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Star Trek: The Next Generation #23
War Drums
When Klingons and humans collide, only Lt. Worf can prevent utter destruction.
The planet Selva—a lush colony world settled by a hardy group of humans, who found the planet already inhabited by a small gang of young Klingons. When violence erupts between the two groups, Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise are sent to render assistance.
Worf leads a landing party to the planet while the Starship Enterprise is called away on another urgent mission. On Selva, Worf and his party find that the old hatreds and prejudices between humans and Klingons are revived, and the settlers are out for blood. Now, Worf must prevent a horrible massacre, before all of them fall prey to Selva’s deadly secret…and raging fury.
The planet Selva—a lush colony world settled by a hardy group of humans, who found the planet already inhabited by a small gang of young Klingons. When violence erupts between the two groups, Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise are sent to render assistance.
Worf leads a landing party to the planet while the Starship Enterprise is called away on another urgent mission. On Selva, Worf and his party find that the old hatreds and prejudices between humans and Klingons are revived, and the settlers are out for blood. Now, Worf must prevent a horrible massacre, before all of them fall prey to Selva’s deadly secret…and raging fury.
276 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1992
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490 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 9, 2023
Whenever you have an iconic TV series such as Star Trek, then spinoff a follow-up TV series that runs longer (7 seasons compared to the original 3), you have to realize that you hit gold. Once you have gold, people are going to want some of your gold. Not everyone knows how to handle gold. As a Star Trek geek, I am accustomed to people not knowing how to handle this particular gold.
In the case of (ST: TNG #23) War Drums, John Vornholt does a phenomenal job of creating a story that respectfully handles every character (no small task), gets their personalities correct, and places them in an impossibly complex diplomatic situation. The difficult situation is exacerbated by an unstable planet that threatens the very existence of every lifeform on the planet. Further, the Enterprise is called away to manage another diplomatic "hot potato" so that its resources are unavailable for the use of the Away Team on Selva, a lush, forest, unstable planet.
I was thoroughly impressed by an author that I have never been impressed by and I have to say that this was a very well-written story. I have my nitpicks, but I would love to see Vornholt do this again. I would give 5 stars for that.
In the case of (ST: TNG #23) War Drums, John Vornholt does a phenomenal job of creating a story that respectfully handles every character (no small task), gets their personalities correct, and places them in an impossibly complex diplomatic situation. The difficult situation is exacerbated by an unstable planet that threatens the very existence of every lifeform on the planet. Further, the Enterprise is called away to manage another diplomatic "hot potato" so that its resources are unavailable for the use of the Away Team on Selva, a lush, forest, unstable planet.
I was thoroughly impressed by an author that I have never been impressed by and I have to say that this was a very well-written story. I have my nitpicks, but I would love to see Vornholt do this again. I would give 5 stars for that.
January 6, 2016
This is a solid TNG novel. If you are looking for an entertaining mission but where the safety of the entire Federation isn't in peril, this is a very good option. Obviously a great mission where the stability of the whole Alpha and Beta Quadrants is a sure thrill. However, sometimes you are looking a focused mission in a distant planet. In that case, as I mentioned, this is a great choice to read. Also, this was the first apparition of Ro Laren in a ST:TNG novel, she debuted on the TV episode "Ensign Ro" and she was a decisive character that offers a refreshing air in Seasons 5 & 6 of ST:TNG. Even, since here on Costa Rica, at that moment (without the benefit of cable tv yet) I had to wait like 2 years to be able to watch Ro Laren on TV, so this novel was my first experience with the character and I think that the author, John Vornholt, knew to manage the character. Also, this is a solid book for Worf where he played the main key role in the adventure. Vornholt knew how to make as hard as possible this mission, first, you have a xenophobic human colony dealing with attacks of some unknown Klingon tribe with feral and savages customs, and the away team is a definitely hard call to get in the middle of this situation. Lt. Worf (Klingon), Deanna Troi (Betazoid), Lt. Cmdr. Data (Android) and Ensign Ro Laren (Bajoran). None in the away team is human, so the xenophobic feelings of this human colony are opposite to receive help from the Starfleet team too. And to make even more interesting the mission, the U.S.S. Enterprise-D is called away to deal with something else. So, the away team doesn't have orbital support or any chance of more personnel beaming down. They are on their own in the middle of this explosive situation. Tension is in the air all around. Even you have to take notice that the interactions of this particular away team aren't in the best of term. You have an emotionless Data along with an agressive Worf. You have a polite Deanna along with a harsh Ro Laren. And if you think that opposite characters are hard to make to work along. Too similar characters can be even more tricky. You have Worf and Ro Laren, two characters that they are not affraid to express their opinions with force. And commenting about the ambiance, it's cool to have this planet "Selva" (that it's basically "Jungle" in Spanish), that evokes an elegant feeling of those classic worlds invented in the original series. So, indeed this is a very entertaining novel of ST:TNG. Very recommended.
