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TekWar #6
Tek Power
Private eye Jake Cardigan must derail an insidious plot by the ruthless Tek cartel to replace the US president with an android designed to do the group’s dark bidding
William Shatner—TV’s original Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame—displays another side of his remarkable talent with his sixth science fictional excursion into a future world where the ubiquitous techno-drug Tek rules, and one man remains dedicated to wiping the scourge and its criminal suppliers from the face of tomorrow’s Earth.
Jake Cardigan, twenty-second-century ex-cop, private investigator, and former Tek user, has been given a special assignment by the head of the Cosmos Detective Agency: to track down the murderer of his daughter-in-law. It is a job that takes Jake and his partner, Sid Gomez, from Los Angeles to the East Coast and into the heart of a terrifying conspiracy surrounding the president of the United States. Unbeknownst to the nation and the world, President Warren Brookmeyer, a Tek addict, is in rehab and has been temporarily replaced by an android twin, indistinguishable from the real chief executive. But the brazen scheme to shield the country from the truth is, in reality, the brainchild of the ruthless and powerful TekLords, who intend to keep the simulacrum in power indefinitely in order to alter official policy concerning the dangerous mind-enhancing electronic drug. If Jake and Sid fail to expose and eliminate this treasonous plot, the president will surely die—along with liberty, the law, and the twenty-second-century American way.
William Shatner—TV’s original Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame—displays another side of his remarkable talent with his sixth science fictional excursion into a future world where the ubiquitous techno-drug Tek rules, and one man remains dedicated to wiping the scourge and its criminal suppliers from the face of tomorrow’s Earth.
Jake Cardigan, twenty-second-century ex-cop, private investigator, and former Tek user, has been given a special assignment by the head of the Cosmos Detective Agency: to track down the murderer of his daughter-in-law. It is a job that takes Jake and his partner, Sid Gomez, from Los Angeles to the East Coast and into the heart of a terrifying conspiracy surrounding the president of the United States. Unbeknownst to the nation and the world, President Warren Brookmeyer, a Tek addict, is in rehab and has been temporarily replaced by an android twin, indistinguishable from the real chief executive. But the brazen scheme to shield the country from the truth is, in reality, the brainchild of the ruthless and powerful TekLords, who intend to keep the simulacrum in power indefinitely in order to alter official policy concerning the dangerous mind-enhancing electronic drug. If Jake and Sid fail to expose and eliminate this treasonous plot, the president will surely die—along with liberty, the law, and the twenty-second-century American way.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 1994
10 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
William Shatner
131 books802 followersWilliam Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I'm Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he stars as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal -- a role for which he has won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 26, 2014
It's sci-fi, Jim...
Despite my soft spot for all things Trekkie and for the ever-lovely Cap'n James T Kirk, this is the first time I've tried one of his books. I say 'his books' but it seems to be a fairly open secret that they were in fact ghostwritten by Ron Goulart based on plot outlines created by William Shatner, though I can't confirm if that's true or false. Tek Power is the sixth in the series, and is based in a world of the not-too-distant future, where some kind of technological 'drug' is at the root of all kinds of gang warfare and corruption. Our hero is Jake Cardigan, one-time police officer, who now works in a private investigation agency alongside his old police colleague, Sid Gomez. There's clearly quite a bit of back-story to the characters but I didn't find that got in the way too much – this worked fine as a standalone.
When the cheatin' wife of the son of the investigation agency's owner is killed, the police are quick to class it as an accident and close the investigation down. But the agency head thinks there's more to it than that, and puts Jake and Sid on the case. Meantime the President of the US is about to go into rehab for his unfortunate tek addiction and, to fool the public, his place will be taken by an android double. It comes as no surprise to the reader to find that these two strands gradually come together...
In reality, this feels more like an '80s cop show than a sci-fi novel. Basically it's lots of chases and gunfights (only of course with laser guns), evil drug cartels, corrupt politicians, smart talking 'tecs, lovely but not always morally upright women, and seedy informants. The fact that several of these characters are played by androids is pretty incidental. Of course Cap'n James T Kirk morphed into TJ Hooker in the 80s, so it's not altogether surprising that both roles seem to have influenced him. Both Jake and Sid are likeable characters if not very deeply developed. They're like Starsky and Hutch – cool, indestructible and irresistible to women. The plot is silly, but then that ties in fine with the genre. The detection method can be summed up thus:-
Jake: Fingers McKay sent me here. He said you might know something about the case.
