Fan Fiction Books

Written by fans, written for fans.

That is FAITHFUL in its very essence. And you don't even need to be a Sox fan. What you do need, though, is a rabid love for the game of Baseball.

On paper, this book looks to impress. You got two wonderful writers, Stewart O' Nan and Stephen King, both with impressive resumes (O' Nan's not as popular as King, obviously, but he wasn't voted one of the top 20 among young writers in the States for nothing) and a substantial amount of published works between the two of them, they could almost sell this book on pure reputation. But this book is much more than that. It has tons of character, emotion and honesty, which is exactly what a baseball book, any baseball book, should have. Baseball is a passionate game and this book does a good job of that, not because of the duo's skill, mind you, but because of their passion and their brutally honest love for the game of Baseball and, of course, the Red Sox.

That's not to say the writing's bad by any means. The writing is what you would expect from the duo. And they have kept the writing fresh and interesting throughout which I find impressive; not often do you see the game of Baseball being portrayed in such vibrancy over so long an account. And not often do you get a full recap of a FULL baseball season done so well, and you're getting all 400+ pages of it. But I believe it's more because of the passion in their veins and not technical skill.

So, you're asking, why should I bother? I'm not a Red Sox fan! Well, I dare say this book transcends even that, I dare say that no matter what fan base you belong to, you will come away from the book with a smile on your face, because, although this book is biased towards the Sox, any fan can appreciate the level of content this account of Baseball has. It was a histrorical win after all and the Sox winning the World Series after 80 plus years has got to appeal to us baseball fans because baseball is a historical sport by nature.

So I believe, to baseball fans, this book will be an addiction, a celebration of the game of Baseball. It will touch the universal heart of the Baseball fan.

So, Baseball fans, get this book will you? I guarantee you will soon be in Baseball heaven.

We already know the ending, so the fun in reading "Faithful" is all about squirming along with the authors as they bare their frustrations and insecurities about the BoSox in a series of diary entries and e-mail exchanges. It's a fun read, although O'Nan quite often gets bogged down in the play-by-play details of games instead of the stories surrounding the games. And, after he snagged his 20th baseball of the season, I stopped counting and started wondering where O'Nan has room for the dozens of outfield flies and foul balls that he catches during the course of the season?

Although O'Nan and King aren't reporters, I can't stop thinking about why their publisher didn't hook them up with player interviews or behind-the-scenes access. As it is, the book is more about the art of being a fan rather than about the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

Anyone who thinks that this book should be entertaining to anyone but a Red Sox fan needs to re-read the title. This book was never advertised as anything more than two fanatics game by game reactions to and experiences with each Red Sox game of the 2004 season. For a Red Sox fan, it was a great read, especially knowing how the whole thing ends. For anyone else other than those who are just true sports fans, I can clearly see how it would be a huge bore just as a book entitled "Astrophysics: Two Diehard Scientists Chronicle the History of the Science" would bore the hell out of me. Frankly, I enjoyed the season itself and then enjoyed reliving it through the eyes of O'Nan and Uncle Stephie. It's a shame that more authors haven't picked up on this notion for other sports teams looking at promising seasons.

"Faithful" is a season-long diary by noted author Steven King and less well-known novelist Stewart O'Nan, both lifelong Boston Red Sox fans. Their editor's choice of season is fortunate--2004, when the Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 years. Both authors include diary entries, which are passioniate and generally entertaining. As a baseball fan, I also appreciated the stories (particularly O'Nan's) about getting to the ballpark and watching the games in person. The book also features some e-mail or instant message traffic between the two--though this is both less revealing and entertaining--mostly dumb. There's no drama as to how the "story" will come out, but there is some uncertainty as to how the authors' mental health will be both when the Yankees take a 3-games-to-none lead in the American League Championship Series and when the Red Sox complete an unprecedented four game comeback to reach the World Series. I'm sure Red Sox "faithful" will love this book; baseball fans like myself will like it; and non-baseball fans will and should read something else.

