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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #12
The Laertian Gamble
When a mysterious alien woman from the planet Laertes convinces Dr. Bashir to gamble for her at Quark's gaming tables, things seem innocent enough. Yet the more Dr. Bashir wins, the more things go wrong in the Federation: Ore ships vanish. Planets lose their atmosphere. Suns go nova. The cause and effect is hard to understand, but is proven by the bizarre Laertian science called Complexity Theory.
When Bashir tries to stop gambling, a Laertian warfleet appears to force him to continue, while on the planet Laertes itself Major Kira and Science Officer Dax must battle their way through chaos and danger to find a way to stop the Laertians -- and save Deep Space Nine and the Federation from utter destruction!
273 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 27, 2018
My expectations of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine books are not so high to begin with, and I have read most of them. Sometimes I just want a little light entertainment, maybe on a par with one of the episodes. But this one hits a new low. It features one of my least favorite characters, Dr. Bashir, and portrays him as a dolt, tricked into gambling with Quark until Quark loses his club, the station itself, and possibly settled planets, by an alluring alien woman named... Allura. It is a stupid plot involving stupid characters, driven by a stupid concept known as "Complexity Theory". Maybe this would be a comedy, if it were funny, but no it's just dumb.
July 1, 2023
I'm sorry, but this is terrible...how can it be that, even a dozen books into the line, an author is not only unfamiliar with DS9 and it's characters, but delivers a novel that reads nothing like the best Trek series ever? The characters all sound like someone who has only read the series bible and extrapolated their own version of the series...which is terrible! As for the plot...well, season 1 already gave us the truly bizarre "Move Along Home"...and that is infinitely preferable to this book. For being a Trek completist, I have paid for my sins.
January 2, 2009
I take it back ... I hadn't read this one before, after all. If I had, I surely would have remembered:
This is, without a doubt, the WORST Star Trek novel ever.
There's no character development, and the plot is just plain stupid. The setting is inconsistent with the Star Trek universe. Sheckley stages arguments between Dax and Kira in which, partway through, the two inexplicably switch sides--without acknowledgement of any kind, leaving the impression that the author simply forgot which character had voiced which opinion. There's no real surprise there, though, as he didn't portrayed Dax and Kira as nearly identical characters rather than as distince individuals with rich and unique backgrounds. By the last few pages, I really expected Bashir to wake up and inform the readers that the whole unbelievable, awkward plot had been just a dream--a lame literary device, to be sure, but one that would have been far better than leaving the reader irritated with the author's utter inability to write Star Trek characters in a Star Trek universe.
So why did I even finish it? The book only took a couple hours to read (about twice as long as watching an episode on commercial television), and halfway through I felt I'd rather see it through than lay it down unread. I didn't gain anything by that choice, though, other than demonstrating that it usually takes rather a lot for me to put a book down when I know I can finish it in another hour.
Lame, lame, lame. If I could give this zero stars and still have the rating count, I would.
This is, without a doubt, the WORST Star Trek novel ever.
There's no character development, and the plot is just plain stupid. The setting is inconsistent with the Star Trek universe. Sheckley stages arguments between Dax and Kira in which, partway through, the two inexplicably switch sides--without acknowledgement of any kind, leaving the impression that the author simply forgot which character had voiced which opinion. There's no real surprise there, though, as he didn't portrayed Dax and Kira as nearly identical characters rather than as distince individuals with rich and unique backgrounds. By the last few pages, I really expected Bashir to wake up and inform the readers that the whole unbelievable, awkward plot had been just a dream--a lame literary device, to be sure, but one that would have been far better than leaving the reader irritated with the author's utter inability to write Star Trek characters in a Star Trek universe.
So why did I even finish it? The book only took a couple hours to read (about twice as long as watching an episode on commercial television), and halfway through I felt I'd rather see it through than lay it down unread. I didn't gain anything by that choice, though, other than demonstrating that it usually takes rather a lot for me to put a book down when I know I can finish it in another hour.
Lame, lame, lame. If I could give this zero stars and still have the rating count, I would.
September 29, 2025
32 out of 74 chapters in and i am beginning to think using the paper to cut the skin between my fingers might be a better use of it than reading the words printed on it.
