Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad For A Transition Novel
Review: With all the publicity William Shatner has had about his STAR TREK career, namely a Prima-Donna attitude towards his role and importance to the legend of ST, I find this book a breath of fresh air into a business that was going stale. William Shatner built a great beginning into this work. Imagine Spock, himself a resurrection alumi, seeing Jim's lighted-from-within grave collapse. That bee-buzz of transporter-effect must have paralyzed even his Vulcan mind as he tried to pull a logical 'what the hell is going on' from the scene. The last we saw of James T. Kirk was as a dead hero with Jean Luc Picard In GENERATIONS. But remember, Kirk's own prediction- "I'll die alone"- was not fulfilled. We cannot imagine such a forecast as this going unheeded by the STAR TREK guardians. The body of this offering is an insightful look into a part of JTK's personal legend as well as an introduction to a driven side of the character only glimpsed before. There is more to come. Any reader of mine knows I leave the details to you but love to cut to the purpose. No different here . Read THE RETURN and following books by Willim Shatner. After all, he IS Kirk.
Rating: 
Summary: Are you people kidding?
Review: I only saw one negative review. Everybody else raved about it. Yes, it's well-written, but that's the only reason it even deserves one star. This book is a wonderful example of the size of Shatner's colossal ego.First, the man directs Star Trek V, easily the worst movie in the series, where every member of the crew is shown to be a bumbling buffoon (the navigator gets lost; immediately after saying "I know this ship like the back of my hand," Scotty turns around and knocks himself out on a pipe; a fifty-year-old Uhura gets to strip for the aliens; Spock sings nursery rhymes around a camp fire; the list goes on). And to top it all off, to save the Universe, Kirk has to wrestle Satan to the ground. No, no ego there... But that wasn't enough. Now the man has to write a novel where Kirk comes back from the dead (did he roll the rock back three days after...? ...nah...), kill every member of every subsequent series (because he's better than they are, see?), and then destroy the Borg. Because even a universe-conquering race of robots would have (spoiler alert!) an "off" switch... Of course. Why wouldn't they? This book doesn't need to be read. It needs to be dissected by Shatner's analyst, so that he can explain to our boy Bill why James Doohan won't talk to him to this day. It's not a novel, it's an exercise in ego. Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens should be ashamed of themselves for collaborating with him on this enormous memorial to himself.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Too Late Now
Review: This is the story should have been used for the movie after Generations. It is superior to First Contact on all counts. Just like Kirk is the only person capable of saving the entire universe, he was also the only person capable of saving the Star Trek franchise. It's a shame it's too late for that now. Enjoy Enterprise while it last.
Rating:
Summary: Not Literature...but GREAT Star Trek!
Review: After seeing Star Trek V the Final Frontier I was almost turned off by the thought of seeing ANYTHING Trek ever again...and guess what?? William Shatner wrote the script! It was impossibly, horribly bad...MY vote as the worst of the 'Trek movies'. Okay, leapfrog with me if you will a few years and now we have Shatner attempting to write novels. I have avoided these books like the plague I was certain they were mostly because of how much I detested 'Trek V'...that is until a friend of mine recommended 'The Return' to me. I was happy to pick it up, but when I saw Shatner's name on it, I immediately started to give it back, but my friend insisted that I at least give it a try. I was suffering from 'can't find a decent-book-to-read syndrome' at the time and so gave it a shot. !!WOW!! Was I surprised or WHAT? Shatner has given us one of THE most entertaining Trek stories out there. Totally chock full of action and plot twists and in general all-out fun. Now I'll tell you WHY his Trek books are so good: He is CO-writing them with THE best Trek authors out there, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens'. Have you picked up 'Federation' yet? It is one of the ALL-TIME best Trek books ever written (along with their amazingly creative 'Prime Directive'). I'm sure the collaboration is what makes Shatner's novels actually good, but whoever is responsible for the WHY, I don't care, this is just one fun adventure to take. If Shatner IS responsible, kudos to him for a great story, if it's his co-authors I don't really care, as long as he continues to produce these great Trek stories. I would also recommend 'The Ashes of Eden' as well. It takes place in the Universe of the 'Trek of Old' with all the other major Trek characters, and is another winner of a story. All in all Shatner's Trek books stand nicely side-by-side with ANY other on the market. Peter David's 'Q Squared' is also one of THE most original stories out there as well.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad ... but not the best either!
Review: This novel is well written and captures the characters well, however it does little to develop the Star Trek universe -- and does a lot that goes against some basic tenets.
There is a great deal of self-indulgence on the part of William Shatner - and the plot is basically a tribute to Kirk and how "fantastic" he is.
Given the return of Spock in the earlier movies - we can accept the fact that Kirk can be returned from the dead via alien technology. However, we can't accept the fact that the Borg simply decide to work WITH a race (Romulans) instead of trying to assimilate them. We also can't accept the fact that Kirk is suddenly god-like in his power/strength - and he is now apparently irresistible to all women! For all it's flaws, this isn't a bad novel at all! I haven't read the third one yet - but I sincerely hope it has more of a plot - and is less of a homage to Kirk.
(Apparently, Shatner has signed to do 2 more in this series ... he must have a burning desire to keep Kirk alive)
Rating: 
Summary: Okay but not great
Review: After reading many Star Trek books throughout the years, it amazes me the number of stories that can supposedly occur between episodes shown on TV and film. This story by William Shatner takes place between ST VII Generations and ST VIII First Contact. It is an engaging, but not particularly exceptional story of what happens after Jean-Luc Picard buries the legendary James Tiberius Kirk in a cairn of rocks on Veridian III. Without spoiling too much (the title gives it away anyway) Kirk is returned to life, and leads another adventure against a Romulan-Borg plot to destroy the Federation. I found some of the characterizations of the main characters, particularly Spock, Kirk, Picard, and Riker to be rather one-dimensional and shallow, but overall the book was a good read and better appreciated if you forgive certain inconsistencies of character and implausible scenarios (like Kirk's confrontation with Worf). Best read if you are killing time (like waiting for a flight) or by the beach/poolside.
