Very Funny. The book has a limited audience and as a fan I would love to hear Real stories about the actors and the making of the tv show. Still I enjoyed the silly-ness and the caricatures of the other actors.

Full disclosure, I have long been a fan of Brent Spiner’s work. My children were young when Star Trek, The Next Generation (TNG) aired and our family broke our tradition of dinner at the table one night a week to watch television and have an indoor picnic with pizza in the den. So it was with curiosity I first opened Fan Fiction to see what kind of writer this very talented actor is. Knowing nothing about the fan fiction genre, I had no expectations, although I don’t think that makes any difference in terms of who will or won’t enjoy the book.

The book presents the wild story of someone who believes themselves to be Lal, a daughter created by Data, Mr. Spiner’s character on TNG.Throughout the story he weaves fiction with fact, fictional characters with actual people, and the reader is in a constant state of trying to decide if any of these things ever happened. There is just enough truth in what he writes to have the readers constantly reminding themselves they’ve been told that what they are reading is untrue.

For example, he includes several interactions with friends from the television industry like Jonathan Frakes, Genie Francis, Patrick Stewart, and Gene Roddenberry to name a few. He talks of Frake’s handsomeness and Francis’ beauty, facts the reader knows are true if they are aware of these two famous actors. He recounts activities involving Roddenberry or others from TNG and these stories have a ring of truth. At least they are incidents which the reader finds consistent with their expectations of these individuals.

At the same time, there are two, drop dead gorgeous women, twins, one of whom is an FBI agent and the other a contract bodyguard. They are almost unbelievably gorgeous, and he develops feelings for both. In the case of the bodyguard/sister, he reports a physical relationship for a while; then he switches and forms the opinion that he would prefer her sister. These portions of the book seem more like they have come from a very creative brain and It is impossible to tell if any part of them is true.

Spiner’s family, particularly his former step-father, is also featured in the book. His step-father is not a sympathetic character and the reader may wonder if the stories of his growing up, some of which border on child abuse, are true tales of a difficult childhood. In the book, the memory of his stepfather haunts Spiner to the point of losing sleep. Then there’s the part that deals with a kidney stone, percocet, and quaaludes where, at places, the reader may simply shake their head and say “that can’t possibly have happened.”

So, is this a book that is a must read? In terms of a masterpiece of literature, probably not. In terms of a sometimes laugh out loud funny book that will delight fans and others who are looking for a light-hearted book that borders on being a caricature of a mystery novel, most definitely. It’s short and easy to read, so most readers can finish it in a day or two if they want, while others can easily pick it up or put it down for other activities without losing a sense of what’s happening or the overall arc of the story.

If you are hoping for a book that will give insight into Star Trek, it’s characters and filming, this is not that. If you are hoping for a book that will entertain you and that you can take to the next Star Trek “con” where Brent Spiner is featured so you can get him to sign it, then look no further. What about those readers who are not Star Trek fans? (What? Do any actually exist?). I would say it depends on what type of book they are seeking. This is not a serious mystery with clues and red herrings and a measured path to it’s solution. It is a book that is well written, funny, sometimes outrageous, and entertaining. It is also a book that would be excellent for an airplane or beach read. It is easily interrupted and the plot is straightforward enough the reader should have no difficulty reading in spurts if that is what their activity level requires.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to review. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.

I really wanted to love this being a Star Trek TNG fan and Data was one of my favorite characters. I was expecting more from this but it was just boring and no sense of any plot. I almost DNF'd this but wanted to finish this but it was hard. Disappointing and cannot recommend, Waste of time.

Thanks to Netgalley, Brent Spiner and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 10/5/21

Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events by Brent Spiner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This MIGHT have had a bit more kick. But as it is, expecting nothing more than what it is, it's not bad.

What do I mean? Brent Spiner, Data of TNG, uses his life as an inspiration to write a fan-gone-wrong noir.

On the one hand, I REALLY wanted to enjoy a humorous romp or a scary ride, and it seemed to be going in both directions, and it SEEMED right on track, but there were a few things that didn't feel right to me.

