DS9: A Stitch in Time audio book petition

[Avro Arrow]

If people want to get more into depth on the details in Second Self, I would suggest that the review thread for that book might be a more appropriate place.

Let’s try to keep this one more focused on A Stitch in Time.

 

[Lynx]

This story is supposed to be the 'last Garak story' chronologically

Well, there you have the problem.
If he hadn't beeen destroyed and killed off we could have had much more Garak stories cronologically.
A pity, since Una MacCormack did such a great job with The Never Ending Sacrifice and The Crimson Shadow. I had wanted to read more such books.

You raise several commplaints really unrelated to one another.
1. No 'new' events will contradict the tv series.. that's the basic rule of tie-in fiction
2. If future revealed events show Garak as less-than-saintly.. isn't that pretty much suggested from what *is* known about Garak? I would actually be surprised if he is shown to be a true 'hero' figure in future books...

It is possible to write around stupid events in TV-series, especially when it comes to Star Trek where there are a lot of loopholes when it comes to alternate universes and such. I'd done it myself.

And why shouldn't Garak be a true hero? he did regret a lot of things in his past and did his best to correct those.

3. After 2399? there would be very few novels set after 2399 *at all*, as this is one of the 'current' timeframes for Trek.. But books set during Garak's life? pplenty of room and potential there..
Garak's actually *on the cover* of Dayton Ward's next Trek novel.. Far from 'destroyed'...

Well, I want to check what that upcoming book is about before commenting it.

As opposed to the space Gestapo that he actually was?

He wasn't a "space Gestapo", more a secret agent, sort of CIA or KGB. But the point is that he changed, regretted it and tried to correct past mistakes later on.

In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, there were politicians who had worked in the Soviet occupation "governments" in those countries who later on joined the forces who wanted freedom for those countries and became democratic politicians in democratic societies.

The same could be said about Alexander Dubček who dad been a minor politruk for a couple of yearsand then became the leading politician in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and started the "Prague Spring", a period of liberalization, unfortunately crushed by the Soviets in August 1968.

If people want to get more into depth on the details in Second Self, I would suggest that the review thread for that book might be a more appropriate place.

Let’s try to keep this one more focused on A Stitch in Time.

I admit my guilt in this matter because I was the one who first mentioned Second Self in this thread.

The reason for that was that I had so highly praised not only A Stitch In Time but also Una MacCormacks books The never Ending Sacrifice and The Crimson Shadow in a post I wrote, stating bthat books like these have given me back the faith in TrekLit.

The next day I found out about what had happened to Garak in Second Self.

So I got angry over finding another favorite character destroyed and just had to contradict my own statements from the day before.

The debate about Garak in the books started there and then.

As for A Stitch In Time I have only good words. definitely one of my favorite Star Trek books.

 

[Stevil2001]

My library finally got this via Libby a couple weeks ago, and my hold came up last week, so I've been listening to it on my commutes.

It's very good! I have read it, but my reading log goes back to Sept. 2003, and it's not listed on there, so it's been over two decades and I don't remember much other than liking it. It is very detailed, very well-observed.

Andrew Robinson's voice has aged a bit so his Garak isn't quite as smooth as he was in 1999, but hearing it straight out of his own mouth is pretty delightful. Robinson is pretty restrained in attempting impressions, but he does really go for it with Rene Auberjonois as Odo, and his take is fairly accurate. (His take on Armin Shimerman gets the tone down, but is less accurate.)

I have been impressed by how many small but organic continuity references there are, much moreso than you would expect from an actor to be honest. Like, some stuff about the "Jack Pack" even though Robinson wasn't in those episode. That said, in the DS9-set sequences they are always talking about "Major Kira"... but aren't these set during Season Seven? Am I wrong about that?

Also the queer subtexts totally went over my head at age seventeen-or-lower... but I don't see how so, I was just so clueless, because they are text!

 

[Smiley]

My memory is that the DS9 parts of the book took place at various parts of the series run and not solely during Season 7. Could an inaccurate rank have slipped through into the final manuscript? Maybe. I definitely did not notice anything like that the last time I read it, though.

 

[Tosk]

For the most part "Major Kira" is confined to Part One, and "Colonel Kira" is confined to Part Two. But he does slip at least once, within the same scene no less.

When Colonel Kira asked me why you were making inquiries, I joked that perhaps you were writing a book.

About ten lines later:

The major’s question echoed in my head: What does she want from you, Elim?

Old habits die hard, y'know.

 

[Stevil2001]

For the most part "Major Kira" is confined to Part One, and "Colonel Kira" is confined to Part Two. But he does slip at least once, within the same scene no less.

When Colonel Kira asked me why you were making inquiries, I joked that perhaps you were writing a book.

About ten lines later:

The major’s question echoed in my head: What does she want from you, Elim?

Old habits die hard, y'know.

Oh, is Part One all season six? There was something that made me think season seven but now I don't remember what.

 

[Tosk]

Oh, is Part One all season six? There was something that made me think season seven but now I don't remember what.

I believe Part One's DS9 sections are set prior to Tears of the Prophets. Many mentions of the upcoming (ill-fated) invasion of Cardassia.

Edit: Yes, that seems to be correct. And then Part Two starts at least (approximately) a month after the invasion attempt, due to him calling her Colonel (The show established that she was promoted roughly one month after Sisko left) and that the invasion was still fairly recent.

 

[Stevil2001]

I believe Part One's DS9 sections are set prior to Tears of the Prophets. Many mentions of the upcoming (ill-fated) invasion of Cardassia.

Edit: Yes, that seems to be correct. And then Part Two starts at least (approximately) a month after the invasion attempt, due to him calling her Colonel (The show established that she was promoted roughly one month after Sisko left) and that the invasion was still fairly recent.

Thanks. I was misinterpreting the references to the imminent invasion of Cardassia as referring to the big push near the end of Season Seven. I had forgotten about the big push beginning in "Tears of the Prophets"! There's also a comment about Chin'toka I took the wrong way, as a battle that had happened, not one going to happen. It has been a long time since I watched Deep Space Nine.

 

[Greg Cox]

Speaking of Garak, let it be noted that the new hardcover collection, STAR TREK: THE MISSION AND OTHER STORIES, which just came out today, features no less than three Garak-centric stories, by James Swallow, Una McCormack, and John Peel. The title story, in fact, involves Garak in a big way.

(I wrote a couple of TNG stories for the book as well.)

 

[Tosk]

So noted!

 

[Greg Cox]

So noted!

Clearly I dropped the ball by not writing about Garak as well.

 

[Una McCormack]

Clearly I dropped the ball by not writing about Garak as well.

We should all agree to sneak him in somehow.

 

[Stevil2001]

Just over halfway through. (I don't think I'm going to get through it before my Libby loan is due back, though. How do people get through audiobooks quickly? I can manage about an hour a day on my commute.) This is quite good, isn't it? I don't know if anyone's ever noticed that, before.

 

[ATimson]

How do people get through audiobooks quickly? I can manage about an hour a day on my commute.

That's where I do most of my listening, although I also listen while doing housework too.

 

[Tosk]

I can manage about an hour a day on my commute

You got me beat. I've been doing Stitch in one hour a week chunks.

 

[Stevil2001]

That's where I do most of my listening, although I also listen while doing housework too.

I used to listen while doing housework but this became much trickier after having kids; inevitably someone starts attacking someone else and/or starts asking me to solve math problems moments after I pop my earbuds in and start doing the dishes.

 

[Stevil2001]

I forgot this book was to blame for "Skrain." I take it all back, everything nice thing I said.

 

[Tosk]

I'll vote for the defense. I love the sound of Skrain, and for me it's...*sigh* head-canon. Same with Corat Damar.

 

[Stevil2001]

I'll vote for the defense. I love the sound of Skrain, and for me it's...*sigh* head-canon. Same with Corat Damar.

"Corat" has a good ring to it, but I just cannot imagine anyone on the show ever saying "Skrain" aloud, I just don't believe in it. No wonder the guy went seven years without using his first name.

 

[Christopher]

"Corat" has a good ring to it, but I just cannot imagine anyone on the show ever saying "Skrain" aloud, I just don't believe in it. No wonder the guy went seven years without using his first name.

What's wrong with "Skrain?" Phonetically, it's just "Crane" with an S at the beginning, and "Crane" is a perfectly ordinary name. Heck, it sounds less weird to me than "Elim."