Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir Inspired by True Events
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- Create Date：2021-10-14 04:19:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Brent Spiner
- ISBN：B08TX76B64
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Reviews
Melissa
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Brent Spiner RPFed himself and I love it。
Abigail
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Delightfully bonkers。 Is any of it true？ If so， how much？ Honestly， I have no idea but it was fun。 I love Star Trek and film noir and this has the trappings of both。 I recommend the audiobook， I think it makes it more enjoyable。
Kieran McAndrew
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Brent Spiner bites off more than he can chew when a crazed stalker sends him love letters penned in the name of Data's daughter， Lal。Part autobiography， part noir mystery， part comedy: but then that's life I suppose。 Spiner's story is well told and is often hilarious。 How much is real and how much utter fiction is up to the reader。 Brent Spiner bites off more than he can chew when a crazed stalker sends him love letters penned in the name of Data's daughter， Lal。Part autobiography， part noir mystery， part comedy: but then that's life I suppose。 Spiner's story is well told and is often hilarious。 How much is real and how much utter fiction is up to the reader。 。。。more
Jill
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Brent Spiner is best known for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the android Data。 During his years on the show， he had some intense fans。 Now， he’s opening up about those years and telling us all about it， in a part-fictional， part-autobiographical story filled with inside views of Star Trek and Hollywood and becoming an iconic character in the minds of fans。 One day， the Paramount mail guy brings a box to Brent’s trailer as he’s removing the yellow Data makeup。 The smell alone make Brent Spiner is best known for his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the android Data。 During his years on the show， he had some intense fans。 Now， he’s opening up about those years and telling us all about it， in a part-fictional， part-autobiographical story filled with inside views of Star Trek and Hollywood and becoming an iconic character in the minds of fans。 One day， the Paramount mail guy brings a box to Brent’s trailer as he’s removing the yellow Data makeup。 The smell alone makes him worry， so he goes for backup—LeVar Burton。 But even LeVar’s sage smudge stick isn’t enough to touch that， so he calls Paramount security to come and take a look。 What they find is a severed pig penis， so the head of security takes that right away。 Brent is unnerved， but it’s not until he finds the letter the next day that he is truly worried。 The letter—no return address， of course—is mildly threatening and signed， “Lal。” Fans of the show may recognize that name。 There is an episode called “The Offspring，” where Data tries to create a child for himself。 Sadly， the “child” ends up suffering systemic neural failure and cannot be saved。 The fan writing this letter （and sending pig parts） thinks she is Data’s daughter and repeatedly calls him “Daddy。” Eventually， the police get involved， and Brent meets Ortiz， the Head of Obsessives。 He’s a big fan of the show， so he understands the significance of “Lal。” In fact， at the end of their meeting， he hands Brent a spec script he’s written for the show， “Ortiz and Data，” where Data time travels to modern day and solves crime with Ortiz。 But when one of the Lal letters includes a razor blade that ends up cutting a postal worker， the FBI gets involved。 Agent Cindy Lou Jones shows up on Paramount’s set to talk to Brent and his co-workers about the stalker letters， and that’s how he finds out that Jonathan Frakes’ wife， legendary soap actress Genie Francis， has also received a letter from Lal。 Then Brent starts getting letters from Mrs。 Loretta Gibson， who talks about the flirty phone call they shared， and he gets a mysterious phone message telling him to check with a psychiatrist in Duluth， Minnesota about the fan letters， Dr。 Sandra Ogilvy from the Franklin Kurtz Mental Health Facility for Children。 Brent talks to FBI agent Cindy Lou about how he’s getting worried about his safety， so she suggests a personal bodyguard， namely， her twin sister Candy Lou Jones。 As Brent tries to stay alive and navigate the strangeness that is Hollywood （the pizza delivery driver who steals a roof tile from his house， having famed neurologist Oliver Sacks suddenly appear in his trailer， embarrassing himself at the urinals of Chasen’s by saying the wrong thing to Gregory Peck， etc。）， he is also dealing with nightmares that incorporate his present day situation with a time in his childhood under a physically and emotionally abusive stepfather。 As Brent’s stalker gets closer， he gets closer too， to the healing he’s been craving and the love he’s always wanted。 