nicky2910's book reviews

This might be one of the most popular stories, mostly read in school. And yes, I read it at school as well, but back then I couldn't appreciate this parable to its fullest. But given the developments in the last 25 years, nations risen and fallen, political systems overthrown in the hope for something better - only to end up worse than before -, this text had much more of an impact on me now. Because, as sad as it may sound: the imagery and the message ring true, almost painfully true - despite, or maybe because of the not so very hidden hints of communism and the date it's been written. And what does that say about humankind nowadays that it's still relevant in this day and age?

All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.

The animals of Manor Farm stage a rebellion against their human owner which succeeds. What begins as a common effort to establish equality among the animals, so that no one rules over them... soon ends up producing the ruling class of the pigs with its leader ever more removed from the "common" working animals and surrounded by vicious dogs. History's rewritten, enemies are created, demagoguery rules - all just to pull wool over the eyes of the rest of the animals.

Now I ask you: Is reality so much different?

Definitely a must-read.

His first mission as Imperial Auditor leads Miles and his colleague Vorthys to Komarr to investigate the partial destruction of the Soletta array, a sort of mirror construction to strengthen the sunlight for terraforming the planet. Much more interesting than the investigation, however, turns out to be his hostess, Vorthys's niece Ekaterin.

This is my second complete run through this novel... and admittedly the first one that I found difficult at times. I think most of that is due to the divided point of view between Miles and Ekaterin, the rest comes from the not too complicated plot that clearly takes a backseat here. Ekaterin is married to the administrator of a terraforming business - a man who's ignored his genetic defect for years, and therefore puts their son at risk, which Ekaterin can't abide by. Additionally, there's no love and respect left in their marriage, she feels trapped with little light at the end of the tunnel.

I actually liked her point of view in my first reading this novel - her interest in Vorkosigan and his seeming to cope with his defects, the way he apparently doesn't stifle his (past) girlfriends but lets them spread their wings; her horror when she suddenly finds herself in the middle of his investigation.

But now I thought this passages dragged on a bit too much. Of course, the whole novel only serves one purpose, which is to introduce Ekaterin as an equal partner for Miles. In the end, though, she comes across as a bit too good a fit: she's quick to look beyond Miles's physical deficiencies (including his seizure condition) because she's used to deal with the fear of genetic imperfection. She's rational, calm in a crisis. She loves Barrayar... and she ends up being available for courtship (which is dealt with in the next novel).

Komarr isn't a bad or boring story. But it lacks the re-readability which I've so enjoyed so far. And granted, I love Miles's point of view, and that half of this novel is taken away with bad marriage-turmoil from "other than Miles" doesn't satisfy me at all. Therefore: Komarr's so far, the weakest part of the series.

Bankl, eine Koryphäe der Gerichtsmedizin und Autor von so manchem medizinischem Lehrbuch, das sich in meinem Schrank befindet, beschreibt hier in vielen Unterkapiteln Kuriositäten und Wissenschaftliches aus seinem Fach. Er spikt dies mit Fallbeispielen historischer, aber auch aktueller Natur. Und so wird dieses Buch ausgesprochen unterhaltsam und lehrreich - für Kollegen aber auch Laien.

Wer also in die Arbeit des forensischen Pathologen Einblick haben will, der möge einen Blick in diese Seiten werfen!

Die Handlung ist recht übersichtlich - und die Fragen, was ist geschehen, wer ist der Täter, verkommen hier zur vorhersehbaren Nebensache. Denn Nesser zieht vielmehr den Spannungsbogen rund um die Untiefen der Familie, die geheimen Begierden, der einen fesselt.

Kurz vor Weihnachten kommt eine Familie zusammen zur Feier des gemeinsamen Geburtstags des Vaters sowie der ältesten Tochter Ebba, Vaters Liebkind. Da wären der missratene Sohn Walter, die jüngste Tochter Kristina samt Mann und Kind, und natürlich Ebbas Mann und 2 Söhne. Doch die Zusammenkunft steht unter keinem guten Stern: am ersten Abend verschwindet Walter (was keinen wirklich kratzt), am zweiten dann Ebbas Lieblingssohn Henrik. Kommissar Gunnar Barbarotti beginnt mit seinen Ermittlungen...

