[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_singular_destiny_cover_1534.jpg]]
A novel in the so-called Literature/StarTrekNovelverse, the first follow-up to the WhamEpisode trilogy ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny''. Essentially detailing the aftermath of the near-apocalyptic conflict in the ''Destiny'' trilogy, the novel also sets the stage for the ''Literature/StarTrekTyphonPact'' series.

From the back cover:

->The cataclysmic events of ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'' have devastated known space. Worlds have fallen. Lives have been destroyed. And in the uneasy weeks that follow, the survivors of the holocaust continue to be tested to the limits of their endurance. But, strange and mysterious occurrences are destabilizing the galaxy's battle-weary Allies even further. In the Federation, efforts to replenish diminished resources and give succor to millions of evacuees are thwarted at every turn. On the borders of the battered Klingon Empire, the devious Kinshaya sense weakness -- and opportunity. In Romulan space, the already-fractured empire is dangerously close to civil war. As events undermining the quadrant's attempts to heal itself become increasingly widespread, one man begins to understand what is truly unfolding. Sonek Pran — teacher, diplomat, and sometime advisor to the Federation President — perceives a pattern in the seeming randomness. And as each new piece of evidence falls into place, a disturbing picture encompassing half the galaxy begins to take shape, revealing a challenge to the Federation and its allies utterly unlike anything they have faced before.

----
!!Tropes:

* AfterTheEnd: The novel picks up a few weeks after the events of ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'', with reasonably large portions of the known galaxy in ruins. For the surviving inhabitants of several worlds, this is post-apocalypse, and resettling displaced refugees is a top priority. That said, the worlds that were hit the hardest aren't actually explored here; for that, see ''Losing the Peace'', a novel of the Literature/StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch.
* AlienArtsAreAppreciated: Sonek Pran, a new character introduced for the novel, is both a musician from a family of musicians and a Human/Vulcan/Betazoid/Bajoran hybrid. He's therefore been exposed to a great many styles of music, and can play a particularly broad range of tunes. He joins the crew of the starship ''Aventine'' for a therapeutic concert at one point. He also apparently plays Talarian music well enough to impress the Talarian Ambassador. Empress Donatra likes his family's performances, too.
* ArchEnemy: Empress Donatra and Praetor Tal'aura as usual, although Dax persuades Donatra to try and open a dialogue.
* AscendedMeme: One of the songs performed by Pran's family is "[[FilkSong Banned From Argo]]"!
* AssInAmbassador: Tholian Ambassador Tezrene continues to behave like this, and indeed isn't even trying to be personable anymore.
* BerserkButton: Never doubt a Capellan’s word. Even suggesting they might violate the principle of IGaveMyWord is very dangerous; they will respond with violence. Also, don't lie to a Zaldan.
* BizarreInstrument: Between The A.C. Walden Medicine Show and the jam sessions among the ''Aventine'' crew, most of the alien instruments from the various TV series show up, and a few new ones are introduced.
* BrutalHonesty: Molmaan, and other Zaldans.
* ChurchMilitant: The Kinshaya, whose nation is a militant theocracy known as the Holy Order. Their military ranks even translate as religious titles. Instead of captains, their warships have ''bishops''.
* ConflictBall: So...''why'' exactly does Sam Bowers dislike Sonek Pran?
* ContinuityNod: A great many.
* CoolShip: The ''Vesta''-class vessels, including the U.S.S. ''Aventine'', continue to be quite impressive.
* CycleOfRevenge: The Klingon/Kinshaya conflict appears to be this, as each new atrocity by one side against the other motivates further hostility. Currently, the Kinshaya are dedicated to taking revenge on Klag, who destroyed their homeworld in a previous attack.
* DeadpanSnarker: Sivak as usual, though given the current situation President Bacco is losing her patience with it.
* DisappearedDad: Efrosian families consist of a mother and her children. She is supported and aided by her male lovers, but Efrosians do not mate for life and most will never know their fathers. In fact, the nearest Efrosian word for father is "Seed Donor". An Efrosian and a human raised by a single father have an interesting conversation about parent-child relations.
* DoomyDoomsOfDoom: Fabian Stevens' "Magical Paint of Doom".
* EnemyMine: Reversed. [[spoiler: In the wake of the Borg invasion, several previously non-aligned minor enemies such as the Tholians join the Typhon Pact. An effect of this is that the Federation and Klingon Empire are left surrounded by a hostile power. The Tholians, well-known for xenophobia, join the Pact for this reason alone]].
* FunnyForeigner: Lissepians, apparently.
* GoodHairEvilHair: Played with. The Romulans, typically antagonists, are known for their identical military-issue hairstyle, the infamous heavy bowl-cuts. In ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'', a Romulan ship - the ''Verithrax'' - sacrificed itself saving the Federation planet Ardana from destruction. Now, the Ardanan populace associates the Romulan hairstyle with the salvation of their planet; half the population are wearing Romulan military-issue haircuts in honour of the ''Verithrax''.
* GoodbyeCruelWorld: A survivor of Deneva, whose spouse and child were killed by the Borg bombardment of that world, leaves a suicide note before killing himself.
* HeinzHybrid: Sonek Pran is one-quarter human, Bajoran, Betazoid and Vulcan.
* HoldYourHippogriffs: The Denevan colonists don't have camels, so they use the following: "The pin that broke the ''zipthar’s'' wing".
* HufflepuffHouse: This novel sets up a change in the Star Trek galaxy's status quo specifically designed to deal with this trope. Such alien powers as the Tzenkethi Coalition, the Breen Confederacy, and the Gorn Hegemony are supposedly major players in galactic politics but were previously underexplored. The events of this novel lay the foundation for stories exploring these cultures in greater depth.
* HumanOutsideAlienInside: The Zaldans are described as this. Outwardly the only difference between Zaldans and humans is the slight webbing on the former's hands and feet; inside, though, they're arranged quite differently.
* IGaveMyWord: The basis of Capellan ethics. Strangers are always taken at their word. As a Capellan character says (paraphrased): “I do not know you. Therefore I will trust your word”. Of course, if you go and break it, they’ll respond with deadly violence.
* ImplausibleDeniability: Tezrene has this over [[spoiler: the manipulation of Zalda and other attempts by her catspaw Sekki to destabilize the Federation, in revenge for Bacco's actions in ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny'']]. She seems quite smug about it.
* JerkAss: Councillor Molmaan as usual, though in many ways he is actually being a true JerkAss here as opposed to just following Zaldan custom.
* KilledOffForReal: Drex, son of Martok. That's all of Martok's children gone now, and his wife too.
* ManipulativeBastard: Ambassador Tezrene.
* MistakenNationality / IAmNotWeasel: Lieutenant Lonnoc Kedair, a Takaran, is mistaken for an Orion simply because her skin is green. She has to point out that "green" doesn't automatically equal "Orion". Of course, Takarans are a rather reclusive people, while Orions get everywhere.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: According to Tezrene, the signatories of the Typhon Pact got the idea for the alliance as a result of Bacco trying to unify the disparate Alpha and Beta Quadrant worlds against the Borg invasion]].
* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Averted with the Ardanan transporter schematics; the Ardanan government kept paper copies as well as computer models. Ironically, the Borg assault on Ardana destroyed it all anyway. Despite this, Starfleet eventually succeeds in rebuilding the transport network.
* NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Averted. One character owns a large collection of Klingon novels and comics; most of these had been introduced in earlier books, only to be collected together here for ContinuityPorn.
* NoodleIncident: Ferengi Ambassador Derro owes a debt to Ezri Dax; the details aren't revealed.
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: By the end of the novel, the Star Trek galaxy has experienced a massive political shakeup. President Bacco sums up the general response to the [[spoiler: Typhon Pact's formation]] with a stunned comment:
--> "when were you going to tell us?!"
* {{Omniglot}}: We might expect Sonek Pran, as a respected scholar and political analyst, to know a few prominent languages, certainly more than the usual. But when it’s revealed he can speak perfect Lissepian (the Lissepians being a reasonably well-known trading culture but nothing special), he definitely crosses into Omniglot territory.
* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: The Kinshaya race are essentially griffins, being mammals with four legs and a pair of wings sprouting from their back. They are too heavy to fly, though - in modern Kinshaya, the wings are used for display purposes instead.
* PunctuationShaker: As with several other books by Keith R. A. [=DeCandido=], this one features several characters from a species (as yet unnamed) who include apostrophes between every letter of their names. An example: T'r'w'o'l'h'o'r.
* SacredHospitality: When Sonek Pran visits Empress Donatra on official business, he notes that she is honour-bound to ensure his safety. Like most Romulans, she follows a code of conduct which places great importance on hospitality.
* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The Holy Order of the Kinshaya seemingly tries to be this; it appears to be a military theocracy, with crusades against the Klingon "demons". Given Klingon attempts to destroy Kinshaya worlds, however, the Kinshaya seem more sympathetic than scary, even if they won't admit it.
* SelfDeprecation: A character's confusion as to why anyone would read novels based on a pop-culture serial drama.
* SequelHook: The novel sets up the next big crossover series, ''Literature/StarTrekTyphonPact''.
* ShoutOut: A casualty report from the Borg Invasion mentions one [[Creator/BlizzardEntertainment Christopher Metzen]], also (possibly) an [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons M. Burns]]. And we shouldn't forget "Banned From Argo", which according to another part of the novel is apparently a song within the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe.
* StrangeSalute: The Kinshaya flare their wings to salute, and make a shrieking noise while doing so.
* TheDeadHaveNames: One of the chapters is preceded by a casualty list, consisting mostly of otherwise unseen "extras" who died in the Borg Invasion.
* VestigialEmpire: The Romulan Star Empire is pretty much one of these now. First they nearly fell apart and had to open their borders to the Federation and Klingons in ''Literature/StarTrekTitan'' (a result of fallout from ''Film/StarTrekNemesis''). Then they lost a full half of their territory when Donatra and her supporters pulled away to form the Imperial Romulan State. Then they lost more worlds to the Borg Invasion in ''Literature/StarTrekDestiny''. The empire's a shadow of its former self.
* VillainTeamUp: [[spoiler: The Typhon Pact, an alliance of six previously xenophobic and aggressive antagonist cultures, is an unusual example, because most of its members are genuinely interested in peaceful co-existence. While the Tholian Assembly just wants to spite the Federation, on the whole the Typhon Pact is not primarily motivated by hostility; it's far more complex than that. The exact agenda of the Pact was explored further in the ''Literature/StarTrekTyphonPact'' series]].
* WillNotTellALie: The Zaldans, who find falsehood of any kind disgusting.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: Zalda, to the rest of the Federation. No-one really likes the Zaldans due to their prickly and extremist social norms (they WillNotTellALie. Ever). They play an important role within the Federation, though, facilitating trade with the Klingon Empire.
* WronglyAccused: Evidence suggests that planet Zalda is refusing refugees; this isn’t true, but the faked records are convincing enough. The situation is made considerably worse in that Zaldan culture promotes a WillNotTellALie ethic in the extreme. Their representative is therefore outraged at the very idea of WronglyAccused, and storms off rather than defending himself. Eventually, it’s revealed the faked records are part of a plot to destabilise the Federation.
----