Okay I have to admit I'm a Trekkie from the original show was head over heels for Spock and on through all the generations of series that showed on TV; Discovery, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and my favorite Star Trek The Next Generation. I mean who didn't love all the love between species on that show and I like many of you were in LOVE with the captain, but I do have to admit a certain attraction to the Artificial Intelligent super star, Data. So when Macmillan Audio offered me an audio review copy of Data's Brent's debut Fan Fiction and I learned that not only is Data/Brent narrating but every crew member makes cameo appearances I said Yes Please.
Enjoy and Live Long and Prosper!
ASIN: B08TX76B64
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 10-12-2021
Length: 6 hours 53 minutes
Source: Publisher/Netgalley for review
Buy It: Audible
ADD TO: GOODREADS
Overview
This program is read by the author with LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Genie Francis, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Patrick Stewart, and a full cast.Brent Spiner’s explosive and hilarious novel is a personal look at the slightly askew relationship between a celebrity and his fans. If the Coen Brothers were to make a Star Trek movie, involving the complexity of fan obsession and sci-fi, this noir comedy might just be the one.
Set in 1991, just as Star Trek: The Next Generation has rocketed the cast to global fame, the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and a series of disturbing letters, that take him on a terrifying and bizarre journey that enlists Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI in putting a stop to the danger that has his life and career hanging in the balance.
Featuring a cast of characters from Patrick Stewart to LeVar Burton to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, to some completely imagined, this is the fictional autobiography that takes listeners into the life of Brent Spiner, and tells an amazing tale about the trappings of celebrity and the fear he has carried with him his entire life.
Fan Fiction is a zany love letter to a world in which we all participate, the phenomenon of “Fandom”.
My Macmillan Audio Review:
Fan Fiction
Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner’s debut is a mix of nutty-noir and a
realistic behind the scenes look from an actor’s perspective of life on and off
the set of a very successful sci-fi tv series. His captive audience will also
get a behind the curtain look at the man behind the gold façade of Lt.
Commander Data, his personality, his humor and his secrets, in a nutshell a man
who’s all human. But it’s listeners that really get a special treat when all
the actual characters from the show plus a few others play themselves on the
audio edition of the novel. The plot is both comic and chilling and the
audience will find themselves nail biting one minute, rolling on the floor the
next and in between want to ask Brent, what were you thinking from page one until
the unexpected ending. If you’re looking for an entertaining whodunit full of
drama and artist angst this entertaining debut should definitely be on your
wish list.
After years of being a struggling actor all Brent Spiner’s
work paid off when he landed the role as Data on the tv show Star Trek The Next
Generation. And although becoming Data involves hours putting on and taking off
make up Brent is grateful to be playing along side a wonderful cast that has
become his pseudo family. The TV show has made stars out of all of the cast and
Brent is no different however celebrity also has its dark side as Brent finds
out when some of his fan mail is a bit on the mental side. Most of these he
just brushes off as harmless, but when someone posing as Lal, the daughter that
Data created on the show starts sending her daddy little gifts and
says she wants Data dead just like she is it raises Brent’s alarms enough to
call in the calvary. When the calvary includes twin bombshell law enforcement
officers one federal one private Brent can’t help but feel very attracted
protected.
Praise:
"Like the man himself, this book is funny, sharp, and brilliant. You’re going to love it, and Brent, even if you’ve never heard of “Star Trek”. It’s one of the most entertaining books ever written about entertainment." —Phil Rosenthal (creator, writer, producer), creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and star of Somebody Feed Phil
“Fan Fiction is perfect! I loved that damn book. Lots of laugh out loud moments and real heart. Actor Brent Spiner’s pop-culture infused memoir is hilarious, warm, insightful, and absolutely delightful! Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Ink
"Brent Spiner’s rollicking meta-memoir is a meditation on celebrity, Hollywood, fandom, ego, and self-discovery, hidden inside a black comedy shell. This wildly entertaining novel opens the doors to the Starship Enterprise and the making of Star Trek: The Next Generation even as it peers into the soul of the actor and the utterly crazy world around him. Richly comic and surprisingly moving, Fan Fiction is a gift to both Trek fans and general readers. So put on your Raymond Chandler fedora, or your Starfleet uniform, and settle in for a wild ride through the underbelly and outer space of Hollywood." —John Logan, screenwriter of Skyfall, Gladiator, The Aviator
"Both laugh out loud funny and painfully dark, Brent Spiner has created a fictional autobiography that is filled with surprises." —Jonathan Frakes
"Brent takes us all on a wild ride in this fanciful tale." —Leonard Maltin
"Of all the pleasures Fan Fiction affords the reader — a gripping plot, deftly and delightfully twisted; an insider’s slant on a pop culture mega-phenomenon; an affecting personal narrative of childhood trauma overcome; an insightful meditation on the ambiguities of fandom — the greatest and most singular is Brent Spiner’s prose style. Dry, urbane, acerbic, self-deprecating and gently absurdist, it evokes a lost age of Hollywood autobiography. If Groucho Marx had played Commander Data, this is the kind of memoir he might have written." —Michael Chabon, Pulitzer-Prize winning author
“This is an entertaining and subversive Brent Spiner in Wonderland.” —Locus Magazine
“...well written, funny, sometimes outrageous, and entertaining.”
—Mystery and Suspense Magazine
"...like a mix of 'Fatal Attraction' and Robert Altman’s Hollywood-noir 'The Player'...And it’s a lot of fun, zipping along with humour, plot twists and thrills..." —Toronto Star
“Absolutely a book that could've only been written by Brent Spiner...a barroom epic, a party piece for dull cocktail hours, a story told without ego or shame just for the pure, weird joy of the telling.” —NPR
"Absolutely excellent! Great fun for anyone who loves Star Trek: TNG and comedy noir. Reads like a lost Coen Brothers movie. Go get it!" —Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead
About the author:
This is great, Debbie! I loved Data, too. :) I'll have to put this on the list.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it Sophia Rose!
DeleteFor someone who loved this show I can see how it would be totally fascinating. Glad you enjoyed it Debbie. He sounds very talented.
ReplyDeleteHe is and a great sense of humor and loves to laugh at himself too. I actually feel like I got to know him better.
DeleteThanks for sharing Debbie
ReplyDeletemy pleasure
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