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Star Trek: The Dominion War #3
The Dominion War, Book Three
From the Gamma Quadrant they came, hordes of merciless Jem'Hadar soldiers commanded by the shape-changing Founders, who seek to conquer both the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon™ Empire. Now that the Dominion has joined forces with the Cardassians, and claimed Deep Space Nine™ as their prize, Starfleet is running out of time. As a secret military project nears completion, the destiny of the entire Alpha Quadrant depends on the courage of a few.
In the Federation's time of greatest peril, as the Starship Enterprise™ readies itself for battle, Captain Jean-Luc Picard leads a desperate mission of espionage deep into the heart of the hostile Cardassian Empire. Unless they can prevent the Dominion from creating an artificial wormhole, hordes of fresh Jem'Hadar warriors and Changelings will pour into the Alpha Quadrant, dooming the Federation to unconditional surrender. But there may be a traitor along on the mission and Picard finds he cannot trust even his closest allies.
In the Federation's time of greatest peril, as the Starship Enterprise™ readies itself for battle, Captain Jean-Luc Picard leads a desperate mission of espionage deep into the heart of the hostile Cardassian Empire. Unless they can prevent the Dominion from creating an artificial wormhole, hordes of fresh Jem'Hadar warriors and Changelings will pour into the Alpha Quadrant, dooming the Federation to unconditional surrender. But there may be a traitor along on the mission and Picard finds he cannot trust even his closest allies.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 22, 2017
Now this is what I was looking for. A powerful story against a powerful enemy, against all odds, with excitement I haven't already seen.
You know all those memes that say something to the tune of "there isn't enough pages left for all that needs to happen?" I felt that way by the end of this, but it somehow managed to pull it off.
Excellent story.
You know all those memes that say something to the tune of "there isn't enough pages left for all that needs to happen?" I felt that way by the end of this, but it somehow managed to pull it off.
Excellent story.
June 2, 2018
This one had its moments, but I had trouble following parts of it. Maybe I should have read this series in rapid succession.
January 5, 2013
This is the second half of the Enterprise's escapades during the Dominion War, not told or shown during Deep Space Nine's run. Basically, Picard hears a rumor that the Dominion is building a wormhole in Cardassian space and with the help of Ro, who's Maquis friends have been displaced and killed by the Cardassians and their Dominion allies, they infiltrate Cardassian space to verify the rumor and, if they can, destroy the wormhole before it can be activated. In the first book, the discover that the rumor is true and manage to help save some of the Federation prisoners being forced to work on completing the wormhole as slave labor. They've retreated to the Badlands in order to figure out how to either disable or destroy the wormhole before it can be completed.
And that's where this second book picks up. Picard and crew begin formulating a plan, but sabotage forces them to consider the possibility that they have a traitor on board. It also forces them to fight for survival in the Badlands, where they discover some long abandoned ships. Once they've retrieved food and water (and discovered the secret of the ships) they turn their attention back to the wormhole and come up with a plan to at least hurt the progress on building the wormhole, in the hopes of giving the Federation enough time to destroy it before it can be used. The only problem is, it's a suicide mission, since the traitor in their midst has destroyed their ability to contact the Enterprise to ask for help.
This was a good follow-through with what was built up in the first book. In fact, I enjoyed this book more than the first, which felt kind of rambling in places. This one was much more focused, and adding the traitor and the fight to survive even before they can consider how to disable the wormhole was well done. My only real complaint was that the ship's ability to get as close as they got to the wormhole pushed the wall of believability. And then that wall crumbled when the traitor notifies the Dominion of their position and only one Dominion ship is sent to find them. Once that ship is destroyed, there isn't a second attempt made to locate them and plans progress after that without the Dominion continuing the search or even reacting to the destruction of the one ship. So there were some credibility problems with the main plot toward the end of the book, when the action kicks into high gear. But this is Star Trek, and there are often parts of plots where the bad guys should have reacted in more intelligent ways, so most readers will forgive all of this and just enjoy the story. And I did enjoy the story. The main action at the end, once their final plans are put into motion, is great.
