A stitch in time 
Book Review Robinson, Andrew : A stitch in time. Cross Cult, 2000 / 2011.
Story : The
Cardassia the young
Elim Garak is an idyllic place full of charming flowers, impressive monuments and lush parks. Often, the innocent boy romped between the giant monuments of the administrative center around his hometown and enjoyed a carefree childhood with his parents, who together with her offspring a basement apartment under the unassuming officials
Enabran Tain inhabited.
But those carefree hours have long been counted.
place Suddenly, the teenagers at an elite school again, the children of his social class remains closed under normal circumstances. The so-called Bamarren Institute, there is a harsh tone. Elim clearly feels the prejudice against his Caste and is gradually expanding its dark talents to rise in the rigid hierarchy of the educational institution and to develop clear leadership qualities.
The not so small Elim is therefore reflected quite bravely, so for him the world collapses when he left a dislocation and social advancement denied.
His missteps are hardly worth mentioning and he quickly realizes that his 'uncle' and patrons Enabran Tain for his sudden leaving school is responsible. The inconspicuous official has bigger plans for the young man: He
training runs in the state security Cardassia, the dreaded
Obsidian Order , and rises quickly to become one of the most effective and deadly secret weapon of the secret service.
And yet again the small transgressions, which remains faithful to Elim. Slowly but surely, they drive a wedge between him and Tain that threatens to transform the silent rise of the gifted spy in an equally aufsehensarmen descent ...
praiseworthy aspects : I tell you again and again:
I'm not a big fan of DS9.
I have seen all the episodes, found a handful of good and the rest often condemned.
The few episodes, which I favor could be sure, played a person often has a greater role
Elim Garak.
The '
friendly killer next door ' was often a guarantee for exciting entertainment, underhand intrigues and personal abyss. A good reason for the series, despite all the shortcomings to be true. More than
Sisko , more than
Odo and also more than
Quark embodied by
Andrew Robinson so brilliantly embodied figure that is all that I would have liked to see me more often.
Without pseudo-religious phrases with no super powers and without plates slapstick, he built the same moment sympathies and antipathies, without sacrificing memorable sayings, credible combat capabilities or to do without biting wit. This complex stimulus can be to this day escape is difficult and not without reason Garak is therefore always the common denominator at the end of each discussion with vehement defenders of the TNG-succession series.
For a novel that the fate of this Garak after the series finale "
That, What You Leave Behind " treated was therefore hardly a writer more appropriate than that actor whose extraordinary interpretation of this character ever breathed first life.
said Andrew Robinson tailored with surprising skill together a credible work that also safely under the title "
Garak: The Biography "Or" Memoirs of a spy
had "can run. He skillfully uses the space offered to him to take a glimpse into the future, to dare to look back and to link the many small details about Garak's past into a coherent life story. The book lives on virtually what was to reveal the serial guilty.
But hats off!
's own knowledge is in this context, however, an indispensable companion.
Because in order to advance to state clearly
opens Without own detailed knowledge to the ignorant reader far too little to have the extensive Roman much joy. Often, the author to different consequences, such as "In-house
" (see p. 181ff.) "
Afterimage " (see p. 275ff.) or "The implant
" (see p. 316F.) direct reference and far too many small orders such as on
Shakespeare Julius Caesar (see p. 336) are Cardassian
Hebitianer (see p. 175ff.) or
citizens like
Gul Madred (see p. 261ff.)
Corbin Entek (see p. 344) and
Gul Evek (see p. 389).
For this reason you should give it while reading, at least from time to time visit to
Memory Alpha , because otherwise we might miss how to play sent the supposedly inexperienced author with the matter and in particular its role is understood.