I just finished reading this book. My brother wanted to read it afterwards, but I told him not to waste his time. We are both huge Red Sox fans and even as such, I could barely stand the book. From the get-go it is obvious this book is O'Nan's baby and King is just adding his thoughts from time to time (about 30%) so that his name will be on the cover and they will sell more copies. Neither of the fans are "diehard" as they claim to be, missing many games and rehashing what was said on Sportscenter. O'Nan acts like a child and is hard to read - not to mention his other "favorite" team is the Pirates. We don't care. The emails sent between one-another did not sound anything like emails real people would send - they were quite clearly written just for the sake of writing something to take up space. In addition, the authors alleged inability to sleep after a meaningless Red Sox loss or nightmares about the team seemed a bit fake. I only finished it because I had started it but I picked it up each day with a bit of dread. I will never read anything with O'Nan's name on it, and I'm glad I didn't pay a cent for this book.

I loved this book. I found it fascinating...tragic...hauntingly beautiful. I recommended it to a friend and she also loved it. It's a story that stayed with me for many weeks after I finished it. It was not at all what I expected as a "love story" in the traditional way, and thank goodness, because I'm not into "love stories". I chose it after reading and loving 'Snowflower and the Secret Fan' and I was not disappointed. Surprised, but not disappointed.

I had been excited to see a new novel by one of my favorite authors and wanted more than anything to buy it. But when I read the reviews, I was daunted by the number of people recomending me NOT to read the book.

Nevertheless, I found myself at Borders with a dilhema - to replace my missing Snow Flower book or buy Peony in Love. After minutes of debating, I bought Peony, deciding to dismiss the naysayers as just people dissapointed over the lack of Snow Flower similarities. Besides, the beginning looked interesting.

However, when I got home, I almost immediately regretted my $20 choice. True, the beginning of the story was interesting, if not top notched. I noticed that the foot-binding scene was thrown in there almost randomly and the disbelief of shallowly falling for a man after seeing only his face behind a screen, just as some of the negativer reviewers pointed out.

But what the tipping point was happened after the first "book". Immediately, the story became a monotonous cycle of stalking and obsessiveness with a book. It was only my devotion that kept me reading.

Altogether, I was unsatisfied. I admire Lisa See for her attempt but I think she chose the wrong story to base her novel off of. I'd hate to compare it to Snow Flower but the harsh truth is, the two simply contrast in style and quality.

This is a wonderful coming of age story about the 17th century daughter of a wealthy Chinese family. The main character is atypically presented which adds a further layer of depth to the novel. It is at times both incredibly sorrowful and deeply sweet. Lisa See is a master of descriptive language and imagery. This novel befits readers of a variety of ages - young women will associate with Peony's desperate roller-coasters of emotions, the middle aged set will appreciate the tumultuous path to wisdom.

I originally picked up this book as a bit of light fun reading while on vacation in San Francisco. Although i was put off a little by how "cheesy" the idea of ghosts and people who are "fated" to be together, once i was able to separate myself from my traditional "Western Ideas" i fell in love with the imagery and passion invoked on every page. Like "Snowflower" this book challenged my usual view on love, a womans place and other cultures. I recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.

Peony in Love: A NovelI was disappointed in Peony in Love after having read Snowflower and the Secret Fan by the same author. Peony in love is too far out and unrealistic for my reading. Peony spent 2/3 of the book dead, talking about what went on with her after death in the afterlife and that is not my cup of tea.

Fantastic book, I actually welled up a few times. Although it does bare some resemblance to Romeo and Juliet, the story is actually a Chinese legened which can be dated as far back as 907, which is long before Shakespear was even though of.

This book represents a re-telling of a traditional Chinese tale. It is well done although the author, trying to make the language more appealing to modern (American) readers, sometimes misses the mark. However, for anyone interested in Chinese culture, this is a "must read."

