The Big Game

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #4

by Sandy Schofield, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

When Quark holds a poker tournament on Deep Space Nine someone from almost every sentient race -- Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans, Vulcans, Ferengi -- shows up for what is sure to be the highest-stakes game of all time. But when one player is killed, the stakes get higher than even these big-money players had counted on.

With the station rocked by subspace waves that threaten its destruction, Commander Sisko and Security Chief Odo must hunt down the killer in time to save the players, a killer who has information that can save those on board Deep Space Nine from the invisible enemy they do not even know they face, a killer who holds all the cards.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Fiction, Media Tie In, Space Opera, Space

274 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

About the author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith use the common pseudonym “Sandy Schofield” for a part of their collaborative works.

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Big Game is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel #4 written by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith who together adopted the Sandy Schofield pseudonym as a joint penname. My feeling is that when two people go the extra step in creating a nom de plume, they clearly intend to write more than one work together. I am a huge fan of the Deep Space Nine series, but I do not like playing apologist for the novels. Let me explain. This is the third of four novels thus far, with a murderer on the station. Is that what the station has devolved into? Is it simply the setting for murder mysteries? (And in this one there really is no mystery. The reader can figure this one out without too much difficulty.) Not great! Then we have a poker tournament which would have been better suited for the Next Generation cast, seeing as how the Next Generation cast is shown playing poker as a social method of decompressing and relaxing. Ugh! The writing is good, and fast-paced. The characters (I mean the guests) would have been better served with more characterization. Still and all, it is a Deep Space Nine novel. Middle of the road is the best and worst I can rate this.

[Anissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This turned out just okay for me but I think that's mostly because poker played such a large part of the story. I know it's called The Big Game but there is a murder that happens fairly early on and while Odo is searching for the killer by playing in the tournament, I wasn't at all interested in the deep focus on various states of play at each table. The murderer has been revealed at almost the halfway point and then the story continues on with the mysterious circumstances causing the core problems on DS9. The two things are tied together and there was the diplomatic situation with Sisko trying to keep the Bajorans and the Cardassians from going to war with one another and the Federation but I just didn't care very much about any of it by about the 60% mark. It resolves well in the end, no surprise but honestly, I was just glad it was over.

When I read the "About the Author" section I was even more shocked I was disappointed in this story. It was co-written by Kristine Kathryn Rush (with her husband Dean Wesly Smith). She authored one of my favourite science fiction series ever The Retrieval Artist series (The Disappeared). Ah well, can't love them all.

I don't really recommend this one. Unless you're a poker fan and can nerd out on the minutiae. I feel as a DS9 fan, I could have skipped this one and been just fine. YMMV.

[Dianah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the third original book in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series, I'm shocked to have to type, for the third time, there's a killer on the station and Odo has to stop him. Yes, I sighed loudly.

The good thing about The Big Game is it is a quick read. The characters are fairly in character with some minor discrepancies that are easy to overlook. It moves along at a great pace and it's fun how some of the one-shot and minor Next Gen characters are shuffled into the mix.

The cause of the space disturbances and the fix is a major drawback of the book. While it's an interesting idea it isn't practical within the Star Trek universe. There's a mistake in the digital copy I read that had Odo in Ops and Quark's at the same time. I had to go back because I thought I missed something. I think "Odo" replaced "O'Brien" in the text.

Including Garak in the story and putting Bashir in a tuxedo made me smile. Jake and Nog's storyline was a bit boring, but worked as a plot device. All-in-all an entertaining, light read.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's quite a bit in this novel that I find irritating: (1) the book accentuates too many early first season characteristics that were quickly toned down; (2) there are far too many gratuitous cameos (Rasmussen...really?), and many of them come far too soon after recent cameos in the TV series; (3) the murder plot is so suddenly switched with the Ghost Rider plot that whiplash is the result, and you might be forgiven for thinking you've started another DS9 novel.