Nesser widmet viel Zeit, um seine Charaktere einzuführen, was einerseits für einen langsamen Beginn sorgt, andererseits aber auch Tiefe vermittelt. Jedenfalls wird die sogenannte Familienidylle durch den Einblick in die Gedankenwelt jedes Einzelnen ziemlich nachhaltig zerstört. So tritt die eigentliche Ermittlungsarbeit in den Hintergrund, und eher beleuchtet, wie die 2 Vermisstenfälle die Protagonisten beeinflussen und aus der Bahn bringen - oder auch so totgeschwiegen werden, dass die Eltern sich auf mehr oder weniger Nimmerwiedersehen nur ein paar Wochen nach Weihnachten nach Spanien in den Ruhestand absetzen. Gleichgültigkeit, Gewohnheit sind sehr starke Themen. Genauso Bevorzugung, Geschwisterkonflikt, Kontrollverlust - und Gewalt in der Familie.

Warum der Roman trotzdem nur 3,5 Sterne erhält? Hm... der Schluss ist sehr abrupt, die letzte Konfrontation wird an sich nicht wirklich aufgeklärt. Was ist wirklich passiert?

Keine leichte Lektüre, irgendwie hoffnungslos... und deshalb vielleicht auch beklemmend real, dieser Einblick in die Familienidylle.

Another anthology - this time the common factor is the Dominion War... and what practically every crew ever shown in TV or TrekLit was up to in that time.

Michael Jan Friedman's What Dreams May Come focuses on Gilaad Ben Zoma, Picard's former first officer on the Stargazer... rather unmemorable, maybe because it's been so very long since I've read the Stargazer books.

Night of the Vulture by Greg Cox follows up on the entity which thrived on dissent and conflict, first shown in TOS' Day of the Dove. Nice idea, but ultimately also not exactly memorable.

Keith R. A. DeCandido's The Ceremony of Innocence is Drowned is set on Betazed right at the moment of the Dominion invasion. Usually I'm not really a fan of Lwaxana, but this story rang true, all the emotions, the terror, the incredulity that the Dominion would take such a daring step (and the Federation's being caught ill-prepared)... It also fits in with "The Battle of Betazed", a novel about the occupation and liberation of Betazed. Well done.

Blood Sacrifice by Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz shows Spock on Romulus during In the Pale Moonlight...a Romulus that still contemplates an alliance with the Dominion until the Emperor suddenly dies. A fine glimpse back into the worldbuilding the 2 authors did with their "Vulcan's (noun)"-series.

Mirror Eyes by Heather Jarman & Jeffrey Lang is about the outbreak of a disease on Bajor... and only a nurse, presumed Vulcan but actually a Romulan sleeper, can provide the cure. Not exactly exciting.

Twilight's Wrath by David Mack highlights Shinzon, turning a suicide mission into success. Actually very good - Mack-like bloody and violent, but also an intriguing tale of oppression, hatred and revenge.

Eleven Hours Out by Dave Galanter focuses on Picard and Troi during the Breen attack on Earth... immemorable.

Safe Harbors by Howard Weinstein takes place at the same time when Scotty and McCoy are stuck on a semi-hostile planet, reluctant to help with repairs, with a damaged ship when contact to Earth breaks up. Better... but a bit contrived. Or is it really believable that these 2 are on the same ship just at that moment?

Field Expediency by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore has SCE's Duffy and Stevens on a planet to retrieve some Dominion gadget from a downed ship when the Jem'Hadar attack. Good read, but still not too different from the early SCE... in short, doesn't tell us anything new about the characters.

Haven' read Robert Greenberger's A Song Well Sung - if not absolutely necessary, I won't voluntarily read about Klingons.

Zak Kebron tells his son the "heroics" of the Excalibur during the Dominion War in Peter David's Stone Cold Truths... nice tale, definitely one of the highlights, and a nice ring back to a time when I still liked TNF (i.e. up to Dark Alles).

Michael A Martin & Andy Mangels' Requital focuses on one of the soldiers in AR-558 who can't just forgive and forget, and is recruited by an equally disillusioned Cardassian to assassinate the Founder after the war's end. Interesting and quite disturbing - especially the apparent lack of psychological aid.