Starting off strong with a mysterious and alluring woman named Allura (seriously), we're introduced to a series of new characters that all sound the same. But hey, so do the canon characters! Around chapter 30 Kira goes to fetch Sisko from his quarters because something is up at the Replimat. Sisko, out of the blue, asks if it's about turnips and doesn't want to go. Kira chuckles and tells him to just see for himself. Sounds like Sisko and Kira? No? Exactly. We then are being told that the Replimat is being auctioned off by aliens and Kira continues thinking it's funny. She stays on the sidelines and smirks while Sisko is confronted with alien laws that, of course, don't apply on DS9 but hey there is a war ship threatening them so it's quirky and not infuriating or an enormous plot hole.
Dax and Kira are completely interchangeable, so much so, that the author forgets who says what mid dialogue. But hey, the author seems to forget what he said at the beginning of sentences in just the same way as he doubles words and disregards anything a proofreader would've criticised.
All in all, this book proves that anyone can be a published author, but not everyone should be.
Will I continue this book? Who knows, but the rating of 2,8/5 (visually 3/5) is a very polite lie.
Starting off strong with a mysterious and alluring woman named Allura (seriously), we're introduced to a series of new characters that all sound the same. But hey, so do the canon characters! Around chapter 30 Kira goes to fetch Sisko from his quarters because something is up at the Replimat. Sisko, out of the blue, asks if it's about turnips and doesn't want to go. Kira chuckles and tells him to just see for himself. Sounds like Sisko and Kira? No? Exactly. We then are being told that the Replimat is being auctioned off by aliens and Kira continues thinking it's funny. She stays on the sidelines and smirks while Sisko is confronted with alien laws that, of course, don't apply on DS9 but hey there is a war ship threatening them so it's quirky and not infuriating or an enormous plot hole.
Dax and Kira are completely interchangeable, so much so, that the author forgets who says what mid dialogue. But hey, the author seems to forget what he said at the beginning of sentences in just the same way as he doubles words and disregards anything a proofreader would've criticised.
All in all, this book proves that anyone can be a published author, but not everyone should be.
Will I continue this book? Who knows, but the rating of 2,8/5 (visually 3/5) is a very polite lie.
October 13, 2020
By the end this book was actually frustrating. I think this is my lowest rated trek book. I tried to just enjoy the sillyness of the story, but eventually found the main concepts too implausible to enjoy and the characterisations not only off but frequently inconsistent.
There were some enjoyable moments but they were early in the story and I found myself looking forward to finishing this short read as quickly as possible. It gave the impression that it was written much earlier than it was published.
I will say that it possibly did provide some inspiration for a particular ds9 episode, but unfortunately for me, that episode was not a favourite.
I'm sorry Robert. I hate to rate low.
There were some enjoyable moments but they were early in the story and I found myself looking forward to finishing this short read as quickly as possible. It gave the impression that it was written much earlier than it was published.
I will say that it possibly did provide some inspiration for a particular ds9 episode, but unfortunately for me, that episode was not a favourite.
I'm sorry Robert. I hate to rate low.
March 16, 2021
Oh boy, I know the numbered DS9 novels aren't always the best, but this is one of the absolute worst Trek books I've ever read (and I recently grinded my teeth through Balance of Power by Dafydd Ab Hugh!). Characterisation all over the place. Non-sensical plot. Descriptions of places on the station written as if the author had never seen the show. Stupid character names. OH AND THE CHAPTER LENGTHS MY GOD THE CHAPTER LENGTHS. There are at least two chapters that are half a page each. Half a page! And the start of the next chapter just runs straight onto the next one? This is 2/3rds of a terrible book, and the other 1/3rd is blank pages and chapter headings. Avoid.
October 25, 2020
I know that most of the reviews for this book are not that good. Perhaps I’ve got a different inclination. This was by no means “high literature,” but I thought it was a very fun book.
Yes, I know I’ve been railing that these earlier DS9 books feature mischaracterized leads. This book is perhaps the epitome of it, but for the style of book, I’m oddly not that upset. Let me explain.
I’m a huge fan of authors like Douglas Adams. The author of this book is no Douglas Adams, but this book is so quirky, so implausible, and funny in plot (though not laugh-out-loud funny) that it endeared me to it.
