Posts Tagged ‘Section 31’

Section 31: Control reviewed on The Captain’s Table

My friends Michael Clark and Roslyn S. from podcast The Captain’s Table have returned from their year-long hiatus to review my latest Star Trek novel, SECTION 31: CONTROL.

I always enjoy hearing what Michael and Ros have to say about my books, and I think their reviews are honest, insightful, and well-considered.

Give it a listen, and check back soon for their interview with yours truly about this grim installment in the life of Julian Bashir.

If you enjoy Michael and Ros’s review and discussion, please make sure to leave them a good rating, or some feedback, or link to it on social media. Let them know you were there.

Tragedy in Section 31: Control (#SFWApro)

Some literary philosophies hold there are only two kinds of stories, tragedies and comedies. I crafted my new Star Trek novel Section 31: Control as an unapologetic tragedy. In this podcast I explain why.

Literary Treks #186 - "A Tragedy in Every Sense of the Word"

I joined Literary Treks co-hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson to talk about the inspirations and implications of my novel, the rationale for writing an entire chapter of the novel in computer code, and the rather polarized response it has garnered from fans of the Star Trek books. Also on the agenda was a conversation about the roles played in the story by androids Data and his daughter, Lal.

We conclude our discussion with some teases concerning what readers can expect from my next two Star Trek novels, Titan: Fortune of War and Discovery: Desperate Hours. I also tacked on a reminder that roughly ten months from now my new Tor Books original trilogy Dark Arts will debut with my long-awaited World War II fantasy epic The Midnight Front.

So point your browsers toward Literary Treks and check out episode 186, “Tragedy in Every Sense of the Word,” and get a peek behind the curtains that conceal my creative process.

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How the U.S. surveillance state inspired Section 31: Control

Yesterday my latest Star Trek novel, Section 31: Control, was published by Pocket Books. Today I answered a few questions for Anthony Pascale over at TrekMovie.com about the inspirations behind Control, and how I think Section 31 fits into the fabric of the Star Trek fictional universe.

Here’s a brief snippet from our in-depth exchange:

Mack on Section 31 and Julian Bashir’s Quest

TrekMovie.com: As noted on the back cover description for Control, Section 31 is as an “amoral” organization working on behalf of the Federation. It was yet another dark and controversial introduction into Trek lore from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a show which you worked on as a writer. What do you say to those who feel Section 31 doesn’t fit into the more utopian Roddenberry vision of the 24th century as seen on Next Generation and Voyager?

David Mack: I can’t speak to what Gene Roddenberry would have thought of Section 31. What I do know is that while humanity has often aspired to live in utopias, in fiction they tend to be deadly dull. Even one of the most famous utopias, the Garden of Eden, wasn’t terribly interesting until the Serpent arrived to bring temptation and crash the whole thing down.

That said, I can certainly understand the objections of Star Trek fans who feel that the mere existence of Section 31 undermines all that the Federation stands for — and that’s a view shared by many of the principal characters of the various series, particularly Doctor Julian Bashir.

One thing I’ve never understood is why even a small subset of Star Trek fandom would want a Star Trek: Section 31 television or film series. If there’s one thing the show and novels have always been clear about, it’s that Section 31 are not the heroes, and they do not deserve to be presented as people for whom we should desire success.

There’s a lot more at the link, so go check it out!

#SFWApro

Be afraid — SECTION 31: CONTROL has arrived | #SFWApro

Good morning, Star Trek fans! It’s the last Tuesday of a month, and you know what that means. A new Star Trek novel has been published by the fine folks at Simon & Schuster imprint Pocket Books! This month’s new Star Trek adventure is one of mine: the harrowing thriller Section 31: Control.

Star Trek - Section 31 - Control - cover image of Julian Bashir

Here is the description from the back cover:


SECTION 31

NO LAW.
NO CONSCIENCE.
NO MERCY.

Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, and answerable to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group pledged to defend the Federation at any cost.

The discovery of a 200-year-old secret gives Doctor Julian Bashir his best chance yet to expose and destroy the illegal spy organization. But his foes won’t go down without a fight, and his mission to protect the Federation he loves might end up triggering its destruction.