Overall, a couple of highlights, the rest mediocre, unfortunately. Still, it was nice to read stories of authors that I haven't seen in modern TrekLit for a decade or so. So much has changed in the production line since the early 2000s when this anthology was published...

This is an anthology, framed by an alternate version of "The Visitor" (i.e. without the desperate struggle to save his father) where Jake shows his visitor his new book, a collection of short stories set on and around Deep Space Nine.

Ha'mara by Kevin G. Summers is set right after "Emissary". Sisko, Jake and Kira visit Bajor and the Kai, all not really sure (or even resentful) of Sisko's new role in Bajoran society. Sisko and Kira are stuck underground after a resistance ammunition depot blows up and learn to work together. Quite a nice story, but doesn't actually tell us something the series didn't (as Kira and Sisko still continue to struggle and antagonize right till the end of season 1).

The Orb of Opportunity by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels continues on from "Life Support" and involves Nog into Winn's mission to retrieve another orb of the prophets. Nog begins to see that there's more to life than just business and greed - and thus starts his way to Starfleet. And it's nice to actually see a more positive side to Winn, especially after Bareil's death.

Broken Oaths by Keith R. A. DeCandido shows Bashir and O'Brien's reconciliation after the events of "Hippocratic Oath". Also nicely done, but not quite memorable.

Didn't finish Christopher L. Bennett's ... Loved I not Honor more - don't like his writing style, and have never liked Grilka or Quark.

Three Sides to every story by Terri Osborne is set during the first 6 episodes of season 6. Jake tried to get a story for the FNS approved by Weyoun and decides to do a feature on Ziyal. What starts out as professional interest turns to friendship and a glimpse into the mind of a girl who's not welcome on either of her 2 homeworlds. Nicely done. I have to say, Ziyal was a part of the DS9 family for so short a time, but she's left an impact... actually more of an impact characters starting with Kira, to Garak, Damar and of course Dukat. And these turned out to be the most interesting characters of the whole series to be honest.

The Devil You Know by Heather Jarman has Jadzia face her demons when she and a Romulan scientist start to work on a genetic weapon against the Jem'Hadar. Not sure how believable this story is, to be honest. Granted, the war drags on and Jadzia sees ever more friends on the missing or KIA-lists. But to have her almost construct a weapon of genocide? That's a bit too farfetched.

Foundlings by Jeffrey Lang confronts Odo with the former Cardassian chief of security of Terok Nor when he comes to investigate the disappearance of a freighter - which turns out to be the first step in establishing a route for Cardassian refugees out of Dominion space. Well written, but not really memorable, either.

Chiaroscuro by Geoffrey Thorne has Ezri face the survivor of a mission gone horribly wrong back when Jadzia was just out of the academy. Frankly, I didn't really get what the machine was all about. Reminded me a bit of V'Ger in Star Trek TMP in the device's wish to connect with some kind fo master - a device that's designed to sort of restart the universe when the energy of the Big Bang's kind of burned itself out. One of the worse stories in this anthology.

Face Value by Una McCormack is set on Cardassia during the final episodes of the series. Damar, Garak and Kira all have to face old prejudice (positive and negative), deal with betrayal and loss - and form mutual respect. Easily the best story of this collection, and it shows (even in this early work of hers) why McCormack is the specialist on the Cardassian mindset.

I was especially looking forward to The Calling by Andrew J. Robinson, a follow-up to his "Stitch in Time". But quite honestly, I was disappointed. First of all, it's kind of the sequel to a stage performance he and Siddig played on conventions, so makes references to events that aren't available in written form. And it's a bit too esoteric for my taste, reality and some sort of vision (when he searches out Palandine's daughter with the Oralian Way) getting mixed up. So, as I said, a major downlet.

Overall, a rather average anthology.

Es ist das Jahr 2022. In der Stichwahl der französischen Präsidentschaftswahlen befinden sich ein Kandidat des Front National und einer der Muslimischen Bruderschaft. Während das Land sich in den Grundfesten verändert, durchlebt der Erzähler Francois, ein Literaturprofessor, seine eigene Midlife Crisis.

Ganz ehrlich, schlussendlich war ich von der Lektüre dieses Romans enttäuscht. Gerade die interessanten Facetten, nämlich die Übernahme der westlichen Welt durch die Muslimischen Bruderschaft samt der Veränderungen, die dies in der Gesellschaft bringt, Stichwort Stellung der Frau, Bildungspolitik, Expansion, wird mehr in philosophischen Unterhaltungen gebracht als als Hauptaugenmerk. Die Midlife Crisis des Protagonisten samt seiner sexuellen Erfolge und Misserfolge entschädigt da keineswegs. Vor allem da das Ende des Charakters eigentlich vorgegeben ist - entweder er "unterwirft" sich einem System, das ihm an sich alle seine Probleme letztlich (vor allem die Partnerwahl) abnimmt, oder er bricht aus... und letzteres ist von Anfang an unwahrscheinlich.

Daher bleibt ein schaler Beigeschmack - aber vielleicht hab ich auch einfach die vielen philosophischen Untertöne und Ergüsse über das Römische Reich, das nun ganz schnell nachgebaut werden soll mit der Expansion der EU Richtung Nordafrika (hm, wie das geschieht, nachdem Frankreich nur ein Staat von vielen in der EU ist, und schließlich alle Mitgliedsstaaten Beitrittsgesprächen zustimmen müssten, bleibt offen), nicht verstanden...

Leon Uris bettet die historischen Ereignisse rund um die Gründung des Staates Israel in einen umfangreichen Roman ein.

Kurz nach dem Ende des 2. Weltkrieges warten Tausende Juden in Lagern in Westeuropa und Zypern auf die Einreiseerlaubnis nach Palästina, das zu dem Zeitpunkt von Großbritannien besetzt ist. Da trifft die amerikanische Kinderkrankenschwester Kitty auf Zypern auf den jüdischen Agenten Ari, der plant, die Blockade vor Palästina mit einem Schiff voller jugendlicher Flüchtlinge zu brechen, und Kitty um Hilfe bittet. Damit nimmt die Geschichte ihren Lauf.

Das, was diesen Roman von der Durchschnittskriegsromanze abhebt, ist sicherlich die eindrückliche Schilderung der jüdischen Geschichte: von Ghettos und Pogromen bis hin zum Holocaust, Gaskammern und Internierungslagern *nach* der Befreiung. Dazu eine britische Regierung, die sich gar nicht mit Ruhm bekleckert, sondern Versprechen bricht rechts und links... alles nur des Zugangs zum Öl bzw Suezkanal. 70 Jahre später haben sich die politischen und wirtschaftlichen Interessen nicht so geändert, diese Nebenbemerkung sei erlaubt.

Dazu kommen die individuellen Schicksale von Aris Vater und Onkel, die aus Osteuropa Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts zu Fuß vor den Pogromen flüchten. Während Aris Vater Barak den Weg der Verhandlungen einschlägt, schließt sich der Onkel Akiba einer terroristischen Freiheitsbewegung an. Anhand ihrer Geschichte erzählt Uris die Entstehung der Kibbuze und schlußendlich die Gründung des Staates. Dann sind noch Dov Landau, ein polnischer Bursche, dessen gesamte Familie ermordet wurde und der nichts anderes als Ghetto und KZ kennt und dementsprechend wütend und desillusioniert im zypriotischen Lager landet und schließlich eines der Kinder von Aris Plan wird - genauso wie Karen, die das Glück hatte, rechtzeitig nach Dänemark geschickt zu werden, und so dem Holocaust entkam, die aber nun auf der Suche nach ihrem überlebenden Vater auch den Weg nach Palästina via Zypern und Aris Schiff sucht.

Ari selbst ist der typische Freiheitskämpfer, der Held mit Tiefgang sozusagen. An ihm im Einzelfall, aber sozusagen als Stellvertreter für die gesamte jüdische Gesellschaft, zeigt Uris die Formung des Charakters durch Verlust, Tod und Kampf: Nichts wird geschenkt, alles muss erkämpft werden (sei es durch Urbarmachung von Sümpfen oder Kampfhandlungen), und Schicksalsschläge werden ertragen und machen stärker. Genau diese Charakterisierung als absolut gut und die folgende Schwarz-Weiß-Malerei mit einfach nur abgrundbösen, verräterischen "Arabern", näher definiert wird da nicht, sie morden, rauben und vergewaltigen, haben keine Kultur, Hygiene oder sonstwie Wissen, und die Briten, die mit wenigen Ausnahmen auch einfach nur böse sind, ist mir zu wenig differenziert. Das mag grob geschichtlich stimmen, aber ein Roman lebt an sich von den Schattierungen, ganz besonders, wo's klare Fronten gibt.

