Espresso Recommendations

Star Trek: Deep Space 9

Original character

' "Doctor, are you telling me that you missed the entire point of the story?" Garak tutted, "What a shame, I was under the impression that you were more intelligent than that." ' A clever tale within a tale which sheds light on Cardassian values via exploration of their literature. Worth a try despite one or two jarring mistakes

[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, Tekeny Ghemor, OCs]

Agent Provocateur by Arcady

"To Elim Garak, she was always that woman." A clever reworking of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' that's well worth a read

[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, OCs; Crossover]

and i have told you this to make you grieve by Kangeiko

'"A man may survive on crumbs for a long time, it is true; but sooner or later a full meal is needed to replenish him." / An actual meal may prove more useful to the populace than a spiritual one, Jaro thought, but if a spiritual meal was all you had to offer, there was no point dreaming of hasperat.' Kangeiko explores the complexities of living under the Bajoran Occupation through the eyes of Jaro Essa (from 'The Homecoming'/'The Circle'/'The Siege'). Precise details make the setting come alive

[Added 04/10/2013; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Jaro Essa, Winn Adami, OCs]

A Clear Conscience by Una McCormack

Post-war politics, devious plotting and a sympathetic original character

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, Kira Nerys, OC]

A Discreet Private Inquiry by Henrietta Wotton

'When you work for an organization that catalogues the most private desires and behaviors of every citizen of Cardassia, you’ve run into about every perversion imaginable.' An interesting case for Garak pre-exile, as well as one of the most complete pictures of Cardassian society I've encountered. A brief Postscript is set during the show

[Added 09/12/2005; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, OC]

Eureka! by Henrietta Wotton

Henrietta really gets under Odo's 'skin' here. The Bajoran and Cardassian original characters are also convincingly drawn

[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Odo, Mora, OCs]

Flowering by Henrietta Wotton

An intelligent look at the physiology and psychology of an alien race

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Enabran Tain, Mila, OCs; Adult]

Obsidian Gothic by Una McCormack

Una's Garak voice is always a treat, and this atmospheric story is one of my favourites

[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, Enabran Tain, Mila, OC]

Once Upon A Time by JA Chapman

' "You aren't going to tell me some cock and bull story about how you worked as a waiter for some Klingon restaurant and got shorted a tip by a diplomat who later died choking on gagh or something equally bizarre, are you?" ' A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but this tale within a tale shows Garak at his manipulative best during his time as a gardener on Romulus

[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, Odo, Kira Nerys, OC]

Orfeo by Macedon

'It was the voice of God calling the world into creation, the primeval dawn, and Jake could not listen hard enough.' Macedon cleverly uses an unusual OC to probe the prejudices of the denizens of DS9 in this fandom classic. The two sequels in the Jeu-Parti series worked less well for me

[Added 14/07/2009; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Jake Sisko, Benjamin Sisko, Winn Adami, OC]

The Riding Hound of the House of Tain by Arcady

Arcady combines luscious descriptive prose with a deft touch in characterisation in this unlikely rewriting of The Hound of the Baskervilles

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Elim Garak, Julian Bashir, OCs; Crossover]

The Roads Must Roll by Alara J Rogers

'People glare at Kirayoshi all the time, even though it's obvious from his age that he was born when humanity was still free, when the population codes weren't in effect and it was absolutely normal for humans to have two or even three, four, five children.' A day in the life of our Everyman Engineer in an extremely dark AU. Part of the Judgement Day series

[Added 18/10/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Miles O'Brien, Keiko O'Brien, Molly O'Brien, Kirayoshi O'Brien, Jean-Luc Picard, OCs; Adult]

Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Cardie-ologist

This realistic look at Resistance and Counter-Resistance measures on Bajor during the Occupation features subtle characterisations and a plausible plot

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Odo, Dukat, Quark, OCs]

T'naehm series by Sixbeforelunch

'T'Nirin's office was not decorated in a Vulcan style. It was first of all colored in shades of blue and gray, like everything that Starfleet Medical designed. It was also soft, with chairs that offered no proper support. The art work on the wall was what was called watercolor. Many species appeared to find it soothing. Veral found the indistinct shapes and blurred lines difficult to look at for very long.' Sixbeforelunch employs richly textured OCs to explore the effects of the Dominion War on Vulcan. The world building in both parts is impeccable, and the second forms a moving meditation on the costs of war even to non-combatants

[Added 04/08/2016; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Characters: Original characters]