Deep Space 9 : Twist of Faith (Omnibus)

This volume contains 4 novels and a short story which begin the authorised continuation of Deep Space 9 following "What You Leave Behind".
Avatar, Books 1 and 2, by SD Perry introduces us to many of the characters who will populate the post series DS9 universe, and leads us into the continuing lives of well loved personages. IN the wake of Benjamin Sisko's dissapearance, Colonol Kira is now in command of the station. A vedek brings a mysterious artifact to Jake Sisko in the digs at B'hala, comes to the station- and is soon murdered. A long considered heiretical prophecy causes Jake and Kira both to take drastic action- and both their lives are changed.

Abyss, by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang, brings back the nuch beloved Section 31. With Sloan dead, a new agent has come to change Julian Bashir's plans. A genetically enhanced doctor has found and abandoned Jem Hadar factory and has set himself up as the new Khan. Can anyone but Bashir bring him down?

Demons of Air and Darkness by Keith RA DeCandido is part of the timeline spanning Gateways series. Havoc is wreaked on the sector when Gateways start opening above and on planets. A group of aliens appear claiming to be the ancient Iconians, and they want to bargain for exclusive rights to the Gateway technology. When Nog and the Andorian Shar discover a gap in the Gateway network around the wormhole, they are able to disrupt the Gateways- and expose the aliens.
However, Kira's fateful step into a Gateway is further explored in the short story Horn and Ivory, also by De Candido. Stranded on a planet in the Delta quadrant, Kira was presented by a Gateyay- the went beack and forth between Ops on DS9, and the Celestial Temple. When she stepped through hover, she found herself 30, 000 years in Bajor's past, before B'hala, and at the time the Pah Wraiths ensconced themselves in the Fire Caves. Her journey back to DS9 is one both physical and spiritual.

Star Trek Alien Spotlight Volume 1 by IDW Comics

Funny story about this one. We got a box from Brian's best friend sent from Amazon, with no explanation of what books were meant for whom. One thing was clear though- everyone hoped that when we heard back from him, they would learn that Alien Spotlight was meant for them.
And the winner was- Andrew. Yes, the kid who could barely read and who less than year ago was as likely to eat a book as to read it.
Luckily, he was willing to share.
This collection of previously released comics spotlights The Gorn, the Romulans, the Vulcans, and the Borg. It spans from a TOS to TNG, and includes the crews of Pike's Enterprise, the Reliant, the Enterprise D, and the Romulan ship from "Balance of Terror".

Lost Souls by David Mack

The last book in the Destiny series ties up loose ends, surprises you, and points to a very different future for the Federation.

With the Borg determined to destroy all life in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants- not just the Federation, but all sentient life. The Federation and non-aligned powers band together to face the Borg threat. President Nan Bacco awaits in the Palais de la Concorde, helpless to do anymore to stop the destruction of the people she has pledged to protect. The captains of the Enterprise, Aventine and Titan have been given free reign to do whatever is necessary. While millions of lives are taken by the Borg, many light years away, the mysterious Caeliar have saved one small life.
I enjoyed the "cameos" by the daVinci- no one else would have thought of protecting a planet from the Borg by making it appear to disappear.
The ending is one I couldn't have predicted- and I'm not sure I like. It's too tidy. I am also not as fond of the Borg Origins story, much preferring the similar ones I have read in Strange New Worlds and Shinsei Shinsei.
I also did not like the free hand Mack took in killing characters- amkes me wonder if this is supposed to be cannon or not.

ST Destiny Book One: Gods of Night

Gods Of Night begins David Mack's trilogy detailing the crews of the Enterprise and they Aventine as they prepare to fight the Borg, and of the Titan as it discovers a planet encased within a sphere.
On the Aventine, Ezri Dax has risen to the rank of captain after the death of the captain and first officer while fighting the Borg. Unsure of herself, and feeling guilty about the conditions of her advancement, she must fight her own demons before she can command effectively. To make things harder for her, her attempt to unravel a mystery discovered by Jadzia ends in tragedy
On the Enterprise, Picard is plagued by the incursion of the Borg queen into his thoughts as he must prepare to engage the Borg, while battling insecurities about the momentous decision he and Beverly have made.
On the Titan, the crew has discovered subspace tunnels leading from Federation space to a strange planet completely encased in a sphere. When the away team shuttles down, they are kept the the strange inhabitants; a situation complicated by Deanna Troi's delicate physical and mental state.

ST: Destiny Book Two: Mere Mortals

David Mack's book picks up where Gods of Night left off-with the crews of the Enterprise and the Aventine (under the command of Ezri Dax) ready to explore a series of subspace tunnels to seek the Borg- with Federation president Nan Bacco seeking allies to take the offensive to the Borg- and finding creative forms of persuasion-with Will Riker and the crew of the Titan trying to rescue their away team from the mysterious and advanced species, the Caeliar, an away team that includes a Deanna Troi who is in a state of medical and emotional crisis- and with Captain Erika Hernandez as the only surviving crew member of the lost pre-Federation era Columbia NX-02.
Well written and enjoyable, this book brings together different eras and crews in the ST universe without feeling forced.
Destiny concludes in Lost Souls.

SCE: Collective Hindsight by Aaron Rosenberg

In the fourth story in the Aftermath anthology, the daVinci's crew of engineers;, still reeling from great loss and tragedy, must face their ghosts head on when a ship they thought they had destroyed in the past shows up again. The Dancing Star had first shown up near a covert Federation listening post at the height of the Dominion War, and with regret, the crew of the DaVinci had destroyed it- or so they thought- to avoid detection by Cardassian forces. Why their plan didn't work I will leave to you, dear reader, to find out for yourself. The pain as the surviving crew must review logs of now dead crewmates, friends, and even lovers is poignant.

ST: Mirror Universe: Glass Empires

This book, which follows the rise and fall of the Terran Empire, is better ( and less dark) than the volume which follows.

Age of the Empress, by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore (story by Mike Sussman), has the First Empress Hoshi Sate rise to power by assassinating Jonathon Archer, Although she plans for a more benevolent empire, her strategically married husband, Shran and the rebel T'pol have other ideas. This story leaves several loose ends ( a few of them created by Arik Soong ) that I hope to find are woven in in another volume.

In The Sorrows of Empire, Spock assassinates Captain Kirk and cultivates a cadre loyal to him as a means to become Emperor- and to the destroy the illogical and unsustainable Empire. He does manage to destroy it, with the help of the Empress Marlena Moreau, Saavik, and other loyal Vulcans. The Vulcans must keep their touch telepathy secret to his generations long plan to succeed...

The final story in the volume, The Worst of Both Worlds, sees Terran archaeologist Luc Picard in the employ of Gul Madred. When Alliance Klingons beat the stree urchin Wesley within an inch of his life for trying to guard the Stargazer, Luc joins with the rebels Vash and Noonien Soong to seek the aid of a fabled advanced cut lure- the Borg.