Gowron and Martok are my favorite Trek characters, so when I learned there was a book co-authored by J.G. Hertzler (Martok’s actor) that specifically continued the character’s journey post DS9, I had to give it a go.
The book is an excellent exploration of who Martok is and where his priorities lie. Sirella continues to be the insufferable snob she was in DS9 and I have no idea why any man in the universe would choose to be married to her, never mind consider her to be “magnificent”, but this just goes to show that Hertzler and Lang really took her portrayal in DS9 to heart and ran with it. All of the other characters are likewise portrayed faithfully, and I think they did an excellent job.
The inciting incident and subsequent upheaval for the Empire is gut-wrenching if you’re a klingon nerd (which I am). There are lots of interesting cultural tidbits thrown in that were never revealed in either TNG or DS9. All in all it’s a wonderful adventure. My biggest disappointment was getting to the end and finding out that it wasn’t the end…because at the time I had no idea there was a book two!
Five stars!
