Title: A Stitch in Time
Author: Andrew J. Robinson
Review by Raul M.
Hello everyone. The copy of Star Trek: Gateways -- What Lay Beyond that I'd requested at my local library arrived just yesterday, so I've already dived right into Keith's short story Horn and Ivory. I could not have asked for better timing, seeing how close we are to the release date for the first Mission: Gamma novel!
I've mentioned before that I've taken advantage of this lull between the relaunch novels to catch up on some previous DS9 releases. Two weeks ago, I finished reading Andrew Robinson's A Stitch in Time. I must admit, when I first started reading it, it seemed as if I'd end up dredging through a slow-paced biography. Plus some of the details of Cardassian life were somehow difficult for me to visualize or perhaps to appreciate. But duh! -- only when I finished reading the novel did I notice the maps at the front of the book, realizing I'd forgotten all about them! They probably could've come in handy while I had the chance.
Nonetheless, I was enthralled by what some readers might consider merely a minor element: Garak's lessons gained from a small camouflaging creature -- the name of the species escapes me right now. How I envied Garak's ability to harmonize with that little creature and to eventually use those camouflaging abilities to his benefit elsewhere!
Of course, Garak's clandestine meetings with Palandine kept up my interest from the start. The one event in Garak's story that assured me that I absolutely had to keep reading, was Garak being cheated of his deserved promotion at school. Even before reading the rest of the novel, I could tell that this theme -- of Garak's life being out of his control and of his essentially being tossed aside -- would be a recurring one in Garak's life.
Naturally, Garak's first meeting with Dukat was worth waiting for! And I enjoyed the way the novel weaved in details mentioned in such DS9 episodes as "The Wire" (Garak acquiring the neural implant itself) and "Broken Link" (Garak working as a gardener on Romulus). Gul Evek's appearance in the most current plot within the novel was a welcome surprise.
Speaking of which, the plot involving Garak rummaging through the ruins of his home planet, and of being recruited to help with the formation of a new planetary government, did not pique my interest as much as his background story. Perhaps the notion of Cardassians seriously considering an adoption of democracy came across to me as rather foreign to the general Cardassian mindset, and much too accommodating to Federation ideals. Come to think of it, though, this outcome is rather consistent with the fact that the Federation has been stepping in to provide aid to Cardassia, as affirmed in the relaunch novels. Surely the Federation's presence would make a significant impact on a planet in social chaos.
I was somewhat more captivated by the missing details of the show's seventh season, particularly: 1) Garak's jealousy over the fact that Dr. Bashir had gravitated from a friendship with him to a friendship with Chief O'Brien; and 2) Garak's observations as to how many of the station personnel used to gravitate towards Jadzia Dax, and how noticeably the station's atmosphere had changed since her passing. Of course!!! It would've been great to have seen these elements further developed in some of the show's episodes. But hey, I guess that's what the novels are for!
While I was somewhat disappointed to see Palandine's fate left ambiguous, looks like the lesson for me here is that some details are simply better left to the imagination -- much like the fate of that Mitra dude in The 34th Rule. Still, it was a bittersweet moment to find Garak recognizing Palandine's grown daughter, yet deciding it best to keep a distance.
It was also a letdown, at first, to notice how Garak's account of the Cardassian Withdrawal seemed inconsistent with how the Withdrawal was described in the show's premiere episode. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized the possibility that Garak might actually have been interpreting the Withdrawal from a biased, Cardassian viewpoint -- blaming drunken, reveling Bajorans, rather than the Cardassians themselves, for how the station was left in a mess.
Of course, that still doesn't resolve for me the inconsistency with how the Withdrawal was described in the Millenium trilogy. But oh well, I guess we can't have it all. (Since the Millenium trilogy describes Garak's inability to recall all the events of the Withdrawal, and with Garak waking up to find he had slept through the Withdrawal in A Stitch in Time, perhaps that's as close as the novels will match.)
Any-hoo, my overall verdict is that A Stitch in Time proved a delicious read, worth the purchase and worth adding to my personal collection!...Now, on to the rest of Horn and Ivory!
