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pcro99's review against another edition
4.0
Well, it does what it sets out to do by giving a backstage view of the Star Trek films. Very interesting for those who love Star Trek or for those who like the nuts and bolts of film making. Shatne is his usual wry self. A quick easy read.
matthewwester's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about how the first seven Star Trek movies came together. It chronicles the ups and downs of scripts, casting, budgets, etc. So I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of producing movies, or of course if you are interested in Star Trek. I've always enjoyed Shatner books so for me it's a solid 4 stars. Very interesting.
birdkeeperklink's review against another edition
4.0
This one was better than the first one, possibly because his memories of the movies were fresher. His perspective on his relationships with his costars is interesting; they bad-mouth him so much, and, while his take is obviously biased, he seems genuinely hurt and confused by their vitriol. Having read Nichols's autobiography, I can honestly say I don't understand where she's coming from in her relations with him. He deals with this well, referring vaguely in both books to his coworkers' bitterness toward him, except toward the end when he openly says he knows he's on Walter Koenig and Jimmy Doohan's (R.I.P.) "shit lists". Even then, he only mentions it to give his recollections context, and he doesn't delve into the issue or place blame on either side, simply acknowledging the state of affairs and moving on. That was extremely tactful and admirable.
He still has an annoying tendency to switch tenses, but less so than the first book. That was a minor annoyance, though. All in all, a nice read for a Trek fan. I enjoy Mr. Shatner's sense of humor--it's goofy, which suits me just fine. I think Shatner Rules is still my favorite of his, although I'm just beginning to delve into Up Till Now, so we'll see. On a side note, I was never much of a Shatner fan, but I actually like him a lot now that I've read some of his books.
He still has an annoying tendency to switch tenses, but less so than the first book. That was a minor annoyance, though. All in all, a nice read for a Trek fan. I enjoy Mr. Shatner's sense of humor--it's goofy, which suits me just fine. I think Shatner Rules is still my favorite of his, although I'm just beginning to delve into Up Till Now, so we'll see. On a side note, I was never much of a Shatner fan, but I actually like him a lot now that I've read some of his books.
jefftstevens's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
ljcostel's review
2.0
A few good stories, but not very good. Mostly about the fights to get star trek movies made. Few of the funny stories of Star Trek: Memories
lefthandedmatt's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fascinating and extremely entertaining look at the making of the original cast Star Trek films. Even if Trek isn't your thing, this book gives a detailed and eye-opening look at the film industry of the '80s and '90s.
William Shatner writes with a lot of humour and excellent storytelling, but I think it's important to note that he generally doesn't do the writing himself and instead allows his books to be ghost-written by someone else. I also have discovered over the years that Shatner's stories aren't always to be believed and he has a tendency to embellish things or just change them to suit him. Whatever his process, the end result is a book that often funny and full of fantastic anecdotes. Many of them aren't from him, though, and instead the book provides material from interviews with the actors and crew involved in making the films.
Naturally, Star Trek V has the most detail given that Shatner himself directed it and came up with the story. It provides a fascinating look at what his intentions were versus the final product.
It'll also give you a healthy respect for how cut-throat and ego-driven the movie business is. Be warned, it may sour your opinions of celebrity figures that you have held in high regard.
William Shatner writes with a lot of humour and excellent storytelling, but I think it's important to note that he generally doesn't do the writing himself and instead allows his books to be ghost-written by someone else. I also have discovered over the years that Shatner's stories aren't always to be believed and he has a tendency to embellish things or just change them to suit him. Whatever his process, the end result is a book that often funny and full of fantastic anecdotes. Many of them aren't from him, though, and instead the book provides material from interviews with the actors and crew involved in making the films.
Naturally, Star Trek V has the most detail given that Shatner himself directed it and came up with the story. It provides a fascinating look at what his intentions were versus the final product.
It'll also give you a healthy respect for how cut-throat and ego-driven the movie business is. Be warned, it may sour your opinions of celebrity figures that you have held in high regard.
strikingthirteen's review
4.0
A great read for a Star Trek fan and a nice revisitation for me since it has been years since I read this. Shatner, as always, is an interesting and fun narrator. He's such a goof and while he does sort of treat some of his cast members unfairly in the name of humour, and also just seems willfully ignorant about the opinion the others have of him, he does acknowledge some failings and owns up to some missteps. The chapter on his directed film, the much lampooned Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, prove that much.
All in all, a great fan read.
All in all, a great fan read.