November 10, 2018
A solid adventure story, wrapped around a classic TNG morality play, and featuring a terrific command of the regular characters. This is first class Star Trek TNG comfort food, and made for a very easy & pleasant read. A novel you can easily picture being a 2-part television story from the show's 5th season.
July 14, 2021
Better than usual for this series.
September 7, 2015
Loved The Next Generation and is nice to spend a week with an easy read and familiar characters. This is the second TNG novel I've read and I'll be searching the used book stores for more. Would recommend to fans of TNG who would like to see the crew of the enterprise on another mission.
October 7, 2025
This one is a little like that TOS episode where some kids have been stranded alone on a planet, plus a little like that TNG episode where a group of Klingons were stuck with some Romulans after a conflict, and it was also somewhat like every other episode where a Federation colony has failed to do its homework before settling.
Enter a Federation colony as the bad guys, some Klingon youths as the misunderstood antagonists, and the Enterprise crew to mediate.
I loved it.
Ensign Ro features prominently which I found enjoyable. She works with some of the colonists to study the environment on the planet. There are some inconsistencies mainly about Bajoran lore which must have been established later, eg. it is said that Bajorans have no home planet.
Since we're dealing with some isolated Klingons, Worf has the spotlight and gets to play a role model, which he always does very well.
I thought that Troi was an interesting choice for the away team, in a good way. And having Data along is always good value.
Recommended reading.
Enter a Federation colony as the bad guys, some Klingon youths as the misunderstood antagonists, and the Enterprise crew to mediate.
I loved it.
Ensign Ro features prominently which I found enjoyable. She works with some of the colonists to study the environment on the planet. There are some inconsistencies mainly about Bajoran lore which must have been established later, eg. it is said that Bajorans have no home planet.
Since we're dealing with some isolated Klingons, Worf has the spotlight and gets to play a role model, which he always does very well.
I thought that Troi was an interesting choice for the away team, in a good way. And having Data along is always good value.
Recommended reading.
July 10, 2020
The premise for this did not sound promising, but I ending up loving everything about this story.
After Ro Laren has joined the crew of the Enterprise, the ship is summoned to the planet Selva where a small group of colonists are being attacked and killed by a group of feral Klingons. Picard and his crew have to make peace between both sides, but there are several complications. To say what they are would spoil things, suffice to say they are outstanding.
Author Vornholt really nailed all the characters in this book, with Ro, Worf, Deanna, and Data being the real standouts. I was also impressed with the new characters, who could have fallen into cliche very easily, but a surprising event at the end of Chapter 11 spun several characters into new directions. The revealing identity of another character was also well done. The ending is exciting and very in line with the Star Trek idea of working together.
I was looking forward to rereading The Next Generation novels and Vornholt has set the bar very high for those that follow.
