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Star Trek: The Original Series #78
The Rings of Tautee
An entire solar system begins to disintegrate into cosmic rubble, and Captain Kirk suspects that rumors of a new Klingon superweapon are all too true. The Tautee system houses a flourishing pre-Warp civilization not quite ready to join the Federation, so the Prime Directive limits Kirk's ability to prevent the disaster, and to make matters worse his rescue efforts provoke an attack from four Klingon warships. But soon Kirk recognizes that he must get to the bottom of the forces at work in the Tautee system, because they could spill over into the rest of the galaxy.
242 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1996
11 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Dean Wesley Smith
822 books176 followersPen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 4, 2012
This book had a few problems and annoyances, but those were almost all minor. It wasn't the greatest writing ever, but for an ST novel it was actually pretty good.
That Bogle character was useless and annoying. The only other major annoyance besides him that I can think of was the philosophical debate over whether or not to violate the Prime Directive or not (and whether their actions would actually be violating it or not) that happened in one chapter...was then rehashed in the very next chapter. They seemed to come to a decision and then they needed to talk it out all over again? I thought time was of the essence? Why couldn't they have just said, 'Okay, we're doing this' and dealt with the consequences and explanations later? Not to mention the fact that the Federation or Starfleet or whoever made the Prime Directive up (in the fictional world, I don't mean the real life writer) was pretty stupid for intentionally making a law that can and does *spoiler!* condemn people to death. That doesn't seem very civilized to me.
Anyway, those things aside (and they're pretty easy annoyances to toss aside), this is forgettable fun. There are a few moments that'll have you rolling your eyes, going 'Seriously? What else can possibly go wrong?!', but all in good fun. There are also a few moments that'll make you a little sad, but not for long. Worth the read for an ST fan looking for a good, easy read.
That Bogle character was useless and annoying. The only other major annoyance besides him that I can think of was the philosophical debate over whether or not to violate the Prime Directive or not (and whether their actions would actually be violating it or not) that happened in one chapter...was then rehashed in the very next chapter. They seemed to come to a decision and then they needed to talk it out all over again? I thought time was of the essence? Why couldn't they have just said, 'Okay, we're doing this' and dealt with the consequences and explanations later? Not to mention the fact that the Federation or Starfleet or whoever made the Prime Directive up (in the fictional world, I don't mean the real life writer) was pretty stupid for intentionally making a law that can and does *spoiler!* condemn people to death. That doesn't seem very civilized to me.
Anyway, those things aside (and they're pretty easy annoyances to toss aside), this is forgettable fun. There are a few moments that'll have you rolling your eyes, going 'Seriously? What else can possibly go wrong?!', but all in good fun. There are also a few moments that'll make you a little sad, but not for long. Worth the read for an ST fan looking for a good, easy read.
January 29, 2018
No favorite of mine.
November 4, 2023
i loved this book i like star trek stories where the prime directive is involved because the crew cant exactly skirt the issue of it and this book is brilliant for that where kirk is ordered to save this race of people but the prime directive limits what he can do also goodreads have got the length of pages wrong its 242 pages not 256. also the prime directive is one of these plot devices where it says look you can do this but you can't do that.
December 16, 2016
“The Rings of Tautee” is an original series Star Trek novel written by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The story follows the crew of the USS Enterprise as it investigates a Solar System which appears to be disintegrating. Whilst the crew suspect this may be a new Klingon super weapon they are also focused on a pre-warp civilization which will soon be wiped out. The Prime Directive limits their ability to assist this alien race, but if they don’t do something then this species and potentially the entire galaxy will be destroyed by an ever increasing wave of destruction.
This is a reasonably interesting novel which does a good job in its characterisations of the various original series characters. Considering the authors involved, I am not surprised by this as they are experienced Trek writers so know the characters well. The plot itself is entertaining enough and there are a few engaging emotional moments included, mainly related to the Tauteeans themselves.. However, I have to admit there were a few times that I rolled my eyes in disbelief at the number of issues which kept coming along.
