Book Review: ‘The Missing’ by Una McCormack

December 13, 2023 at 7:46 am | Posted in Books, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Star Trek | 1 Comment
Tags: deep space nine, una mccormack

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Missing is a novel by Una McCormack following the events of The Fall series. It was published by Pocket Books at Simon and Schuster and was released in January of 2015. 

Una McCormack has been a really solid author for me. I’ve read three of her books previously. The Crimson Shadow from The Fall Series and The Last Best Hope from the Picard series are top tier Star Trek novels. Seriously, in my top 10 for sure! Unfortunately, Second Self was a bit of a let down, but her track record overall has been excellent. And I”m happy to report…this book is also excellent!

This is a Deep Space Nine book first and foremost, with some connections to The Next Generation. The connections come in the form of Doctor Pulaski and her ship the Athene Donald, as well as Beverly Crusher, who has temporarily taken the role as Chief Medical Officer on board Deep Space Nine. Otherwise, its pretty much a Deep Space Nine book.

This book features a couple of plotlines that weave together. A group of traveling people stops at Deep Space Nine to refuel and resupply, and questionable things start happening. The ship Athene Donald departs from DS9, but something goes awry in their departure. A Cardassian mother enlists the help of Odo on DS9 to help track down her long lost son, who has been a Romulan POW for the last 10 years. And 2 Tzenkethi are present between DS9 and the Athene Donald. And all of these plotlines have a “whodunit” element to them. 

Despite having so many subplots, this book is actually pretty short at 308 pages in mass market paperback. Una McCormack has an economy of words and style that helps the story move along briskly. There isn’t a page of this book that I believe is filler, and each and every page was entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat. I had a particular plotline that was my favorite, but I was interested in every single subplot and character in this book. I devoured it in a matter of hours!

Several characters go through great journeys in this book, a few in particular. Pulaski has to learn to be less abrupt and more trusting of others. Crusher learns to be more discerning and recognizes the value of family, particularly hers. Odo has an interesting journey that is multifaceted, that to discuss more might give away spoilers. Finally, Jeffrey Blackmer learns to live with the guilt he has over President Bacco’s death. 

There were several character interactions that were delightfully fascinating. Ro Laren and Quark continue to be a hilarious pair, and while their semi-romance is incredibly weird, it is also delightfully entertaining. I also enjoyed seeing Laren paired with Odo, who has been absent for far too long in the literary universe. In usual form, Una McCormack makes sure to include Garak as a *small* inclusion in the book, and his interactions with the others was delightful. The new characters’ interactions with Pulaski and the DS9 crew were interesting. Probably the best written pairing is also the cornerstone of the book, and that is the pairing of Pulaski and Crusher, two characters who seemingly hate each other, but form an unlikely friendship here. 

My favorite plotline in here was the POW storyline featuring the Cardassians, Romulans, Odo and Ro Laren. To explain fully would be to give spoilers. I absolutely figured out the general reasoning behind the mystery, but I kind of guessed at the specific reasoning and was partially correct. I think McCormack laid down everything she could for the mystery and unfolded it brilliantly. 

The other plotline mysteries were excellent as well. And McCormack did a good job of unveiling a little information at a time that both answered questions and asked more. This book is very layered because of it, which is one of the reasons it worked so well for me. 

Overall, I can’t sugar-coat this…I LOVED this book. It is simple, yet complex. Fun entertainment, yet thought provoking. A standalone and also continuing on the continuity and storyline of the post-Nemesis universe. True to the spirit of Star Trek. Definitely the best Star Trek read of the year! 5 out of 5!

Reviewed By: Jonathan Koan for Roqoo Depot.