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Star Trek: Spectre

Star Trek: Spectre

List Price: $18.00
Your Price: $9.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This book was great! I can't wait for the next one!
Review: William Shatner does an excellent job of telling of the continuing missions of both his original crew as well as the Next Generation's. The story is very well done and really could be motion-picture quality! The cliff hanger ending has me itching for the sequel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pretty Interesting.... Awesome too!
Review: When I read this book, I was speechless.. It's a pretty good book. For someone that owns "The Ashes of Eden", "The Return", and "Avenger", I must say that "Spectre" kept me guessing what was going happen next. (Bill Shatner, if I were your editor, or even a collaborator for one of your stories, I'd give you thumbs up all the way with some of your ideas.) "Spectre" is awesome in my opinion. The way he introduces his wife-to-be is cool too. Above all, it's a great book. And I'm glad I've had the pleasure of reading it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pure Star Trek
Review: Only someone closely affiliated with Star Trek can truely write a story fans would love and adore and that's exactly what William Shatner has done. Well done and keep it up! We can't have another series, or film, with the original team in, so books will have to suffice.

William uses his knowledge of James T and crew and goes further than any series. It's just a shame TV and Film will never equal the descriptive stories of his books. The human mind is a powerful tool and the images it creates are unequal to any screen visualists' power. Star Trek - Live Long and Prosper!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting Story - Ultimately Nothing Really New
Review: "Spectre" is, in my opinion, one of those books that the dedicated follower of the Star Trek mythos will probably get the most out of. Why? Because like the first trilogy by this same set of authors, much reliance is put on the exact timing of various events from the past - meaning, as a reader, you get the most enjoyment out of these, I think, if you can relate the events happening in the story with events that happened in the various Star Trek series. This is the scaffold upon which these authors like to build.

One problem for me is that these authors (from what I have seen in their books) can never quite seem to get the dates exactly right. Normally that would be a non-issue for me but since the authors so clearly predicate so much of their books on what I call "the fandom effect", this seems a curious oversight. That said, this story either takes place in 2374 or 2375, but definitely after the events of the movie "Star Trek: First Contact". (Careful fans, with an eye for details, will note that "Spectre", combined with the second book in the series, "Dark Victory", gets the dates a bit mangled. There are many references to events strewn in the novels and if you take them all together, they eventually start to slightly contradict. Nitpicking? Yes, but again bear in mind these authors like to really "get into" the Star Trek mythos thus when discrepancies appear in the dates, it is a bit distracting particularly since they give so many references to events in the series that it practically compels the careful reader into checking into the veracity of the dates. When all is said and done it is clear the authors want this story set in 2374.)

This novel takes one of the episodes from the Original Series ("Mirror, Mirror") and another episode from Deep Space 9 ("Crossover") and then runs from there, showing one possible sequence of events that force the two crews of the Original Series and the Next Generation to team up and figure out why the so-called "Mirror Universe" is threatening the Federation.

This is the first of a tightly correlated set of three books. So you might want to prepare for that if you decide to start in on this book. Also note that while not strictly necessary to understand the current story, it probably helps if you have read the previous trilogy by the authors (composed of "The Ashes of Eden", "The Return", and "Avenger") as this all explains why Kirk is still around even after the events of "Star Trek: Generations" and who Teilani is and why she is so important to Kirk. But, again, this book, the start of its own series, does stand on its own.

What I liked about the book was that, all in all, it was a good story that was quite fast-paced and that seemed to generally fit in the overall structure of Star Trek stories, with regard to characters and plotting and offered some intriguing unanswered questions to keep the reader motivated. What I ultimately disliked about the book is that it did not explore the concepts of the "Mirror Universe" at all. This universe is meant to be a mirror reflection (in a loose sense) of the universe our heroes occupy. As such, while there is some interesting side dialogue about just how alike the counterparts are, there is no real implications to any of this. The characters do not really fundamentally change as a result of the dealings with their counterparts. The "Mirror Universe" exists solely to propel what, in the end, is a fairly basic plot: Kirk and Picard teaming up to save the Federation. There are also the ambiguities that could have been explored about the Prime Directive and how that applies to another universe and what kind of help can or should be given in the situation the novel presents. This is all alluded to - but generally only as a means to dismiss it from further consideration in the plot. Finally, the juggling of action between the various characters (Kirk's crew, Picard's crew, the mirror universe counterparts) gets a little unwieldy in my opinion although it is held together by the pace of the action.

In the end I gave the book three stars. This is because the authors did provide an entertaining read that kept me wondering where the authors were going to take the plot but the book provided nothing very challenging or innovative about the Star Trek mythos for me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kirk and Crew + TNG and Voyager crews good ST Scifi.
Review: Kirk and Crew + TNG and Voyager, and Capt Kirk goes up against his greatest rival.... Capt. Kirk! This is the first book of the mirror mirror trilogy, and continues events from Kirks first ST trilogy. Shatner and friends prove they are the best writers of Star Trek books period! I hope they keep them coming.
You Shatner haters should just relax and enjoy. I like Picard to, but Kirk has been to the mirror universe, plus he is what, a 100 years old and still physically and mentally vital. Experience is a good thing.

Gosh for trekkies and Sci-Fi nuts this is great stuff. Now can we get Shatner and friends to write a book called ANAKIN SOLO, THE RETURN. He could come back in Tahiri's body. Ever more relavent, what about DATA, THE RETURN. If the ST Guru's haven't assigned that one yet, grab it Bill.