The writing is quite good in my opinion. My only fault is that the author could have really used this plot with any book or combination of characters to accomplish what he wanted to. He just happened to use a tie-in DS9 novel for it. I’m betting he wrote the story already, and then shoe-horned in DS9 characters to satisfy the license.
I’m sure I will go back to complaining about the character design and overarching narratives of what I’ve read thus far. In the meantime, this was a fun “one-off” that provided a needed bit of brevity in the Pocket DS9 collection. Read on its own, I would agree with most other reviewers. Read as #12 in a series, it stands apart. And therein lies my review’s score.
Yes, I know I’ve been railing that these earlier DS9 books feature mischaracterized leads. This book is perhaps the epitome of it, but for the style of book, I’m oddly not that upset. Let me explain.
I’m a huge fan of authors like Douglas Adams. The author of this book is no Douglas Adams, but this book is so quirky, so implausible, and funny in plot (though not laugh-out-loud funny) that it endeared me to it.
The writing is quite good in my opinion. My only fault is that the author could have really used this plot with any book or combination of characters to accomplish what he wanted to. He just happened to use a tie-in DS9 novel for it. I’m betting he wrote the story already, and then shoe-horned in DS9 characters to satisfy the license.
I’m sure I will go back to complaining about the character design and overarching narratives of what I’ve read thus far. In the meantime, this was a fun “one-off” that provided a needed bit of brevity in the Pocket DS9 collection. Read on its own, I would agree with most other reviewers. Read as #12 in a series, it stands apart. And therein lies my review’s score.
September 4, 2024
I decided to watch all of the Star Trek series chronologically and then was inspired to pick up a book lot for some easy "just for fun" reading. This book starts off just as that, simple nothing extraordinary and overall has the right Star Trek kind of feel. I probably would not have been inspired to write any kind of review it if was not for the Dax and Kira side mission that moves quickly out of Star Trek and into a child's unfiltered rambling of ideas. I hate to even do this comparision but it is akin to a very poor sketch of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy without the humor or intelligence. My only consolation is that others have revered this book as one that is at the bottom of the heap of some of the worst Star Trek books ever written. It is to bad as it started as a solid C grade and went to an offensive F so rapidly even a talking chaos machine, manipulating a dancing sculptor, through complexity theory, ready to marry someone in a few hours of gambling couldn't keep up. Yes, those are all things to look forward to in this book. The Story has Bashir on the Cover and as a central character then does not resolve anything around his arch he just kind of stops being written into the story. The author proves they know how to write and then shows us that they don't care to after you are engaged.
September 28, 2025
I hadn't read this book since it first came out in 1995 and couldn't remember anything about it. After reading it, I understand why it's slipped my mind.
A beautiful alien woman comes aboard DS9 and Bashir is instantly smitten. She can't gamble at Quark's because she's mildly telepathic. Julian volunteers to gamble for her, but she only wants to gamble until she or the house goes broke, and that he sign a document saying so. He humors her and proceeds to bleed Quark dry. After a few hours of constantly winning, he shows her the money, but she's unsatisfied, wanting him to go back until Quark has nothing.
This is a solid start but grows tiresome a third of the way in: Julian keeps winning, Quark keeps losing, and Sisko can do nothing. Kira and Dax go to the alien's home world, but things don't improve, instead only getting into some theoretical gobbledygook that has the action stalling further. This just wasn't fun to read.
Of note, this book has 73 chapters! Which is has each averaging about 3 pages. I can't recall a Trek book having so many chapters.
This is only for those that are die hard Trek readers.
A beautiful alien woman comes aboard DS9 and Bashir is instantly smitten. She can't gamble at Quark's because she's mildly telepathic. Julian volunteers to gamble for her, but she only wants to gamble until she or the house goes broke, and that he sign a document saying so. He humors her and proceeds to bleed Quark dry. After a few hours of constantly winning, he shows her the money, but she's unsatisfied, wanting him to go back until Quark has nothing.
