This is one of Bill Shatner's "Tek War" series' books. It is not bad, but also not particularly memorable. For all those Star Trek fans out there, don't bother, as this is nothing like Star Trek . . . although if Shatner hadn't been riding on his Star Trek fame, this book would have probably never have been published. His writing style is very gritty, something like Robert Heinlein, although not quite as bad. The book is really more of a detective/police story (the "T.J. Hooker" influence, no doubt) set in the future. If you like police stories, you might like this, but frankly, I was not much impressed.

This book makes a great edition to the world of Tek, Shatners flair for writing is expressed and it does more for the imagination than the TV series could!

The first three "Shatnerverse" novels were met by Star Trek fans with a rare kind of anticipation. After all, what could be better than the story of Kirk told from the man who had brought him to life for over 30 years? It was a must-have for any Trek fan. And the thing is--those first three books really delivered on the promise. The original Shatner trilogy is one of the better multi-novel sequences out there.

However, after a rather lackluster trilogy, Shatner (and the Reeves-Stevens) return with the start of another trilogy. Honestly, after how poorly wrapped up the Mirror Universe trilogy was, I wasn't anticipating the start of a new saga in the Shatnerverse. However, I still had some hope for the Captain's Peril to be a good Trek book. After all, Pocket's track record this year has been fairly impressive.

But "The Captain's Peril" seems more like it was written to meet a quota--it's a new calendar year, so we need a new Trek book by Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens. The story sees Picard and Kirk taking a vacation of Bajor where they will orbital skydive and then go on an archaelogical expedition. Of course, things go awry from Kirk and Picard almost perishing while skydiving to then finding things amiss at the Bajoran archelogical dig. Before you know it, Kirk is up to his ears in a murder mystery and looking into the past of Bajor. Meanwhile, we are given a story of one of Kirk's early missions--set before "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

Of the two plots, the early story is the most compelling since it tries to delve into the early relationship Kirk had with his crew and filling the shoes of the then-legend Christopher Pike. However, the problem with both plots is they are rather heavy-handed at time. They are also predictable as all get out. The deep, dark secret at the end of the Bajoran plotline is spelled out in the first few pages of the book. Add to it an abrupt stop to the story mid-way through for Picard and Kirk to debate the merits of the Prime Directive (Kirk sees it as being an obstacle to really exploring) and it adds up to a less than satifsying read.

One thing that the early Shatnerverse novels did was take chances. The idea of bringing Kirk by using Borg nanotechnology was intriguing and revoluationary. However, in The Captain's Peril the attempted risks in intriguing storytelling are underminded by the reader knowing certain things can't stay the way they unfold in the book. There must be a giant reset button at the end and while it's not as groan-inducing as it could be, it does serve to take you out of the narrative flow.

Overall, this isn't the weakest of the Shatnerverse novels, but neither is it the best. It's content to do well for about 300+ pages, setting up the storyline for the next novel. In a lot of ways, the Shatner novels have gone from something to really look forward to, to just your standard Trek novels.

This review is based on the abridged Audio CD. I've read the Tek War books and 6 of his ST books, and this is my least favorite of the bunch so far. I'm a Hugh Shatner fan, as author and as Kirk, but I can only give this 3 stars. What holds this story together is the interplay between Picard and Kirk? We have a little murder mystery going on her also. Shatner has teamed them many times, and it seems he is the only author with the guts or gravitas to do it. I hope he keeps writing in the ST universe. I like the fact that Kirk, Bones (God rest his soul), Spock and Scotty live on in Shatner's Star Trek world.

I hated it when Generations killed off Kirk, and loved it when he had to audacity to write himself back to life. And I am not tongue-in-cheek. I am serious. THE RETURN is the first non-Tek War Shatner book I had read. Based on that book I have read the rest of his ST books, and this one at 3 stars is the worst of the bunch, but still pretty good Star trek Sci-Fi. This review is based on the Audio CD.

I happen to have enjoyed 'Captain's Peril' quite a bit. While it failed to be as gripping or as all-out entertaining as Shatner/Reeves-Stevens' last outing in 'Preserver', I still found it to be different, and entertaining overall.

Within 'Captain's Peril' are two separate stories that aren't as connected as the authors would like us believe. Still, I enjoyed both tales. The story begins as Kirk has strong-armed Picard into taking a joint archaeolgical-vacation on the planet Bajor. It starts off with a perilous Orbital Skydive where one of the 'Suits' rented by Quark on DS9 seems to be a shade past its warranty and fails on Kirk. His quick thinking, combined with Picards resourcefulness saves him, but in the process it uncovers the memory of Kirk on the original Enterprise just shortly after he took over as captain. Spock has requested a transfer, forcing Kirk to think that his 1st officer thinks of him as incompetant. Soon an emergency call from Starfleet forces them to the Mandylion Rift for a very interesting 'Challenge'. Before anything ever happens of course, the action returns us back to the present where Kirk & Picard find themselves trapped in the Bajoran desert, wondering if they will survive long enough to find the ancient dig they were originally expecting to visit. To make a long story short, they make it (was there ANY doubt?) and stumble quickly upon a murder. The stage is now set for both captains to solve this incident, meeting opposition at every turn, and interrupted by Kirk's memory of his original 5-year mission and some interesting conversations with Spock, who is busy trying to figure out Kirk (and humans in general).

Personally I found the background story from years past to be more entertaining than the murder/mystery in the Bajoran desert involving a possible Cardassian/Lost Bajoran Orb cover-up. I found myself wondering what exactly was going to happen next to Kirk and crew in the Mandylion Rift and the 'Challenge' facing them than who the murderer was. Although I also enjoyed a very interesting debate between Kirk & Picard over the merits of the Prime Directive. Overall I liked the story, but felt that jumping in between the two stories ultimately distracted me from the entire tale as a whole--BUT I enjoyed it enough to look forward to 'Captain's Blood' which is mentioned at the end of the story along with a teaser of just what may be in store for us in the next chapter of the saga of James T. Kirk in the world of Next Generation Star Trek. Not bad--but not great, either.

This is book 3 of the series that became a TV show for a short time. If you read and enjoyed the first 2 (Tekwar and Tek Lords) you will probably like this one also. This is as formulaic as a hit TV series, but you gotta love Jake and his friends as written by Shatner and his friends.

You might laugh about the plot idea for restoring the English monarchy, but I work with a salesman once who had a PHD in medieval history who felt the world would be better off under a single monarchy. He was serious. Votes straight dem to.

Anyway, I think Plots are like eating a food preparation for the first time. I don't mind trying it as it was intended to be eaten. A plot should be allowed to be developed, and only if it trips all over itself do I conclude that it was stupid in the context of the story being told. Of course the plot is stupid. That is why it must be stopped.

Teklab was a fast, fun read from the infamous William Shatner. Don't go into this book expecting anything great and you won't be disappointed. The pace is quick and the action furious. The characters are however, lacking in personality. Jake Cardigan is your basic hard-nosed detective type, with his Latino sidekick Gomez. They are assigned to investigate someone's murder which ends up involving them once again in the web of the Teklords. Anyway, it's a fun read if you're looking for something quick and light. Popcorn reading.

Yes, I bought the first Tek book, TekWar because it was written by William "Captain Kirk" Shatner. But I've continued buying the rest of the series because I actually enjoy the novels. They are fun to read, interesting characters, enough plot twists to keep interest but also simplistic enough to not lose you. They are also very quick reads which are always nice. I always feel like I'm sucked in quickly, experience the book at high speed, and then finish it off feeling resolved and pleased to have enjoyed it so quickly. Some people might feel ripped off for going through it so quickly, but not me. I enjoy it and will continue to buy all of Shatner's future Tek books. This is the third novel in the series.

From other reviews I had read, I had high hopes for "Delta Search." This book didn't meet those expectations at all. The story is contrived and overused, the characters are unrealistic and unattractive, and the ending was inane. This is what one gets when reading the pop culture junk that pervades our society. Please don't waste your time on this book like I did. There are plenty of other great books out there to be found. Now if you are looking for a good novel along a similar line with realistic characters and an engaging story line, I would recommend "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card instead.

William Shatner is now my favourite writer. This Series Quest for Tomorrow is one of the best i've read and the next ones are sure to be just as exciting....

Don't get me wrong--I've been keeping up with this series and I intend to keep doing so. But it's Sci Fi Channel Rocketship Avengers fare--the MTV fare of fiction--and meant to be approached as such. I'm reading comparisons to Heinlein in other reviews--well, yeah, but it's the Heinlein of teenage heroes for teenage readers. Shatner's hero Jim is a bit older but is cut from that mold. Shatner tries to bring the feel of these books into adulthood by giving them the noir aspect of his Tek series, but that doesn't make them literature by a country mile. I've been a Shatner fan for decades, but I have to admit that he is narcissistic--and it's that trait that he gives to his heroes: grandiose and "misunderstood". Decent light reading, but don't expect more than that. After all, there are only so many Donaldsons and Herberts.

This is another of Shatner's Tek novels and like his previous ones, it too is enjoyable. We continue the adventures of Jake Cardigan and Sid Gomez and the rest of the continuing characters. Since this novel takes place after Tek Vengeance, we have Jake dealing with the death of his lover. This was handled quite nicely and was not dwelled upon. New readers will understand what has happened and longtime readers will see the continued natural progression and growth of the character. In fact, all readers will be able to see the growth of all the characters, including a few new ones that are added to the array. Shatner has built up a world that is believable, interesting and populated with a wide array of characters. This is the fifth novel in the series.

William Shatner should stick to acting. I am a science fiction, and Star Trek fan, and I found this book's plot to be very simplisitic - the first clue being its constant references to 'Frisco' - with an ending that fails to resolve the plot's setups. Very light listening. Great if you can find it for a dollar or two at an auction site, otherwise skip it.

Shatner does it again. I enjoyed TEKWAR so much that I thought I see is Shatner and friends could do it 2 in a row. They (he?) did! I don't know if Shatner really wrote these or not. All I care is that the final product is excellent.

Jake, Gomez and Beth investigate a virus that is related to Tek and Jake naturally suspects the Tek Lords. This is episode 2 of 9, that I know of. The first 5 have been read and they are fast paced, humorous and fun.

Wow. The other reviews here are tough. As far as cardboard character comments are concerned, they may be for some. But I liked the movie TWISTER, and the critics said this was a bad movie because of its cardboard characters. Did you like Twister? then maybe cardboard does bother you when everything is good. Do you like fast paced mysteries set in a futuristic world? You may find this shocking but I also like Star Wars. A lot of critics don't think much of SW books either.

Read tek war first. If you like it, try Tek Lords.

Teklords, written by William Shattner, takes place in the year 2120 in San Francisco as private investigator Jake Cardigan tries to battle the international gang of drug dealers selling the highly addictive electronic drug tek. This novel was the sequel to Shattner's first book, Tekwar. The book gives an interesting insight on how drugs are a part of everyday life and how much we use some drugs. Shattner expresses the positive and negative effects of drugs in our society and explains the drugs of the future may be very dangerous. Jake Cardigan was called in to investigate the murder of a top drug-control agent by a reprogrammed human zombie assassin. Jake uncovers a connection with the release of an artificial virus that is threatening San Francisco and many victims including Jake's ex-wife. Jake and his partners, Sid Gomez and his girlfriend Beth, to track down the source of the virus and deal with the teklords. All the suspense and action in this novel lead up to a great ending. I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and suspense filled novels.

Not very captivating... unless you know alot about Houdini

The best thing about this book is the foreword by William Shatner. Let's face it, anything Shatner does is bound to be entertaining. However, the rest of the book is a huge disappointment. Points for effort are given to author Henderson as he clearly loves sci fi films, but that is no excuse for lazy writing. For instance, his review of the first Godzilla film, a classic milestone, is nothing you haven't read before. However, the rest of the Godzilla films, save for G 1985 and 2000, are all summarized by this tiring line: Please see Godzilla, King of the Monsters. Even King Kong vs Godzilla has this (and refers to it as a "minor film." The G series are all summed up on a sentence or two each in the GKOTM review, as are the heisei series in G 1985.

Normally, such a book wouldn't be looked down as harshly, except books like Phil Hardy's Overlook Science Fiction Encyclopedia have set the standard for how to analyze the genre properly and insightfully. Hardy uses alot of psychological analysis in many of his reviews, and keeps it as objective as possible, and when he is subjective he allows you to see why (whether you agree or not.) Henderson on the other hand merely says "it is good" "it is bad" without saying why. He speaks of GINO (Tri-Star's G film) as being "completely respectful of its original source material" and wonders why fans and critics didn't like it. Well, if Henderson had done his research, he would have known why the film was universally bashed, and making such comments like his only invites hardcore GINO bashers to further vent. Henderson should have explain how it was respectful rather than tell us. There is nothing wrong with a differing opinion as long as you can explain your reasons for it. Otherwise, it becomes a hollow statement.

Of ID4's liberal use of science, he states that "it's reduced to its most simplistic form in many cases, at least it's reasonably accurate." He also claims the ALIEN series got better after part two, which he called the worst of the series. Again, I have no qualms about differing opinions, but he states that ID4 is an entertaining movie all around despite its inaccurate science and yet blasts ALIENS for being a special effects spectacle that throws basic science out the window. Again, I have no problems with opinions but I do have a problem with inconsistency, and the comparison of his reviews of ID4 and ALIENS symbolizes much of what the problem is.

There quite a few reviews that are summed up with a sentence and supposedly witty remark, but it does nothing for the reader to grow curious about the film's content. Though there are some reviews where he hits the mark (his reviews for Jurassic Park and Cronenberg's The Fly for instance are dead on,) there just isn't enough of it to make me continue further. Hardy's reviews are consistent and thought provoking. Henderson's are lazy and frustrating.

In short, if you already own Hardy's book, don't bother wasting your money on Henderson's. However, if you have nothing and want a good place to start a book collection of genre films, this book is affordable and would make a nice gift for simple minds.

The author of this book takes a smug, superior attitude in his reviews, that I found very off-putting. I should have known I was in trouble when, early in his introduction, he says his basic premise is that 90% of everything is garbage. He then proceeds to demonstrate that view in his reviews. And, despite his know-it-all attitude, I spotted several errors of fact in various reviews, for example, his referring to the Gene Barry character in War of the Worlds as Dr. "Clayton", as though Clayton were the character's last name. This may seem like a small item, but the author himself continually nitpicks the movies he is reviewing, so turn-about is fair play. I would give the book one star, except for a few insights I found. However, I decided the book was not worth keeping as a reference, and have already disposed of it at a used bookstore.

There is no scale for this book, which is not written by William Shatner. It is written by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, who, judging from this writing, are the worst hacks ever to invade the Star Trek quadrant.

It might as _well_ be written by Bill--it's so over-the-top that Bill would not shrug his shoulders in denial at having been responsible for it.

This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read, and I have read possibly close to a million by now.

Bill, in his "Star Trek Memories," does not shy away from the italics, but these women employ them almost every paragraph, almost in an italics-as-punctuation style.

Possibly the worst thing about the book is that every time Star Trek is mentioned, it's spelled in all caps, as in STAR TREK.Considering that it's mentioned about 12 times per page, STAR TREK gets a little tiresome, to say the least

Here's some sample atrocious writing:

"Some part of that victory has been won by the kind of artist and the kind of man who is willing to put himself on the line for the kind of art he believes in and the kinds of things he wants to say."

Whaaaa????

"Shatner has done that, and it has cost him. And he has also done the hard-boiled, feed-the-family choices."

Is this tripe for real? One wonders whether Shatner was sharing his ample fruits in the same large bed with these authors at the time the book was written.

Don't believe the reports that this book is "hard to find"... or rather, DO believe them. It's hard to find because most conscientious buyers of this book will have destroyed their copy a long time ago and seen to it that its remains were disposed of as "toxic waste."

Buy this book at your own risk of losing many, many precious brain cells.