"Before you settle in to read A Good Day to Die you might want to pour yourself a large raktajino and bar the door, because once you start reading this splendid tale you will find it very difficult to stop.
"This is indeed an adventure worthy of song, populated by lively characters that will have you enchanted from the first chapter. One of DeCandido's greatest skills as a writer is his ability to create multidimensional characters that you can't help but respond to. Some you'll despise and some you'll cheer, but most importantly the point of view of each character comes through loud and clear.
"Life aboard a Klingon battleship comes vividly to life in the pages of A Good Day to Die and DeCandido continues to expand our knowledge of Klingon culture with his colorful prose. One particularly satisfying element is getting to know some of the 'grunts', the soldiers that make up the Gorkon's troop compliment. They are a diverse lot you can't help but be taken with. Leading the 15th squad is Wol, a fierce and highly intelligent female with a shadowy past. Those familiar with DeCandido's The Brave and the Bold duology might remember the jovial G'joth and the annoying Davok.
"The author doesn't neglect to further develop the more familiar Gorkon characters either. Klag still continues to adjust to his new arm, Leskit is back, Commander Kornan (DS9's 'Soldiers of the Empire') joins the crew and Rodek is loosening up a bit. Readers are also introduced to Dorrek, Klag's brother and the commander of the I.K.S. K’mpec. There's a lot of bad blood and an intense sense of rivalry between the two brothers.
"The tale begun in A Good Day to Die will be followed next month by the conclusion Honor Bound. And while the ending of A Good Day to Die will likely leave you salivating for more it also leaves you with no doubt that as far as this adventure goes, the best is yet to come."
---Jacqueline Bundy, The Book Padd, Trek Nation
"Now this is a Star Trek adventure series! Keith R.A. DeCandido has stepped up to the plate and once again hit a home run out of the ballpark, this time with A Good Day to Die, the first book in the all-new I.K.S. Gorkon series.
"For quite some time fans have wondered what a Star Trek series would be like if it focused exclusively on the Klingons. One rumor that floated around a few years back even mentioned the possibility of an all-Klingon television series. Now DeCandido has filled in that gap with I.K.S. Gorkon, and once again he has established himself as one of a select handful of premiere Klingon writers in the Star Trek expanded universe. ...
"DeCandido brings to life the crew of the I.K.S. Gorkon and fleshes them out as fully three-dimensional Klingons with their warrior mentality and senses of honor and duty intact, just as we have seen them over the years. He capably sets up the opening chapters by introducing us to all of the key players of the series ... Keith DeCandido scores another winner with A Good Day to Die and sets up the events that will unfold in future volumes in the I.K.S. Gorkon series. With his latest novel he establishes himself in the upper echelon of Star Trek and Klingon storytelling, amid welcome company such as John M. Ford, Ronald D. Moore, and J.G. Hertzler. This is one series I'm looking forward to enjoying! Qapla'!"
---Bill Williams, "Keith R.A. DeCandido Debuts Klingon Novel Series I.K.S. Gorkon with A Good Day to Die," TrekWeb.com
"The book's plot ... seemed somewhat derivative: dispatched by Chancellor Martok to seek out strange new worlds and conquer them, Captain Klag and his crew, bristling with aggressive energy, set out into a unexplored space and encounter a formidable race of bipedal canid warriors as ferocious and happy to die in battle as the Klingons themselves. Admiring the spirit and martial skill of their new foes, the Klingons agree to a series of contests — with the future of the planet at stake. Yes, yes, and haven't we seen variations of this before?
"Well, not exactly. Not like this. As the pages turned, something happened: the characters came to life, the contests seemed roar out of DeCandido's text and right into my own imagination, and when the book came to its last wild, cliff-hanging twist, I looked up wild-eyed for the next installment. The dubious mutterings from my skeptical half had long been extinguished: DeCandido had conquered me once more.
"This is a top of the line Star Trek adventure, despite being set among a crew of Klingons."
---Killian Melloy, wigglefish.com
"...the first book in the I.K.S. Gorkon series by Keith R.A. DeCandido, A Good Day to Die, then proceeds to turn everything we've come to expect from Star Trek on its ear. ... After over 600 hours of television episodes and ten movies, we know what to expect from the Federation in first-contact encounters, but this concept is great because it injects new life into situations we're familiar with by looking at it through the eyes of the Klingons. DeCandido does a great job of showing the Klingons not simply as conquering bad guys, but as complex beings driven by their culture (as well as individual motivations) and their personal honor."
