This follow-up to Finding Serenity takes the examination of Joss Whedon's canceled cult favorite even further, addressing the events of the film Serenity as well as offering even more thought-provoking, fascinating, and far-thinking essays on the Firefly universe. Contributors include actor Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Mal Reynolds, as well as noted science fiction writer Orson Scott Card. Behind-the-scenes details are explored, including why Firefly makes such a good platform for the upcoming Multiverse online game (with an essay written by Multiverse executive producer Corey Bridges), while other essays examine recurring issues from both the series and the movie, such as the Alliance's hatred of science, the role of smart-mouthed women, and the real reason the Firefly universe has no aliens.
Serenity Found
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Review
"Lots of fun, lots of new insights, even some new facts a diehard Browncoat like me hadn’t heard yet." —SerenityStuff.com
About the Author
Jane Espenson is a former writer for Firefly, in addition to many other television shows, including Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dinosaurs, Gilmore Girls, Ellen, The O.C., and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She currently has a development deal with NBC/Universal television and is working on the midseason show Andy Barker, PI. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By gobluegirl
Format:Paperback
I'm a big fan of critical analysis of popular media.
Wait, that sounds way too stuffy.
I like to sit around with my friends and talk (and podcast) about my favorite shows. Firefly and Serenity are at the top of that list. It's fun, it's a cheap way to pass the time, and we get some surprisingly profound analysis out of our little ramblings.
Serenity Found is a book that is a lot like sitting around with your friends nitpicking, for good and bad, your favorite show. Several individuals, who all love Serenity--science-fiction authors, actors from the show, journalists and others--all write about a certain aspect of the show Firefly and the follow-up movie Serenity.
My absolute favorite essay in the book is "I, Nathan," written by Nathan Fillion, who played Capt. Mal Reynolds on the show and in the movie. It's funny, poignant, and it's clear that he's as much a fan of the show as anybody else. And make sure you read the bit after the essay, at the very end, in italics.
This is not the first book of witty and informative essays written about Firefly. This is a sequel to Finding Serenity, which came out a couple years ago. If you haven't picked that one up, I highly suggest it as well.
You might be a touch lost in the book if you've never seen Firefly before, but, then again, maybe not. Orson Scott Card's essay reads pretty well even if you haven't seen a minute of Firefly. He compares Firefly and Serenity to other sci-fi movies out there, like Star Wars, Star Trek, and others, and he does a good job showing how Firefly is different, and in his opinion, better, to somebody who hasn't watched it yet.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out the book, then come back and write a review! (I can't believe I'm the first person to review this...)
Wait, that sounds way too stuffy.
I like to sit around with my friends and talk (and podcast) about my favorite shows. Firefly and Serenity are at the top of that list. It's fun, it's a cheap way to pass the time, and we get some surprisingly profound analysis out of our little ramblings.
Serenity Found is a book that is a lot like sitting around with your friends nitpicking, for good and bad, your favorite show. Several individuals, who all love Serenity--science-fiction authors, actors from the show, journalists and others--all write about a certain aspect of the show Firefly and the follow-up movie Serenity.
My absolute favorite essay in the book is "I, Nathan," written by Nathan Fillion, who played Capt. Mal Reynolds on the show and in the movie. It's funny, poignant, and it's clear that he's as much a fan of the show as anybody else. And make sure you read the bit after the essay, at the very end, in italics.
This is not the first book of witty and informative essays written about Firefly. This is a sequel to Finding Serenity, which came out a couple years ago. If you haven't picked that one up, I highly suggest it as well.
You might be a touch lost in the book if you've never seen Firefly before, but, then again, maybe not. Orson Scott Card's essay reads pretty well even if you haven't seen a minute of Firefly. He compares Firefly and Serenity to other sci-fi movies out there, like Star Wars, Star Trek, and others, and he does a good job showing how Firefly is different, and in his opinion, better, to somebody who hasn't watched it yet.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out the book, then come back and write a review! (I can't believe I'm the first person to review this...)
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Dana Sweeney
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Jacob Clifton's work alone would have been enough to get me to buy this, but I ended up enjoying nearly the entire book, even more so than its predecessor, Finding Serenity, which contained the silly "Firefly is like the Tick" essay, the ludicrous "Joss Whedon isn't feminist enough because Zoe loves her husband and respects her boss" essay, and the offensive as hell "Joss Whedon can't possibly be a feminist, because no thinking man would be" essay.
This second volume is better for following the movie, for one thing, giving the authors more of the full story to work with, whereas the first book had only the series with its unanswered questions to consider. There are still some weak points, such as the too-personal-to-be-terribly-interesting "Things my spouse and I argue about while watching Firefly" piece; and the script outline of 'Out of Gas' by a guy who thinks the structure should be laid out scene-by-scene to demonstrate how cool it is...that one really lacked a thesis; and the "admittedly I have a huge chip on my shoulder" exhortation to geeks to be proud of their geeky selves, in which it was actually suggested that David Krumholtz could be plausibly seen as other than hot....
But there were really insightful essays outnumbering the ones that had me rolling my eyes and mouthing, "Blah blah blah," as I read. Jacob's was great, of course (I refer to him by his first name because I am a huge fan of his work and knew him only as Jacob of TWOP long before I learned his surname). There was a really thorough examination of the Libertarian ethics portrayed in Firefly; a thoughtful discussion of the Unification War in terms of its deliberate reflection of the American Civil War and even more carefully depicted differences from it; an in-depth look at many of Joss Whedon's female characters who have been essentially weaponized by meddlesome men; and several other really interesting takes on the Firefly 'verse that aren't for whatever reason leaping to mind right now.
Both books could easily have been trimmed, and one big book might have included only the best of these essays rather than a hit-and-miss double collection. On the other hand, it's great to have new Firefly-related stuff to devour at intervals with the show and film in the past and no likely sequels on the horizon.
This second volume is better for following the movie, for one thing, giving the authors more of the full story to work with, whereas the first book had only the series with its unanswered questions to consider. There are still some weak points, such as the too-personal-to-be-terribly-interesting "Things my spouse and I argue about while watching Firefly" piece; and the script outline of 'Out of Gas' by a guy who thinks the structure should be laid out scene-by-scene to demonstrate how cool it is...that one really lacked a thesis; and the "admittedly I have a huge chip on my shoulder" exhortation to geeks to be proud of their geeky selves, in which it was actually suggested that David Krumholtz could be plausibly seen as other than hot....
But there were really insightful essays outnumbering the ones that had me rolling my eyes and mouthing, "Blah blah blah," as I read. Jacob's was great, of course (I refer to him by his first name because I am a huge fan of his work and knew him only as Jacob of TWOP long before I learned his surname). There was a really thorough examination of the Libertarian ethics portrayed in Firefly; a thoughtful discussion of the Unification War in terms of its deliberate reflection of the American Civil War and even more carefully depicted differences from it; an in-depth look at many of Joss Whedon's female characters who have been essentially weaponized by meddlesome men; and several other really interesting takes on the Firefly 'verse that aren't for whatever reason leaping to mind right now.
Both books could easily have been trimmed, and one big book might have included only the best of these essays rather than a hit-and-miss double collection. On the other hand, it's great to have new Firefly-related stuff to devour at intervals with the show and film in the past and no likely sequels on the horizon.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Josh
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a fan of firefly and this book is decent. About half of the essays are great. Well written, clear points, funny (like firefly).
I recommend:
-Curse your sudden but inevital betrayal; its about a firefly fan's reactions to the show and arguments with her husband (not really arguments, though. He says something and she quips). Its pretty funny.
-I, Malcolm; by Nathan Fillion himself. Its funny, witty, but short.
-Catching up with the Future by Orson Scott Card. Insightful essay on sci-fi in general and how much it sucks compared to Firefly. Yay.
-Girls, Guns, Gags; response to first book's feminist essay. She's funny, makes a few good points, but half of it is off topic/point.
-Mutant Enemy U; written by a guy who did special fx for the show/movie. Discusses the ship design.
-The virtual 'verse; about the firefly video game coming soon. double yay.
Be warned, though. the rest of the essays aren't good in my opinion. They over analyze, make no valid arguments, or are just plain boring.
I'm walking away from this book with a little more knowledge, but burned out on analyzing firefly.
I recommend:
-Curse your sudden but inevital betrayal; its about a firefly fan's reactions to the show and arguments with her husband (not really arguments, though. He says something and she quips). Its pretty funny.
-I, Malcolm; by Nathan Fillion himself. Its funny, witty, but short.
-Catching up with the Future by Orson Scott Card. Insightful essay on sci-fi in general and how much it sucks compared to Firefly. Yay.
-Girls, Guns, Gags; response to first book's feminist essay. She's funny, makes a few good points, but half of it is off topic/point.
-Mutant Enemy U; written by a guy who did special fx for the show/movie. Discusses the ship design.
-The virtual 'verse; about the firefly video game coming soon. double yay.
Be warned, though. the rest of the essays aren't good in my opinion. They over analyze, make no valid arguments, or are just plain boring.
I'm walking away from this book with a little more knowledge, but burned out on analyzing firefly.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
still searching for Serenity
I love collections of essays about pop culture phenomena, and Serenity/Firefly is one of the greatest sci-fi cult phenomena since the original Star Trek. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Enjolras
4.0 out of 5 stars
more good Serenity stuff
For all those who were sad/mad at the loss of Firefly here are some derivitave stories centered around the meaning of the series. Not too shabby.
Published 3 months ago by LEE
3.0 out of 5 stars
Meh
Not worth the money I paid to read a few very entertaining essays. Far, Far more of them are just ramblings that have no point or interest.
Published 4 months ago by Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brown Coats Forever
Love to have any more info on a show that should have lived on and on...gone so soon! Worth watching for fans and those who would like to know more about this great series.
Published 5 months ago by Kathleen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome.
As a Joss fan for many years now, reading this book was like talking to an old friend. Jane Espenson - having worked on several Whedonverse shows - knows his language and how to... Read more
Published 5 months ago by KLS
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Bag of Essays Covering Classic Sci-Fi Show
"Serenity Found" is a mixed bag of essays looking at "Firefly," a space-western television series that was unveiled a decade ago and lasted a half-season, and "Serenity," the film... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kevin M. Derby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating
If you love Firefly get this. Very interesting essays and articles written by many people who love Firefly. Some deeply philosophical, some fond reminiscences. Read more
Published 20 months ago by sjsmith
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great show/film filtered through perceptions.
I don't geek out on television shows or movies to the point that I read critical essays about them. This is the exception. Read more
Published 24 months ago by C. R. Collins
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfyin' the itch of curiousness
The Book Report: Eighteen more essays about the moral, political, and ethical underpinnings, implications, and effects of the late, lamented "Firefly" TV series. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Richard Derus
1.0 out of 5 stars
ORSON SCOTT CARD -RAGING HOMOPHOBE
I am loathe to review an item and pick apart an aspect but- they use an ORSON SCOTT CARD essay and the man disgusts me.
A lot. Read more
A lot. Read more
Published on April 24, 2011 by Charles J. Baldwin
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