Rating: 
Summary: excellent book; great story; super plot; awesome characters
Review: Very rarely have I found a "Trek" novel so well written. Andrew Robinson's portrayal of Garak on Deep Space 9 made him one of my all time favorite Trek characters. Now, Robinson's story about Garak fills in a superb amount of detail around this mysterious character. Robinson was very meticulous, both in playing the character on TV and in the story, about maintaining an aura of mystery around this "plain, simple tailor." While he fills in important details about Garak's life, from childhood, to his time in the intelligence organization of Cardassia -- the Obsidian Order -- to his exile on the station Terok Nor that would become Deep Space 9, Robinson weaves an excellent story with a well-developed central character and the several supporting characters that we have known from the series (Gul Dukat, Enabrin Tain, etc.) as well as some new ones. We also see Garak at work "behind the scenes" of the TV show's last season, leading up to the culmination of the Dominion War and the destruction of Cardassia. Finally, Robinson portrays a very believable future for our beloved tailor on Cardassia, working to bring his battered world and the Cardassians battered spirits back together. In spite of all this great storytelling, I put down the book with more questions than ever in my head about Garak, which is as is should be for "plain, simple Garak." The telling of the story via snippets from a "journal" of sorts, organized and embellished in a letter to Garak's dear friend, Dr. Bashir, makes the story much more readable than it would have been if it had been a straight, linear timeline. We are able to see the "tapestry" of Garak's life which he has "stiched" together. Andrew Robinson's / Garak's humor also comes through very nicely at important points too, making this book even more enjoyable. A definite must-read for all you Garak fans out there!
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Summary: The tailor says it all
Review: A Stitch in Time, by Andrew Robinson, is an examination of character and history of Garak, the Cardassian tailor that Robinson portrayed on the TV series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9). Usually, it's not a good thing when an actor writes a book about his character, and a lot of times they need some help. First, it definitely is a good thing this time, and secondly, he doesn't appear to have needed any help. This is a standout Star Trek book, and a sterling example of what these books should be.Garak was always one of my favourite characters on the television show, and when I heard that Andrew Robinson had written a book about him, I knew I had to read it. Garak is a very mysterious figure in the show, and I was dying to know more about him. He also turned into a sort of tragic figure as the Dominion War went on, knowing what the war was doing to his people, but since he was in exile, he couldn't do much about it, other than helping the Federation win the war. As this book begins, Garak is back on Cardassia, helping to clean up the mess. It's interesting to see how the character has progressed since the end of the series, to see that some of Dr. Bashir's principles have rubbed off on him a little bit. Still, it's written by an actor, so it can't possibly be good, can it? Actually, it is quite well-written. It's certainly not award-winning material, but the plot is interesting, the prose is fairly well-done and the characterization is wonderful. I could have done without the cliched romance in Garak's history, but then again he has always carried himself as a sort of romantic figure (though he never did actually have one in the show) so it can be excused. Robinson not only gets Garak right, but he also gets the other DS9 characters as well. The storyline that takes place during the last year of the war showcases this, especially his take on Dr. Bashir. Many fans of the show complained that Bashir and Garak's relationship grew very distant toward the end of the show. This book gives a good reason for that. It also effectively shows how that friendship is still there, when Bashir has to work past his uneasiness to get Garak to confront what is bothering him. Robinson nails the characterization of Bashir in these scenes, and we get a return of the wonderful repartee between these two characters. It made me sorely miss the television show. The new characters are also very well-done. The Cardassians are appropriately militaristic, even Garak's love interest (though she is softened a bit compared to the others). Cardassia has a brutal society, and Robinson portrays it well. The Cardassians in the present are also fine, with a nice mixture of Cardassians set in their ways and Cardassians who want to use the devastation to chart a new path for Cardassia. Dr. Parmak is a wonderful example of this "New Cardassia," as he's almost kind and gentle compared to the others. Robinson draws a nice contrast between him and some of the more militaristic sorts that surround Garak. The three different storylines are tied together nicely thematically, as well as being effectively told in their own right. It's easy to follow in the book, as each storyline has its own style. The "current" storyline is told regularly, the "last year" storyline is in a different typeface, and the "Garak's history" storyline is told in a series of journal entries, so there's never any confusion. The only snag that I can see in any of them is a slight implausibility at the end of his historical journal, where he talks about being abandoned on DS9 by the other Cardassians. Before the Federation took over the running of the station, it was a Cardassian outpost that Garak was assigned to. When the Federation took over, the Cardassians left in the dead of night. Garak slept through the whole thing and when he wakes up, he finds everybody gone and the Federation moving in. Especially considering the destruction that the Cardassians left behind, I find it hard to believe that Garak didn't wake up during all of that. Still, that's a small thing, and it doesn't take away from how wonderful this novel is for a Star Trek novel. In fact, unlike a lot of Trek novels, I don't think you have to be a fan to necessarily enjoy this book. It will certainly help, as you will have a lot more invested in the book if you are a fan, but it's certainly readable and understandable by a non-fan. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Garak, it was nice to see you again.
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Summary: What a great book!!!
Review: In my opinion, Garak is one of (if not the) most interesting characters in Star Trek. So it is fitting that the actor that bought him to life, Andrew Robinson write about his character's past and current life. The book is divided into three different parts. One section looks at Garak childhood and growing up on Cardassia, while another shows us an incident that happened on DS9. In the final section we see how Garak is coping with the destruction of Cardassia. All in all, this was a most enjoyable book that I was not able to put down. I can only hope that Andrew Robinson considers writing another!!!
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Summary: ANDREW J ROBINSON TAKES STAR TREK DS9 TO A NEW LEVEL
Review: I have recently read Andrew J. Robinson's book "A Stitch In Time" and i was thouroghly impressed. I started reading William Shatners books anb thought thqat nothing could beat them. After that I started reading books wriiten by the actors who played the character they are writting about, and all of them have been excellent, but not good enought to be on the same level as Shatner. Then I stumbled upon Andrew Robinsons lastest creation sat down and read it and was really amazed. The amount of detail he uses to describ=e the character he has played for seven year on DsS9 is incredible. Not only does he fill in the gaps of Gareks past in the show, he writes so that you the reader, are experiencing the emotions of the character. As strange as it may sound, but at some points in the book you actaully have to remind yourself that only a few people too kpart in creating the new characters in the book, because the amount of detail that goes into them is so great. You only have to get half way throught the book to realize that Mr Robinson, and Mr Shatner are trully the best Star Trek authors around. If Andrew Robinson ever reads this I hope he knows that there are many people who wnt him to write more books.
He also includes the deep stugles of the Garak, the man who had to live4 in exile. The good thing about this book is it's not all good guys in it. Garak has been a student a gardner a spy and a tailor and with that explosive combination you have a great book with outstanding plots, a job well done.
10 OUT OF 10, 5 OUT OF 5 GREAT.
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Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best Star Trek book.
Review: The latest Deep Space Nine book is certainly well worth reading, and i rate it as one of the best ST books ever written. The remarkable story of Elim Garak, plain, simple, Garak, who emerged as one of the most interesting characters in DS9 even though he wasn't part of the actual cast. It catches up on all the details of Garak's life, written as a letter back to Julian Bashir while Garak is on Cardassia after the end of the Dominion war. If you were intruiged by what Garak hinted at in 'The Wire', you will love this book, it goes into so much more detail. Not only is the plot well written, but the different characters are potrayed brilliantly, with snippets of Garak's sense of humour showing throughout the novel. The novel utilises nearly all the Cardassian characters we have en over the years, Tain, Dukat, Madred, and creates new ones as well, and these new characters play vital roles in Garak's life. I think the ending was particularly well done, including when Garak sees his old friend again, and the last paragraph leaving the reader with questions about whether or not he will find his love again. The only criticism I have regarding this novel is the way in which Garak spoke about how the Romulans entered the Federation Alliance. In one scene, a flashback, he is talking to Bashir about it as if Bashir knew what had happened. I was under the impression that only Sisko and Garak knew about this, and that they never told anyone else, Sisko wouldn't even tell Dax. But, this minor error is more than made up for with the brilliant story, a terrific book for all DS9 fans.
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Summary: Surprisingly excellent!
Review: This is not only the best Star Trek related book I have read, it is also one of the best Science Fiction books I have read. It left me thinking about it, and wanting more. The three-dimensional, or I guess I should say tri-temporal writing style works exceedingly well, and really provides provocative insight on the most complicated character in Deep Space-9. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but particularly to anyone with the slightest interest in Garak. Andrew Robinson did a brilliant job!
