Up Till Now by William Shatner with David Fisher Pan, HK$102

William Shatner could have started his autobiography with 'Beam me up, Scotty' but he wanted something less predictable. Canoeing to New York from his hometown of Montreal also wasn't good enough, and neither was the time he sold a kidney stone for US$75,000 for charity. So he begins by talking about his Jewish immigrant father, who manufactured suits and dreamed that his son would one day take over the business. From there he jumps to 2007, when he risked his life to demonstrate his driving skills for the television show Fast Cars and Superstars. This anecdote allows him to explain his work ethic, which is basically to do the job you are paid to do. Shatner's stories, told by dictation and shaped into a book by David Fisher, sound as though they have been replicated verbatim. Loose with dates, the tales poke fun at Shatner, while showing off an enviable career that made him a household name with Star Trek. Although mostly light-hearted, the book is serious when it needs to be, such as when he discusses his alcoholic third wife, who drowned. In Up Till Now, Shatner boldly goes where he hasn't been before.