Slippery Sid: Here's a snippet of info, and now you should go see Charlie the Columbian.
(laser fight)
Jake: Slippery Sid sent me here. He said you might know something about the case.
Charlie the Columbian: Here's a snippet of info, and now you should go see Arnold the Android...
(skycar chase)
OK, I mock a little, but actually it's all quite fun so long as you're not looking for something to overtask your brain. There is a bit of a problem in that the futuristic technology is so out-of-date it's hard to take seriously. (The book was originally published in 1994.) They have 'vidphones' but they're not mobile, so people are still going to phone booths to make calls. Computers are not ubiquitous and things we would simply look up on Google take a good deal of finding out. But I think my favourite bit was when a crucial piece of evidence was stored on a video cassette – I bet there are kids today who won't even remember what that was. (Maybe they'll think it's incredibly futuristic though!)
The series certainly seems to have a fan-base since it has apparently spun off TV movies and a series, and a computer game. Personally I wouldn't say that I'll be actively seeking out the rest of the books, but despite my mockery I did quite enjoy this – it's a light-hearted action romp that isn't trying to take itself too seriously and, as such, fills a few hours quite entertainingly.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Open Road.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Despite my soft spot for all things Trekkie and for the ever-lovely Cap'n James T Kirk, this is the first time I've tried one of his books. I say 'his books' but it seems to be a fairly open secret that they were in fact ghostwritten by Ron Goulart based on plot outlines created by William Shatner, though I can't confirm if that's true or false. Tek Power is the sixth in the series, and is based in a world of the not-too-distant future, where some kind of technological 'drug' is at the root of all kinds of gang warfare and corruption. Our hero is Jake Cardigan, one-time police officer, who now works in a private investigation agency alongside his old police colleague, Sid Gomez. There's clearly quite a bit of back-story to the characters but I didn't find that got in the way too much – this worked fine as a standalone.
When the cheatin' wife of the son of the investigation agency's owner is killed, the police are quick to class it as an accident and close the investigation down. But the agency head thinks there's more to it than that, and puts Jake and Sid on the case. Meantime the President of the US is about to go into rehab for his unfortunate tek addiction and, to fool the public, his place will be taken by an android double. It comes as no surprise to the reader to find that these two strands gradually come together...
In reality, this feels more like an '80s cop show than a sci-fi novel. Basically it's lots of chases and gunfights (only of course with laser guns), evil drug cartels, corrupt politicians, smart talking 'tecs, lovely but not always morally upright women, and seedy informants. The fact that several of these characters are played by androids is pretty incidental. Of course Cap'n James T Kirk morphed into TJ Hooker in the 80s, so it's not altogether surprising that both roles seem to have influenced him. Both Jake and Sid are likeable characters if not very deeply developed. They're like Starsky and Hutch – cool, indestructible and irresistible to women. The plot is silly, but then that ties in fine with the genre. The detection method can be summed up thus:-
Jake: Fingers McKay sent me here. He said you might know something about the case.
Slippery Sid: Here's a snippet of info, and now you should go see Charlie the Columbian.
(laser fight)
Jake: Slippery Sid sent me here. He said you might know something about the case.
Charlie the Columbian: Here's a snippet of info, and now you should go see Arnold the Android...
(skycar chase)
OK, I mock a little, but actually it's all quite fun so long as you're not looking for something to overtask your brain. There is a bit of a problem in that the futuristic technology is so out-of-date it's hard to take seriously. (The book was originally published in 1994.) They have 'vidphones' but they're not mobile, so people are still going to phone booths to make calls. Computers are not ubiquitous and things we would simply look up on Google take a good deal of finding out. But I think my favourite bit was when a crucial piece of evidence was stored on a video cassette – I bet there are kids today who won't even remember what that was. (Maybe they'll think it's incredibly futuristic though!)