For one, Brent seems slightly tone-deaf to his fan base. I'm not saying that he should have been anything more or less than what he is, of course, but -- yeah -- maybe I am. Okay. My take: if he, as the narrator, had been completely honest, more self-aware, less wishy-washy about his status as a cult favorite, I probably would have just enjoyed this standard plot for all that it is.

Crazy psychotic fans taking things too far IS a thing, after all, and as far as I know here, Brent did experience it.

But I'm of two minds on THAT as well: A fiction is a fiction and can get away with a lot, but a dramatic autobiography is a dramatic autobiography that might allow us some stretched credibility in the unreliable narrator category.

So which IS this? Some basic facts that are then blown up into Basic Instinct levels? Albeit with a cool one that ties in an awesome ep of TNG with Data's daughter?

I should just let that bit be, let this be what it is. But honestly, while it is far from being bad, I DID want a lot more.

As a Trekkie, I was looking forward to this book but honestly, it was kind of disappointing. The plot had an interesting concept but I found its execution almost unbearable to read. There were so many differing plot lines that I struggled to keep track of who was who and what was happening.

The writing of this book leaves a lot to be desired. The best way I can describe it is as though someone is talking to you really fast -- short sentences and lots of jumping through ideas quickly.

Overall, I'd say pass, even for Trekkies.

This was a WILD ride. It reads like someone telling a rowdy story to a group of close friends, exaggerating and name-dropping, with inside jokes and self deprecation galore. I couldn't decide if I liked it, but then I couldn't stop reading, and then when I was done reading I thought, "What the hell did I just read?" And now I'm going to recommend it to ALL of my Trekkie friends. Do not go into this expecting a memoir - you will be confused. Go into it expecting a bonkers, fast-paced tale that you will leave you with no clue what was real and what was fictional. But at least you'll laugh - a lot.

When I saw Brent Spiner had written a book, being a long-time Star Trek fan I knew I needed to read it. Fan Fiction is a comedy noir based around some events that happened while Spiner was playing Data. The book also parodies some common fan fiction tropes, like having multiple love interests and being a "Mary Sue." If you don't know much about fan fiction those tropes might go right over your head.

My favorite parts were getting to see how Spiner wrote about the rest of the cast and crew involved in Star Trek even if they were exaggerated versions, which I think made them even funner to read about. It was also interesting to see what it was like dealing with obsessed fans. This book hit the spot for some The Next Generation nostalgia, but it also relied on that nostalgia to carry me through to the end. The book never got quite tense enough for me and I found myself skipping over all the dream memories, but there were some great humorous bits.

This is a mostly fun mystery/comedy/noir novel that Brent Spiner based on his time playing the android Data (who, like Pinocchio, someday hoped to be a "real boy") on 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑘: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 and the often-odd fan mail he received. It's 1991, in the middle of 𝑁𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝐺𝑒𝑛's run, and Data has become a very popular character, hence Spiner receives a lot of fan letters. As the book opens, he receives a disturbing missive supposedly from "Lal," the android "daughter" Data built in one of the episodes. She threatens to kill him, and next day the rather loutish Paramount deliveryman brings him a package containing a pig penis floating in blood. Concerned, he contacts the police, but the officer assigned to the case seems to be too busy trying to sell a Next Gen script. Then, when a post office employee is cut by a razor blade in another missive addressed to Spiner, the FBI is called into the case and assigns an agent to him: an attractive woman who just happens to have a twin sister who's a private detective. Spiner's eventually wigged out enough to hire the latter as a bodyguard.

Spiner juggles the mystery of the too-attentive and -aggressive fan, the 12-hour days on set, the fan letters (including one from a Canadian woman who is pretending Spiner telephones her), his co-stars (who he paints with an admittedly exaggerated brush), and the two attractive law-enforcement characters, along with recurring memories of his charismatic but inflexible stepfather Sol which haunt his dreams. He also parodies some fan fiction tropes, especially the "Mary Sue" (or rather "Marty Stu") convention of having the FBI agent (Cindy Lou) and the private eye (Candy Lou) be love interests, and there's even a red herring.

I'm on the fence on this one. I was a Data fan myself and it's fun going back visiting those days. Spiner said he wrote his co-stars as exaggerated versions of themselves and that's fun, too. However, I don't particularly like stories about stalkers (or the gross things they send in the mail), and the whole sex-wish-fullfillment with the twin sisters kinda turned me off, as did a scene where a non-medical person offers him a Quaalude and he just takes it as if drug use is okay. If you like thrillers with quirk, you may enjoy that portion of the novel more.

(I rated this a 3, but it would be more a 3.5.)

I'm aware that this book is fanfiction. I am aware that this book is 99% fabricated, based on Brent Spiner's life and an event (and events) that may have happened to him.

I'm also aware what fanfiction is. ... and let me tell you, this is fanfiction I would never read.

It's unfunny, boring, and most of all, has some weird bits in it that derail the story and make no sense.

You have this tale about a fan sending Brent Spiner a pig's penis and him freaking out over the crazy letters he is getting by a woman who is identifying himself as his daughter from an episode of Star Trek. (If you recall the episode of Star Trek where Data makes a daughter who dies.) So cue him spending the book trying to figure out the identity of this fan and the crazy letters that keep coming.

Brent Spiner's tale is one that is immersed with tales about his life growing up with his difficult/abusive step-dad, and I don't know if he wrote this book to exorcise those demons? But memories appear in dreams he has about incidents from his childhood that really don't pertain to the incident that may or may not have happened. There is also two women, twin sisters, who work for the authorities that he ends up having a relationship with. (Brent Spiner really likes to make himself this guy who fucks a lot.)

Anyway, the book wrapped up and the 'stalker' was something that one would guess at and the reveal was boring as the story itself.

I just didn't care and this story ain't worth the money that one would spend. Rent/borrow if curious, but if you want to read it ... that's your 20.00.

Was Brent Spiner the target of a stalker who sent him threatening notes signed by his fictional character's fictional daugter Lal? He might have been. Did that result in an entanglement with an FBI agent and her personal-security-guard twin sister and all the other dramatic events that follow as he writes in this book? Probably not. Spiner isn't telling which parts of this book are "mem" and which are "noir," but no matter where the the line is, he's written a fun, madcap story.

The book will, of course, appeal mostly to Star Trek fans, which is not to say that it won't appeal to people who don't identify as Star Trek fans too (except, perhaps, the ST:TNG name-dropping). Fans will be pleased to see that Spiner's writing chops are almost as strong as his acting chops, and non-fans will enjoy a zany mystery with a true noir feel.

Brent Spiner portrayed the beloved Star Trek character Data, an android, on television and in films. If you didn't know that, you might not think to pick up this book or enjoy it as much as I did. It's a mystery based on Spiner's life growing up and experience as a star in a show that attracts ardent fans. Spiner shows us his feet of clay with wry good humor and brings in his other Star Trek personages of the day -- creator Gene Roddenberry and his fellow cast mates -- for delightful cameos. You don't have to be die-hard Star Trek fan to enjoy this fun book, but it helps to be familiar with Star Trek: The Next Generation or to be interested in getting behind the scenes in Hollywood. Aside from being a talented actor and a genuinely funny guy, Spiner is also a singer, and now, a novelist. Very fun, worth a read.

As a fan of the Star Trek series, I was eager to read Brent Spiner's Fan Fiction. Sometimes humorous, it left me dissatisfied. The tension level just never reached the "I can't put it down" level, but I plodded on to the end.

I think in the future I'll just leave the actors to act and read writers of books that do just that for a living.

Quite fun. Humor can be very difficult to pull off effectively, but Spiner did a nice job here. This is light and enjoyable with a good plot. You don't have to be a Trekkie to like this but it won't hurt. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Fan Fiction, a "mem-noir" from the actor Brent Spiner, who plays Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a fun and fictionalized account of a period of time in the early 1990s when he was filming the show. Name-dropping his co-stars and other famous people, he spins an entertaining tale of celebrity, stalkers and the price of fame.

It was a cute tale and I had a lot of fun reading it. I would recommend it for fans of the show!

I thought, in the beginning, that this book was going to be a problem. I liked the idea, but Spiner's voice just didn't work for me at all. Happily, I discovered relatively quickly that the tone improved when I read him as slightly-out-of-touch-dad-joke-guy. By the time I had that right I was fairly invested in the story, which wasn't overly concerned with itself, pleasantly enough.

A fun and pulpy novel perfect for fans of Star Trek - obviously especially for fans of the Next Generation and Data. Spiner draws from his own life, including not only his career as an actor but also his love of old films and apparent penchant for awkward social interactions, to pen this twisted tale of a fan gone crazed. Funny, sometimes cringey, definitely meant to be a quick fun read and it succeeds. Fans of Spiner will find a little bit of autobiographical information - at the beginning he even states where his narrative starts to veer from the truth. Over the top cameos from Gates McFadden, Patrick Stewart, Levar Burton, Gene Roddenberry, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, and the inestimable Majel Barrett increase the fun and nostalgic feel of the novel. With all the new Treks coming out over the last few years, fans have had a lot to be thankful for - I'm glad we can add Spiner's first adventure to the list, and hopefully there will be more to come!

Full disclosure, I received an ARC from NetGalley.
Really damned solid noir thriller from a very unexpected source. Unfortunately, too much sex and cursing to recommend it to my students, which is a shame.
I loved the dreamlike qualities of it, and the humor. I really hope Mr. Spiner has another book in him.

This was a bit hard to get into because I had trouble telling fact from fiction, but once I did, I found it fascinating. Think John Scalzi's Red Shirts, but including the actual cast from Star Trek: TNG. High concept that doesn't miss the mark.

The Good: Star Trek TNG nostalgia
The Bad: Silly, campy, predictable
The Literary: Chapters named after famous movies; meta-analysis of fandom

It’s 1991 in the great city of Los Angeles, and the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and some terrifying fan mail. He immediately tells his Star Trek: The Next Generation colleague Levar Burton, Paramount Security and LAPD, and eventually the FBI. The story may be a fictionalized autobiography but the phenomenon of fandom is real.

The story itself is a cute little mystery thriller, full of crude comedy and hijinks, as the scared, inexperienced Spiner tries to work while a fan threatens his life. Off-screen he’s a self-effacing shmuck with a lot of anxiety (stemming from his abusive stepfather) who pays a visit to each of his fellow Star Trek actors and enjoys a little drugs, sex, and TV in his spare time. He wishes he could be more like his hyperrational character Data.

There is absolutely no way to separate the man from the android. Brent Spiner is Data, and so it’s no surprise I wanted to read this book because it’s one more way to revisit the magical time of TNG. Funny that Spiner wrote a book about an obsessive fan for all the fans of his out there who would want to read his novel. But he fans-out himself a few times in the book too, in an especially unfortunate scene involving and earthquake and Gregory Peck.

It’s the texture that really brings this silly book to life. The plot is campy but tight. The celebrity encounters are purposefully cliché. The chapter titles are Hollywood movie titles. He’s tormented by a fan; he’s saved by a fan; and he even says a few words at an obsessed fans’ funeral; but he’s also a fan himself, and at the end of the day, grateful for the community of fans that the Star Trek fan base generates.

‘The book is billed as being based on true events, and one of the most interesting puzzles for the reader is trying to imagine whether Levar Burton is really into crystals and incense or if Ronald Reagan really visited the show’s set.

Highly recommended for fans of Star Trek, dark comedy, and old Hollywood!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Mostly fan service via an occasionally funny, but mostly mediocre, story. It's billed as fiction "based on true events," so readers could have fun pondering how much of the early-1990s Hollywood / celebrity / ridiculousness is true. Probably more than we'd like!