Sorry. I drifted. This is an interesting trilogy. I defineately liked the first 2 books. But the 3rd book PRESERVER I have only heard on Audio CD, and it was a little confusing and seemed to be a let down.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Star Trek Spectre
Review: After reading book one in Shatner's Mirror universe trilogy, I can honestly say that this book is not bad at all. The books strongest point is the story. I feel that Shatner has fleshed out the mirror universe in some key areas, like its history, its divergence from the normal universe, and the circumstances that led to the downfall of the Terran empire. I felt myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the story as each chapter passed by wondering what I would learn next. The story is the reason I gave this book 4 stars because this book suffers in the same area as does his others books; characters. It still amazes me how William Shatner expects us to believe that his old crew is so much more superior to the TNG crew, and that Kirk is superior to everyone combined. Kirks Tactics are flwless, his logic better than Spocks, his timing so precise, and so much more. Things seem to go on schedule for Kirk while Picard loses his ship in very simple fashion. Shatners constant reminders of Kirks love for Teilani became a nuisance and after a short while I just didn't buy into the new kirk and his new frame of mind. And no, Kirk is not irresistable to women and a perenial babe magnet, let is go Shatner. In any case the story was very good and, this time, it carries the day for Shatner. Read this book if you are a die hard Kirk fan or if you want a good Trek story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: *Captain Kirk and the Kitchen Sink*
Review: "Spectre" is an excellent read. Book one of William Shatner's Mirror Universe Trilogy has nearly everything for the Star Trek fan. An exciting story line; practically everyone's favorite characters; non-stop action; events predictable and totally unpredictable. This book has everything. And of course, since it's written by Shatner, the protagonist is Captain Kirk.

This novel takes the reader back to one of the ten greatest episodes in the entire Star Trek television history, "Mirror, Mirror". The author weaves a story of what occurred after Kirk's appearance there influences the Mirror Universe Spock. Fast forward that event through more than 100 years of history, and bring the Mirror Universe characters into our universe for action and revenge, and you'll get the gist of the story.

Sounds like your basic Star Trek episode, but it really comes across as more than that. This novel is the best Star Trek novel I have read and I have read quite a few. Just when you think you've seen the last character that can be squeezed in that allows the book to retain continuity, and BANG, here is another surprise that fits right in. Or is it a Mirror Universe duplicate of that character? Read the book and find out for yourself.

I rate this book at a very enjoyable 4.70 out of 5.00 stars, rounded up to 5.00. If this is your kind of book, you won't want to put it down. I'd tell you more but that would ruin the surprises. Perfect for several hours of get your mind off life and serious stuff reading. It is also a good jumping on point to check out Shatner's Kirk based stories. No one understands Kirk better than Shatner. The author proves what a terrific fan he is of the Star Trek history too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Begining of it all
Review: This is book one of the Mirror Universe saga. James Kirk is ready to settle down and live out the rest of his soon to be bride, but that doesn't even get a chance. The book is a great opener for the trilogy. Kirk is forced to rely on people from the corrupt mirror universe who think he is the evil former Emperor Tiberius. With Kirk facing so many obsticles, this is a quick read and will keep you going for hours on end. The ending of this Book is unthinkable and leads directly into book two, DARK VICTORY.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Star Trek again confronts the Mirror Universe
Review: Star Trek Spectre

Set in the “Next Generation”, “Spectre” reunites James T. Kirk with the crew of the Enterprise-E. (spoiler).

Unfortunately, an ambitious plot is brought down for many reasons. First, this is Shatner’s book, made obvious by a conspicuous lack of heroism and foresight on the part of Captain Picard. (Picard uses the Enterprise main computer to lock out the invaders, yet is easily tricked into unlocking it for them. The NextGen characters spend much of the time as helpless prisoners). Also, it takes a while for the heroes to get anywhere (Kirk and company spend an inordinately long time just trying to get out of a holodeck). The Mirror villains plan itself doesn’t really have any menace – the 5th column seems scary, but the plot doesn’t really do anything with them (we only know that they exist because of the typical NexGen techno-bable, in this case, quantum-signature anomalies), while the plan to steal our universe’s technology is also pretty lame. The mirror enemy doesn’t seem very centralized either, with the wicked Tiberius not casting much of a shadow over the story. (It would have been nifty to take the same approach that Robert Harriss did with Hitler in “Fatherland”, keeping the Fuhrer just out of sight where the menace was greater.) The very need to look for enemies in another reality is also a cop-out – what’s wrong with our own Cardassians, Klingons and Romulans? The point of the Mirror Universe is that we got to see wicked versions of our own favorite characters, but the story doesn’t do much with the evil Picard, and the Mirror Spock isn’t really good or evil, just tired of the fighting. But what really kills this book is the ending…it doesn’t have one. Instead, it ends on a cliffhanger, the authors thought that they had enough for two books, not knowing there wasn’t enough for this one to really stand on its own.

Fun for Trek fans, but I doubt anybody else would have the patience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Immortal Captain Kirk
Review: I'll admit it: I'm a HUGE fan of Captain James T. Kirk. Along with Batman (Adam West) and Superman (George Reeve), Kirk filled my childhood television induced dreams and playtime with what it meant to be a hero. And a man.

And this book does the character justice. Lots of cool surprises await within, especially if you avoid some of the more elaborate reviews which spoil the plot. Read it cold if you can, althought that's some advice that might very well be far too late in its delivery.

If you're looking for intellectuality, or literary merit, this book doesn't have it. But if you'd gladly go see another Star Trek movie starring William Shatner as James Kirk, even if he's on the bridge of ship in his wheelchair, then this is as close as you're probably ever going to get.

And it's close enough for me.


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