So, an enjoyable addition to the Star Trek universe and a great additional facet to the Dominion War we saw being played on out Deep Space Nine.
And that's where this second book picks up. Picard and crew begin formulating a plan, but sabotage forces them to consider the possibility that they have a traitor on board. It also forces them to fight for survival in the Badlands, where they discover some long abandoned ships. Once they've retrieved food and water (and discovered the secret of the ships) they turn their attention back to the wormhole and come up with a plan to at least hurt the progress on building the wormhole, in the hopes of giving the Federation enough time to destroy it before it can be used. The only problem is, it's a suicide mission, since the traitor in their midst has destroyed their ability to contact the Enterprise to ask for help.
This was a good follow-through with what was built up in the first book. In fact, I enjoyed this book more than the first, which felt kind of rambling in places. This one was much more focused, and adding the traitor and the fight to survive even before they can consider how to disable the wormhole was well done. My only real complaint was that the ship's ability to get as close as they got to the wormhole pushed the wall of believability. And then that wall crumbled when the traitor notifies the Dominion of their position and only one Dominion ship is sent to find them. Once that ship is destroyed, there isn't a second attempt made to locate them and plans progress after that without the Dominion continuing the search or even reacting to the destruction of the one ship. So there were some credibility problems with the main plot toward the end of the book, when the action kicks into high gear. But this is Star Trek, and there are often parts of plots where the bad guys should have reacted in more intelligent ways, so most readers will forgive all of this and just enjoy the story. And I did enjoy the story. The main action at the end, once their final plans are put into motion, is great.
So, an enjoyable addition to the Star Trek universe and a great additional facet to the Dominion War we saw being played on out Deep Space Nine.
June 8, 2020
Book #3, but the 2nd with TNG crew, taking place during The Dominion War, which mainly involved the DS9 show/characters. This one dealt more with Picard, LaForge, Ro and the ragtag crew on a small craft, as opposed to a galactic war. Of course, it surrounds Picard and team finding a way to the artificial wormhole that will be the end of the Federation, if the Dominion enters the Alpha Quadrant through it. Their task is to disable or destroy it. However, there is a "spy" "enemy" on the ship. Is it the Romulan? Is it Ro?, is it someone else? This was more of a mystery Star Trek as opposed to normal fare. A secondary storyline dealt with the Enterprise still docked at a starbase, while Riker, is trying the help a lady friend overcome her fears.
A fast read and would have been a good episode back in the day, as others have pointed out.
A fast read and would have been a good episode back in the day, as others have pointed out.
November 3, 2019
A Brilliant continuation, our heroes facing very long odds, and the set of chapters with the changeling were tense and exciting. Just the sort of adventure you pick up these books for.
November 13, 2019
An okay book. Would have made an interesting episode.
February 14, 2018
Overall I dug this little tale of 'what was the Enterprise crew during the Dominion War?' My biggest issue with it is that the Data subplot (he gets left on an alien planet w/a malfunctioning shuttle) just goes nowhere for far too long (I honestly don't even remember how it got resolved), but everything else felt fitting, from Riker dealing with a PTSD war veteran via his penis to a surgically altered Picard serving under Ro Laren.
The POW escapees are an interesting bunch, and I especially liked the unjoined Trill scientist collaborator who thinks everyone else is a moron because 'wars come and go, but scientific discoveries are always correct.' A slightly unique twist on the Oppenheimer naivete that led to the atomic bomb. It was nice to see someone who was, in essence, pro-Dominion for reasons other than 'boo, hiss' or political.
Since DS9 is kind of the center of the Dominion War, it must have been difficult trying to figure out what to have the Enterprise doing that wasn't just pchew pchew, and I think having Picard & everyone involved in his plot going up against a second wormhole that the Dominion was building worked. It had a real sense of urgency, much bigger than a mere firefight could have accomplished, while not overshadowing what was going on with DS9. Good choice there.
The POW escapees are an interesting bunch, and I especially liked the unjoined Trill scientist collaborator who thinks everyone else is a moron because 'wars come and go, but scientific discoveries are always correct.' A slightly unique twist on the Oppenheimer naivete that led to the atomic bomb. It was nice to see someone who was, in essence, pro-Dominion for reasons other than 'boo, hiss' or political.
Since DS9 is kind of the center of the Dominion War, it must have been difficult trying to figure out what to have the Enterprise doing that wasn't just pchew pchew, and I think having Picard & everyone involved in his plot going up against a second wormhole that the Dominion was building worked. It had a real sense of urgency, much bigger than a mere firefight could have accomplished, while not overshadowing what was going on with DS9. Good choice there.
May 7, 2024
There's four books in this series. I read the first two of them back in mid-2022, I think it was, and then I must have got distracted, because I forgot about it entirely! I do dislike leaving a series unfinished, and I was quite enjoying it, so lucky for me the library still seems to have the last two volumes. Better hurry up and get to the last one quick before it disappears from the shelves.
Coming back to the series after a two year gap, and it's easy to get back into. Not quite standalone, but I didn't need to recall every detail from the first two books for this to make sense either. It's very closely focused on Picard and a small team of disparate individuals trying to sabotage a Dominion facility, so in many ways the wider war is relatively absent. It's a quick, adventurous read, likeable and fast-paced. I also enjoyed the very small subplot about a brief love interest of Riker's, notable not for the romance but for representation, in one person, of the psychological effect the war is having on Starfleet personnel. It's got to be a horrendous job, patching up ships so that more people can be sent out to die, so the (admittedly skimpy) exploration of this was a nice touch.
Coming back to the series after a two year gap, and it's easy to get back into. Not quite standalone, but I didn't need to recall every detail from the first two books for this to make sense either. It's very closely focused on Picard and a small team of disparate individuals trying to sabotage a Dominion facility, so in many ways the wider war is relatively absent. It's a quick, adventurous read, likeable and fast-paced. I also enjoyed the very small subplot about a brief love interest of Riker's, notable not for the romance but for representation, in one person, of the psychological effect the war is having on Starfleet personnel. It's got to be a horrendous job, patching up ships so that more people can be sent out to die, so the (admittedly skimpy) exploration of this was a nice touch.
December 15, 2024
OMG what a long road!!
Definetly one of the best stories in a star trek book I had the pleasure to read!!
This was an amazing ride and definetly worth it.
It felt a little cliche in some moments, given how little time was left in the book, but it managed to be a fun story, with its hints of mystery with the whole traitor on board thing (SPOILER, I never expected it to be Taurik) and, although the romance between Ro and Sam doesn't seem that interesting to me, it was generally good. Special mention for Grof who, even though he was clearly an antagonistic presence, John Vornholt managed to make him a fun character and who, against all odds, manages to make a difference in the war and (SPOILERS) die like a hero.
My only genuinely negative point was that we spent almost a third of the book in the badlands, specifically in Death Valley, solving a mystery that, in the end, we don't really understand what happens and rather seems like the plot of another novel.
In general terms, the two TNG Dominion War novels are truly good reading material, highly recommended.
Definetly one of the best stories in a star trek book I had the pleasure to read!!
This was an amazing ride and definetly worth it.
It felt a little cliche in some moments, given how little time was left in the book, but it managed to be a fun story, with its hints of mystery with the whole traitor on board thing (SPOILER, I never expected it to be Taurik) and, although the romance between Ro and Sam doesn't seem that interesting to me, it was generally good. Special mention for Grof who, even though he was clearly an antagonistic presence, John Vornholt managed to make him a fun character and who, against all odds, manages to make a difference in the war and (SPOILERS) die like a hero.
My only genuinely negative point was that we spent almost a third of the book in the badlands, specifically in Death Valley, solving a mystery that, in the end, we don't really understand what happens and rather seems like the plot of another novel.
In general terms, the two TNG Dominion War novels are truly good reading material, highly recommended.
