Fringe: September's Notebook [Hardcover]

Tara Bennett (Author), Paul Terry (Author), Jeff Pinkner (Foreword), J. H. Wyman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2013

Delve into television’s most otherworldly phenomenon! Fringe: September’s Notebook is a uniquely in-world collection that explores the intricate destinies of Walter Bishop, Peter Bishop, and Olivia Dunham. Gathered by the Observer known only as “September,” these pages reveal new truths about the Fringe Division and Massive Dynamic. The book also closely examines the Amber timeline and the alternate universe “Over There.”

Packed with concept art, exclusive photos, and intriguing ephemera, September’s Notebook will satisfy every serious fan’s hunger for details about the Observers, quirks and little-known facts about each character, insight into Fringe Science, and much more. “Easter eggs” throughout build on the many symbols and codes woven into the show’s fabric, uncovering truths never before revealed.

With its layered storytelling, well-rendered characters, and complex overarching narrative, Fringe is the ideal show around which to publish, and Fringe: September’s Notebook provides a totally immersive reading experience.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tara Bennett is the author of 300: The Art of the Film and official companions to television’s LOST and 24. She writes for popular outlets, including SFX, Sci Fi magazine, and Movies.com, and is an adjunct professor of film and television at Rowan University in New Jersey.

Paul Terry coauthored (with Tara Bennett) the LOST Encyclopedia and was the editor of Bad Robot/ABC’s official magazines for LOST and Alias. Terry is also a songwriter/composer whose film scores include the award-winning werewolf comedy he Furred Man. He lives in London.

J.H. Wyman (Showrunner/Executive Producer, Fringe) was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in Montréal, Canada. Wyman wrote and produced The Mexican, starring Brad Pitt. He has since created several television shows, most notably Keen Eddie, starring Mark Valley and Sienna Miller. Wyman just recently wrote Dead Man Down, a thriller starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace set to premiere in spring 2013. Wyman currently resides in Los Angeles.

Jeff Pinkner (Executive Producer, Fringe) grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Northwestern University and Harvard Law School. Pinkner began his television-writing career with a freelance episode of The Practice. He has written and produced several series, including Profiler, Early Edition, and The Street. Pinkner served as a writer and producer on all five seasons of Alias and served as showrunner in its final season. He then served as executive producer on Lost and October Road. He lives in Los Angeles.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Insight Editions (March 19, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608871304
• ISBN-13: 978-1608871308
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Guides & Reviews
  • #15 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Shows

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Fringe Faithful March 6, 2013

By Carmen Jones

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is truly a wonderful labor of love and it shows all thoughout the book. It is shock full of details, information and it even has details on every single fringe case file. I love the envelopes with classified documents, the loyalits tattoos are a great add on. This book is very well constructed, it is quite heavy and is printed in High quality paper, full of bright detailed photos some of which are unique to this book. My favorite is one of a much younger Walter and William Bell.

The book is divided into 5 distinct sections Over Here (Season 1 and Season 2), Over There (Season 3), Another Timeline (Season 4) and 2036 (Final Season). And each section has detailed information on the characters and events corresponding to that particular season. I love the fact that the book itself reads like a Giant scrapbook album where every time you turn the page you find something new. The pages themselves have Photos and revelant documents or information regarding that event, character or case, and in each page the blue notes are September's personal observations.

There 3 dossier one for the Redverse, one for the Blueverse and one for the Amber Timeline detailing every fringe case file that occurred in each one. At the end of the book there is a complete episode guide for all 5 season and some amazing artwork from Brown Betty and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.

I do recommend this to any Fringe fan. It is a wonderful companion to the show whether you are a long time faithful fan or just finding out about the Bishops.

UPDATE: To everyone wondering why the envelope that was supposed to contained the white tulip is empty. This was done on purpose it is not a mistake.... It is actually a testament of how deeply involved this book is with the show, it is empty because of how the show ended and if you would like a more thorough explaination, I want to point you to Episode 511 "The Boy Must Live". This episode it also the first glimpse we get of September's Notebook. Hope this helps. Read more ›

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent companion to Fringe March 11, 2013

By Parka TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 1:26 Mins

This is an incredible book for all fans of Fringe. I'm one, and I'm thrilled by it.

