Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir inspired by True Events

This book was ridiculous, zany, and a riotous good time. Taking place in the in the 1991 heyday of the filming of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it blurs the line between truth and fiction, combining completely outlandish noir tropes and events (sexy mystery twins!) with possible, but too-dramatic-to-be-believed situations (gun play! multiple, competing stalkers!), hilarious statements from and "facts" about Spiner's fellow Star Trek castmates, and true details about the year's events, the work of making a TV show, and Spiner's life and childhood. It's faithful to the noir and mystery genres while being very, very funny.

He had me at pig penis.

You didn’t expect a book by Brent Spiner to have a typical start, did you? Especially when the book is based on the relationship between a celebrity and his fans.

Spiner provides a brief autobiography in the prologue. He then introduces his mem-noir by making it clear that he is presenting a fictional version of his life and those people with whom he interacts. He’s putting the reader into a parallel universe, where the events in his story could happen. Instead of presenting one scenario, he combines multiple encounters to shine the light on some of the lengths people will use a celebrity they barely know and turn that celebrity into a key focal point of their lives.

Fans who send strange gifts, such as a pig show more penis. Fans who lash out if they do not get their desired response from a celebrity. Fans who fulfill fantasies by inserting their version of a celebrity into their lives. Fans who want their moments at a celebrity convention to be significant. Fans who turn into predators and believe that if they can’t have that celebrity then no one can.

It’s not just the fans. People are so focused on what a celebrity could do for them that they neglect their jobs and responsibilities. They want a leg up in the industry, either in front of the camera or behind the scenes. Spiner plays up the trope about everyone wanting to sell a screenplay when one he rejects ends up on a hilarious journey of its own.

I enjoyed meeting the characterizations of his fellow actors. It’s more personal to put names to faces instead of using generic characters as stand-ins. Spiner did not present full personification but honed in on a few traits that fit into the story. I could picture them in my head, and their interactions felt credible from my point of view as a fan.

Are you looking for a fun read? Do you enjoy science fiction? Are you a superfan of a show and/or a celebrity? Do you envision a personal relationship with your favorite actor or character? You would enjoy reading this book. show less

Fun Romp Through Star Trek: TNG In Its Heyday. This is a fictionalized loose autobiography featuring Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation - and more specifically, Brent Spiner, the human actor who portrayed him. As one of those Autistics that Spiner mentions during the course of this story as eventually being told so many of us looked up to that character, I can absolutely attest to that being true... and one of the reasons he became so legendary to me. But the story itself is pure light-noir Hollywood, with quite a bit of comedy tossed into a plot that is nominally about obsessive fans and the more serious aspects of how that can go a bit off the rails. Most of the rest of the cast of TNG comes through in various bits, with show more Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton getting the most "screen time" here but even Michael Dorf, Gates McFadden, and yes, Sir Patrick Stewart himself all getting at least one scene of direct interaction with Brent within these pages. Still, as a "fictionalized autobiography" / noir, these scenes aren't meant as literal "this happened" so much as "this is true to who these people were in my experience, even as these exact interactions are fictionalized". As such, it offers a great view "behind the scenes"... without *actually* going "behind the scenes". Great use of the medium, and a quick ish read to boot- I read it in a single afternoon. Very much recommended. show less

WHAT'S FAN FICTION ABOUT?
During the filming of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Brent Spiner starts receiving threatening (and disturbing) packages and letters delivered to his trailer. They're purportedly from "Lal" (Data's daughter from episode 3.16 "The Offspring").

Those aren't the only interesting letters he's receiving, there are also a series of letters from someone claiming to speak to Spiner on the phone at night while her husband is out of town on business. These conversations are apparently quite graphic and sexual in nature, while the letters that are in response to them are very benign, and maybe a little tragic.

Spiner gets help from the LAPD, the FBI, a personal bodyguard, and fictionalized versions of his ST:TNG show more costars as the threats increase in intensity. This assistance bounces from comical to incredibly effective, while Spiner's worry and stress (and increasing lack of sleep) start to spiral out of control and his grasp on sanity starts to slip.

FAN CONNECTION
When it comes to his stalker, the late-night phone call recipient, a law enforcement officer/would-be-TV-writer, a pizza delivery man—and a few others, the relationship between fan and performer is clearly unhealthy.

But throughout there is a thread of meaningful connections being made through Spiner's performance to the audience. There were a couple of really sweet moments we see because of this—in the midst of the satiric madness, they really ground the work and help you remember that Spiner was more than someone suffering from a sleep-deprived paranoia.

I'M LIKELY TO BE THE ONLY ONE BOTHERED BY THIS, BUT...
We spend a lot of time with ST:TNG and have references to other parts of Spiner's career before that, but not one single nod to Bob Wheeler?

That's the role that made me a fan of Spiner—probably would've found another 1/2 Star or so if there'd been a quality joke about him.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT FAN FICTION?
I don't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book—it was just a blast. I laughed and/or chuckled frequently, cringed a couple of times (in a good way), and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

That starts with the characters: Spiner's antics and reactions to his situation were great. The comically-exaggerated versions of the ST:TNG cast were fantastic—I wouldn't mind reading a series of Spiner's adventures just to see those again. The Bodyguard and FBI officer rounded out the cast of characters in an entertaining way that also provided the lethal abilities required to keep Spiner alive in the face of the threat.

