Book 51: Getting Lost
Book 51: Getting Lost: Survival, Baggage and Starting Over in J.J. Abrams' Lost
Editor: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Reference/Analysis
Number of pages: 240
Pages Read This Year: 15137
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B
Short description/summary of the book: from Amazon
Theories abound about the survivors of Flight 815 and their enigmatic island home on the supernatural television phenomenon Lost. This collection of essays provides insight into the most talked-about issues, including chapters on Why the Survivors Must Be in Another Dimension (or the Twilight Zone), Lord of the Lost: Jack vs. Locke, The Others: Where On Earth Did They Come From . . . or Did They?, and A Theologian's View of the Island as Purgatory. Contributors such as television critic Joyce Millman, science-fiction writer Adam-Troy Castro, and paranormal-romance author MaryJanice Davidson tackle predominant themes, plotlines, and symbols of the hit show while answering the questions on every fan's mind: What's with the polar bears and black mist? Why does the sudden struggle for survival lead some to romantic relationships, some to conflict, and others to leadership? and Why did Boone have to die?
My Thoughts: It seems like more and more of these Lost analysis books are coming out every month -- as this one was compiled by Orson Scott Card, though, I figured it would be worth picking up. It's not bad, but it's really not any better than any of the other collections of Lost-inspired essays out there.
Card has pieced together a book of essays detailing various aspects of the Lost phenomenon by various writers -- essays of varying quality. A piece by Adam-Troy Castro arguing that the Losties are sharing the same island as Gilligan and the Skipper is great; a piece by Amy Bender dissecting the character of John Locke (written, ostensibly, in the character of the historical John Locke) is ponderous and dull. The rest of the pieces are somewhere in-between.
The book wraps with a long Lost "encyclopedia" by Wayne Allen Sallee, which is of mixed usefulness. Entries for each of the main characters and the actors who portray them, books and cultural references in the show and clues to the mysteries are all quite useful. For several entries, though, it feels like Sallee was just padding the section -- do we really need him to define "acolyte" for us without giving any explanation as to its purpose in the show, for instance? In fact, when we reach the entry for "Jaunty Cravat," Sallee outright admits someone pointed out there weren't enough "J"s. No wonder it felt bloated.
An okay book, as good as any other Lost book out there, but not great.
In the Queue: Lisey's Story by Stephen King, Zorro by Isabelle Allende
And that finished me off for
book_it_2006! See you guys in
bookz_n_07!
Editor: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Reference/Analysis
Number of pages: 240
Pages Read This Year: 15137
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: B
Short description/summary of the book: from Amazon
Theories abound about the survivors of Flight 815 and their enigmatic island home on the supernatural television phenomenon Lost. This collection of essays provides insight into the most talked-about issues, including chapters on Why the Survivors Must Be in Another Dimension (or the Twilight Zone), Lord of the Lost: Jack vs. Locke, The Others: Where On Earth Did They Come From . . . or Did They?, and A Theologian's View of the Island as Purgatory. Contributors such as television critic Joyce Millman, science-fiction writer Adam-Troy Castro, and paranormal-romance author MaryJanice Davidson tackle predominant themes, plotlines, and symbols of the hit show while answering the questions on every fan's mind: What's with the polar bears and black mist? Why does the sudden struggle for survival lead some to romantic relationships, some to conflict, and others to leadership? and Why did Boone have to die?
My Thoughts: It seems like more and more of these Lost analysis books are coming out every month -- as this one was compiled by Orson Scott Card, though, I figured it would be worth picking up. It's not bad, but it's really not any better than any of the other collections of Lost-inspired essays out there.
Card has pieced together a book of essays detailing various aspects of the Lost phenomenon by various writers -- essays of varying quality. A piece by Adam-Troy Castro arguing that the Losties are sharing the same island as Gilligan and the Skipper is great; a piece by Amy Bender dissecting the character of John Locke (written, ostensibly, in the character of the historical John Locke) is ponderous and dull. The rest of the pieces are somewhere in-between.
The book wraps with a long Lost "encyclopedia" by Wayne Allen Sallee, which is of mixed usefulness. Entries for each of the main characters and the actors who portray them, books and cultural references in the show and clues to the mysteries are all quite useful. For several entries, though, it feels like Sallee was just padding the section -- do we really need him to define "acolyte" for us without giving any explanation as to its purpose in the show, for instance? In fact, when we reach the entry for "Jaunty Cravat," Sallee outright admits someone pointed out there weren't enough "J"s. No wonder it felt bloated.
An okay book, as good as any other Lost book out there, but not great.
In the Queue: Lisey's Story by Stephen King, Zorro by Isabelle Allende
And that finished me off for
book_it_2006! See you guys in
bookz_n_07!