Getting Lost: Survival, Baggage, and Starting Over in J. J. Abrams' Lost (Smart Pop series) 
asked by crick on November 24, 2006 11:10 AM
** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED ** Theories abound about the survivors of Flight 815 and their enigmatic island home on the supernatural television phenomenon Lost. This collection of essays provides insight into the most talked-about issues, including chapters on Why the Survivors Must Be in Another Dimension (or the Twilight Zone), Lord of the Lost: Jack vs. Locke, The Others: Where On Earth Did They Come From . . . or Did They?, and A Theologian's View of the Island as Purgatory. Contributors such as television critic Joyce Millman, science-fiction writer Adam-Troy Castro, and paranormal-romance author MaryJanice Davidson tackle predominant themes, plotlines, and symbols of the hit show while answering the questions on every fan's mind: What's with the polar bears and black mist? Why does the sudden struggle for survival lead some to romantic relationships, some to conflict, and others to leadership? and Why did Boone have to die?
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Of the 16 essays presented in this collection, only three were worth my time:
(1) Orson Scott Card's Introduction is a very informative and thoughtful analysis showing how TV has evolved over the last half-century and how LOST may be the next "evolutionary" step.
(2) Amy Brenner's "Double Locked" illustrates how the fictional character John Locke closely echoes the teachings of the real-life 16th century philosopher with the same name.
(3) Glenn Yeffeth's "The Art of Leadership" is the highlight of the collection, which discusses how Jack, Locke, and Sawyer are all really bad leaders. And it puts forth a pretty good argument that Hurley may be the best leader on the island.
Some of other 13 essays fall into the category of Comedy. "The Same Damn Island" points out the show's similarities with Gilligan's Island. "LOST Connections" attempts to concoct a conspiracy theory based on which actors have appeared on film together throughout their careers.
"The LOST Book Club" and "Have You Been Framed?" examine literary allusions and shared themes with classic works. "LOST in Love" tries to analyze every love pairing on the show. Surprisingly, only the essay "Game Theory" actually attempted to explain the mysteries; but I really hope the show doesn't turn out to be just one giant video game.
"Oops" and the Encyclopedia are both out of date, due to events that been aired since the publication of the book.
Overall, I guess I wanted more of these authors to present their theories to explain the mysteries. Instead, I felt most of these pieces were just fluff and "talking head" analysis.
(1) Orson Scott Card's Introduction is a very informative and thoughtful analysis showing how TV has evolved over the last half-century and how LOST may be the next "evolutionary" step.
(2) Amy Brenner's "Double Locked" illustrates how the fictional character John Locke closely echoes the teachings of the real-life 16th century philosopher with the same name.
(3) Glenn Yeffeth's "The Art of Leadership" is the highlight of the collection, which discusses how Jack, Locke, and Sawyer are all really bad leaders. And it puts forth a pretty good argument that Hurley may be the best leader on the island.
Some of other 13 essays fall into the category of Comedy. "The Same Damn Island" points out the show's similarities with Gilligan's Island. "LOST Connections" attempts to concoct a conspiracy theory based on which actors have appeared on film together throughout their careers.
"The LOST Book Club" and "Have You Been Framed?" examine literary allusions and shared themes with classic works. "LOST in Love" tries to analyze every love pairing on the show. Surprisingly, only the essay "Game Theory" actually attempted to explain the mysteries; but I really hope the show doesn't turn out to be just one giant video game.
"Oops" and the Encyclopedia are both out of date, due to events that been aired since the publication of the book.
Overall, I guess I wanted more of these authors to present their theories to explain the mysteries. Instead, I felt most of these pieces were just fluff and "talking head" analysis.
reviewed by csean85 on November 29, 2006 4:27 PM
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"Getting Lost" consists of 14 short essays about the hit ABC show, "Lost." With few exceptions, the majority of the essays are mediocre. "Lost" is a show with deep meanings and I would have preferred essays with stronger philosophical references.
The book also contains a fantastic introduction by Orson Scott Card, and a poorly written, most useless "Lost Encyclopedia".
If you live near a bookstore coffee shop, read the essays bit by bit when you visit, but save your money otherwise.
The book also contains a fantastic introduction by Orson Scott Card, and a poorly written, most useless "Lost Encyclopedia".
If you live near a bookstore coffee shop, read the essays bit by bit when you visit, but save your money otherwise.
reviewed by vladi on November 29, 2006 5:07 PM