Fandom Books

A Notre Dame grad, I picked up this book expecting it to be a glowing tribute to various parts of our football fanbase, hoping it would at least contain a few good stories that I hadn't heard at pep rallies, tailgates, or over dining hall trays. Instead, I was thrilled to find a series of topics that Scott has clearly researched on a level that those at ESPN and SI have never reached.

There are, of course, interviews with alumns (subway and graduated) and their reactions throughout Notre Dame's long history. But these provide some buffer and outsiders' perspective to chapters that delve deep into the University's financials, or pieces together administrative politics from interviews with Holy Cross priests and press script transcripts. Most memorable were the sections detailing Notre Dame's history in ways I had never once heard or read of in my four years. Detailing the fans at ND-Army games in Yankee stadium, Rockne's avoidance of playing other Catholic schools, and pre-Hesburgh administrations are just three quick examples of some of my favorite stuff. Where and how Scott dug this up will surely be a question many "know-it-all" fans and Observer sports columnist should be asking.

Most interesting (to me) was Scott's investigation into the uber-popular fansites like NDNation that so many fans belong to. He neither condemns it nor condones it; the book gives a fair, unhysterical overview of the process, text, and reaction to the internet-fueled "Call For Change" movement but also gives a lot of Monk's view of this growing mobocracy and their inability to ever be fully satiated. Most of the topics are dealt in this similar light: I walked away feeling there are shades of gray about online fandom, academe aspiration, subway alumni, and collegiate football.

Scott's ability to create a richer, detailed story stands out in a genre that seems to be content playing up all the same tried stories at a superficial level to the fans to sell copies on game day. (see: Return to Glory) The book is appropriately long, but ends right when you feel you've had about enough Notre Dame for awhile. His prose is thoughtful, investigative fair mixed with interview quotes that do not shy away from the profane and the profound.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants an understanding of the Notre Dame football fan experience from the perspective of a recent alum.
If you have not attended a game in South Bend, this book will make you feel as if you have never missed one.
The pull of the place to folks who have never attended a class at any University is attempted to be put in words....It is a must read for a College Football fanatic.

First, I have to admit for clarity that Scott's book includes about 1 page about my brother and I. I also signed the C4C (if you don't know what that means, read the book). So I guess that makes me biased.

Following the 2003 season, I didn't think I would face a worse situation than what unfolded in 2004. Bad losses to good teams, even worse losses to bad teams and the eventual misfirings on trying to land the "savior" coach at ND. In a phrase, it was a CF.

Now, through the writings of Scott, I relived that season but through the eyes of others who maybe lived and died a bit more with the game of ND football than I. Going in I thought the book was going to be a more factual account of what happened in 2004. But Scott does more than tell the facts - he tells the story behind the facts. Through meeting subway alums and their history and the role that the Internet played in bringing change to ND football, this book tells a good story.

If you are not a ND fan, you might find this book limited in its contents. However, if you suffered through the past 10 years of ND football, then you must read this book. You will have a renewed passion for Our Lady.

While Notre Dame haters will probably not care for this book, both fans of ND and those interested in college football in general will find it both fascinating and entertaining. By presenting stories of fans from around the country, as well as the historical conext of Notre Dame football, Mr Eden does a wonderful job of explaining how Notre Dame, warts and all, came to occupy a unique spot in college football: A small catholic university in the midwest with unparalleled football success and a truly national fan base.

"Touchdown Jesus" began as a small article describing the relationship between faith and fandom at Notre Dame, but evolved into a tour de force that introduces various Notre Dame enthusiasts from different backgrounds during a turbulent period for the University. These interested parties, many of whom author Scott Eden met tailgating prior to Irish football games, include university administrators, students, alumni, local residents, Internet posters, and "subway alumni," fans who did not attend the University but pledge die-hard allegiance to the University. To many of these fans, the direction of Notre Dame at the beginning of the 2004 football season was a cause for concern. The three pillars on which Irish enthusiasts take pride in--strong academics, nationally competitive football, and Catholic identity--were thought to be in crisis amidst alleged de-emphasis of football and aspirations to achieve similarity with elite, secular universities. The stories of the fans during this time are told through extensive research and personal interviews while detailing the events leading to the unexpected retirement of University President Father Edward Malloy and the firing of head football coach Tyrone Willingham.

Many authors have put forth books about Notre Dame, yet Scott Eden has produced a book that occupies a unique and important place in the Irish canon. A Notre Dame alumnus himself, Eden shares the passion for Notre Dame with the fans he describes, yet approaches the events with a detached, journalistic perspective. For the Notre Dame faithful, this book will serve as the definitive novel of this era, one that breaks ground in describing the events that occurred and the forces behind them. For others, Eden presents a piece that transcends a historical narrative by delving into the psychology behind devoted fandom. The result is a book that will be compelling for any audience.

A very comprehensive book, it brought back a lot of memories of All-Star Squadron. Well worth the money I paid for it.