My biggest issue though, was in regards to the way in which the novel interprets the Prime Directive. I have always hated the way in which Star Trek sometimes uses the Prime Directive as an excuse for not helping a doomed civilization which is how it has been depicted here. In my mind, the Prime Directive should be used to ensure the Federation does not influence the growth or development of a civilization. It shouldn’t be an excuse to stand back and allow an alien species to go extinct. As I said, Star Trek has used the Prime Directive in this way before but it always annoys me as it never feels right to me and I can’t believe that this really would be the aim.
Overall, this was an interesting enough story although nothing out right special. The application of the Prime Directive irritated me a bit but I could probably say the same about many other novels and episodes. It stands quite firmly in that middle of the road area of Star Trek novels so most readers should find it reasonably enjoyable.
This is a reasonably interesting novel which does a good job in its characterisations of the various original series characters. Considering the authors involved, I am not surprised by this as they are experienced Trek writers so know the characters well. The plot itself is entertaining enough and there are a few engaging emotional moments included, mainly related to the Tauteeans themselves.. However, I have to admit there were a few times that I rolled my eyes in disbelief at the number of issues which kept coming along.
My biggest issue though, was in regards to the way in which the novel interprets the Prime Directive. I have always hated the way in which Star Trek sometimes uses the Prime Directive as an excuse for not helping a doomed civilization which is how it has been depicted here. In my mind, the Prime Directive should be used to ensure the Federation does not influence the growth or development of a civilization. It shouldn’t be an excuse to stand back and allow an alien species to go extinct. As I said, Star Trek has used the Prime Directive in this way before but it always annoys me as it never feels right to me and I can’t believe that this really would be the aim.
Overall, this was an interesting enough story although nothing out right special. The application of the Prime Directive irritated me a bit but I could probably say the same about many other novels and episodes. It stands quite firmly in that middle of the road area of Star Trek novels so most readers should find it reasonably enjoyable.
November 28, 2016
I enjoyed it. Quite a lot of tension. I was surprised they could milk so much suspense out of a fairly simple story but it worked nicely. The relationship between Spock and Kirk suggested that this was a fairly early story in the timeline. It wasn't as warm as it became later.
June 7, 2018
It's not as deep & detailed an epic as it could have been, but it's a solid combination of action, scientific puzzle, and ethical dilemma. It's far from being the most classic Trek story, but it's almost textbook in its construction of what makes "Star Trek" tick.
May 31, 2015
Not bad overall. A pre-warp culture causes an accident that not only destroys their entire solar system, but threatens to expand through the galaxy. The Enterprise manages to get the Klingons into a temporary alliance to seal the damage and rescue the survivors.
Weak point 1 - just how many people can a Constitution class ship hold?!!?!!?
Weak point 2 - two critical 'breakdowns' within a few hours of each other is overkill.
Good point 1 - very good characterizations
Good point 2 - excellent reactions from the pre-warp people at being rescued!
Weak point 1 - just how many people can a Constitution class ship hold?!!?!!?
Weak point 2 - two critical 'breakdowns' within a few hours of each other is overkill.
Good point 1 - very good characterizations
Good point 2 - excellent reactions from the pre-warp people at being rescued!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2015
This was an above average Star Trek novel. It was the fast-paced and the characterizations were right on. A nice, quick read. Very enjoyable.
April 26, 2021
This book was a quick easy read, and a good return to the classic Star Trek world for fans new and old. Although it had a few grammatical problems, which seem to be more frequent in book publications, they were mostly something that could be ignored.
There were several characters from the TV series that appear, and are well placed in their roles. By that, the characters did not act out of the established role play, with even Bones being the irascible loveable doctor that is so very empathetic but also sarcastic and witty.
Of the characters created for this book I enjoyed the Klingon leader the best, although the new race of people were interesting, mostly as a group. The willingness they show to learn and experiment was great, as was the Klingon's decision to do his duty as fit his view of honor. However, I did not care for the captain of the Farragut, a certain Captain Bogle.
Bogle was a character from Kirk's past, and was so rule bound as to be both useless and annoying. He constantly challenged Kirk's decisions, apparently based on a long held grudge over Kirk getting promoted to a captaincy before Bogle. This character had to be convinced to help the dying people, and only condescended to help when no other option except to run in cowardice was presented.
