Everyone has a favourite Star Trek character, but if you were to poll enough fans, the one that would come out on top is undoubtedly Spock which is why I was intrigued to read the new book, ‘The Autobiography of Mr. Spock.’
Not to be confused with Leonard Nimoy’s own autobiography, ‘I Am Spock,’ this is a fictional account of the character’s life as written by author Una Mccormack. What makes the book especially interesting for long-time fans (or fascinating, as Spock would say) is that it reveals never-before-told details of his life on Vulcan and on his time on the Enterprise.
Written in the first person as a final testament to be delivered to trusted friend Jean-Luc Picard, with whom he has a special bond thanks to them having mind-melded with each other, the book explores Spock’s difficult childhood on Vulcan with Michael Burnham, his controversial enrolment at Starfleet Academy, his time on the Enterprise with both Kirk and Pike, and his moves to his diplomatic and ambassadorial roles, including his clandestine mission to Romulus.
Each chapter focuses on his relationships with one of the important figures in his life, including his father Sarek, sister Michael Burnham, Christopher Pike, Kirk, McCoy, and others, all told in his own distinctive voice. At times, I felt that there was maybe a bit too much Vulcan language sprinkled throughout the text that it became difficult to remember which words meant what, but I suppose they give it a certain amount of verisimilitude.
The books tie together all of the threads of Spock’s long life so that details from the Trek timeline are united and gaps in between are filled in to make it all seem coherent. Fans expecting breathless descriptions of his most famous Starfleet missions will likely be disappointed as much of the book focuses on his personal relationships, especially with his family.
The diary nature of this book makes it very different from the typical novel from the Star Trek litverse because it doesn’t actually have a plot of any sort. It’s more of an anthology of personal reminiscences so it’s hard to say if it will appeal to anyone but the most hard-core fans. It would be interesting to compare this book to others in the series that tell the life stories of James T. Kirk, Kathyrn Janeway and Jean-Luc Picard. What, no Benjamin Sisko?
Interested in reading ‘The Autobiography of Mr. Spock’ for yourself? You can buy it at the Book Depository where worldwide delivery is free.