Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson

5 reviews

jeevesbun's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had heard really good things about A Stitch in Time prior to reading it, and when I finally found a paper copy I was very excited. I'm delighted to say it really lived up to the hype for me personally. I found Andrew Robinson's writing style to be very enjoyable, and his connection to Garak as a central character was clearly deep and personal. 

A Stitch in Time serves as a sort of memoir to Garak's life both pre and post Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, delivered in a series of letters and log entries sent from Garak to Doctor Bashir, and unravels several of the mysteries which surrounded him during the course of the show. It also delves more into the workings of Cardassian society through the lens of those within that society, again both prior to the events of Deep Space Nine and following the end of the Dominion War. 

If you're a fan of Garak as a character and want to read more about him, as well as getting a different viewpoint on the Star Trek universe at that point in its continuity, I highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Classism, Genocide, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Torture

philosopher_kj's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Bullying, Death, Violence, War, Torture, and Police brutality

Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Colonisation, Slavery, and Deportation

Minor: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

kappafrog's review against another edition

funny hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I had high hopes for this book and came to the end feeling mixed.

Pros: Robinson's insights into Garak were satisfying and at times very poignant. I enjoyed the deeper exploration of Cardassian culture and history, Garak's relationships with Tolan and Palandine, and Garak's early life. The best parts were those set in his childhood and adolescence and those set after the events of DS9.

Cons: The spy plots were sometimes difficult to follow, particularly Garak's first assignment. Garak was also almost relentlessly heterosexual in this book, though I've seen it said this was more down to the editors than Robinson. I was definitely disappointed that none of Garak's relationships with men went beyond friendship.

The plot with the Bajoran assassin was tedious and went nowhere in the end. After we think we have an eyewitness account to the reason Garak got exiled (the scene alluded to in the show), we're later meant to infer that Garak was exiled for killing Barkan, completely unrelated to the Bajoran children.

In the end, too many details of Garak's life and the political machinations of his exile were left unclear for me. The book ended with some cliffhanger details that would have been better resolved. However, as far as Star Trek novels go, this was a uniquely compelling character study, and I enjoyed many parts of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Death, Physical abuse, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Bullying, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Slavery, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical content, Fatphobia, Grief, Confinement, Misogyny, Stalking, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Ableism

ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I recently finished rewatching Deep Space Nine so decided to revisit this book as well. Garak was one of my favourite DS9 characters so it was interesting to get into his headspace and see his past.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Death

Moderate: Genocide

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I finally know what landed Garak at the station! 
This was good but sometimes I wasn’t quite sure what Robinson was talking about or what he meant with some of Garak’s inner monologue. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Genocide, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Medical trauma and Alcohol