The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard

Star Trek Autobiographies

by David A. Goodman, Russell Walks (Illustrator)

The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard tells the story of one of the most celebrated names in Starfleet history. His extraordinary life and career makes for dramatic reading: court martials, unrequited love, his capture and torture at the hand of the Cardassians, his assimilation with the Borg and countless other encounters as captain of the celebrated Starship Enterprise.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Media Tie In, Fantasy, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

David A. Goodman is an American writer, producer, and president of the Writers Guild of America West. He has been a writer for several television series, such as The Golden Girls, Futurama, where he was also a co-executive producer and wrote the notable Star Trek parody episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it so!


NOT SO EASY TO RATE

Last year (2017), I read The Autobiography of James T. Kirk, written also by David A. Goodman, therefore I imagined that this book would be the same as exciting, and in certain ways, it was, but also, I felt that it was too rushed in at the “last lap” of the reading journey that it was precisely Picard’s voyages on the USS Enterprise-D and E, that it’s the era that made Picard the inspirational and living legend that he’s considered by Trekkers.

So, that made it difficult to rate the book, since it was an awesome reading before reaching that point in Picard’s life, and even it was quite amusing the reading after the mentioned era, but it was the too brief, inaccurate in some points, the lack of details and even too relevant omissions.

However, the book gave me A LOT of things that “I didn’t know” about Picard’s past and kinda future, so after pondering about the things, I do believe that 4 stars is at the end, the fairest rate to give.


PICARD’S PAST

This “autobiography” is quite informative and awesome to read, getting to learn about the past in Picard’s life; his childhood in France, his relationships with his family (mother, father & brother), his years at Starfleet Academy, his first duties once graduated, his years in the USS Stargazer, his court martial, his missions after that and how he met several of his next senior crew.

Truly illustrating, revealing and helping to take in better context many of the future hardest moments of Jean-Luc Picard.

This past section covers the most of the book, easily a 70% of it.


PICARD’S PRESENT

I know…

…it’s odd to name “present” the years of Picard at both Enterprise starships but since the book isn’t stopped there and includes “future” events, this is the most logical way to name this part of the “autobiography”.

I know…

…I have been complaining about how many omissions were made in this section, when one can watch the TV episodes and movies, but…

…this is supposed to be an “autobiography” and I doubt that similar genre books about real people would opt to excuse its lack of crucial information just because there is, out there, visual material about the life of the subject. In fact, if you aren’t so versed in Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Picard, I doubt that you’d be able to fully understand several moments of this “present” section.

Obviously, I mean about those key omissions of characters, moments and even whole episodes where Jean-Luc Picard played a relevant role and also they're important to the development of the personality of Picard.

Still, due the richness of the "past" section, there are several "present" moments that you will see in new light, getting overwhelmed of what they truly should mean to Picard in the bottom of his soul and heart.

This "present" section covers like a 20%.


PICARD’S FUTURE

This is where things got amusing…

…since while Picard’s career is still active on the Relaunch books by Pocket Books and he’s still under command of the USS Enterprise-E…

…in this “future”, it’s cleverly employed the future storyline shown in “All Good Things”, BUT not quite, since you’ll read about the logical event leading to the point where you can find Picard at the “beginning” of that episode, and even more amusing, it’s even included events from a comic book publication (something so rare in prose Star Trek books) but since the chosen comic book is considered canon, I guess it’s only logical to do it.

And of course, since “All Good Things” still hasn’t happened in this timeline…

…it’s only logical that the Relaunch timeline will eventually happen…

…but that…

…boys and girls…

…it’s another story.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ponovo imamo "autobiografiju" za izmišljenog lika koja je prepuna potencijala ali pisac odluči da dosta toga proćerda pošto puno toga prskače ili zbrza.

