Abyss: Section 31

by Jeffrey Lang and David Weddle

Book Overview

Shrouded in secrecy, Section 31 operates outside the constraints of conscience or the law. The covert operations arm of Starfleet, their mission is to protect the Federation at whatever cost. Dr... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671774832
• ISBN13: 9780671774837
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Star Trek
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A mix of darkness and hope...like DS9 itself

This book epitomizes why DS9, currently being relegated to reruns on Spike TV--DVR them, people, they're still magnificent--survives whereas "Enterprise" died. I read a review of "Hollow Men" that teased me with the notion Luther Sloan of Section 31 popped up, as he does in the Voyager S31 book and even gets a mention in the TNG S31 book. All of the books did S31 justice, but this one more so of course. And I am categorically stating this now: Sloan is one of my favorite Star Trek characters, picking up where Elim Garak left off. Garak gets discussed in "Abyss" when Ezri tells Julian he's attracted to mystery...like Garak. Julian responds, "I always thought of Garak as charming, not mysterious." Ezri replies, "He was both," and then suggests that Julian is inexplicably drawn to charm and mystery. In this case, she speaks of his new nemesis, Ethan Locken, a genetically enhanced Khan Noonien Singh wannabe. Unlike Syndrome of "The Incredibles" (another tale about people with superhuman abilities wearing masks), Locken wants himself and himself alone to be "super." And Julian has to stop him thanks to our favorite covert ops agency. Section 31 knows his worst fears and his weaknesses...however, as we saw in the series, they can clearly underestimate him. Cole, the new Section 31 agent who sends Julian Bashir on a mission the eve of his trip to Earth with Ezri (to visit Julian's parents no less, "Then it must be love," Cole says), remarks on Julian's past dealings with Section 31: "Courteous, but direct. Sloan noted that in his profile...Anyone who could outthink Sloan wouldn't have a problem with a tyro like Locken." Cole is intelligent, ruthless, smooth, and less compelling than Sloan, who had tremendous Garak-like appeal as a sexy spy villain who saw himself as a "good guy" of sorts (the complexity and sexiness was in large part thanks to the casting and performance of William Sadler), with better lines than Cole and more personality, thanks to the unique onscreen chemistry between Julian and Sloan. Change one letter in Cole's name and, appropriately, you get "cold." Although there's an intelligent and dynamic analysis of the Federation's enemies as well as some mentions of the genetically enhanced "Jack Pack" (savants Julian interacted with in the series), and a subtle reference to "In The Pale Moonlight" in a discussion between Cole and Julian, Section 31 is clearly the despised enemy as they always have been. Julian hates Section 31 but, as he did in the series, is forced to employ their tactics to defeat them, just as Sisko had to compromise his morality in "In The Pale Moonlight." Dancing with the devil and staring into the abyss...and yet Julian isn't lost to intrigue. When Julian faced Sloan in the series, he had Miles O'Brien to pull him back from the brink. This time, he has the still-confused Ezri Dax, whose relationship with Julian grows and becomes deeper than the soap-opera of "Avatar." Ezri has her own baggage t

More Insights into Bashir, Ezri, Vaughn and the rest.

Do not let the cover fool you, this book is not only about Bashir, though it does center on him. I found myself puzzled at how Bashir had been relegated to the relationship character in Avatar Book 1, but surprisingly Bashir's relationship with Ezri has really grown on me. Both of them are going through changes in their lives and are reflecting on what that means. Bashir, the genetically enhanced human who has been and still continues to wear a mask in public (and private!) is starting to tear away at his mask. Ezri is coming to terms with what it means to be a joined Trill. This is magnificent stuff people!The excerpt page of this book (at the front) is a warning from Vaughn to Bashir about Section 31 that had me intrigued to read the book ASAP. I'm quite glad where Vaughn and Bashir's relationship with Section 31 ended (or started), and I look forward to another 31 book in the future. I find 31 to be a very refreshing Trek idea, so I hope it isn't dismantled for some time to come (if ever!)."Abyss" continues where Avatar left off (or actually after the events in the SCE book "Miracle Workers"), and it's good to see that it doesn't bother reintroducing everyone, but assumes you've read Avatar and know the deal. If you haven't, it is not entirely essential to read them, though I do recommend doing so as it feels like all the DS9 Relaunch novels are really just episodes of an untelevised Season 8. Avatar was the two part season premier, and Abyss is the 3rd (or 4th) episode. One thing I really enjoy is how easily these books read like episodes. The continuity between authors and plotlines is amazing! It is so well done, and the characterization is so spot on that it is impossible not to visualize these novels as Season 8 of DS9!I like learning more about Ro's past; some of it comes out here.I love Taran'atar. Whenever I'm expecting some comment from him, he always comes up with a different perspective, which incidentally Kira herself reflects on! Kudos to the writers! The continued reflection on their gods between Nerys and Taran'atar is fascinating. And seeing Kira becoming more familiar with command and actually acting like a leader is awesome. I was quite suspect in Avatar of Kira in charge, but I must say the authors have really fleshed her character out the most. Also cannot wait to see what happens with her "Attainment".Seeing Taran'atar in action versus other Jem'Hadar was brilliant, and even more so was his unseen (yet obvious) diplomacy with Locken's First.Locken, the bad guy, another enhanced person, is a great character. The authors do a good job making him seem sane to Bashir. It made me question first impressions and how people wear their masks. It is interesting to uncover the truth behind Locken through other (non-Bashir) characters. Great stuff. Bashir's conversation with Ezri about his mask and about genetically enhanced people was my favorite in this book. It (alongside with Khan and the Eugenics Wars) makes me wonder how soon al