---"Editor's Choice," StarTrek.com
"...a high-quality adventure that includes all the drama, conflict, anger, and thrill that you would expect of the Klingons.
A solid volume, and a good start for what will surely be a long-lasting line of novels."
---Daniel Berry, BookTrek
"DeCandido does a very good job representing the ethos of the Klingon warrior culture, a culture where honor and duty are paramount. ...
DeCandido does an admirable job of capturing the feel of the series, as well as staying true to what I've seen regarding Klingons and their culture. Fans won't find any familiar Star Trek characters here however, beyond a bit of name-dropping, but are still sure to enjoy the book."
---Lynn Nicole Louis, SFReader.com
"There are some authors you can have so much confidence in that before you even read the first chapter of a new book they have written, you already feel assured that you are about to read a very entertaining tale, Keith R.A. DeCandido is such an author. With Honor Bound, book two in his all-new Klingon series I.K.S. Gorkon, DeCandido once again delivers a rousing tale you won’t soon forget. ... The entire novel is carefully and skillfully plotted, building to highlight after highlight, with more than one surprise along the way, before finally culminating in a climax that might just have you cheering along with the characters. But even if you are not inclined to cheer, Honor Bound is definitely one invigorating and extremely fun read."
---Jacqueline Bundy, The Book Padd, Trek Nation
"Author Keith R.A. DeCandido has a real talent for the sort of action one expects from a series centered around Klingons, and a flair for making the battles and bloodshed both dramatic and fun. Where else could you expect to read a line the likes of, 'As she had hoped, a good dose of carnage cheered Goran right up'? ... The pacing is a pleasure, too, as the author finds moments tucked here and there in the heart of the battle to dip into the characters' pasts without interrupting the flow of either the story or the hot blood flowing throughout it. Thus we learn more about the Gorkon's truculent chief engineer, the beautiful and feared Kurak; and we discover that at least one of the crew is an Imperial Intelligence operative, and though his exact mission remains a puzzle, his actions in the current conflict come as a surprise. But the most revealing exploration of character is reserved for the captain — a being willing and able to see into his own nature clearly, though only after a long struggle. Such characters of any species are rare in life and in fiction.
"DeCandido once again gives us an adventure worthy of song and story. May he, and the Gorkon, survive and succeed for many adventures to come."
---Killian Melloy, wigglefish.com
"DeCandido does an admirable job of capturing Klingon culture as represented in the series; yet they are more than glorified warriors.
Klag struggles with his decision, wondering if he is truly following the course of honor or if he is just listening to his own pride.
His relationship with his brother degenerates even further, despite their closeness in childhood.
It's a closeness Klag longs for and one that might prove his undoing in the battles he faces.
"Despite my past prejudices and media tie-in series, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, as I did the previous two I've read for SFReader.
DeCandido is a writer of some skill, breathing life into characters and a culture when it would be all to easy to rely on the existing mythos created by the television shows.
He doesn't just duplicate it; he gives it depth. ...
Fans of the series in any of their incarnations will thoroughly enjoy this.
Science Fiction fans in general, who enjoy a character-driven story and can overlook the ubiquitous pseudo-scientific babble, would probably have fun with it as well."
---Lynn Nicole Louis, SFReader.com
"Pocket Books seems to have gone Klingon mad recently ... an entertaining tale. ... This is a true Klingon romp with plenty of action throughout."
---John Freeman, Dreamwatch #114
"The crew of the Gorkon now follow in the footstyeps of the New Frontier mob and step centre stage in their own series, and it's fair to say they blossom once in the spotlight. ... It's stuff we've seen many times before, but the Klingon-centric approach breathes new life into the old clichés."
---Anthony Brown, Starburst #307
"This novel has it all: a riveting plot, incredibly vivid and interesting characters, plenty of action and enough continuity to delight even the most persnickety fan. ... It takes a master storyteller to turn a thirty-second conversation in the Deep Space Nine episode 'The Way of the Warrior' into a novel with this much scope, imagination and detail. Keith DeCandido has been delighting Star Trek readers with his writing since he burst onto the scene with Diplomatic Implausibility in 2001, but with The Art of the Impossible, he has really outdone himself. In this novel DeCandido not only succeeds in telling a notable story but he also allows the reader a glimpse inside the hearts and minds of the characters and their cultures. ... The Art of the Impossible is a tremendously impressive and enlightening achievement in storytelling. This book does more than just fill in a bit more of the history of the Star Trek universe (although it does that in spades): it illustrates the 'whys' behind that history with flair, style and more than a few surprises."
