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TekWar #2
Tek-lords
Jake Cardigan discovers the connection between a brutal murder and a synthetic plague that had killed his ex-wife, and it is all linked to the Tek cartel, purveyors of the computerized drug crippling the futuristic society
299 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 1991
26 people are currently reading
353 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 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 13, 2019
Jake Cardigan is back to continue his fight against the Teklords and their non-drug drug Tek. Along with his partner Sid Gomez and his girlfriend Beth Kitteridge, Kirk (sorry I mean Jake)takes his trusty phaser (oops I mean stungun) to try and stop the synthetic plague virus released by the Teklords. Unfortunately Jake's informants are dropping like Red Shirts (sorry ...wait that one is right).
I have often said adventure stories are like roller coasters. You know where everything is going, but getting there is the fun part. While Teklords may not be a full fledged roller coaster ride, it is still fun. It is more like a tilt-a-whirl ride in a seedy carnival. The future tech is dated. Faxes are still big there. But the slight dating makes it just more campy. The future in Teklords is definitely seedy with porn and drugs being common and it seems every android and cyborg are armed(literally) with lazguns.
While some might say these points are criticisms, I say they are the books charm. So grab some cotton candy and a funnel cake and give this tilt-a-whirl a spin. Just remember to keep your hands in the ride and remain seated until it comes to a complete stop.
I have often said adventure stories are like roller coasters. You know where everything is going, but getting there is the fun part. While Teklords may not be a full fledged roller coaster ride, it is still fun. It is more like a tilt-a-whirl ride in a seedy carnival. The future tech is dated. Faxes are still big there. But the slight dating makes it just more campy. The future in Teklords is definitely seedy with porn and drugs being common and it seems every android and cyborg are armed(literally) with lazguns.
While some might say these points are criticisms, I say they are the books charm. So grab some cotton candy and a funnel cake and give this tilt-a-whirl a spin. Just remember to keep your hands in the ride and remain seated until it comes to a complete stop.
February 22, 2025
Better then the original but the weird quirk that Jake knows everyone and they all have the information he needs is a issue. It's like Jessica Fletcher tuned up to 11.
October 7, 2011
I started Teklords expecting a truly atrocious piece of work. I figured I probably wouldn’t even be able to finish it, as Shatner would no doubt inflict all sorts of terrible writing and sex scenes on us. The preface appeared to presage horror, as it was written in Shatner’s own staccato phrasing (“Imagine... [ellipsis in original] a sequel, continuity, progression. Why? Sales, reviews, terrific. Who? Ron Goulart – witty, wise, ingenious…And next? Guess”). I wondered uneasily if the entire book would be written thus. While it would be amusing to imagine the book as an Orbitz commercial, I feared that the novelty would quickly pall.
Imagine my surprise to find that Teklords is actually a moderately well-written [considering what I'd expected, that is], fast-paced, entertaining mystery with an interesting implementation of sci-fi tropes and only a handful of plot holes.
I...I...I liked it.
I’m so ashamed.
Imagine my surprise to find that Teklords is actually a moderately well-written [considering what I'd expected, that is], fast-paced, entertaining mystery with an interesting implementation of sci-fi tropes and only a handful of plot holes.
I...I...I liked it.
I’m so ashamed.
October 15, 2018
Okay, after a lengthy delay after reading TekWars, the first novel in the series, something I gave a grudging 2 stars to, having in my possession the next two books I finally decided to delve into this one. I don't know whether the writing was any better (somehow, I think not), but at least what was missing were the ridiculous things so often found in the first novel. There was even a short part debating the dreams suffered when in the Freezer to give some validity to a punishment when I previously thought none existed. Someone must have advised providing a removal from the inane.
I was actually able to go through this one with a minimum number of groans. Just like in the first one, Jake can't go five feet without running into people he knows who know what he's after. I swear, he must know everyone on the whole damn planet! So the actual investigative work is non-existent and he is told what to do and where to go all the time. No thinking involved. There's a definite step up on the science, but in my mind, still lacking anything real high tech. My final analysis, 3 stars.
I was actually able to go through this one with a minimum number of groans. Just like in the first one, Jake can't go five feet without running into people he knows who know what he's after. I swear, he must know everyone on the whole damn planet! So the actual investigative work is non-existent and he is told what to do and where to go all the time. No thinking involved. There's a definite step up on the science, but in my mind, still lacking anything real high tech. My final analysis, 3 stars.
