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A review by le_chat_noir
A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson
2.0
2.5, maybe? This book isn't bad, exactly, but I wish I hadn't bothered reading it.
The publisher's audiobook description (copied below*) makes it seem as if this was a sequel, and it really isn't. The action extends to maybe several months after the end of DS9, if that.
This is a prequel and a character study. For an actor playing a character, this would be invaluable. And yes, hearing Robinson read does bring back a strong sense of Garak.
But Garak's cynicism, biting wit and melancholy despair tinged with reluctant hopefulness were always softened with Bashir's puppylike enthusiasm and DS9's (and Star Trek's) general faith in humanity. This has none of that; it's all Garak, all the time. And unrelenting Garak is like watching a French New Wave film - sure, okay, it might be tempting to call it art because it's existential and, frankly, depressing, but in the end, it's just depressing. And a little cowardly.
This has no humor, no joy, no enjoyment. Not a lot of action, but also not a terrible amount of worthwhile philosophy. No wit, either. Robinson may have played Garak to a tee, but he clearly wasn't the scriptwriter for the best Garak-centric episodes.
This left me liking Garak less, which is a shame - previously, he vied with Quark for my favorite DS9 character.
If you go into it looking for Garak's motivations, you'll find some of those here. If, however, you're looking for anything new (or actually entertaining) happening to Garak, this definitely ain't it.
Basically, boo.
(*Publisher's description: "An unique and intense tale following Elim Garak as he attempts to stitch the ravaged society of Cardassia back together.
For nearly a decade Garak has longed for just one thing—to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak's one dream. Now, finally, he is home. But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.
Ironically, it is a letter from one of the aliens on that space station, Dr. Julian Bashir, that inspires Garak to look at the fabric of his life. Elim Garak has been a student, a gardener, a spy, an exile, a tailor, even a liberator. It is a life that was charted by the forces of Cardassian society with very little understanding of the person, and even less compassion.
But it is the tailor that understands who Elim Garak was, and what he could be. It is the tailor who sees the ruined fabric of Cardassia, and who knows how to bring this ravaged society back together. This is strange, because a tailor is the one thing Garak never wanted to be. But it is the tailor whom both Cardassia and Elim Garak need. It is the tailor who can put the pieces together, who can take a stitch in time.")
The publisher's audiobook description (copied below*) makes it seem as if this was a sequel, and it really isn't. The action extends to maybe several months after the end of DS9, if that.
This is a prequel and a character study. For an actor playing a character, this would be invaluable. And yes, hearing Robinson read does bring back a strong sense of Garak.
But Garak's cynicism, biting wit and melancholy despair tinged with reluctant hopefulness were always softened with Bashir's puppylike enthusiasm and DS9's (and Star Trek's) general faith in humanity. This has none of that; it's all Garak, all the time. And unrelenting Garak is like watching a French New Wave film - sure, okay, it might be tempting to call it art because it's existential and, frankly, depressing, but in the end, it's just depressing. And a little cowardly.
This has no humor, no joy, no enjoyment. Not a lot of action, but also not a terrible amount of worthwhile philosophy. No wit, either. Robinson may have played Garak to a tee, but he clearly wasn't the scriptwriter for the best Garak-centric episodes.
This left me liking Garak less, which is a shame - previously, he vied with Quark for my favorite DS9 character.
If you go into it looking for Garak's motivations, you'll find some of those here. If, however, you're looking for anything new (or actually entertaining) happening to Garak, this definitely ain't it.
Basically, boo.
(*Publisher's description: "An unique and intense tale following Elim Garak as he attempts to stitch the ravaged society of Cardassia back together.
For nearly a decade Garak has longed for just one thing—to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak's one dream. Now, finally, he is home. But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.
Ironically, it is a letter from one of the aliens on that space station, Dr. Julian Bashir, that inspires Garak to look at the fabric of his life. Elim Garak has been a student, a gardener, a spy, an exile, a tailor, even a liberator. It is a life that was charted by the forces of Cardassian society with very little understanding of the person, and even less compassion.
But it is the tailor that understands who Elim Garak was, and what he could be. It is the tailor who sees the ruined fabric of Cardassia, and who knows how to bring this ravaged society back together. This is strange, because a tailor is the one thing Garak never wanted to be. But it is the tailor whom both Cardassia and Elim Garak need. It is the tailor who can put the pieces together, who can take a stitch in time.")