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Chess with a Dragon
Pawns in a Deadly Game
Man reached the stars and was offered unlimited access to the accumulated knowledge of the universe.
Too good to be true: when the bill was presented, man had no way of paying other than enslavement and ultimate extinction...
David Gerrold, creator of the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" pits Earth against a host of predatory worlds—with some surprising results.
Man reached the stars and was offered unlimited access to the accumulated knowledge of the universe.
Too good to be true: when the bill was presented, man had no way of paying other than enslavement and ultimate extinction...
David Gerrold, creator of the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" pits Earth against a host of predatory worlds—with some surprising results.
167 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1987
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303 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 24, 2024
Interesting. Dated. Definitely part of the in media res school of sci-fi writing, so it took more than a minute to figure out what was going on.
"K!rikkl polished its mandibles slowly while it considered the layout of the game board. There was much too much at stake and there were far too many unanswered questions. Perhaps it had been a mistake to accept this invitation."
Part of the story takes place among a team of Earthers who have realized their library bill has come due. Part of the story involves some complicated politics among one of the races that has offered to pay the Earth bill, as long as Earth is willing to sign a contract and send them a few hundred people every so often (for food or egg-hosts; dealer's choice). This is, of course, intolerable, so the Earth people meet and brainstorm, do some more research, then meet again. It reminds me of sci-fi movies that go back and forth between scenes so that it doesn't seem like everyone is just talking and arguing all the time.
Despite the creative aliens, there isn't much change for the humans. It is a strange thing to be catapulted a couple centuries into the future without any sort of cultural shift, although it seems Earth is just one big U.N. now (ha! That's how we know it is centuries in the future). Although it is worth noting this line:
"Secretaries of all four sexes moved quietly around the edges of the room, gathering up the debris of previous confrontations and handing out weaponry for the next"
This is among Earthers, mind you. Kudos for Gerrold.
The plot twists are interesting, and the resolution was clever. Incidentally, a dragon appears in the story: "The Dragons were the oldest and most successful member species in InterChange history. The Dragons had personally retired over three hundred and twelve other species."
Gerrold will go in the files as one of the few writers than can do a decent alien species.
Overall, fun, a little tiring because the world-building felt a bit more lavish on the aliens than on the humans, and it took awhile to see how the two connected. And the aliens were, frankly, not lovable, while good ol' humanity was just out to learn and meet other races. All very Star Trek of them. Except, of course, that mammalian species were the distinct minority among the Universe's beings.
Recommended for fans of classic sci-fi, or those who want a quick story, where "the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."
"K!rikkl polished its mandibles slowly while it considered the layout of the game board. There was much too much at stake and there were far too many unanswered questions. Perhaps it had been a mistake to accept this invitation."
Part of the story takes place among a team of Earthers who have realized their library bill has come due. Part of the story involves some complicated politics among one of the races that has offered to pay the Earth bill, as long as Earth is willing to sign a contract and send them a few hundred people every so often (for food or egg-hosts; dealer's choice). This is, of course, intolerable, so the Earth people meet and brainstorm, do some more research, then meet again. It reminds me of sci-fi movies that go back and forth between scenes so that it doesn't seem like everyone is just talking and arguing all the time.
Despite the creative aliens, there isn't much change for the humans. It is a strange thing to be catapulted a couple centuries into the future without any sort of cultural shift, although it seems Earth is just one big U.N. now (ha! That's how we know it is centuries in the future). Although it is worth noting this line:
"Secretaries of all four sexes moved quietly around the edges of the room, gathering up the debris of previous confrontations and handing out weaponry for the next"
This is among Earthers, mind you. Kudos for Gerrold.
The plot twists are interesting, and the resolution was clever. Incidentally, a dragon appears in the story: "The Dragons were the oldest and most successful member species in InterChange history. The Dragons had personally retired over three hundred and twelve other species."
Gerrold will go in the files as one of the few writers than can do a decent alien species.
Overall, fun, a little tiring because the world-building felt a bit more lavish on the aliens than on the humans, and it took awhile to see how the two connected. And the aliens were, frankly, not lovable, while good ol' humanity was just out to learn and meet other races. All very Star Trek of them. Except, of course, that mammalian species were the distinct minority among the Universe's beings.
Recommended for fans of classic sci-fi, or those who want a quick story, where "the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."
June 13, 2015
David Gerrold is best known for two things. Being the writer of the ST:TOS episode The Trouble with Tribbles and his unfinished War against the Chtorr. What a lot of people don't know is that before his recent lack of production he completed the Voyages of the Star Wolf trilogy which is very good.
So, I'm not surprised that a novel that probably couldn't be published today was extremely entertaining and not insulting to my intelligence. No publishing house today would touch a novel just over 160 pages, because they all think you need 600 to be able to sell.
In that page count Gerrold creates a galactic society, Earth's miserable place in it, and a game of political gamesmanship that brought back memories of Asimov's Foundation. Why Foundation? Because even Asimov had said he was surprised by Foundation's popularity, because it is essentially just a bunch of talking heads. Well Chess with a Dragon is a lot of talking heads but you know what?
A lot happens because of all that talking.
Besides how you can like a book who's main human character is named Yank Singh Browne.
So, I'm not surprised that a novel that probably couldn't be published today was extremely entertaining and not insulting to my intelligence. No publishing house today would touch a novel just over 160 pages, because they all think you need 600 to be able to sell.
In that page count Gerrold creates a galactic society, Earth's miserable place in it, and a game of political gamesmanship that brought back memories of Asimov's Foundation. Why Foundation? Because even Asimov had said he was surprised by Foundation's popularity, because it is essentially just a bunch of talking heads. Well Chess with a Dragon is a lot of talking heads but you know what?
A lot happens because of all that talking.
Besides how you can like a book who's main human character is named Yank Singh Browne.
October 31, 2013
Not actually a fantasy book- Chess With a Dragon is a hard sci-fi book, space opera, spaceships, the whole deal.
The closest thing I can compare the setting to would be David Brin's "Uplift" setting. Mankind has hit the galactic scene and discovered everyone is smarter than us. There is an immense "library" full of neat information, which you have to pay for. So we used it. A lot. Now we're in crazy debt. We might have to sell ourselves as food to the Ki!, an insectoid race.
We're some of the only mammals in the galaxy. Mammals have a rep for being stupid. We've reinforced this stereotype by not understanding a key use of the library- most species use it to blackmail each other in a complex series of strategic moves. That is the "chess" of the title.
One of my favorite sci-fi books. Humanity's new "friends," the delightfully untrustworthy "rats," are my favorite.
The closest thing I can compare the setting to would be David Brin's "Uplift" setting. Mankind has hit the galactic scene and discovered everyone is smarter than us. There is an immense "library" full of neat information, which you have to pay for. So we used it. A lot. Now we're in crazy debt. We might have to sell ourselves as food to the Ki!, an insectoid race.
We're some of the only mammals in the galaxy. Mammals have a rep for being stupid. We've reinforced this stereotype by not understanding a key use of the library- most species use it to blackmail each other in a complex series of strategic moves. That is the "chess" of the title.
One of my favorite sci-fi books. Humanity's new "friends," the delightfully untrustworthy "rats," are my favorite.
December 15, 2025
I don't remember where I saw this novel mentioned but it sounded fun: A story about humanity having met the good ol' galactic community, including access to their limitless library. But TANSTAAFL: The galactic Wikipedia is not free, nor is it paid for by ads, so humanity is in quite a spot when the tab for the access is suddenly presented.
