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Book Review of TekWar (Jake Cardigan, Bk 1)

TekWar (Jake Cardigan, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 72 more book reviews


Jake Cardigan, former cop in the 22nd century, Greater Los Angeles. We pick up the story line as Jake is returning to society after being framed and wrongly convicted for being on the wrong side of the Tek trade. Tek being a drug of the day.

After seeing William Shatner books come in and disappear from the bookstore shelves, I determined that I should test his skills and see what was exciting his audience. By going back to his first book, published in 1989, I was able to see where he started and how he pieced together his stories.

This book is a combination of detective drama, thriller, and science fiction all rolled together. Although the dialogue showed he was learning, and the construction was not complex, the story line was well thought out, with twists and turns throughout. Shatner allows us to meet and bond with Jake Cardigan, the main character, and to get "inside his head" as he comes to grips with a personal world that has totally changed from the one he left.

On balance, the maturity of story development helps to offset some aches and pains in Shatner's learning to be a story teller. It is a very good start and I will be encouraged to compare it to later books in the series.