Get a Life! (Star Trek) by William Shatner
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Book Reviews of Get a Life! (Star Trek)
Book Review: Hilarious, touching
Summary: 4 Stars
In this book, Star Trek's Captain Kirk sets out to understand the most baffling "Strange New World" of all, the world of Star Trek Fandom.After Kirk's cinematic death in "Generations" Shatner makes an effort to understand the bizarre sub culture that has made his career such a success.Long content to keep his association with Star Trek "on the clock", Shatner begins to don an alien mask and move incognito on convention floors. He begins to interview fans, convention organizers and merchants.As Shatner's understanding of Trek fandom mounts in the pages of the book, he becomes more and more in tune with a world that heretofore existed beneath his notice. His tales of revalation are often funny, sometimes touching, and always enteretaining.Shatner, in the twilight of his legendary career, sets out to undertand Trek Fandom, a phenomenon also in its twilight stage.This is one for posterity, and hilarity!Book Review: Shatner Is Hilarious!
Summary: 5 Stars
Even if you have no interest in Star Trek, you will probably love this book. Shatner relates numerous, hilarious accounts of "close encounters" with Trek fans. He discusses his original loathing of Star Trek conventions, and his eventual understanding of what makes the Star Trek phenomenon the success it has become.
Most of all, this book is funny. Tons of humorous stories and anecdotes, most of them at the expense of Shatner himself. I don't see how anyone could fail to enjoy this book.
Book Review: The funniest audio book I have ever listened to . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
It is a shame that William Shatner has never released a stand-up comedy album, or even an album of one of his "Star Trek Convention" talks, but the audio version of his book "Get A Life", comes close to what Shatner might be like live on stage. While the book is supposed to be more about the history of the "Star Trek Convention", most of the audio book goes over actual questions that Star Trek fans have asked him over the years. I have always liked William Shatner's arsine personality, and it really shines through during his reading of this book. For example when he explains his fear of flying, there is a part (like a good stand-up comedian) where Shatner talks about the old and young "peacefully sipping soda through plastic straws" while on the airplane and then states that people like that "makes (him) sick . . . and I like to punch those people in the head". Other stories like his encounters with a skunk and a wild African Elephant are also very funny, and if not true - at least the true are of a stand-up comic. Although Shatner would want us to consider this serious reading, but it is still worth the money if you can find a copy of it.Book Review: Interesting inside look at Shatner's world...
Summary: 4 Stars
Like the two other volumes before it ("Star Trek Memories" and "Star Trek Movie Memories"), the third installment in the Shatner Chronicles is informing, intriguing, and funny. Shatner and co-author Chris Kreski have painted a picture that may or may not truly reflect Shatner's views or life events, but is entertaining nevertheless. However, I did think it interesting that Shatner seemed open to teasing himself about his ego, his hamminess, his lack of technical abilities, and his reported stubborn arrogance.
The history of Trek conventions is very well told, and is an insightful look into the early days of Trek fandom, and what motivated fans to go to a convention in the days before corporate marketeering took control of such fan gatherings. Also recounted is the true, behind-the-scenes tale of the famous letter-writing campaign that saved Trek from cancellation after its second season, as well as the story behind the infamous skit on "Saturday Night Live" from which the book takes its title.
Shatner tells several funny tales that (suppossedly) really happened in his life, that remind one of a humorous disaster in which Kirk deadpans a "Why me?" through the hilariaous moment before the commercial break (such as being buried in tribbles). In one such story, Shatner tells the tale of being on a Greek isle, miles away from civilization, and seeing a Trek slogan scratched on a ruined Greek edifice: "Star Trek Lives!" True or not, the humor is fun.
Shatner comes off as a good guy and a straight shooter, which is no big surprise (it is, after all, his book, written from his point of view). Still, one telling moment has to be when Shatner discusses how fans are being duped by unscrupulous dealers who trade in fake autographs. Shatner and his interviewees rail against the practice, and rightfully so. However, I felt there was more than altuism behind the actor's outrage. Little mentioned is the fact that Shatner takes a cut from the "official" autograph salesmen.
I also had to wonder why De Kelley was not interviewed for the book, or even mentioned all that much. Nimoy, Takei, and even the actors on other Treks have a say here about conventions or just fans in general, but not Kelley. He passed about the time the book was released, and even so, his perspective as the third corner of the "triad" of Kirk, Spock and McCoy was sorely missed. If he could not give a direct interview, surely Shatner could have at least recounted a tale of Kelley's reaction to a Trek convention or the fans. Reportedly, Kelley spoke with Nimoy on the phone a while before his death, and the topic of Trek's popularity was something they discussed (De summed it up as, "Y'know? We were good!"). Yet, Kelley is not featured in the book at all.
In any case, the book is a fun read for the history aspect alone, and some of the interviews are interesting as well. Trek fans will appreciate the effort, and hearing about some of the most common questions fans have, why they dress up as Trek characters and aliens, and other revelations about Shatner's encounters with Trek fandom on the convention circuit.
Book Review: Quite possibly THE funniest, most clever book I've ever read
Summary: 5 Stars
The title sums it up. From the very first word to the last, this novel had me restraining belly laughs and eagerly turning the page. I read some passages to my mom, the original trekkie, and she found them hysterical. Some of his experiences are just SO absurdly side splitting that I wonder how they can possibly be real. As an aspiring writer, I am also interested in the acting scene and this book fed my interest like a tribble amongst a sea of Uhuras. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm an all-branch trekkie. William Shatner is a fun actor, a devilishly brilliant comic writer and, like the rest of us (whether or not we try to rise above it), an all-around human being.