Book Review: Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Rough Beasts of Empire

Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Rough Beasts of Empire by David R. George III

Series: Yes, Typhon Pact book 3
Genre(s): Sci-fi
Publisher: Pocket books
Available Formats: Paperback, eBook
Description: Still on Romulus in pursuit of his goal of reunifying the Vulcans and Romulans, Spock finds himself in the middle of a massive power struggle. Meanwhile, four years after Benjamin Sisko returned from the Celestial Temple, circumstances have changed, his hopes for a peaceful life on Bajor with his wife and daughter beginning to slip away.

This review is based on a book I purchased.

Marron’s Review:

The Typhon Pact series is the latest crossover series in the Star Trek novel universe, taking place after the 2008 Destiny trilogy by David Mack. The Alpha Quadrant was decimated by the Borg, with over 60 billion lives lost throughout the United Federation of Planets. The Borg are gone, but in the wake of the invasion, and only two years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, a new coalition of antagonists has formed: the Typhon Pact.

The Typhon Pact consists of the Romulan Star Empire, the Breen Confederacy, the Tzenkethi Coalition, the Gorn Hegemony, the Tholian Assembly, and the Holy Order of the Kinshaya — all of which have had hostile relations with the Federation and/or Klingon Empire in their previous history and had previously maintained xenophobic and isolationist policies. With power stretching throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, the Typhon Pact could prove to be a formidable foe against the UFP and the Khitomer Accord civilizations.

Although Rough Beasts of Empire by David R. George III is actually the third book in the Star Trek: Typhon Pact series, I highly recommend that this is the first book of the series that you read. This may seem unusual, but as some of the events in the first quarter of the book take place before events in the first Typhon Pact book, Zero Sum Game, I believe that reading the third book and then the first two will make certain events within the series less confusing.

Rough Beasts of Empire tells two stories that briefly intertwine as the Typhon Pact is founded and the strife between the Romulan Star Empire and the Imperial Romulan State leads toward the perilous path of civil war. Part of the story focuses around Spock, who is still the leader of the Reunification Movement on Romulus, trying to bring together the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. As he tries to keep his movement going, he finds himself in the middle of a power struggle for the rule of Romulus between Tal’Aura, praetor of the Romulan Star Empire, and Donatra, Empress of the Imperial Romulan State. Meanwhile, outside politics from other members of the newly-formed Typhon Pact may have their own ideas about who should rule a unified Romulan state.

The other part of the story focuses on Benjamin Sisko, who returned to duty after retiring from Starfleet to help out during the Borg Invasion (for those of you that haven’t read the DS9 novels, Sisko returned from the Celestial Temple 8 months after he left, just in time for the birth of his and Kassiday’s daughter, Rachel). Sisko must make a tough decision: live his life in sorrow, as the Prophets have forewarned him would happen if he married Kassiday, or else walk his path alone. Sisko decides to make his temporary reinstatement into Starfleet permanent and becomes the captain of the USS Robinson, a Galaxy class starship tasked with monitoring the Neutral Zone.

David R. George III does a great job of weaving these two stories together — and although Spock and Sisko never actually meet, their lives are connected through the events unfolding within the sundered Romulan Empire. His characterization of both Spock and Sisko is very well done, and he does a great job of filling in some of the gaps from the previous two novels — which is, again, why I suggest reading this one first.

The book has a great pace and starts off with a thrill as Spock fights off an assassination attempt. We also see flashbacks of Sisko’s time during the Federation-Tzenkethi war, helping to flesh out this never-seen-on-screen race of beautiful and deadly aliens. Overall, this was a very enjoyable book and is definitely worth a read for any fans of Star Trek, and fans of the Star Trek novels especially. Once again, although this is the third book in the series, this is definitely the first book you should read if you decide to pick up the Typhon Pact series.