This is a solid start but grows tiresome a third of the way in: Julian keeps winning, Quark keeps losing, and Sisko can do nothing. Kira and Dax go to the alien's home world, but things don't improve, instead only getting into some theoretical gobbledygook that has the action stalling further. This just wasn't fun to read.
Of note, this book has 73 chapters! Which is has each averaging about 3 pages. I can't recall a Trek book having so many chapters.
This is only for those that are die hard Trek readers.
September 23, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3084896.html
A Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel by Sheckley, who was a pretty prominent writer at one stage, though I confess I think the only things I have read by him were his comic collaborations with Roger Zelazny and Harry Harrison. This isn't terribly special; I'm aware enough of DS9 to appreciate that Sheckley captures the established main characters and puts them in a new situation; the specifics, however, didn't quite convince me - that an interplanetary gambling dispute with Quark could put the entire station (and ultimately the universe) at risk, and the odd pacing of the crisis on DS9 and Kira and Dax's excursion to a conveniently nearby planet to try and sort it all out. First DS9 book I've read - not in a rush to read more.
A Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel by Sheckley, who was a pretty prominent writer at one stage, though I confess I think the only things I have read by him were his comic collaborations with Roger Zelazny and Harry Harrison. This isn't terribly special; I'm aware enough of DS9 to appreciate that Sheckley captures the established main characters and puts them in a new situation; the specifics, however, didn't quite convince me - that an interplanetary gambling dispute with Quark could put the entire station (and ultimately the universe) at risk, and the odd pacing of the crisis on DS9 and Kira and Dax's excursion to a conveniently nearby planet to try and sort it all out. First DS9 book I've read - not in a rush to read more.
May 27, 2021
Det här var absolut den sämsta boken jag läst. Jag vill helst ge en nolla i betyg, men betyget finns inte. Dialogerna är dåliga och det känns inte som att författaren förstår hur karaktärerna tänker. Oavslutade trådar hela tiden (ofta genom att tankar uttrycks på ett oerhört ytligt sätt) och en grundstory som vare sig gör ett försök till att förklaras eller som håller på något annat sätt. Utryckta händelser bakas samman till en röra som inte var rolig. Slutet var dessutom oerhört snabb påkommet och även där finns en lösning som vi inte får se (då historien för några minuter flyttar sig till ett annat rum på stationen där man inte hör allt vad som händer i Quarks bar).
Nej, andra kan kanske tycka den är okej, men boken får det lägst betyget av mig, alla kategorier.
Nej, andra kan kanske tycka den är okej, men boken får det lägst betyget av mig, alla kategorier.
July 27, 2021
Wow, this is a literal train wreck from start to finish. I'll add to the general dismay of my fellow reviewers about this one. Characters from the series are flat and undeveloped. Sheckley can't seem to decide if Sisko is a commander or a captain, or whether people are meeting in his office or his quarters, which are nowhere near each other.
The Lampusans and Laertians are interchangeable and while the plot with Dax and Kira on their planet had an almost Wonderland-esque feeling, it just devolved into more confusion. The end result is a big "What just happened?" by the end of it.
Avoid at all costs.
The Lampusans and Laertians are interchangeable and while the plot with Dax and Kira on their planet had an almost Wonderland-esque feeling, it just devolved into more confusion. The end result is a big "What just happened?" by the end of it.
Avoid at all costs.
December 14, 2025
This began with such an interesting premise of a telepathic woman who can't gamble at Quark's so has Bashir gamble for her. The thing is, the story gets very repetitive as the gambling keeps happening. Also, very dated to have Bashir say he can't get past how Dax used to be a man. Out of character even for the Bashir of the show, I'd say. The thing this book at least has going for it is it's a quick read, as the chapters are very short for some reason. You'd think that would make for a better experience, but over time, I got tired of it chapters ending quickly, honestly.
October 19, 2017
Well it took me a bit to get into this book as the chapters were 1 to 2 pages long at the start and it seemed very choppy. Once the chapter length extended, the story was finally unfolding - unfortunately it was stupid. I THINK the book was supposed to be funny but it was complete nonsense and eventually made me mad. It was as if someone tried to combine Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy humour with Deep Space Nine and all they got was poorly written shlock. This one was garbage.
