Sunday, December 2, 2018

Control

ST Section 31: Control
© 2017 David Mack
304 pages


"...if I’m correct, going to war with Section Thirty-one can only end badly for you. Either you will lose, and you and all your friends will suffer gruesome fates I’d rather not imagine; or you will win—and in so doing, end up inflicting more harm than good upon your beloved Federation.”

For four years, Julian Bashir has yearned to destroy the malicious intelligence-and-covert ops organization known as Section 31 from the inside.  A rendezvous with a desperate journalist in the frozen wastes of Andor, however,  makes him realize more than ever that he is over his head.   Running in the background of the entire Alpha Quadrant's technical infrastructure, from replicators to warp cores and shuttle transports is a common code, creating a massively distributed superintelligence which is monitoring and reporting -- but reporting to whom?  This AI no doubt has some connection to Section 31, which always seems several steps ahead of its opponents, but how can they be defeated when the very substance of Federation civilization is reporting for it?   The truth, as ever, is even more frightening...

Many Trek books are great adventure stories, and some are beautiful bits of drama; the true talents of modern Trek literature are equally able to provide horror and comedy.  Control distinguishes itself, however, by its timeliness.   The world of Control is not a fantasy, but rather one we are building  day by day. Something very much like Control in the real world was already explored by Daemon, Daniel Suarez's cyberthriller, and those who remember its plot may steal  a march on the main characters here. Although Bashir and his fellow fugitive, his lover and fellow S31 double agent Sarina,  seek refuge and help from trusted sources, no place within the Alpha Quadrant is safe for long, because no matter what they do, Bashir and his friends always seem to be playing right into Section 31's hands.   Mack excels in torturing characters emotionally,  and that's supplied here with one prominent death and another character psychologically crushed. The ending was...surprising at first, but carries  its twist.

For those who have been fascinated by Section 31 since their introduction in "Inquisition",  Control explores their past and delivers the final reckoning with them. While it seems a little rushed, the twist ending also indicates that another game is still afoot.

Related:

  • A brief clip from "Inquisition", the episode of Deep Space Nine in which Section 31 was introduced, and another clip from "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges",  when Bashir learns that someone he admires and respects. Episodes like these are why I believe Deep Space Nine is far and away the best Trek series, not only for its deep bench of complex characters, but the serious moral issues it explored. This wasn't something that slowly developed, either, but was present from the start -- just see the first-season episode "Duet", in which a Cardassian who was a lowly clerk during the occupation assumes the identity of his murderous boss, Gul Darheel, just so that he can be exposed and put on trial -- thereby allowing Cardassia to face its guilt and redeem itself for its past injustices. 
  • Daemon, Daniel Suarez

10 comments:

  1. complicated... like the real world, i guess. in some ways i miss the simplicity of the original Star Trek series...

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    1. It had great merits, but I much prefer these deep stories to the trash parading as Trek on the tv and movies these days!

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    2. Never read any ST novels but this sounds like a possibility. Section 31 always made me take interest. Agreed on the Trek movies and Discovery. Saw bits.
      Not impressed!

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  2. Hmmm. I’ve never read ST. Were I to venture into that space, where should I begin?

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    1. The best answer would vary on what Trek you like most, but Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' "Federation" brings TOS and TNG together, and is VERY well regarded.

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  3. This sounds fascinating. The entire Section 31 thing is a somewhat different twist for Star Trek in general and this book seems different. I have been watching Star Trek Discovery and it seems that Section 31 is going to play a prominent part next season.

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    1. That should be...interesting, if their abominable treatment of Klingons is any indicator.

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    2. And cringy....I'm told that the next season is supposed to make amends, but we'll see. I'm more than happy to get my Trek fix from outstanding authors like Mack & Bennett, or from The Orville..

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    3. The Orville - the thinking persons Star Trek.... [lol]

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