Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: The View From the Bridge

By Sandy Amazeen Aug 9, 2009, 21:04 GMT

Equal parts biography and tell-all, Meyer reveals his struggles to become a successful screenwriter in the face of family indifference and his almost accidental involvement with the Star Trek phenomenon. Although he knew nothing about the popular series, when the opportunity arose to rewrite the screenplay for Star Trek II, Meyer agreed to take on the challenge, little knowing the ramifications it would have on his career. In addition to working on Star Trek IV and VI, Meyer’s was involved with several other projects, often finding himself in the middle of studio shakeups and actor revelries.

Readers are treated to an inside view of the emotional hand wringing that went into the decision to kill Spock as well as Meyer’s take on working with actors Ricardo Montalban, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy to name a few. Star Trek fans familiar with Shatner’s overacting style will chuckle at Meyer’s technique to pull out the proper performance level required to make a scene believable. Meyer’s entertaining insights provide a rare glimpse at Hollywood’s behind the scenes machinations that are part and parcel of the movie industry while answering a number of trivia questions.