Books for/about - Science Fiction Fan

The Plot Thickens... Harry Potter Investigated by Fans for Fans

Publisher: Wizarding World Press
Authors: Galadriel Waters Melissa Rogers Michelle Heran

ISBN: 0972393633
List Price: $18.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 2
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Summary: Guesses on the Harry Potter Plot... to come...
As a big Harry Potter fan who has read all the books, and listened to the audio versions multiple times, and seen and own the movies so far.... I looked forward to additional information from the prior clues books.

I found them to be a mixed bag of taunting hints, some insightful review of prior books, and interesting speculation about what MIGHT come...

That's the key. The prior works did not know what was to come, as the books hadn't been written yet... and not published... so it was all speculation, and much of it off-base.

However, that being said, these earlier two works DID keep the excitment alive. While not a prose novel, these are more research/analytical works that attempt to drum up interest and provoke new lines of thought about where the stories might go.
As for that purpose, they are interesting and valuable.

I'm not sure that I would buy these for any child who is not old enough to read the original JKRowlings novels themselves. They might become very confused by the questions posed and the form of the book.

An interesting attempt to capitalize on the success of the book series, but stick to the originals... unless you want to pay to hear someone else speculate on the series.

Summary: Fun Discussion guide
THis is a very well researched discussion of the first 5 harry potter books. I really enjoyed it. I highly suggest it.

Summary: Some Good Theories to Chew On
This is collection of essays about the Harry Potter books written by fans from around the world. Each essay presents a theory of some sort on the backgrounds of characters, relationships between characters, what role certain characters and events will play in the future of the septology, etc. Most essays are two to three pages long, which makes it a great book to read in short spurts - in short, an excellent bathroom book.

Most of these authors have read the Harry Potter books several times, and have picked up on various clues that you may not have noticed if you've only read the books once or twice. In addition, some of the theories present some really good ideas to chew on. Some of the theories are way out there, but even the most outlandish ideas can work as building blocks to formulate more valid theories.

If you are a big fan of the Harry Potter books and would like something to read that may deepen your understanding of the magical world created by JK Rowling, then I would definitely recommend this book. There are only a few possible drawbacks that I might bring up. One is that this book was published between books 5 and 6, so some of the theories are a bit outdated now that we have been given much more information in the latest book. There are also a few errors that a perfectionist such as myself has to laugh at, but I suppose that's understandable when the authors are devoted fans rather than professional writers. Finally, if you've already spent hours reading through online forums discussing the Harry Potter books, then you might not find too much new here. I wouldn't know because I just don't have the time for all that, but this book seems to provide a pretty succinct summary of all the discussions that have gone on amongst Harry Potter fans on the web forums.

All in all, however, I really am enjoying this book. I'm currently on my second read-through of the series, so it's really interesting when I'm reading an essay that discusses an event that I just read through the day before.

Summary:

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The Magic Fan

Publisher: Voyager Books
Authors: Keith Baker

ISBN: 0152009833
List Price: $8.00
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Great Book; Beautiful Illustration; Powerful Story
I'm a firm believer in the power of The Magic Fan. I'm sure you will also be after only one reading. This book holds a powerful lesson behind it's beautiful art -- that of self-discovery, independence, and character. I highly recommend this book to parents, adults, and kids of any age!

Summary: The Magic Fan
This beautifully illustrated Japanese fable by Keith Baker has long been one of my favorite children's books. I am a music teacher of young children and at the end of their first grade classes with me, we turn "The Magic Fan" into a musical movie, complete with costumes, children playing instruments copying Japanese instruments, dancing girls, script, Yoshi, singing of "Sakura" (a Japanese folksong) and even the great tsunami. I have written to Keith Baker many times telling him how great this book is and how much not only my students love it, but how much they learn from it. I believe they could help Mr. Baker write a sequel to this.
Lynne Cox

Summary: I used the Magic Fan to help my students.
Currently I am a student teacher, and I used the Magic Fan as one of my selections to discuss multi-culturalism in my class. The Magic Fan is a wonderful example of how different people within a village can help each other while still continue to follow their dreams. Yoshi's discovery that the magic for his great works came from within and children should look and trust what they see within themselves. My class was rivited to the reading and had some very interesting discussions about other projects Yoshi might have attempted. This is a wonderful book for any child's home library!

Summary:

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Polaroids from the Dead

Publisher: Regan Books
Authors: Douglas Coupland

ISBN: 0060987219
List Price: $15.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 4
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Summary: Take a picture
Skeleton fairy tales. Deadheads. Youths who hang around cemetaries. Marilyn Monroe. Fires. All these crop up in Douglas Coupland's atmospheric collection of essays and short stories, "Polaroids From the Dead," topped by the picture of a curiously blank-faced Sharon Tate.

Coupland populates "Polaroids" with people who contemplate the past, and how it fringes on the present: mothers telling their children parables, an older woman revelling in a Dead concert, a younger group observing aging hippies. And he himself is in quite a bit of it. There are essays on Brentwood (the site of Marilyn Monroe's mysterious death), a trip to Germany post-Berlin Wall, a letter to late rocker Kurt Cobain, descriptions of Palo Alto, and musings on the human preoccupations with crime, celebrities, fame, aging, death, and dead celebrities.