Garak as a gardener (see p. 285ff.) Is as plausible as his job as a tailor (see p. 363ff.) Obviously his involvement in the case of the father Gul Dukat
so (see p. 309ff.) as his break with Enabran Tain (see p. 341ff.). let
For people who even dry up with Gießplänen Planzer can, is an additional work by tailoring present difficult However, "A stitch in time" by no means only a Garak novel. It provides detailed and consistent information on the Cardassian society, ranging from education policy (see p. 19f.) religious (p. 255ff.) to environmental (p. 318) claims. A real treat for the fans, who also helps people better understand that which has broken with his bloody expansionist policy of the planet Bajor
such deep wounds. Actually comes from the thorough descriptions of a world that is very different from the known to us apart and create your own image, without becoming involved in conflict with the already available insights.
the contrary!
The entanglements between content and model are so large that even in the form of expression . See
So is the
legendary three-division the Cardassians (three pylons, three moons, three political apparatus) recover also under construction, because the book is divided into three main parts. Three small, from episodes taken from introductory quotations, are the sections preceded it in accordance with programmatic and give three free issues to which these pages are more or less strict.
Within each part in turn moves the action between three main levels of action.
In the most exciting and important story portrayed Garak's experiences from his school to exile on Deep Space Nine
. The other two focus Garak's adventure immediately prior to the invasion of Cardassia and on the daily life of many years of exile in the middle of his destroyed home planet. All
Robinson describes from first-person perspective, in single letters to
Doctor Bashir . With the announcement of the recipients also a scene turns "
Revelation, Book 1 " a lot more sense. On page 199 asks
Nog the ship's doctor namely the following:
"
you are on page 256 of a letter? Who writes for something? "
The answer is as crystal clear as the eyes of the man who seems to see from the cover directly into the eyes of the inclined buyer: Garak.
brings us to the German edition of the book have arrived.
had to wait for the local Lesratten namely a long time. Again and again delayed the, publication there issues with the American rights holders were open, printing problems arose or the
New Frontier volumes were delivered earlier.
But the wait was definitely worth it!
This can be clearly seen at three points.
is the one the German cover of
Cross Cult compared to its American counterpart not only quality but also less kitschy. Obtained at the first look at the exterior of the book a hint of its interior, especially the seam, the upper separated from the lower part fits to the representation of the space station and Cardassia like to work and life of the man depicted. Second, I am
especially for the little map on the distribution of individual neighborhoods within Cardassia City's (see p. 5) grateful. Admittedly, at first I doubted the value of the coarse representation, but again I found myself in the following years, as I flipped back during the reading to follow the path of Roman heroes.
This unusual gimmick is actually something fresh, which it so was not even in the original and this release that gives it a very creative touch.
The grand finale Finally the final review
Julian Wangler under the heading "
Dark, tragic and credible - the soul of the Cardassians " (p. 425 - 435). As sophisticated as it simply can not afford Memory Alpha, the essay takes a look at the species and behind the scenes of it which helps to see the place this work in the larger context. A very successful end of a successful German edition of a fantastic novel.
criticisms made aspects : All beginnings are difficult.
The complicated structure of the novel is preparing for the first few pages of some teething problems.
Overcoming worth definitely, but at the beginning of the many steps between the story lines are sometimes a little nerve-wracking. This is probably because the conventional features of a biography by the time jumps are stretched and distorted on purpose, but this calls for a fraction of patience, which returned the book with interest and compound interest.
After a while you get used to the individual stories, and once they gain momentum, it is hardly disturbs the rapid changes. Finally, the figure required
Garak in the series are also quite a while to the first appearance in "The
Khon-Ma " was at that face that I think in the episode "In the pale moonlight
" reached its peak. Garak operation there a back door to intrigue, false facts and abysmal audition shadiness.
Robinson succeeds in "A stitch in time," never to maintain this level. Of course, Garak is to identify properly and of course there are plenty of moments that are so typical of the opaque agent. Intrigue but do not expect Garak and why he can put all the skills later on in the day may not be quite clear. In addition, constantly hovering
the question about the text, why the loud
Destiny Trilogy future head of state Cardassia takes the trouble to write such a self-incriminating pamphlet that could be used once against him (the fact that he divulges, "p. 13ff. The secret of entry into the war
Romulans , not to mention!). After the mile-long descriptions of the painstaking training, you can almost gain the impression as if the intense training yet borne little fruit. The many secrets
ventilated take the veil from those mythical figure and what is left is a view of a vulnerable man who seems to understand but now in his previous actions, but it is a dark side to the other loses.