As DS9 fan from childhood

DS9 is the first series that I watched from the start after I became obsessed with star trek. I came into half way through NG and was excited at the prospect of a new series. Over the ensuing 7 years I wavered between it and Voyager but found in the end that I enjoyed DS9 more than anything else. The character that intrigues me the most was Dr. Bashir and his ongoing relationship with Jadzia. When finally in season 7 Bashir had a chance with Ezri I saw it as the beginning of a truely wonderful relationship, one we had all be waiting to happen for the doctor. This book explores the new developed realtionship between the good Doctor and Ezri in a way that no book or episode did. I truely loved this book and would read it a thousand times over. It has great character, a fast moving plot and the ever ominous Section 31 so what more could you ask for. I definately recommend this book to any star trek fan.

And the DS9 saga continues...

Section 31: Abyss is a novel by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang. Weddle helped write the DS9 episode "Inquisition," which introduced Section 31. I haven't read the other books in this series, so I don't know if they are connected in any way except by theme, but I do know that this novel is outstanding. Is it because Weddle was involved with the creation of Section 31? Who knows? Whatever it is, it's the perfect combination of the old and the new that I love in a good Trek novel.This is the Trek novel I've been waiting for. It has wonderful character examinations, a very interesting plot, and best of all, consequences. The Deep Space Nine novels take place after the end of the television series, so things can happen to the characters. You don't necessarily know if everything is going to turn out all right. And even when they do, characters can be irreversibly changed by the events in them. Weddle and Lang have crafted together what I would call a masterpiece of Trek novels.One major thing I have to mention right off the bat is the use of continuity. If you're familiar with my Trek novel reviews, you know that heavy continuity references are not my favourite thing. So many times, a book has been weighted down with reference after reference, with the explanations of these references taking up way too much room and killing the pace of the book. This time, though, we are completely spared that problem. To my recollection, there is not one continuity reference in this book that slows the pace of the book. Usually, if a reference is made, it's just left there. If you are familiar with the events in question, then you understand it totally. If you're not, then there is just enough information so that you get the feel for what the reference means in the scheme of this plot. I almost screamed in joy when I read my first reference.This book is mainly a character study of Bashir, and as such it works wonders. Bashir has always been one of the more interesting characters on the show, and I found this analysis of his character very interesting. He's always been on the outside looking in, especially once his enhancement became public and people looked at him differently. None of that seemed to happen in the series itself, but you can understand that people would start treating him differently and that he would start to resent it. In this book, that resentment explodes as Locken tries to convince Bashir that they should work together for the betterment of the entire Federation. They are almost perfect people. Why shouldn't they try to shape the galaxy into what they think is best? But the key word is "almost," and that word becomes very important as Locken starts to go increasingly insane. You do start to wonder, however, whether Bashir will come to his senses in time, and the suspense is palpable. Dax makes a good sounding board for Bashir in the book, but she also has other things to do that have to do with the series as a whole. Dax is

The Abyss Also Gazes

"Contend not with dragons less you become a dragon yourself, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." --- Friedrich NietzscheI picked this up to pass time while waiting for my son to be released from jail. So when I started this, I was not in the most receptive of moods. By the second chapter, I was totally hooked.This is a psychological novel, more so than the average Trek fare. This is Julian's book. He must do a favor for the people he hates most in the Universe, Section 31, and also confront the road not taken.He must contend with the dragon, a fellow Genetically Enhanced doctor who has confirmed the worst predictions of the Federation by taking Khan as his role model. The dragon is Julian-as-he-might-have-been, Julian finds it all too easy to get inside his opponents head, but far more difficult to get back out.