"Polaroids From The Dead" seems like an apt title for this book. Each short story isn't really a story. There's no true beginning and no end. It's just a snippet that shows the outlook and some of the life of the people in it, and their thoughts. While this type of writing is very vivid while you're actually reading it, it makes the characters difficult to remember later. Likewise, the essays show one of the facets of Coupland's outlook. It's pensive, a little sad at times, and at other times just provokes your thoughts and makes you wonder.

Likewise, the black-and-white photographs sprinkled through the book are curiously intimate; some of them (like a burning stick of dynamite) don't make sense until you're partway through the story. OJ and Nicole, models of T-Rexes, the Vietnam monument, flowers and skeletons turn up in the photographs. They don't add a great deal, except perhaps to underline the words Coupland writes.

"Polaroids From The Dead" is a collection of snapshots of all kinds -- photos, experiences, and stories. Meditative, melancholy and atmospheric.

Summary: Polaroids from an amazing author
Every time I pick up a Coupland book I am always pleasantly surprised. Polaroids is a quick and easy read. The sections are split up into 5-10 page short stories. These small pieces are set in three parts. The first being short observations of the many different people you would find at a greatful dead concert. Coupland delves into the reasons each person comes to the concert and their daily lives outside of it. He compares the opinions of true hippies to wanna-be hippies. There is a charming tale near the end of this section that is told by a mother to her children as they wait for their father to finish watching the show.

The second part is a variety of observations that range from the majestic beauty of the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, Canada to postacards from friends and a painting of an F-111 that speaks to the author on a spiritual level.

The Last section brings us to Brentwood, California. This section shows us many different ways of looking at Brentwood. Coupland lists advertising displays, answers the question: what sort of person lives in Brentwood, The relationship between Brentwood and O.J.Simpson, the colors that are predominant in Brentwood, etc..etc..

This amusing book makes one take a harder look at people and their surroundings. It asks you the questions no one else bothers to ask: "Who are these people around me and why do they do the things they do?" I was quite pleased with this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading social commentary.

Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez

Summary: DeadHeads, Baby
I enjoyed this book. It's not as strong as Generation-X or Shampoo Planet, but the prose style is in the same vent. The letter to Kurt Cobain here is the most interesting, especially for those of us who miss him and love his music.

But Coupland's FUN "expose" of Bay Area culture, especially DeadHead culture, is right on. Anyone who has walked down Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley will smile upon reading the opening paragraphs here. And anyone who has seen (or been around) any of the Deadhead carnivals around the Greek Theater in Berkeley will also laugh and smile knowingly....

This is a groovy book, baby.

Summary:

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Cyberspaces Of Their Own: Female Fandoms Online (Digital Formations, V. 25)

Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
Authors: Rhiannon Bury

ISBN: 0820471186
List Price: $29.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Insightful and entertaining
This is an excellent view into two groups of women who met up online and formed a new type of society. Dr. Bury puts the study of these groups into a wider context by exploring the historical and sociological implications. I don't always agree with the authorities she quotes, but I find their viewpoints interesting, and the discussions between the women in the groups are humorous and stimulating.

Summary:

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The Fu Manchu Omnibus: Volume 1 (Fu Manchu Omnibus)

Publisher: Allison & Busby LTD
Authors: Sax Rohmer

ISBN: 0749002719
List Price: $16.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 4
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Summary: Do not overlook these classics
I wish someone had told me earlier how good these books are. I picked up a used paperback of "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu" and, even before I had reached page 50, I knew that I had to have more. I therefore rushed out to find these omnibus editions. Sax Rohmer wrote the Fu Manchu stories between 1912 and the late 1950s. From a chronological standpoint, then, but also thematically, Rohmer serves as a literary bridge between Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and Ian Fleming's James Bond.
Put the political considerations aside, and enjoy these tales as a reflection of the times. They are worthy of a wider, modern audience.

Summary:

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	Theorizing Fandom: Fans, Subculture and Identity (The Hampton Press Communication Series) Publisher: Hampton Pr Authors: Cheryl Harris Alison Alexander
ISBN: 157273115X List Price: $27.50 Amazon Price: $27.50 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: One of a handful of fan analyses I turn to I disagree with the two earlier reviews - they are probably from a single person who didn't like the book or perhaps did not understand the theories which underpin the evidence and stories presented in the chapters. The theoretical support of the book is quite cross-disciplinary and the areas described by the contributors cover a wide range of fan behaviors and phenomena. That could lead to a sense that the book isn't cohesive, if the reader is not careful to note the "throughlines" between the pieces. Remember that fan lit is still a relatively new area and solid theoretical categories in which to place all observations of fan behavior have yet to be established. Perhaps they never will. I have been reading everything available in the fan literature area for the past year and this one remains a book I keep turning to, along with my copies of Jenkins, Camille Bacon-Smith, and Lisa Lewis. These are foundational, even though some do not even address internet fan culture. This one does, however, to its credit. Summary: Good introduction to the topic, lots of information This is a good all around book to learn about fan fiction culture. Summary: Superficial This book was obviously dashed together in a hurry. The authors' assorted essays--the book bears little evidence of editorial cohesion--are of middling to poor quality, and the conclusions are generally facile. Summary:

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The Tolkien Fan's Medieval Reader: Versions in Modern Prose (Cold Spring Press Fantasy)

Publisher: Cold Spring Press
Authors: Turgon Verlyn Flieger (Foreword)

ISBN: 1593600119
List Price: $14.95
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Summary: Valuable resource
Any die-hard "Lord of the Rings" fan with functioning brain cells to rub together knows that fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien drew extensively on old myths and legends. But the "Tolkien Fan's Medieval Reader," compiled by Turgon, lets Tolkien fans get their eager hands on some of the legends and poetry that inspired his works.

Tolkien's love of medieval literature was especially strong for epics like "Beowulf" and the Norse Eddas, which were sprawling mythologic poems and legends. (Try to see how many Tolkien dwarf names you can find in the Poetic Edda) But Turgon -- who is one of the sweet folks on exceptional Tolkien site TheOneRing.net -- doesn't stop there.

He includes other old English tales, and some Middle-English stories like "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and parts of "The Canterbury Tales." He also includes an excerpted story from the Kalevala, an ancient Finnish text credited with part of the inspiration behind "Lord of the Rings." And to round it out are some Celtic stories, such as the Welsh Mabinogion, and the early story of "Kilhwch and Olwen," which was also the first Arthurian story.

Okay, all these stories are in the public domain -- obviously something written in the thirteenth century can't pull in royalties. But Turgon's compilation does serve a purpose: bringing together a bunch of old texts that fans may have heard of, but probably have never actually read. It's not a replacement for the real thing, but serves as an introduction.

Since language changes over time, and some translations are a bit rough, Turgon has smoothed out the old linguistic wrinkles. Nothing that really changes the meaning, but enough to keep readers from going "Huh? What's that word mean?" Small introductions to each story or excerpt are included, describing how these stories were important to Tolkien's work, and how they inspired his world of dragons, dwarves, elves and human heroes.

In a nutshell, Turgon has compiled and edited a solid introduction to the works that inspired Middle-Earth. Fans of the legendary trilogy will love the splendor and richness of these old books -- and might just learn something about J.R.R. Tolkien's writing in the process.

Summary: In theory excellent; in practice maybe less so
A book like this is an excellent idea, for few of Tolkien's current readers are well-versed in the medieval literature that was one of his strongest inspirations. Anyone interested enough in Tolkien to want to read more like him should at least sample the medieval literature here. It has much more to offer than the average post-Tolkien fantasy.

The problem lies in the fact that most of the works are given in
a) very old
b) prose
c) translations.

a) very old: done for copyright reasons, but unless there's no choice readers should read translations into their own idiom, and these century-old versions, although Tolkien often read them himself, are no longer in our idiom. Translations of old works offer a bridge, but these bridges reach to the 19th century, not the 21st.

b) prose: some of the original works are in prose, of course, but many are verse. The editor holds that complex medieval verse forms can be a stumbling block, and that a prose translation will at least give you the story. I disagree. If you ONLY want the story, read a retelling, not a translation. A prose translation will have all the verbal complexity of the original, but without the verse forms that give structure to that complexity and allow it to make sense. So it can be more of a stumbling block than a verse translation. And prose translations can suck the life out of an original, but a good verse translation can be wonderful. For Chaucer, for instance, don't read the prose translations here: get the vivid contemporary verse version by Nevill Coghill (a friend of Tolkien's, incidentally).

c) translations: Tolkien would prefer you read the original, or use the translation as a guide to reading the original (for this a prose translation of a poem can be better than verse, which must rearrange much). Tolkien didn't think Old English or Old Norse were that difficult for an English-speaker, and even if he's wrong about that, at least a sample of the originals would have given some of their flavor, flavor which only comes through the original languages.

By all means try this book: it's a fine notion and a great convenience. If you like these versions, well and good. But if you don't, please don't be put off the literature that nourished Tolkien's imagination. In either case, follow the editor's suggestions for further reading, and get retellings of old tales by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Roger Lancelyn Green, and modern verse translations of poems, including Coghill's Chaucer and Tolkien's own Sir Gawain and Pearl.

Summary: A must have....
This book is full of amazing detail and incites on both the works of Tolkien and on European history. It is a must have for any Tolkien and history fan with looks into Old English, Middle English, Old Norse, Old Celtic and Finnish that just wets the appetite for more!

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	The Best of the Best of Trek Part One: The Definitive Collection for Star Trek Fans (Best of Trek) Publisher: Roc Authors: Walter Irwin G. B. Love
ISBN: 0451455584 List Price: $5.50 Amazon Price: This item is currently not available. Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: Great! While I would not reccomend this for a simply casual fan, this book offers insightful essays into the universe of Star Trek. It's thought provking and insightful into the world of Trek. Absolutely brilliant. Summary:

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