Enigma Tales

Elim Garak as the head of state for Cardassia? That stretches credulity for me (although I admittedly haven't read any of the other post-show DS9 books, so I don't know how he got there). Still, this is 350 pages of Garak at his most Garakesque, so one can't complain too much about that, even if it means putting up with Katherine Pulaski for an entire novel.

The main plot was enjoyable, as well. Castellan Garak is in the process of rebuilding Cardassian society in the wake of the crimes committed during the Bajoran occupation and the Dominion War, and in doing so has to look at the role that truth and reconciliation play as part of that rebuilding. Like all good Star Trek, it's a fundamentally human story, one that could find a great deal of echoes in our history.

(One last fan-related thought: the relationship between Garak and Bashir, which looms heavily over the novel, remains absolutely beautiful. It's still only subtext, but just barely below the surface and from Garak's letters to Bashir it's fairly clear how he sees the latter).