A young chinese girl named Yingtai went to college dressed as a boy because in her time, girls were not allowed to go to college. She studied for almost three years and had a roommate named Shanbo. She fell in love with him and the day she left, the wife of the school master told Shanbo that Yingtai was a woman. Then he went to propose to her, but Yingtai was already engaged. Shanbo was desperate for Yingtai, but could do nothing and Yingtai said no matter what they would be together even if they had to die. So eventually Shanbo got sick and he died and Yingtai told his parents to make a grave next to his so she could join him one day. Then on the way to her wedding she made the Ma family, whcih she was marrying into, go to the cemetary and she jumped in her grave and died by Shanbo's side. In the end there are two butterflies symbolizing Shanbo and Yingtai The book was one of the best I have read so far. I feel everyone should read it because it has history and it's very romantic. You'll never want to put it down because you always want to know what is going to happen.

I am not kid but i did not want to use my e-mail address.

Butterfly Lovers by Fan Dai is an excellent book, however, it took me a while to get into the book. At first the book started off slowly, it took a few chapters of reading for me to begin enjoying it. After the few chapters things started to happen more rapidly and I liked it a lot more. Even though I enjoyed the book, the ending sort of caught me off gaurd, it was strange and extremely random.

I believe this novel would be good for the hopeless romanitc type of person. It is a book where people would do anything for the one they love, even if it means betraying their families. If you enjoy reading romance novels, you would enjoy Butterfly Lovers.

This book is a general love story that really drags on. It comes down to the basic comparison of Romeo and Juliet but it was based in old china. The young girl wants to go to school then she finally gets her way and dress's up as a boy. Through this she falls in love with her roommate and has to keep secret that she's a girl. Then the rest of the story is up you to read and find out what happens.

My opinion on this book was that it was pretty bad. It drags on and seems to just be a basic love story that goes no where. Love stories are not for me and this book is to general how life is portrayed. The book really made me hate love stories because it isn't what real life is like. This book in my opinion was horrible an should not be read by anyone. The story is bad not the writing which is very descriptive. If you are into Romeo and Juliet then you should read this book.

This manga was really good. The art was pretty and the stories ( there are more than one) were cute. Not much plot and lots of sex, but it was still all very good.

This Book with the three different stories in it. I s very excllent and I wish there would be a book two fromthis same authur. I would recommened buying this book if you are into a very go read.

First of all, I have to say that, as the title indicates, there are a lot of sex scenes in here. Pretty hot ones, too. And it's about the most uncensored I've ever seen in a yaoi manga.

However, the plot is....let's call it lacking.

By the way, this is spoilers galore down here.

Really. I spoil everything.

I'm serious.

Story one: Ninja-in-training+Ninja master. This arc is split into two stories. Part One basically consists of secks, love confession, and more secks. Story Two is basically sex in a schoolboy outfit. I cannot stress how ridiculously everything that happens in the story is obviously there for the sole purpose of instigating sex.

Story two: Two ninjas. Confession, sex. One falls off a mountain. Now this would be a good plot twist, if the other ninja didn't find him about two pages later completely unharmed. Sex ensues

Story three: Boy and Snow Spirit. It's never specified how young this boy is, but it's not so young as to give readers the icks. Some may call this shota, I personally don't. This story isn't half-bad. VERY fluffy, romancey, never any conflict to speak of, never any plot to speak of for that matter.

If you're looking for some quick hot sex fix, go for this. But be warned. I count myself as somebody who will overlook some plot gaps for a good romance. But this, I found myself rolling my eyes at. Good for hot yaoi, bad for good plot.

I'm surprise i even picked this up one day. but ever since i got it, i've become hooked on Yaoi. My guy friends run away when i even say the word....and my best friends giggle as they look at the books with me.

I LOVED this. Nice cute couples and stories, not to mention nice art and sexy scenes. The only problem i had with it is that the stories are short yes....but...a little too short. I like Yaoi series more then collections of short stories, but overall i loved this manga!