I have always been a huge fan of the JSA. In my younger days, I collected every issue of All Star Squadron. As I got older and married, I sold my collection to younger enthusiasts. Now, I can revisit my former passion in this book that describes all the issues of All-Star Squadron as well as interesting articles about the history of All-Star Comics and the JSA. If you are interested in greater understanding of the history of JSA, I heartily recommend this book.

This book follows up on the All Star Companion, Volume One, and is a collection of articles and recollections of DC's golden age heroes (namely the Justice Society of America, and The All-Star Squadron). There are some unique insights and interesting stories about these classic characters, and the book is filled with some rare and intriguing art. The wrap-around cover by Carlos Pacheco is fantastic.

For me, the most interesting feature was a complete synopsis (issue by issue) of the All-Star Squadron comics, complete with cover reproductions and background notes. There were also supposed to be notes on the Young All-Stars comic, but space constraints pushed this material out of the book (though it will appear in volume three). This is nothing short of a phenomenal read for fans of comicdom's golden age.

Collections strong in comic book artists and art will find this history of the Justice Society of America and friends to be moving: it provides more secrets of the comic characters from the 1940s through the 1980s, surveying major issues and events, providing black and white reproductions of pages, and detailing behind-the-scenes influences on adventures and character appearances. An excellent companion for any who have followed the strip and seek more information on historical progression.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you liked All-Star Companion vol.1, you'll enjoy vol.2. More info on the Justice Society, plus an issue by issue review of The All-Star Squadron. I'm looking forward to vol.3!

Fan based activism is the subject of Marvin Lachman's amusing if not too terribly insightful new book THE HEIRS OF ANTHONY BOUCHER.

I've never been to a Bouchercon myself, and I would definitely add a star if I had, since for Lachman and his crew they represent the highest achievement in fantopia. Each of them is detailed here from top to bottom, including some frank discussion you will not want to miss on who was the nicest guests and who the most obsteperous and unpleasant. Also, some details of failed entertainment (a magician who faced the crowd at the 1987 Bouchercon gets a new one ripped into him here). Lachman cheerfully follows the late Michael Dibdin's acid observation that a gathering of fans is rather like the Revenge of the Nerds movies, and some of the fans are weirder than the rest! And he does name names, including some stories from back in the old days when social drinking was bigger than it is now, and any party was an excuse for some boozehounds to get royally smashed.

Controversy followed the fans, who like modernday bloggers only infrequently felt constrained by the professional obligations of their opposite numbers in the publishing/reviewing sphere. Thus a fan magazine called John Dickson Carr "second-rate," and other fans disagreed sharply. Greedy booksellers were publicly named and shamed for their outrageous pricing. Few remained unscathed, and the fans represent every notch of the political spectrum. Some have gone on to great things, writing the definitive biographies of their heroes, while others have been content to lobby for more "THE CAT WHO" books. Poisoned Pen Press is to be congratulated for publishing a book with so many different stories in it, and for printing so many candid snapshots of a grizzled school of activist readers. I came away from this book wondering what Anthony Boucher would have made of this phenomenon, but I feel sure he would have responded warmly to Marvin Lachman's geniality and high spirits.

My first Bouchercon was Milwaukee in 1999, which Lachman says was probably the high mark of Bcons in terms of organization and efficiency. Now I'm spoiled. I've attended a lot of mystery and writing conferences since and it's still tops.

Lachman also writes the "Out of the Past" column for MYSTERY NEWS, in which he sends readers scurrying to used bookshops for out-of-print relics from forgotten writers. If you're a fan of vintage writers from the early pulp and paperback era, you'll find that Lachman is frequently on those panels. So who better to chronicle the history of Bouchercon, the world's largest mystery convention?

If you've attended the Bcons he describes, you'll smile at the memories he evokes; if you didn't attend, you'll feel a wistful tug for having missed them. For each convention, he gives the highlights, the major events and attendance statistics. The behind the scenes anecdotes are especially fun.

This is a real gem for die-hard mystery fans and a special treat for anyone who has ever been (or may be contemplating being) one of the thankless Bouchercon volunteers or Bouchercon Organizers who make these events possible. I'd like to see him update it every year or post updates on a Website.

THE HEIRS OF ANTHONY BOUCHER is above all comprehensive and it reviews just about everything one will want to know about the history of mystery fandom. Marvin Lachman seems to have an ecyclopedic memory for details and events and has enough anecdotes and quotes to keep the book interesting.

The text follows a chronological pattern starting in 1930. It covers fan clubs, magazines, conventions, organizations, famous fans, scholarship by fans and mystery fandom in cyberspace.Even a casual reader of mystery jounals such as CADS, MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL and the now defunct ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE will recognize many familiar names including Geoff Bradley, Janet Rudolph, Otto Penzler, Bill Deeck, Bill Crider, Al Hubin, Charles Shibuk, Gary Warren Niebuhr, Bob Adey, Jon L. Breen, John Apostolou,Doug Greene, Philip Scowcroft and Ellen Nehr.

The big lesson to be learned here, in my opinion, is that remarkable work can be accomplished by people who are willing to explore their interests in depth with passion. There is no better example of this than the legacy now being created by Marvin Lachman.

This is a fabulous account! I can't think of anyone who could have done this better than Marv Lachman, I can't think of any bases it leaves untouched. It's timely, comprehensive, sympathetic, opinionated (in the best sense), insightful, well organized and beautifully written. Anyone with an interest in mystery fandom and its development over the years since its beginnings in the 1960s will cherish this book.

If you have ever set foot online to search for information about Lost, lurked on a message board, or you simply enjoy the show and you want to know what other fans of the show are like you need to read this book. It gives an extremely entertaining and good image of what Lost fandom is like from the inside.
The book tells you what life as an online fan might bring. It tells about how much this show really has meant to some of its fans. Most of all though, the book talks about the people making lost and how much the fans means to them.
"Lost ate my life" is a book for anyone who loves Lost, and for people interested in the amazing phenomenon a fandom is.

Do you need to be a member of the online Lost fandom to enjoy this book? No. Do you need to be a fan of Lost to enjoy this book? Not necessarily. You just need to be a fan. It doesn't matter what the subject is - if you discover the stranger standing next to you on bus is also fan, spend the rest of the trip discussing knitting... or the Boston Red Sox... or your favorite TV show, you'll understand and enjoy this book. While there is some discussion of Lost and how it came to be, this is mostly a book about fans. It's about how the fans came together, how they interact with each other and the creators of Lost. So, what makes the Lost fandom unique? Read the book.

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.

Perhaps the most realistic history of the fans who read and collected comic books, science fiction, movies, books, and just about anything collectable. Nostalgic without candy coating the history, F:C is - if not the last word on nostalgia history, certainly the next to the last word. This deserves a prominent place on anyone's bookshelf.

Northwest Passages: A Cascadian Anthology is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories that share a common thread of location in the Pacific Northwest. Many of these stories stand, independent of any genre, simply as good short fiction. The best of them are haunting stories that provoke a question in the reader's mind about what makes us human.

Most of the stories are quite wonderful, but a few annoy me a little bit. Louise Herring-Jones should consult an appropriate reference work about the difference between slugs and snails. And some of the authors clearly have limited personal knowledge of the parts of Oregon, Washington and Canada they are writing about. Doris Day's first film appearance was in 1948 - not 1940 as Jacques L. Condor would have it. But these are nits. Most of the stories are well-worth reading.

My personal favorites (in the order they appear in the book) are: Donna McMahon's "Feeding the Eagles," Mary E. Lowd's "Forget Me Not," Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon's "The Pulse of the Sea," Ruth Nestvold's "A Debt to Collect," Mercurio D. Rivera's "Rewind, Reply," Jacques L. Condor's "Them," John Kratman's "Nanuq," Krista Dietrich's "Sister's Story," and Eric Choi's "Plot Device."

The Okal Rel Universe is one of the big success stories of independent Canadian publishing: a series of novels by Vancouver author Lynda Williams, published by Calgary's EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here, Lynda teams up with the wonderful editor Virginia O'Dine (co-founder of British Columbia's Bundoran Press) and opens up her universe to other writers -- Rick Hoggarth, Elizabeth Woods, Adam Volk, Sarah Trick, and Amanda da Silva -- with impressive results. Also included is a fascinating appendix about the shared-universe project.

Tales of the Slug, edited by Cris K. A. DiMarco
a review by Seth Kerin, author of The Elder Worlds: Book One

Tales of the Slug is, from the outset, one of the more amusing anthologies I have ever read. The mere fact that all the stories are, directly or indirectly, related to slugs makes it an instant must-read compilation.

Individually, the stories are many and varied. The opener is a strong piece by Andrew Dolbeck, the author of Fever Jenny, and provides a great lead into the rest of the tales. Following that are stories by a wide range of authors and from a wide array of genres, from comic strip to horror tale, `A Matter of Taste.' It is interesting to note that there are no less than three stories about slugs and witches, two of which revolve around witches named Jenny - a common witch name?

In any case, as in any good anthology, the stories are well laid out, interweaving the strongest stories as anchors with the more unusual bits like the comic strip in between. Although many of the tales deal with characters from separate established novels, there is enough background given to make each story an easy and enjoyable read.

Overall, Tales of the Slug is a unique and entertaining collection that even those who are not typically fans of anthologies can enjoy.

If you're a fan of soap operas, and communication about them on the internet, this is the BOOK for you! Ms. Baym's book is filled with insightful and thought-provoking information on a group of individuals in a newsgroup on the internet who all came together to discuss the good and bad of their favorite soap opera(s). And along the way, found a community of friends they never thought possible. In her long and dedicated research, Ms. Baym delves into the communication she discovered, both verbal and nonverbal of a group of people, many women, but also men, and discovers much more about them than what appears on the surface. Her conclusions are quite intriguing! She finds the common bonds between them and shows how they are not only gifted and talented individuals, but how they are able to personify themselves through they're words, acts and deeds. She also talks at length about the changes over the years and gives factual evidence as the internet became larger. The growth is written into her story. It is a fun-filled odyssey into one group of people brought together with one common bond from all walks of life, from locations all over the world and it is quite a fascinating journey. Don't waste any time - get this book!

Brava Nancy Baym!