The flood of information to the person Garak thus has a price: The shadowy figure lost in an abyss. Not too much, but enough to have to miss precisely the ambivalence that defined the character in the series.
translation: Anika jib makes even more with an extensive book very good job. Of course, I could get some words such as "[...]
one of the things that (p. 42) [...]" "[...]
in Kobixine [...]" ( p. 329, instead of complaining 'on') or "[...]
and hit me in the face [...]" (p. 354), but in terms of size are the peanuts.
The only thing that bothers me somewhat, is the German title.
is not quite in vain, finally on page 278: 'A stitch in time saves ...'
"
What? How did this phrase? "
Maybe"
... the divorce lawyer? "
No, actually reads this English phrase:
"
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine. "
or
"
A Stitch in Time may Save Nine. "
Who now but think of the TV ratings Corset
a specific Voyager figure is wrong, because this statement would probably be best with
"
What you can do today, not put off tomorrow. "
translate, even if it lost the actual reference to the tailor's ("
A stitch in time saves nine [more] "). As a mere soulless translation of the English title, he remains in German but behind his back a little ways and denies the reader an eye-opener, as the saying applies not only to the craft talents Garak, but equal to his entire life.
has very glad instead that as 'White Star of the night
' designated Plant in Germany the title "Death Star
" (p. 294) and is thereby also in German, a small dig at '
the other space saga ' remained.
Late revenge for the ignored roster: The flower of the Death Star's expels anachronisms : Touching Acknowledgements finish the actual novel on page 423:
"
Finally at Margaret Clark , my brave and thoroughly informed lecturer who gave me not only the kind of creative leadership that helped me the backbone to find the book, but also knew that Hasperat a Bajoran and not a Cardassian court - and saved me from eternal Star Trek shame. "
so so, Hasperat. can
It's almost a shame that neither Ms. Clark, a correspondingly thorough proofreading, yet this work confirm the absence of such slip-ups.
so surprised about that, according to the episode "Return to Grace
" somewhat in dealing with familiar people
disruptors Cardassian Phaser suddenly
used (see p. 108).
also sounds strange it is that
edosianische Orchids to be an endemic species Cardassia (see p. 287). Actually refers to '
edosianisch ' was probably on the TAS-character
Arex , whose species production, according to materials of the Star Trek cartoon offshoot also referred to with the adjective.
was most frightening scenario, however, the claim that rats are said to have
on the ground transmitters of the plague
. Finally, even rats were infected as a carrier for the actual carrier of the deadly bacterium: the
Pestfloh .
Such dangerous half-knowledge just from the mouth of trained health professional to hear Julian Bashir, can log on to its genetic enhancement lingering doubts (p. 339).
Conclusion : For his first novel Garak performer Andrew Robinson made in his role level, and a biographical-style novel patched up, who is not only a vivid picture of the former tailor, but also the entire Cardassian society. Small clause information is woven into the whole chapter and in the end, the reader, the species in general, and specifically Garak knows better.
This book is above all the German Cross-Cult-Verlag, a large fortune, because the local expenditure exceeds by his deviant cover, the map Cardassia and the City's final words to the American model Julie Wangler yard lengths.
The biggest flaw of the book remains, however, that Garak is indeed easily recognizable, but his scheming depths are not adequate to advantage. It falls far short of its potential, while most of his mysterious aura that is taken in which he accounted for in the course of the series actually.
Memorable quotes :
"
Would you return to the same Cardassia? "
"
What do you mean 'the same'? "
"
In a Cardassian with the political and social elements that have made the current situation. "
"
My dear doctor, that is the Cardassia, which allows me . "
Bashir and Garak, p. 68
"
The democratic principle of one man appears to be the political and social nightmare of the other. "
Garak, p. 71
"
Love makes fools of us all. "
Garak, p. 99
"
Political opinions often have consequences. "
Garak, p. 245
Rating: Indispensable must-read.