After Ro Laren has joined the crew of the Enterprise, the ship is summoned to the planet Selva where a small group of colonists are being attacked and killed by a group of feral Klingons. Picard and his crew have to make peace between both sides, but there are several complications. To say what they are would spoil things, suffice to say they are outstanding.
Author Vornholt really nailed all the characters in this book, with Ro, Worf, Deanna, and Data being the real standouts. I was also impressed with the new characters, who could have fallen into cliche very easily, but a surprising event at the end of Chapter 11 spun several characters into new directions. The revealing identity of another character was also well done. The ending is exciting and very in line with the Star Trek idea of working together.
I was looking forward to rereading The Next Generation novels and Vornholt has set the bar very high for those that follow.
May 8, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this outing of the Enterprise crew , as well as the edition of Ensign Ro Larin who I got to know in Picard S3.
This was a great novel that fits well into the category of Trek books with solid social commentary on the issues we still face today. Here at the center of the novel is the "othering" of aliens like Klingons and Bajorans deemed "bumpy heads" by the colonists.
This wouldn't be a novel I'd recommend to any of those weird trek fans who say things like "I preferred Trek before it was woke and filled with politics" because as we know that's always been the point of Trek (and so clearly this novel), social commentary and lessons on building a better world, trying to do better, and committing to being better.
This was a great novel that fits well into the category of Trek books with solid social commentary on the issues we still face today. Here at the center of the novel is the "othering" of aliens like Klingons and Bajorans deemed "bumpy heads" by the colonists.
This wouldn't be a novel I'd recommend to any of those weird trek fans who say things like "I preferred Trek before it was woke and filled with politics" because as we know that's always been the point of Trek (and so clearly this novel), social commentary and lessons on building a better world, trying to do better, and committing to being better.
February 22, 2012
A very good story. What happens to a group of Klingon children with no adult supervision after a ship crashes? It's a tale of how society treats the other, especially when a group of colonists arrive at the same planet with bad results. A decent Worf story for once, and Ensign Ro makes her first appearance in the novels.
January 6, 2015
The author wrote the forward explaining he was writing the novel when the Los Angeles riots broke out in 1992, and the novel does deal with bigotry and prejudice but like most Star Trek novels hope and logic over comes all. This was standard TNG fare but gave a lot of page time to Ensign Ro which I enjoyed.
December 2, 2024
This was a well-written novel with mostly good characterization and a TNG-worthy plot and moral.
My few complaints would be that I found it unlikely the colonists would have no way whatsoever to judge the age of the world around them, nor would have checked into that before settling, nor would have any instrumentation to help them learn about the very recent natural history of said planet, and be therefore caught utterly unawares and ignorant of the natural cycles of the planet they colonized. Worf was sometimes out of character and overly smile-y. There was a somewhat annoying writer's tic of having everyone slap things - their legs, the arms of their chair, their knee - apropos of nothing. Some of what Ro shared or thought about Bajor doesn't fit into known lore - but there was no way for the author to know that at the time.
These are all relatively small things that didn't much hurt the enjoyment of the novel. I really appreciated Picard and Riker basically being taken out of the story so that Worf and Ro got the chance to carry the plot. Data and Troi were also present, but took more of a backseat, truly allowing the less-celebrated characters shine. I also appreciated the recurring theme of how adults would be wise to listen to smart kids more often when they're trying to speak on something important.
It was an easy read to sail through on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It'll never be a favourite of mine, personally, but I would recommend it to a Ro fan. 3.5 stars.
My few complaints would be that I found it unlikely the colonists would have no way whatsoever to judge the age of the world around them, nor would have checked into that before settling, nor would have any instrumentation to help them learn about the very recent natural history of said planet, and be therefore caught utterly unawares and ignorant of the natural cycles of the planet they colonized. Worf was sometimes out of character and overly smile-y. There was a somewhat annoying writer's tic of having everyone slap things - their legs, the arms of their chair, their knee - apropos of nothing. Some of what Ro shared or thought about Bajor doesn't fit into known lore - but there was no way for the author to know that at the time.