The stalker's actions in other settings would be hair-raising and chilling—but given the comic tone, they become ridiculous. And you can't wait to see what extreme "Lal" will go to next.

Spiner's humanity (depicted as very flawed) shines through in the midst of the madness. When that's combined with the heartwarming fan connections, they make this surprisingly sweet as much as it is comically dark. All in all, a real winner.

Fans of Star Trek or Hollywood satires need to get their hands on it. show less

When I was fourteen I decided it was time to give up my addiction and turn my life around.

I committed to giving up television.

I was a TV addict. I started with Romper Room and Howdy Doody and went on to the Mickey Mouse Club and Sky King and Lassie. By the time I was nine, Twilight Zone was my can’t miss show. I watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Man From Uncle. When I turned eleven I discovered classic movies on Bill Kennedy Showtime.

I needed an intervention. I gave up the sitcoms I watched with my little brother, with witches and genies and prison camps with inept Nazis. I gave up the late night movies with Mom. But one thing I did not give up was a new television show called Star Trek.

Yes, I am a Trekkie. I watched Star Trek show more with my mom. I watched all the subsequent Star Trek series, including the new ones on cable, and all the movies. My husband is a Trekkie. My son was raised a Trekkie. (Somewhere, stored in the basement is his Data figurine, along with the rest of the crew.)

How could I resist reading Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner, who played the android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation? It is set in 1989 during the production of the series.

It is hilarious. It is an insider’s look at fame. It features the Star Trek actors. It’s a mystery.

I enjoy dipping into a book that is pure entertainment in between heavier reads. This one had me laughing constantly. What more could I ask for? We don’t know what is fact and what is fictionalized for zany comedy, but a few things struck me as honest.

About the cast of TNG, Spiner writes, “The long hours and repetitive work either forge lifelong mates or create bitter enemies.” Spiner makes it clear that the cast had great friendships.

The ordeal of turning “a Texas Jew into an android from Omicron Theta” involved lots of gold makeup that wrecked havoc on his skin and floated onto the contacts and obscured his vision.

“Most of my family has been a part of the [family] business,” he explains, but he “was much more attracted to being a starving actor and facing a daily wall of rejection.”

The novel is a humorous retelling of his early career and life on TNG, with the ‘noir’ of the ‘mem-noir’ being central to the plot. Spiner receives death threats from someone who calls herself his daughter Lal, based on one of the episodes where Data creates an android daughter. He enlists the help of Cindy Lou, a detective, and her twin sister Candy as his hired protection. This turns into a complicated romantic triangle. Suspects include a fan who believes is making racy calls to her.

After the killer is identified and Spiner’s life returns to normal, he concludes that the episode has made him a better person and a better actor. “I’ve come to understand so much about the fear that has dominated my life,” he writes, and he advises letting our fears go and to live your life. His step-father was harsh and punitive, the foundation of his fear. Then, the deranged fan mail from Lal sent him into isolation, anticipating threats everywhere he went.

It’s good advice. Sure, we are going to die and there are forces and people out there who threaten us. But living in fear is not really living.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. show less

Fan Fiction is a memoir like no other. Brent Spiner plays Data on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard. Although he has had other roles, Data has cemented him in popular culture. Perhaps that gave him the impulse to write this most unique memoir, or perhaps more appropriately, memnoir. While Spiner sticks to the basic facts of his life, he adds some noir with a stalker who threatens to kill him, another who thinks she is his wife, and other assorted encounters.

The death threats are real enough that Spiner contacts the police and is sent to the Head of Obsessives, then the FBI gets involved when a beautiful FBI agent comes knocking. HEr twin sister begins work as his bodyguard with benefits. While this thriller advances, so do show more stories about his co-stars and his real life, his mother, and his former stepfather. What is true and what is false, I’m not sure we need to know.

I enjoyed Fan Fiction quite a bit, though I enjoyed the memoir more than the noir. I loved Spiner’s self-deprecating sense of humor and his stories that seemed unrelated to the mystery and be a lot of fun. I have googled “Did Michael Dorn study veterinary medicine?” several times. I want answers! The difficulty is wondering what is true and what is false. Of course, while reading it, I just accepted the premise and didn’t worry, I suspended disbelief. This was a fun, enjoyable romp that could not overcome the lesser feeling of jeopardy since the victim is still around to write the book and attend Star Trek conventions.

I received an ARC of Fan Fiction from the publisher through Shelf Awareness

Fan Fiction at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Brent Spiner on Twitter

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Brent Spiner’s novel, Fan-Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events, draws inspiration from his experience portraying Lt. Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation and how such a high-profile role attracts a great deal of fan attention, not all of it good. He fictionalizes his life to discuss a fan becoming obsessed with him and casting themselves as Data’s daughter Lal from the third season episode, “The Offspring.” They begin sending Spiner increasingly-threatening notes, driving him to paranoia and triggering an investigation involving Paramount security, the local police, and even the FBI. Spiner’s dry tone throughout recalls the style of Raymond Chandler’s novels, such as The Big Sleep, with a deftness of show more humor and humanity evocative of Michael Chabon. He blends fact and fiction in such a way that one cannot help but feel it accurately represents Hollywood in the ’90s, with all the personalities inhabiting it and those attracted to it. Funny in just the right ways, Spiner’s story has a perfectly cinematic quality to it that will delight fans of his work and those looking for something a little more idiosyncratic to read. show less