Review: Rising Son (DS9)

Rising Son, by S.D. Perry, is part of the post-television continuity
of the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Not only that, but it runs
parallel with all of the other books except Avatar, the first one. It
explains what happened to Jake Sisko after he disappeared into the
wormhole during that book, and his experiences as he tries to get home
(or tries to decide whether or not he even wants to go home). It’s a
very intriguing character study of young Jake and it includes an
interesting plot as well. We’ve been waiting months and months to find
out what happened to Jake, and it was well worth the wait.


The Story
In Avatar, Jake Sisko stumbled upon a Bajoran prophecy that seemed to
indicate that he would find his missing father, Captain Benjamin Sisko
(who had disappeared at the end of the television series) by going
into the wormhole that links the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants of space.
He would go in, find him somehow, and then come home, all before
Benjamin’s new wife gave birth to their first child.

But events didn’t turn out like he had planned. Jake finds himself
almost dead in a powerless ship, flung far away from where he started.
After recording his last thoughts and waiting to freeze to death (or
asphyxiate), a ship finds him. This ship is the Even Odds, and it is a
retrieval ship. It goes around the Gamma Quadrant looking for salvage
or doing missions for other customers that require their own special
brand of expertise. The captain, Dezavrim (Dez), sees in Jake
something of himself when he was Jake’s age. In Jake, he sees a chance
to be a father like his father wasn’t to him. He misinterprets some of
Jake’s complaints about Benjamin (the fact that he became so embroiled
in the Dominion War and Bajoran religion that he didn’t always have
time for Jake), and decides that he can give Jake a better life if he
can convince Jake to stay with the ship rather than go home. Jake
finds himself sorely tempted as he gains the acceptance of the crew
and becomes friends with them. He starts to feel at home, and he
seriously reconsiders whether there is anything for him back in the
Alpha Quadrant.

But then Bajoran prophecy interferes again, as a figure from Bajor’s
past, one Jake thought long dead, returns, clarifying the prophecy
that sent Jake these many light years and snaring him again. Torn
between his love of his new friends, his duty to Bajor and his
father’s ideals, and a growing disillusionment with the methods of his
new "family," Jake doesn’t know what to do. But will any decision be
taken out of his hands?


What Did I Think?
If you’re a fan of Deep Space 9, especially the post-television
continuity, this is a must-own book for you. I’ve only read a couple
of the newer books, but I’ve wondered when the Jake story would be
told, and I’m glad they waited until the tenth anniversary of the show
to tell it. Perry writes a very satisfying book, with interesting
characters and a good story to go with it. I enjoyed reading about
Jake and the tough decisions he has to make in it. Perry really
portrayed well the tug-of-war between Jake’s new friends and his
ideals. The crew is not the most honest bunch around, and they make
some of their living by doing illegal things. They don’t do things out
of the goodness of their hearts and helping people is only a priority
if they are getting paid. This goes completely against how Jake was
brought up and he finds himself doubting. Should he stay with these
people who have accepted him? Should he build his own life, away from
the Federation and from being "Ben Sisko’s son?" Is sacrificing his
ideals worth it? And then when the prophecy rears its ugly head again,
Jake is even more torn. It seems like, even this far away from home,
Ben Sisko is reaching out to grab him and pull him in. Jake’s final
decision looks more and more obvious as things progress (Dez can’t
understand why Jake is having a problem with the way they do things,
and thinks he needs to grow up), but it’s still heart-wrenching to see
him go through it. I think this would be a marvelous vehicle for
Cirroc Lofton if a TV movie ever got made (not that it will happen of
course). I think that’s the highest compliment to the book.

Dez is an good contrast to Jake. He desperately wants Jake to like
him, to give Jake the opportunity that he never had with his own
father. He is baffled by Jake’s ethical code that has a problem with
the way he does things. He finally decides to pretend that they will
become a more altruistic crew while Jake becomes further immersed in
the crew’s life. Then, when Jake is unable to get himself out, he’ll
force Jake to realize that what they do is not a bad thing. While you
don’t like what Dez does, you can understand it and almost sympathize
with him. It makes him a sad character in a way, and as you watch Jake
agonize, you know that there is no real good or bad side in this
conflict. There are only a couple of times where the character doesn’t
ring true, as he goes just that little bit further to convince Jake
and seems to go over the top. It’s not often, though, and Dez turns
out to be a fascinating character to read about.

The crew of the Even Odds is an eclectic bunch, with a few familiar
Alpha Quadrant races (2 Ferengi and a Cardassian) and one Gamma
Quadrant race we’re familiar with (the Wadi). Thus, Perry can wrap her
other unfamiliar characters in a sheet of familiarity that Trek fans
can handle. I’m a bit disappointed in that aspect, but Perry does a
good enough job with them that it’s not a bad thing. The Caradassian
is fairly non-descript, though he does learn some things during the
course of the story. The Ferengi are stereotypical, but it’s the new
races that are so very interesting. The best of the bunch is Stessie,
a joined being with numerous different facets. Only one can talk, but
all the facets have their own personality even as they are part of the
whole. While this sort of thing has been done before (even in Trek),
Perry imbues the character with an interesting personality that makes
her (it?) a wonderful piece of work. The other crew members aren’t
really that interesting, fulfilling their roles admirably but not
doing much else. Facity, the Wadi first officer and Dez’s lover,
provides an interesting viewpoint as she watches the interplay between
Jake and Dez, but I didn’t find much of interest in her personally.
She serves almost as a spectator, viewing the game between the two of
them and commenting on it.

The writing is standout for a Star Trek book, with no real waste or
padding visible in the book. The only pointless point of the story is
the ending, where a surprise personality from the television series
meets up with them, adding a slight bit of tension but then quickly
dissipating it. The story also ends with a "To Be Continued," but in
itself it is fairly self-contained. If you’re just interested in what
happened to Jake, you will find that out and don’t have to continue
further if you don’t want to (but what DS9 book fan will not want to
continue?). Some may think the book has a few too many coincidences,
but when you get into Bajoran religion and the prophecies, you get
reasons for why this sort of thing occurs. Overall, there were no
"yeah, right" moments in the book.

The book is well-written enough that if you’re not a fan, you would
probably still enjoy it. If you are a fan, though, you should check it
out. The book is marvelous and it is a fine addition to the DS9
library of books. Bring on Unity!

David Roy