Luckily, there is also more than enough here to mitigate the irritants. The characterization of Sisko, Dax & Odo is spot on (and both Sisko & Odo get a triumphant moment of awesomeness). The writing style is smooth, and the various plots all manage to hurtle towards satisfactory conclusions. It's a very imperfect early DS9 book, in a series of books that took forever to really capture this gem of a series (barring the odd moments of magnificence, such as "Fallen Heroes" & "Station Rage"). But it tries hard, and it manages to hold everything together in spite of its flaws.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to toss it out the nearest airlock.
Boring writing style. Unengaging plot. A poker game, really?

[Mayaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was terrible and I had a great time not despite but rather because of this.

Nobody was in character - to the point of Quark letting himself get covered in blood and Garak complaining about how hot it is. The story was very dumb on several levels, but again, this did not stop me from having a time that was good. Even great.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that was published early in the series run, so some elements may seem a bit off, though they didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.

Quark is running a poker tournament in a back room in his bar. He's been setting it up for years and only the best poker players will be in attendance. There are several familiar alien races there, Klingons and Romulans, and some new ones. Causing problems during the games is that one player is an assassin out for revenge against that he dislikes. His identity is a mystery, so Odo is able to squeeze in as one of the players, backed by Quark, reluctantly.

Also causing issues from the first chapter is a spatial anomaly that's blasting into the station, causing a Ferengi ship to be destroyed, Cardassian ships to be damaged, and problems with the station's technology.

Author Schofield has every character in the cast contribute something major to the story except for Dax, who mans her stations and gets frustrated. But, hey, considering how many characters are being juggled that's pretty impressive. Even Garak gets a major part, as does the leader of a world and two nefarious sisters. The reason for the anomaly was interesting, and tied into a Next Generation episode loosely, so that was also impressive.

This only got a tick down because of Major Kira's odd protection of a new species that came out of left field. It motivates several actions in the story, but doesn't fit what eventually became the character. Yes, there's no way Schofield could have known this at the time, but even in the context of the story it sits slightly off.

Overall, a very enjoyable read for fans of Trek and DS9.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is for the audiobook:

1) There's a fine line between using and not using sound effects. This book went beyond overboard on the sound effects. It was ridiculous. For example, I don't need the sound of someone panting heavily when a person is out of breath from running. I don't need to hear cards being shuffled or the generic sounds of people playing in the background of a poker game. I don't need high pitched laughter whenever the Nagus is mentioned. The majority of the time the sound effects were distracting from the narrator. It was so crazy.
2) Good god this narrator was horrible. Everyone sounded the same. He didn't say some names correctly. It was so bad and annoyed me so much.

Here's the book itself:
1) Wtf was going on with the plot? There's the A story & B story but tbh they both seemed like a B story. They barely had anything to do with the other.
2) This book would be an inch better if you know how to play poker. Which I don't. So a lot of the poker game plot was lost on me.
3) Garak was totally checking out Julian and I'm just like 😏
4) Unless it's Murder on the Orient Express I don't need to know *every single person in the room*.

I really don't recommend this one. Feel free to skip it.

[Caiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, the DEEP SPACE NINE novels have been good to me. While it was better than Bloodletter, The Big Game still had a few issues with me. First, the A(?) plot in Ops is way less interesting than the B(?) plot. They could've given Dax at least one chapter perspective there. Second, in DS9 books, I have the expectation that the books do things the show never had the budget for. There's some interesting creatures introduced, but there isn't too much creativity. That being said, Quark and Odo are spot on and better than ever. Garak does pretty well too,.

[Chrystal Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read, even if one remembers the episode.

I don't generally read this type of fiction, but it was a gift.
I enjoyed watching this more, and if I had never watched, I probably would have been lost in some ways.

Note: It's now 2021, and the "lights go out leaving everyone in darkness" idea is now obsolete due to cell phones. No phones in the Trek universe, but surely flashlights and tablets and the like...but I am old enough to remember when that could happen.