These are all relatively small things that didn't much hurt the enjoyment of the novel. I really appreciated Picard and Riker basically being taken out of the story so that Worf and Ro got the chance to carry the plot. Data and Troi were also present, but took more of a backseat, truly allowing the less-celebrated characters shine. I also appreciated the recurring theme of how adults would be wise to listen to smart kids more often when they're trying to speak on something important.
It was an easy read to sail through on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It'll never be a favourite of mine, personally, but I would recommend it to a Ro fan. 3.5 stars.
June 8, 2025
Good.
Almost all ST novels in the past few months have been "there is a problem on this planet - let's go down - OH the Enterprise is called upon to another mission and can't be there to guarantee safety." It is a heavily formatted style, both in content, structure, and formalia.
That being said, War Drums is a surprisingly fun and exciting read. I remember scenes and characters and want to write about them. Lo Ralen is a main character and I love her. And her love interest and soon-to-be-stepchild are heart-warming.
A lot of discrepancies don't take away the overall style and Trek-feel. I really really enjoyed it. Read it if you are a Star Trek fan and don't need the "the universe is going down unless we do this."
Almost all ST novels in the past few months have been "there is a problem on this planet - let's go down - OH the Enterprise is called upon to another mission and can't be there to guarantee safety." It is a heavily formatted style, both in content, structure, and formalia.
That being said, War Drums is a surprisingly fun and exciting read. I remember scenes and characters and want to write about them. Lo Ralen is a main character and I love her. And her love interest and soon-to-be-stepchild are heart-warming.
A lot of discrepancies don't take away the overall style and Trek-feel. I really really enjoyed it. Read it if you are a Star Trek fan and don't need the "the universe is going down unless we do this."
December 23, 2024
Orphaned, unlearned Klingon children are having problems with anxious settlers (who also have a traitor) on a tectonically unstable planet. The Enterprise crew investigates, tries to find a solution, and runs into assorted difficult situations. Worf attempts to remake the orphans into proud, disciplined Klingons, but has continual trouble with the settlers.
Fairly simple, predictable plot. Not enough character development and interactions, though I liked Myra.
Fairly simple, predictable plot. Not enough character development and interactions, though I liked Myra.
April 3, 2025
A better book than most of the books in this series. The book highlights three from the Enterprise, but Worf is by far my favorite. The Enterprise is called in to help a world of human colonists, but there is a group of Klingons juveniles that crash landed a decade ago. Peace is needed and the three person crew goes to work. The Klingons remind me a little of the Lord of the Flies. It is action packed and also well written.
September 14, 2022
One of my favorite so far, as it's so thoughtful. And relevant, with a certain demagogue, and a fear of the Other, and focus on other characters. A bit of a deus ex machina, and maybe not all the characters behaved exactly as they 'should' all the time, but still fun and interesting. I'd read more, ST or stand alone, by the author.
October 25, 2017
Not a bad story. Nothing overly special here other than it being Ro's first appearance in the TNG novels (to my knowledge). After the problems bringing both sides of the conflict it seemed to resolve really quickly in the end and I don't know if I really liked that.
June 22, 2020
Eine der interessantesten Erzählungen. Worf als eine der zentralen Rollen, mit Klingonischen wilden Kindern, uns das mit seiner Abneigung zu Kindern, na ja. Insgesamt ein spannendes unterhaltsames Buch.
December 8, 2020
One of the better novels
War Drums is one of the better Trek novels. It focuses much on Worf and what it is to be Klingon while also giving Ro Laren a time to shine. It still feels oddly topical despite the passage of time, and I highly recommend it
War Drums is one of the better Trek novels. It focuses much on Worf and what it is to be Klingon while also giving Ro Laren a time to shine. It still feels oddly topical despite the passage of time, and I highly recommend it
January 16, 2024
I'm giving this one a four. It was a good story. If you're a Ro fan and/or a Worf fan, this one is a good one for you to read.