October 26, 2024
I am tempted to go 5 stars. Was this excellent literature? No. Was it the literary equivalent of a yummy bowl of popcorn? Absolutely. And I know my yummy bowls of popcorn. It zips right along, very few distractions, Gomez gets to shine a bit, and it wraps up quickly and easily and it's great. There is even a part where they track down a potential lead, and instead of the next chapter being a "you should go there next, Jake" scene of unnecessary dialogue, the next chapter opens with "here we are where the lead told us to go"! Delish.
July 26, 2023
This is not necessarily a “good” book, but for me it’s like a big slice of Wegmans peach coffee cake - a pulpy summer treat and a reminder I really like this mashup of detective story with blade runner style sci-fi. Some of the action details are absurd, as though Shatner never saw a realistic action movie in his decades in Hollywood, but I really enjoyed this retro drugstore paperback.
January 16, 2017
This was a decent sequel. There was not really much to it. It moves at a steady pace; it held my interest throughout the entire book. The character development was so-so; I think I enjoyed reading about Gomez more than I did about Cardigan. I did not expect it to end the way it did; it seemed rather abrupt to me. At the same time, I thought that it was okay for it to end as it did [as it could be fairly contrasted against other endings that are dragged out longer than they need to be].
Shatner has a fairly negative, dystopic view of the future [which is kind-of interesting, considering his work with Star Trek] in this series. He sees a future populated [dominated] by drug lords, drug cartels, pimps, hookers, child pornography, children used as sex toys, deviant sexual behavior, excessive pornography, and other forms of excess amidst the future's technology and cityscape. It is a rather depressing view of the future.
Was there anything good about the novel? Sure; when I finished it. hahahah There was a clever moment or two which were worth the reading. Still, though, they were far and few with a lot of nothing inbetween.
Other than the glorification of deviant, decadent, wicked behavior in segments of the book, it was an average to just-less-than-average novel, I would say. Nothing really to make it stand out amidst other sci-fi books on the shelves. The futuristic tech in the book works to help move the story along, but it is still a struggle. At the same time, I did want to finish the book to find out how it ended. So it had that going for it. The Tek drug reminds me of some of the scenes in Minority Report, where Tom Cruise's character kept plugging into a device and replaying old home movies of his son before his son was abducted; he would take a drug while plugging into the device to relive painful-yet-beloved memories. I will leave it at three stars; I enjoyed it enough to want to finish it.
There was one line that was especially hilarious.
I am glad I did read the book, in some respects. I will give the third book a chance before I decide if I want to invest the necessary time to finish the series.
Shatner has a fairly negative, dystopic view of the future [which is kind-of interesting, considering his work with Star Trek] in this series. He sees a future populated [dominated] by drug lords, drug cartels, pimps, hookers, child pornography, children used as sex toys, deviant sexual behavior, excessive pornography, and other forms of excess amidst the future's technology and cityscape. It is a rather depressing view of the future.
Was there anything good about the novel? Sure; when I finished it. hahahah There was a clever moment or two which were worth the reading. Still, though, they were far and few with a lot of nothing inbetween.
Other than the glorification of deviant, decadent, wicked behavior in segments of the book, it was an average to just-less-than-average novel, I would say. Nothing really to make it stand out amidst other sci-fi books on the shelves. The futuristic tech in the book works to help move the story along, but it is still a struggle. At the same time, I did want to finish the book to find out how it ended. So it had that going for it. The Tek drug reminds me of some of the scenes in Minority Report, where Tom Cruise's character kept plugging into a device and replaying old home movies of his son before his son was abducted; he would take a drug while plugging into the device to relive painful-yet-beloved memories. I will leave it at three stars; I enjoyed it enough to want to finish it.
There was one line that was especially hilarious.
I am glad I did read the book, in some respects. I will give the third book a chance before I decide if I want to invest the necessary time to finish the series.
April 16, 2016
Knowing the expectation going into the novel from reading the first book helped form my opinion of the second installment of the Tek Series.
I'll start out by saying that the majority of the problem I have with the novel is in its main character, Jake, and his relationship. His relationship with Beth is one that I don't really believe in. In the first novel, he falls in love with the android and afterwards meets the human Beth. SOMEHOW SOMEWAY, human Beth falls in love with Jake even though it just doesn't really make sense why she would. She's a young, pretty scientist with what would amount to endless career possibilities. However, she falls in love with this grumpy old detective without a real reason given. Especially since the timeline between this novel and the first is, I think, a few weeks.
