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peterparker's review
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
The last chapters of these books are evil. What do you mean Spocks autobiography ends with Jim and Jim's autobiography ends with Spock.
The funniest thing this book does is retcon the final frontier. Meaning Sybok just doesn't exist in this movie.
I just wish there was more content not directly tied to what we've already seen in the movies or TV show. I think it's funny how these things never directly reference the animated series though. The disrespect 😞
The funniest thing this book does is retcon the final frontier. Meaning Sybok just doesn't exist in this movie.
I just wish there was more content not directly tied to what we've already seen in the movies or TV show. I think it's funny how these things never directly reference the animated series though. The disrespect 😞
mkpatt's review against another edition
4.0
Better than I expected. Deviates somewhat from the canon and the prior books but in the smallest ways and generally walks through major TV episodes of TOS as well as the first 6 movies. Thankfully this book is based on the Shatnerverse Kirk rather than the JJ-verse.
fredosbrother's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
charhalls's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
cdbarker's review
5.0
It's a clever and fun conceit. Take what we know of James Kirk's life, as assembled from the original 79 episodes and six movies, give an occasional wry nod to fanservice, comment on the manner in which the characters evolved over the 25 years we saw the original crew, and you get a fun, light read.
cryo_guy's review against another edition
2.0
The original premise of this novel-an in-universe autobiography-was pretty decent. And I think there is a lot of opportunity there to do a cool story. But this book is really not all that great, nor would I recommend it. It isn't god awful and terrible, but I'd tell you to watch the show instead, The Original Series, and then just continue with the other Star Trek series (TNG, DS9, etc. NOT THE NEWS ONES).
The writing ranges from bad to mediocre, and while it was a casual enough read, it coulda been better!
The writing ranges from bad to mediocre, and while it was a casual enough read, it coulda been better!
graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think this is the first fictional autobiography that I've ever read, but it is fitting that it is by Captain James T. Kirk...who has been an influence in my life. I've not know many days...without Star Trek (being born in 1966).
This was a little less than I expected, but what was there was a LOT of fun to read about. Obvioulsy, being a huge Star Trek fan, I knew/know most, if not all of the things he wrote about the life of Captain Kirk. The most interesting thing about this...is seeing it in this linear format, but also what HE thought were the pertinant portions of his life, and his effect on his crew, the Federation and the universe (in general).
I have all the Autobiography books, so far (Benjamin Sisko's should be arriving, soon), and I am now reading them in a row.
One of the things that I think will be interesting for this generation, read about his life...is the early part (before the portion, about the time of what we've seen Star Trek: The Motion Picture).
I also loved the Forward by Bones and the Afterward by Spock.
#BucketListathon2023
This was a little less than I expected, but what was there was a LOT of fun to read about. Obvioulsy, being a huge Star Trek fan, I knew/know most, if not all of the things he wrote about the life of Captain Kirk. The most interesting thing about this...is seeing it in this linear format, but also what HE thought were the pertinant portions of his life, and his effect on his crew, the Federation and the universe (in general).
I have all the Autobiography books, so far (Benjamin Sisko's should be arriving, soon), and I am now reading them in a row.
One of the things that I think will be interesting for this generation, read about his life...is the early part (before the portion, about the time of what we've seen Star Trek: The Motion Picture).
I also loved the Forward by Bones and the Afterward by Spock.
#BucketListathon2023
hbelle01's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
I loved this. I thought it was a really fun blend of the original series and introspection. The fact that the book did not shy away from Kirk being a flawed human being made it better. He didn’t sugar coat his mistakes or errors. Spock’s note at the end was a perfect close.
shortcub's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
danilanglie's review
2.0
The quality of this book would only earn it one star, honestly. But my nostalgia for all things Star Trek makes me happy to have an additional glimpse into this universe, so... sue me. I kind of had fun reading this, even though it was not a good book.
The biggest problem with it is that it's way too exposition-heavy. It goes into details about pretty much every significant canonical thing that happens in Jim Kirk's life, but the exploration into the inner life of the character is done all with telling, not with showing. We hear that Jim feels sad, or angry, or bored, but it's written in this poor writing style that doesn't get across any particular depth of character.
This book also takes zero risks in terms of how these characters and events are portrayed. This could have been an opportunity to explore a deeper relationship between Jim and some of the other crewmates, like Uhura or Scotty. Sure, we saw glimpses of how Scotty and Jim met, which was nice... but nothing in the book complicates, deepens, or adds in any way to the relationships we already see on screen. As such, there's not really anything new to discover.
The writing style, as I alluded to before, is the basest kind of airport novel drivel. It's bad fan fiction. It reads like it was written by a middle schooler. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but there you have it. If the writing style were better, this book would have earned an additional star from me. Style goes a long way.
On the flip side of all those complaints, there were some bright spots. As somebody who ships Kirk and Spock, I was delighted to discover that even in this SUPER heterosexual telling of Kirk, where the idea of a romance between Kirk and Spock is never so much as hinted at, the true nature of their obvious love still wormed its way into the narrative. Kirk's behaviors all point towards it, even if the author of this text refuses to say it outright. It tickles me that the literal canon events of Star Trek make it really difficult not to read homosexual subtext into their relationship. And Kirk and Gary? Damn. Definitely something going on with those two as well.
Also, while in the show and movies the fact that Jim has a son is not revealed until we meet him in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, here we see that Jim knew all along about his son, and we see how each decision in his career and personal life drew him farther away from this idea of fatherhood he once entertained quite seriously. This was probably the only real element of character development that the book adds to what we see in the show. I did appreciate that, even if the writing didn't make for much of an emotional connection to the circumstances.
In all, this book didn't offer any big surprises. It did, however, immerse me in a world I really like being in, and it made me want to go back and watch some original series stuff. It's been a few years.
The biggest problem with it is that it's way too exposition-heavy. It goes into details about pretty much every significant canonical thing that happens in Jim Kirk's life, but the exploration into the inner life of the character is done all with telling, not with showing. We hear that Jim feels sad, or angry, or bored, but it's written in this poor writing style that doesn't get across any particular depth of character.
This book also takes zero risks in terms of how these characters and events are portrayed. This could have been an opportunity to explore a deeper relationship between Jim and some of the other crewmates, like Uhura or Scotty. Sure, we saw glimpses of how Scotty and Jim met, which was nice... but nothing in the book complicates, deepens, or adds in any way to the relationships we already see on screen. As such, there's not really anything new to discover.
The writing style, as I alluded to before, is the basest kind of airport novel drivel. It's bad fan fiction. It reads like it was written by a middle schooler. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but there you have it. If the writing style were better, this book would have earned an additional star from me. Style goes a long way.
On the flip side of all those complaints, there were some bright spots. As somebody who ships Kirk and Spock, I was delighted to discover that even in this SUPER heterosexual telling of Kirk, where the idea of a romance between Kirk and Spock is never so much as hinted at, the true nature of their obvious love still wormed its way into the narrative. Kirk's behaviors all point towards it, even if the author of this text refuses to say it outright. It tickles me that the literal canon events of Star Trek make it really difficult not to read homosexual subtext into their relationship. And Kirk and Gary? Damn. Definitely something going on with those two as well.
Also, while in the show and movies the fact that Jim has a son is not revealed until we meet him in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, here we see that Jim knew all along about his son, and we see how each decision in his career and personal life drew him farther away from this idea of fatherhood he once entertained quite seriously. This was probably the only real element of character development that the book adds to what we see in the show. I did appreciate that, even if the writing didn't make for much of an emotional connection to the circumstances.
In all, this book didn't offer any big surprises. It did, however, immerse me in a world I really like being in, and it made me want to go back and watch some original series stuff. It's been a few years.