Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Warpath
They were created to be killing machines. Highly intelligent, resourceful, and deceptively complex, the Jem’Hadar are a species engineered for war and programmed at the genetic level for one purpose: to fight until death as soldiers of the sprawling stellar empire known as the Dominion. No Jem’Hadar has ever lived thirty years, and not even their masters, the shape-shifting Founders, know what such a creature is capable of becoming were it to be freed of its servitude.
One Founder, however, has dared to wonder.
Appointed by Odo himself to learn peaceful coexistence aboard Deep Space 9™, Taran’atar, an Honored Elder among the Jem’Hadar, had for months been a staunch, if conflicted, ally to the crew of the station, ever struggling to understand the mission on which he was sent … until something went horrifically wrong.
Consumed by self-doubt and an ever-growing rage, Taran’atar has lashed out against those he was sworn to aid. While Captain Kira Nerys and Lieutenant Ro Laren both lie near death aboard DS9, their assailant has taken a hostage and fled into Cardassian space, pursued by Commander Elias Vaughn on the U.S.S. Defiant. But as the hunt unfolds, Taran’atar’s true objective becomes increasingly less certain, as the rogue Jem’Hadar leads the Defiant to a discovery even more shocking than his crime.
Reviewers' Comments
“Warpath is an intricately-assembled emotional rollercoaster which, despite plenty of quiet character scenes, never lets up on tension. Part military thriller, rip-roaring medieval battle, detective mystery, post-modern Western, and high-tech medical drama, it plays on the strengths of all these sub-genres and fuses them together into a dazzling story that is amply greater than the sum of its parts. The main reason for this success, outside of fastidious and intelligent worldbuilding, is Mack’s prose. He is able to switch effortlessly between scenes of muscular action, measured dialogue, and evocative description.”
“In addition to rotating between five storylines, then, Mack also keeps us engaged through his control of language. In combination, these two effects create a tour de force. The combat scenes throughout are realistically gory and harrowing.”
"…a taut, tense thrill ride…"
"In Warpath, David Mack manages to keep the reader enthralled with every word … Expertly written, a prose painting with jaw dropping-moments and brisk characterization, Warpath is a standout novel in the ongoing Deep Space Nine fiction, a tremendous achievement."
—Jason Garza, SFReader.com
"When it comes to complex storylines that hook you in, David Mack has proven to be a master…"
"Mack's fiction crackles with energy … [a] sinister and hard-hitting story"
"This is a novel that will keep you gripped, keep you wanting to read just one more chapter even when you have read half an hour longer into the night than intended."
—Eternal Night
"…riveting writing of the finest caliber … a real page-turner."
"Let's hope that the publisher has Mack chained to a chair somewhere, writing the next one."
—Sci-Fi Online
"Lots of action, combat and a helluva wild goose chase. It's a fun book sure to please fans of the series."
—Keith Brown, Reviews for Kicks