Početak knjige je najjači, kada se bavimo detinjstvom i mladošću našeg pulena i to najviše pošto tu imamo najviše detalja i pisac se trudi da nam ga što više ohumani. Prikazan kao neko ko zbog ne iskustva, mladosti i arogancije pravi puno grešaka iz kojih uči i polako se popravlja u prvacu kapetana kojeg svi znamo i volimo. Ne zaboraviom detalj da je bio veći pastuv ne Džejms Kirk ako je to moguće :P

Posle tog jakog početka prelazimo u deo karijere koja je prikazana kroz gomilu misija bez nekog narativno povezivanja i često bez čiste ideje kolko prođe vremena između njih pa sve dok ne dođemo do perioda pokrivenog filmovima de je pisac samo preleteo kao kometa. Iskreno voleo bih da tu ima mnogo više detalja, naročito unutrašnjeg viđenja. Plus nisu svi gledali sve filmove, ili je davno bilo.

Ako se smatra da bi to bilo previše materijala za jednu knjigu mislim da se niko ne bi bunio da su razbili ovo na dve ili više knjige.

Ako ste fan serijala i gledali serije i filmove ovo odlično dođe ko ekstra, ako ste neko ko dolazi sa strane teško da će vas ovo oduševiti. Šteta.

Iskreno da bio 2 zvezde ali sam fan serijala pa ne mogu :P

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really more like 2.5 stars, mostly out of loyalty. The first part of the book was the strongest, which dealt with Picard's childhood and early years at the Academy. The Stargazer years were all right - they did fill like some gaps and were interesting enough, though quite a lot was already known to longtime fans. But the latter part mostly covered episodes of TNG in rapid-fire flashback and didn't give much new information at all. If you're an avid collector, you might want this for your shelves. Otherwise, you'd do better to try to borrow it from your local library.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this was a good look at the life and times of the beloved starship captain. However, references to episodes I hadn't seen were merely confusing; maybe, if you've watched TNG in its entirety, you'll understand those parts better than I did.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I read and reviewed ‘The Autobiography of James T. Kirk’ and greatly enjoyed it. So when I found out that a new volume on Picard had come out it was a must read. Now I must admit, growing up I was a huge Kirk fan, I remember watching the animated series and the original series in syndication. By the time The Next Generation came out was late high school and early university. So my watching was not as consistent. And to be honest I felt a greater pull to Riker or Worf. And yet that being said going back and reading this book was like stepping back in time, and reminded me of a younger me, and a different time and place in my life. I could picture myself at Skydome in Toronto watching the series finale on the Jumbotron. So in part this book was like a trip down my own memory lane, let alone the journey through Picard’s past.

I would say that in many ways this book was even more of a surprise then the one written about Kirk. There are some stories in this book that were alluded to in the series, and some that are new material. Overall it presents a very different man then I remember. Some of the stories regarding his relationships with his father and his brother we as startling as they were revealing. His initial failure on his entrance exams to Star Fleet Academy was a big surprise. It is interesting to watch the growth and progress as he moves up the command chain, and his years of service before commanding the Enterprise. Seeing some of his relationships that were successes and those that came back to haunt him.

The writing is done very well. It has that dry wit that we would expect from Picard. And yet it is open and vulnerable in places revealing the man within the captain’s uniform. You can easily hear Picard’s voice through the text of this book. And as such it is very enjoyable read. But as much as I enjoyed this I can only home it is the beginning of a long series, I would eagerly read volumes on Sisko, Archer, Janeway, even Work, Riker or Data who all became captains in their own right. Or even going back and doing one on Pike would be of great interest. A great read for any fan of Star Trek The Next Generation, or really any Trek fan who just wants a peak inside the mind and heart of Captain Jean-Luc Picard!

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by David A. Goodman.

[Jed Moody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of fun, but the last forty pages were just snippets of TNG episodes, which was pretty lame.

[Jesse Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok. I loved this book. Remarkably so, since I hadn’t initially planned on reading it.

I don’t review books often anymore, but feel compelled to do so with this one.

This autobiography is nothing short of brilliant. I’ve been a Trek fan all of my life. I’ve seen every episode of every series. I’ve seen all of the movies several times. I’ve even read a few of the books. This particular book rewards committed fans like me. The connections to The Original Series, Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise were solid nuggets of pure fun and enjoyment. The connection to the Kelvin Timeline at the end was so satisfying.