I liked the book, but I didn't enjoy it enough that I would put it on my "to read again" stack of books.
I liked the book, but I didn't enjoy it enough that I would put it on my "to read again" stack of books.
May 17, 2018
Classic TNG. A bit like Dances With Wolves meets Deep Impact or any other disaster movie. Solid read if you are out of episodes to watch.
July 23, 2019
Nothing different here. Vornholt is the only reason why I finished this one. His writing made up for a very predictable plot.
July 21, 2020
I agree this is your wholesome TNG story!
July 24, 2021
Star trek, as it turns out, it the best show AND book.
October 16, 2025
Outstanding story definitely worthy of being an episode! Lots of twists and turns. Should have been more about the Romulan involvement in Selva.
September 13, 2016
Imagine Lord of the Flies with Klingons, and set the pack of nigh-feral boys against a small community of settlers who only just arrived themselves. Such is the set up of War Drums, the story of a besieged human colony which solicits the Enterprise's help. When the people of New Reykjavík broke ground at a stable spot on the strange planet Selva, they didn't realize it already had residents -- a group of Klingon adolescents, marooned as children when their refugee ship crashed here. Now, after months of raids by the Klingons, the humans are lead by a bitter and xenophobic man who prefers the Enterprise's sensors and phasers to her crew's diplomatic savvy. Created by John Vornholt, War Drums is Ro Laren's first appearance in Treklit, and an interesting predictor of several TNG and DS9 episodes. The main plot -- desperate settlers increasingly held in the grips of a fear taking racial overtones, Worf struggling to make contact with the raiders and teach them - -has much human interest, but the obligatory B thread involves imminent geologic catastrophe that is uncovered by Ro and a twelve-year-old colonial girl, Myra. Truth to be told, I tend to skip through the B-scenes in older Trek books, because they tend to be engineering problems rendered in complete technobabble. ("The tech is going to go teching tech! We need to tech the tech, quickly! We did it! Now the A plot is safe!) This one features a science investigation with Earth-relatable terms, so it actually merited paying attention to.
TNG later featured an episode in which Worf tries to connect long-abandoned Klingon youths to their glorious heritage ("Birthright"), and a DS9 episode involved a mostly-human colony with Klingon neighbors ("Children of Time"). Kudos to Vornholt for predicting that. He also uses the same exact quote that Picard quotes later on in the episode "Drumhead" -- 'when drums beat, the law is silent'. (Speaking of: what with the violent boys, their worship of the Chief, and their obsession with drums and encircling trials, Vornholt had to be drawing on Lord of the Flies!) I probably wouldn't have tried this novel but for two things: Ro Laren was on the cover, and John Vornholt penned it. He's not a particularly well-known author, but I'm familiar with him from his TNG Dominion War duology, which were the first TNG books I ever read. I read them multiple times, actually, and considering the heavy use of Ro Laren there he's probably to blame for her being such a favorite character of mine. She comes off well here, both as action hero and Starfleet scientist; Worf, too, gets some depth beyond "Grrr! Honor! WORF SMASH!"
Unfortunately, I think this is my last TNG novel with Ro Laren on the cover. All good things...
BONUS POINTS: At one point, Worf literally turns his phaser up to 11.
TNG later featured an episode in which Worf tries to connect long-abandoned Klingon youths to their glorious heritage ("Birthright"), and a DS9 episode involved a mostly-human colony with Klingon neighbors ("Children of Time"). Kudos to Vornholt for predicting that. He also uses the same exact quote that Picard quotes later on in the episode "Drumhead" -- 'when drums beat, the law is silent'. (Speaking of: what with the violent boys, their worship of the Chief, and their obsession with drums and encircling trials, Vornholt had to be drawing on Lord of the Flies!) I probably wouldn't have tried this novel but for two things: Ro Laren was on the cover, and John Vornholt penned it. He's not a particularly well-known author, but I'm familiar with him from his TNG Dominion War duology, which were the first TNG books I ever read. I read them multiple times, actually, and considering the heavy use of Ro Laren there he's probably to blame for her being such a favorite character of mine. She comes off well here, both as action hero and Starfleet scientist; Worf, too, gets some depth beyond "Grrr! Honor! WORF SMASH!"