But will they catch his stalker before she takes that future away from him？ Fan Fiction is Brent Spiner’s first novel， and it is a masterful blend of truth and fantasy。 Getting to hear bits and pieces of his real life on the Star Trek set， including moments with each cast member that feel authentic and warm， is a bonus for any TNG fan， and his love of the show business comes through in each chapter。 There are lots of references to old movies he loves， classic stars， and Frank Sinatra songs。 My favorite thing about this novel is the characters。 Everyone is interesting， and it seems like each character is more interesting than the last。 There are twists you can’t anticipate and will absolutely not see coming。 But underneath the wackiness of the story， and this surprised me， was a bittersweet honesty about his personal struggles with inadequacy and childhood trauma。 I’m not sure how much of that was true， but it reads as being believable to the main character。 This was a fun read that I couldn’t wait to dive into， and I was not disappointed。 My only disappointment is that I got the book and not the audio version， which Spiner reads himself。 Next time I read Fan Fiction， I will not make that same mistake。 I will listen to the author read it to me as he wrote it， and I will enjoy every word。 Egalleys for Fan Fiction were provided by St。 Martin’s Press through NetGalley， with many thanks。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
，
Fan Fiction is a book about Brent Spiner， who played Data on Star Trek: TNG， written by Brent Spiner。 It has a real setting and at least some real characters。 It also is fiction， per its title and prologue。Brent is being stalked by a person who represents herself as Lal， Data’s daughter on one of the show’s episodes， The Offspring。 First up， a smelly pork gift。 Then， increasingly threatening letters。 Brent calls in the calvary: studio security， local police， the FBI， and a hired bodyguard。 Compl Fan Fiction is a book about Brent Spiner， who played Data on Star Trek: TNG， written by Brent Spiner。 It has a real setting and at least some real characters。 It also is fiction， per its title and prologue。Brent is being stalked by a person who represents herself as Lal， Data’s daughter on one of the show’s episodes， The Offspring。 First up， a smelly pork gift。 Then， increasingly threatening letters。 Brent calls in the calvary: studio security， local police， the FBI， and a hired bodyguard。 Complications ensue。The plot itself is rather bland。 However， it is intriguing to see the backstage life of Star Trek: TNG and television stars in general。 Because I barely remember Star Trek: TNG， I did watch The Offspring episode just for some background。 But that’s not necessary to enjoy the book。 Overall， Fan Fiction will appeal to Trekkers and aspiring actors but not as much to mystery fans。 3 stars。Thanks to St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Bill
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As the author， Brent Spiner， points out， this is not a memoir。 It's a mem-noir - a fanciful whodunnit inspired by some real-life incidents。 But it's not real-life。 And that's a shame， because I really want to know which of the nicknames for himself and his Next Gen co-stars are really used: Dorny （Michael Dorn）？ Burt （LeVar Burton）？ Also， although they're obviously no longer shooting， where did they gather for drinks at the end of the week？I found the writing to be engaging， lighthearted and ent As the author， Brent Spiner， points out， this is not a memoir。 It's a mem-noir - a fanciful whodunnit inspired by some real-life incidents。 But it's not real-life。 And that's a shame， because I really want to know which of the nicknames for himself and his Next Gen co-stars are really used: Dorny （Michael Dorn）？ Burt （LeVar Burton）？ Also， although they're obviously no longer shooting， where did they gather for drinks at the end of the week？I found the writing to be engaging， lighthearted and entertaining。 To label this 'noir' is not really that applicable， even when the fictionalized Brent is portrayed as getting a bit depressed and paranoid， it's shrouded in humor and self-deprecation。 On the other hand， this is not quite the madcap adventure I had hoped for。 It's not entirely over-the-top and not always funny。 But it does provided a bit of mystery and diversion。 Recommended for fans of Star Trek and celebrity。Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Josh Newhouse
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The question is what is truth and what if fiction。 This started off feeling off but gradually once I adjusted my expectations was a solid fiction noir， albeit one with cardboard characters。 It was fun but not phenomenal。 I liked the peeks into the other characters from the show。
Katie Mercer