Rating:
Summary: Star Trek The Return - One of the best Trek novels to date!
Review: "The Return" is simply the most inventive and creative of the "Shatnerverse" novels I've read so far. This opinion is quite apparently a shared one considering that out of all of the Star Trek novels I've read and reviewed so far, "The Return" has the distinction of having the most reviews on Amazon that I've seen for a Star Trek novel so far. From the very beginning of this novel to the end, you will find yourself enthralled and captivated by the story. William Shatner, quite obviously did not want himself to be completely torn away from the Star Trek universe and with this novel, his resurrection in the twenty fourth century, he quite literally guaranteed himself a continued and long life after the events in Star Trek "Generations," where we may never see the great Captain Kirk on screen again. Although I'd say for us, the average reader, we may never know where the line of distinction is drawn between William Shatner's writing and his collaborators, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. In the end though, I've noticed that while their books are very good on their own, when combined with William Shatner, their stories seem to come alive. The premise, plot setup and overall pacing for this novel are all nothing less than stunning. The cover art for "The Return" is quite exciting; I especially like the quote on the cover, "Legends never die..." I distinctly remember when seeing the cover for this novel for the first time, being excited that James Tiberius Kirk would be making some kind of return after being lost at the end of "Generations." The premise: Simply put, Captain James Tiberius Kirk will always find a way to cheat death! After the extraordinary events depicted in his first "Shatnerverse" novel, "The Ashes of Eden," and his disappearance, return and then eventual "death" at the end of "Generations," there would simply "have" to be a way for him to Return... As Spock stood upon a rocky crag over the raised mound of rocks which entombed his life long friend, he heard a battle going on in the distance and not long thereafter, he heard the distinct sound of a transporter and saw the raised mound of rock crumble in upon itself. In that moment, he knew that in some way or another, his friend had once again cheated death... What follows from there is, as stated above, nothing less than one of the most spectacular, intriguing and enthralling thrill rides of a Star Trek novel to have been written to date. Throw in Starfleet, the Borg, the Romulans and a very healthy dose of inventiveness and you've got Star Trek "The Return" by William Shatner and the husband and wife writing team of Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. As an additional note, the audio tape version of this novel is just as wonderful as the actual novel, albeit a much shortened version. William Shatner does an outstanding job of reading it. He apparently didn't know how to pronounce Cardassians though. I highly recommend this novel to any and all fans of Star Trek fiction! {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: The Return, Fact or Fiction for Shatner?
Review: Having read this, and all of Shatner's books several times over (save for Captain's Peril and Captains Blood), I can honestly say that it's a triumph for Shatner, and he should be proud to have written this. And Yes! He did write this, I find it almost insulting that anyone can say that he did not write it, I have had the pleasure of reading all of his books, and throughout there is a definate sense of style that accopmanies his writing that could not have been duplicated. Yes, he employs two accomplished writers to help him keep track of all of the developing Trek lore, and why not, Shatner is a writer, but that doesn;t mean that he can keep track of all of the different stories unfolding in the Trek universe, the way that a lot of fans can. So whoever you are, and you know who you are! Stop it! Let someone have the respect for their accomplishments they deserve!!! Tho book itself, revolves around how Kirk is brought back from the dead, to face new challenges. The way in which this is done is revolutionary and inspiring. The Borg-Romulan Alliance is a main part of the flow, and to see Kirk and Spock Manipulated by them in such a way is wonderful story telling. But it is in the books' ability to make the reader want to believe in these events, because they mesh so well with canon trek, that is truely amazing. I have heard it sadi that there is always a 'reset' button at the end of each book. All I can say is, good. I don't want the stories told by Shatner to shattered because he didn't leave himself a get out clause. The way it is told allows us to have Trek on TV, Shatner in boks, and no conflict. Based on what I have read so far, Paramount would do well to make Shatner's entrie series of books, or which there are now 8 in total, into a series for TV, they would find I think that Their Ratings would go through thew roof. Any one who is reading this, may think that I am just a Fan who is Biased, but this is not the case, I have other interests, but I hate to see an author being run down, jsut because they are able to surprise their audience with a good book every now and again. Thanks for your time.
Rating:
Summary: Should Be A Movie
Review: This is one of the greatest Star Trek novel writen. The author clearly knows Trek-lore and incorporates it realistically into the Trek-universe. Long time fans will reall appreciate this. However, there is no way Shatner wrote this.
Rating:
Summary: Great sequel for Generations and Ashes of Eden.
Review: Great sequel for Generations and Ashes of Eden. I read where Shatner was doing a ST trilogy when he learned that the movie producers were killing him off. He died great didn't he! He made a difference. Well he made a difference to the world of ST novels as well. This is his work. I am only assuming that for him it was, well... important work. As a sequel, it follows generations perfectly, and AoE not so perfectly. But, for all those goofs that hate Shatner, why did you even read this book, if you really did read it at all. Given what others left him, I thought he came up with a brilliant way to RETURN. I have the book and audio CD. Shatner reads the book on the CD and does a wonderful job. So here¡¦s to you and your friends Mr. Shatner :)! You just keep writing books about James Tiberius Kirk. Include Dr. Mc Coy in them will ya.
| 