But between these wonderful nuggets, I loved getting to know my favorite Starfleet Captain better.

This is a book I will think back on and reference from time to time. It was well written, and the voice was convincing (at least to me) of being Jean-Luc Picard.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a plodding sort of a book. Biography in general isn't my field, and although many events were touched upon, it is of course impossible to expect any amount of detail. I didn't really feel Picard was captured very authentically, and the editors notes just annoyed me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my rough start with The Autobiography of James T Kirk, I was leery of picking up The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard, but I’m glad I did. Listed as the “story of one of Starfleet’s most inspirational captains” it is presented as if it were written by Picard and once again it is “edited” by David A Goodman.

The foreword by Beverly Crusher Picard immediately establishes that Picard and Dr. Crusher married sometime after their TNG days together, which pleased me to no end, but when Q co-opted her foreword I almost put the book down. The editorial choice for Goodman to interrupt a book by Q was unbelievably lame.

We start in Picard’s youth on his family’s vineyard in Le Barre, France, and he establishes the difficult relationship he had with his father and older brother. He shows ambition from an early age, and never gives up on his quest to join Starfleet. His Starfleet days showed that he was a stickler for the rules, and didn’t necessarily have the charisma that you associate with a captain.

To me, the book started to take off when he graduated and began his career leading to an early captaincy of the USS Stargazer. He ended up spending 20+ years on that ship, and we are shown why he would choose to stay on an old ship for so long. Normally we associate officers in Starfleet as having stellar careers but Picard has some ups and downs and sometimes makes decisions that are a bit suspect. He also has time off ship and has to deal with bureaucracy and uncertainty.

What I liked about this book, so much more than the Kirk novel, was that the relationships between Picard and others were so much more believable and fleshed out. His friendship with Jack Crusher and a young Beverly on the Stargazer, established the crushing guilt he felt when Jack died under his command leaving Beverly widowed with a young son. He long carried a torch for her but felt he couldn’t act on it. I enjoyed meeting some people from his past who were new to me, and I loved every time that he first met a character that you knew would play a role in what we know as Star Trek canon. When he was given the USS Enterprise to lead he specifically asked for some officers that he had met in past missions on other ships.

His time on the Enterprise wasn’t covered in-depth, as this book is geared mostly to fill in gaps of his life we are not familiar with. I was disappointed that so few pages were devoted to his time with the Borg, as I thought that was a crucial and life-changing event for him. His later years, including his time as Federation Ambassador to Vulcan, and his late-in-life marriage to Beverly aren’t given much time either.

These books are supposed to be viewed as canon, as they are approved by Paramount and CBS Studios, but as it was written in 2017 I question how much it will hold up as it was recently announced that there will be a new Star Trek series starring Patrick Stewart who will once again play Jean-Luc Picard. While I am thrilled at the chance to experience further adventures with Picard, I do wonder how they will handle storylines, and if any of his TNG crew will make appearances, especially Gates McFadden who played Beverly. Please have all of them on the show- make it so!

An autobiography about Spock will be coming out in November, and since my opinion of these novels written by Goodman has improved, I plan on picking it up. I need to know the identity of Spock’s wife that was hinted at in this book! In the meantime- live long and prosper my friends.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2018/09/2...