Blass bleibt Kitty, die nicht-jüdische Kinderkrankenschwester, Mann und tote Tochter betrauernd (kein Zusammenhang mit dem Krieg), denn ganz erschließt sich mir ihre Motivation nicht. Zu Anfang ist sie richtiggehend von Karen besessen, in der sie sozusagen eine Art Tochterersatz sieht und die sie gleich nach Amerika adoptieren will. Dazu kommen ihre Argwohn gegenüber dem Fremden, Jüdischen. Nur wegen Karen und weil sie sich irgendwie zu Ari hingezogen fühlt, nimmt sie an dem Abenteuer der Überfahrt nach Palästina teil. Ihre Gefühle zu Ari aber kann sie nicht wirklich ausleben, weil der "nicht weint" und sie auch nicht zu brauchen scheint. Auch hier wünscht sie also eine Art von Abhängigkeitsverhältnis, das mir nicht wirklich gesund oder wie eine gleichberechtigte Partnerschaft erscheint. Und genau mit dieser Charakterisierung aber fällt die Wirkung der gezeigten Romanze flach.

Somit bleibt ein ausgezeichneter Eindruck der jüdischen Geschichte, und ja, aus diesem Teil kann man als Nicht-Jude definitiv viel erfahren, der Rest allerdings sackt doch ins Durchschnittliche ab. Schade.

While Crusher and Picard attend a conference over the offer by the Venetans to the Tzenkethi to use some of their starbases (those close to Federation, Cardassian and Ferengi space respectively), Dax is joined by SI commander Peter Alden, visiting one of the starbases in question and trying to determine the Tzenkethi motive.

I think the red thread holding this book together is distrust - distrust of enemies in a cold war, distrust of old friends who might have changed too far, distrust of new allies etc. And in the end, a part of the solution which returns a threatening outbreak of open warfare to the cold war situation, is to sow distrust into a people who are blunt and not used to subterfuge and lies. The Tzenkethi are a fascinating people and McCormack spends some time introducing their culture and the makeup of their society. And quite frankly, open slavery and subjugation is one thing, but genetic engineering and "(re)conditioning" so that everybody is happy with the small place that they're granted and not willing and/or able to look beyond is quite the devious scheme.

This book also introduces Peter Alden, a high-strung intelligence officer on the verge of a breakdown, and Corazame, one of said naive Tzenkethi who gets pulled into a spy-extraction plot. We'll see both of them again in "The Missing" and "Enigma Tales" (only Alden).

Overall, an entertaining novel, which unfortunately takes a bit of time to really get going. But once it does, it's hard to put it down... And I said it before: I like Alden, he's an interesting, multi-layered character that I wouldn't mind reading much more of.

This is the third part of Harris' Cicero series - and it doesn't make much sense without having read the previous 2 novels, Imperium and Lustrum since it picks up right where Lustrum left off and runs through the final 20 years of Cicero's life: his exile and return, Pompey vs Caesar, Caesar's dictatorship, Caesar's assassination, the 2nd triumvirate and the end of the republic.

"Raise, praise, and erase."

But as much as especially the second half  of Lustrum captivated me, this book rushed through major events - and unfortunately also showed that Cicero, in all his idealism, didn't really learn from past events. He again put faith in people who betrayed him and/or turned out to have quite different agendas. He again tried to manipulate events, not realizing that it was he that was manipulated. In that way much of what happens with Octavian and Marc Anthony - even the ill-thought through assassination of Caesar (which Cicero had no part in but sympathized with) -, didn't offer more than what history books teach. Frankly, in some parts, there's more introspection about Tiro than about Cicero. Granted, Tiro is the narrator, but the book is about Cicero.

So, yes, this is a good book, and it concludes this trilogy in an engaging manner - but the undisputed highlight remains Lustrum where the inner workings of politics are actually put to the stand, including democracy vs the rule of the mob vs the rule of one, and Cicero's personality as a politician and as a human-being is defined.

This novel follows the lives of 5 Harvard graduates, beginning with their enrollment until their 25th graduation anniversary:

* Ted, a classicist, Greek, an outsider because he doesn't live on campus - always struggling to make his mark

* Jason, a sports star, jewish only on the paper - until the loss of the love of his life leads him to Israel

* Danny, a piano prodigy, always looking for public applause and sometimes overreaching

* Andy whose family funded one of the houses within campus. He never extinguishes himself professionally but in the end has an impact on all of them

* George, a Hungarian refugee, obsessed with politics and making his life worth the sacrifices he made.

This is an interesting novel but again for the most part it failed to actually engage me on a more emotional level. All of the protagonists are driven by professional ambition (nurtured by their families and the alma mater), disregarding their private lives, maybe except for Jason who actually follows his heart's desire and leaves the US and Harvard behind. But the others have to learn their lessons after affairs and putting public adulation before love and dedication - and some never learn.

Still in the final analysis, again, this novel left open much of the interior workings. Romances don't get infused with emotions, they're told pretty much straight-forward, like reciting facts... and given some characters' attitudes it's pretty difficult to see how anyone could fall for them and/or agree to marry them. So, it's the heart of the story essentially that's missing (for the most part). And adding that heart would have lifted this novel from average to good in no time. But it was not to be.

Sheila and Bob lead the perfect life, successful in their jobs, 2 daughters, an epitome of a marriage - but Bob has kept a secret for 10 years, a secret that comes back to haunt him when he takes a call from France.

Years ago, I read Segal's "Doctors" 3 times, I read Acts of Faith, Love Story, Oliver's Story and Prizes and I remember them all, especially Doctors, very fondly. Maybe that's why this book ultimately disappointed me. First of all, the prose seemed incredibly simple and dispassionate at times.

And secondly and more importantly, how can a matter so complex as having a child from an affair a decade ago turn up, be handled properly in just over 200 pages? 50 of which deal with flashbacks to the beginnings of Sheila and Bob's relationship and to his affair? The focus is with the family the boy comes into, but the boy himself who after all just lost practically his whole world, is more a footnote. Where's just one thought about what's best for this child? Instead we read about 2 spoiled girls, Sheila who's tempted to sort of return the affair-favour, and Bob who just feels guilty. But the premise would have deserved much more...

That the book still gets an average rating is due to the fact that in the end, I got sucked into the story. But the disappointment remains.

Right after the mission to Euronda O'Neill's threatened by Kinsey with a court-martial because of his actions which led to the death of Alar - and to Earth not procuring new weapons. Meanwhile, the Tok'ra come up with a plan to get new hosts and spies. They plan on infiltrating a human breeding farm, and for that endeavour to succeed they need SG-1... which conveniently would put O'Neill out of Kinsey's sight.

I picked up this novel because of the post-Euronda premise where Jack and Daniel clashed in quite an unprecedented way. But somehow, this was the weakest part because, quite frankly, at times it felt as though this novel was set early in the series, not its 4th season. Everyone's unsure of everyone else, Daniel believes himself on the high moral ground which gets tiresome really fast, and the author doesn't waste time emphasizing Jack's past in covert ops including his stint in an Iraqi prison (that's only been mentioned twice within the series, that I can remember). Okay, but why not elaborate on that? Instead, she chooses to have him second-guess himself left and right about killing Alar.

When I think about Euronda, *that*'s not the moment I was doubting Jack, that decision to close the iris on Alar, after having warned him not to follow. Indubitably a questionable decision in itself but Jack isn't the person to doubt himself after the fact. But in pondering the aftermath, I'd have Jack question his single-minded quest for new weapons, his being deceived and not asking questions until it's almost too late. There's a reason why people should hear both sides of a conflict before making any kinds of judgement. And that should apply to military personnel as well, tasked with first contact. Standing order to procure weapons aside, this is the line dividing the SGC from the NID and their illegal operation.

And Daniel? Back in that episode he was right to question that war. But he should have talked to Jack in private, not in Alar's presence - who after all could use the division within the team for his own purpose. So Jack's right to be angry and lash out at Daniel in this novel. But I definitely could have done without that heart to heart where Daniel practically forgives Jack for killing Alar and everything's fine again. I've read better fanfic.

Unfortunately, one of the most promising premises, the threat Kinsey's posing to Jack, is dropped after the first confrontation. It's like once SG-1 is off Earth, Kinsey's vanishing back into the hole he's crawled out of, as well. Granted, we know that nothing comes out of Kinsey's threat of a court-martial, but I'd still have appreciated some mention of what's going to happen after SG-1's return, just one sentence would have been enough...

The main plot: Quite honestly, I don't understand why SG-1 claims to free those humans from slavery (even back when they're only targeting select humans, not the whole farm) when all it is they're doing is send them to the Tok'ra - what if they don't decide to become Tok'ra hosts or spies? What happens then? No one mentionned that. And quite frankly, the timeframe's just ridiculous. SG-1 joins such a breeding farm where people are terrorized, and within a day they talk about freedom and question everything the slaves know... that they're not killed or betrayed's not credible at all.

And finally, everyone using idioms and military speak got a bit annoying quite fast. At least, I didn't hear Jacob talk like that in the series...

So, overall, rather negligible.

This is the second part of Harris's Cicero-trilogy. The author claims that you should be able to read this book independently, but in my opinion you should have at least some idea about the various alliances and enmities that made up "Imperium".

Lustrum spans 5 years, beginning at the eve of Cicero's 1-year consulship when a young slave, owned by Cicero's co-consul Hybrida, is found mutilated. What follows is a row of unholy alliances to thwart the attempt of overthrowing the republic by Catilina and his followers. While Cicero is hailed saviour of the republic, his adherence to the rule of law opens the door for the rise of the mob on the one side and Caesar's rule on the other, disregarding protocol and pushing through legislation via bribery and threats. The senate's power is on the decline, the government now consists of Caesar, Crassus and Pompey with narcissist Clodius ruling the mob. And Cicero has to flee into the night.

The last 100 pages or so quite honestly gave me the chills. Cicero might have thwarted the most overt attack on the republic during his consulship... but he couldn't prevent the slow decline, the rise of the mob and Caesar's usurping power. Everytime he thinks he has slain a monster, it grows back 7 more heads. And that's rather disquieting. Of course, Cicero's not without blame, either. He chose to rest on his laurels, he made pacts that later on bit him in the behind, he wasn't careful enough about whom to trust, and that's what leads to his fall from grace.

But the chilling sensation doesn't only come from the story itself, the tale of a corrupt republic that tears itself apart. No, rather than talking about the long lost Roman republic this novel feels damningly real in this age and time where we see mob-like movements on the streets and online, where we see demagogues taking control of that mob and pointing fingers (and the mob mindlessly following), where we see established parties stuck in corruption and self-annihilation, where we see so much anger, hatred and negative campaigning instead of enthusiasm and new ideas, where we see divide and conquer instead of unity and common ground. Sounds pretty relevant in the current climate to me.

Overall, a satisfying and thought-provoking novel - on to part 3.

Stories about Cardassia and Garak have easily become my favourite part of TrekLit nowadays, so it was time to reread this excellent "autobiography".

Divided into 3 parts, A Stitch in Time sheds light on Garak's history, the way others always made decisions for him, the way loss and betrayal shaped his life more than loyalty and friendship. And it all starts at school where he meets life-long friends and equally life-long enemies, and the love of his life, Palandine, who indirectly causes his fall from power and exile on DS9.

This part is a fascinating glimpse into Garak's history with various characters (such as Dukat, the story behind "The Wire", Tain), Cardassian society as a whole, but also into the microverse of Garak and his family. Tolan Garak, the man he believed to be his father and who turned out to be his uncle, ultimately perhaps influenced his life more than Tain and his mother Mila. Because while Tolan only belonged to the frowned-upon service class he nevertheless was more independent from outside influence than upper-class men, including who Garak comes to be. It takes years for Garak to see that.

The second part are diary entries between "In the Pale Moonlight" and his departure for Cardassia which relay Garak's conflict (culminating in the panic attacks) between betraying Cardassia and ultimately saving it from the Dominion together with the Federation. It highlights the growing distance between Julian and him, and the anxiety just what Cardassia he'll be able to return to. What will be left? As a side story, he meets a friend of Ziyal's who turns out to be an agent of the Khon-Ma, assigned to kill him - a woman who survived the destruction of the shuttle back on Bajor that cost her family their lives and for which she holds Garak responsible (again see "The Wire").

Finally, the third part is set on post-war Cardassia. Garak has returned home, a world in perpetual twilight after the Dominion tried to exterminate the population, leaving over a billion dead, a world in ruins. He turns Tain's home into a memorial, a place where people can mourn and slowly move on. And for the first time in his life he finds himself able to choose his own path, meeting old friends and enemies and determining Cardassia's future.

In the end, Garak comes full circle, open to new ideas because he's learned to adapt due to his ever changing surroundings. And I think Tain would turn in his grave if he saw Tolan's influence prevail over his own, resulting in Garak's interest in the Oralian Way (even if also as a means to find his love Palandine after the war - BTW, curious how the later novels don't mention her but emphasize Garak's friendships with Bashir and Parmak)... but it's gratifying to see that all of Tain's machinations, his power and loyalty plays, his treating people like pawns on a giant chess board ultimately fail.

A highly recommendable book - and together with "The Never-Ending Sacrifice" maybe the key to understanding the Cardassian mindset.

Bashir and Sarina learn of a secret programme that pervades systems throughout the Federation (and beyond) and has been in place for centuries. Nominally it registers threats and brings them to the attention of the authorities - but it has long since developed a mind of its own, acting on its own... and creating Section 31, calling itself Control. Bashir engages Data's help in finally bringing down this machine.

First of all, the idea of the machine Uraei reminded me awfully of Person of Interest. A machine that listens to everything and monitors everyone to evaluate threats and prevent them. Here, Uraei develops a mind of its own because it sees that the normal channels are too slow, too bogged down by bureaucracy to work efficiently. And so it creates its own hierarchy, its own agency that operates without oversight, and Section 31 is born (just like Samaritan back in PoI). And of course, shutting it down means infecting all copies and preventing the machine from downloading a saved original copy from a secure place. Again, like PoI. So, this part did not really seem very original, and didn't actually engage me all that much.

The only thing here that held my interest are the implications, like the machine allowing the Xindi attack for the higher purpose of trying to strengthen security and eventually form the UFP pretty much earth-dominated etc. So there are canon events orchestrated by Uraei, and that of course, puts Federation history as we know it in a new perspective.

So, Bashir, Sarina and Data try to put an end to a machine code that pervades everything, every computer, every system on starships, every local law enforcement - but how to actually expose and remove that all-powerful surveillance and indepently acting force without actually throwing the UFP into chaos? And what if that all-knowing machine that has planned events for centuries now, that has built layers upon layers of security around itself, is actually aware of what's going on... and just uses people for its purpose? Doesn't that put a new, and rather bleak spin on fate, how much is predestined and how much one can control and change his own fate?

I think that's where "Control" gets really interesting, not so much in the premise that is, after all, not really new, but in those far-reaching ramifications. It feels as though Bashir, Sarina and Data just play unknowingly in a giant holo-programme, a holo-programme that encompasses the whole universe, and only the machine knows what's really going on. A nightmare-ish scenario... but is it if you're not really aware of it?  If you don't know anything about the machine or Section 31 (unlike Bashir, Sarina, Data and some other select people)?

Bashir and Sarina unknowingly fulfill their part in Control's machinations, fight a fight that they can't win, and suffer the consequences when Control pits them against each other. I have to admit that I haven't really cared all that much about Sarina, but her fate, and consequently Bashir's actually put a lump in my throat. Catatonic, Bashir ends up in Garak's care on Cardassia where "Enigma Tales" picks up the tale.

Actually, Garak's role is pretty small. He's one of the 3 persons (other than Sarina) who Bashir trusts in this situation, and his feelings towards Bashir become ever more overt. I'm wondering where this is going to lead. Other than that, Mack continues with Data's tale and Lal's development; and most importantly, some of the questionable missions of recent TrekLit years come to the light while fighting Control, such as Zife's removal from office and subsequent execution (and Picard's involvement), Section 31 trying to commit genocide against the Founders etc. It's going to be interesting to see the repercussions here.

Overall, a quite disturbing novel that takes a bit to gain steam. But once it does, Mack doesn't pull any punches, makes his usual twists and turns and puts his characters through the wringer. And the outlook on Federation politics may never be the same again - because who's really in charge?