Only one thing is for certain: this time, the price of victory will be paid with Bashir’s dearest blood.


In a perfect world, tens of thousands of you would have pre-ordered this book months ago. However, since I can’t count on that, I’m going to urge you to buy one or more copies of Section 31: Control for yourself and/or the Star Trek fan in your life.

Trust me — this is one action-packed, blood-soaked adventure you won’t want to miss. It’s the alpha-and-omega of Section 31 stories, and there’s a good reason I asked my editor to make sure its cover was the color of blood….

Control is available now from all your favorite retailers, and directly from the publisher. Signed copies will soon be available through my website’s online store, so be on the lookout for that. Until then, happy reading!

#SFWApro

Talking Trek with Women at Warp, and more!

Women at Warp

The podcasting team of Women at Warp has published an interview with the authors of last summer’s Star Trek 50th-anniversary trilogy, Star Trek Legacies.

In addition to me talking about my book, Best Defense, the interview also features Greg Cox (Captain to Captain) and the dynamic writing duo of Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore (Purgatory’s Key).

After you read the interview, listen to their podcast review of the Legacies trilogy. It’s a fairly detailed discussion.

Ten for Ward

In other news, my frequent partner in literary crime Dayton Ward has penned a new entry for Ten for Ward, his monthly column on StarTrek.com. This month, Dayton reveals his Trek Books I Wish I’d Written. His round-up includes the first book I wrote: The Starfleet Survival Guide.

Go read the interview, then read Dayton’s blog post. Afterward, watch this space for reminders about my upcoming new novel, Star Trek: Section 31 – Control. It’s coming to retailers everywhere on Tuesday, March 28, 2017!

Cover Reveal! Star Trek: Section 31 – Control

Section 31 - ControlI’m thrilled to be able to share the approved cover art for my upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 novel, Control.

I love the color of it, which speaks to the blood-soaked action in the story, and the overall look and feel, which were conceived to visually link it to my previous Section 31 novel, Disavowed. Though my input was considered by the editors and production department, this work of fierce beauty is the creation of Gallery Books art director Alan Dingman.

For the curious, the story of Control is a direct sequel to Disavowed, which was part of my ongoing chronicle of Julian Bashir’s shadow war against the illegal covert operations group known as Section 31. If you’re keen to know more about this long-running story arc, see the list of “Related Novels” in the sidebar of the page for Control.

Here is the back-cover copy from the book:


SECTION 31

NO LAW.
NO CONSCIENCE.
NO MERCY.

Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, and answerable to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group pledged to defend the Federation at any cost.

The discovery of a 200-year-old secret gives Doctor Julian Bashir his best chance yet to expose and destroy the illegal spy organization. But his foes won’t go down without a fight, and his mission to protect the Federation might end up triggering its destruction.

Only one thing is for certain: this time, the price of victory will be paid with Bashir’s dearest blood.

CONTROL
THE HARROWING NEW THRILLER BY
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
DAVID MACK


Control will be published at the end of March 2017 by Simon & Schuster. Pre-order your copy now from the retailer of your choice!

DISAVOWED is a Scribe Award nominee

Just learned (thanks to a Facebook post by my esteemed colleague Matt Forbeck) that my recent Locus Magazine #1 bestseller, Section 31: Disavowed, has been selected as a nominee for this year’s Scribe Award in the always hotly contested Best Original Speculative Novel category.

ST.Section.31.Disavowed.Cvr

If past experience is any guide, I’m not going to win, not in a field so rich with other deserving works by authors of great talent and experience. I mean, c’mon — my novel is up against works by Keith R.A. DeCandido (an IAMTW Grand Master), John Passarella, Greg Cox (one of the masters of the genre), Tim Waggoner (one of the best horror/fantasy writers around), James Sutter, and Christa Faust (a past Scribe winner for Best Novel – Adapted).

I know my book has no chance of coming out on top in a field this fierce. But once again, it’s nice to be nominated.

Also, a special shout-out of congrats to my pal James Swallow, whose novel 24: Deadline has garnered a nomination in the Best Novel – Original category. Go get ’em, James!

My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all of this year’s Scribe nominees, in all the categories.