---Jacqueline Bundy, The Book Padd, Trek Nation
"The Art of the Impossible is the most ambitious of the three books in the [Lost Era] series so far, tying together over eighteen years of history into a single story. And in this, it succeeds brilliantly and compellingly."
---Greg Downing
"Few writers can really get into the minds of an alien race and bring readers closer to understanding their nature, especially when it comes to an established race in the Star Trek canon as rich and diverse as the Klingons and the Cardassians. Yet Keith R.A. DeCandido has done it again, and done it well. ...
"DeCandido paints a stark portrait here of a Federation whose purpose now is to serve as the galaxy's peacekeepers, resolving the problems of the major empires in their purview. In keeping with the tradition of the Original Series, DeCandido puts a twist on modern-day events, giving us a look at our own world and the United States' role in world politics. Instead of the standard view of 'good guys wear white, bad guys wear black,' DeCandido offers sympathizing looks into both the Klingon and Cardassian ways of life, viewing both cultures the same way that they each views its claim to Raknal V: on equal, legitimate terms, without bias. He successfully ties all of the events together while staying true to established lore.
"Keith DeCandido has hit a solid home run once again with The Art of the Impossible. Highly recommended reading."
---Bill Williams, "Keith R.A. DeCandido Reveals The Art of the Impossible, Latest Novel in Lost Era Series," TrekWeb.com
"Never before has a single novel undertaken to explain and tie together so much Trek history — a devilishly difficult task given how fond Trek TV writers are of throwing out bits of back-story that do not necessarily mesh with what has already been established, but DeCandido does a bang-up job and makes it look effortless. ...
"DeCandido is at home writing about Klingons, as one would expect from his forthcoming I.K.S. Gorkon books, but he also shows a real appreciation for Cardassian culture and his book spends more time among the aliens than with the Federation; his exploration of the parallels between the Klingons and Cardassians (deftly summarized in a pair of brief chapters that bookend the novel) and their simultaneous dissimilarities crystallize both empires for the reader in a way that is quite unique and useful. ...
"As a work of Trek fiction, The Art of the Impossible is unsurpassed; as a political thriller, it's a taut, complex tale that never loses sight of the details, developing its characters with sure, authoritative strokes across the book's eighteen year setting. A true gem, and another feather in DeCandido's already well-plumaged cap."
---Killian Melloy, wigglefish.com
"Keith DeCandido skillfully pilots us through the political history by means of a large cast of characters both familiar and original, shifting the viewpoint neatly backwards and forwards between the opposing factions. There are no unspeakable villains, no clean-cut heroes clutching rabbit-filled hats; the sad story ends with a fudged diplomatic compromise, and even the good guys are realisticially fallible. DeCandido's fresh, uncluttered narrative style and firm understanding of the characters make this a thoroughly entertaining addition to the series."
---Tom Holt, TV Zone #172
"KRAD has turned out some of Star Trek's best ever books in his short time writing for Pocket, but here he excels himself even more than ever before. DeCandido cleverly takes a single line of dialog between Bashir and Garak from ST:DS9's 'The Way Of The Warrior,' and he turns it into a taut, tense, and deeply political novel. Showing us the details of the infamous Betreka Nebula Incident, the book moves at a good pace and tackles the tricky task of novelizing twenty-odd years mid-way between Kirk's death and ST:TNG very well. There is absolutely no drag here at all, and every new character is given exceptional amounts of development, all adding to the air of epic sweep in the novel's pages. The Klingon I.I., the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order all join the fray of this jewel among Star Trek books. Rating: 9.5/10."
---Daniel Berry, BookTrek
"This is the fourth book I've read by DeCandido and I continue to be impressed with his skills. Once again he presents a book that, although based in the Star Trek world, would pretty much appeal to any fan of science fiction. It would be easy for him to fall back on created knowledge and skimp, but instead he takes what's already there an adds to it. Star Trek fans will recognize familiar characters and appreciate the convincing original ones he creates as well. Of special interest was the introduction of Worf's parents and a telling of the Romulan attack on Khitomer, an attack that left Worf an orphan and ultimately resulted in him becoming a Star Fleet officer. For hard core Trek fans, this is a must read. Casual fans will still find it very interesting. And science fiction fans in general will enjoy it as well, since it's not a novel about Star Trek, but rather a novel about political intrigue between warring factions of alien races set in a universe far, far away..."
