kickerdad -
Helpful Score: 1
Grandiose? Egocentric? Satirical? Humorous? Shatner Rules by William Shatner has gone where nothing I have ever read has gone before and Im not entirely sure where I went or where I ended up.
Shatner Rules is an unforgiving self-promotion; a rambling collection of musings and experiential accounts from William Shatner aka Captain James T. Kirk and most recently aka Denny Crane. If you are looking for an autobiography, this isnt it, although there are interesting tidbits about Mr. Shatner strewn throughout. It isnt comedic, at least not in the Bill Cosby sort of fashion - more callous, yet measured. After putting the book down and reflecting, searching for a common thread, I realized that the thread is . . . William Shatner and Saying Yes (read the book, youll understand)! Love him or hate him - and apparently there are quite a few - there must be something said about a person whose only paychecks during an 80 lifespan have come from performing. And you thought he couldnt act!
I wouldnt go out of my way to buy Shatner Rules (I found it in a 80% discount bin at the grocery store and bought it because, well , it was by William Shatner!), but it is worth a read if you are a fan. Even if you dont know who William Shatner is (really?), the content is refreshing in a quirky sort of way.
Shatner Rules is an unforgiving self-promotion; a rambling collection of musings and experiential accounts from William Shatner aka Captain James T. Kirk and most recently aka Denny Crane. If you are looking for an autobiography, this isnt it, although there are interesting tidbits about Mr. Shatner strewn throughout. It isnt comedic, at least not in the Bill Cosby sort of fashion - more callous, yet measured. After putting the book down and reflecting, searching for a common thread, I realized that the thread is . . . William Shatner and Saying Yes (read the book, youll understand)! Love him or hate him - and apparently there are quite a few - there must be something said about a person whose only paychecks during an 80 lifespan have come from performing. And you thought he couldnt act!
I wouldnt go out of my way to buy Shatner Rules (I found it in a 80% discount bin at the grocery store and bought it because, well , it was by William Shatner!), but it is worth a read if you are a fan. Even if you dont know who William Shatner is (really?), the content is refreshing in a quirky sort of way.
Janice -
Funny, shrewd, a very entertaining read. Addresses several 'controversies' in his long career as well. Some Trek fans may go ballistic, but that happens anyway. I would recommend it as a fun read.
Stephanie S. reviewed Shatner Rules: Your Key to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large on + 168 more book reviews
Big fan here of William Shatner here, so it should not surprise that I enjoyed this book. Half of what he wrote was tongue in cheek, half quite serious and observant.
He wrote Shatner Rules upon turning 80 years old, and he has some interesting and sometimes quite profound things to say about longevity and life enjoyment in general. Love him or hate him, he is hilarious. But your liking of him (his acting, of course, as the iconic Capt. Kirk on Star Trek or the wacky Denny Crane on Boston Legal, amongst many other roles over his decades-long career), will certainly affect your enjoyment of this book, or anything he does. I say, learn about the bluster and the seemingly inexhaustive self-promotion and what drives him forward from The Man himself.
Fans, take note.
*** 1/2 Three and a half stars.
He wrote Shatner Rules upon turning 80 years old, and he has some interesting and sometimes quite profound things to say about longevity and life enjoyment in general. Love him or hate him, he is hilarious. But your liking of him (his acting, of course, as the iconic Capt. Kirk on Star Trek or the wacky Denny Crane on Boston Legal, amongst many other roles over his decades-long career), will certainly affect your enjoyment of this book, or anything he does. I say, learn about the bluster and the seemingly inexhaustive self-promotion and what drives him forward from The Man himself.
Fans, take note.
*** 1/2 Three and a half stars.