December 14, 2020
Kind of bizarre. Reads and unfolds like a first season DS9 episode. The premise was ok and the "butterfly effect" like phenomenon was workable, but there was too much to detract from it all. Characterizations don't fit and dialogue was atrocious. The resolution comes from an alien named... Ken? Scheckly was apparently a well regarded sci-fi writer in his time, but should have stayed away from this franchise.
May 21, 2024
This is a Star Trek book that doesn't feel like a Star Trek book. It feels like a 1950s sci-fi novel. It's like the author took an existing sci-fi story and fit it into Deep Space Nine. Most of the DS9 characters spend the book not knowing what to do, or specifically being told to do nothing. None of the DS9 characters contributed to resolving the conflict. The ending is very unbelievable. The best thing about the book is the cover art.
December 26, 2017
So this guy went and slathered a bunch of 60s tropes - with the gambling, the cruise ships, the sexism, pseudo-science and drop-of-a-hat engagements - all over DS9, and it's an impressively poor fit. Combined with the clunky, exposition - heavy writing style, it makes the whole thing rather painful to read.
September 1, 2024
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's clear that the author has never watched Star Trek, let alone the show he's writing for. The G-slur is used several times. The editing is also poor - at one point dialogue is attributed to the person they are speaking about, not the people who are in the room.
January 5, 2022
AY YO! This one was super whack. Like never again. Like there's a snake in my boot. Characters weren't themselves, plot didn't work, a lot of telling and not showing if that makes sense. It's like they took an idea from something else and adapted it to fit. No thanks.
June 30, 2023
Absolutely no redeeming value at all. I couldn't finish it... and I've finished some pretty bad Trek books.
The premise is dull. The characters are in the worst ways not how they'd normally behave. Quark can have some pretty entertaining stories. This was NOT one of them.
The premise is dull. The characters are in the worst ways not how they'd normally behave. Quark can have some pretty entertaining stories. This was NOT one of them.
February 17, 2025
This book is audaciously, inexcusably stupid. It reads as though the author never watched an episode of DS9. The premise is ludicrous and it gets even more ridiculous as it goes. Two stars because I was entertained enough by how awful this book is to make it all the way to the merciful end.
March 1, 2020
Horribly written. Most chapters are less than a page long. Plot makes no sense and it seems like the author had never seen the show. Written like really bad fanfiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2021
Good at first, then devolved into complete nonsense, especially on Laertes. I almost stopped at one point just because of how nonsensical and meaningless it all was.
April 8, 2023
My first Star Trek novel. Much enjoyed
March 9, 2024
It was a meh read. It feels like a filler episode from the third season
July 26, 2024
A pretty good book. I liked it when Kira and Dax got to Laertes. That is when the humor came in. I loved the dancing sculptor.
Read
April 10, 2025well. they can’t all be winners. or even campy losers
September 12, 2012
Reading this book was the first time I ever got in touch witch Star Trek. I've never managed to watch it on TV somehow and I put my hands on one of the books. So, my first impression is that of having travelled to an interesting universe that doesn't differ so much from other big sci-fi series. And that was the part I really liked: the planets, the people and the life on the space station.
The story is about the humans and non-humans living on the Deep Space Nine, a space station located near the whormholes that allow you to travel to other far away planets very quickly. So there are lots of different aliens to be met on that station. One of them is Allura, a Laertian that has big plans for her planet and also big plans in winning at gambling. The gambling goes far out of control then and the Commander Sisko has to think about saving his station, life on other planets and peace in the whole universe. So his two Majors Kira and Dax are sent to the exotic planet Laertes where everyone has a latent psychic ability, where the Complexity Theory works better than in other parts of the universe and where there is an election campaign going on between the Lampusans and Kendos...
To put it all together I really liked the description of the different aliens, the planet Laertes and all the things that are different there. Besides that the story wasn't so special - the same is to say about the writing style. I really can't understand how an author can forget that one of the important characters was introduced as a Kendo just to let him explain some pages later that he's a Lampusan, which is the competing race to the Kendos on the planet Laertes. This makes a big difference! Plus, the reader gets the feeling that some of the characters aren't so bright but very lucky to find coincidentally the right ways and decisions. The Laertian Gamble is a very light sci-fi book, which was an easy read and entertaining (partly in a humourous tone that reminded me of Terry Pratchett...maybe I have to tell you that I don't like Pratchett so much), but unfortunately nothing more. I think I need to read another Star Trek book to find out if I'm a Trekkie or not ;) And there's already one at hand...
