Category: Book Reviews

Did you watch the Rise And Fall Of ECW DVD set that was released back in 2004? Then you pretty much know what to expect from WWE’s next attempt to cash in on the sudden ECW explosion with what is essentially the book version of that particular set. The book pretty much covers the territory that was already covered on the DVD, but also includes material talking about the One Night Stand PPV that took place in 2005; the show that everyone raved about and whose success resulted in a revival of ECW the following people that most people would wish hadn’t happened.

I got this on the cheap because it was on discount one time and for what it’s worth, it covers the same ground as the DVD in book form, which means you’ll get a nice look at the origins of ECW, what made it hip and popular, a look at some of the personalities that made ECW a thing (as well as interview blurbs with said personalities – or at least the ones contracted to WWE at the time), and the events that lead to the eventual fall of ECW. There’s also some extra bits not featured on the DVD and the book does touch on the first One Night Stand PPV in 2005.

There’s not much to say about this one. If you’ve seen the DVD, there’s very little “new” material that you’ll come across. It’s a fun little read, regardless. Blew through this one in a couple nights and better written than most of the WWE tripe I’ve come across. If you want a good book on ECW, this might be worth a shot, but you’re better off tracking down the DVD instead.

Dracula: The Un-Dead is a miserable pile of wretch.

(Spoiler warning after the break)

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW – Dracula: The Un-Dead (2009)”

So… the Rock was the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. And after the success of Mick Foley’s first autobiography Have A Nice Day, it only made sense that the Rock should also pen a book of his exploits. This came out in 2000… and it’s only fitting that I’d do a review on this thing roughly ten years later and see how well it holds up.

Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW – The Rock Says (2000)”

This book is trash.

There. I said it. Ripping the bandage off.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW – Chyna: If They Only Knew… (2001)”

Prime Directive refers to Starfleet General Order One, the single most important directive that prohibits Starfleet officers from interfering in the natural evolution of a species, especially those of a lesser technological stage. Countless stories have been told throughout the forty-two years of Star Trek that tackles the Prime Directive in some form or other. Perhaps one of the strongest stories – if not THE strongest story – to explore the Prime Directive and the ramifications of its violation comes in the form of the eponymous 1990 novel from the husband-wife writing team of Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

Simply put, the U.S.S. Enterprise is charged with the observation of a pre-warp civilization, something goes horrifically wrong, and Captain Kirk is charged with violating the Prime Directive and forced out of the service. So now the book is all about Kirk and his crew trying to figure out what really happened and hopefully clear his name. Now, of course, by the time we reach the end of the book, the status quo will have been restored; this is a Star Trek novel that isn’t going to affect the canon in any way. So you’re left with the journey of how our main characters are going to resolve the situation that they were placed in.

Prime Directive is one of those classic Trek novels that still holds its weight and does a far better job of tackling the consequences of violating Starfleet’s most sacred law than any other form of Trek media to date. It is a book that introduces massive stakes, presents our heroes with a seemingly impossible situation, and the road to its resolution and the return to their usual roles is depicted with enough interesting twists and turns that won’t keep you second guessing, but it will keep you engaged. Most importantly, all the characters are true to their depictions. There’s never a moment where you won’t be going “That’s not how so-so is supposed to act.” When it comes to capture the voices and nuances of that original crew, the Reeves-Stevens have nailed those voices to a tee in most of their outings and this one is no exception.

There are seldom few Star Trek novels from the early days that I would go back and read over and over due to the strength of the material. Prime Directive ranks up there as one of the best. Well worth a read or twenty.

The Ashes Of Eden is the first Star Trek novel written by William Shatner (co-written with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Steven) and is the first book in the series of Star Trek books that would chronicle the further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk after the movies. This series would be dubbed the “Shatner-verse” and was its own self-contained series that would have no baring on official Star Trek canon or even the canon of the Star Trek novels once that became a thing.

