Customer Reviews

Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While previous guides for the serial drama "Lost" have often left something to be desired, the book "Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide" more than makes up for it.

Nikki Stafford's attention to detail (and believe me, *all* "Lost" fans should have a great attention to detail) is thus far unparalleled in any other guide book.

You name it, this guide book has it. In addition to the usual episode synopsis, Stafford provides readers with all the information they can handle, including keeping track of the appearances of the "numbers", discussing theories, pointing out bloopers and continuity errors, illuminating connections, and just generally proving that she has watched way more "Lost" than any of us. In addition to all that, Stafford gives the low-down on each of the "Lost" cast members, before they became Losties.

Even if you have watched each episode of "Lost" 4 or 5 times, and think you have caught every little nuance and clue hidden within it, I guarentee you'll read this book and discover things you didn't catch, or never thought of. One of my favorite features in this book is the essay that details and explains everything on the "invisible" map that Locke briefly gets a glimpse of in season 2 during the episode "Lock Down" when the blast door comes down on top of his legs, and a black light switches on, illuminating the secret map.

Bottom line, this book is a must have for serious "Lost" fans. It would also be a great aid to anybody who is just now beginning to get into "Lost".

I waited with anticipation and some apprehension for the publication of yet another "LOST Unofficial Guide." I've been disappointed in the past, but this book was well worth the wait. Ms Stafford has done an excellent job! Her book is informative, insightful, and just plain fun to read! Like most "LOSTies," I'm interested in the theories and all the other interesting details and tidbits about the series, but just don't have time to search for "easter eggs," interesting tidbits, even small mistakes. However, I do enjoy reading about them and discussing them with other "LOSTies." She not only gives quite a lot of information about the series, but gives brief overviews of the books mentioned or referenced in the series.

This was the first "Lost" book I've ever purchased and I was not disappointed. My personal favorite part was the summaries of the show's literary references. Really interesting stuff. The amount of detail in this book is astounding. Anything you could ever hope to know about the first two seasons is in here. R.I.P. Boone.

Being a latecomer to the "Lost" phenomenon, I was looking for a guide without too much publicity fluff that would help clue me in to all (or most) of the insiders' info: all the theories, back-stories, easter eggs and literary/cultural references that are packed into each fascinating episode. "Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide" is just what I was looking for. The book is organized by episode with lots of extra features that are great for the "Lost" fan who missed discussing this show at the watercooler the first time around. Nikki Stafford has put together an informative, fun and fascinating book that I would recommend to any fan of this series.

There are many guides to the show, and I highly recommend this one above all others. This book, which covers up to the end of season 2, is well written by an author that has great insight into the characters. Also, you won't find the frequent spelling and grammer errors that plague the other books, making them read like they were written by a fourth-grader. All in all, if your looking for a guide to Lost, buy this book! You'll get your money's worth, and won't regret it.

Oh,my gosh! WHERE do I start! For one thing~this is the ONLY reference book on LOST you will ever need on your coffee table! It has so much information, plus things you didn't know or had forgotten about the show!
Nikki Stafford has nailed it when it comes to giving us the insight on what I believe to be THE best show on television now or EVER!
Of course, being a rabid fan(as well as my husband & mother)of the show, it was exciting to sit down & thumb through this book. But, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined all the thorough details she gives us! My favorite part is The Numbers! I am now obsessed with the numbers as I watch each episode! And, the way each character is connected to another is amazing!
She gives great insight & info at the end of each chapter. Each chapter is an episode, given in chronological order from the Pilot to the end of Season 2.
There is information on the characters, background on the actors portraying the characters & more information than one can fathom on tons of stuff!
There are 11 interesting & informative 'notes of interest' that are quite fascinating & I absolutely LOVE them! They are~
HIGHLIGHTS, 'Did You Notice?', Interesting Facts, Nitpick, Oops, '4,8,15,16,23,42'(my favorite part!), It's Just a Flesh Wound, Lost In Translation, Any Questions?, Ashes to Ashes & Music/Bands.
Another thing that is so great about this book is that at the end, she has photos & actual ADDRESSES(!!!)of locations used in the show! I have actually been to some of these! One spot, The Others Camp where Walt was held captive, my husband, daughter & I have stood in the exact same spot! It was so exciting to see that photo!!!
Please! Buy this book! You will NOT be disappointed! Nikki Stafford has done an amazing job & I look forward to her book on the 3rd Season!
My rating on this goes WAAAAAAAY above 5 stars! How about a MILLION GAZILLION stars! I actually purchased one for my mom & I can NOT wait to get it to her!
If you are a fan of the show LOST~you NEED this book!
Thank-you!

While I wait between seasons, I purchased the first 2 seasons on DVD's and have been watching an episode or two, then reading Nikki Stafford's take on it. She gives a lot of insight - things I haven't thought of or noticed. I like the way she has organized the episodes and the extra information, like book reviews and information on the actors. I had not realized how much I had missed during the first 2 seasons and reviewing like this has been a lot of fun. Ms. Stafford names the best fan websites and she seems to review them all, which saves me a lot of time. When she publishes her next Unofficial Guide to LOST, I will buy it.

Finding Lost: The Unofficial Guide is a treasure trove of insights and foreshadowings revealed about the pop culture sensation that is the hit television series "Lost". Covering seasons 1 and 2, and extrapolating mysteries of season 3 therefrom, "Finding Lost" includes an in-depth episode guide, chapters on the real John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau as well as how they compare to fictional ones, biographies of all the major actors on the show, summaries of the show's many literary references, black-and-white photographs of the filming locations in Hawaii including a detailed map for dedicated Lost fans interested in undertaking their own tour in Oahu, and much more. A lucidly written "must-have" guide, and the perfect giftbook for "Lost" series enthusiasts! Also highly recommended are author Nikki Stafford's guides to other popular television shows: "Bite Me! An Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Uncovering Alias: An Unofficial Guide".

I recieved this book as a Christmas gift and am completely amazed by the detail put into it. Every episode is explained at great length, but with NO spoilers, so you can read it even if you haven't seen that particular episode, without fear of knowing too much. Plus ever epi has some great side details including:

*Oops: blatant bloopers
*Nitpick: when something happened, was said, was acted out a certain way, when it went against what we know about the characters and their situation
*In translation: if Jin spoke in the episode, it's translated to English here
*Numbers: every occurrence of "The Numbers" in the episode
*Any Questions: questions this episode brings up or reiterates

....and much much more.
A definite buy for Lost fans.

If you're a fan of the popular TV show LOST, you can't be without this unofficial guide to the seasons: it's the only book to provide an episode-by-episode commentary, with chapters offering background, insider clues, surveys of its history and philosophical reflections, and more. Original air dates, flashback scenes, guests casts - all the information is here, along with show-by-show synopsis.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch