Customer Reviews

A Stitch in Time (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #27)

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

We find out about Garak's childhood, events just before and just after "Tears of the Prophets", Garak's initiation into the Obsidian Order, Gul Dukat's first name, the real reason Dukat hates Garak so much, some "missing scenes" from "What You Leave Behind", why Garak was exiled to Terok Nor and why he stayed behind on Deep Space Nine, where his gardening skills come from, and a few months of developments on Cardassia after the end of the war... just to name a few of the more interesting bits.

The book basically follows three timelines: One starts in Garak's youth, just before he goes off to join an academy, and progresses to about the middle of "Emissary". A second starts just before "Tears of the Prophets" and continues to near the end of "What You Leave Behind". The third goes from shortly after Garak's arrival on Cardassia after WYLB and shows important events in the rebuilding of the planet.

This is a wonderful novel, and it is a tribute to Andrew J. Robinson's knowledge of his character, and the others in the series, that he was able to create this story without a ghostwriter or co-writer.

This is, I believe, the best Trek book I have read to date. The plot is relatively simple -- it fills in Garak's life before Deep Space Nine, it fills in Garak's life and feelings in the events surrounding the Cardassian invasion, and then it tells us about his efforts on the devastated planet afterwards.

The beginning segment, at the school et cetera, was the closest that Star Trek has gotten to "Ender's Game." While this novel isn't that good, that was the general feeling I got as I was reading it. The characterisations were consistent and superb throughout the novel, and to differentiate between the different plotlines, the author simply uses different fonts. It was a neat effect.

It is clear when reading this book that Robinson is a fledgling author. While the vocabulary is okay, the sentence structure is somewhat elementary, but this doesn't really hurt the novel, because it is a lot better than some of the drivel we've seen before when it comes to ST books.

This book is written in a series of first-person entries into Garak's journal, which he has arranged into an interesting order and is sending to Dr. Bashir. Although the premise and writing are clear, the presentation was a little dissapointing. These didn't feel like journal entries; I can't picture anyone writing a journal looking like that.

Still it was an interesting, sometimes thought-provoking, and always fascinating view of life through Garak's eyes. Kudos to the author for a job well done!

A Stitch in Time, by Andrew J. Robinson...

I recognized the character Garak, the Cardassian "taylor" of Deep Space Nine, from the title of the novel as much as from the cover art depicting him in a pensive mood holding an Edosian Orchid. So far as I was aware when I picked the book up, I had never heard of Andrew J. Robinson, though in fact I had... more about the author later.

A Stitch in Time is set up as a sort of Barbourian diary, if you will. It begins in the present with a letter to Garak's friend, Dr. Bashir, sojourns alternately between two different points of Garak's "fateline", each progressing generally forward. Time and all its permutations is very much woven into the fabric of the book. I suspect that the title, having its base in reference to a popular saying related to tayloring, ("a stitch in time saves nine", for those who somehow missed this lesson at Gramma's knee), is also a metaphor for a short span of time... or perhaps Garak's life.

During the time that the television series was still in production, Garak's past, and indeed present, were somewhat of a mystery. This novel fills in the gaps of his earlier life and gives a vivid picture of what life in a militaristic society must be like. Reading this, I was very much reminded of George Orwell's 1984, though it ends on an upnote rather than the despair of the future that permeates Orwell's novel and the outlook of his character Winston, though I suspect that if Winston were a Cardassian... well, I digress.

The tone of the novel is somewhat somber, and one can easily envision "plain and simple Garak" at his keyboard in a ruined Cardassian city amid pots and sherds with orchids, sewing machines, thread, fabric, and such littered around him as he puts the final touches on his narrative and the cover letter to Dr. Bashir he is sending along with it.

I found much to reflect on in this story.

A Stitch in Time is currently available as an ebook or in paperback, #27 in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine series. Buy this book. It is the best Star Trek novel I have ever read, though, My Enemy, My Ally is a close second.

Oh.... the author? Andrew J. Robinson? He is the actor who so brilliantly potrayed Garak on the television series where he was introduced.

Very, very well done, Sir!

First of all, to answer a question posed by another reviewer of this book, yes Andrew Robinson wrote this book by himself--every single word! His total mastery of the voice of Garak in print ought to be a good clue to that though. I have never read a book before where the voice of the main character seemed to speak to me from the page. This is an amazing book and a "must read" for any Star Trek fan!

WOW! What a fantastic story. Even if you are not a fan of DS9 you will enjoy this book. The character of Garak is fascinating and I really enjoyed the way the book was part journal, part correspondence and part real time. At times touching, this novel is much more than an exploration of a TV character. It is also a fascinating glimpse into a unique alien culture.

It is a rare thing to find an actor who can =actually= write. Most are at best coauthors and at worst aren't even involved in the process beyond signing a contract that permits the publisher to put their name on the cover. But Robinson apparently wrote this book his own self, and he has done a magnificent job.

Garak has always been one of the most interesting characters on DEEP SPACE NINE -- a show already well stocked with interesting characters -- and this book does a wonderful job of fleshing out what we already know about him without in any way diluting the character or depriving him of his edge (as often happens to "dark" characters as we learn more about them). Robinson also nails the voices of the other characters, from the DS9 regulars to one-off characters like the Cardassian Guls Evek and Madred, perfectly. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed DS9's plain, simple tailor.

I am a huge fan of ST:DS9 and one of my favorite characters from the show is Garak. So naturally when I found out there was a novel developing this character even further, written by the man himself. Well, not something I could easily pass up.

Picking up the book with moderate enthusiasm, I was very soon enthralled. Read it cover to cover, a first.

The novel explores 3 different timelines centering around our hero.
1st - His long colorful journey from adolescents to his exile on DS9;
2nd - His time spent on the station (filling in lapses between episodes);
3rd - His struggles on a Cardassia ravaged by the end of Dominion occupation.

The 3 timelines are masterfully woven together throughout the novel, which explores duty, betrayal, love and redemption.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone. A great novel for both non and Trek-fans alike.

This is the first book on "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" that you should read. The information it contains sheds such a new light on the enigmatic character "Garak" that you want to watch all of his episodes again so you can understand him better.

In the series, Andrew J. Robinson (the bad guy in the first "Dirty Harry" movie) took what could have been a throw-away character and made him arguably the most interesting person in the series. You could watch all episodes and still not understand "where he was coming from," why he was exiled to Terak Nor/DS9, his relationships with Dukat, Enabran Tain, Mila (Tain's "housekeeper") and why he became a Cardassian reformer. This book explains it all, in a way that shows the depth of understanding Robinson had of his character.

On a side note, it says something about Star Trek that a "minor" character can sustain an entire novel explaining his back-story, and be interesting and consistant with the series.

I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Lucky for us, Andrew J. Robinson is a playwright as well as a masterful actor. His writing ability shines in this wonderful novel based on the best of all the STAR TREK series. Did I like DEEP SPACE NINE? Well, the proof's in what happened after DS9 went off the air. I haven't watched anything since more than once or twice, and am purchasing all the DS9 videotapes. I wouldn't dream of going to that expense for any other TV show.

Garak wasn't the only complex and well-drawn character on DS9--most of them were, thus the show's appeal--but he was certainly one of the more interesting ones. Garak began as an occasional secondary character on DS9 (was he a spy or wasn't he??) and from the outset was so well-portrayed by Andrew Robinson that the writers included him into the plots more and more as the series progressed. At the end Robinson should have received lead billing, since we saw him more often than Cirroc Lofton, the talented teenager who played Jake Sisko.

Watching Robinson's subtle acting, I realized that he'd given much thought to a deeply psychological characterization of Garak, and am very grateful that he finally has had the chance to pour it all out on paper in this terrific book, A STITCH IN TIME, which I could compare favorably with Gene Wolfe's "New Sun" novels, recording the life of Severian, ex-torturer's apprentice, whom Garak resembles in many ways. I've read a few other DS9 novels, none of them even close to this one in the qualities that make a good novel. The only quibble, if it really is one, is that a reader totally unfamiliar with DS9 might be a little bewildered at the outset. Any reader, however, can get into it, and once beyond the first few pages I guarantee he or she will be mesmerized. That's because Robinson has produced a genuine novel, not hackwork. The writing style has a Wolfean quality to it, both wonderfully descriptive yet surreal. Garak, the ultimate cynic, shows us how manipulation corrupts, that the moral imperative of nationalist patriotism too often erodes the greater moral good of conscience. We understand his need to reconcile himself to a shameful past in order to continue living, we sorrow with him at the destruction of everything familiar, and we are inside his mind as he grows and changes and finally learns from his harrowing experiences. This book packs a wallop.

I've only read a few star trek books - Millennium books 1 and 2, q-in-law, crossover and fallen heroes - but I have to honestly say, A Stitch in Time is the best that I have read, period.

To be even more honest, this book is more than just a DS9 book - it takes a very deep and life-like look at the character Elim Garak. You get the most intimate look into his mind and Andrew Robinson delivers the dialog impecably well. You can feel the lonefulness, playful nature of the character and learn the motivations and reasons behind his actions and habits. Andrew Robinson has done an amazing job illustrated Cardassian thinking and culture. Even in the smallest of details, you know Mr. Robinson is true to Cardassian political structure, paradigms and visual architecture.

Even if your not a DS9 fan, the story on its own sad yet funny and mysterious yet conforting. It's just a very well written book and a very entertaining read. If you are a DS9 fan, you won't be disappointed. Having been a major fan of the DS9 television (above TNG, Voyager or Enterprise), this book certainly enhances your knowledge, appreciation and fascination with DS9 and especially with the character Garak. I highly recommend this one.