[Henrik Havighorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic DS9 novel with multiple story arcs, all of which mix the typical humour & suspense just like the TV series. Mashing up a contemporary trope (poker) with the Trek setting is a classic. Very well written and paced. I loved it!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was ok. Nothing that really stood out to me. Parts of it were fun or interesting, but overall, it was just OK.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

really really dumb in some ways, but fun! which is all I want from these

[Christina Farr-Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a cute little story. Very fast read. Don't expect any action or drama. It is a well written light read.

[Jesse L · Rating 2 out of 5]

how is this another murder mystery....how.... the first 3 original DS9 books are all murder mysteries. This one was better than the last one at least - more fun character interactions, more of a plot, etc. but it was still pretty mediocre. Also the book is clearly written by two people in that the plot is TOTALLY random - the murder mystery 100% randomly drops off midway through and then the plot becomes a space alien hunter thing. At least the second half is more enjoyable? That made it pick up for me at least and helped me finish it. People comment on it being dumb that there's a poker game at the center of the plot but come on, poker was huge in TNG and while it IS idiotic that apparently every alien race plays poker (????) it is a fun enough plot device and works in the book.

verdict: skippable. It's close to being enjoyable but...it's skippable.

[Kosar7480 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed like the authors came up with two separate plots and decided to combine them together instead of just sticking with one. The first half of the book focuses on the poker game - which I found much more enjoyable - then the murder mystery is resolved and the book shifts to the mysterious waves crippling the station. I found that plot a lot less interesting. I wish the whole book had been about the poker tournament. I appreciated the authors weaving in lots of supporting characters into the poker game. I also felt the dialogue was well written, especially Odo and Quark. Speaking of Quark, it was nice to see him organically involved in a DS9 book rather than the author having to concoct some reason for him to be included. More Quark!

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oy. This book doesn't know what it wants to be. A poker game in space heist? Or a cautionary tale about whales, but that's been done and better in Trek. It takes half the book to get the plot moving, so this book, by that reasoning is half again mostly fluff. It ended well enough and was good enough but woof. It was kind of a stinker. So why read it? It is always a pleasure to dive into the world of Star Trek for a while even in a book published in DS9's first season when the characters were new and not quite nailed down yet. At least the chapters were short which kept me going.

[lucien alexander “sasha” · Rating 4 out of 5]

strong characterization, decent dialogue (including tons of sass from sisko, odo, garak, & more), reasonably interesting plot(s), & a handful of jadzia/kira and garak/bashir shippy moments. better than most gen fanfiction i've read (which certainly seems to be saying something for a lot of genre fiction) (ok actually there are totally fic authors out there who set the bar REALLY high) (this review is so embarrassing).

[Chad]

This was a fun read for me and of all the DS9 books I have read from these early installments this is probably my favorite. It has a good pace to it, has a well executed balance to the plot and for the most part, the characters feel much more on point, a problem that often plagues early books in these series as the production hasn’t had the chance for the cast to really own their roles yet.

As a criticism up front, I will say that for being the basis of the title of the book, I wasn’t that interested in the whole poker aspect and the description of the book almost didn’t sell me on it. Not that it was bad - I did enjoy it - it just fell a little flat and honestly most of the poker scenes weren’t anything I haven’t gotten already in dozens of other heist or poker related movies.

I also found it incredibly improbable that Odo could become such a successful poker player just from reading the rules of the game and getting a quick lesson from Quark the day before. I get that the point is that Odo is such an experienced investigator that his talent for spotting liars and reading people make him a natural poker player but I didn’t buy it. Because while he is highly skilled at investigations, Odo often proves to be fairly naive when it comes to human interactions and I had a hard time accepting that his talents relating to police work would translate into being a great poker player. Why not just write it into the book that he had played before? Maybe he played poker with the Cardassian guards during the occupation as a way of maintaining favor? That would have fit seamlessly into the story and made it more credible.

I also had a hard time believing that so many alien species would be so passionate about playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Maybe this was meant to draw in readers from the mid-nineties but as a result it makes the book feel more dated as well. I think it would have felt more Trek if the author had designed a poker-like game - one that makes the story not feel quite so anachronistic. And inventing a new game might have made the actual gambling scenes more interesting. If they really wanted to have fun with it and made it a great callback to the Trek universe, why not make it a Fizzbin tournament?