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I love Star Trek TNG - it was a staple of my childhood， and I still love it now。 Genuinely I think it was ahead of its time， and I am very grateful I got to watch it。 I am also a teenager of the late 90's/early 2000's and absolutely was of the fanfic generation。 So this book was set up to win for me - and honestly it was largely really successful。 It's an interesting concept， to take yourself as a real person and turn you into a fictionalized version - I think that rings true for a lot of how pe I love Star Trek TNG - it was a staple of my childhood， and I still love it now。 Genuinely I think it was ahead of its time， and I am very grateful I got to watch it。 I am also a teenager of the late 90's/early 2000's and absolutely was of the fanfic generation。 So this book was set up to win for me - and honestly it was largely really successful。 It's an interesting concept， to take yourself as a real person and turn you into a fictionalized version - I think that rings true for a lot of how people observe/perceive actors in Hollywood。 The book was really well written， and was honestly a throwback to the kind of cheesy mystery books （and Star Trek episodes！） on the 90's， but with an added bonus of really sharp humor and really really subversive truth。 It's ridiculous and outlandish in the best possible way - I sincerely can't tell what was real and what was fiction in some places。This was a very unique book， and I'm very much into the Mem-noir idea - very much recommend this。 ARC received from NetGalley。 。。。more
Paula Lyle
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This was so disappointing。 It is not in any way a memoir， just a silly story penned by an actor。 The only thing that is any way tied to real life is that the story is peopled with Star Trek: Next Gen actors as side people。 They are routinely portrayed as wonderful people， which I have no reason to doubt， so perhaps a true story would have been just as boring。 I chose this because I assumed that Brent Spiner had probably led an interesting life。 I was not expecting a tell-all， but I was led to be This was so disappointing。 It is not in any way a memoir， just a silly story penned by an actor。 The only thing that is any way tied to real life is that the story is peopled with Star Trek: Next Gen actors as side people。 They are routinely portrayed as wonderful people， which I have no reason to doubt， so perhaps a true story would have been just as boring。 I chose this because I assumed that Brent Spiner had probably led an interesting life。 I was not expecting a tell-all， but I was led to believe that there would be some recounting of his life。 There is not。I received an eARC through NetGalley。 。。。more
Kim Fox
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When I saw this book on Netgalley I requested it purely because of who wrote it， Brent Spiner。 Of course I am a Star Trek fan， so choosing this book was a no brainer。 What I wasn't expecting， was to be thoroughly entertained！ A cast of memorable Star Trek favorites， a fan that is a stalker and Brent Spiner's comedic timing made for a fast， entertaining story！ 3。5⭐Thank you to Netgalley， St。 Martins Press and Brent Spiner for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 When I saw this book on Netgalley I requested it purely because of who wrote it， Brent Spiner。 Of course I am a Star Trek fan， so choosing this book was a no brainer。 What I wasn't expecting， was to be thoroughly entertained！ A cast of memorable Star Trek favorites， a fan that is a stalker and Brent Spiner's comedic timing made for a fast， entertaining story！ 3。5⭐Thank you to Netgalley， St。 Martins Press and Brent Spiner for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Susan Tunis
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2。5 stars
Kimberlee
，
What did I even just read？
Lisa
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I'm a huge Star Trek and Brent Spiner fan so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read and review this book。 Billed as "mem-noir，' the book is a combination of fact and fiction。 I found the beginning forward to the book in which Mr。 Spiner gave us a brief factual overview of his life to be interesting and entertaining。 I wasn't so thrilled with the rest of the book。 I'm a lover of mysteries， but I would have preferred a straight memoir， apparently。 Definitely worth a read if you're a fan I'm a huge Star Trek and Brent Spiner fan so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read and review this book。 Billed as "mem-noir，' the book is a combination of fact and fiction。 I found the beginning forward to the book in which Mr。 Spiner gave us a brief factual overview of his life to be interesting and entertaining。 I wasn't so thrilled with the rest of the book。 I'm a lover of mysteries， but I would have preferred a straight memoir， apparently。 Definitely worth a read if you're a fan， but not my favorite。 Thank you to St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Sharon May