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Summary: The best trek
Review: I've probably read seventy-five or more of the trek books, and this novel is my favorite. A Stitch in Time is the Cardassian "Confessions of Augustine", describing the moral development of the DS9 "tailor". It's also a fine adventure. Don't let the cliche title fool you. This is orginal, moving and potent reading.
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Summary: One of the best Star Trek books I've ever read.
Review: This is by far....the best Star Trek book I've ever read. No one knows Garak of Deep Space 9 better than Mr. Robinson, and he brings the Cardassian's very soul to life in this novel. The words flow across the pages...it's not just a simple adventure story, but one that pulls you in, challanging your mind while the words flow and lure you in even more. My only regret in the story is that there's an ending.
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Summary: Magnificent Story! It's really about Life and Happiness.
Review: This book is not just for DS9 or Trek fans or sci fi fans, but really for anyone interested in humanity and to a suprising degree the spiritual awakening that is slowly entering our world. Andy really develops Garak's character. You get the insights into why he acts like he does. You find his motivation in life and what it's cost him. You get to learn about his claustrophobia, his mission as a simple 'gardener' on Romulus (which I had wanted to know about forever! it was so awesome), his work with the Obsidian Order (and how he came to be there), his relationship with Enabrain Tain, his mother, and his 'father'. You also get some brief, yet cool stuff with Gul Dukat and his father. The best relationship aside from his longing for Palandine, is the confusion over his father, his real father, and his mother. Two of them are 'typical' Cardassians, while his father is a loving, caring spiritual man who reveals to Garak the truth about Cardassia's spiritual past, but present and hopefully future as well. There is truly magical stuff in here people! What I really liked about this book was the way it was laid out. It's written from 3, maybe 4 time periods.
You have Ten Lubak (Garak) in his first real school competiting against himself and others to advance in the Cardassian world. He falls in love at that place (called Barramen) and from then on you can feel his longing desires. You follow him from his 'graduation' to his entry into the Order and up until his exile on Terok Nor. This is all interspliced with him writing stuff in his entry at DS9 while he's a plain and simple tailor.
Then there's his writings just before the invasion of Cardassia, his fears and doubts are well laid out. And then there's his messages to Bashir about the aftermath of the Dominion withdrawal, and his attempt to rebuild society while mourning for those lost.
It is really, really well done and I was so impressed by Andy's writing, especially since, to my knowledge, this is his first novel. The intercutting between time periods is very well done. As soon as I finished reading this novel I went and bought "Prophecy and Change" which contains a follow-up to this book by Andy (the author) about Garak. It is also very, very good. Both books deal very intimately with spirituality and life/death to a degree I not thought possible in Trekdom. I recommend this book to virtually anyone who does not have a dogmatic view of the world (like the militant Cardassians who just don't understand). I especially recommend for anyone who likes Garak, and for all DS9 fans.
It is also a great sci fi read even if one knows nothing about the Star Trek world.
For these reasons this book is an absolute 5 stars hands down, without any doubt. I hope more Garak stories are to come, but the 'ending' in this book is quite nicely tied up in "Prophecy and Change" and I challenge Andy to complete the Cardassian healing process completely. Reading this book and then going back to rewatch key Garak DS9 episodes makes one wonder if the actor/author knew everything about Garak when he first played the character. One of my favorite DS9 episodes is with Tain and Garak in the Dominion prison. After reading this book and rewatching that episode I truly understood Garak's position. Also great is the episode where he rejoins Tain to take out the Founder's homeworld. Along with the Millenium trilogy by the Reeves-Stevenses, this book is a must read. A stitch in time indeed...
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Summary: An interesting look at Garak and Cardassia
Review: What made this book truly fascinating was that it was really three stories weaved in to one novel. (The book switches back and forth between the different plot lines every few chapters.) The first plotline is basically about Garak's early life and his involvment with the Obsidian Order and other events leading up to his exile. The second plotline takes place on DS9 during the mid 6th season to the end of the 7th. It tells about Garak involvements with a dangerous Bajoran woman who has a strange interest in him. The third plotline takes place after the 7th season on Cardassia, with Garak and other trying to rebuild after the devestation unleashed by the Dominion. It centers on the power struggle bewteen different factions for control of the government and the massive reconstructions. Not only is Garak's past revealed in a very detailed way, but this novel also explains a lot about Cardassia, mainly its descendants, how the government works, and how civlians and other citizens function is its society. A great read. Recommended if you've seen all of the DS9 TV series.
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