What saves this for me is what I would define as the real A story of the book. The station is already in an uncertain state as they are still attempting to keep the Cardassian technology functional. Add to this the occurrence of some kind of destructive discharge that threatens not just the station but pretty much everything in the surrounding space. There is a great Cold War era brinkmanship story going on here as the Bajorans and Cardassians proceed to blame each other and war looms over everything as a real possibility. The pressure Sisko feels to resolve this situation is real and felt throughout the book.

And connected to this, I thought the author did a great job showing the challenges faced by the crew early on and the tenuous relationship between each other, particularly in Sisko’s uncertain détente with Kira as well as O’Brien’s frustration with the constant work of his posting.

Throughout the book, I appreciated the occasional references to Next Gen and I loved how the evolution of the A story led to a direct connection to a TNG episode. I wouldn’t go so far as to describe this as being a crossover book but it was nice to see the influence of aspects of the Trek universe outside of just DS9.

In sum - while I would not categorize this alongside my favorite Star Trek books it provided what I needed while recovering from Covid. A relaxing, light and enjoyable reading experience. It provided what I thought DS9 often did with episodes that had a heavier, intense A story, juxtaposed against a more quirky B story. There’s probably plenty in the book that you could nit pick, especially being written so early on in the progression of the show but if you’re willing to just take it on face as it’s own thing, I think you will enjoy it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable TREK novel so long as you don't mind the entire poker tournament aspect being relatively pointless. I'm guessing the authors simply felt like writing about poker and were dead-set on doing so, regardless of whether the plot actually called for it. And just to make things more confusing for the uninitiated, they go with Texas Hold 'Em instead of traditional five-card stud.
The novel is credited to Sandy Schofield, which is a pen name for husband-and-wife writing team Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Under the Sandy Schofield name, they also wrote a couple of QUANTUM LEAP and ALIEN/PREDATOR novels. Their PREDATOR novel was also titled BIG GAME, making "Sandy Schofield" the only author I know of who published two completely different novels under the exact same title (plus or minus the word "the").
Although the titular poker tournament is really just an excuse for Quark and Odo to have a lot of amusing interactions with each other, the other main storyline is actually pretty ambitious, positing a sort of alternate universe in which beautiful spirit creatures are hunted down like whales. The book hints that these story elements were first introduced back on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, but I can't find any evidence that such is the case.
THE BIG GAME is one of those TREK adventures where the writers introduce something that should be a total game changer, but in reality is never referenced again. It very much reads like a first-season episode of the DS9 show, for better or worse. TREK enthusiasts who enjoy hanging out with these characters and reading about poker will get their money's worth, but THE BIG GAME isn't the sort of thing to bring any new fans into the fold.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite DS9 novel thus far. I thought it was an absolute delight! The A plot involves a gruesome murder, a fun game of cards, and scheming Ferengi (of course). The B plot shows the Ops crew trying to keep the station intact while avoiding war between the Cardassians and Bajorans (what’s new?).

The A plot was certainly better than the B plot, but the sum of its parts made for a great novel. Here, Odo and Quark got to step into the spotlight and try to win a card game and stop a killer. The cast of characters, as in any fun game of chance, was made up of a motley crew of unusual suspects, including some character crossovers from other Star Trek series.

I did get a laugh when Riker couldn’t make it to the game because he was “saving a planet or something.”

Overall, this Ocean’s Eleven of Deep Space Nine was a thrill to read, and a nice fun romp on Deep Space Nine. Enjoy your stay!

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather enjoyable, especially the poker elements. And while the "station shaking because of subspace phenomenon" subplot is something we've seen again and again, the reason behind the station's troubles is at least original and pays off nicely. The best thing about the novel is that the characters are all well captured, their voices recognizable. This is an especially good representation of the Odo-Quark relationship, Odo proving himself better at the art of the bluff. Good bits for almost every character, in fact, including Garak. The book does awkwardly transition between the various subplots by consistently going back in time a few moments rather than show simultaneous action. This device can work, but not here where it undercuts momentum. A couple of small mistakes (like a non-humanoid suddenly being described as humanoid, for example) can be distracting. Overall though, a good character piece with some ideas we haven't seen before.

[Ben Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided on this as my first Trek and DS9 read as I was looking for something light after finishing the series. It gets the characters right for the most part and the story was the sort of thing I'd expect from an in-between adventure. The A/B stories could have tied together better - as they do in the best Trek episodes - and resolving the murder "mystery" halfway through feels like a missed opportunity. Has a few too many plates spinning trying to keep each of the show's characters involved with the plot. Odo/Quark, Sisko/Kira, Jake/Nog, and O'Brien are the most compelling, and there's a bit of fun with Garak too. There were a few too many pointless cameos for my liking (Did Quark really have to invite so many one-off Next Gen characters).

Overall, it was a fun comfort read and I enjoyed visualising how scenes would have played out in the show.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 2 out of 5]

DS9 #4: the Big Game by Sandy Schofield

This book… was neither near nor there. It wasn’t bad but not good at the same time. Ik this is a pen name for a couple that wrote Trek books together, but I can���t remember their name. The premise could have been really good with a high stakes poker game with cameos from across the galaxy from the Duras sisters to Berginloff if I’m spelling his name right. But to quote Donald Trump, it was low energy. It feels like every Trek novel Jake and Nog are crawling through the tunnels at DS9, discovering some hidden room. This was a silimar plot point in the Long Night which is coincidentally by the same authors of this book. That was a far better book imo.

Like, they understood the characters and wrote them well, it just felt the equivalent of wet spaghetti with the conflict going on around them. The Ghost Riders didn’t really do it for me.
4/10

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly routine entry in the Star Trek series of adventure novels. It is worth pointing out that this is only the fourth Deep Space Nine book, so many of the characterizations for the main cast have not been fully fleshed out. This does lead to some out-of-character moments but doesn't distract from the story overall.
I generally look at these types of books as un-aired episodes of the show. With that idea in mind, it's fair to say that this would be an episode that you saw once and don't mind never seeing again. I felt the same way reading it. The biggest strength of the book is the interactions with Odo and Quark, but most of the rest is pedestrian stuff. This one is only for the Trek completest.

[Shane Amazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was a great reflection of the DS9 franchise. The characters and situations were true to the TV setup, rare given how early this book was written in the shows timeline. I was really into both the poker game story and the strange events that were shaking the station. However, after the first half of the book transitioned into the second half, the story seems to run out of both steam and imagination. Intrigue gave way to simple events and dialogue. It's almost as if the author was up against a deadline and couldn't figure out a more immersive way to finish what she had setup.

Weak 4 stars.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a madcap adventure but then most of Quark's schemes come across that way to me. The story manages to persist at a frantic energy level, much like an episode with the command and operations staff chasing problem after problem.

Odo is in prime form and deals some of his best quips at Quark who obligingly does his best to parley with his favourite nemesis. The authors manage to slip at one point when Odo wonders whether he'll ever get a smell out of his clothes only a few chapters after he admits that he doesn't actually own any clothes! (Because he shapeshifts his outfit).

I enjoyed this story.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and Exciting Star Trek Deep Space Nine adventure!!

This book is well written and is original in its plot and narrative. It features a lot of the Deep Space Nine crew and is dramatic in its storytelling. It featured card games which are a throwback to the 20th century but are interesting enough. This story was energetic and was entertaing to read.

[Rioden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot more fun than Bloodletter but it stills feels pretty meandering at times. There's a poker game, extradimensional space pirates, and also the mandatory psychological torture of O'Brien. There's a murder "mystery" that gets resolved like half way through the book and never considered again. Some good Odo-Quark relations though which is half of what I'm reading Deep Space 9 novels for.

[Jerome Maida · Rating 2 out of 5]

This DS9 book has a high-stakes poker game, a murder mystery and a phenomena that threatens to catapault the station into war with the Cardassians...yet the execution is poor and the result is a book that is just okay.