Because of his reluctance to act, there was a constant revisit of the discussion over whether to save the Tauteens or leave them to die. Was that within the boundaries of the Prime Directive? Was there a way to circumvent the directive? How much trouble would they be in for doing the humanitarian thing and rescuing the survivors of a system wide destruction?
I like that Bogle is thinking things through, but the decision was made and presented to him. Unfortunately as in many diplomatic circles, you have to convince the stakeholders to find their own reasons to participate, which made several chapters seem to repeat. However, this felt nimbly done, and overall the conclusion was set in such a way as to satisfy everyone.
There were several characters from the TV series that appear, and are well placed in their roles. By that, the characters did not act out of the established role play, with even Bones being the irascible loveable doctor that is so very empathetic but also sarcastic and witty.
Of the characters created for this book I enjoyed the Klingon leader the best, although the new race of people were interesting, mostly as a group. The willingness they show to learn and experiment was great, as was the Klingon's decision to do his duty as fit his view of honor. However, I did not care for the captain of the Farragut, a certain Captain Bogle.
Bogle was a character from Kirk's past, and was so rule bound as to be both useless and annoying. He constantly challenged Kirk's decisions, apparently based on a long held grudge over Kirk getting promoted to a captaincy before Bogle. This character had to be convinced to help the dying people, and only condescended to help when no other option except to run in cowardice was presented.
Because of his reluctance to act, there was a constant revisit of the discussion over whether to save the Tauteens or leave them to die. Was that within the boundaries of the Prime Directive? Was there a way to circumvent the directive? How much trouble would they be in for doing the humanitarian thing and rescuing the survivors of a system wide destruction?
I like that Bogle is thinking things through, but the decision was made and presented to him. Unfortunately as in many diplomatic circles, you have to convince the stakeholders to find their own reasons to participate, which made several chapters seem to repeat. However, this felt nimbly done, and overall the conclusion was set in such a way as to satisfy everyone.
March 16, 2025
Very simplistic, very basic Star Trek story. The writing was too repetitive - I think having two authors didn't help much.
The story goes the Enterprise and the Farragut are called to a distress signal, where they find a solar system being slowly destroyed by a rip in space time. The system is home to the Tauteens, a pre-warp civilization that has basically been destroyed by this event. As the Enterprise arrives to investigate, they run into Klingon ships who suspect the Federation used this system as a test for a secret weapon (while the Federation thinks the Klingons did the same thing). The Enterprise picks up a group of survivors who turn out to be the scientists responsible for the destruction by accidentally creating a feedback loop of nuclear fusion destruction. The crew has to come up with a plan to survive trigger-happy Klingons, subspace waves that bounce the ship into asteroids, fix the rip in space time before it eats Earth, transport as many survivors as possible, by-pass the Prime Directive, balance tensions between Kirk and the captain of the Farragut, and heal the wounds of all the survivors. As you can imagine, that's a lot to cover in a book that's only 242 pages. But yet, the book feels oddly repetitive in most cases. There's not much depth to any of the characters here, even though some have their own "subplots" it mostly consists of us inside the head of the character, listening to their anxiety and grievances. I was not too impressed with this one, my personal least favorite moment is when Kirk is able to figure out how to save everyone without being court martialed by arguing that the Prime Directive doesn't apply here because he's technically saving the Tauteen's from genocide. This logic would not pass like any law class lol.
Anyways, pretty quick read, kind of fun but nothing too crazy.
