the whole point of this effort, I believe: To lengthen and re-shape characters and situations, *not* to have them lie fallow in our memories, but to continue to move forward into events that might not have fit the mold a few years ago.For one, the idea of Bajor actually becoming part of the Federation was like a pipe dream when the show was airing - a dream not everyone embraced. Now it's a reality, but this brings a new reality to people like Kira, Ro, and Quark, as well - and still, as you would expect, the idea of Bajor being part of the UFP has not been welcomed by everyone.As for the Defiant's mission in the Gamma Quadrant, I can only say here is where the book's title really hits home. Three (well, four) crewmembers are decidedly changed after being scanned by an alien artifact, and what they must go through to return to their former selves involves leaps of faith and trust that you or I might never dare to attempt.And throughout this novel are hints and whispers of things to come that tug uneasily at the heartstrings. Too sappy for you? Too bad! You're missing a good series if you're not reading this one.

ST-DS9: Mission Gamma: Cathedral

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma: Cathedral Written by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels is the thrid book in a four series and the story continues from where book two left off.This book is part of the relaunch of "Deep Space Nine" since the television series. Here again, this volume of the relaunch is very well-written the the characters go through a real soul searching. The book has two main themes as we read on... the Defiant is on an exploratory tour of the Gamma Quadrant when they come upon an artifact in their space exploration. We all know the Julian Bashir has been genetically enhanced when he was six years old on Adigeon Prime and has alway wonder what his life would have been like had his parents not had him geneticallyaltered. As Bashir is going through progressive neurological deggeneration, Dax is becoming an unjoined Trill, and Nog is reverting back to a true Ferengi. The detail of this story is wonderful as all of his unfolds.The second theme of the book is back on Deep Space Nine with Ro Laren, a failing diplomacy between Bajor and Cardassia, and Vedek Yevir is no longer just a cardboard character. This story is filled with intrigue, tragedy and some true callings, making for one good tale."Cathedral" continues with the very richly written narrative of the first two books as this series brings excitement back into Deep Space Nine. "Lesser Evil" is the fourth book in this series and should wrap-up Mission Gamma. "Entrprise: What Price Honor?" will be out soon. See you around the galaxy...