Firefly: Still Flying

Firefly: Still Flying -- A Celebration of Joss Whedon's Acclaimed Television Series
by various authors [791.457 FirYw]

Firefly is one of those tv series that falls into the "cult favorites" category. Though it only survived for 12 hours on the small screen, it has since generated a fairly successful theatrical feature film and has built up legions of fans in the 8 years since it first aired. This gorgeously-designed behind-the-scenes "making of" book gathers articles from the series' main writers, remembrances from the cast members, plus a large collection of highly-detailed photographs, storyboards and conceptual sketches. All of which would be enough to recommend this on their own. But...of special note...four of the series writers contribute brand new short stories set in the Firefly universe. Those stories alone earn the 10 rating I'll give this one. Firefly fans won't want to miss this, and those who are curious about the show but may not have seen any episodes will still appreciate the in-depth look behind a tv series production. [If you enjoy behind-the-scenes books about tv productions, check out the 791.457 section of the non-fiction collection.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Firefly episode guide on epguides.com ] | [ Whedonesque.com Firefly creator Joss Whedon's official blog ]

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Serenity: Those Left Behind

Serenity: Those Left Behind

story by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad [741.5 Whe]

Those Left Behind is a tie-in graphic novel to the late, lamented cult-favorite SF series Firefly, which aired in 2002 (and which was followed by a movie, Serenity, in 2005). This 3-part story, originally released as a monthly comic-book with art by Will Conrad, perfectly captures the appearance of the characters from the series. More importantly, since Firefly had created such a unique "world", this graphic novel very effectively captures the tone and style of Firefly, particularly in terms of the dialog and quirkiness of the characters. Although there is a bit of a cliff-hanger to the story at the end of this volume, Those Left Behind still serves as a fine introduction to the 'Verse of Joss Whedon's Firefly for those who've never been there before, while still adding to that universe for long-time fans. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Those Left Behind page on Wikipedia ] [ Firefly page on Wikipedia ]

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Firefly: The Complete Series

Firefly

created and produced by Joss Whedon

Marvelously inventive but short-lived science fiction series from the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series (not to mention the currently airing Dollhouse). Firefly is set in a future in which humanity has spread itself out through known space, and survived a major civil war in which the "bad guys" won. This Joss Whedon created universe, known to its inhabitants as "the 'verse", is peopled by corrupt bureaucrats, wily assassins, brutal thugs and heartless mercenaries. The heroes of Firefly are the captain and crew of a Firefly-class merchant ship that hire themselves out for cargo runs, passenger ferrying, strong protection and miscellaneous odd jobs. The look of the series is "gritty", with a strong western theme -- the characters frequently wear pistols and use "western slang". The stories run the gamut, from "holding up a supply train" to "breaking into a high-security government medical facility". The main character range from the honorable-yet-downtrodden Captain Mal, to the avaricious Jayne, to the idealistic doctor Simon and his mentally-damaged sister River. There's a certain amount of "suspension of disbelief" to accept a futuristic environment in which most of the characters look like they should be riding horses instead of spaceships, but the characters and stories really stand out in this series. I highly recommend Firefly, as well as the movie spin-off that came afterwards. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ The Library also owns the follow-up movie Serenity (2005), as well as two graphic novels based on the series and movie: Serenity: Those Left Behind and Serenity: Better Days.][ Official Firefly site on the Sci Fi Channel where the series airs in reruns ] [ Firefly series entry on Wikipedia ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.