For years, he played the loveable Wesley Crusher, the kid at the controls of the starship Enterprise. But in the years since the little-known Star Trek went off the air, Wil Wheaton has found real fame online as an author and celebrity blogger. In his third book, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives“, Wheaton examines… well, we’ll come back to that.

Overall, this book is a breezy read, perfect for distracted moments while working tech support, or listening to your CEO explain downsizing to the troops. There is a strong narrative flow to the collection of stories, but each one stands on its own, so you don’t need to worry about reading the book out-of-sequence, like I did. In fact, I found that if you roll some D&D dice to help you choose your next chapter, it gives the book a very interactive feel.

And therein lies the biggest problem with “The Happiest Days of Our Lives“: Wheaton’s style is conversational, like an effortless monologue, and those familiar with his blog will see moments where, online, he would have hyperlinked a word or phrase. I found myself trying to poke those words with my finger to get more context, but to no avail. (side note: do not read the book while eating KFC)

The first story I read was “Let Go – A Requiem for Felix the Bear“, which is a gut-wrenching story about a stray cat Wheaton found one day, grew to love, and had to watch die from kidney disease. Having had many pets pass away over the years, snatches of the text were so familiar I felt compelled to down two glasses of scotch to preemptively drown out the sorrow I was about to feel. This story alone was worth the price of admission, for the pure cathartic effect it had. To accompany someone else on what is normally an agonizing personal journey is humbling… and yet…

If this was one of the happiest days of his life, what were the bad ones like?

Luckily, the other chapters were much more up-beat and optimistic. One recurring theme was the fact that Wheaton loves his step kids, and tells them so very often. I have never before felt like such an emotional recluse as I did at the end of this book. I have started saying “I love you” to strangers on the street, just to make up for lost time. I love you, readers. I love you so much.

The most confusing element of the book was the final chapter, “Lying in Odessa“, about a Hollywood underground poker game. Although the story was vivid and the characters well-drawn, I don’t play poker, so I fear a key part of the story was lost on me. If anyone out there knows: did he actually win the deed to Universal Studios, or am I misreading?

All in all, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” is an excellent book and required reading for geeks the world over. And more than that, it should help to illustrate to non-geeks that those of us who have Star Wars figurines on our bookcases are not just freaks of nature, destined to die alone in the misery of a dimly-lit hell. Some of us write books, too.

You can buy “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” from Monolith Press by clicking here.

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