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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
The characters start tapping on the fourth wall pretty early, then banging on it, then the sledgehammers come out, and it ends by grinding the shattered pieces to dust. There's a point early on where the lampshades start to grow lampshades--it's an awkward transition, but does start to make sense fairly quickly. It's a touch experimental, or perhaps a "concept novel": the billing as a Trek parody is oversimplified, as really there's one key concept that gets examined, flogged, and meta-d. This all sounds negative but I really did enjoy the trip, including the codas (with some effective heartstring-pulling), it's just something where you have to trust the author or it doesn't work.
all dialogue, basically. supernatural's "the french mistake." interesting thoughts about meta and what makes a story interesting.
I'd say this is a must-read for any science fiction fan, but I'm afraid that some of the more subtle references will be lost on those who haven't watched Star Trek: The Original Series. This book made me really wish we had another Star Trek on the air right now, that's for sure. It's really funny, and does a good job of deconstructing the tropes that make the original Trek what it is. I listened to the audio, and while Wil Wheaton does an excellent job and is the only real choice for this one, some of the writing really grates when read aloud. Still, absolutely worth listening to, if you can ignore that. A very fun book. I'd love a sequel.
4 stars for the story, 0 for the will wheaton narration
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this, it was definitely fun. Not the most substantial read, but it wasn't supposed to knock you over, either. I did enjoy how, as it moved into the second half and things got ~weird~, that I thought "okay, John saw the movie *Stranger than Fiction* and decided it needed spaceships. Then, in the appendices, a character apparently decides to reach out to the person who wrote or produced that film, and somehow warped the fabric of reality one more time. Sheesh. John, I can only handle so much mind-blowing, thank you.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No