The story is about the humans and non-humans living on the Deep Space Nine, a space station located near the whormholes that allow you to travel to other far away planets very quickly. So there are lots of different aliens to be met on that station. One of them is Allura, a Laertian that has big plans for her planet and also big plans in winning at gambling. The gambling goes far out of control then and the Commander Sisko has to think about saving his station, life on other planets and peace in the whole universe. So his two Majors Kira and Dax are sent to the exotic planet Laertes where everyone has a latent psychic ability, where the Complexity Theory works better than in other parts of the universe and where there is an election campaign going on between the Lampusans and Kendos...
To put it all together I really liked the description of the different aliens, the planet Laertes and all the things that are different there. Besides that the story wasn't so special - the same is to say about the writing style. I really can't understand how an author can forget that one of the important characters was introduced as a Kendo just to let him explain some pages later that he's a Lampusan, which is the competing race to the Kendos on the planet Laertes. This makes a big difference! Plus, the reader gets the feeling that some of the characters aren't so bright but very lucky to find coincidentally the right ways and decisions. The Laertian Gamble is a very light sci-fi book, which was an easy read and entertaining (partly in a humourous tone that reminded me of Terry Pratchett...maybe I have to tell you that I don't like Pratchett so much), but unfortunately nothing more. I think I need to read another Star Trek book to find out if I'm a Trekkie or not ;) And there's already one at hand...
July 17, 2010
I have to caveat this review by saying my deep affection for Robert Sheckley makes it almost impossible for me to be impartial.
Having said that, my advice to anyone reading this book is to think of it as a draft of a non-Trek novel instead of a Deep Space Nine book. The dialogue is the first clue that Sheckley isn't really in the head of any of the characters. There are several contradictions in the story that make me wonder if an editor looked it over before publishing.
So why is this book 3 stars? Well, because some delightful Sheckley moments and turns of phrases I like. For example, "This mad passion of his, as he considered it- or petty infatuation combined with childish stubbornness, as Odo diagnosed it- was leading him and his friends to ruin." summed up Bashir's motivation very well.
My guess is much of the idea behind book was either a short story or novella Sheckley had abandoned that he fashioned into a Deep Space Nine novel to make a quick buck.
Having said that, my advice to anyone reading this book is to think of it as a draft of a non-Trek novel instead of a Deep Space Nine book. The dialogue is the first clue that Sheckley isn't really in the head of any of the characters. There are several contradictions in the story that make me wonder if an editor looked it over before publishing.
So why is this book 3 stars? Well, because some delightful Sheckley moments and turns of phrases I like. For example, "This mad passion of his, as he considered it- or petty infatuation combined with childish stubbornness, as Odo diagnosed it- was leading him and his friends to ruin." summed up Bashir's motivation very well.
My guess is much of the idea behind book was either a short story or novella Sheckley had abandoned that he fashioned into a Deep Space Nine novel to make a quick buck.
December 20, 2012
I honestly wonder how this manuscript managed to get published. I sensed that PocketBook's standards were never terribly high for Trek fiction -- the focus seemed to be on quantity rather than quality -- but this one.... At times it seemed I was reading a sci-fi book in which original characters' names had been remove and the names of DS9 characters had been substituted because the characters seemed so...ambiguous.
The storytelling method, for me, left a lot to be desired. We moved from scene to scene to scene without any real exploration of the events that were happening nor the characters involved. Everything seemed to superficial.
Ahh well, maybe the problem is just that I expect too much. After all, these books aren't high-concept literary works. They're just...relatively cheap diversions and cash-in opportunities. Cha-ching!
The storytelling method, for me, left a lot to be desired. We moved from scene to scene to scene without any real exploration of the events that were happening nor the characters involved. Everything seemed to superficial.
Ahh well, maybe the problem is just that I expect too much. After all, these books aren't high-concept literary works. They're just...relatively cheap diversions and cash-in opportunities. Cha-ching!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews