The Laertian Gamble (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, No 12) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Scheckley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995 | Series: Star Trek Deep Space Nine (Book 12)

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 as ore ships vanish, planets lose their atmosphere, and 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" TM and the Federation from utter destruction.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

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 as ore ships vanish, planets lose their atmosphere, and 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^TM and the Federation from utter destruction.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek; First Edition edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671886908
• ISBN-13: 978-0671886905
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,516,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is very poorly written. Don't waste your time!, June 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Laertian Gamble (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, No 12) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Laertian Gamble is the story of a beautiful (of course!), mysterious alien woman who arrives at Quark's Place on DS-9 to gamble. When she is barred from the gaming tables because of her moderate telepathic abilities, she enlists the help of Dr. Bashir to gamble as her proxy. He begins to win and nothing, it seems, can stop his streak of luck.

The story has some interesting possibilities, but it is so poorly written, I doubt that it was actually even edited by the publisher! There are 73 ridiculously short chapters of about a page and a half each. With lines like, "She sneered at him, her beautiful mouth twisted into an ugly sneer", I honestly believe my 9-year-old could have put together a more coherant and believable story! Please, Mr. Scheckley, listen to your editor

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How bad can a book be?, May 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Laertian Gamble (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, No 12) (Mass Market Paperback)

The answer to this question is very bad. The plot could have turned into a worthwhile story, but the actual writing is terrible and the characterisation is off by a mile. The ending seems to have been stuck in as though the author had run out of ideas. Do NOT read this book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Really, really bad, July 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Laertian Gamble (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, No 12) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Laertian Gamble quickly turned out to be the worst book I had ever read. With a stupid storyline and writing so daft you could throw a stick through it, it is not recommended.