Teaser

Under the guiding hand of Castellan Elim Garak, Cardassia has been rebuilt. Yet even now the dark legacy of the Bajoran Occupation lingers, and a visit by Federation scientists threatens to expose that darkness for all to see . . .

Review

I’ve noted before that the make-up of the Deep Space Nine cast changed markedly in the wake of the relaunch novels. Worf left, Kira became a religious figure, Ro Laren joined. Even amid all that, Enigma Tales perhaps stands as the furthest removed book from the original characters. The main character is a fan favourite who appeared in less than a season’s worth of episodes, and a full-time character only makes an appearance in a cameo. In fact, the main Federation viewpoint is not from Deep Space Nine at all, but comes from The Next Generation courtesy of a wonderful return for Doctor Pulaski. If ever there was a character who deserved more appearances, it is she, and thankfully the Litverse provides.

Una McCormack has made something of a name for herself as the best writer of Cardassian culture out there. This was on full display in The Never-Ending Sacrifice, and is equally apparent here. Like that other novel, Enigma Tales takes its title from a branch of Cardassian literature. In Cardassian tradition, an enigma tale is a crime novel in which everyone is guilty of something, and the plot revolves around determining who is guilty of what. As you can expect, there’s a heavy does of that going on in this book too, with the actions of Cardassia during the Bajoran Occupation still very much figuring into modern politics. As a former spy turned politician, Garak is in prime position to land in the middle of it all.

McCormack’s realisation of post-war Cardassia is easily the best part of the book. We’ve spent enough time with this world on screen and in prose to become familiar with it, yet unlike a lot of Star Trek worlds, it never feels like a planet of copied-and-pasted tableaus. There’s a realism to every dirty street, every crooked institution, and a sense of history underpins every facet of the world. We get to see this world from a number of perspectives, both locals and outsiders, from lowly scholars to the highest peaks of the administration. It paints a vivid picture, if not always an appealing one.

There are places where the novel falls short, however. Between chapters are letters written by Garak, and to my mind they never made sense. Each gave a pleasing little vignette of Cardassia, but didn’t add much to the overall story. I also never felt like McCormack quite captured Garak’s unique tone and mannerisms. Of course, this is hard for any author to do, as Garak’s qualities are best seen in the expressive performance of Andrew J. Robinson. Any author, no matter the talent, would be hard-pressed to replicate that.

Although Original Sin was published afterwards, Enigma Tales marks the chronological end of the DS9 relaunch prior to the Coda trilogy. It’s far from an unsatisfying end, and the closing pages are a fitting capstone to the saga, but I personally would have liked something, if not more, then different.

Deeper Dive: Sins of the Past

Deep Space Nine was rarely subtle about the politics that informed it. Taking place alongside news broadcasts showing the fall of the Soviet Union, and with villains who bore more than a few similarities to Germany under Nazi rule, it’s only natural that the show’s literary continuation would follow in those footsteps. Much of the philosophy in this book is familiar to those who know a little Europe in the wake of the Second World War. One of the key themes here is how far one should go in the name of justice.

Bringing Cardassian war criminals is a good thing. That much is clear. Gul Dukat and his allies had to pay a price for what they did to Bajor. Yet how far down the chain of command do you follow the crimes? Do you execute every last soldier? Do you continue to levy sanctions against the merchants who traded with the military command? How many people do you punish before justice gives way to bloodlust. As in the real world, there are no easy answers for the people of Cardassia, and any external efforts to impose a solution may simply lead to further violence.

Book Stats

• A Novel of the Deep Space Nine Relaunch
• Published by Pocket Books in 2017
• A Political Thriller
• 347 pages