Unfortunately, I think this is my last TNG novel with Ro Laren on the cover. All good things...
BONUS POINTS: At one point, Worf literally turns his phaser up to 11.
January 26, 2012
In honor of the 25th anniversary, of what would be my all time favorite show if it were not for The X-Files, Star Trek the Next Generation is coming to Blu-Ray totally redone. Having read most of the novels over two decades ago, I thought that I would write my general feel for the serial STNG novels. I could never do a real review now, other than to say that I loved them.
Star Trek the Next Generation was both my favorite science fiction series in college, and also my favorite serial novel. I was a major Trekkie during the late 80's and early 90's. I used to read two books a weekend as I rode the bus home from college to see my wife, who then was my girlfriend. The television series made me love Jean Luc but with regards to the books, it was all about number One. Riker was portrayed in a much tougher fashion than on the tv series and he was much more of a star. This was always unfortunate to me, as I was and still am a huge Jonathan Frakes fan. He had many awesome novelized fights that I wish were shown on the tv show. Riker could go toe to toe with a Klingon. Worf was a bad ass in both formats, and he was so damn cool. Troi, was also another favorite of mine in both formats, as her relationship with Riker really gave us emotions to love. As for Jean Luc, he to me, is the epitome of a Starship Captain, where as James T. is the most charismatic and probably best leader for first contact. I had a blast reading these books and would love to go back for more.
Star Trek the Next Generation was both my favorite science fiction series in college, and also my favorite serial novel. I was a major Trekkie during the late 80's and early 90's. I used to read two books a weekend as I rode the bus home from college to see my wife, who then was my girlfriend. The television series made me love Jean Luc but with regards to the books, it was all about number One. Riker was portrayed in a much tougher fashion than on the tv series and he was much more of a star. This was always unfortunate to me, as I was and still am a huge Jonathan Frakes fan. He had many awesome novelized fights that I wish were shown on the tv show. Riker could go toe to toe with a Klingon. Worf was a bad ass in both formats, and he was so damn cool. Troi, was also another favorite of mine in both formats, as her relationship with Riker really gave us emotions to love. As for Jean Luc, he to me, is the epitome of a Starship Captain, where as James T. is the most charismatic and probably best leader for first contact. I had a blast reading these books and would love to go back for more.
May 30, 2010
[These notes were made in 1993:]. On an isolated planet, a group of Federation settlers are threatened by a group of renegade Klingon adolescents, who communicate by means of drums. Both groups have been strongly affected by their isolation, the settlers becoming xenophobic, intolerant and violent, the Klingon children losing all sight of their heritage and the social rules which bind in their natural tendency towards aggression. It eventually takes the combined efforts of Ensign Ro, Data, Troi, and especially Worf (a well-adjusted Klingon) to bring about an understanding between the two groups and a stronger sense of social responsibility in the Klingon youngsters. The whole process is helped along by a natural disaster (a tsunami). The characterizations seemed quite strong and faithful to the show, and I found it a pleasant read.
April 24, 2016
So I thought this would be really cheesy, and it was, but it was still wonderful. Data is my favorite TNG character, so I was happy he was one of the stars in this one, but of course I missed Dr. Crusher and Geordi and Picard. Usually I find Klingon centered stories a little boring, but I really liked this one. I miss TNG.
August 29, 2018
I really love this one. It’s one of my favorite Star Trek novels. Sure it’s fluffy light reading and you better not analyze the plot ti closely for logic but it was super fun to read and like an excellent episode. Everything a Star Trek nice, should be
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews