Pawns and Symbols
The Klingons are hungry for war -- and Kirk is caught in a brutal battle of wits!

Pawns and Symbols is a Pocket TOS novel – #26 in the numbered series – written by Majliss Larson. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the book jacket
Threatened by a deadly famine, the Klingon Empire is on the verge of igniting a mad interplanetary war of conquest. When an earthquake destroys a remote Federation research station, Jean Czerny, agricultural scientist, succumbs to amnesia. Stranded on enemy borders, she is imprisoned by Kang, the evil commander of a Klingon battleship. Now Kirk must play a dangerous game of mind strategy to prevent a savage attack on the Federation!

Background information 
 This is the only Star Trek novel written by Majliss Larson.
 The cover art of the novel depicts Kang with pronounced Klingon ridges, implying he had regained a full Klingon appearance after the events in .  The novel was written well before the explanation of the Klingon augment virus and does not explain further on why or how Kang become more "Klingon looking". 
 When this novel was released by Titan Books in the UK, it was released as a "Giant" novel and not as part of the normal numbered series. It was one of four such releases – the others being Dwellers in the Crucible, Shadow Lord and Uhura's Song.
 Bookriot.com ranked the novel among as one of the best Star Trek novels.

Characters 
 James T. Kirk
 Spock
 Leonard McCoy
 Montgomery Scott
 Jean Czerny  Agricultural scientist.
 Kang  Klingon commander.
 Mara  Kang's wife
 Cyrano Jones  space/y trader
 Kevin Riley
 Tamura

References  
"Beyond Antares"; Capella IV; ; ; ; glommer; Klingon; ; neoethylene; quadrotriticale; ryetalyn; Space Station K-7; tribbles

External links 
 
 

de:Das Faustpfand der Klingonen
Novels