Next, Jake's relationship with Dan, his son. I can heartily believe that Dan wouldn't like Jake due to his father's use of Tek and feeling abandoned when Jake went to the Freezer. However, the end is so tied up in a little bow, I can't really believe it. There's no real development between him and his son that would lead me to believe that Dan would have exactly that reaction to his father in the end.
The good parts about this novel? The side characters. In all reality, this series would do better to focus on the side characters than the main. There is a bit of stereotyping that goes on with characters of color but all of them are still more interesting.
Why keep reading, you say? Because I have all the books. I will continue to read them.
I'll start out by saying that the majority of the problem I have with the novel is in its main character, Jake, and his relationship. His relationship with Beth is one that I don't really believe in. In the first novel, he falls in love with the android and afterwards meets the human Beth. SOMEHOW SOMEWAY, human Beth falls in love with Jake even though it just doesn't really make sense why she would. She's a young, pretty scientist with what would amount to endless career possibilities. However, she falls in love with this grumpy old detective without a real reason given. Especially since the timeline between this novel and the first is, I think, a few weeks.
Next, Jake's relationship with Dan, his son. I can heartily believe that Dan wouldn't like Jake due to his father's use of Tek and feeling abandoned when Jake went to the Freezer. However, the end is so tied up in a little bow, I can't really believe it. There's no real development between him and his son that would lead me to believe that Dan would have exactly that reaction to his father in the end.
The good parts about this novel? The side characters. In all reality, this series would do better to focus on the side characters than the main. There is a bit of stereotyping that goes on with characters of color but all of them are still more interesting.
Why keep reading, you say? Because I have all the books. I will continue to read them.
July 16, 2014
This is a review I wrote in my book-diary in 1992. I just found it again and I didn't want to change anything.
The second adventure of Jake Cardigan. Together with his love from the first book, Beth Kittredge, Jake is on a new case. The Tek Lords have set loose a virus, which is killing thousands of people in the San Francisco area. Jake and his partner Gomez find the cure in time to save Jake's ex-wife. Also Jake can save his son Dan from a kamikaze andy just barely in time.
I liked the book very much. It was even better then Tek Wars, wich was good already. A nice mix of science fiction and detective novel, on a future Earth that has a nice feel to it. Jake is a likeable character and I am looking forward to the next book.
The second adventure of Jake Cardigan. Together with his love from the first book, Beth Kittredge, Jake is on a new case. The Tek Lords have set loose a virus, which is killing thousands of people in the San Francisco area. Jake and his partner Gomez find the cure in time to save Jake's ex-wife. Also Jake can save his son Dan from a kamikaze andy just barely in time.
I liked the book very much. It was even better then Tek Wars, wich was good already. A nice mix of science fiction and detective novel, on a future Earth that has a nice feel to it. Jake is a likeable character and I am looking forward to the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2013
This is a case of the sequel being as good, if not better than the original! The original cast of TekWar is back, along with some new friends and enemies. The book takes you out of Futuristic North America and into Futuristic Japan itself, giving the book an added layer of world building. It was another fast read, and progressed relationships realistically. I found it quite enjoyable and continue to keep rereading this series!
July 12, 2013
Ex-cop and now private detective Jake Cardigan hunts down the distributors of a synthetic plague the Teklords have released in San Francisco to get the countries of the world to stop blocking their distribution of their deadly recreational drug, Tek.
Murder and mayhem ensue as he and his partner, Gomez, an annoying investigative reporter and Jake's beautiful girlfriend hunt down the creator of the plague and the Teklords responsible.
This is an entertaining tale and a fun read, but I think Shatner should have invested in an editor as the quality of the writing left a lot to be desired.
Murder and mayhem ensue as he and his partner, Gomez, an annoying investigative reporter and Jake's beautiful girlfriend hunt down the creator of the plague and the Teklords responsible.
This is an entertaining tale and a fun read, but I think Shatner should have invested in an editor as the quality of the writing left a lot to be desired.
July 27, 2013
This is the second book in the Tekwar series by William Shatner. This book was very much like this first one- a good, not great, story line, believable characters, and some action. Overall this is an enjoyable book as long as you are not looking for something to really blow you away. It is a good quick read. I did like this book.
January 20, 2015
This book was fun but overall rather mediocre.
The idea of the world is interesting but it is not very fleshed out. The characters and their interactions feel flat. The dialog is ho-hum. It all really is just mediocre, not bad, just mediocre. That said, it is vaguely entertaining and a swift read.
The idea of the world is interesting but it is not very fleshed out. The characters and their interactions feel flat. The dialog is ho-hum. It all really is just mediocre, not bad, just mediocre. That said, it is vaguely entertaining and a swift read.
