Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a wonderful television programme. I’ve seen it all and loved it from start to finish. It’s a show filled with memorable and well-written characters. One of my absolute favourites was Elim Garak, the Cardassian tailor with a mysterious past at a shady government organisation. Andrew J. Robinson, the actor who brought Garak to life, wrote A Stitch in Time and it serves as a biography for Garak, as well as an epilogue for the character after the ending of the series.

First things first: don’t read this novel if you haven’t watched the entirety of Deep Space Nine – not only will it spoil several major events from the series, but a few things just won’t make sense if you don’t have that knowledge going in. But if you are well versed in the story of DS9 and Garak in particular, then this book is a real treat.

There are three storylines going on at the same time, the first of these is set after the series. Garak had always been a very likeable character, despite the fact that he has a dodgy past, but no matter what you may think about that, by the end of the series, he’s lost so much and you can’t help but feel sorry for him. The parts of the story in the modern day with Garak working to help re-build Cardassia are really very sad, but not in an over the top kind of way – in a melancholy, bittersweet kind of way and there’s a painful nostalgia which you get when you contrast it against what you learn of the character’s past. Ultimately, this story thread gives us a chance to see how Garak has grown for the better.

The second story thread is the story of Garak’s life before DS9, starting with him as a child living at home, before then being sent off to school and later working for the secret group, the Obsidian Order. Not only is this the most in-depth and fascinating look at Cardassian culture I’ve ever seen, but this storyline shines light on much of Garak’s behaviour and even his little personality quirks. I don’t want to spoil anything, so it’s hard to say too much about this story thread, but it really compliments what we already know of Garak, helping him to feel more whole.

Finally, there’s a third story thread about Garak during his time on DS9. These chapters give you an opportunity to see other characters from the series and provide you with personal insights into Garak’s relationships with other members of the crew. Though there were less big revelations about the character in these chapters, I think that they were important in giving you a look at every period in Garak’s life.

Sometimes, when you have a mysterious character in a story, learning their backstory can be disappointing because the mystery was one of the biggest reasons that anyone liked the character. Not so with this – if anything, it makes Garak feel like a more three-dimensional person. I liked him a lot before reading this and I like him even more now – he’s a very tragic character and with everything brought together like this, you feel the tragedy even more.

Interestingly, this novel confirms the character as non-heterosexual, which is nice, because a lot of fans had interpreted him in that way. Unfortunately, this is only really mentioned in passing, which is disappointing – particularly as Cardassia is portrayed as a planet which places a lot of value on a “traditional family”, which would probably have caused some conflict. I definitely like the fact that it was included, I just wish that more had been done with it.

The only other real criticism I have of this book is that I felt that portion of the novel concerned with Garak’s time in school was drawn out a little too much. It wasn’t bad and there were certainly really interesting parts to his time in education, but after a while, I did find myself hoping the story would move on and we’d get to learn more about his life afterwards.

Overall though – a brilliant book. This was my first foray into the world of Star Trek novels and I think it was a good choice. A very addictive read which I made my way through fairly quickly. I strongly recommend it (to Garak fans).

Rating: 9.3/10

This is the fourth Sherlock Holmes book and the second Sherlock Holmes short story anthology. I tend to think that the short story format is the one which is best suited to the Sherlock Holmes series and this collection includes some of the very best. The book is especially noteworthy due to the fact that it introduces Mycroft Holmes and Professor Moriarty – two fascinating characters who are a huge part of the Holmes canon. Here are my reviews of each of the stories.

Silver Blaze
A classic story which sees Holmes and Watson heading out into the countryside to investigate a murder… and also a disappearing race horse. It’s a good, fun story with a clever resolution.

The Yellow Face
This is a very different story and one in which, as Watson explains at the start, Holmes does not successfully solve the case. In fact, Holmes and Watson don’t play a very active role in the events at all. A man named Mr. Munro comes to them after his wife has started to behave suspiciously. That’s all I’ll say, but I loved it. It’s one of the more progressive Holmes stories.

The Stockbroker’s Clerk
Interestingly, this is the second story in a row in which Holmes and Watson play a rather passive role in the events. It does however present a very unusual mystery (even if slightly similar to The Red Headed League) and it gives a nice insight into the lives of Holmes and Watson following the ending of The Sign of Four.

The Gloria Scott
This story gives us a rare glimpse of Holmes’ life before he met Watson. After a suspicious death in the modern day, Holmes recalls an adventure he shared with his old friend Victor Trevor during his college days. It’s quite a gripping one, but also an especially violent and grim one.

The Musgrave Ritual
Another story which gives us a glimpse at Holmes’s early life and, in fact, is mostly narrated by Holmes himself. This one is quite a mysterious story about an unusual ritual that the Musgrave family has passed down for generations. Its real meaning turns out to be very interesting, making this a story I enjoyed very much.

The Reigate Squire
Holmes is in poor health and so he and Watson head to the countryside so that he can get some rest. Of course, they soon find themselves caught up in yet another mystery, this one surrounding a murder at a nearby household. A fairly average Holmes story, but an enjoyable one all the same.

The Crooked Man
A story which revolves around the murder of a military man. Though this was another story in which Holmes and Watson’s involvement in the cause of events was rather minimal, I still thought it was an especially good one. The backstory behind the crime, which you find out as the story goes on, is really interesting.

The Resident Patient
Another story whose crime has a very interesting backstory. This time Holmes and Watson are approached by a doctor who found himself with his own practise under unusual circumstances, with a Russian nobleman as a patient and a very nervous upstairs neighbour. A really good one.

The Greek Interpreter
A fantastic story and one which introduces us to Sherlock’s older, smarter enigmatic brother, Mycroft. Holmes and Watson go to visit him in order to hear the account of a Greek interpreter, he tells them of a disturbing experience in which he had to translate for a man who had seemingly been kidnapped.

The Naval Treaty
Holmes and Watson become involved in an investigation into a missing naval treaty, which has seemingly been stolen. If leaked, there would be dire consequences on the international stage. Another terrific story – it’s nice to see the pair of them investigating something which such high stakes.

The Final Problem
Holmes has identified that a man named Professor Moriarty is at the heart of a vast interconnected web of organised crime and takes action to bring him down. Holmes and Watson must take flight in order to avoid his wrath – the price they pay to stop Moriarty will be high. This is, perhaps my favourite Sherlock Holmes story.

Overall, it’s a really solid collection of stories and one which I thoroughly recommend. Even if you haven’t read any Sherlock Holmes stories before, this could be a good place to start – you don’t really need any additional information going in and these are some of the best stories in the series.

Rating: 9.4/10

Buy it here.