|
"A Stitch In Time" by Andrew J. Robinson
~~~ It definitely wasn't what I expected, in parts. But I like it, and it makes sense. Andy did a wonderful job, carrying off the difficult task of writing a long story in first person POV; he also did a great job with the shifting back and forth in time -- the transitions were clear to me every time. The characterisation of Garak is excellent, fitting well with the show. His relationships to other characters feel real. The descriptions are vivid. I need to read it again to really absorb it -- I was just so eager to see what happened next that I didn't always savour the moment. His writing is downright poetic in parts, and has the stark feel of harsh reality in others. The themes and metaphors work well with the narrative, enhancing it wonderfully. I was thrilled when I first found out that ASIT would be structured as a letter to Bashir. I was very pleased with the result -- most ST novels simply tell a story. ASIT uses the method of telling the story to impart another layer of narrative to a reader who cares to receive it. The story was, in effect, written by the person it happened to, and read by another character in the ST universe. What was Bashir's reaction when he received this? What happened next? The reader is an active participant in this narrative, addressed directly as Bashir, imagining Bashir's response both during and after. The other thing the reader can do as an active participant in the narrative is to ask... is this all true, or is Garak still obfuscating on certain points? It's a question Bashir would surely ask himself. It is a question that I will have to go through the book at least once more in order to answer for myself. It's a question that may very well have a different answer for everyone who reads it. The narrative voice is very much Garak, but a Garak we only caught a glimpse of in the series. This is the Garak who delivered the angry, defeated speech to Bashir in What You Leave Behind, the Garak who stood over Ziyal's deathbed. He is disillusioned with the version of the State he lived his whole life serving, and he must decide how to serve the true State -- the Cardassian people. His realisation that Ghemor and Parmak are better for Cardassia than the power-seeking old guard rings true, but I was very glad for his note in the Epilogue that democracy is indeed flawed. It wouldn't be Garak if he were happy with democracy. But he supports it because the Reunion Project is good for Cardassia. That is Garak at his best. Andy does a great job keeping the POV where it's supposed to be. The reader doesn't know anything Garak doesn't. Since Garak is very astute, and always speculating on what's going on in other people's heads, the reader gets an accurate idea of what others are thinking without the POV slipping into the omniscient. Andy also uses the POV as a filter -- in learning about others, we also learn about Garak. Lots of writers forget to do this. The scene with Rom at the suit fitting is an excellent example -- Rom is so there, and so are Garak's thoughts about him. We already knew Rom, but he grows as a person in my eyes, through Garak's. I also learned something new about Garak -- his feelings about Rom at that moment are deeply tender, and almost proud, and at the same time Garak feels touched by Rom's small kindness. These emotions are also foreshadowed earlier in the book, but later in time, when Rom serves Garak in the bar, and Garak fusses with his outfit. Andy also does a great job with the very challenging changes in time. I was with him on every transition. The changes in time also served to 'show, not tell' how Cardassian memory is organised. It is mentioned briefly in Garak's remarks to Bashir, but it really comes out in the stucture of the time shifts and the events between which the transitions take us. One of the things I found a little awkward about the writing is that it is written as Garak speaks. Very formal, but not with particularly perfect grammar. (We fanfic writers tend to write Garak's dialogue as nearly perfect grammatically, but if you listen to him speak on the show, you will quickly notice that his grammar becomes downright odd under stress. He says things like, "with which I served with," little things that glide right over the ear, but show up in print, at least in one or two places. But it is definitely very much Garak's voice, and Garak is writing to a friend, so he's hardly going to edit himself that closely!) The descriptions are very vivid. Landscape, city life, people, events, all show up in the mind's eye with an almost casual flourish. The use of language gives a lush picture without being intrusive. The reader is simply transported to the Cardassia of Hebitian pre-history, to the institute, to the city square with Tolan's orchids, to lush grey Romulus... and picturing the original characters was immediate and easy. I loved the original characters. I also loved the characterisation of the people we already knew. Dukat lovers will be very annoyed with the little throwaway insults to Dukat in the narrative, but it must be remembered that this is part of the POV filter. Kira lovers may note that she's not always insanely angry, but then, she was almost always insanely angry around Garak, so how would he know better? Enjoyers of female characters get two strong originals -- Palandine the Cardassian, whose characterisation is strongest at Bamarren, and Remara the Bajoran, a dabo woman and teacher. Regarding Palandine, at first I didn't quite buy the love affair in their adulthood -- the narration was just too scanty. I believed Garak loved her -- that was obvious and believable from the Bamarren narrative. But to go back to her when he knew the consequences... Then I remembered that Garak is still a private man, and in the passages concerning Palandine he held back everything about their affair. He set it up, and made it clear in her early descriptions that she was a woman worth loving, and then included only the bare facts of their later meeting in adulthood. The results of the affair are fully revealed, but if one doesn't realise Garak is holding back everything that happened between them, not because they're unimportant, but because they're too deeply important to share even with Bashir, his actions seem a bit unmotivated. I also liked Pythas Lok, the most important male original character. Garak states he was attracted him (yay, Andy! I love you!), and he is the only person who can sneak up on Garak, and the only person Garak considers worthy to outdo him. The major character in the present is Dr. Parmak. He has trouble looking Garak in the eye. (He's the one Garak stared at for four hours, until he broke and confessed.) Many astute parallels are drawn between Parmak and Bashir. In the end, this parallel is something that helps Garak make his decision regarding the future of Cardassia -- You're a doctor, he tells Parmak, and Cardassia is your patient. Tailoring and gardening are the best kind of metaphors -- they actually serve a function in the real world of the story. Secrets as poison is a less tangible but equally powerful theme. Everything, no matter how seemingly disconnected from the other time frames, comes together at the end. It's absolutely beautiful to see. There's really too much to talk about here... trust me, if you've not read the book yet, there's lots left you haven't been spoiled on. I'll whet your appetite -- Garak's first OO mission includes him playing a game of soccer with a bunch of Starfleet officers and human diplomats. ~~~ END
|