Customer Reviews

Treks Not Taken: What If Stephen King, Anne Rice, Kurt Vonnegut and Other Literary Greats Had Written Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation?

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is very good but not one to spend money on. It is funny the first time read, but the second etc, unless you have a very short memory, you remember. I checked this out from the library and read it 1/2 way through on the way home. I especially like the names of the crew ( captain Petard, or captain Jean Hewlett-Picard; the vampire Le Forge not by Anne Rice; Geordache, Doodad) I thought that the entire book was very original and the author did a very good job in the authors unique style of writing though he did lack one thing which would be a Sherlock Holmes story. And by the way, if you don't recognise the authors it doesnt really matter. I only knew of Steven King (The Trekking) Kurt Vonnegut (holodeck-5) Dr. Seuss (Oh the Treks you'll Take!), Anne Rice (The aformentioned Vampire Le Forge), Jurassic Trek (3 guesses as to that author) and J.d. Salinger (The Crusher in the Rye) But I could figure out the other ones easily. You don't have to be a diehard Trekkie to enjoy these but it helps to have seen at least a seasons equivilant of shows. I liked it alot.

One of the best--and most literate--Star Trek texts out there, this collection of short parodies should be enjoyable to any reasonably-well-read Star Trek fan.
The only thing to note is to be sure you're familiar with most of the authors involved before you read the parodies, as the true fun is in seeing how successfully Boyett mimics many different styles, from pitch-perfect Tom Robbins to superb faux Joyce (!) to Anne Rice, to J.D. Salinger, to...

Obviously better educated than some of his critics, Boyett captures the essential style of each and every author he parodies. The author of "Ariel" (1984) and "Architect of Sleep" (1986), Boyett isn't known for his humorous works, but shows us with "Treks" that he can take us anywhere he chooses. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves (or hates) Star Trek, to the educated reader who enjoys a well-crafted parody of the old (and new) favorites, and to anyone who appreciates wonderful writing in any form.

This book is not to be missed. Anyone who has ever seen an episode of any Trek series is sure to enjoy Mr. Boyett's parodies as he takes on TV's most sacred cow with a razor-sharp wit and a sure ear for the styles of a varied stable of authors. It lends itself deliciously to reading (and laughing) aloud.

Witty, erudite, broad, crude, shameless, knowledgeable, and astonishingly well pulled-off. The reader who said it should be "quarentined" is wrong - who you gonna trust, me or someone who can't spell "quarantined"?

One reviewer here has faulted Boyett for parodying works the reviewer hasn't read. How can that be Boyett's fault? The more you know, the funnier Boyett's book is. If you don't get it, that says more about you than about Boyett, for goodness' sake.

This book is far more extensive and parodic than THE BEAVER PAPERS could have hoped to be! "BP" suggested the style of other writers; TNT is written IN the style of 20 different writers. It's hysterical, literate, broad, subtle, and best of all, doesn't pander but trusts that you're in on the joke. The MOBY DICK parody opens with "Call me irresponsible," for gosh sakes!

You'd never think classical authors and Star Trek could meet so intriguingly. In a parody of Moby Dick, called "Moby Trek", Boyett deftly captures the essentials of Melville's style with a hilarious search of the galaxy for the Great White Hole. In a Joseph Conrad send up, the search for the mysterious Kurtz ends up with the discovery of - you guessed it-- an earlier captain of the Enterprise. Boyett captures the essence of each style with care, but never fails to entertain. If you read the classics, you'll love it. If you love Star Trek, you'll need it.

It was amusing to read these Star Trek stories done in the style of famous literati, but the jokes will be lost on you if you haven't read all the stories that were parodied in here. My familiarity with Tom Clancy and "The Catcher in the Rye" made the Clancy-esque "Q Clearance" and "The Crusher in the Rye" humorous, but no experience with James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" made "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Fan" inaccessible. And some of the stories--like "Lady Fed" and "Even Captains Get the Blues"--come dangerously close to slash material.

I'm one of those readers whose guilty pleasure is the world of Star Trek, but run around with a Hemmingway or Vonnegut tucked under my arm. This book is the way to have the best of both worlds. It's so clever and the parodies are totally on target! I'm giving it to everyone I know who loves Trek!