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Summary: Devon horse show story worth the book's price by itself.....
Review: The story of Mr. Shatner being stranded in Penn. and being told "Picard rules , Kirk's an a**hole" is one of the funniest stories, wonderfully told, ever put to paper. A must for Star Trek fans and INSANE TREKKIES(they have a place in this world too, according to Shatner). Great casual reading and how funny is it that he misidentified Tracy Scoggins!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: Even the Captain can learn a thing or 2!
Review: Shatner writes about his own personal Star Trek epiphany. Thinking, at 1st, that it's simply a group of people who really need to "Get A Life"- then realizing what the TRUE meaning of Star Trek is. (Sorry- you'll have to read the book to find out!) I found myself laughing out loud over some of the comments he made- some very funny 'behind the scenes' stories- and a few stories that should not have been told at all. I enjoyed this book- a MUST for every Star Trek fan- not too deep of a read, but very light hearted and enjoyable!
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Summary: Delightful read.
Review: At first, I thought three books on Star Trek from Mr. Shatner was a bit too much, considering the borderline disdain he's shown for the subject at times in the past two decades. However, this is an absolutely delightful book in which Shatner explains his previous attitude towards the series and its fans, and comes to a new and deeper understanding of the most unique fan base ever created around a television show. By turns it's funny and serious and very touching. Well worth any fan's interest.
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Summary: A light-hearted look at the history of ST conventions
Review: Some long-time fans seem to have a problem with William Shatner writing (with assistance from Chris Kreski) about Star Trek. As he has readily admitted in some of his other books (STAR TREK MEMORIES and STAR TREK MOVIE MEMORIES), he did have a period in his career where he distanced himself from the phenomenon. Because of this, there are times in his writing -- and even in this new book -- where it is obvious that Mr. Shatner shows a lack of interest in the background on ST or science fiction in general that would not please a segment of fans. Saying that, however, Mr. Shatner does bring an "outsider's view" to his work that makes it more refreshing than someone who has been in the fandom for far too many years. Very funny and refreshing; but don't be surprised if you've heard some of the stories before. I would have preferred less interviews and more insight from Mr. Shatner himself as well. Still, couldn't someone have told Mr. Shatner that the B5 star he was bugging at the convention was not Tracy Scoggins but Claudia Christian? Yikes! No wonder she ignored him.
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Summary: "This really is William Shatner, and I stink!"
Review: The man who popularized the phrase, "Get a life!" writes a book to deal the dirt on those people for whom the expression most applies. It sounds like a wacky idea, but it actually turned out quite well. William Shatner and his co-author Chris Kreski have a pleasant, enjoyable, breezy prose style and what they're talking about it actually interesting. There's an entire strange sub-culture that goes on in science fiction fandom and it's fascinating to get a peek at it. Unfortunately, since this comes from William Shatner, it's not going to get at the darker side (through no fault of the author), but for what it is, it succeeds.
First of all, I should state that while I'm a fan of (a few of) the Star Trek series, I'm not terribly big into fandom. So while I'm certainly not ignorant of the vocabulary, I was a bit fuzzy on the details. But once the stories and the backstage secrets are revealed, well, it turns out there aren't that many big surprises. Shatner may have been astonished to learn that fans were as interested in hanging out with each as with the "stars", but it shouldn't come as a shock to most other people.
The book is more a journey of exploration than a straightforward journalistic look at fandom. The journey belongs to William Shatner. Apparently at one time he was famous among fan-circles for arriving shortly before his appearances, saying a few quick words and then counting his money on the next flight out of town. But after his character was killed off in one of the Star Trek movies, he decided to take a closer look at what went on at the convention scene.
GET A LIFE! begins with a potted history of organized Star Trek fandom. Given that Shatner freely admits to have had nothing at all to do with that, I can only assume that this portion of the book was researched by either Shatner or Kreski. Although the progression isn't exactly unexpected, I enjoyed reading about how it came about.
The book then moves into Shatner's relationship with fandom. Moving from his aforementioned "take the money and run" approach to gradual curiosity to understanding, reading his journey is quite interesting to see how someone from outside looks in.
Now, human nature being what it is, we can gather that not everything is warm hugs and embraces within fandom. I'm no fool; a quick look around the Internet can bring up thousands of flame-wars, feuds, angry grudges, various "he said / she said" battles and, in some extreme cases, lawsuits and restraining orders between various members of fandom. The book never gets into this topic, which I found a bit of a disappointment.
The portrayal of fandom is almost overwhelmingly positive. Lip service is paid to the looniest aspects - the folks who dress in Star Trek uniforms to inappropriate venues - but for the most part, anything negative is glossed over. The reasons for this rest on the author. I imagine it must be virtually impossible for William Shatner to go to a convention and not be greeted by a venerable wall of yes-men who happily tell him that everything is running fine, everyone connected with the organization is well liked and that there's nothing bad going on at all.
Still, despite possible inaccuracies and/or omissions, I did enjoy reading this one. It's funny, amusing and quick to read. There are numerous unrelated anecdotes, but I didn't find them at all distracting. Overall, I liked reading this. It's not the deepest sociological study you'll ever read, but the look it takes at certain individual fans is especially interesting. The thought of William Shatner donning a latex match and wandering through the dealers room to do research is certainly an amusing idea.
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Summary: Funny book about facing reality
Review: William Shatner's love hate relationship with the show that made him famous or notorious depending on his mood under went a strange metamorphic change that came ironically after his character was killed off in Generations movie (Star Trek VII).
