Review of Rough Beasts of Empire by David R. George III
Rough Beasts of Empire by David R. George IIIMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Third Typhon Pact book focusing on Spock on Romulus, the Romulan people, Benjamin Sisko and the Tzenkethi.
I enjoyed the Spock part of the story and loved reading about the Romulans - they're always interesting. Scheming, devious, always several steps ahead and never disclosing all they know. Would have liked more Donatra time, though. Bringing the Vulcans and Romulans closer feels logical and sensible (in general, not just in this book) as they're basically 'cousins' who chose different paths in life, yet this book left me thinking that perhaps reunification wasn't all that necessary or even desirable. If the idea was to convey the (general?) Romulan view of possible reunification - why would we, we're fine as we are - then bravo and well done, I agree with the Romulans. Missed getting into Spock's head and really understanding what motivates him to be where he is.
Found the Sisko part of the story interesting however somewhat out of character. Having read some of the other reviews of the book, it seems I'm not the only one. Sisko feels abandoned and lost, unsure about the future - all very understandable given what he's gone through and is going through in the book. However the strong and decisive man we got to know is still in there and I would have liked to see more of Sisko's backbone / self-confidence shine through, even if only from time to time. His story feels somewhat unfinished, like only the first part of the story was told and the part where he figures out how to get through or past the difficult time was missing. The book did leave me wondering what'll happen next in Sisko's life - I'm keen to read 'part two' of his story. Cue "And now... The conclusion."
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