December 13, 2025
Book three in the series takes up where book 1 left off. Picard, Ro, and Laforge are aboard the Bajoran freighter still trying to find the artificial wormhole generator in Dominion controlled space. They are determined to disable or destroy it because if it becomes operation the Dominion will win the war. Having rescued the prisoners running the dominion mining ship they have a larger crew, and mostly of former Starfleet officers. They may have a chance. But things start going wrong and soon Picard determines that there is a saboteur on board.
The side plots of B - Riker and the Enterprise crew trying to push for repairs at the starport is not as emphasized as it was in the first novel. And plot C - of Data in a shuttle trying to evade Dominion patrols and keep track of Picard's ship is almost nonexistent.
The side plots of B - Riker and the Enterprise crew trying to push for repairs at the starport is not as emphasized as it was in the first novel. And plot C - of Data in a shuttle trying to evade Dominion patrols and keep track of Picard's ship is almost nonexistent.
May 21, 2023
TNG: Donimon War #3: Tunnel Through the Stars by John Vornholt
Now, this is a great follow up! This book is definitely a step up from the last one and includes more parts of DS9 that I like. It’s a very tense book and you’re not sure they’re going to succeed, even though you know they are going to in the end. Vornholt does an excellent job with rising the stakes, especially with the intruder subplot. I rolled my eyes at it first and for some reason I suspected Taruik as he would the least likely to sabotage it in the beginning. But I did not expect the Founder twist, which made this book so much better.
Overall, a very and suspense filled book and a great answer to what the crew of TNG was doing during the Dominon War.
Overall 7.5/10
Now, this is a great follow up! This book is definitely a step up from the last one and includes more parts of DS9 that I like. It’s a very tense book and you’re not sure they’re going to succeed, even though you know they are going to in the end. Vornholt does an excellent job with rising the stakes, especially with the intruder subplot. I rolled my eyes at it first and for some reason I suspected Taruik as he would the least likely to sabotage it in the beginning. But I did not expect the Founder twist, which made this book so much better.
Overall, a very and suspense filled book and a great answer to what the crew of TNG was doing during the Dominon War.
Overall 7.5/10
September 7, 2018
Not as good as his first but still a decent little novel. Once you get past the disappointment of not reading about the Enterprise in action during the Dominion War you can appreciate the story for what it is. A few new interesting characters (plus a nod to The Shining (Captain Jack Torrance anyone?)) add to the mix which puts regulars on the back burner which is too bad. However, I found this story had to strive to be original enough and I don't want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that. I was hoping for a bit more but Vornholt's books are definitely the stronger half of the Dominion War series.
October 15, 2023
This third book in this Dominion War arc of books is pretty exciting as we go back to the original story of Captain Picard's mission to confirm the existence of a Dominion-controlled artificial wormhole that may resolve their resupply issues after the mining of the Bajoran wormhole. It's quite the thrilling notion of a small crew that has infiltrated Dominion space in a craft that has no legitimate combat abilities, especially against the Dominion.
There's a lot of tension and the crew can only do so much given their limited resources. And that can add a bit of frustration to the reading as the characters keep hitting the same walls over and over. But on the whole it's still a good adventure and a solid TNG-esque story.
There's a lot of tension and the crew can only do so much given their limited resources. And that can add a bit of frustration to the reading as the characters keep hitting the same walls over and over. But on the whole it's still a good adventure and a solid TNG-esque story.
June 20, 2017
Closer to three and a half stars, Tunnel Through the Stars was a good enough tale of the Dominion War, but it was frustrating having the Enterprise sitting out 99% of the story at a Starbase. The reason I read both parts of this story was to see the Enterprise and her crew on the front lines fighting the Dominion. The sabotage mission behind enemy lines was well written and all, just not what I was hoping for with this TNG story.
December 5, 2025
This book forms a duology with the first book in the Dominion War quadrilogy. Vornholt’s duology is the best part of the quadrilogy, but suffers from plot lines that aren’t explained well and an ending in which the Enterprise-E manages to cross through Dominion space and rescue a team that has just managed to complete their mission and make home to the Federation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2018
This was a wildly inconsistent conclusion to a weirdly plotted book. They even spoil the 4th book in it. Also, I don't think Ro Laren's characterization was well done. I also don't understand why
June 10, 2024
This was much better, huge improvement over the first book in this series by the same author.
I quite enjoyed this one, the author definitely did a better job this time around.
Interesting story!
I quite enjoyed this one, the author definitely did a better job this time around.
Interesting story!
August 16, 2024
Brilliant, wonderful story!!
This volume was excellently written and featured a lot. of si fi action and drama. It had intrigue, plot twists and was thoroughly gripping. This is a fantastic volume!!
This volume was excellently written and featured a lot. of si fi action and drama. It had intrigue, plot twists and was thoroughly gripping. This is a fantastic volume!!
September 15, 2020
I think my opinion of this book suffers because I read it while tired and fairly distracted by other thoughts. It was a good story with some spectacularly Trek moments.
July 10, 2023
Didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first book.
July 30, 2023
An entertaining side jag in the Dominion War. A little more linear than the first TNG book. Honestly read because it was $1 and get me caught up on GoodReads goal.
May 23, 2024
This was an ok story. The middle dragged a bit, but it ended well.
December 27, 2024
Too drawn out for a story with a quick ending. Kind of disappointed with with how the characters were portrayed also
February 8, 2025
Was a bit slow to start with but the ending was good :)
July 27, 2025
very good story about what the enterprise was up to during the dominion war. love working back Ro into the universe.
August 27, 2016
This is a review of both halves of the TNG Dominion War duology, since they're basically one novel split in two.
The context: This story takes place between First Contact and Insurrection, simultaneously with the first few episodes (or more precisely probably episodes 3 or so through 6) of Deep Space Nine's sixth season. I think it's the first major TNG story post-First Contact. The next TNG Dominion War novel will be The Battle of Betazed, which takes place roughly a year after this; in the meantime the crew of the Enterprise will have a Data mystery, adventures with the X-Men and Q, and the Dominion War comic The Gorn Crisis. This duology also features recurring character Ro Laren and characters from the TNG episode "Lower Decks."
The content: I haven't read Star Trek novels in probably close to 20 years. But I've been rewatching DS9 over the last year and my inner continuity nerd wanted to flesh out that crisis. So I checked out the DS9 novel Hollow Men and the Tales of the Dominion War anthology, and then took a look to see what the TNG crew had been doing during the war.
John Vornholt seemed like a great fit for this project. Author of acclaimed early TNG novels like Masks, he had also previously tackled the Maquis in Antimatter and even Maquis Ro (sort of) in Rogue Saucer. So a TNG Dominion War story seemed right up his alley.
Unfortunately, this is terribly disappointing. First, it's one novel's worth of plot bloated into two novels, with lots of repetitive filler. Nearly half of it has nothing to do with the Dominion War at all, consisting of side quests to give the characters something to do. It's also barely a TNG story. The Enterprise is out of commission for virtually the whole thing, with most of the characters barely there. It's essentially a Picard, Ro, and Sam Lavelle adventure, which is fine, but not really enough of an event to justify a duology or to sell the Dominion War concept in prose, which is I think a terrible missed opportunity for Pocket's Star Trek line. It's also fairly poorly written, the prose nothing to write home about, and the characters mostly rather thin. And it's uncomfortable the extent to which Vornholt constantly sexualizes nearly every female character.
This book is not without value if read more to flesh out the fictional conflict than for the quality of the novel itself. It does a better job illustrating just how poorly the war was going at that point than DS9 really managed to do with its victories nearly every episode, and it does show that the war was bigger than just the battles for DS9, and that the Dominion had other things going on. Unfortunately some of the Dominion's actions don't seem quite to fit with its characterization in the show, but nothing too egregious there.
Overall it's difficult to recommend this duology to any but the most die-hard fans or to continuity nerds like me.
The context: This story takes place between First Contact and Insurrection, simultaneously with the first few episodes (or more precisely probably episodes 3 or so through 6) of Deep Space Nine's sixth season. I think it's the first major TNG story post-First Contact. The next TNG Dominion War novel will be The Battle of Betazed, which takes place roughly a year after this; in the meantime the crew of the Enterprise will have a Data mystery, adventures with the X-Men and Q, and the Dominion War comic The Gorn Crisis. This duology also features recurring character Ro Laren and characters from the TNG episode "Lower Decks."
The content: I haven't read Star Trek novels in probably close to 20 years. But I've been rewatching DS9 over the last year and my inner continuity nerd wanted to flesh out that crisis. So I checked out the DS9 novel Hollow Men and the Tales of the Dominion War anthology, and then took a look to see what the TNG crew had been doing during the war.
John Vornholt seemed like a great fit for this project. Author of acclaimed early TNG novels like Masks, he had also previously tackled the Maquis in Antimatter and even Maquis Ro (sort of) in Rogue Saucer. So a TNG Dominion War story seemed right up his alley.
Unfortunately, this is terribly disappointing. First, it's one novel's worth of plot bloated into two novels, with lots of repetitive filler. Nearly half of it has nothing to do with the Dominion War at all, consisting of side quests to give the characters something to do. It's also barely a TNG story. The Enterprise is out of commission for virtually the whole thing, with most of the characters barely there. It's essentially a Picard, Ro, and Sam Lavelle adventure, which is fine, but not really enough of an event to justify a duology or to sell the Dominion War concept in prose, which is I think a terrible missed opportunity for Pocket's Star Trek line. It's also fairly poorly written, the prose nothing to write home about, and the characters mostly rather thin. And it's uncomfortable the extent to which Vornholt constantly sexualizes nearly every female character.
This book is not without value if read more to flesh out the fictional conflict than for the quality of the novel itself. It does a better job illustrating just how poorly the war was going at that point than DS9 really managed to do with its victories nearly every episode, and it does show that the war was bigger than just the battles for DS9, and that the Dominion had other things going on. Unfortunately some of the Dominion's actions don't seem quite to fit with its characterization in the show, but nothing too egregious there.
Overall it's difficult to recommend this duology to any but the most die-hard fans or to continuity nerds like me.
March 7, 2021
Pretty good follow up to the previous TNG: Dominion book. Good drama, action, and character moments. Clearly written by someone who knows Star Trek.
May 9, 2015
This is book three of The Dominion War. It finishes up the story started in book one. Really they are one novel, divided.
The Enterprise learns that the Dominion is building an artificial wormhole, somewhere in Cardassian space. The war is going very badly and if the Dominion can easily bring in reinforcements, the Federation is doomed.
So Picard, La Forge, and company must penetrate deep into enemy territory disguised as Bajoran traders. Needless to say, it isn't easy.
This book has a good plot and some quite imaginative moments that set it above the normal Star Trek novel.
The Enterprise learns that the Dominion is building an artificial wormhole, somewhere in Cardassian space. The war is going very badly and if the Dominion can easily bring in reinforcements, the Federation is doomed.
So Picard, La Forge, and company must penetrate deep into enemy territory disguised as Bajoran traders. Needless to say, it isn't easy.
This book has a good plot and some quite imaginative moments that set it above the normal Star Trek novel.
March 4, 2013
I quite enjoyed this sequel to Behind Enemy Lines. It picks up right where the previous book finished. I wasn't sure about some of the plot devices used in the first half of the book, but they all come together in the climax for a gripping read. I would have loved to have seen these two books as a two part episode of TNG ...
June 18, 2014
This was a great conclusion to the Next Generation portion of this series. It had great action all the way thru the book. Honestly there is a weird side story starting about the 25% mark to the 50% mark. It just felt like the author was trying to extend the book.....maybe I am wrong. But once we got back to the main story it was nail biting all the way to the end. The fate of the Galaxy rested with Captain Jean Luc Picard and his ragtag crew of rescued prisoners, civilians and spies!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews