SET PHASERS TO STUN: 50 YEARS OF STAR TREK

Although this claims to be aimed at the non-fan - presumably at the baffled partners of the hardcore fans - I thought I'd give it a read. Sure enough, it tells me little I didn't know, as it's mainly a summing-up of what happens in Star Trek, with the focus on the original series, films, and Next Generation, with a smattering of production history gleaned from other books I've read and a few that I haven't. What made it fun and worthwhile for me though was that it reads like a long chat with a fellow fan about which episodes we like and don't like and why. (The author clearly suspects this as he happily summarises dozens of plots, and only once refrains from giving away the ending in the 'unlikely event' that we haven't seen it.) The nominal target audience might enjoy it more than listening to their partners drone on about their favourite passion, but there's very little, really, that tries to explain exactly why it inspires such passion and loyalty in its fans... except for one line which sums it up very neatly and made me think 'yes, that's it - exactly'.Also, although he's a bit apologetic about sharing his opinions on which are the best and worst episodes and why, that's a large part of what makes it a good read.. not least his very satisfying and perfectly correct rant about why "Into Darkness" is such a bad Star Trek film.

Written in a more casual way, this book tells the story of Star Trek from its birth in the 1960s through to the Abrams reboot films. What sets it apart from similar reference books is the way it is written. The author writes in a more casual, witty, conversational style occassionally adding his own opinions and insights to various episodes. The chapters are split chronologically by series/film and written as a story of the production and deveopment than as reference material. With the focus being mainly on The Original Series and The Next Generation, there is a small section devoted to Deep Space Nine, Voyager and the films, and at the back of the book, the author lists his subjective 5-star ratings for each TOS/TNG episode. Overall, an enjoyable read for anybody wanting to know the history of Star Trek, it's problems and successes and a few interesting facts along the way.

This book is a complete delight - I am not a Star Trek devotee but still found Berkmann's account to be riveting and entertaining; beyond the humour and narrative drive, this gem of a book reveals the whole process of the construction of an increasingly important cultural enterprise: entertaining TV with a firm ethical undercurrent (after all, Spock's application of logic to subjective experience is a wonderful parody of the anglo-american tradition of moral philosophy). At a different level, it illuminates pain and pleasure involved in the development of one's critical faculties from childhood to middle-age. Most of all it is simply great fun by a master of comic criticism.

Bought this as I had read ( and re read many times) the hilarious 'Shed if one's own' by the same author.This is not the same style and you kinda need to be a 'trekkie' to follow all the details. But will suit others I'm sure.

As a huge Star Trek fan I absolutely loved this book. It tells an inside story of the people involved and how the original idea of Space Travel Exploration grew into a massive industry. Marcus Berkmann's style is witty, funny and honest.