This is a very quick read, almost a novella, but it still succeeds in some quite interesting world building where a lot of the text is presented from the point of view of aliens, and they are indeed quite alien. As for characterizations, not much time is spent on that; the story unfolds in an extremely straightforward way by setting up the background (i.e. presenting the major alien races involved), and then diving straight into the machinations of the humans working at the galactic center trying to come up with a way to pay the bill so that humanity can avoid being enslaved to one of the richer species. Lots of negotiating goes on with different aliens until the situation is resolved; this is not really a spoiler since it is obvious this is a novel were the whole point is to come up with an unexpected solution (theoretically unexpected by the reader; in reality it felt a bit flat) to the thorny problem.
So no, this isn't a novel with deep characters nor complex intrigues, but it is as promised fun! The best part is definitely the aliens, with my favorite being the Ki!Lakken and what we can see of their society, but the mood of the novel and the writing is also entertaining. That the author wrote the classic Star Trek "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode is not the least surprising since it shares the same strong points as this one.
Do I highly recommend this novel? Well, not really, but if you're in the mood for something light which can be read in an afternoon and you don't mind a slightly old fashioned style (it definitely feels as if the novel was written way before 1987), go for it!
This is a very quick read, almost a novella, but it still succeeds in some quite interesting world building where a lot of the text is presented from the point of view of aliens, and they are indeed quite alien. As for characterizations, not much time is spent on that; the story unfolds in an extremely straightforward way by setting up the background (i.e. presenting the major alien races involved), and then diving straight into the machinations of the humans working at the galactic center trying to come up with a way to pay the bill so that humanity can avoid being enslaved to one of the richer species. Lots of negotiating goes on with different aliens until the situation is resolved; this is not really a spoiler since it is obvious this is a novel were the whole point is to come up with an unexpected solution (theoretically unexpected by the reader; in reality it felt a bit flat) to the thorny problem.
So no, this isn't a novel with deep characters nor complex intrigues, but it is as promised fun! The best part is definitely the aliens, with my favorite being the Ki!Lakken and what we can see of their society, but the mood of the novel and the writing is also entertaining. That the author wrote the classic Star Trek "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode is not the least surprising since it shares the same strong points as this one.
Do I highly recommend this novel? Well, not really, but if you're in the mood for something light which can be read in an afternoon and you don't mind a slightly old fashioned style (it definitely feels as if the novel was written way before 1987), go for it!
March 29, 2020
Future Earthlings are having a dilemma. They've entered a galactic society, but incurred quite a large debt in access fees to the Library. It may or may not be the case that they were tricked into incurring that debt by the alien species who had been their guides to navigation in this society. Either way, the only option for getting out of debt is basically selling the population of Earth into slavery. Several species of alien are making offers, mostly wanting the ape-descended humans as food or incubators for their eggs. There's also a sub-plot following an other alien species who is indentured to a race of sentient trees and are also trying to get out of their contracts.
I would consider this as more of a thought experiment than a novel with a captivating plot. The intrigue comes from the structure of this galactic society and the political machinations of its denizens. As such, there are quite a few plot holes and some pretty incomprehensible leaps. However, I did find it entertaining and not a slog.
I would consider this as more of a thought experiment than a novel with a captivating plot. The intrigue comes from the structure of this galactic society and the political machinations of its denizens. As such, there are quite a few plot holes and some pretty incomprehensible leaps. However, I did find it entertaining and not a slog.
August 4, 2008
Mankind has ventured into the stars... and discovered that lots of other worlds have gotten there first. Sentient mammals are considered the laughable anomolies of genetics, and humans end up reinforcing that theory by committing a "blunder" that may well end up getting the species eaten. Our only hope is to get into the real game and win.
May 7, 2012
Good earthmen join the galactic civilistion book
February 20, 2024
Book #: 14
Title: Chess with a Dragon
Author: David Gerrold
Series: n/a
Format: Hardcover, 207 pgs, own
Pub Date: First published June 1, 1987
Started: 2/10/24 Ended: 2/16/24
Awards: none
Categories:
PS18 A book set in space; PS19 A book set in the future; PS23 A book that features dragons; GR35 A science or science fiction book; CCLS3 A Book from an Author That You Love; CCLS16 A Book Based Entirely on its Cover; CCLS17 A Book with a Male Protagonist; CCLS28 A Funny Book; CCLS29 A Book about Non-Human Characters; CCLS36 A Book with a Monster on the Cover; CCLS42 A Book with more than 200 Pages; CCLS44 A Science Fiction Book; CCLS50 A Book You Can Finish Fairly Quickly; A Book with a board game on the cover, in the title or in the content;
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
Mammals were not meant to be the dominant species on a planet. That honor usually went to the reptiles or insects. It would take something like an ecological disaster of world-wide proportions such as a meteor striking the planet to give mammals a foothold towards evolution. That very seldom happens. The Galactic Interchange was the greatest discovery ever! Anyone with an interest in knowledge; scientists, doctors, librarians, teachers could select a topic and request information. Unfortunately, humanity discovered it was not a free service. The debt was so massive it could only be paid off by species wide indentured servitude. Humans would be most useful as hosts for a parasitic species larva or as actual food. There's an adage that says "Never play chess with a Dragon, tradition says the winner gets to eat the loser." Dragons are the dominant species in the Galactic Interchange having 'retired' over 300 species. Yake Singh Browne is the human ambassador to the Interchange. He doesn't want to deal with dragons, but he doesn't have much choice in the matter. It's time to teach the dragons a new game . . . poker!
David Gerrold is the author of the ST:TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". So, when I saw the book with a title like "Chess with a Dragon", David Gerrold as the author, and an illustration of a human playing chess with a dragon on a board where the chessmen were as large as the human, I had to grab it. The board game category is a holdover from a previous challenge.
Title: Chess with a Dragon
Author: David Gerrold
Series: n/a
Format: Hardcover, 207 pgs, own
Pub Date: First published June 1, 1987
Started: 2/10/24 Ended: 2/16/24
Awards: none
Categories:
PS18 A book set in space; PS19 A book set in the future; PS23 A book that features dragons; GR35 A science or science fiction book; CCLS3 A Book from an Author That You Love; CCLS16 A Book Based Entirely on its Cover; CCLS17 A Book with a Male Protagonist; CCLS28 A Funny Book; CCLS29 A Book about Non-Human Characters; CCLS36 A Book with a Monster on the Cover; CCLS42 A Book with more than 200 Pages; CCLS44 A Science Fiction Book; CCLS50 A Book You Can Finish Fairly Quickly; A Book with a board game on the cover, in the title or in the content;
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
Mammals were not meant to be the dominant species on a planet. That honor usually went to the reptiles or insects. It would take something like an ecological disaster of world-wide proportions such as a meteor striking the planet to give mammals a foothold towards evolution. That very seldom happens. The Galactic Interchange was the greatest discovery ever! Anyone with an interest in knowledge; scientists, doctors, librarians, teachers could select a topic and request information. Unfortunately, humanity discovered it was not a free service. The debt was so massive it could only be paid off by species wide indentured servitude. Humans would be most useful as hosts for a parasitic species larva or as actual food. There's an adage that says "Never play chess with a Dragon, tradition says the winner gets to eat the loser." Dragons are the dominant species in the Galactic Interchange having 'retired' over 300 species. Yake Singh Browne is the human ambassador to the Interchange. He doesn't want to deal with dragons, but he doesn't have much choice in the matter. It's time to teach the dragons a new game . . . poker!
David Gerrold is the author of the ST:TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". So, when I saw the book with a title like "Chess with a Dragon", David Gerrold as the author, and an illustration of a human playing chess with a dragon on a board where the chessmen were as large as the human, I had to grab it. The board game category is a holdover from a previous challenge.
April 9, 2021
Even for a book with 167 pages, it's padded like crazy. Every new chapter is introduced with a title page followed by a blank page, and sometimes the previous page only exists because a repetitive conversation managed to push a couple lines onto the last page of the chapter.
Speaking of chapters, there are a lot of them, and they're short. The longest chapter is probably seven pages long and the shortest one is literally shorter than this review.
Also it should be mentioned, nobody ever plays chess with a dragon. The title and the cover are total false advertising. If anything, it's a metaphor for the conflict in the book, taken from a saying in its universe about the danger of the activity.
I'm disappointed by that but what I got wasn't as horrible as I'm making it sound. It was an interesting concept with creative execution that would have been better served as a (probably) 80-100 page short story in a collection, or a better fleshed out story with more plot lines and world-building. At this length it feels a little pointless.
Speaking of chapters, there are a lot of them, and they're short. The longest chapter is probably seven pages long and the shortest one is literally shorter than this review.
Also it should be mentioned, nobody ever plays chess with a dragon. The title and the cover are total false advertising. If anything, it's a metaphor for the conflict in the book, taken from a saying in its universe about the danger of the activity.
I'm disappointed by that but what I got wasn't as horrible as I'm making it sound. It was an interesting concept with creative execution that would have been better served as a (probably) 80-100 page short story in a collection, or a better fleshed out story with more plot lines and world-building. At this length it feels a little pointless.
November 4, 2024
After the first chapter, all I could think was, "this book is WEIRD." Reading on, it ends up being its best feature. At first, I was annoyed at the impossible-to-pronounce alien species' names with random exclamation points in them that slowed me down, but you get used to them and eventually just chuckle past them.
A breath of fresh air. This book was very self aware and had a quirky humor. I very much enjoyed the jokes that broke the fourth wall and only worked as text. They would be lost in an audio version. Cool to think it forces one to enjoy it in its original format. It's modernization-proof. Love it. If you read into it, the book actually creates an accurate picture of what politics looks like and makes the whole thing look quite silly.
Very quick read. It didn't take itself too seriously and worth a decent laugh here and there.
A breath of fresh air. This book was very self aware and had a quirky humor. I very much enjoyed the jokes that broke the fourth wall and only worked as text. They would be lost in an audio version. Cool to think it forces one to enjoy it in its original format. It's modernization-proof. Love it. If you read into it, the book actually creates an accurate picture of what politics looks like and makes the whole thing look quite silly.
Very quick read. It didn't take itself too seriously and worth a decent laugh here and there.
Read
August 29, 2025I’ve not read anything by this author before, but his name came up in a Worldcon discussion panel and his work sounded interesting. If I had to categorise this short book, I’d call it something like “SF political tactics”, which I guess follows on from the title. The plot is about humans trying to get themselves out of a hole they’ve dug themselves into, after naively trusting the alien species they’ve met.
This book was first published in 1987. It feels a bit dated, but still quite readable. We’re not reading for the characters, but to unravel a puzzle. Each section provides clues (to the reader, at least). The hapless humans don’t have the advantage of knowing who’s lying, obfuscating or telling the truth… and the fate of humanity depends on navigating through this mess.
Overall, a fun read, and I’ll go and look at the author’s other works.
This book was first published in 1987. It feels a bit dated, but still quite readable. We’re not reading for the characters, but to unravel a puzzle. Each section provides clues (to the reader, at least). The hapless humans don’t have the advantage of knowing who’s lying, obfuscating or telling the truth… and the fate of humanity depends on navigating through this mess.
Overall, a fun read, and I’ll go and look at the author’s other works.
May 14, 2025
Fermi was wrong. The stars are crowded with sapient aliens, and we are the new kids on the block, or more precisely, the new chumps in the game.
Most of the aliens are insectoid and reptilian. A few are microscopic hive minds. Don’t mess with them. Our monkey ancestors got a chance when the dinos got wiped out, but that did not happen in most star systems. In most of the galaxy, critters like us are stupid prey animals.
A new space-faring species like ours inevitably incurs big debts by downloading stuff from the galactic library. But smiling aliens will assume the debt for a price. Our babies are tasty morsels, after all.
Gerrold is the guy who gave us The Trouble with Tribbles, so be ready for the twists.
Most of the aliens are insectoid and reptilian. A few are microscopic hive minds. Don’t mess with them. Our monkey ancestors got a chance when the dinos got wiped out, but that did not happen in most star systems. In most of the galaxy, critters like us are stupid prey animals.
A new space-faring species like ours inevitably incurs big debts by downloading stuff from the galactic library. But smiling aliens will assume the debt for a price. Our babies are tasty morsels, after all.
Gerrold is the guy who gave us The Trouble with Tribbles, so be ready for the twists.
August 12, 2024
An interesting novella, other than the slur jumpscare and the anachronistic soviet union hate. I'm sure there's a little more enjoyment in a close read, I didn't understand everything I read but I figured out enough that the ending twist hit. Idk if I'd recommend it unless it also would take you an hour to get through, it's not worth much more time than that.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
November 19, 2020
Chess With A Dragon by David Gerrold
“Never play chess with a dragon.” This book was something else from the impossible names to pronounce to the futuristic economic of the human race to the array of creatures wanting to enslave them. If you like classic sci-fi give this one a read.
“Never play chess with a dragon.” This book was something else from the impossible names to pronounce to the futuristic economic of the human race to the array of creatures wanting to enslave them. If you like classic sci-fi give this one a read.
March 30, 2025
I think, Mr. Gerrold, that there was actually quite a lot you could have fixed or made better once you got the rights back, but I guess you were still alright with the xenophobia and sexism :)
Wouldn't recommend you can add unnecessarily gross to my issues with the book.
Wouldn't recommend you can add unnecessarily gross to my issues with the book.
December 6, 2018
Uncanny how this book predicted the information age and its perils. Don't let the dragon fool you; this is science fiction.
September 1, 2020
A very interesting and thought provoking book.
June 13, 2024
Short, fun read.
June 20, 2024
Maybe I’m stupid but I didn’t understand the ending 🤷🏽♂️
May 3, 2025
A quick and amusing read. A lot of things that could use more depth are passed over.
August 3, 2025
Too wordy and cryptic for me.... DNF
October 20, 2025
Punchy, odd to read, and fun. I didn’t love it but I had a good time. Nice way to break up a routine of textbooks, thrillers, and less creative (or too serious) sci-fi.
May 10, 2016
While saying little, it actually says a lot.
Forget the reviews you may have read.
Yes, it has fewer pages than is "standard".
Yes, some chapters are very short.
Is it delightful to read? Yes!
Will you want to stay up late to find out what happens? Absolutely!
"Chess with a Dragon" is unusual in its format and in how the story is told, but to me that just makes it a special book that stands out from all others I have read.
Describing the book further would ruin the surprise that awaits you, so I will stop here.
I can only highly recommend that you read it and decide what you think for yourself :)
Forget the reviews you may have read.
Yes, it has fewer pages than is "standard".
Yes, some chapters are very short.
Is it delightful to read? Yes!
Will you want to stay up late to find out what happens? Absolutely!
"Chess with a Dragon" is unusual in its format and in how the story is told, but to me that just makes it a special book that stands out from all others I have read.
Describing the book further would ruin the surprise that awaits you, so I will stop here.
I can only highly recommend that you read it and decide what you think for yourself :)
August 13, 2025
A quaint slice of 80s extrapolation, complete with Soviets at the table. Brevity being the charm of wit, this tome manages to give depth with few, but intense, strokes of a Galactic Society, and the required conflict with the fate of humanity as the stake. Smart. Worthwhile. Kudos!
On repetition: a minor, but repeatable joy
On repetition: a minor, but repeatable joy
May 14, 2015
Intersting and entertaing, nice plot and interesting setting. Very short, at a times it seems almost like the draft of a novel instead of a novel. It's a political intrigue of which we're not shown the unfolding, but the setting up and the conclusions. Tantalazingly disappointing.
August 11, 2016
Very interesting aliens and a fun read. This short novel (not quite novella size) was a quick read, yet still very satisfying.
June 24, 2014
Confusing. Just ... weird.
Read
January 3, 2016Blah
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