Catalyst of Sorrows

The Lost Era - Catalyst of Sorrows, by Margaret Wander Bonanno. Pocket
Books 2004.

If you like a linear tale, this may not be for you. The story is told in
constant flashbacks.
Like the Double Helix books, this is a medical suspense story. The head of
Starfleet Intelligence, an Admiral Uhura, calls together the three
greatest medical minds in the galaxy, Doctors McCoy, Crusher and Selar, to
fight the outbreak of disease. Her operatives are young Ben Sisko, Selar
and Tuvok.
It is probably unfair to single this book out for complaint, especially as
it is quite a good read, but I don¹t like the way the people who have
appeared in the various shows are the greatest doctors, philosophers,
ambassadors, etc. in the galaxy. Kirk as one of the great starship
captains is acceptable. However, this is established practice, so who am I
to complain? It is the same as complaining about Voyager running into the
same people all over the sector. A sector is Really Big. It is extremely
improbable that this many of the cast we know used to work together. On
the other hand, we do know that Ben Sisko knew Curzon Dax from of old. And
another familiar face appears in the last few pages, quite logically.
Apart from the people mentioned, there are a number of Romulans. One
central character from Romulus would be welcome in sequels. It would be
pleasant to hear more about her. Selar, of course, is going off to the New
Frontier in later times. Perhaps Peter David could pick up Zetha as well.
These few nitpicks aside, this is an enjoyable and well-written book.

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