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Jake Sisko and his best friend, Nog, make plans to sneak aboard a shuttle Doctor Bashir is piloting down to Bajor. After all, it's been a while since Jake has been on a planet. And they'll be back before Commander Sisko returns to Deep Space Nine from his diplomatic mission in a nearby star system. The boys expect to have a great time as they secretly follow the Doctor around and see the sights of Sakelo City. But what they see terrifies them as they watch the doctor being kidnapped.

Now with the help of a Bajoran girl, Sesana, Jake and Nog strike out on their own to find the doctor. First the three friends must make their way through the dangerous territory that surrounds the city. But finding the doctor in the Bajoran wastelands is only part of their problem. Then Jake and Nog have to rescue Doctor Bashir from an army of killers without getting captured themselves.

112 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1994

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About the author

Brad Strickland

136 books107 followers
William Bradley Strickland (b. 1947) is the author (or co-author) of over 60 novels and over 60 pieces of short fiction and poetry.

Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.

His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.

Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.

After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).

In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.

Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Josiah.
3,489 reviews157 followers
May 2, 2025
If you love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which had its televised run from 1993-99, you may appreciate this series of junior novels that focuses on Commander Benjamin Sisko's fourteen-year-old son Jake and his friend Nog, a young Ferengi. As Stowaways opens, Dr. Julian Bashir is persuading Commander Sisko to allow him leave for three days to visit the planet Bajor. Sisko grants permission, but isn't as lenient when Jake asks if he can go along. Bajor is in political turmoil following the Cardassians' departure after years of hostile occupation, and the commander won't hear of Jake going there.

Jake is disappointed until Nog hatches a scheme to sneak aboard Dr. Bashir's shuttlecraft, the Einstein, and travel to Bajor without permission. Jake and Nog tail Dr. Bashir as he heads out into the planet's bustling marketplace; they are curious what the medic plans for the next three days. Dr. Bashir privately fantasizes of being a galactic spy, calling himself the "Space Falcon", but gets into a dangerous situation when he disappears with a Bajoran man named Tikar Antol. Jake and Nog meet a Bajoran girl their age, Atira Sesana, who says Tikar Antol is head of the Turnaways, a revolutionary group that wants to assassinate the new Vedek before he can be officially instated as the new leader. Sesana doesn't know why Tikar Antol wants Bashir, but he despises humans.

"It is a big universe, my friends. There is room in it for every belief—and room enough for every believer to respect all the others."

—Dr. Bashir, Stowaways, P. 105

Sesana knows a few secrets of the Turnaways. Their base is in a region known for severe flooding in the rainy season and extreme drought out of it. No one would look for a gang of rebels here, and their presence is further hidden by a Romulan cloaking device they've obtained. Guided by Sesana, Jake and Nog cross treacherous terrain to get to where the Turnaways are holding Dr. Bashir, but can three teens outwit a paramilitary group? Jake, Nog, and Sesana each have their own important skills sets, and Dr. Bashir is no helpless victim; together they may be able to escape the Turnaways and get back to Bajoran society in time to stop the presumptive Vedek's assassination. Will Jake, Nog, and Dr. Bashir return to Deep Space Nine none the worse for wear?

I can envision Stowaways as an episode of Deep Space Nine. Not among its better ones, but a serviceable offering that contributes a little personal growth to the two young protagonists and reveals more of Dr. Bashir's personality and style. Deep Space Nine was never afraid to do stories about the space station's younger members, and though this book is slow at times, it's a decent read for kids who like the television series. That's all Brad Strickland seemed to aim for in these pages, so I guess he accomplished his task.
Profile Image for Angela.
2,596 reviews72 followers
April 12, 2018
Jake and Nog want to go to Bajor, so stowaway with Dr. Bashir. He immediately gets into trouble, leaving the teenagers with no way back to DS9. This is a fun story that feels like its based during the early years of the show. Nog and Jake are well done, and the concept works. The artwork is decent too. A good read.
Profile Image for Alvaro Zinos-Amaro.
Author 69 books65 followers
December 31, 2017
A cut above the previous book in the series.

+We get off the station, which is nice, and the story gets going reasonably quickly.
+The subplot involving Bashir pretending to be a secret agent actually anticipates the whole Bashir-as-Bond development in the show's later seasons.
+Bajor is brought to life with economical but fitting descriptions, including customs, religion, landscape and so on. The bit with the Vedek was good too.
-The action involving Jake & Bashir towards the end is a bit over-the-top in a silly Rambo-esque fashion.
-Resolution strains belief.

Still, fun overall, and I'll continue with the series as long as my DS9 nostalgia dictates.
Profile Image for Octavia Cade.
Author 94 books136 followers
January 29, 2025
I feel like I have the same complaint with all the "Young Adult" books in this series. (I use the quotation marks there because these books are more suited for ten year olds, I reckon.) I get that the authors want the teen characters to go on exciting adventures, but those adventures are so ludicrous that it's hard to treat them with any credibility whatsoever. In this one Jake and Nog stowaway on a trip to Bajor, believing (quite rightly, as it turns out) that no one will notice Jake missing for several days because his dad's away from the station. Like Dax and Keiko O'Brien wouldn't be checking in on him regularly!

Anyway, down on Bajor they get involved in a kidnapping and a plot to assassinate a Vedek, and by routinely doing the stupid thing (i.e. not calling DS9 and asking for help) it all turns out alright. Maybe if I were reading this as a ten year old I'd have more sympathy for this type of thing, but I'm not and I don't. Which is a shame, because it seems like there should be plenty of scope for characters like Jake and Nog to have more realistic adventures, but they rarely do.
Profile Image for Reesha.
317 reviews7 followers
October 11, 2025
I found this quite boring, but to be fair, I'm not the right age group.

I did think Bashir playing spy when he thought he was alone was pretty amusing. But other than that, there wasn't much going on. The casual and illogical sexism from Jake in his day and age was unpleasant, as well.

2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Taaya .
928 reviews4 followers
August 17, 2022
Warum sollte sie den Jungs denn helfen, wenn sie doch eben noch solche Angst vor den Terroristen hatte? Und warum werden die Bajoraner, immerhin eine Spezies, die lange vor den Menschen die Raumfahrt entwickelte, als primitiv dargestellt? Das Ding ist nicht rund.
Profile Image for Scott Williams.
809 reviews15 followers
March 31, 2025
It’s interesting to spend some time on Bajor. Like the first book, this is pretty far fetched but entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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