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always find it to be deeply interesting when fictional characters end up getting an autobiography that is clearly meant for a wide reading audience. In this particular case, it appears to be obvious given the context of the book that this book was written in order to provide a context for and even advertisement of the television show Star Trek: Picard, which focuses on the life of the retired Starfleet captain after his adventuresome career. For those readers who have not read all of the backstory of Picard, and whose knowledge of him is limited to Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as the movies, this book offers a summary of Picard’s achievements from his own perspective as well as some context on his earlier career and why it was, for example, that he remained single so long. We meet plenty of familiar people here and see the small-town politics of an institution like Starfleet as well as examine the complex family background of Picard and how it shaped his own life, frequently for the worse. As a result, this book, if more strictly a fictional autobiography than an actual one, is no less dishonest for not being about a real character. Indeed, one of the ways one can tell that this autobiography is not a real one is the willingness of its narrator to admit his own faults.
This book is a reasonably short one at a bit more than 250 pages. It begins with a foreword from Dr. Crusher that is mostly interrupted by the rantings of Q. After that the author gives a chronological account of Picard’s life. We begin with the rivalry between the brothers and the troubled relationship that Picard had with his father. We discuss his early education and his struggles in Starfleet and his growth in character as he experienced being an officer. The author makes friends and deals with responsibility and finds himself with a wide variety of choices and options, and sometimes feels himself a bit behind the curve when it comes to career advancement. Eventually, of course, after some dramatic experiences in many aspects of Starfleet operations, he finds himself the captain of the Enterprise, where we see a familiar perspective of the operations of the ship and his relationships with his officers as we would have seen it in the television series and movies. After that the author catches the reader up with Picard’s experiences after his time as a captain and how he eventually came to terms with his complex family legacy and learned to enjoy retirement. And with that, presumably, the book ends where the new series begins.
Is this a worthwhile book? If you are a fan of Star Trek and have at least some fondness for Jean-Luc Picard as a character, this is certainly an enjoyable book. It is hard to imagine that one would be a fan of ST:TNG and not be a fan of Picard at least somewhat, and if one is not aware of the new series, this book forms a suitable reminder that Picard’s story is still going on, that he has married Dr. Crusher (spoiler alert) and that he is enjoying a productive retirement reflecting on his life and the choices he has made. For readers who are less interested in Star Trek itself and more interested in the book as representing the autobiographical form, this book does a good job at showing the way that someone can structure a narrative for their life towards the end of it. Obviously, it is harder for memoirs and autobiographies written at the beginning or even middle of one’s life to serve as a suitable signpost of one’s life history and the course of one’s existence, but this book does the trick because Picard at this point is pretty old, it must be admitted.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picard deserves better.

I don’t read many autobiographies; in fact, I tend to avoid first person altogether. As an autobiography of some random Starfleet person, this is fine. The writing is fine but also tends towards a very straightforward chronicle of events instead of a memoir-like little insight into them.

If you haven’t seen much TNG, then this might be acceptable. Indeed the amount of references and name dropping with characters from TOS and ENT leads me to believe that’s where the author’s spent their time.

But if you picked this up as a fan of TNG eager to get the gaps in Picard’s life filled in and insight into his life... you’ll get one of those things as well as several head slaps in disbelief at what you’re reading.

Even all this could be forgiven except for the biggest flaw: there is nothing of Picard’s voice in this book. Not once did I read anything that came through like he was saying it. From his actions to vocabulary to pace to even pop culture references (yeahhhh), none of it is accurate. Even making this a biography (so clearly written by someone else) would have done some justice.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Sci-fi fan I have watched all of the Next Generation and the movies and while this book differs from other sources it is close to the modern era Canon. A great story from the fans of Jean-Luc Picard.

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible - I'm not crazy about most Star Trek novels, but I was about this one. Just great - hope to wrote a full review later.

[Rev. House · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Originally posted at https://trekmovie.com/2017/11/03/revi...)

SPOILERS AHOY!

Over the years, some who have reviewed my career as captain of the Enterprise have questioned my decision, specifically how I could let a teenager who’d never gone to the Academy take the conn of the Federation flagship. My answer is that I trusted my first officer, who’d trained the young man, and our experiences proved him to be correct: Wesley was an excellent navigator and helmsman. But that wasn’t the true reason I did it. The reason that I acceded to it was much more personal.

I enjoyed having Wesley at his father’s post. (Page 223)

There are times, as a reviewer for TrekMovie.com, when reading a Trek novel can feel like a chore, chugging through page after page, hoping to find interesting things to talk about. And then there are times when as soon as the package arrives, I tear it open eagerly and read the book every spare available moment out of sheer delight. The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard was one of those more delightful times.

After James T. Kirk, arguably the most recognizable Star Trek character is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Spanning 178 episodes and 4 films, Star Trek: The Next Generation turned Star Trek into a franchise, and Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard became the face of Star Trek, for many fans and non-fans alike. Embodying benevolent authority with ease, combining the virtues of the diplomat, explorer, philosopher, and king all in one package, the character is as popular today as ever.

Which is what makes The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard: The Story of One of Starfleet’s Most Inspirational Captains such a delight. “Editor” David A. Goodman, author of The Autobiography of James T. Kirk, staff writer for Enterprise, and currently executive producer and writer on The Orville, takes the stories we know so well, and the backstory that we think we know so well, and fills in many of the gaps, giving the whole thing a fresh, exciting spin – making it feel almost brand-new. Curious about Picard’s childhood? It’s here. Wondering how Picard first met Guinan? You’ll love it. What happened to him after the (prime universe) events of 2009’s Star Trek film? Just wait and see.

Goodman, channeling Picard, grounds the story in a troubled home, and paints our beloved Captain as a man in search of a father, who finds a family. Raised by a mother who loved him and a father who could not express his emotions, young Jean-Luc reached for the stars. There, he found challenge, adventure, success, and horror, all the while bound to his home by ties he could not explain.

“[Jean-Luc] is not in school anymore.” Father was very aggravated, impatient with what must have been a tragic situation for him. “He’s a grown man.”
“I know, you don’t have to tell me,” mother said, but her voice wavered. Then it looked like she’d started to remember. “You were in space.”
“Yes, Maman,” I said.
“You’re the pilot…you always wanted to be the pilot…”
“Come to bed,” Father said.
“I’m having tea with Jean-Luc…”
“I said come to bed!”
“We’ll have tea in the morning, Maman,” I said. I helped her to her feet, and my father took her hand and walked her out of the room. I sat alone in the room.
Nothing I’d seen in my years of command prepared me for this. (Page 130)

The author picks up on the fact that every other supporting character we meet in The Next Generation seems to know Picard from way back. He has a history with every admiral, captain, scientist, and star-crossed lover the Enterprise-D comes across. Telling these stories makes this book richly layered, and there’s a treat to discover on every page. It also brings enormous poignancy to stories like the Battle of Wolf 359, as a Jean-Luc Picard partially-assimilated by the Borg into the persona of Locutus faces a fleet full of faces that he knows, personally.

The book is based entirely on canonical Star Trek, ignoring the continuity of the Star Trek novels, allowing the author to tell his own story, especially about Picard’s life following Star Trek: Nemesis. This makes the book easily accessible to fans that have not read any other Star Trek book. At the same time, he digs deeply into that canon, bringing forth fanboy treasures galore. My favorite deep canon bits involved the disappearance of the Denobulans, and their eventual impact on the destruction of the Hobus star. Fans will pick up numerous references to characters and events in every Star Trek series, including a nice link to Star Trek: Discovery.

Even cranking through Next Generation episode highlights at trans-warp speeds, the narrative still leaves out some fairly significant bits of Picard’s life. Given the prominence of the Crusher family in this story, it is surprising that Wesley Crusher’s departure with the Traveler is not mentioned. Goodman gives excellent attention to Picard’s relationship with Beverly Crusher – some of their scenes made me cry! – but the absence of other flames like Vash, Kamalla, and especially Nella Daren is keenly felt.

Goodman has a lot of fun with his footnotes, including a running joke from his Kirk autobiography. There were a couple of weird editing errors in my copy of the book, such as an incorrectly labeled footnote and some typos, but these little gaffes are trivial to the enjoyment of the book.

I soon returned to the repaired Enterprise, fully repaired myself. Robert had become the brother I’d wanted. Maybe even the father. I realized that I needed Robert; he was the only one left in the world who knew me before I’d become “Captain Jean-Luc Picard,” the only person I could show true weakness to. (Page 246)

In the center of the volume are a selection of Picard-related photographs from the Federation Archives, and each one is a delight. These photos and illustrations were made specifically for the book.

Goodman tells TrekMovie that his next book will likely be The Autobiography of Spock. In this book, Goodman’s version of Spock’s wedding to an unnamed human woman is amusing in the ways that the bride’s identity is shielded from the reader. This left me curious how Goodman will address that gap in canon in his next novel.

Bottom line: The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard will delight casual fans and canonical deep divers alike. It is fun, exciting, and emotionally satisfying, and brings new insight into one of Trek’s most beloved characters. Highly recommended!

[Pieter Stalpaert · Rating 5 out of 5]

man I effing love Star Trek

[Corey Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a must read for any Star Trek fan.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written as an autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard, readers are taken through the experiences of one of Starfleet's greatest leaders. Familiar characters and events from a number of different Star Trek series are woven throughout the tale as it gives an insider look at what made him the person, the hero, that we know and love. While many of the events in the book are things we have already seen on the screen, particularly those that occur after he has taken command of the Enterprise-D, many of what is included is new and quite insightful.

Overall, I found this very interesting and easy to read. I thought i would find the stuff I was familiar with to be uninteresting and slow, but even the period in which Picard commanded the Enterprise-D was interesting because it included his own personal views of the experiences. I thought Goodman did a really nice job of not only making Picard human, but making the writing in the book capture the voice of this well-loved character.

This is definitely a must-read of anyone who loves Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible. Watchers of the series “The Next Generation” will be stunned at the easygoing yet perfectly in character voice of Jean Luc Picard as he recounts his complete life’s work up to the age of 90 for the very first time.

A subtle touch I loved was the inclusion of the red matter incident which lost him his place in Starfleet and led up to the major conflict that made up the backbone of “Star Trek Picard.”

All in all one of the best fan books I’ve ever read. It was impossible to put down and one of the best adventures I’ve taken with a character. So here’s to Jean Luc Picard! May you continue to astound, teach, and take us on adventures for many years to come!

Ten episodes have been confirmed for Star Trek Picard season two, and the writers are in talks to make a third season. This book is a wonderful way to explore more of (as well as brush up on) the events of this great man’s life that led him to where he is now.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

100000000/10 i took such a long time to pick this back up but i’m so glad i did! a love letter to my favorite captain, highly recommend no matter which series you watched 🖖🏼

[James Hewkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Started watching TNG when I was 9 and have always remained a fan. This book was a fun way to get back into that universe. Goodman's interpretation of Picard's "voice" was mostly believable. Any fan who enjoys Star Trek for what it is and doesn't take these things too seriously will appreciate the effort made here.

[Thomas Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book sounds absolutely nothing like the way I imagine Picard's internal monologue sounds, it's enjoyable how it fills in the apocrypha of the TNG universe. Worth reading.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, first, let's stop referring to this as fanfic. David Goodman has six Emmy nominations for writing under his belt, and he actually wrote for Star Trek: Enterprise, so it's a few steps up from that.

Goodman's approach with this series is to take the known histories of these characters and fill in the gaps. He's not trying to reinvent the wheel or right an imagined wrong. Frankly, I wish some non-fiction writers would be a conscientious about sticking to the documented story. Like with the Kirk volume, the story shows us a little of the childhood and adolescence of the characters, but mostly is concerned with how they got to Starfleet and what happened between then and the time we meet them in the series. Those are the years that get the most attention. In this case, we find a young Jean-Luc trying to please the men in his life, a bullying bother and seemingly disinterested father, and wanting something more than a life in rural (or as rural as the 24th century can be) France. Frankly, Jean-Luc is a bit of a horse's ass at times, at least until time and experience takes him down a few notches and hones his better qualities. We do get flashes of familiar events from the show, but Goodman sticks to the highlights and rushes us through to Picard's later years. (It will be interesting to see how this compares to the new series.) The trip through familiar territory is fun, especially since we see how TNG crew -- Geordi, Worf, Data, Troi, Yar, etc. -- ended up on The Enterprise.

There were a bit too many cameos, IMO. I realize the fan base expects them, but it got a little forced. Still, I loved the Gaiman and Q characters, so wasn't too unhappy to see them get a few mentions. The only real disconnect I have with these books is this idyllilc setting both Kirk and Picard grow up in. Hell, we can't build something these days that stands for a century, and we're supposed to believe Kirk grew up in an centuries old Iowa farmhouse and Picard in a La Barre chateau where wine is still made by hand. Then again, Goodman didn't create those backstories; he only fleshed them out from the original material and tried to make them more credible.