Shatner's book tell that story of his changing attitude toward Star Trek, its fanatic fans and the phenomenon that the show created all over the world. Its well written, often filled with humor as he reflects on what he have learned since his changed of heart. It also a great book since it deal with coming to terms with his past and how it was all catching up to him. I think Shatner finally began to realized that no matter what he does for the rest of his life, he will always be connected with Star Trek, always be known as "Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise" and that the way it will be long after he's dead and buried.
So with that in mind, this book comes recommended. Its story of William Shatner and not Star Trek in general. He writes on his experiences regarding the phenomenon he helped create over 37 years ago and how he think about it when he wrote the book. (I thought his impression on autographs was very interesting.)
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Summary: Olive branch to Trek fans becomes a love letter
Review: "Trust me, I know exactly how lucky I am... there's not a day that goes by where I don't look up into the heavens and say, 'Thank you.'"Are these the words of an egomaniac? Not quite: it's a quote from William Shatner's mea culpa, "Get a Life!" In the past, Shatner was undoubtedly an arrogant S.O.B., hogging screen time from his costars and telling Trekkers to "get a life" in a "Saturday Night Live" skit (hence the title). But in the last few years, Shatner has realized the parody of himself he's become, and decided he was the one who needed to "get a life." This book chronicles Shatner's efforts to learn more about Trek fans (and himself), often with riotous results. "Get a Life!" makes great casual reading, due to its segmented formatting and conversational tone. After a fairly lengthy history of Star Trek conventions (undoubtedly written by co-author Chris Kreski, but skillfully integrated with Shatner's first-person narrative), the book segues into a series of anecdotes, interviews, and sidebars. It's alternately fun (Shatner's encounters with an elephant and a skunk will make you laugh out loud), informative (the section on autograph forgery should be required reading not only for Trekkers, but any autograph collector), and even moving (particularly the interviews with the "Cat Man" and the anonymous fan with multiple personalities). Shatner even tackles the topic of his own idiosyncratic acting style, interrogating actor Kevin Pollak on how to perform the perfect Kirk impersonation. "Get a Life!" completes the process of self-discovery begun in Shatner and Kreski's previous collaborations ("Star Trek Memories" and "Star Trek Movie Memories"). This one tops them both in terms of candor and entertainment value, and should win over all but the most recalcitrant Kirk-haters.
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Summary: CAPTAIN KIRK WINS AGAIN
Review: As a Star Trek outsider, I purchased this book from my local library with the hope I would shortly become more knowledgeable of the Star Trek phenomenon and all its eccentric characters. I was horribly wrong. The few chapters that actually confront the ST convention aspect are almost literally copied and pasted onto multiple pages. In regular exposés, the investigator will lead up to a climax, building suspense for his audience, then deliver the "Big Secret" that will wow his readers and make them philosophize and think deeply until the final pages. No such luck with "Get A Life." Shatner is quick to punch out his reasonings behind the conventions, and then proceeds to play his broken record until page 321, where the message is summarized and repeated again. Throughout the novel are present roughly a dozen sidebars, each recounting an interview (distinct within Shatner's mind, but repetitive within any other normal person's). The interviews combine with the chapters upon chapters of other recited interviews to bore the reader to an early grave. However, look at the cover of this book and you will see the "subjects" of Shatner's novel, the Trekkies, in the background... in black and white. Who is that figure in the forefront, full-color? None other than William Shatner/Capt. James T. Kirk himself, and thus the true topic of discussion is revealed. In the novel, Shatner confesses to inject his convention speeches with unrelated jokes about his own private life to serve as filler to his presentations. He then writes a dozen chapters recalling these exact same "hilarious" stories, and thus makes filler for a book that could have otherwise been printed in 20 pages. If the reader purchases a book on Star Trek, the subject should be Star Trek, not Shatner's "knee-slapping" African safari (which you will encounter). Shatner confesses to being cocky at times, but this is also the way he writes, interjecting his tales with self-praise concerning everything from journalism skills, to interviews, to his humble nature (ironically enough). When, at any time, a reader can look at a paragraph and see the words, "I", "me", or "my" present in any number higher than five, you should know that the novel is less about the "subject" and more about the author. "Get A Life," is not the Star Trek explanation I had hoped for. This book will please the many William Shatner fans throughout the world, but very few else. To discover the real secrets of Star Trek, look for a more credible source.
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Summary: A personal memoir of the Trek phenomenon
Review: William Shatner is always an entertaining figure, whether it's his acting, his promotional interviews, or, especially, his personal memoirs. This is the third in a sort of series - this book follows logically from Star Trek Memories and Star Trek Movie Memories. Now that James T. Kirk is dead, Shatner's connection with the Star Trek universe is primarily as an author and conference attendee. This book gives a personal and inside look at the Trek phenomenon from the man most responsible for the success of the franchise. Shatner prowled the floor of many conventions, met fans and merchandise dealers, and quizzed organisers and his castmates. It is all arranged in a series of short chapters, each telling a specific story about a fan, an actor, etc. Shatner (and coauthor Kreski) keep the pace moving, and each individual story is amusing, entertaining, and/or informative, shedding a little more light on the extended Star Trek family. I wanted to hear more from his fellow actors - the emphasis is certainly on the fans and stories about/from them. Shatner's position at the heart of Trek's mythology gave him a special position to reveal the thoughts and stories of his fellow cast members, but there are precious few of those. All the original cast members (save Doohan) contributed to his Star Trek Memories books, but for this book, only Nimoy has any presence from his old "crew" (Voyager's Jeri Ryan and DS9's Terry Farrell round out the actors' contributions). However, this is a minor quibble, and overall the book is illuminating, entertaining, and very enjoyable.
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