Truth be told, I’ve only read the first couple books at most and dropped off afterwards when they started diving into mirror universe bits and bobs. That, along with the fact that these books would more or less be their own self-contained continuity with no relevance towards the larger literary universe the other Trek novels of the time were establishing, meant that others were free to skip these and do their own thing, which was probably for the best considering some of the narrative choices these things go on… but this isn’t about those later books. This is about The Ashes Of Eden, the story of a James Kirk who is unhappy with the notion of retirement that when he receives the offer of one final mission from a mysterious woman, he is more than happy to accept, even if that mission puts him at odds with an ever changing Starfleet.

Whatever you want to say about William Shatner, never let it be said that he cannot spin a good yarn. And the Ashes of Eden feels like a story written by a man who clearly struggles with the idea of being passed on and will do what he can to stay relevant and active; something that he has infused into the character that he has played for a quarter century and thus should know very well. Whatever the circumstances, the character and actions of Kirk are truly believable and consistent with what we know of him from years of on-screen adventures; a man who will not allow himself to fade into obscurity and will prove he still has something to offer to this galaxy.

Sometimes, this might come at the expense of the other characters, who may come across as either bumbling idiots or ignorant fools. The rest of the cast sometimes feels true to themselves, but some actions, you feel, are out of place and are only there to instill the strength of the central Kirk character. In essence, this is the Star Trek V scenario that Shatner envisioned of a Kirk against his crew sort of deal, except there is no Nimoy or Kelley to argue that they would never go against their captain… but apparently James Doohan was around because Scotty is the only other member of the crew by Kirk’s side during this little adventure… and dare I say, he comes off slightly better here than he did in Shatner’s film debut.

All in all, The Ashes Of Eden is a tremendous book and certainly a nice little last hurrah for Jim Kirk as only William Shatner could tell it… if only it had remained at this one book…

It’s safe to say that I’ve been a fan of the Wrestlecrap website for many years now. The long running website maintained by RD Reynolds, which spotlights many of the ridiculous, stupid, and just plain bad moments in wrestling lore (within comedic context) has always brought a smile to my face upon every entry. So much so that when RD produced his first book, I happily purchased it. Same goes for his follow-up book, The Death Of WCW; also written by Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly fame.

So long story short, I’ve recently managed to snag a copy of RD Reynolds’ latest tome; a compilation of lists and focusing mostly on the Wrestlecrap side of things. And I can honestly say that the third time’s a charm as he (along with fellow cohort Blade Braxton) has managed to produce a decidedly funny and interesting book with lots of lists in it.

Not to say that his earlier works were crap (the first book was a good sampler of the website, the second book was also a good read on a morbid subject matter), but I felt like this was a book that was more suited to the Wrestlecrap genre. Many of the lists were genuinely funny and include stuff that you never knew had actually happened. But do you know why this book is great? They actually show off the Katie Vick outfit that they had bought through WWE’s website… If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s probably for the best.

This isn’t a book that pokes fun at wrestling’s lesser or failed gimmicks with any sense of maliciousness, but rather, it’s a celebration of said gimmicks, whether it’s the stuff that we didn’t think sucked back then or whether it’s the stuff that we always knew was kind of shit. All in all, this was a pretty good read that’s well worth checking out.

The success of the Wrestlecrap book prompted Wrestlecrap curator R.D. Reynolds to cook up another book. One that would tackle the rise and fall of once-prominent wrestling promotion known as World Championship Wrestling. This time, however, he wouldn’t be alone as he would partner up with Figure 4 Weekly head Bryan Alvarez to chronicle this interesting look into what made WCW the dominant force that almost drove the World Wrestling Federation into bankruptcy before everything fell apart… hence why the book is called The Death Of WCW and not The Life Of WCW.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW – The Death Of WCW (2004)”

With the new Wrestlecrap Book of Lists coming up, it seemed only appropriate that I’d go back and revisit RD Reynold’s first literary opus, which is basically a book version of his Wrestlecrap website.

Note: In case anyone didn’t get this hint, Randy Baer is R.D. Reynolds’ shoot real name. Sorry if I’m breaking the kayfabe here, kids.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW – Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst Of Professional Wrestling (2003)”