What does Data, a set of twins, a crazy fan, and several very weird relationships have to do with Bret Spiner? I could just say, read the book and find out, but I won't. Unless you lived under a rock during the 1980s-1990's, you would know that Brent Spiner was Data, the android on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fan Fiction is set during the time Brent was playing Data and involves his daughter, Lal, threatening notes, strange packages, identical twins, the cast and crew of and a delve into the insecurities that have plagued Brent Spiner his whole life. The subtitle claims that it was inspired by true events and this being Hollywood, I can believe it. So if you are prepared to delve into the life of an actor, take the plunge and enjoy the ride!

I was really excited for this one, but it wasn't what I expected. Mostly I couldn't tell what was real. I could tell when something was overtly fake, but blurring the lines between fact and fiction didn't enhance the story.
Most of the point seemed to be "Brent Spiner is NOT Data and subverting that characterization at every possible turn.

It's odd to write fan fiction about yourself.

And it's creepy to include so many sex scenes. But hey, you do you Mr. Data.

As a mystery, this is only passable. Not great. Not good. But not horrible. The killer is introduced early in the book, but solving the mystery is done off-stage. Two pages of action at the end sews up all plotlines very neatly. As Star Trek TNG fanfiction, it's pretty good. I'm very thankful Spriner was self-aware enough to recognize how weird this book endeavor was. Cuz it's a little odd.

The writing is what saves it: clever wordplay and over-the-top characters reminiscent of any hard-boiled noir. I especially liked LaVar Burton's character as a woo woo sage burning, crystal enthusiast. Not sure if this is a true telling or made up for dramatic effect. Either way, well done!

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

One day Brent Spiner receives a package at work that begins series of events resulting in the entrance of an FBI agent and her twin sister as well as a couple of deaths. The title is perfect for this book. It reads like fan fiction and is just as crazy as most. It was an okay read but nothing great. This is a book you pick up when you need fun, quick non-romantic beach read.

Don't you always wonder how celebrities deal with fans? This novel takes the real-life situation of Spiner's role as data onStar Trek as the starting point for the novel. Although the main plot involves stalking on the part of a couple of possibly deranged fans, many of the folks the author meets are fans of various kinds. It makes for a delightfully humorous novel.

I was granted eARC access to Fan Fiction via NetGalley but unfortunately ran out of time to review it before publication. Unfortunately, that it, for the publisher, but as it turns out quite fortunately for me. Since it was already out when I got around to it I was free to borrow the audiobook version from my library and I regret nothing!

Fan Fiction is a stalker-flavoured thriller by actor Brent Spiner of Star Trek fame (and yes that's why I picked it up in the first place!) and although it's not entirely true, Brent has borrowed a lot from his real experiences working on Trek sets over the years. A stalker who has taken on the persona of Lal, Data's daughter from Next Generation's 16th episode, The Offspring, is sending Data's actor Brent all sorts of... "interesting" fan mail. Some of it's rather stinky. Most of it is ominous and threatening. When things just keep on getting ever more "interesting" to the point that the CIA get involved, Brent finds himself in a love triangle between his case agent and his new personal bodyguard, who happen to be twins.

I sincerely think that the lower-starred reviews on this title are from people who were under the false impression that this was a factual autobiography or who couldn't handle the over-the-top love triangle. Everything about this story is over-the-top and it's supposed to be. It's very tongue-in-cheek. It's Brent having a good laugh at himself and his Trek friends while he writes the sort of detective thriller his character would have both revelled in and been utterly perplexed by had it been a holo-novel (revelled in the mystery, perplexed by the romance.)

I am so glad I decided to borrow the audiobook in order to get this review done because Brent Spiner himself narrates it with guest contribution by most of the cast members he worked into the story. This Trekkie is so happy! This Trekkie will also be re-borrowing the audiobook over Christmas to give it a second listen along with her Trekkie mother. I find myself wondering how early in this process did Brent approach everyone else about the narration and whether or not fictionalized Wil Wheaton was really left out of the cast meeting because he was too young (or to play into the "Shutup Wesley" meme) or if the real Wil Wheaton wasn't going available to record lines and got written out in the early stages.

If you're a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation and you're up for a fun thriller that doesn't take itself seriously, this is the ideal book for you, and I highly recommend the audiobook in particular.

Oh, man we just did a TNG rewatch just last year so this book was very timely for me! This was a fun read and I really enjoyed it! Thank you for the advance copy!

Brent Spiner tells a tale that weaves his real background into fanfiction of himself in this humorous mystery that takes place during the early 90s. While filming <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i>, Spiner starts receiving threatening letters that turn into a full out stalking amidst an ensemble of crazy people coming out of the woodwork to add to the stress and uncertainty. Spiner gets directed to one ridiculous authority figure after another, each more of a caricature than the next, from an aggressive police detective who's more interested in selling his script, to a female FBI agent with an identical twin sister who's conveniently available to play bodyguard.

The delivery of the story was superb, with Brent Spiner's distinct style coming through loud and clear, and very enjoyable. The actual narrative was where everything fell apart. The longer the story went on, the worse it got. Everything was just ridiculous and overblown. It worked in the beginning, and set the story up as a comedy. But after about a third of the way through the jokes got tired, and by about halfway through, it felt like the jokes were more of a personality than a genre. The book wasn't very funny by the halfway point and instead just dragged on and on and on and on and on. It was worse than watching the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> and its 5,000 endings. At least they were each an ending that left you feeling complete. This book just never got to the point.

The characters of Cindy Lou <s>Freebush</s> Jones and her twin sister Candy Lou <s>Freebush</s> Jones ruined any chance of this book ever being taken seriously. While other characters were over the top, these two were offensively porno fake. The romance plot was oddly misogynistic in a way that maybe he could have gotten away with in the 90s, but to a younger, modern reader isn't particularly palatable. I appreciate that they were both tough, strong women, but the dance around the ménage à trois was just sexist.

<i>But</i>, if you do feel compelled to read this book because you love Data and TNG (as you should), listen to the audiobook version. Brent Spiner's voice is amazing, and most of the TNG cast read their own parts. It was a heart-warming piece of nostalgia. If you aren't a Star Trek fan, you probably won't get much out of this book.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

I am sorry people, I'm not a Trekkie and I did not like this book. Thank goodness it said mem-noir instead of memoir because I really wouldn't have liked it. This book is about Spiner, from Star Trek, again, not a Trekkie, but my fault for requesting.

Don't throw me away St. Martin's presx, I love you, just not Spiner. He seems egotistical and narcissistic and anti feminist and I'm not one of those feminists who walk around throwing up hand written posters, yet this book still didn't thrill me. I hear the audio is great and has other Star Trek celebrities being themselves.

Not funny, but if you must, go audio!

Are you a fan of Brent Spiner? If so, then I imagine you've been waiting for the release of Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir. As the title indicates, it is inspired by true events, and I can't be the only one curious about that, now can I?

Fan Fiction takes a closer look at the relationship between fans and their idols – but this time, the perspective is from one of those idols. Brent Spiner offers a unique look at the industry, one that fans of his (and of Star Trek) are sure to enjoy.

Admittedly, Fan Fiction is really better suited for fans of the series – what a shock, I know. I still think newcomers will find something to appreciate here, though not nearly as much as the fans who grew up loving Star Trek.

The thing I loved the most about Fan Fiction was the blending of fiction with non-fiction. Some moments felt like behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, while others were very much out of this world. Okay, not literally, but you get what I'm saying.

Fan Fiction was a highly entertaining read, one that is the oddest and most unique thing I've read in a long time. I loved it for that reason and would recommend it to any of my Trekkie friends.

https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/book-review-brent-spiner-fan-fiction/

Fan fiction is usually unauthorized fictional writing by amateur fans, based on existing fictional worlds and characters. The debut novel by Brent Spiner, better known as Mr. Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, flips the genre on its head. In fact, he’s even titled the book ‘Fan Fiction’. But instead of a fan writing fiction about new adventures in a fictional world, the novel is fiction that Spiner wrote about a fan during the production of a fictional world.

Just so not for me. I'm not a trekkie, I just wasn't into it. I felt so disconnected, and I just couldn't do it. I DNF'd it relatively quick. While I appreciate the idea, it wasn't up my alley - though I guarantee there are people who will LOVE this.

The summary sucked me in. Who better to satirize the life and fictional adventures of a cultural icon than the actor himself? I enjoyed the self deprecation, the name dropping, the peek into the world of rabid fandom. The storyline was good too, Sadly, the stumbling block for me was the quality of the writing. Author Brent Spiner perhaps just needed more editorial guidance. It is his first foray into fiction writing. Storytelling may be in his future but writing a book is a very different skill, and one in which I hope he succeeds.

Brent Spiner spins a fictional autobiography of what it's like to live a life as a Fandom star.

In FanFiction, it's 1991, and Star Trek: The Next Generation has reached cult status as an everlasting fandom is created. Spiner, who typically loves fan mail, is getting mail from a woman who thinks that has been having NC-17 conversations. And if that wasn't bad enough one day, he receives a pig penis in his mail. This begins a terrifying yet hilarious tale of dealing with fans. His Star Trek friends try to help him through his stalking mess. But, as Lavar Burton says, sage isn't going to be enough to fix this mess.

Fans should sit down with their Netflix (or their Star Trek collection) before reading. The book focuses on the Season Four episode “The Offspring.” While Spiner explains things adequately, it was much easier to visualize and truly understand the significance of the events of the book after watching the episode.

I'm sure there is a basis for this and other parts of this story but to entertain (and probably deal with trauma) this is an outrageous inane comedy. Spiner looks at the sides of fandom from the nice to the scary. How it affects the stars and their egos, and how even they become fangirls/boys.

Fans of Christopher Moore will love the way out humor and hyperbole. The book is a quick read and the humor keeps the book from becoming too dark as some stalker tales are wont to do. The whole novel turns the stalker novel on its head.

The biggest issue for me was the overtly male fantasy of the way women are treated. The treatment of the strong women in the book becomes a twin sexual fantasy that was degrading and not amusing. (I mean they are identical; you can't joke how they look just like over and over and get a laugh). At the end of this plot is circumvented but it's not enough to make up for this plot-heavy anti-feminism.

While I read the Kindle version of Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events, I have seen that the Audible version is read by Spiner as well as his cast of friends from Star Trek The Next Generation. I believe this would be even more amusing and the best way to experience this book.


Date of Publication: October 5


I received an ARC; all opinions are my own.

This is an odd, but fun read. Spiner writes a fan fiction of his own life very loosely based on an experience he had with a stalker. While the events of the book are fictional, it does communicate some truths about Spiner and his experience with celebrity. I imagine bigger Star Trek fans would understand more references and enjoy this more than I did.

"Fan Fiction" is an unusual work by actor Brent Spiner. While it’s certainly a spoof on the traditional memoir, there are elements that belie the truth of his existence for the last 30 years, dealing with the fame that came with his role on "Star Trek." As a fan of the shows and movies of that fictional universe, I eagerly looked forward to this comedic fictional tale. In many ways I wasn’t disappointed, particularly in listening to the audiobook performance. Not only on the written page, but in the audio recording of the book, there are numerous cameos from a wide cast of characters, including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn and more. The production also includes frequent enhancing sound effects and an intermittent soundtrack. I was quite impressed at the effort that was put into this. As a Trek fan I was often highly amused.

"Fan Fiction" is more of a comedy than anything else, although there is the overarching mystery aspect, as we wonder who the true villain is throughout the narrative. There are episodes however, that diverge into dreamlike, bizarre areas that didn’t serve the story well, in my opinion. The occasional moments of drug use and frequent salty language were things I could have done without as well, but I understand that is the culture in which Mr. Spiner was/is living. The mature content is pervasive enough that I would not recommend this for younger readers. That said, I was often amused with "Fan Fiction", both as a Trekkie and a reader. If you enjoy the universe that Gene Roddenberry created many years ago and are in the mood for a tongue-in-cheek, humorous mystery, "Fan Fiction" might be a good bet for you. Spiner’s work may not have been the perfect fit for me, but it was still an interesting read/listen nonetheless.

After a few seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Brent Spiner (Data on the show) and his fellow cast members are enjoying the success of a hit series. However, being a celebrity poses its own set of challenges, and Spiner finds himself the target of a deranged fan or two who don't seem to be able to separate reality from fiction.

The inability to separate reality from fiction is exactly what this book does to its readers, as it's not always clear what is autobiographical and what is invented. I tend to think that details about Spiner's own life, from his childhood to his time on TNG, are real, whereas the plot about the crazed fan is mostly fiction. Again, this is just my guess. Unfortunately, as a mystery or thriller story, the plot about the crazed fan is only okay. In fact, I think it's a stretch calling it a thriller. Multiple suspects are dangled in front of us, but in the end, there's no real surprise about who the stalker turns out to be. I take that back—I was surprised, but only in that the reveal was pretty anticlimactic. I kept expecting a twist that never came. I take that back too—there was a little twist at the end of the climax. It was bizarre, though, and really never explained satisfactorily.

As for the rest of the book, which is a good amount in itself, the possibly fictionalized view of Spiner's past and present life was a lot more interesting to me. The book is meant to be funny, but I think it's a kind of humor I don't really get (and not the first time that's been the case). Not that I never got a chuckle, but mostly I felt fascinated and sometimes even sad at the author/narrator's reminiscences. I actually think I wouldn't mind giving this book another try, but the audiobook this time. I think that knowing how the mystery part of the story is going to go might give me more of a chance to enjoy the rest of it, especially when read by Spiner himself and including contributions by most of the main cast of TNG at the time that the story takes place.

As for whether or not you will like the story, I would say that if it sounds like something you'd be interested in, give it a try! If you're a fan of TNG, you might enjoy it for that reason alone as others seem to have. As for me, it mostly gave me the urge to watch the whole series again.

This is… a very strange book! I listened to the audio version which I think was a good choice. Spiner himself narrates and there’s lots of guest appearances by the Star Trek crew. What I loved most - which I’ve never heard in an audiobook - are special effect sounds, which I found utterly delightful! Overall though, this is a strange story. And the part with the twins he falls in love with was irritating at best.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Being that I am a Trekkie, when I saw that Brent Spiner wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. When I saw that it was fictional I was intrigued and when I saw that a few friends had loved it, I requested it from NetGalley and here we are!

Going back to the early years of Star Trek: The Next Generation, we join Brent Spiner as he's one of the stars of the show. It's not yet the huge thing it became as the show went on, but Data is becoming rather popular. Then one day he receives a letter threatening to kill him and it's signed by Lal. (For those that never watched the show, Lal was a young android that Data created in the hopes of having a daughter.) As the death threats keep coming, Spiner must learn how to deal with them, how to keep himself safe and more importantly, how to keep those around him safe. Will he be successful? You'll have to read this to find out!

Right from the very start, I enjoyed the writing style and I found the story to be entertaining and quite funny. We got to meet Jonathan Frakes, along with his wife in real life Genie Francis, but whether or not these are supposed to be fictional characters or how they are in real life, I could not say. I can say they were hilarious, along with the brief glimpses we get of Marina Sirtis, Levar Burton and Michael Dorn. There are also peeks behind the scenes-mainly in the makeup trailer which were fun to learn about. All of this I found to be engaging.

Where the tale started losing me was with the introduction of other characters such as Cindi Lou, Candy, and Grace. They didn't stand out to me as real characters, to be honest. It felt like they were placed there to forward the plot and they didn't even do much of that. The twins Candy and Cindy especially felt like cutouts to me and neither one behaved in ways that I found to be believable.

Was this novel fun and entertaining? Hell yes! Was it a good book? I guess that depends on the reader. For THIS reader, it WAS good, it just felt like a debut novel, (which I think it IS, so that makes sense.) What I liked most about it though, was the Star Trek stuff and the details about filming and makeup. The mystery of the death threats, which were the point of the story, never really connected with me and for that reason I gave this 3 stars.

Would I read another book by Brent Spiner? Absolutely! I expect this talented man to hone his writing skills and add "best-selling author" to his long line of credits.

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

I nearly jumped out of my chair in joy when I saw my favorite TNG (Star Trek: The Next Generation) character on the book cover. Data, the android in the black and mustard colored uniform. Data, the android with a cat named Spot. Data, the android played by the one and only Brent Spiner. Besides playing everyone's favorite android, Mr. Spiner also played another great role. He was the overenthusiastic "crazy" scientist in the movie Independence Day! Remember the alien wiggles its tangle on Spiner's throat for communicate with the humans.

This book is a combination of noir fiction, memoir (based on true events), and humor. I heard Data's Sherlock Holmes' accent in my head as I read the book, because it is a whodunit mystery. The memoir part is the real mystery, because I was never sure what parts of the book were actually true. If you have ever watched any TNG bloopers, you will get a sense of how silly Mr. Spiner was/is. The comedic, sarcastic book tone reminded me of the character Biff in Christopher Moore's book Lamb.

I enjoyed this book, because I love Star Trek. I am unsure whether a non Star Trek fan would find the same amount of enjoyment (the title Fan Fiction kind of says it all). I would strongly recommend watching at the episode called "The Offspring" (season 3, episode 16) before starting this book.