April 8, 2017
The second book in the Tek series...
I absolutely love these books! I first read them in high school in the '90's and loved them then too!
They are a bit campy and over the top...but so much fun :c)
I absolutely love these books! I first read them in high school in the '90's and loved them then too!
They are a bit campy and over the top...but so much fun :c)
March 18, 2017
Mostly needed to wipe the brain with something light and fast and book 2 of the Tek saga fit the bill. Odd note on the end: It seemed like they just ran out of time or something, each little section just felt erratic and tacked on. Not quite quickly assembled notes, but almost.
March 27, 2016
2 Stars. One star because its William Shatner, need i say more lol. Another because the writing wasn't that bad. unfortunately i can not say the same for the story. i found the book to be boring and dated.
February 1, 2013
This was actually better in some ways than the first one. For one thing the writing is slightly better; Jake doesn't talk to himself nearly as much. The plot is a bit more intricate too. It involves drug dealers and a killer virus unleashed in San Francisco.
Good light entertainment overall.
Good light entertainment overall.
June 27, 2008
well it was another shatner book in the tek series... not the greatest writing, but they are fun to read.
January 15, 2012
Unbelievable tech drug is the basis of this whole series. Pointing towards virtual reality but doesn't quite get there. Only read this one of the series....
March 26, 2017
Well, it was pretty bad. But then Shatner is a bad actor and a bad singer, so it comes as no great surprise. In its favour, the plot moved along nicely, and it was a nice light read.
June 21, 2014
I have enjoyed reading this book series so much I ordered the dvd set TekWar the complete series on amazon.com. It was a bargain.
June 29, 2023
Tek Lords
by William Shatner
The second book in Shatner's Tek series.
I enjoyed the first book. This one starts out a bit a slow but picks up nicely and moves pretty well. The chapters are short and you can breeze through them pretty quick. He does a nice job
of reviewing what happened previously throughout this story but sometimes I wish the character, Jake Cardigan, would have taken an anti-depressant or something.
The story centers around this drug called Tek and the Tek Lords (dealers, cartels) trying to kill Jake and anyone else who stands in their way.
At times, the story reminds you of Buck Rogers with names like "Lazgun," the Skycars, and others. Shatner mixes in a great blend of hard-boiled detective phrases and over feeling.
It's a fun blend of Sam Spade, Buck Rogers, and a buddy-cop story. Light humor, good action and enough mystery.
While reading, I can't help but think how tough it is for any celebrity to write anything other than memoirs or biographies without the general public being too critical based only on the characters they've seen them portray or some other nonsense that doesn't relate to the actual book.
Many automatically compare what they're reading to the characters the actor-writer was paid to portray. As in the case of Shatner, holding anything he's done up to Star Trek.
I've read nasty reviews about actors writing books. No one else uses ghost writers? Nothing is said about the *story*only against the *actor.* I don't know. I'll stop ranting. It just irks me.
Anyway, it's a fun sci-fi detective series. Not gonna win the Pulitzer but they're fun.
by William Shatner
The second book in Shatner's Tek series.
I enjoyed the first book. This one starts out a bit a slow but picks up nicely and moves pretty well. The chapters are short and you can breeze through them pretty quick. He does a nice job
of reviewing what happened previously throughout this story but sometimes I wish the character, Jake Cardigan, would have taken an anti-depressant or something.
The story centers around this drug called Tek and the Tek Lords (dealers, cartels) trying to kill Jake and anyone else who stands in their way.
At times, the story reminds you of Buck Rogers with names like "Lazgun," the Skycars, and others. Shatner mixes in a great blend of hard-boiled detective phrases and over feeling.
It's a fun blend of Sam Spade, Buck Rogers, and a buddy-cop story. Light humor, good action and enough mystery.
While reading, I can't help but think how tough it is for any celebrity to write anything other than memoirs or biographies without the general public being too critical based only on the characters they've seen them portray or some other nonsense that doesn't relate to the actual book.
Many automatically compare what they're reading to the characters the actor-writer was paid to portray. As in the case of Shatner, holding anything he's done up to Star Trek.
I've read nasty reviews about actors writing books. No one else uses ghost writers? Nothing is said about the *story*only against the *actor.* I don't know. I'll stop ranting. It just irks me.
Anyway, it's a fun sci-fi detective series. Not gonna win the Pulitzer but they're fun.
June 23, 2020
Somehow even dumber than Tek War, which was no great thinkin' literature.
Just when TekLords seems most obviously a farce, which would be its most suitable domain, something dumb and lazy happens, and you realize it's just a dumb book. At least Captain Kirk, excuse me, Jack CARDIGAN doesn't talk as much to himself this time around, though plenty of words are needlessly compounded ("deadman") to sound futuristic, and there's TRANCERS , excuse me, ZOMBIES used to assassinate people, though they're not actually essential to the plot, which is some TRIGGERING bullshit about a designer plague.
One thing I really hate about these books is how Jack is always re-meeting people- how many people does he fucking know? He should run for mayor already. Everyone he meets only exists for approximately four pages to give some trace bit of exposition and each one of them, be they human/android/robot/cyborg, are totally forgettable.
Speaking of forgettable, the climax of this novel is certainly that- a real hacky rushed job.
"She shrugged the shoulder nearest him." - Great writing.
Anyway, on to the next one, because I own it.
Just when TekLords seems most obviously a farce, which would be its most suitable domain, something dumb and lazy happens, and you realize it's just a dumb book. At least Captain Kirk, excuse me, Jack CARDIGAN doesn't talk as much to himself this time around, though plenty of words are needlessly compounded ("deadman") to sound futuristic, and there's TRANCERS , excuse me, ZOMBIES used to assassinate people, though they're not actually essential to the plot, which is some TRIGGERING bullshit about a designer plague.
One thing I really hate about these books is how Jack is always re-meeting people- how many people does he fucking know? He should run for mayor already. Everyone he meets only exists for approximately four pages to give some trace bit of exposition and each one of them, be they human/android/robot/cyborg, are totally forgettable.
Speaking of forgettable, the climax of this novel is certainly that- a real hacky rushed job.
"She shrugged the shoulder nearest him." - Great writing.
Anyway, on to the next one, because I own it.
August 30, 2019
This is the second book in the TekWar series and after the insane stupidity of the first one, this is much more tame. I would say it is a better written book, but that doesn't mean it is good. It isn't. It's okay. The pacing is better. Still Jake seems to know every person in the world and robots take very exact periods of time to do things, but a lot of the silliness of the first book is gone. Overall, the plot is pretty run of the mill, and definitely has a very AIDs vibe given it was written in 1991. Once again the ending is rushed and just kind of putters out at the end. It's an easy read so I'll give it that.
October 29, 2024
Very Good Book
This is the second book in the TekWar series, and it was very good. It centers on a man made plague created by a doctor who was originally working for the US government. The plague is 100% synthetic and can be altered to be resistant to the antidote, for which another antidote would be needed. The story builds on the relationship started in book one between Jake, the main character and Beth Kitridge. It also allows Jake to reconnect with his estranged son Dan. The story is very good, villains are thwarted and has a good ending. I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
This is the second book in the TekWar series, and it was very good. It centers on a man made plague created by a doctor who was originally working for the US government. The plague is 100% synthetic and can be altered to be resistant to the antidote, for which another antidote would be needed. The story builds on the relationship started in book one between Jake, the main character and Beth Kitridge. It also allows Jake to reconnect with his estranged son Dan. The story is very good, villains are thwarted and has a good ending. I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
October 6, 2019
TekWar was a, detailed solid, promising first in a series with interesting characters and a well thought-out background. In TekLords I hoped Shatner and Goulart would build on that beginning, but I was disappointed. The book rattles along and the background remains detailed and consistent, but there is little character development and what there is, is facile. The promise is still there, but it is not realized in this book.
July 31, 2023
A someone who loves cheesy detective stories and scifi, this book was really up my alley. It's nothing impeccable and could use some cleaning up in the third act, but it was a fun romp with likable characters in a very interesting scifi setting. I really like the setting and would like to see what else Shatner has to tell in this world. I'll definitely keep reading the series when I want a popcorn read.
May 31, 2025
I don’t know in what way this was an improvement on the first, but i think that it was. We at least have progressed from just meetings to just assassination attempts. The Tora Hokori twist at the end was good, but obviously the entire climax taking about half a page was less than ideal.
If i can ever come across the next book, i will read it, probably. I like Jake and Gomez. I just think we need some sort of recurring android character.
If i can ever come across the next book, i will read it, probably. I like Jake and Gomez. I just think we need some sort of recurring android character.
September 12, 2025
this book was cliche, cheesy, written like it was a script for an hour episode, so that it had to finish on time, it was like a cop show with science fiction, it was by William Shatner and I loved it all the way to the end. It may not be art but it is a good story and I have already gotten the next book in the series. Maybe not for everyone, but for me This is a Good Read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews