This is not just a great Star Trek book. It's not even just a great sci-fi book. It's a great book. The characters are real. The world is fleshed out in a way that's been missing in some of the Trek-lit-verse to this point. There's one scene towards the end, I won't spoil which characters, but they just talk for about 10 pages, maybe more, and it's riveting. Superb stuff. This is up there with Articles of the Federation and the Destiny trilogy for me now.

I did not read the other books in "The Fall" series nor do I intend to. I picked this one simply because it's Garak-centric and I'm in the mood for Garak-centric novels apparently. ;-)

As to the timeline of Garak novels, this one occurs before "Enigma Tales".
Picard and Worf and very briefly Beverly make an appearance, but 90 % of the novel focus on Cardassian politics and sociology. All in all, I preferred "Enigma Tales" because it has a wistful/haunting quality that this book lacks. Still, I was captivated by all the scheming going on, absolutely loved the Garak scenes ("electric blue" comes to mind) and enjoyed his literary gift exchange with Picard. So neat to have Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" come up in a Star Trek novel. Oh, and Garak reading "Emma" by Jane Austen for relaxation also made me smile.

Last but not least, the final two chapters of this book stood out for me: They cover endings and beginnings and touch on despair and hope.

"'I did it for Cardassia.' 'I'm sure you did. But Cardassia's moved on...'"(311). Once again, Una McCormack gives us the Cardassian politics content we want and deserve. The Crimson Shadow brings us to a Cardassia 10 years out from the Dominion War; a society cobbled together from tenacity, rubble, and Federation plasticrete. A society determined not to fall back into its destructive past. But at the critical moment of impending Federation withdrawal, a dangerous political faction makes itself known, and all hell breaks loose. Elim Garak, now ambassador to the Federation, and Captain Picard find themselves caught in the middle of assassination plots and government take-overs, and must put a stop to it before Cardassia once again finds itself on the isolationist, imperialist path.

Una McCormack understands Cardassia and its people so well. I appreciate so much how far she elevates the allegory of Cardassian society, forcing the reader to reflect on just how frighteningly similar Cardassia's past is to our own (in Western civilization).This book also is scarily prescient. Although it was published in 2013, it creates such a good metaphor for Trump’s rise to power and how easy it is for his followers to get sucked into doing vile shit just for some sense of nationalism and community. This has obviously happened before in history—I’m curious what events McCormack had in mind while writing this book.

Aside from the political thriller of it all, The Crimson Shadow treats its characters with excellent care. I love Garak in this story. He's quite a different man now than at the end of Deep Space Nine, or even in A Stitch in Time, but it's clear to see how his past shaped him into who he has become these many years later. His emotional journey is poignant, and his interactions with Picard are excellent. It's only now after all Garak's trials and maturation that these two men could possibly be friends and equals. Although it's hilarious to imagine how infuriating it would have been for Picard to interact with the Garak of the past.

The supporting cast--both original and established characters--are also wonderfully done. Although I'm not inclined to side with law enforcement, I really enjoyed Arati Mhevet as a character, and I hope she's able to bring about positive reform. And of course there's Kelas Parmak, absolute angel. The trust and intimacy of his and Garak's relationship is clear and although Kelas doesn't feature often, his scenes are so precious. His friendship and forgiveness are the best things to have happened to Garak.

And then there's Julian... Julian's presence pervades this novel, even though he's not there in person or in correspondence for most of the story. I love the use of letters to Julian to reveal Garak’s mood and thoughts at the beginning of each chapter. Although it is heartbreaking to see them go from long messages full of humor and hope to brisk notes of grief and doubt. These letters act as a diary, since many go unsent, and Julian never even responds until the very end of the story. But as infuriating as Julian's absence is, it does allow Garak to shine as a character on his own.

Lastly, this book is actually the second in a five-book series called The Fall, with each book written by a different author. However, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone story, and I didn't feel I was missing anything from not having read the first book. A must-read for all Garak stans!

This is excellent. I really love Una McCormack’s work. I find it insightful, witty, and entertaining. McCormack has an excellent grasp on how to write for the Star Trek universe and I especially love how she writes for Garak.

Wow. A fantastic story that stands with the greatest Star Trek books I've read so far. What makes a government? What are the responsibilities of the people who are a part of it? How fragile are such responsibilities and what can fracture them? What happens when the government as an entity becomes more cherished than what it's supposed to stand for?Can someone who has committed so many heinous acts in his past overcome them to become a reformed person? This novel asks all these questions and more in an incredibly well written tale set on Cardassia ten years after the decimation of the Cardassian people at the end of the Dominion War on Deep Space Nine. Garak takes center stage here and continues to be one of the most interesting characters in all of Trek. Una McCormack clearly gets the character is such a complete way. Everything he said and did felt 100% true to who he was on the TV series. Best part about the book is that you can read it as a standalone story if you want to do so. Very highly recommended.

Fantastic novel. I couldn't put it down (except when life intervened), and every page had an interesting and compelling twist. Highly recommended.

Better than the first. More action and good story flow. Not enough participation from known characters and the new characters weren't that sympathetic. All in all though, an enjoyable read.

Excellent! At one point I was so distraught I wanted to toss the book violently across the room and sob inconsolably into my mug of red leaf tea.