The 4400: The Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2 [Paperback]

Terry J Erdmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2007

The 4400 is a fascinating sci-fi drama TV series which has captured the imagination of audiences worldwide with its strong storylines and compelling cast of characters.

When 4400 missing people are suddenly returned to Earth all at once, apparently unchanged from the moments they vanished, the US government launches an investigation into the phenomenon. It gradually becomes clear that the 4400 have returned with strange new abilities, and that their presence will change the human race forever.

This official Titan Books guide to The 4400 has: Foreword by Exec Producer Ira Steven Behr; The genesis of the show; Episode-by-episode guides to season 1 and season 2; Character profiles of Tom Baldwin, Diana Skouris, Richard Tyler, Lily Moore Tyler, Shawn Farrell, Kyle Baldwin, Maia Rutledge Skouris, and other recurring characters, all with actor interviews; Behind-the-scenes features on the production design, music and special effects; Afterword by co-creator Scott Peters.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Out of this world" - USA Today"

About the Author

Terry J Erdmann has authored/co-authored several Star Trek tie-in books including The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Deep Space Nine Companion. More recently he wrote Monk: The Official Episode Guide. He has also worked as a publicist on movies including Eight Legged Freaks, Star Trek V, StarGate, Willow and Aliens.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845764730
• ISBN-13: 978-1845764739
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,949,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry J. Erdmann is the author or co-author of numerous books about the entertainment industry, including Star Trek The Original Series 365, Star Trek 101, Monk: The Official Episode Guide, The Last Samurai Official Companion, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, The Secrets of Star Trek Insurrection, The Magic of Tribbles, The Tribble Handbook, Star Trek: Action! and The 4400 Companion. As a motion picture publicist, he helped to create the marketing campaigns for dozens of films, from Cocoon, Aliens and Willow, to What's Love Got to Do With It, Father of the Bride Part II, G.I. Jane and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Terry and his wife, writer Paula M. Block, live in Southern Oregon with their two collies, Shadow and Mandy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you wanted to know about the 4400 and more!, July 12, 2007

By 

M. Burnette - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 4400: The Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2 (Paperback)

When I purchased this book I thought it would just be an episode guide and maybe a character summary. I was wrong. This book is complete with developing the show, hiring the actors, episode guide, character summary, and story line development. This is an absolute must for any 4400 fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great episode guide, but "please, sir, can I have some more?", November 1, 2007

By 

Iqbal Faizer "Muldfeld" (Montreal to Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 4400: The Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2 (Paperback)

Terry J. Erdmann has chosen a great direction for exactly what he discusses in "The 4400: the Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2" that places this and his previous work for the official "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion" well above episode guides for any other series. This guide has all the right stuff. No offense to the crew, but it didn't waste time on technical details like special effects, stunt coordination, or location shoots. It just focussed on the writers' inspirations and difficulties, the actors' experiences, and the studio and network producers' thoughts. My one complaint about it was that there wasn't enough of what it already had. I just wanted more -- more stories and funny anecdotes from the actors and writers, more discussion by the writers about how they came up with certain ideas, who exactly came up with what, and who wrote what.

One aspect that either wasn't covered or was barely touched upon was the political exploration of the show. In Seasons 1 and 2, The 4400 discusses issues of religion, identity politics among a minority, and the conflict between freedom and security. Just as with Ira Steven Behr's guidance of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," we increasingly find here serious and fair illustration of historical issues that have only come to the fore of the mainstream US media's focus (and only superficially so) in the post-9/11 world. There are certain thematic links between that pre-9/11 series and this one. Later seasons of The 4400 additionally delve into the nature and causes of terrorism, torture, religious fundamentalism, religious and political revolutionary movements (including rarely-expressed doubt among leaders), the complicated nature of faith (because religious motivations are always complemented by pragmatic concerns), and conflicting visions of the good society between socialist equality and hierarchical, unfettered capitalism. (I've written some Season 4 reviews on tv.com and other sites in an effort to bring to light these themes and connect them to historical and present-day issues.)

Unlike most TV fiction that formulaically posits a conflict between our absolutely good heroes and some inherent evil in "the other," The 4400 increasingly succeeds in mimicking the real world by avoiding absolutes; all the heroes are fallible, and all adversaries have the potential for kindness. It shows quite brilliantly that conflict comes from varying perceptions and interests and not between good and evil, as some world leaders would have us believe. It might be a good idea to explore the political nature of The 4400 in future guides, especially for Seasons 3 and 4, and -- hopefully -- seasons beyond.

It's definitely as much a testament to the show as to Mr. Erdmann's wonderful work that he has written a guide leaving me starving for even more insight into this dramatically-realistic and increasingly politically-insightful series.

0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE 400: THE OFFICIAL COMPANINO SEASONS1&2, August 14, 2007

By 

A. P. Carota "THE 400 RULE" (SCHENECTADY,NY,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 4400: The Official Companion Seasons 1 and 2 (Paperback)

IT TELLS HOW THEY PUT THE SHOW TOGETOTHER AND TI ALSO GIVE A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE SHOW. BUT IT STILL LEFT ME A LITTLE CONFUSE AND IAM A FAN OF THIS SHOW AND I STILL DO NOT GET WHST THE HELL THEY ARE DOING TO THE SHOW.