The series certainly seems to have a fan-base since it has apparently spun off TV movies and a series, and a computer game. Personally I wouldn't say that I'll be actively seeking out the rest of the books, but despite my mockery I did quite enjoy this – it's a light-hearted action romp that isn't trying to take itself too seriously and, as such, fills a few hours quite entertainingly.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Open Road.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
February 18, 2016
This book works like this, Jake and Gomez talk to someone who tells them to talk to someone else who tells them to talk to someone else who tells them to talk to someone else who tells them to talk to someone else...
Some awful dialogue, especially with Gomez and his constant "Ay carumba, or chihuahua, or cara"
The series started off okay, but it really limps along as it goes...
Some awful dialogue, especially with Gomez and his constant "Ay carumba, or chihuahua, or cara"
The series started off okay, but it really limps along as it goes...
July 26, 2024
Writing advice:
Q. What do you do when you realize that you've written 300 pages, and are nowhere close to even beginning to resolve your plot?
A. Kill off most of the bad guys -including ones who've yet to share a page with your heroes- in an earthquake.
That happens in this book. It's amazing.
Q. What do you do when you realize that you've written 300 pages, and are nowhere close to even beginning to resolve your plot?
A. Kill off most of the bad guys -including ones who've yet to share a page with your heroes- in an earthquake.
That happens in this book. It's amazing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2014
This is the sixth book in the Tek series but the first time I have read one. I think that was not wise. There is much to like about some of the characters but there is a lot of back story that I missed because I came to the series late.
It is set in the 23rd Century and William Shatner has created a world that is reasonably plausible although some of the technology and the terms for the technology seem more he has just jazzed up what we have today. Let's face it, technology in our own lives has leapfrogged so dramatically that one can only assume another two centuries and our current concepts will be obsolete. But I niggle.
The premise that there are evil people who might choose to circumvent democracy using a robot that can be programmed to replace the President and do the bidding of the evil doers is believable. The idea that those people would use any means to prevent that secret from being revealed is also believable. The two main characters, Jake and Sid, are interesting but again, perhaps if I had read the five previous books, I might have become more invested in them.
I would say that if you like futuristic fantasy/sci-fi, or have a soft spot for Shatner( which I confess I do), this is well worth a pick up. But I do recommend, checking out earlier novels rather than coming in mid-stream as I did.
It is set in the 23rd Century and William Shatner has created a world that is reasonably plausible although some of the technology and the terms for the technology seem more he has just jazzed up what we have today. Let's face it, technology in our own lives has leapfrogged so dramatically that one can only assume another two centuries and our current concepts will be obsolete. But I niggle.
The premise that there are evil people who might choose to circumvent democracy using a robot that can be programmed to replace the President and do the bidding of the evil doers is believable. The idea that those people would use any means to prevent that secret from being revealed is also believable. The two main characters, Jake and Sid, are interesting but again, perhaps if I had read the five previous books, I might have become more invested in them.
I would say that if you like futuristic fantasy/sci-fi, or have a soft spot for Shatner( which I confess I do), this is well worth a pick up. But I do recommend, checking out earlier novels rather than coming in mid-stream as I did.
June 22, 2017
This was pretty good; it was a fast read and I did enjoy it. I felt the overall narrative had a better flow to it, and the idea "behind the story", while not really original, was still a good plot device. The character development was spotty. I actually enjoyed the story [even though some of it did seem a little contrived, some a little too coincidental, and other parts too forced].
This book did not quite have the "feel" of the earlier books in the series; it did not seem so dark or dingy [even though it did still have a "dystopic" feel to it, just not nearly as much as the earlier stories]. It feels really funny to say this, but other than the periodic "futuristic word" here and there [as well as "future technology" like laser guns, stun guns, and flying cars, as well as numerous mentions of the prolific androids], it did not "feel" like a "science fiction" story, either. More like a "buddy cop" story that happened to use futuristic technology as a part of the storytelling. I do not know how to describe it, but the book definitely had a different feel to it than.
Also, I cannot say what kind of Private Detectives Jake and Sid are, or how good they really are, to be honest. .
I did enjoy reading this book. I felt the authors did a decent job writing this tale.
This book did not quite have the "feel" of the earlier books in the series; it did not seem so dark or dingy [even though it did still have a "dystopic" feel to it, just not nearly as much as the earlier stories]. It feels really funny to say this, but other than the periodic "futuristic word" here and there [as well as "future technology" like laser guns, stun guns, and flying cars, as well as numerous mentions of the prolific androids], it did not "feel" like a "science fiction" story, either. More like a "buddy cop" story that happened to use futuristic technology as a part of the storytelling. I do not know how to describe it, but the book definitely had a different feel to it than.
Also, I cannot say what kind of Private Detectives Jake and Sid are, or how good they really are, to be honest. .
I did enjoy reading this book. I felt the authors did a decent job writing this tale.
November 13, 2024
Good Book
This book was pretty good. My only problem was that there were too many Spanish words. I don't speak Spanish and I got kind of annoyed that I would have to stop reading and look up the words to find their meaning. This slows me down and I already read slow enough as it is. This is why I removed a star. Other than that it was a very good book. If you read Spanish or are just one who doesn't care what the Spanish words mean, then you should be alright. The story starts out with the murder of the detective agency chief's son's wife, but that leads to a much more sinister plot involving the President. Good plot and a well written story. Except as noted above I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
This book was pretty good. My only problem was that there were too many Spanish words. I don't speak Spanish and I got kind of annoyed that I would have to stop reading and look up the words to find their meaning. This slows me down and I already read slow enough as it is. This is why I removed a star. Other than that it was a very good book. If you read Spanish or are just one who doesn't care what the Spanish words mean, then you should be alright. The story starts out with the murder of the detective agency chief's son's wife, but that leads to a much more sinister plot involving the President. Good plot and a well written story. Except as noted above I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
March 27, 2023
I should have reviewed this one right after I read it. Cardigan is pushed as the main character of this series, but Gomez really carries things as much or possibly more than Jake does. ...that was the main thought I had while reading.
March 16, 2024
Was hoping to rate it less. This was actually the worst one yet. The previous entry was a small improvement too, what a shame.
Nonsensical plot, as always far too many empty voids of characters, and dialogue that hurts your soul.
Nonsensical plot, as always far too many empty voids of characters, and dialogue that hurts your soul.
November 21, 2025
Dated, but solidly plotted and still entertaining.
April 21, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.75 of 5
If you combined Captain James T. Kirk with Sergeant T. J. Hooker you'd get Private Investigator Jake Cardigan. If you don't already know who Captain Kirk or T.J. Hooker are, you're probably not going to be interested in this book.
William Shatner is listed as the author on this book six of the TekWar book series. The series features a P.I. in the future and 'Tek' is an illegal, digital drug that comes as a microchip. In this volume, a drug cartel has plans to kidnap/kill the U.S. President and replace him with an android. The plan is already in action as the president, a Tek addict, has been hospitalized and an android is in his place and no one realizes. Jake and his partner, Sid Gomez must expose the plot or the real president will die and the All-American way of life could be gone.
This is actually a pretty good idea for a story (and it's been done very well recently with the "Nexus" books by Ramez Naam), and even given that it was written two decades ago and it hasn't aged well (VCRs?) there is some fun here. For a book about drugs and kidnapping the president, it's a pretty light-weight book. Our protagonists go from one lead or source to another with a comical regularity with an occasional chase or fight in between leads.
There is also an attempt at a lot of humor inside the story - this is not surprising given that the book is ghost-written by Ron Goulart, an author who wrote a lot of humorous sci-fi in the 1970's and 1980's. But the humor also feels a bit dated. Things that I thought might be funny when I was in my teens or twenties (such as getting the hispanic/latino name wrong) are not very funny now, in my mid-fifties.
I never really bought into the characters. Of course it was hard for me not to picture William Shatner as Jake Donovan, and while that might have worked in the 80's, picturing the Shatner of today trying to carry off this role now...? It didn't help my reading.
The series clearly has a following (the books have spawned comics, movies, and a television show), and this particular book isn't a bad read, but it's not particularly memorable either. I can't recommend it but if you come across it and choose to give it a read, it would be a decent way to spend a few afternoons.
Looking for a good book? Tek Power, by William Shatner, is the sixth book in a series about a detective in the future. It is dated and not nearly as intense as one might expect from a book about detectives and drugs, but it's a pleasant way to pass some time.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
If you combined Captain James T. Kirk with Sergeant T. J. Hooker you'd get Private Investigator Jake Cardigan. If you don't already know who Captain Kirk or T.J. Hooker are, you're probably not going to be interested in this book.
William Shatner is listed as the author on this book six of the TekWar book series. The series features a P.I. in the future and 'Tek' is an illegal, digital drug that comes as a microchip. In this volume, a drug cartel has plans to kidnap/kill the U.S. President and replace him with an android. The plan is already in action as the president, a Tek addict, has been hospitalized and an android is in his place and no one realizes. Jake and his partner, Sid Gomez must expose the plot or the real president will die and the All-American way of life could be gone.
This is actually a pretty good idea for a story (and it's been done very well recently with the "Nexus" books by Ramez Naam), and even given that it was written two decades ago and it hasn't aged well (VCRs?) there is some fun here. For a book about drugs and kidnapping the president, it's a pretty light-weight book. Our protagonists go from one lead or source to another with a comical regularity with an occasional chase or fight in between leads.
There is also an attempt at a lot of humor inside the story - this is not surprising given that the book is ghost-written by Ron Goulart, an author who wrote a lot of humorous sci-fi in the 1970's and 1980's. But the humor also feels a bit dated. Things that I thought might be funny when I was in my teens or twenties (such as getting the hispanic/latino name wrong) are not very funny now, in my mid-fifties.
I never really bought into the characters. Of course it was hard for me not to picture William Shatner as Jake Donovan, and while that might have worked in the 80's, picturing the Shatner of today trying to carry off this role now...? It didn't help my reading.
The series clearly has a following (the books have spawned comics, movies, and a television show), and this particular book isn't a bad read, but it's not particularly memorable either. I can't recommend it but if you come across it and choose to give it a read, it would be a decent way to spend a few afternoons.
Looking for a good book? Tek Power, by William Shatner, is the sixth book in a series about a detective in the future. It is dated and not nearly as intense as one might expect from a book about detectives and drugs, but it's a pleasant way to pass some time.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2023
Tek Power (The TekWar Series Book 6) by William Shatner
235 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Androids, Political, Futuristic
Mr. Richard Bascom gets a telephone call that he should not believe his wife’s death was an accident. As far as he knows, his wife is at dinner with a work associate. His father, Walt Bascom, hires Jake Cardigan, an ex-cop turned private investigator to look into the accident. There are powers to be that want to close the case. They do not want any investigation because the entire cover up with be exposed. There are androids taking place of prominent people to confuse the public. Is the president really the president, or is it a robot? No one knows for sure.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The storyline was believable with the advancement of artificial intelligence. If you are a fan of science fiction, you may enjoy reading this book.
235 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Androids, Political, Futuristic
Mr. Richard Bascom gets a telephone call that he should not believe his wife’s death was an accident. As far as he knows, his wife is at dinner with a work associate. His father, Walt Bascom, hires Jake Cardigan, an ex-cop turned private investigator to look into the accident. There are powers to be that want to close the case. They do not want any investigation because the entire cover up with be exposed. There are androids taking place of prominent people to confuse the public. Is the president really the president, or is it a robot? No one knows for sure.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The storyline was believable with the advancement of artificial intelligence. If you are a fan of science fiction, you may enjoy reading this book.
November 19, 2014
Who knew Captain Kirk was a pretty good writer? It’s an action pact, past paced tale that holds your attention to the end. Interesting characters set in an interesting sci-fi world. You’ll like the hero and if you haven’t checked out the series from the beginning, you should. You just might have a very exciting time.
November 13, 2014
As a fan of the show and reader of previous books in the Tek universe I loved this book. It has enough action and humor in it to make the reading enjoyable. The only problem is it goes by so fast that I want more.
August 4, 2008
Ghost written by Ron Goulart
May 28, 2012
...wow. Another guilty pleasure piece. I know I have a problem, I just don't know how to stop.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews