James Kirk and the Starship Enterprise have been ordered to return to System 7348, a world inside Federation Space but home to a lost Klingon colony to overseas a diplomatic mission from the Klingon Empire to their newly rediscovered brothers.

Things may be about to take a turn for the less-than-diplomatic as the dishonourable Kilngon Councillor Duras is intent on recovering the dilithium crystals on the planet at all costs, and has no interest in the colonists whatsoever.

This is the middle book in a trilogy, following on from Seeds of Rage. The bad news in one respect is that I have not read book one so it is possible I did not get the most out of the book. However, this also comes with some definite good news. I had no problems what so ever in reading this, as it seems each book in this series features a self-contained story.

The best sections of the book focus on the honour struggles within the Klingons. Onboard the IKS D'k Tahg, the command of Captain Koloth being undermined and attacked by Duras - and on the planet with one of the tribal heads looking to seize full control by the usual nefarious means.

Okay you might feel that this does not sound all that original, and in many ways you would be right. Ryan has written a typical Star Trek story, there are no surprises awaiting you in these pages. But it is entertaining. He's captured the feel of the 1960s TV series well. When Ryan uses them, the characters are familiar to me from watching the series, but they are not the focus of this story.

The tale focuses on other members of the crew, most notably a security crew, and on the Klingons. This gives the story a freshness, whilst including enough familiar Original Series Trek to give us a fix of our favourites. It's a good balance.

The Klingon society on the planet itself is the real strength of this tale. Ryan has created a very believable world in these pages. They are recognisably Klingon, but without the cultural baggage of the race seen in the TV show. And as such are not instantly hostile towards humans, instead having the strength of will to make their own determinations.

There is a pleasant amount of back-story in this as well, fleshing the story out and setting it nicely in the Trek universe. One particular good touch involves a rather misguided pacifistic group of people form the Anti-Federation League who attempt to travel to the Klingon home world on a peace mission, and their encounter with Klingons.

Not the best Trek novel to have come out recently but an enjoyable read.

Synopsis
The United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire stand on the brink of war. Captain James T. Kirk and the Starship Enterprise™ are sent back to System 7348 -- site of a previous skirmish with the Klingons -- for a confrontation with the I.K.S. D'k Tahg under the command of Captain Koloth.

Even as the two great ships face each other, trouble is brewing among their crews. On the Enterprise, Lieutenant Leslie Parrish is pregnant with a half-Klingon child and must face a critical decision about her future, while Section Chief Michael Fuller still carries the wounds of the twenty-five-year-old Battle of Donatu V, of which he was one of the few survivors -- not to mention his grief over the death of his son, recently killed in battle against the Klingons.

On the D'k Tahg, First Officer Karel finds himself trapped between the scheming, dishonorable Councillor Duras and his commanding officer, Koloth. While the stakes only seem to be the possession of a single star system, the ramifications may spread throughout the Klingon Empire, as they find themselves at a crossroads between conquest and honor!