Sean Randall reviewed The Return by William Shatner
Review of 'The Return' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"Geordi, I have frozen my eyelids together. I am such a failure!"
that hasn't happened in the other 11 trek titles I've read in the last few months. this was Data, of course, and I must say the post-Generations setting of this novel explored some of the consequences of the movie fairly well. It is fascinating to note that Shatner's screen time as Captain Kirk was supposedly quite difficult for the other actors, and yet his novel characterises certain characters particularly effectively. Data and Worf are explored well, I feel; riker and some of the others a little less. It's still very much a Kirk novel, although there are indications that the ego has, if not diminished, made room for the new centuries characters.
"I'm very familiar with your early exploits and adventures with your Captain, But surely you of all people can understand that the dead cannot return to …
"Geordi, I have frozen my eyelids together. I am such a failure!"
that hasn't happened in the other 11 trek titles I've read in the last few months. this was Data, of course, and I must say the post-Generations setting of this novel explored some of the consequences of the movie fairly well. It is fascinating to note that Shatner's screen time as Captain Kirk was supposedly quite difficult for the other actors, and yet his novel characterises certain characters particularly effectively. Data and Worf are explored well, I feel; riker and some of the others a little less. It's still very much a Kirk novel, although there are indications that the ego has, if not diminished, made room for the new centuries characters.
"I'm very familiar with your early exploits and adventures with your Captain, But surely you of all people can understand that the dead cannot return to life?"
"There appear to be some of my 'exploits and adventures' with which you are not familiar."
Spock and Riker don't hit it off in the slightest, but I suppose some antitheses are to be expected. One area at which this novel excels is the plucking out of historical events and fitting them in - This snatch of dialog clearly refers to Spock's tangle with the Genesis planet, for instance. much of Kirk's history is brought up in one way or another (not extensively or in any sort of overblown way, but in an aid to recall and with deft handling so we never feel weighed down by history). What's impossible to miss is the fact that despite Kirk supposedly died, he's back in action and raring to go.
"Mr. Data, put us on a collision course with the Borg ship. I would like you to pull out at two seconds before collision."
"Yes, sir. I believe I would like that as well."
There's humour aplenty and action enough for anyone, and if we accept the postulate that Kirk 'had' to come back to make this novel (and the subsequent stories) work, this is a brilliant read. For those who feel Kirk's time is up, this may be a little on the sickly side. Kirk is portrayed as an excellent combatant, deceiver, computer-operator and pilot and it is perhaps a stretch, even for the inviolable kirk fans, that he's mastered decades of technological advancement in what is realistically no time at all. Nevertheless, the captain had a reputation to uphold and there's no getting around the fact that this is extremely well-written, easy-to-read and pleasing to boot.
The spirit of this book can be summed up quite well, by a passage on page 116 relating to Captain Picard and his forced interaction with the Borg. To conclude this review, it reads:
"Above him, a starship was in danger. Around him, Starfleet personnel looked to him for leadership. And on the thousand worlds of the Federation, an interstellar civilization unmatched in history teetered on the brink of extinction, to be saved or destroyed by what a single individual would accomplish in the next few minutes and hours. In the middle of action, there was no room for doubt. He could not afford it or allow it. He was a starship captain. It was time to make a difference."