| Author: Anthology | Series: Smart Pop Series |
| Rating: 8 | Reviewer: Azjones |
| Genre: SciFi | Publisher:Other Publisher |
| Pages: 240 | Orig Pub Date: 2005 |
| Binding: Paperback |
In Finding Serenity, the editors have gathered a collection of compelling essays relating to the show. Ranging from the humorous to the mundane to the profound, fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly universe would be well served. This book is edited by Glenn Yeffeth and Jane Espensen, a writer on Buffy and Angel who also penned the "Shindig" episode of Firefly. Espensen recounts, in her introduction, Joss' attempts to win her over to the show which, she admits, she "didn't get" at first. Space ships and six-shooters, hookers and priests? And she refused to accept a major tenet of the show: there are no aliens. How can you have a space series without aliens?
The essays tackle all of these issues and more.
Two essays (Roxanne Logstreet Conrad's "Mirror/Mirror: A Parody" and David Gerrold's "Space Truck") compare Firefly to that other space television series, Star Trek. Don Debrandt's entertaining "Firefly vs. the Tick" compares another two shows with seemingly less in common, although they did share a writer.
The anthology was written and released just before Serenity came out. This is most evident in Lawrence Watt-Evans "The Heirs of Sawney Beane," which muses on the Reavers and how their culture might have developed. In the film, their origin is explained, although Watt-Evans leaves some good logistical questions.
Several of the essays focus on the strong women of Firefly. Though one essay (by Nancy Holder) argues that they weren't strong enough, the majority view Firefly as a show where the women as a whole are far more competent than the men. The women could run the ship on their own, but Mal, Wash, Simon, Jayne, and Book would end up killing each other and blowing up the ship in about a day. (My money's on Book to get out alive.) Michelle Sagara West's analyzes the relationship between Zoe and Wash as a dynamic, well-realized adult relationship that strengthens both individuals. Joy Davidson's "Whores and Goddesses" places Inara firmly in the context of archetypal women-based religions.
There are essays analyzing why the show failed. Keith R.A. DeCandido's "'The Train Job' Didn't Do the Job" discusses how Fox's decision not to air Joss's original pilot hurt the show. Glenn Yeffeth's entertaining "The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Firefly (the Behind-the-Scenes Story)" is a series of fictional memos from Early "Nutcrusher" Jubal, a fictional V.P. of programming at FOX.
Perhaps one of the most engaging and useful portions of the book is the last chapter, which is a detailed breakdown and translation of all of the Chinese from the show. We can finally find out exactly what Inara is calling Mal. An earlier essay analyzes the use of Chinese rather thoroughly, and yet another essay comments on the notable lack of any Asian characters among the crew, or even among the extras encountered on various worlds, but the raw translations offered here are nice to have on their own.
Jewel Staite, who played Firefly's Kaylee, has a collection of her "top five" moments of each show, as well as some behind-the-scenes commentary on what they personally meant to her. This story is just a gem, as you can imagine the cherubic Kaylee gushing on about her pals.
John C. Wright is probably the most critical of the show, in his "Just Shove Him in the Engine, or The Role of Chivalry in Joss Whedon's Firefly." He argues, essentially, that chivalry is essential to the western motif and foreign to the science fiction motif, and by making a decision to go one way Joss was betraying the heart of the other genre. I don't particularly agree with the viewpoint, but it's an entertaining analysis.
Just as controversial, in its own way, is Mercedes Lackey's "Serenity and Bobby McGee," where the Alliance is compared to the conservative movement. The less said about that the better, probably, except to say that it's an intriguing article for those who share (in terms of the aforementioned Wright essay) "delicate modern sensibilities."
The collection is fun and dynamic, with something for everyone. The long and short of it: if you're the sort who loved Firefly, this is a fine book to have by your side out in the black.
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