Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events

by Brent Spiner, Jeanne Darst (With)

Overview

Brent Spiner’s explosive and hilarious novel is a personal look at the slightly askew relationship between a celebrity and his fans. If the Coen Brothers were to make a Star Trek movie, involving the complexity of fan obsession and sci-fi, this noir comedy might just be the one.

Set in 1991, just as Star Trek: The Next Generation has rocketed the cast to global fame, the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and a series of disturbing letters, that take him on a terrifying and bizarre journey that enlists Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI in putting a stop to the danger that has his life and career hanging in the balance.

Featuring a cast of characters from Patrick Stewart to LeVar Burton to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, to some completely imagined, this is the fictional autobiography that takes readers into the life of Brent Spiner, and tells an amazing tale about the trappings of celebrity and the fear he has carried with him his entire life.

Fan Fiction is a zany love letter to a world in which we all participate, the phenomenon of “Fandom.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250846730
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	618,971
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

BRENT SPINER is an actor, comedian, and singer best known for playing the android Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987-1994. He has appeared in numerous television roles, in films, and in theatre on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in Los Angeles. He currently has a role in the T.V. series Star Trek: Picard.

Editorial Reviews

"[A] diverting memoir-mystery hybrid...Spiner’s debut is an homage to fans: where would celebrities be without them?" —Publishers Weekly

"Like the man himself, this book is funny, sharp, and brilliant. You’re going to love it, and Brent, even if you’ve never heard of “Star Trek”. It’s one of the most entertaining books ever written about entertainment." —Phil Rosenthal (creator, writer, producer), creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and star of Somebody Feed Phil

“Fan Fiction is perfect! I loved that damn book. Lots of laugh out loud moments and real heart. Actor Brent Spiner’s pop-culture infused memoir is hilarious, warm, insightful, and absolutely delightful! Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Ink

"Brent Spiner’s rollicking meta-memoir is a meditation on celebrity, Hollywood, fandom, ego, and self-discovery, hidden inside a black comedy shell. This wildly entertaining novel opens the doors to the Starship Enterprise and the making of Star Trek: The Next Generation even as it peers into the soul of the actor and the utterly crazy world around him. Richly comic and surprisingly moving, Fan Fiction is a gift to both Trek fans and general readers. So put on your Raymond Chandler fedora, or your Starfleet uniform, and settle in for a wild ride through the underbelly and outer space of Hollywood." —John Logan, screenwriter of Skyfall, Gladiator, The Aviator

"Both laugh out loud funny and painfully dark, Brent Spiner has created a fictional autobiography that is filled with surprises." —Jonathan Frakes

"Brent takes us all on a wild ride in this fanciful tale." —Leonard Maltin

"Of all the pleasures Fan Fiction affords the reader — a gripping plot, deftly and delightfully twisted; an insider’s slant on a pop culture mega-phenomenon; an affecting personal narrative of childhood trauma overcome; an insightful meditation on the ambiguities of fandom — the greatest and most singular is Brent Spiner’s prose style. Dry, urbane, acerbic, self-deprecating and gently absurdist, it evokes a lost age of Hollywood autobiography. If Groucho Marx had played Commander Data, this is the kind of memoir he might have written." —Michael Chabon, Pulitzer-Prize winning author

“This is an entertaining and subversive Brent Spiner in Wonderland.” —Locus Magazine

“...well written, funny, sometimes outrageous, and entertaining.”

—Mystery and Suspense Magazine

"...like a mix of 'Fatal Attraction' and Robert Altman’s Hollywood-noir 'The Player'...And it’s a lot of fun, zipping along with humour, plot twists and thrills..." —Toronto Star

“Absolutely a book that could've only been written by Brent Spiner...a barroom epic, a party piece for dull cocktail hours, a story told without ego or shame just for the pure, weird joy of the telling.” —NPR

"Absolutely excellent! Great fun for anyone who loves Star Trek: TNG and comedy noir. Reads like a lost Coen Brothers movie. Go get it!" —Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead

From the Publisher

07/12/2021

Early in this diverting memoir-mystery hybrid set in 1991 from Spiner, who played the white-faced, yellow-eyed android, Lieutenant Commander Data, on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the actor receives a box containing a severed pig’s penis, along with a note from a crazy fan who claims she’s Data’s daughter, Lal. Other letters and packages containing odd tokens arrive. Aided by the sexy Jones twins—Cindy Lou, an FBI investigator, and Candy Lou, a private security consultant—Spiner tries to discover who Lal is before she can make good on her threats to kill him. Meanwhile, he reflects on experiences in his difficult childhood. Spiner’s castmates play supporting roles, including Patrick Stewart and his mellifluous voice, kind and obliging Jonathan Frakes, and thoughtful LeVar Burton. A surprise visit to the set from Ronald Reagan adds to the fun. Spiner’s debut is an homage to fans: where would celebrities be without them? Trekkies and Hollywood history buffs will be delighted. Agent: Albert Lee, UTA. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

This performance by “Star Trek” star Brent Spiner—who played the android Data—is accompanied by a slew of familiar cameos, zany sound effects, and musical enhancements sure to please a wide group of listeners. Spiner tells a completely fictional story about himself. After “The Next Generation” goes on the air, he receives an anonymous letter from a stalker who calls herself Lal, which is the name of the android created by Data in the show. Spiner’s life spirals into a mysterious adventure with an alluring bodyguard, a jaded old flame, and fellow “Star Trek” cast members. Every scene is delivered to entertain listeners at the fullest capacity. The noir moments are thrilling, character interactions amusing, and reveals shocking. Truly a masterpiece. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

This performance by “Star Trek” star Brent Spiner—who played the android Data—is accompanied by a slew of familiar cameos, zany sound effects, and musical enhancements sure to please a wide group of listeners. Spiner tells a completely fictional story about himself. After “The Next Generation” goes on the air, he receives an anonymous letter from a stalker who calls herself Lal, which is the name of the android created by Data in the show. Spiner’s life spirals into a mysterious adventure with an alluring bodyguard, a jaded old flame, and fellow “Star Trek” cast members. Every scene is delivered to entertain listeners at the fullest capacity. The noir moments are thrilling, character interactions amusing, and reveals shocking. Truly a masterpiece. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

2021-08-18
Spiner combines his life as an actor on Star Trek: The Next Generation with the tale of a murderously obsessive fan.

In the early 1990s, when The Next Generationis at its peak, Brent Spiner is living the life he’d always dreamed of. He plays Cmdr. Data, and aside from having to use kerosene to remove the gold makeup that turns him into his android character every day, things are going great. Then he gets a severed pig penis in the mail. The delusional fan continues to send disturbing gifts and threatens to kill Brent and other cast members. At first, Brent is wary, but he's more concerned with the show, his relationships, and the odd detective assigned to his case (who has a TNG script to plug. Hey, this is Hollywood, baby!). Then razor blades and bullets get involved, and so does the FBI. Brent soon is tangled up with a sexy FBI agent and her identical twin sister, who’s also his bodyguard; has run-ins with fans ranging from sincere to downright bizarre; and has to worry about making one of the most beloved shows on television while not actually dying. Panic attacks, nightmares, and sometimes hilarity ensue. Author Spiner calls his debut a “mem-noir,” because he weaves together Hollywood and Trekkie trivia, his experiences with real-life TNG cast and crew, his own traumatic childhood with an abusive stepfather, and an obsessive fan scenario that's not entirely made up, either. The story is quite accessible to non-Trekkies while never being overexplainy in ways fans would find tedious. Because it’s all told in a campy, dime-store–noir voice, one can never be sure what’s true and what’s fiction. Because Spiner is the victim, not the detective, he doesn’t get to break down doors or solve the crime, which makes the book less satisfying than it might have been. Spiner also sticks with the noir penchant for defining female characters by their looks, which is unfortunate. Though the writing is pithy and humorous, the book feels like it's directed at the stereotypical middle-aged, cis, male fans of the show even though TNG itself appeals to a much wider audience.

Fans of Star Trek, dime-store detective novels, or behind-the-scenes Hollywood tales will enjoy this quick read.

Kirkus Reviews