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Many thanks to NetGalley， MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this mem-noir by Brent Spiner， or to those who live on another galaxy， Data from Star Trek。 5 absolutely hilarious stars for the most purely entertaining book I've read in a long time。 However， the audiobook is an absolute must - once I started listening， I couldn't switch over to the digital copy because the narration made the book。It's 1991 and the height of Star Trek The Next Generat Many thanks to NetGalley， MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this mem-noir by Brent Spiner， or to those who live on another galaxy， Data from Star Trek。 5 absolutely hilarious stars for the most purely entertaining book I've read in a long time。 However， the audiobook is an absolute must - once I started listening， I couldn't switch over to the digital copy because the narration made the book。It's 1991 and the height of Star Trek The Next Generation， when Brent Spiner starts receiving death threats from an obsessed fan。 He has to gather Paramount Security， LAPD and even the FBI to help investigate the situation。 This is a look into the fandom world and how it can affect the actors。While my husband loved the original Star Trek， we raised our boys on all of the Star Trek franchises to come - in the 1990s， it was about the only safe， family oriented， show with good values on TV and we couldn't get enough。 My boys dressed as Star Trek characters every Halloween （Data， Worf and Spock） and our first email addresses were all Star Trek related。 So this book satisfied all my Trek love。 However， even someone not obsessed with Star Trek would love this book - it is absolutely hilarious。 I listened to it while running errands and kept laughing out loud - it is just too good。 Brent narrates the book with the help of all his TNG castmates which of course made it all that much better。Do not miss this book - so hilarious！ I hope this is not the last book Brent Spiner will write！ 。。。more
Bon
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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook for review！ This was。。。not at all what I expected， but four stars worth of hugely entertaining STUFF。WHEW if you dove into this thinking it was about fanfic， you made a mistake。 It's okay， I did too。 It is。。。wild fiction ABOUT maybe-fictional fans？ If you wrote fanfic of your own life？ It's hard to tell where the fiction begins and reality ends， since you know fans get wild over celebs。 I admit - I didn't know the author。 I saw in the description Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook for review！ This was。。。not at all what I expected， but four stars worth of hugely entertaining STUFF。WHEW if you dove into this thinking it was about fanfic， you made a mistake。 It's okay， I did too。 It is。。。wild fiction ABOUT maybe-fictional fans？ If you wrote fanfic of your own life？ It's hard to tell where the fiction begins and reality ends， since you know fans get wild over celebs。 I admit - I didn't know the author。 I saw in the description on Netgalley that many famous people make an appearance in this; I assumed it was maybe an anthology of like， personal essays on experiences with fans or something。 Or about fanfiction within the Trekkie fandom - as I soon realized the author was an actor in those （I didn't watch them， please react in horror accordingly）。 So I started listening not knowing what to expect at all， and was very soon confused as heck。 Gradually the narrative emerges; Brent but not-quite Brent is in L。A。 in 1991， with a stalker who is sending fan mail that grows wilder with each postage。 I'm not sure what else to say - this earns a shining spot on my indescribable reads shelf。 Not-Brent's bumbling antics were hilarious， and I enjoyed the other Trek cast members appearing like NPCs in a video game， voicing themselves even。 All in all， a solid， entertaining listen。 。。。more
Amy Sparks
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He had me at pig penis。You didn’t expect a book by Brent Spiner to have a typical start， did you？ Especially when the book is based on the relationship between a celebrity and his fans。Spiner provides a brief autobiography in the prologue。 He then introduces his mem-noir by making it clear that he is presenting a fictional version of his life and those people with whom he interacts。 He’s putting the reader into a parallel universe， where the events in his story could happen。 Instead of presentin He had me at pig penis。You didn’t expect a book by Brent Spiner to have a typical start， did you？ Especially when the book is based on the relationship between a celebrity and his fans。Spiner provides a brief autobiography in the prologue。 He then introduces his mem-noir by making it clear that he is presenting a fictional version of his life and those people with whom he interacts。 He’s putting the reader into a parallel universe， where the events in his story could happen。 Instead of presenting one scenario， he combines multiple encounters to shine the light on some of the lengths people will use a celebrity they barely know and turn that celebrity into a key focal point of their lives。Fans who send strange gifts， such as a pig penis。 Fans who lash out if they do not get their desired response from a celebrity。 