I wasn’t sure at first about the decision to add a story within the autobiography but I was quickly convinced of the value, the story having an almost trademark endearing and infuriatingly likeable Pegg wit as well as fitting neatly into the biographical narrative. Thus, reminiscences are scaffolded around a tale of Simon Pegg, billionaire philanthropist/adventurer/superhero and his trusty, sometimes maligned, robot sidekick, Canterbury.

It also gives him room to breathe, I think. As he himself describes, he is uncomfortable about divulging personal details and unsure of the value of the undoubted “fame” that would sell the book. It’s a neat trick to make it fun and, perhaps unusually, push away (therefore potentially selling less) those who are genuinely only interested in the fame shtick, instead of the reasons Pegg wants to talk to the rest of us and hopes we might find it interesting: the moments and people that made him; the geek obsessions and choices that mattered within that.

This is another audiobook, especially being autobiographical, that is lent greater value of enjoyment by being narrated by the author. To add to his rippling pecks and rugged, manly appeal, not in a gay way, he has a lovely voice.

In the end, the real value of this, which must be the test of any autobiography – and is elucidated with particular strength in the final chapter regarding Sean of the Dead – is its honesty. Pegg’s notion of “quantum attraction”, an easy use of modern sci-fi buzzword and generally accepted concept of (mostly misunderstood) chaos theory, is deftly handled and well argued; the central point of his honesty and appreciation for what he has achieved, the muses that brought him on this path, and whom he has come to love. He never really hammers home either how hard he works or how good he is at what he does, but it comes through because it’s well written and entertaining. What else would you really expect?

I’m only mildly miffed that the audiobook is abridged, so I’m not sure what I missed. Oh, and that he and Edgar Wright went to the first screening in Bristol of Akira that I missed, fan that I was of the comic, because I couldn’t get away from University that day. Still, I did meet the guy who voiced Morph. If I ever meet Mr. Pegg, I’ll buy him a pint, though it will be mildly bitter…

Tags: Audiobook, geek, review, Simon Pegg