Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (Smart Pop series) [Paperback]

Jane Espenson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Smart Pop series | Publication Date: September 10, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Smart Pop (September 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933771216
• ISBN-13: 978-1933771212
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Radio > General Broadcasting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of essays, like the show it's based on, gets a sequel, October 30, 2007

By 

gobluegirl "gobluegirl" (MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (Smart Pop series) (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...)

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serenity Found findings, May 12, 2008

By 

Dana Sweeney "confirmed atheist" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read, June 30, 2008

By 

J. Dietrich (MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

Anyone who's seen Firefly or Serenity and fallen in love with it will find this book thoroughly entertaining and worth reading. I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with much of what was written, and wanting to argue the authors of other essays, which is always a good thing in my opinion. Each essay was clearly written by a fan of the show, and the love shines through in the writing. Though some of them just seem pointless or shallow ('Things My Husband and I Argue About while Watching Firefly'), most are good, often thought-provoking, and they all bring back memories of the show. Which is always a good thing.

Read it. You'll enjoy it.