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A review by orionmerlin
A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Characters: 8/10
Yes, Garak is deliciously complex and probably the only man who could assassinate someone and hem your trousers in the same breath. But the book treats him like the only three-dimensional being in the quadrant. Everyone else—Tain, Enabran, Mila—mostly exists to orbit Garak’s gravity. They're interesting, but they rarely feel like they have lives outside his angst spiral. Bashir especially gets flattened into “well-meaning friend prop,” and Dukat is practically chewing scenery with no real depth added. Still compelling, just a little too Garak-and-friends for my taste.
Yes, Garak is deliciously complex and probably the only man who could assassinate someone and hem your trousers in the same breath. But the book treats him like the only three-dimensional being in the quadrant. Everyone else—Tain, Enabran, Mila—mostly exists to orbit Garak’s gravity. They're interesting, but they rarely feel like they have lives outside his angst spiral. Bashir especially gets flattened into “well-meaning friend prop,” and Dukat is practically chewing scenery with no real depth added. Still compelling, just a little too Garak-and-friends for my taste.
Atmosphere/Setting: 7/10
Yes, Cardassia is grim and crumbling, but at a certain point, I got tired of all the shadows dancing on ruins and echoes of past sins metaphors. I get it. It’s bleak. The world-building sometimes felt more like a stage for monologue therapy than an actual society. There were scenes that worked, especially in the flashbacks to Obsidian Order training, but I needed a little more texture and a little less grayscale melodrama.
Yes, Cardassia is grim and crumbling, but at a certain point, I got tired of all the shadows dancing on ruins and echoes of past sins metaphors. I get it. It’s bleak. The world-building sometimes felt more like a stage for monologue therapy than an actual society. There were scenes that worked, especially in the flashbacks to Obsidian Order training, but I needed a little more texture and a little less grayscale melodrama.
Writing Style: 9/10
Robinson clearly went full method actor here and tried to become Garak, which is both impressive and occasionally exhausting. The prose is sharp, clever, and soaked in irony—but also veers into “look how clever I am” territory more than once. The epistolary format (journal entries) gives us deep access to Garak’s mind, but sometimes that mind is just a spiral staircase of self-loathing and overanalysis. Gorgeous, but dense. If you like your internal monologues with a side of existential crisis, it’s catnip. Otherwise? A bit heavy.
Robinson clearly went full method actor here and tried to become Garak, which is both impressive and occasionally exhausting. The prose is sharp, clever, and soaked in irony—but also veers into “look how clever I am” territory more than once. The epistolary format (journal entries) gives us deep access to Garak’s mind, but sometimes that mind is just a spiral staircase of self-loathing and overanalysis. Gorgeous, but dense. If you like your internal monologues with a side of existential crisis, it’s catnip. Otherwise? A bit heavy.
Plot: 6/10
Here’s where the seams show. The plot is basically Garak writing in his diary and taking emotional inventory like he’s prepping for Cardassian therapy—which, let’s face it, probably involves needles. The flashbacks to his training and early career are the meat here, but the “present-day” thread barely qualifies as a story. It’s contemplative, not propulsive. I kept asking myself, “Where is this going?” and the answer was usually “nowhere quickly.” Deep, yes. Narrative momentum? Not so much.
Here’s where the seams show. The plot is basically Garak writing in his diary and taking emotional inventory like he’s prepping for Cardassian therapy—which, let’s face it, probably involves needles. The flashbacks to his training and early career are the meat here, but the “present-day” thread barely qualifies as a story. It’s contemplative, not propulsive. I kept asking myself, “Where is this going?” and the answer was usually “nowhere quickly.” Deep, yes. Narrative momentum? Not so much.
Intrigue: 7/10
The early chapters hooked me, but somewhere in the middle I started checking how many pages were left. The suspense is almost entirely emotional, and if I weren’t already deeply invested in Garak from the show, I’m not sure this would have held me. The tension is slow-cooked, which I can appreciate, but there were moments where I felt like I was watching someone think instead of reading a story. Occasionally gripping, occasionally glazed-over-eyes territory.
The early chapters hooked me, but somewhere in the middle I started checking how many pages were left. The suspense is almost entirely emotional, and if I weren’t already deeply invested in Garak from the show, I’m not sure this would have held me. The tension is slow-cooked, which I can appreciate, but there were moments where I felt like I was watching someone think instead of reading a story. Occasionally gripping, occasionally glazed-over-eyes territory.
Logic/Relationships: 9/10
This part mostly held up. Garak’s motives are a funhouse mirror of trauma, pride, and daddy issues, and that all tracked. The political rules of Cardassian society and the Obsidian Order were tight—no complaints there. But the emotional relationships, while intense, sometimes leaned too hard into tragic mystique. I wanted more interaction, not just internal rumination. Mila’s presence, for example, felt more symbolic than real. It’s all smart, but occasionally too “conceptual.”
This part mostly held up. Garak’s motives are a funhouse mirror of trauma, pride, and daddy issues, and that all tracked. The political rules of Cardassian society and the Obsidian Order were tight—no complaints there. But the emotional relationships, while intense, sometimes leaned too hard into tragic mystique. I wanted more interaction, not just internal rumination. Mila’s presence, for example, felt more symbolic than real. It’s all smart, but occasionally too “conceptual.”
Enjoyment: 7/10
I enjoyed it, but in the way I enjoy rewatching Hamlet—brilliant, broody, and exhausting. It’s not a fun ride; it’s a spiral into a deeply damaged man’s psyche. If that’s what you’re after, fantastic. But if you’re looking for a gripping story with balance, tension, and momentum, this isn’t it. I finished it satisfied—but also kind of relieved. Would I recommend it? Yes—but only to folks already obsessed with Garak or emotionally prepared to live inside the mind of a moral contortionist.
I enjoyed it, but in the way I enjoy rewatching Hamlet—brilliant, broody, and exhausting. It’s not a fun ride; it’s a spiral into a deeply damaged man’s psyche. If that’s what you’re after, fantastic. But if you’re looking for a gripping story with balance, tension, and momentum, this isn’t it. I finished it satisfied—but also kind of relieved. Would I recommend it? Yes—but only to folks already obsessed with Garak or emotionally prepared to live inside the mind of a moral contortionist.
Final Verdict: 53/70
A Stitch in Time is an ambitious character deep-dive with literary flair, but it's also a slow, dense, Garak-centric therapy session masquerading as a novel. Brilliant, but uneven. A must-read for DS9 fans, but not the flawless masterpiece it pretends to be.
A Stitch in Time is an ambitious character deep-dive with literary flair, but it's also a slow, dense, Garak-centric therapy session masquerading as a novel. Brilliant, but uneven. A must-read for DS9 fans, but not the flawless masterpiece it pretends to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Torture, Murder, War
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
The book explores deeply traumatic experiences from Garak’s past—childhood indoctrination, violent training under the Obsidian Order, the collapse of Cardassia, and personal betrayals. The psychological toll of war, displacement, and abuse is front and center. None of the violence is gratuitous, but it’s emotionally intense and sometimes deeply unsettling. If you’re looking for a light read or something cozy, this is absolutely not it. But if you're ready to unpack the moral wreckage of one of Star Trek’s most layered characters? Dive in.