The story goes the Enterprise and the Farragut are called to a distress signal, where they find a solar system being slowly destroyed by a rip in space time. The system is home to the Tauteens, a pre-warp civilization that has basically been destroyed by this event. As the Enterprise arrives to investigate, they run into Klingon ships who suspect the Federation used this system as a test for a secret weapon (while the Federation thinks the Klingons did the same thing). The Enterprise picks up a group of survivors who turn out to be the scientists responsible for the destruction by accidentally creating a feedback loop of nuclear fusion destruction. The crew has to come up with a plan to survive trigger-happy Klingons, subspace waves that bounce the ship into asteroids, fix the rip in space time before it eats Earth, transport as many survivors as possible, by-pass the Prime Directive, balance tensions between Kirk and the captain of the Farragut, and heal the wounds of all the survivors. As you can imagine, that's a lot to cover in a book that's only 242 pages. But yet, the book feels oddly repetitive in most cases. There's not much depth to any of the characters here, even though some have their own "subplots" it mostly consists of us inside the head of the character, listening to their anxiety and grievances. I was not too impressed with this one, my personal least favorite moment is when Kirk is able to figure out how to save everyone without being court martialed by arguing that the Prime Directive doesn't apply here because he's technically saving the Tauteen's from genocide. This logic would not pass like any law class lol.
Anyways, pretty quick read, kind of fun but nothing too crazy.
June 21, 2025
wenig Licht und viel Schatten
Die Geschichte beginnt ganz vielversprechend, die Figuren und die Stimmung der Serie sind recht gut getroffen, doch je weiter man liest, desto größer werden die Qualitätsunterschiede, durch die man sich lesen muss. In der ersten Hälfte des Romans gibt es eine handvoll Abschnitte, die wie niedrigstes Groschenromanniveau daherkommen. Danach mehren sich unglaubwürdige Handlungskonstrukte, wie z.B. der für mich nicht nachvollziehbare Streit um die Auslegung der Hauptdirektive (was wohl Spannung schaffen soll) oder der unverständliche Neid des Captains der Farragut gegenüber Kirks Karriereerfolge. Im Finale übertreiben es die beiden Autoren dann erheblich: Kirk betreibt Menschenrettung im Stile einer Extremsportart und technische Fehlfunktionen treten auf, wann immer es den beiden Schriftstellern gerade gelegen kommt. Der Showdown erhält dadurch fast parodistische Züge. Schade. Dass es Smith und Rusch wesentlich besser können, haben beide mit dem Voyager-Roman „Die Flucht“ bewiesen. „Die Ringe von Tautee“ ist nur etwas für wirklich hartgesottene TOS-Fans, die jeden Roman der Serie einmal gelesen haben wollen. Alle anderen sollten tunlichst die Finger davon lassen.
Die Geschichte beginnt ganz vielversprechend, die Figuren und die Stimmung der Serie sind recht gut getroffen, doch je weiter man liest, desto größer werden die Qualitätsunterschiede, durch die man sich lesen muss. In der ersten Hälfte des Romans gibt es eine handvoll Abschnitte, die wie niedrigstes Groschenromanniveau daherkommen. Danach mehren sich unglaubwürdige Handlungskonstrukte, wie z.B. der für mich nicht nachvollziehbare Streit um die Auslegung der Hauptdirektive (was wohl Spannung schaffen soll) oder der unverständliche Neid des Captains der Farragut gegenüber Kirks Karriereerfolge. Im Finale übertreiben es die beiden Autoren dann erheblich: Kirk betreibt Menschenrettung im Stile einer Extremsportart und technische Fehlfunktionen treten auf, wann immer es den beiden Schriftstellern gerade gelegen kommt. Der Showdown erhält dadurch fast parodistische Züge. Schade. Dass es Smith und Rusch wesentlich besser können, haben beide mit dem Voyager-Roman „Die Flucht“ bewiesen. „Die Ringe von Tautee“ ist nur etwas für wirklich hartgesottene TOS-Fans, die jeden Roman der Serie einmal gelesen haben wollen. Alle anderen sollten tunlichst die Finger davon lassen.
June 21, 2024
I really wanted to like this one more because there are some really good things here - The premise, the conflict, the crew of the Farragut but it was presented in such a convoluted and spinning way? Was that on purpose but I had to see the same thing happen from three different perspectives every single time it seems. So the plot is thin and the story, due to this repetition, is quite short.
The dilemma of breaking the Prime Directive, the solution and any tension whatsoever seemed to be undermined by the way the novel was put together. I felt that the beginning of each chapter was a refresher of the last but from a different perspective but each chapter is only like 5 pages so the story progresses slowly but thankfully it's a short story so it's over soon.
I like Captain Bogle, Prescott and the Klingon captain but their impact just seemed so undermined by the narrative.
The dilemma of breaking the Prime Directive, the solution and any tension whatsoever seemed to be undermined by the way the novel was put together. I felt that the beginning of each chapter was a refresher of the last but from a different perspective but each chapter is only like 5 pages so the story progresses slowly but thankfully it's a short story so it's over soon.
I like Captain Bogle, Prescott and the Klingon captain but their impact just seemed so undermined by the narrative.
April 16, 2023
I found this book very difficult to read as I kept falling asleep reading it. Plot synopsis: planets blow up-Enterprise beams up survivors-Enterprise leaves. There’s some tension in the novel with another captain and the all important prime directive, however, much of the tension feels forced and not really necessary. Just an all around boring book. The only redeeming factor is that there is another ship/crew featuring heavily in the story and I always think it’s interesting seeing how other ships in Starfleet operate. Even for a Star Trek book this is mediocre
November 19, 2020
A fusion power generation experiment goes disastrously wrong in the pre warp system of Tautee. Kirk must make a difficult decision as to what assistance he can offer without breaking the Prime Directive.
'The Rings of Tautee' is a short, but well written addition to the 'Star Trek' universe and the situation does ask interesting questions about the Prime Directive for readers to consider.
'The Rings of Tautee' is a short, but well written addition to the 'Star Trek' universe and the situation does ask interesting questions about the Prime Directive for readers to consider.
March 7, 2025
Short decent read that would have been a mediocre TOS episode, except that the stakes are unusually high with regard to the possible extermination of the Tautee people. I chose this book because Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a great author. She's better when writing alone than with Dean Wesley Smith.
A serviceable TOS novel if you're bored.
A serviceable TOS novel if you're bored.
April 15, 2019
A bit of a throw back. The novel was first published in 1996 so the characters haven't been scrutinized as much as they are in subsequent books. Overall I enjoyed the plot, the dilemmas and the interactions between the Klingons and the Tauteens. I am glad I read it.
October 26, 2024
The Tautee solar system which is not part of the Federation is disintegrating and has sent out a distress message. But whom is destroying the system. The Enterprise is first to arrive, followed by the Klingons.
An entertaining re-read
An entertaining re-read
December 27, 2024
I love it when a novel in this series feels like an episode of the show. A simple idea becomes a race against time as well as an ethical dilemma. Probably too many nods to the future of the series here but a good read overall.
February 18, 2018
This is an incredible example of how not to write a book
November 22, 2018
Great story line with a twist to the typical trekian conflict between the federation and klingons. Also includes Kirk's obligatory debate over following the rules or bending them for a greater good.
Read
August 13, 2020I know that it's an old book, but I enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading more Star Trek: TOS books.
September 21, 2020
A clever "work around" on the Prime Directive very much in keeping with the spirit of TOS. Good characterization. Otherwise, not much new here.
February 27, 2022
One of the best TOS novels I’ve read to date! And I’ve read a lot lol. Definitely recommend!
December 5, 2022
Top notch Star Trek novel.
June 13, 2024
Easy fun read. Kirk and the crew save us all. Klingons help too. I wanted to slow it down so good. Just a good ST episode
July 23, 2012
The Rings of Tautee is an interesting story. While not completely mind-blowing, it's an interesting tale that presages cooperation between the Klingons and Federation, and presents a fascinating problem that brings disparate people together to try and solve. I was disappointed in the application of the Prime Directive, but that's a larger problem in Star Trek at large, in my opinion. Several great moments make this novel a little more memorable than some.
Full review: treklit.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-ring...
Full review: treklit.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-ring...
May 27, 2012
The plot is not all that unique, but the novel contains some truly great, subtle character material.
July 2, 2012
Entertaining enough to keep my attention. Decent story with pretty good characters. Good way to kill a hot Saturday afternoon.
Want to read
March 5, 2013Bought: March 5, 2013
Location: Booksale (Makati Cinema Square)
Price: P37
Location: Booksale (Makati Cinema Square)
Price: P37
April 20, 2015
Fun to be back with favourite characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews