"Tekwar"

[Karnbeln]

I realize this is kind of off topic for the board, but I figure it's the best place for it.

I was wondering about the Tekwar book series. Is it any good? Or is it basically just famous because it's 'written' by William Shatner?

 

[Brynthe2]

I really did enjoy them when I was in high school, and I have considered giving them another read now that 15+ years have gone by to see if they still hold up, or if it was mostly just the "Shat Factor" combined with my young age, that lured me to them.. if I could find somewhere to pick up the entire collection again without having to hunt around, I'd most likely do so.

 

[Jim Gamma]

Tried reading one once. Couldn't get through it. I think that Shatner benefits a LOT from co-writing with the Reeves-Stevenses on the Shatnerverse Trek stuff.

 

[Christopher]

Tried reading one once. Couldn't get through it. I think that Shatner benefits a LOT from co-writing with the Reeves-Stevenses on the Shatnerverse Trek stuff.

Uhh, the TekWar novels were pretty much written by Ron Goulart, with Shatner presumably involved in a plotting/revising/approval capacity. From what I gather, Shatner may have been less directly involved in writing the TekWar books than he is in the Shatnerverse Trek books, but I can't be sure that information is accurate.

 

[ancient]

I've read two of them, but that was years ago. But I remember that they're your fairly basic futuristic detective/super agent type thing, with plenty of huge corrupt companies covering up deaths and using mysterious spy tech; or small South American countries trying to take over the world with high-tech drugs; that sort of thing.

I liked them at the time.

 

[T'Ressa Dax]

Never did get into them, but I'm not a huge Shatner fan anyway.

 

[Jim Gamma]

Tried reading one once. Couldn't get through it. I think that Shatner benefits a LOT from co-writing with the Reeves-Stevenses on the Shatnerverse Trek stuff.

Uhh, the TekWar novels were pretty much written by Ron Goulart, with Shatner presumably involved in a plotting/revising/approval capacity. From what I gather, Shatner may have been less directly involved in writing the TekWar books than he is in the Shatnerverse Trek books, but I can't be sure that information is accurate.

OK, thanks for the correction. Still doesn't change my opinion of 'em.

 

[UncleRogi]

if I recall correctly (which might be held to doubt), there was also a TV series here in the States, on USA I beleive, Where the Shat was not the star...
"tekwars" went on for quite a few books...none of comes close to the 'Shatnerverse."
"Preservers" was a very good book...thanx to the Reeves-Stevens folk

 

[Therin of Andor]

I was wondering about the Tekwar book series. Is it any good?

I loved the first three, but wished I'd stopped there.

 

[Christopher]

if I recall correctly (which might be held to doubt), there was also a TV series here in the States, on USA I beleive, Where the Shat was not the star...

It began as a series of 4 or 5 movies in the Universal Action Pack syndication block, which also gave us Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The movies were mostly loose adaptations of the novels. Greg Evigan starred as the Shatneresque lead character Jake Cardigan, but Shatner himself did appear in the movies in a different role, Cardigan's boss Walter Bascom. (Torri Higginson, later of Stargate Atlantis, also had a recurring role as Cardigan's love interest.) The movie series spun off a weekly USA series in which Shatner appeared in a few early episodes and rarely thereafter. In fact, the weekly series progressively killed off or wrote out most of the book characters.

 

[Jbarney]

I read a few of the early Tek War books and would like to finish them at some point. Too involved in trek reading right now though.

 

[UncleRogi]

if I recall correctly (which might be held to doubt), there was also a TV series here in the States, on USA I beleive, Where the Shat was not the star...

It began as a series of 4 or 5 movies in the Universal Action Pack syndication block, which also gave us Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The movies were mostly loose adaptations of the novels. Greg Evigan starred as the Shatneresque lead character Jake Cardigan, but Shatner himself did appear in the movies in a different role, Cardigan's boss Walter Bascom. (Torri Higginson, later of Stargate Atlantis, also had a recurring role as Cardigan's love interest.) The movie series spun off a weekly USA series in which Shatner appeared in a few early episodes and rarely thereafter. In fact, the weekly series progressively killed off or wrote out most of the book characters.

Thanks! I was SURE I wasn't hallucinating....

 

[OmahaStar]

I was wondering about the Tekwar book series. Is it any good?

I loved the first three, but wished I'd stopped there.

Funny you mention "three" ... That's one of two memories I have of these books. One, I thought they were poorly-written even when reading them as a child, and two, everything happens in threes.

When the lead encounters bad guys, it's always three bad guys. When he's being chased by ... I think it was bulls? ... it's three bulls. When he discovers something, it's three somethings. Everything is always "three" of whatever. That got old, even in the first book.

 

[Karnbeln]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I enjoyed the first novel but not enough to read any of the sequels.