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Star Trek: Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Peter David and Sarah Shaw
01/12/2007 . Source: Laura Kayne 
pub: Simon and Schuster. 438 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 9.99 (UK), $ 16.00 (US), $19.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-4165-2471-7. Buy Obsidian Alliances in the USA - or Buy Obsidian Alliances in the UK  check out website: www.simonsays.co.uk
This is the second book in the 'Star Trek: Mirror Universe' series, combining three stories, one each set in a mirror of the Voyager, New Frontier and Deep Space Nine universes. Like the previous mirror universe book, which collected stories set in the original series, Next Generation and Enterprise universes, these tales take their initial basis from the original series episode in which the crew of the Enterprise discover an alternative, mirror universe to their own, a dark and oppressive place where war wages, the Federation of Planets doesn't exist, violence is a way of life and a man can become a starship captain by killing his predecessor. Adding to this set-up and building on the mirror universe foundation were episodes in 'Enterprise' and 'Deep Space Nine'.
There are links to the stories in the first mirror universe collection, where Spock become Emperor of the Terran Empire after meeting his crewmates' counterparts and realising that one man can make a difference. Once in power, he sets about changing the Empire from the inside, setting up a Republic, but the Republic soon falls and a Klingon-Cardassian Alliance takes its place.
The tales in this second collection are set within this Alliance. The legend of Emperor Spock lives on and a rebellion is fighting its small corner to eventually bring about his vision, knowing that there must be something better to strive for. In contrast to the stories in the first book, where the characters were situated within the Empire or Alliance and attempted to live with the lives fate dealt them, here there is more emphasis on the rebellion, with many known but altered characters from Voyager, New Frontier and Deep Space Nine part of the Alliance or working against it. These stories are more about the war in a wider sense, as well as some minor storylines about the characters personal lives. Daily engagement with the war is a major theme throughout all three stories.
In the Voyager story 'The Mirror-Scaled Serpent', Nelix and Kes manage to escape from the torturous Kazon-Ogla before their getaway goes wrong and Nelix finds himself rescued by a rebel ship commanded by a former slave named Chakotay and travelling through an area of space he has never seen before, hearing tales of a new enemy worse even than the Kazon-Ogla and the Alliance. Kes, though, appears to have been captured by the Alliance. Upon hearing of Kes' psychic powers one of the ship's crew, a Vulcan named Tuvok, realises she is the key to implementing a plan that Emperor Spock put into plan years earlier and finally defeating the Alliance but first the rebels have to save her before the Alliance uncover her abilities. However, things don't go to plan when they discover that some people aren't who they say they are and their crew isn't always to be trusted.
The second story in the book, the New Frontier-based 'Cutting Ties' is the account of the Xenexian M’k’nzy, known in another universe as McKenzie Calhoun and in this one purely as Muck. He is a slave to the Romulans, allies of the Alliance, but just when he thinks he has nothing left to lose he meets a Romulan named Soleta, who give him a reason to fight back. With Soleta, he embarks on a dangerous mission to bring down the Romulan Praetor and his mysterious allies, the Thallonians. It is on this mission that he encounters an unusual group of Terrans, among them Elizabeth Shelby, Robin Lefler and McHenry and where he eventually begins to fight for a better life, not just for vengeance.
The final story, 'Saturn's Children', tells the tale of the great Terran Rebellion leaders General Miles O'Brien, General Julian Bashir and the Ferengi, General Zek. But the Rebellion is in turmoil, the leaders plot against each other and O'Brien, hoping for a better life, whilst Bashir and Zek pursue fame. The development of a new shipyard on an abandoned space station orbiting the planet Bajor brings the tension to a head and while O'Brien is accused of harbouring Alliance spies in his crew, the other two generals plan to strike at an unarmed Cardassian colony. Then more trouble appears with the return of the disgraced Bajoran Intendant Kira Neyrs, who is hoping once and for all to defeat the rebels.
'Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances' is a fun read and an entertaining companion to the first 'Star Trek: Mirror Universe' collection. The characters are well-written, similar enough to be familiar but changed enough to be different and interesting, bringing home to the reader how altered the mirror universe really is. There are plenty of references to the more familiar Star Trek universe and amusing subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) variations in the characters personalities and relationships, especially Katherine Janeway, Harry Kim and Kira Neyrs. If you are a 'Star Trek' fan and want something slightly different and were a fan of the mirror universe episodes, then this book is for you.
Laura Kayne
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