''Rules of Engagement'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by British write

Peter Morwood Peter Morwood (born Robert Peter Smyth; 20 October 1956 – 9 May 2025) was an Irish novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his ''Horse Lords'' and ''Tales of Old Russia'' series. He lived in Ireland with his wife, writer Diane Duane, ...

. Part of the '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' franchise, it was published by

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first Paperback#Mass market paperback, mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and ...

in 1990.

Plot

Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the ''Enterprise'' are sent to assist in the evacuation of

Federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

personnel from the planet Dekkanar, which has been engulfed by civil war. Eager to avoid getting entangled in the conflict, Kirk's orders are specifically written so that he may not even raise his ship's shields in defense. The situation becomes even more dire when Kasak, a

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a humanoid species of aliens in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star T ...

commander hoping for a great victory over the Federation to regain his lost honor, engages the ''Enterprise'' with an experimental new Klingon cruiser. The novel also offers an alternate explanation, via Kasak's viewpoint, of why Klingons' facial features have changed over the years.

Reception

The novel entered the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list for paperbacks at #13 on February 4, 1990. The book moved up to #10 the following week (with a note that its sales were indistinguishable from the #9 book). The book peaked at #8 in the February 18, 1990, listing before slipping back to #13 on February 25, 1990, and falling off the list after that.

References

External links

Novels based on Star Trek: The Original Series 1990 American novels American science fiction novels Pocket Books books {{1990s-StarTrek-novel-stub