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A review by mapsco1984
A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson
4.0
Ok, I can't believe that I'm admitting that I even know who these characters are, much less that I'd want to read a book about them. But the fact is, as a teenager, though I'd never paid attention to any of the other Star Treks, I stumbled onto Deep Space Nine and was instantly drawn in, because it was like nothing I saw on TV. It asked hard questions, gave hard answers, and had complex characters that were several shades of grey.
Elim Garak of course is the epitome of this, though I never really noticed him or was interested in him while watching the show. But when I saw Dirty Harry and was like "Holy crap, I know who that is!" I got more interested. And when I read that he had written a book based on his own back story of Garak, without a ghost writer, and that it was actually getting really good reviews, I really wanted to read it.
For people who like the character Garak because he's mysterious and vague, I don't recommend this book. Robinson basically tells Garak's whole story in 3 parts: his time as a child and then as a spy, his time in exile on Deep Space Nine, and his time rebuilding Cardassia. Not every minute detail of his history is explained, but you do learn the truth from the lies, and if you'd rather make up your own story about why he was exiled, then don't read this.
However, I thought it was great. Robinson has clearly spent a LOT of time in this character's head in order to understand him so well, and he deftly weaves what we know about him into the stories, and the way Garak thinks and speaks is absolutely dead on. What also amazed me is that Robinson captured the voices of the OTHER Deep Space Nine characters very well. I don't know if he talked to his fellow actors about them, or if he just immersed himself in Trek research (poor man) but he not only gets his own character, but all the others as well.
On top of that, the stories themselves are interesting. Robinson works hard to show how an alien planet and way of thinking are severely different from our own, and doesn't fall into the trap of basing alien ways of life on a thinly veiled version of one of our own cultures. Also fascinating is that despite the fact that the stories are not done chronologically (we jump between assassin, exile, and rebuilder), Garak's voice remains constant yet maturing throughout the three.
Overall, very well done. Robinson is clearly a very intelligent and talented person, and it sucks that his career was curtailed right when it started due to Dirty Harry. However, if he ever finds himself struggling to find acting jobs, I highly recommend he take up a writing career on the side.
Elim Garak of course is the epitome of this, though I never really noticed him or was interested in him while watching the show. But when I saw Dirty Harry and was like "Holy crap, I know who that is!" I got more interested. And when I read that he had written a book based on his own back story of Garak, without a ghost writer, and that it was actually getting really good reviews, I really wanted to read it.
For people who like the character Garak because he's mysterious and vague, I don't recommend this book. Robinson basically tells Garak's whole story in 3 parts: his time as a child and then as a spy, his time in exile on Deep Space Nine, and his time rebuilding Cardassia. Not every minute detail of his history is explained, but you do learn the truth from the lies, and if you'd rather make up your own story about why he was exiled, then don't read this.
However, I thought it was great. Robinson has clearly spent a LOT of time in this character's head in order to understand him so well, and he deftly weaves what we know about him into the stories, and the way Garak thinks and speaks is absolutely dead on. What also amazed me is that Robinson captured the voices of the OTHER Deep Space Nine characters very well. I don't know if he talked to his fellow actors about them, or if he just immersed himself in Trek research (poor man) but he not only gets his own character, but all the others as well.
On top of that, the stories themselves are interesting. Robinson works hard to show how an alien planet and way of thinking are severely different from our own, and doesn't fall into the trap of basing alien ways of life on a thinly veiled version of one of our own cultures. Also fascinating is that despite the fact that the stories are not done chronologically (we jump between assassin, exile, and rebuilder), Garak's voice remains constant yet maturing throughout the three.
Overall, very well done. Robinson is clearly a very intelligent and talented person, and it sucks that his career was curtailed right when it started due to Dirty Harry. However, if he ever finds himself struggling to find acting jobs, I highly recommend he take up a writing career on the side.