Fans who fulfill fantasies by inserting their version of a celebrity into their lives。 Fans who want their moments at a celebrity convention to be significant。 Fans who turn into predators and believe that if they can’t have that celebrity then no one can。It’s not just the fans。 People are so focused on what a celebrity could do for them that they neglect their jobs and responsibilities。 They want a leg up in the industry， either in front of the camera or behind the scenes。 Spiner plays up the trope about everyone wanting to sell a screenplay when one he rejects ends up on a hilarious journey of its own。I enjoyed meeting the characterizations of his fellow actors。 It’s more personal to put names to faces instead of using generic characters as stand-ins。 Spiner did not present full personification but honed in on a few traits that fit into the story。 I could picture them in my head， and their interactions felt credible from my point of view as a fan。Are you looking for a fun read？ Do you enjoy science fiction？ Are you a superfan of a show and/or a celebrity？ Do you envision a personal relationship with your favorite actor or character？ You would enjoy reading this book。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I'm a big Star Trek: The Next Generation fan， so I thought FAN FICTION by Brent Spiner （who played Data on the show） would be the perfect read for me。 It's definitely weird enough。 It's Brent Spiner writing 。。。。 Brent Spiner as a character during his time acting on TNG。 We see most of his character behind the scenes — in his trailer and at home， at conventions or friends' houses as he tries to evade his mystery stalker， someone who writes him creepy letters signed "Lal，" his on-screen android da I'm a big Star Trek: The Next Generation fan， so I thought FAN FICTION by Brent Spiner （who played Data on the show） would be the perfect read for me。 It's definitely weird enough。 It's Brent Spiner writing 。。。。 Brent Spiner as a character during his time acting on TNG。 We see most of his character behind the scenes — in his trailer and at home， at conventions or friends' houses as he tries to evade his mystery stalker， someone who writes him creepy letters signed "Lal，" his on-screen android daughter。 As a character， Spiner is paranoid and horny， humorous and self-deprecating at the same time the text can be self-indulgent， extolling the greatness of Data while the actor admits his personal pitifulness。 It makes for a bizarre reading experience， one made weirder by the stalker's even wilder behavior and Spiner's frequent allusions to Hollywood flicks and stardom that （honestly） largely went over my head。 I'm 32 years old， so maybe I'm too young to be the target audience？ In between is a slight commentary on fame and the craving for connection， on both the actor's and the fan's side， but it runs only surface-deep。 And while the weirdness of Spiner writing Spiner can be fascinating at times， the mystery is only mildly entertaining。Thanks to St。 Martin's Press for the e-ARC。 。。。more
Nancy
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I’ve thought about this story for a day。 How do I review this book without sounding like a crazed fan girl straight from the pages … while conveying my utmost pleasure in listening to it？ MWA HAHAHAHA I LOVED THIS BOOK！！ DATA was my TNG Spock！ I loved both of these characters！ Brent Spiner rocked the DATA performance！！ I grew up in the Star Trek Universe。 This book was totally my jam。 The story？ Actor VS fans that range from typical to seriously demented & clinically insane … the actor becomes i I’ve thought about this story for a day。 How do I review this book without sounding like a crazed fan girl straight from the pages … while conveying my utmost pleasure in listening to it？ MWA HAHAHAHA I LOVED THIS BOOK！！ DATA was my TNG Spock！ I loved both of these characters！ Brent Spiner rocked the DATA performance！！ I grew up in the Star Trek Universe。 This book was totally my jam。 The story？ Actor VS fans that range from typical to seriously demented & clinically insane … the actor becomes inseparable from the character with nearly everyone he meets creating a sense of trepidation & paranoia。 80’s references - check！ Dark & self-deprecating humor - check！Ludicrous fandom in general - check！ Own it people！！ :） Sarcasm - check！ Amazing voices from my past - check！Fiction Mem-noir - totally！ Just remember this is fiction。 It’s hilarious， creepy， with a red herring or two， twists， turns & plenty of paranoid inner monologue。 This book scratched all my fan girl nostalgia itches！ A fun ride down memory lane that I will listen to again。 Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book， I truly enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Hobart
，
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S FAN FICTION ABOUT？During the filming of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation， Brent Spiner starts receiving threatening （and disturbing） packages and letters delivered to his trailer。 They're purportedly from "Lal" （Data's daughter from episode 3。16 "The Offspring"）。Those aren't the only interesting letters he's receiving， there are also a series of letters from someone claiming to speak to Spiner on the phone at night while he This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S FAN FICTION ABOUT？During the filming of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation， Brent Spiner starts receiving threatening （and disturbing） packages and letters delivered to his trailer。 They're purportedly from "Lal" （Data's daughter from episode 3。16 "The Offspring"）。Those aren't the only interesting letters he's receiving， there are also a series of letters from someone claiming to speak to Spiner on the phone at night while her husband is out of town on business。 These conversations are apparently quite graphic and sexual in nature， while the letters that are in response to them are very benign， and maybe a little tragic。Spiner gets help from the LAPD， the FBI， a personal bodyguard， and fictionalized versions of his ST:TNG costars as the threats increase in intensity。 This assistance bounces from comical to incredibly effective， while Spiner's worry and stress （and increasing lack of sleep） start to spiral out of control and his grasp on sanity starts to slip。FAN CONNECTION When it comes to his stalker， the late-night phone call recipient， a law enforcement officer/would-be-TV-writer， a pizza delivery man—and a few others， the relationship between fan and performer is clearly unhealthy。But throughout there is a thread of meaningful connections being made through Spiner's performance to the audience。 There were a couple of really sweet moments we see because of this—in the midst of the satiric madness， they really ground the work and help you remember that Spiner was more than someone suffering from a sleep-deprived paranoia。I'M LIKELY TO BE THE ONLY ONE BOTHERED BY THIS， BUT。。。 We spend a lot of time with ST:TNG and have references to other parts of Spiner's career before that， but not one single nod to Bob Wheeler？That's the role that made me a fan of Spiner—probably would've found another 1/2 Star or so if there'd been a quality joke about him。SO， WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT FAN FICTION？ I don't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book—it was just a blast。 I laughed and/or chuckled frequently， cringed a couple of times （in a good way）， and couldn't turn the pages fast enough。That starts with the characters: Spiner's antics and reactions to his situation were great。 The comically-exaggerated versions of the ST:TNG cast were fantastic—I wouldn't mind reading a series of Spiner's adventures just to see those again。 The Bodyguard and FBI officer rounded out the cast of characters in an entertaining way that also provided the lethal abilities required to keep Spiner alive in the face of the threat。The stalker's actions in other settings would be hair-raising and chilling—but given the comic tone， they become ridiculous。 And you can't wait to see what extreme "Lal" will go to next。Spiner's humanity （depicted as very flawed） shines through in the midst of the madness。 When that's combined with the heartwarming fan connections， they make this surprisingly sweet as much as it is comically dark。 All in all， a real winner。Fans of Star Trek or Hollywood satires need to get their hands on it。Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this。 。。。more
Joanna
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Easily in the top 5 worst books I’ve ever read。 You could tell where you were SUPPOSED to laugh， but none of the jokes were actually funny。 There were a few too many creepy character interactions & too much filler in the middle。 I was hoping for a fun， entertaining read， but this turned out to be neither。I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley。
Efrat
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I received an ARC courtesy of a Goodreads giveaway。 What a wild， strange and fun read。 I kept looking up information online to see what's real and what's made up。 Spiner's stepfather。 Fact！ Michael Dorn （Worf） （view spoiler）[ giving chest compressions and saving a dog because of his veterinary background。 Fiction！ The possibility that the dog's name was Khan and in her panic， the dog's owner， Majel Roddenberry （Nurse Chapel）， screamed out "Khhannnn！"。 Unsubstantiated。 Possibly true！ （hide spoil I received an ARC courtesy of a Goodreads giveaway。 What a wild， strange and fun read。 I kept looking up information online to see what's real and what's made up。 Spiner's stepfather。 Fact！ Michael Dorn （Worf） （view spoiler）[ giving chest compressions and saving a dog because of his veterinary background。 Fiction！ The possibility that the dog's name was Khan and in her panic， the dog's owner， Majel Roddenberry （Nurse Chapel）， screamed out "Khhannnn！"。 Unsubstantiated。 Possibly true！ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Kris
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Brent Spiner weaves a fantastical tale。 Stalkers， bloody horse heads left on the door step （or in this case， bloody pig parts sent in the mail）The style is fun with a bit of intrigue and suspense。 It's a quick and easy read， though the narrator comes across as a bit too egocentric。Having said all that， Fan Fiction would have been better as an actual fiction novel rather than a memoir。 A memoir implies events that actually happened， and in this case Spiner fully admits at the beginning much of wh Brent Spiner weaves a fantastical tale。 Stalkers， bloody horse heads left on the door step （or in this case， bloody pig parts sent in the mail）The style is fun with a bit of intrigue and suspense。 It's a quick and easy read， though the narrator comes across as a bit too egocentric。Having said all that， Fan Fiction would have been better as an actual fiction novel rather than a memoir。 A memoir implies events that actually happened， and in this case Spiner fully admits at the beginning much of what he retells is embellished or made up。 。。。more
Carolyn
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I received an advance copy of this book。 I found this book fun to read and makes Brent Spiner seem human and vulnerable。 At the start of the book he claims， that once it was written， very little of it was true; not how he had planned it to be， but that's how it ended up。 To me it read much like a memoir， and certainly it gives us a window into the life of a celebrity。 While being pursued by a maniac fan would be frightening， he pokes fun at the situation in places and still describes what it was I received an advance copy of this book。 I found this book fun to read and makes Brent Spiner seem human and vulnerable。 At the start of the book he claims， that once it was written， very little of it was true; not how he had planned it to be， but that's how it ended up。 To me it read much like a memoir， and certainly it gives us a window into the life of a celebrity。 While being pursued by a maniac fan would be frightening， he pokes fun at the situation in places and still describes what it was like。 I thoroughly enjoyed the book。 。。。more
Ginni
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Where to start。 I grew up watching Star Trek: TNG， so Brent Spiner's name caught my eye。 Behind the scenes details and personal information about an actor I enjoy is always great！ Oh， it's not a memoir？ It's "inspired by" true events？ 。。。okay， maybe it will still be entertaining。 He's a funny guy， right？ I'm truly struggling to describe what I encountered in Fan Fiction。 It's a satire of a noir with Brent Spiner's actual life as the backdrop for a story of his encounters with one or more crazy s Where to start。 I grew up watching Star Trek: TNG， so Brent Spiner's name caught my eye。 Behind the scenes details and personal information about an actor I enjoy is always great！ Oh， it's not a memoir？ It's "inspired by" true events？ 。。。okay， maybe it will still be entertaining。 He's a funny guy， right？ I'm truly struggling to describe what I encountered in Fan Fiction。 It's a satire of a noir with Brent Spiner's actual life as the backdrop for a story of his encounters with one or more crazy stalker（s）。 Parts of it seem to be definitely factual （his strained relationship with his abusive ex-stepfather）， parts seem definitely fictional （smoking hot identical twins Cindy Lou the FBI agent and Candy Lou the bodyguard）， and others are harder to pin down。 Clearly Spiner has complicated feelings about his fans， although it's unclear whether or not anyone ever actually mailed him a （view spoiler）[dismembered pig penis （hide spoiler）]。 As to the humor， it felt like a series of inside jokes to which I was not privvy。 If I knew the actual people they were based on or the classic mystery and horror films/novels being alluded to， I bet （hope？） this would be really funny。 What am I supposed to tag this as？ （I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway。） 。。。more
Paul Cochrun
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Set in ’91 during the height of the Next Generation run， Brent Spiner writes a truly entertaining fictional memoir about the life of a celebrity caught up in a fan’s obsession。 Letters， a pig penis （yep， I just wrote that！）， and other messages are delivered to Spiner by a creepy admirer of the show and specifically the character of Data。 On the Paramount lot， he’s conscious of every person on the set… at the San Diego Comic-Con， he tries to focus on his interactions with the fans， and even knowi Set in ’91 during the height of the Next Generation run， Brent Spiner writes a truly entertaining fictional memoir about the life of a celebrity caught up in a fan’s obsession。 Letters， a pig penis （yep， I just wrote that！）， and other messages are delivered to Spiner by a creepy admirer of the show and specifically the character of Data。 On the Paramount lot， he’s conscious of every person on the set… at the San Diego Comic-Con， he tries to focus on his interactions with the fans， and even knowing that he has a bodyguard， yet his attention is drained with the unknown… Who is this stalker？ Welp… It’s Data’s daughter Val… from Episode 16 in Season 3。 Or at least that’s what the letters say…Told with several glimpses into the Next Gen Cast: Dorn， Patrick Stewart， LeVar， Frakes， Marina， and Wheaton all make appearances。 And the 90s nostalgia is in full effect… sneaking out to go to Blockbuster， Roddenberry on the set， driving around in his little Toyota。 My enjoyment continued to grow as the suspect list got longer and the threat grew even more dangerous。 But don’t forget the fun to be had figuring out what parts of the book are “fiction” and what parts are true to life… Embellishment， satire， and giving the reader more and more of the essence of these Star Trek actors。Fan Fiction should be on every Trekkie’s TBR， or just every scifi fan， and anyone who is curious about this fictional memoir genre。 I had so much fun！4。5 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Fans of Star Trek the Next Generation likely will appreciate this more than I did but know that even if you， like me， have not watched the show， you can still enjoy this as a romp through 1991 Hollywood。 A mixture of memoir and mystery （it wasn't always clear to me where the memoir stopped and fiction started）， it's all about how a stalker claiming to be the daughter of his character set off a series of unlikely events。 Spiner explores his childhood and offers insight into some of his cast mates Fans of Star Trek the Next Generation likely will appreciate this more than I did but know that even if you， like me， have not watched the show， you can still enjoy this as a romp through 1991 Hollywood。 A mixture of memoir and mystery （it wasn't always clear to me where the memoir stopped and fiction started）， it's all about how a stalker claiming to be the daughter of his character set off a series of unlikely events。 Spiner explores his childhood and offers insight into some of his cast mates， It's light， it's fun， and if it's occasionally over the top， that's ok too。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 An entertaining read。 。。。more
Glennis
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This is a humorous take inspired by real events in Brent Spiner’s life while he was shooting Star Trek: TNG。 I wasn’t going to bother with grabbing the ARC but someone I follow on social media said it was really funny， so I decided to give it a shot。 Brent is being stalked by a fan obsessed with him and calling herself Lal after an episode that data creates a daughter for himself by that name。 Everyone you meet in the book seems to be over the top， his costars， staff on the set， and law enforcem This is a humorous take inspired by real events in Brent Spiner’s life while he was shooting Star Trek: TNG。 I wasn’t going to bother with grabbing the ARC but someone I follow on social media said it was really funny， so I decided to give it a shot。 Brent is being stalked by a fan obsessed with him and calling herself Lal after an episode that data creates a daughter for himself by that name。 Everyone you meet in the book seems to be over the top， his costars， staff on the set， and law enforcement。 Brent is not spared this either with his reactions to the letters and the constant bad dream flashbacks he has that combine the current events with his troubled childhood。 The mystery is solved in the end and over the top as the rest of the book。 For me personally the humor was way over the top and I got a bit tired of it by the end of the book。 Maybe if I hadn’t read most of it in one sitting it wouldn’t have felt that way to me。 But each to their own and I can see where lots of people would enjoy this more than I did。 Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss 。。。more
Doreen
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9/26/2021 Hilarious， tho I'm still mulling over the ethics considering the backstory with his actual stalker。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 9/26/2021 Hilarious， tho I'm still mulling over the ethics considering the backstory with his actual stalker。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 。。。more
Wendy
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This book is definitely a "romp"。 I had so much fun reading this and trying to figure out how much was real and how much made up。 （I"m still not sure）。 I enjoyed Brent Spiner's way of writing， I found it delightful。 Reading about the cast members from the point of view of an insider was great， and getting a glimpse of their real personalities was very cool。I would love to read more from Spiner。 This book is definitely a "romp"。 I had so much fun reading this and trying to figure out how much was real and how much made up。 （I"m still not sure）。 I enjoyed Brent Spiner's way of writing， I found it delightful。 Reading about the cast members from the point of view of an insider was great， and getting a glimpse of their real personalities was very cool。I would love to read more from Spiner。 。。。more
Dee Arr
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