Fun, fun read. I look forward to the Spock book.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JEAN LUC PICARD is a decent enough Star Trek novel and serves as a good follow-up to the THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CAPTAIN KIRK but I'm not exactly blown away by it either. I think part of the issue is that it feels very much like Captain Picard throughout the book and that's an issue with the fact we know he starts as a hotheaded jackass before evolving into a quiet more mature type. Unfortunately, he seems to start as a mature and quiet individual then stays that way throughout the volume.

There's a lot of good world-building throughout the volume but there's a few genuinely odd moments that through me. At one point, we attend Spock's wedding but never get to see who the bride is and apparently Lt. Uhura became President of the Federation at one point. These are details which can't just be thrown in without stopping the narrative. We also have the Denebulons leave the galaxy, which is a crying shame and feels against the principles of Star Trek.

One moment which confused the heck out of me was the Klingons attempting to murder all of the Romulan race and triggering the war resolved by the Second Khitomer Accords--which I find to be villifying to the Great Houses when the Romulans were the bad guys in TNG.

Really, the best moments of the book are the early ones with Jean Luc Picard as a young man growing up on a somewhat Luddite winery in France. Those moments had real strength and I think they carried a real power to them. I liked the relationship between Picard and his brother, which is really one of the most humanizing moments of his on-screen career.

Overall, this was an extremely well-researched novel throughout. While it doesn't quite equal the Expanded Universe handling of the Stargazer period of Captain Picard's life or the subsequent novels detailing his marriage to Beverly Crusher--it's a very entertaining novel throughout. Just not quite as good as the Autobiography of James T. Kirk.

8/10

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I meant to get to this much sooner coming off the heels of the excellent Autobiography of James Kirk, but a couple of years seemed to have passed!

This book is very similar to that one, written by the same author and presenting an in-universe autobiography of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. It takes a very similar approach, weaving continuity to join together the various snippets of Picard's past that the TV show would sometimes give us. The aim is to create a narrative that flows through his adventures and allows it all to make sense.

Maybe it's because I'm a lot more familiar with The Next Generation than I am with The Original Series, but I felt that this telling was a little clunkier than how well it worked with the Kirk book. A good attempt is made here, but aspects of it felt a little more forced to fit all the jigsaw pieces comfortably together. Picard's voice isn't quite found, and attempts to show his jarring personality changes from child to teenager to young adult aren't successful. That said, it was still a very engaging read that I got through quickly and really enjoyed.

The whole thing has been superseded by the more recent Trek TV shows of course, and it also doesn't stick to the continuity established by other novels, notably the "relaunch" series which ran for 20 years. It just does its own thing, but that's fine.

Side note, the printed book is scattered with amateur errors. Random symbols in wrong places, incorrect pronouns mixing up which character is supposed to be speaking, missing words.

[Anna Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I watch next generation growing up and realizing some of these experiences was so fun!
If I had to honestly rate it I would give it a 4.25, because I felt the end of the novel was a bit rushed. It didn’t balance with the fullness of the rest of the book. I was so enthralled to hear more as Picards adventures advanced, I just feel like there could have been more expansion on certain defining moments.
Overall I would most certainly advise trek nerds to read this one with a nice glass of vintage Picard wine.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Machina ex deus I think

Goodman does a fine job of turning overlooked details into the links that connect dozens of discrete situations and stories. In the end, much is still left to the imagination but we have a better sense of how such things could come to be as well as how one tiny change could recast history and the whole universe we know.

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a quick read. The beginning and end are the most interesting bits because a lot of the middle rehashes much of the series, but from JLP's point of view. Still, I think it's a worthy read, especially for any level of Star Trek fan.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into Picard's earlier years. After he takes command of the Enterprise-D about 2/3rds in, it jumps through prominent events of TNG fairly quickly, but it's enjoyable enough all the same.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, but not enough end of career/life details.....

[Kevin Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable.