Date: 27 Aug 2009 20:29 Title: Persuasion Part I
Woah ... now I wasn't expecting the focus of this chapter to be so I dunno desolate ... with Mila's troubling thoughts and the crisis situation on Cardassia.
Lots of terrific details and imagery employed adding such depth and disconsolate sense in the air as reading which seems so perfectly matched to Mila's plight and her going to her brother with this mad request.
Good to see how Mila gets around Tain, using intelligience and ensuring no one has leverage over him in order to keep the child. She is certainly skilful in such machinations - how deliberate they are is another matter but she seems to get her way. I guess that is just part of the Cardassian nature. Hee hee.
Again, impressive writing and intriguing characters and interesting tale being woven. Great job PSGarak.
Author's Response: I think that to understand Cardassians and their expansionist agenda, it's very important to understand how much as a people they have suffered from disease and famine, and the catastrophic climate change that drove them to the very brink of disaster. I really wanted to drive that home.
I couldn't see Tain captivated by anyone who wasn't his equal on the level of intellect, and I couldn't see anyone interested in Tain who didn't also have a similar ruthless streak, even if it took a different bent. They had to be a match for Garak's birth and survival to adulthood to make any sense at all to me at least.
Thank you very much for the positive feedback!
Date: 11 Aug 2009 02:54 Title: Persuasion Part I
I'm so glad you started writing these stories. This is wonderful stuff.
Author's Response: I really appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
[Report This]Date: 10 Aug 2009 23:00 Title: Persuasion Part I
Excellent second part!
Author's Response: Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Date: 08 Aug 2009 11:31 Title: Persuasion Part I
The imagery of blight and desolation here is achingly rendered. These are people on the ragged edge, where poverty and starvation are constant companions. This chapter read like a travelogue, and sets the scene for Mila’s reunion wonderfully. The dichotomy between the capital and the rural wastelands is a stark one and serves to underscore the Cardassian people’s need for conquest and expansion.
Author's Response: Thank you. I was a little concerned about that chapter because there really wasn't a lot of action, but it was important to me to dig into the conditions that led to some of the most aggressive expansions of the Union. As someone from a semi-rural background, I have childhood memories of bad crop years and what it meant for the whole community. It's a theme I can relate to. Thanks again for the feedback!