It's put together and presented in beautiful scrapbook style. Included are insets, removable items, posters. The book edges have navigation tabs coming out like those you case files you normally see on TV. Full marks for presentation.

In terms of content, this book is packed with an amazing amount of information and pictures.

The book covers in detail both the universes and the other timeline. You have Walter's history, stories about Peter's illness that leads to the crossing of the universe, Cortexiphan Trails, Massive Dynamic and their secret projects, Fringe division and all their agents and the cases they have worked on. That's just for the original universe.

In the later sections of the book, it looks at all the differences between the universes and timelines. So you have Walter(nate) and all the Fringe doubles from the alternate universe.

There's a lot to read. It's a good recap as the events are presented in more linear and hence clearer. You'll also get some insight because September's observations can be found in little blue notes all over the book. These are stuff you don't get from just watching the show, and there are many other nuggets of information.

The pictures are great, and there are loads of them. There are the strange symbols from the opening credits, photos of the past Observers caught on camera, characters, news articles, graphics from the other universe, props, the time machine, gory pictures from cases, and more!

It's a pretty comprehensive companion to the show.

Highly recommended.

All Fringe fans should have this book.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog.... Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.) Read more ›

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any Fringie March 4, 2013

By Lynn Finch

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, the co-authors of September's Notebook, will win the hearts of Fringe fans everywhere. September's Notebook is a wonderful collection of photographs, (some not even seen on the show), commentary, and 'goodies' (spoilers, sweetie!). The production values of the book are excellent - it was well worth the wait.

Now that the show's first hundred episodes are behind us, I'm savoring the book - so I haven't been all the way through it yet. The first section, 'biographies' of the significant characters, is well done and detailed.

For the casual Fringe fan (if there IS such a thing), September's Notebook is the best thing since homemade LSD! For the hardcore Fringies, like me, I'm hoping to discover answers to they mysteries we've been pondering since Season 1. I'm looking forward to the revelations!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars September's Notebook: Reviewing Fringe's Moments in Time March 7, 2013

By Aimee C. Long

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

During the fourth episode of the series -- "The Arrival" -- we were introduced to Michael Cerveris' character, who was referred to simply as, "The Observer." This occasional character was credited with the name "September," and he would play a pivotal role in important episodes such as Peter, The Firefly, and The End of All Things. He would also become a fan favorite. Little did we know early on just how much of an impact he would have over the course of the series.

As he observed the Fringe team, he took meticulous notes, and fans long wondered about the content and purpose of these writings.

When it was revealed that he was Walter's friend Donald in "Anomaly XB-6783746," he became like a part of the Bishop family to fans. As a father himself - to a special boy named Michael - he understood just how far a person would go to save someone they love. "It must be difficult.. being a father."

I'd like to think that hidden deep within Walter's heavy coat was the notebook kept by his friend, taken into a future which would be altered; a change that would ensure his friend would have essentially not existed.

This hefty tome is accessible to both casual fans and to those who are obsessed with every little detail of the production, story, and characters.

As a highly-invested fan, the forward by producers Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman started me off on an emotional note, and also underscored just how seriously the creative team took this project. They brought us an unforgettable story and beloved characters, so the "Fringe faithful" fought tooth-and-nail to make sure that the intended conclusion would happen. It worked.

Great thought was put into the organization and layout of the book....

The first section of the book deals with the backgrounds for Walter, Peter, Olivia and other agents such as Astrid, Broyles, Charlie Francis, John Scott, and Sanford Harris. Massive Dynamic's origin, and the stories for William Bell and Nina Sharp, provide some insight into these two enigmatic characters.

September presents the facts of events he had observed in the blue universe, red universe, and amber timeline; and he also makes his own personal comments and interpretations on what appear to be blue Post It notes.

We get a glimpse of life for Walter when he first met Bell and when he married Elizabeth. The events from the episode Peter are given thorough observation, as are Walter's interactions with Olivia during the Cortexiphan trials. Walter's secret regarding Peter's origin is of particular concern to September, especially when it led to Peter returning to his universe of origin, to Olivia's entrapment and replacement by Fauxlivia, and to the use of the machine.

The alternate universe receives similar treatment for Walternate, Fauxliva, Lincoln Lee, Charlie Francis, Colonel Broyles, Astrid Farnsworth, Frank Stanton, and Henry Higgins (the cab driver). Dossiers are also included for characters in the amber timeline.

For each section, color-coded file folders contain case details for various Fringe Events.

As a key component of the show's mythology, the Machine, and its effects, received visually stunning extra focus.

My favorite pieces from the book deal with September's observations of the relationship between Walter and Peter, and that of Peter and Olivia. His words mirror my interpretations of the love that these extraordinary people shared for one another.

Sadly, this book is not pure perfection, even coming from the viewpoint of an Observer. Some of the events must have come from another timeline, because they did not happen on screen as described in the book. Or maybe the Observer had the same issue that normal humans have when it comes to reporting events...

For instance, the notes for Olivai's return from the alternate universe state that Olivia was pulled out of the tank by Peter when she made it back home (Entrada), and that they embraced.

In the on air episode, Olivia came back to the blue universe while Peter and Walter were still dealing with the arrest of Fauxlivia. Olivia stepped out of the tank in Walter's lab and saw Astrid -- who was confused and then happy to see her -- before she fainted. Only then was she taken to the hospital. She later woke up to a relieved-but-terrified Peter, who was sitting by her bedside. He told her he was sorry (due to not knowing she was left behind), but she explained to him that he had no reason for being sorry, that if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have made it. (Because she kept seeing projections of him and they acted a guide to remind her of who she really was, and why she was there.) Only then did Peter kiss her forehead, all too aware that her happiness would be dashed when she found out just how far she had been replaced...

There are several more examples, but I'm not going to nitpick, because I am awed by everything this book got right.

The importance of drawings and pictures has long been an interesting detail in Fringe. Examples include Roy McComb's drawings in The Ghost Network, Olivia's sketchbook in Subject 13, the drawing of Peter in the machine, the picture of Olivia, Peter and a child in The Day We Died, and the many times various characters have stopped to look at pictures of loved ones or at drawings.

The creators of this book took this idea to heart, and the number of never-before-seen pictures and diagrams alone makes this book worth the wait and every penny.

This book is overflowing with little goodies and extras from the series. Be prepared to be delighted by various pieces of cool reproduced "ephemera" from the show. These little pieces are mementos, much like the pictures and ticket stubs that Peter observed in the home of Alice Merchant in episode, 6B. They are proof that Fringe was real.

The only thing that could have topped this would have been the inclusion of a mini Violet Sedan Chair Seven Suns album. Fans still wonder about that promotion, and what happened to all of those supposed copies...

I own two other books from this publisher: The Complete X-Files and Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender. Neither are even half of what this book is. In fact, the X-Files book was a great disappointment as far a written content goes, because it was riddled with way too many annoying and just plain wrong errors about episodes, characters and mythology. As a fan, I expect an author who knows the subject... The few errors I pointed out here about September's Notebook were nothing in comparison, and the authors are highly knowledgeable of their topic and audience.

Truly, I feel that the authors were powered by Cortexiphan as they seemed to know exactly what Fringe fans wanted in an endearing keepsake of this beautiful and heartfelt family saga, as told through the lens of a man who saw it all. Great genuine love and affection was obviously poured into this effort, and it made a tremendous difference.

I am often wary of entertainment-based books because if I bother to buy such a book, it normally means I am a huge fan, and as such, I have high expectations. This book is what I expected and more. Another copy will be purchased and locked away in case anything happens to the copy I now possess.

On a sentimental note: Even though September/Donald made the sacrifice of his own existence, as long as we have the paradox of his faithfully documented and illustrated notebook, he will be recognized, which means he existed.

Plus, the last entry in the notebook is the very essence of Fringe, and our fandom learned that lesson well.

Oh, and if you are curious about the small #CrossTheLine on the back cover corner, Google it and "Fringenuity." Read more ›