Customer Reviews

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Big Game (Star Trek - Deep Space Nine Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First the good news: the actual writing isn't bad, in terms of technical competence. The characters were mostly handled well, both in terms of dialogue and interaction; Major Kira was a bit too hostile, but that was fairly standard for this early in the series, and Odo displayed a variety of intelligence that I don't expect to see from him, but otherwise the book was well enough written to make two separate fairly uninteresting plots passably readable.

But that's the bad news: the story behind the writing just wasn't interesting; it's a bad sign when the poker tournament at Quark's is more interesting than the obligatory station crisis.

This book was actually written as a collaborative effort between Dean Wesley Smith and his wife, Kristine Katheryn Rush. (Sandy Schofield is the pseudonym they chose for the collaboration.) If you are familiar with (and fond of) the individual work of either of these writers, you might want to try this one. But I can't say that I was overly impressed.

A very entertaining book that gives room for all key characters of Deep Space Nine. Quark's pokergame gathers players from other Star Trek series as well, too bad commander Riker wasn't there. I believe this was a Star Trek debut from the writer, and i must say i am waiting for the next one.

Having reading several of the relaunch books after the series finale, I am returning to the earlier books in the series. I recognize that writing novels earlier in the life of a show is difficult proposition especially when character profiles are not well developed; however, this book was marginal in my view. The conflicts in the storyline never really climaxed to my liking and a couple of phrases really grated my nerves. The author described Garak as a clothier; I would have preferred tailor. If there others books in your docket read them first.

This is one of the fourth entry in the DS9 series of tie-in novels and also takes place early in the series, shortly after the Federation/Bajoran take over of DS9 from the Cardassians. For fans of the tv series, and really who else would be reading a tie-in novel? - this is consistent with the characters as they were presented at that time. The story makes an interesting and entertaining supplement to the series. It does not either violate the canon of the tv series or add any significant events or characters to the cast, definitely pluses for a novel of this type.

The basic premise is that Quark has organized a high stakes poker tournament, attracting the best players throughout the Federation, and beyond. It has also attracted some definitely unsavory types as well which has definitely made the tournament a matter of interest to Constable Odo. Sisko and the rest of the bridge crew would also have been concerned if they had not be distracted by mysterious power outtages that have been affecting DS9 and the surrounding area. Nog and Jake have been left at lose ends while their elders are otherwise occupied, a situation that no teenage boy could ever let pass unexploited. Naturally these and other plot lines converge, leaving the station in peril that can only be resolved by great effort by and risk to various characters.

This is one of the better entries in the DS9 tie-ins. Characters from not only DS9 but also from The Next Generation are also either included or at least mentioned. The action moves right along, keeping the reader engaged without spending a huge amount of time in backstory or setting up the premise. The characters are consistent with the series and a bit of comic relief is also present. This would be primarily of interest to DS9 fans although only a casual familiarity with the series is really needed to enjoy this one.

The pen name of Sandy Schofield for this early Star Trek Deep Space Nine title is kind of funny actually when considering that the authors, husband and wife writing team Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch felt that six names would be too many on the cover of a book. Of course, this was their only Star Trek title using "Sandy Schofield" and every title since has had their complete names on them.

Taking into consideration that this is one of the earliest DS9 novels and the limited amount of episodes that the authors had in which to study the characters, I would say that they did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of the characters at this point in the series. Given the fluidic nature of Deep Space Nine, it was a very trying time for authors to actually write and then publish stories for the series since things were changing so quickly on the series.

With "The Big Game" being the first novel written by these two fantastic authors; I found their writing style to be fairly fluidic and the pacing of the novel went quite well with the story being told.

The cover art for this early DS9 title is pretty much standard for the time in which this novel was produced.

The premise:

Quark, being the outstanding "scoundrel" and entertainer that he is decides to hold a high stakes poker tournament on the station. Present for the tournament is several representatives from the many races of the Alpha quadrant. Suddenly, one of the players is murdered and the stakes rise even higher for those playing. At the same time, the station is rocked by a series of subspaces waves that threaten to destroy the station. Now, Commander Sisko and Odo must find the killer in time to save the players and get the information from them that will save the station.

As a whole, as stated above, this is an excellent early DS9 title in which the authors captured the characters quite well, especially the oft times humorous quibbling between Quark and Odo, without taking it to the extreme. I also rather enjoyed the use of characters seen previously in other series. I highly recommend this early DS9 novel to any and all fans of the genre. {ssintrepid}

The Big Game is one of the better early Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novels. The poker game is the more interesting part of it, and features players from previous series. Continuity is also here, and the nod to Commander Riker was nice. The Quark-Odo interaction is good, and it's enjoyable. However, the plot with the energy creatures was fairly uninteresting, which led to it getting 4 and not 5 stars.

This is a pretty good DS9 novel, and an interesting debut for this psuedonym, but the biggest problem is that it doesn't really go anywhere.

The obligatory crisis situation comes in the form of subspace fluctuations which are threatening the power systems and structural integrity of not only DS9, but of everything from Bajor to Cardassian space.

The real plot of the book, however, revolves around the big poker game, and all the cheats, countercheats, plots, and attitudes involved therein.

While most of the characters are pretty well portrayed, there is too much animosity between Kira and O'brian, and the authors use to many ideas and characters from previous episodes.

This is an OK DS9 book, but not one of the good ones.

A poker game with rules I can't understand. Invisible creatures destroying Deep Space Nine. How bad can you get?

This was very hard to put down. It involved many characters and stayed very interesting. I'm really a TNG fan but this book really increased my DS9 interests. It explained situations very well but did not drag things out. Great Trek debut by the authors.

I enjoyed reading this book and really enjoyed it. The author(s) used realistic events(for ST:DS9) and made it interesting. I really reccomend this book for all Star Trek fans and especially for DS9 fans !!