Wit and wisdom for intelligent life forms who have gotten past kindergarten. For generations of Trekkies, Star Trek TV episodes, movies, and books are nothing less than scripture. With ad man Marinaccio's light-heavyweight collection of down-to-earth essays, the cult of the faithful has gained a new theologian and exegete. If a viewer is unsure of what an episode, character, or turn of plot in Star Trek really means, this short, sweet book will explain the intention of Gene Roddenberry (the series' Moses) and show how to apply the show's wisdom to life. Captain Kirk is the author's dominant lodestar for ethical and business success, a blend of good soldier and bold innovator. The captain always checks in with Starfleet Command and delegates responsibility when he beams down off the ship, and he is people-oriented enough to get the most out of the all-too-human Dr. McCoy and the half-human Mr. Spock. Marinaccio feels that leadership sometimes requires breaking the rules, as Captain Kirk ignores the Prime Directive (not to interfere with any civilization they explore) when ethical imperatives are involved. Marinaccio doesn't forget that this is a spoof on other advice books and that Star Trek is merely popular entertainment—no matter how much the writers borrowed from Shakespeare. The author's advertising career occasionally takes us off the bridge of the Enterprise (as does one skydiving diversion), but the book makes up for this with some insights into the enduring appeal of the Star Trek phenomenon. A delightful mix of satire and inspiration, nostalgia for a time when William Shatner could still pull in his gut, and patient optimism for the talent and moral vision of ``the Next Generation.''
Pub Date: June 3, 1994
ISBN: 0-517-59798-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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