---Lynn Nicole Louis, SFReader.com
"'Broken Oaths' by Keith R.A. DeCandido focuses on the friendship between O'Brien and Bashir. Set shortly after the fourth season episode 'Our Man Bashir,' DeCandido's story deals with the aftermath of the events of 'Hippocratic Oath'; again, something we never got to see onscreen. After what transpired in 'Hippocratic Oath' it would be natural for O'Brien and Bashir's friendship to be strained, if not destroyed, but later that season it's as if nothing had ever happened. This absolutely charming story sets the record straight about what happened and is my personal favorite of the collection."
---Jacqueline Bundy, "The Book Padd," TrekToday
"Keith DeCandido's 'Broken Oaths' is a definite winner, and it shows that he is just as versatile with Federation characters as he is with his strongest forte, the Klingons. There is an uneasiness that permeates through the story and he effectively reveals through Bashir and O'Brien that what needs to be said is sometimes the hardest thing to say, especially when both parties involved feel that they are right."
---Bill Williams, "Prophecy and Change Anthology Takes Us Back to DS9 with Varied Stories," TrekWeb.com
"DSN's cast was so diverse that everyone's got a different favourite; as such, everyone is likely to have a different favourite story as well, and mine were Keith R.A. DeCandido's 'Broken Oaths' and Terri Osborne's 'Three Sides to Every Story.' Both stories focus on interesting characters, but more importantly they successfully fill in gaps that really flesh out the characters: DeCandido shows us the Bashir/O'Brien rapprochement that must have occurred early in the fourth season, and Osborne's story gives Jake something significant to do during the Cardassian occupation of the station. ... Prophecy and Change has a lot to recommend it, whether your tastes run to Bajoran religion, Cardassian intrigue, or Ferengi romance. It's well worth picking up."
---Tim Lynch, TV Zone #171
"Built on a simple premise, this story moves at a good pace and is intriguing and also very heart-warming."
---Daniel Berry, Book Trek
"This poignant and delightful story features the captain of the USS da Vinci, David Gold, and the head of the S.C.E. team assigned to that ship, Commander Sonya Gomez. Displaying a surprisingly gentle touch and tremendous skill, Keith R.A. DeCandido ... has crafted the perfect tribute to the fallen heroes of the USS da Vinci."
---Jacqueline Bundy, "The Book Padd," TrekToday
"Featuring Sonya Gomez and David Gold, the most senior of the da Vinci's surviving crew, DeCandido has turned out an emotional and
at times explosive tale, with an unexpected but thrilling confrontation to top it off."
---Dan Berry, Unreality SF
"The characterization is rather more polished than the perils-of-Pauline plot, notably in Captain Beka Valentine, as well as minor characters like the purple-skinned Trance, who carries an odd streak of good luck with her as she bumbles about. And DeCandido ... exhibits his usual dry wit. This is better than average franchise fiction, and bodes well for the series."
---Publishers Weekly, 27 January 2003
"Although I'm sure that fans of the television series are going to thoroughly enjoy this novel, I hope that science fiction fans in general give Destruction of Illusions a try. DeCandido knows how to tell a great story, and I couldn't put this book down until the very last page."
---Paul Goat Allen, The Barnes and Noble Review
"DeCandido adroitly fleshes out the back-stories established onscreen for the characters in a tight well-paced plot. In the style of the show each chapter begins with a pertinent quotation. Since he has only been mentioned twice in the series, one character we finally get learn more about is Vexpag, Trance’s forerunner on the Maru. He even gains a given name in the novel. But the character that I found myself seeing in a new light was Rev Bem. His importance to Beka and his unique personality shines through better in the pages of Destruction of Illusions that it has onscreen. Each and every character and event in Destruction of Illusions is keenly and skillfully portrayed allowing the reader to lose themselves in the story right up until you turn the last page."
---Jacqueline Bundy, Sci-Fi Pulse, 18 February 2003
"DeCandido proves an expert at capturing the feel and dialog of the Andromeda series and its characters. Snappy dialog and strong storytelling make this title a good choice for sf or popular culture collections."
---Library Journal, 15 March 2003
"DeCandido captures the world and characters of the show perfectly, giving fans much to enjoy here."
---Kristine Huntley, Booklist, 15 February 2003
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