Though it seems like hot ninjas and yaoi should be a recipe for one yummy manga, SHINOBU KOKORO: HIDDEN HEART leaves a reader's appetite less than satisfied.

The book is a collection of stories that focus on a school of sorts for young wannabe ninjas. The sensei's got a thing for his pupil, and through various 'training sessions' that revolve more around having sex than learning anything else, this certainly isn't a typical dojo! But the stories suffer from terribly weak plots, uninteresting dialog and artwork that looks pretty in some panels and scratchy/coarse in most. I'm sensing the mangaka might have been rushed to meet a few deadlines during the initial serialized release of this manga in Japan.

There are some redeeming qualities, however, the most important one being the abundance of love scenes! For a quick yaoi fix, SHINOBU does it's job nicely. But for collectors who would rather save their hard-earned cash for more worthwhile reads, skip it.

Re-read-ability for this manga is a "4", meaning I probably won't pick it up again, but would give away to a friend if s/he were interested.

First things first - this is a brilliantly-evoked account of the Giants/Dodgers playoff game that ended with the "Shot Heard Round the World". It is also the opening section of DeLillo's novel Underworld. Like most of the other reviewers of this book, my main beef is "Why should one bother to buy this extract?" In context, this is only the beginning of a long exploration of American history in the 50 years that separate us from that game - particularly the Cold War, which could be said to begin on that day with news of the Soviet Union's atomic test reaching the US. The historic baseball goes weaving from hand to hand binding the stories together. If you're a DeLillo fan, then, don't buy it for yourself. If you want a taster of his work, perhaps buy it as an entry-level sample but be prepared to fork out for it all over again if you decide you need to read the full novel. Best of all, buy it as a gift for someone who's unlikely to be a DeLillo reader, now or in future, but is a fan of baseball and/of 50s Americana. It's great stuff, but its appeal in this format is just pretty limited.

And I really believe that. This is the opening section of *Underworld* (1997), and it originally appeared in Harpers--so, when I saw it in stores, I thought "why re-release this as a BOOK?"

Then, I read it. It stands on its own as a novella--and it's not *just* about baseball, either, so don't let that mislead you or put you off. It's about *everything*. Maybe you don't wish to read the lengthy *Underworld* (though the themes and characters and plotlines here run through the entire novel)--but at LEAST read THIS.

And while I own the novel, I'm pleased to own this, too--and if you like DeLillo and wish to turn others on to his work, this is what you give them. I've given copies to several people, and use this brilliant work in my "Writing a Novella" Creative Writing class. I don't test the students, or ask them to try to emulate the work--I just ask them to read it.

Their jaws drop open every time, just as mine did--and does.

Who cares about Underworld? I didn't go near it. Separating this classic from that tome was the best marketing move anyone's ever done. This book should be in the public domain anyway. Imagine taking a baseball game, exploding it into one of the world's greatest historical events as seen from various characters' points of view, and at the same time encapsulating the dawning of a new moment in world history. Every sentence is sharp and detailed, anticipating the next. And then when Thomson hits the home run, Delillo freeze frames each second like you're in a car crash, making sure you're aware of everything that's going on. It's one of the best books ever written.

No, not really. Since this novella first appeared in Harper's some years back and then was the prologue in Underworld, this makes the third time it's appeared in print. And while it is brilliant, why buy this when you can buy Underworld for about the same price?

Well this has to be a classic, but describing it as a new 2001 novella by Delillo is a sure way to rile Delillo fans like me, who almost ordered it on reflex. It turns out to be the first part of Underworld. While Underworld is, in my view, one of the great books of this decade, the publisher should at least warn potential buyers that they may already own this book. On the other hand for those who find it hard to stick through an 800 page book, this sample delicacy might be a good introduction to the art of Delillo. As for me I prefer the original Underworld, or Body Artist, a completely mesmerizing novella about the same size as Pafko.

I bought this book on the advice of a friend and forced myself to read it all. I have never read such a disjointed, uninteresting novel - and I'm a movie buff!!! The maneuvering of the plot in order to bring it around to the movies is contrived and boring. The constant change of point of view is distracting and the characters unbelievable. One of your reviewers compared Garbo Laughs to Margaret Atwood's work and Russo's Empire Falls...PLEASE...get real.
Pauline M. Grocki

I realized half way through the book that I just didn't care what happened to these people. The story line just dragged. I rarely don't finish a book but was glad to put this aside.

I received this book as a gift for Christmas 2003 from Mrs R. First I should say that I have never been interested in movies, old or new, and a great many of the references made in the story were lost on me. Still I enjoyed this book as much as enjoying a book is possible, it has been the best read in the last several years. The fact that I am also a middle aged woman, and that at the time I lived Ottawa, in the Glebe, possibly contributed to this. Nevertheless, the writing is elegant, unpretentious, humorous and touching at times, terse and transparent in my interpretation. The narrative appealed to me on different levels - impeccable style, character development, the nostalgic overtones, the subtle and not at all subtle observations of deep seated human shortcomings and virtues. Harriet is a quirky woman, in her way, and possibly her experience speaks to readers who identify with her in her somewhat irrational defiance, in her refuge in movies. Garbo laughs is in the very small of books I have read twice, because I knew there would be still much to ponder and discover on the second take, after a few months, and still more to enjoy. I know this book does not appeal to everybody, probably not to fast readers. It did to me. Thank-you Mrs R.

Elizabeth Hay's GARBO LAUGHS really got under my skin. And stayed there. I swear I think of certain images from it at least once a day and I can't say that of any other book I've read in the last several years. She takes you right inside the scene and she understands so perfectly how to write about the quiet in the early morning in a house filled with people, how to make you really feel it, she never insists, she's never histrionic, she's never melodramatic, she trusts her best readers, and it all feels so effortless, it all so beautifully catches the ebb and flow of real life. And when she writes about Harriet (a great character) losing her temper, there's something so absolutely, so wonderfully comic and wild about it.

And here are just a few more of my favourite things:

She was a witness to the cozy hilarity on the sofa...
ankles touching, soul aghast...
Like a Huron she carried her coffee....
And the whole section that follows that, about being seriously underslept
The chapter called SHOCK. The way she does fire is amazing--that incendiary combination of fire and kimono--and I love the emotional complexity and humour of this whole section...
And the incredible description of the double ladder of slats (and the glass inserts) in the window of the hotel room in Havana, the part that goes "there was a whole world in the fittings of each window, the workings that allowed air without sun, light without wind or rain..."
Dinah Bloom being piggy-backed on Lew's back while still wearing her skates is also a great scene: medieval in a surreal way, like something out of a painting by Breughel.
(...) So painterly and human and shy and funny and warm and so exciting to read, it just soars above Carol Shield's cutely clinical and coy description (...).

I loved Hay's earlier novel, A Student of Weather but was extremely disappointed in this offering. The story is character driven, but the main characters aren't particulary interesting or believable. Their (endless) ruminations about films are so banal I kept wondering if the author was deliberately making fun of them. The fact that main character Harriet is supposed to be a writer is also hard to buy into, given her slightly creepy and thoroughly pedestrian missives to her idol, Pauline Kael. The setting is supposedly contemporary, but the characters' sensibilities and interests seem oddly constricted and old fashioned -- as when husband Lew flees the undercurrent of marital tensions by retreating to his room to play his mandolin. If you like to hang out with people who revere Guys and Dolls as one of the greatest films ever made, and consider the question "Sinatra or Astaire?" the height of probing film criticism, this book is for you.

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

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.

Lukewarm collection of stories, essays, and observations from Generation X's primary author and voice. The first part of the collection (the titular "Polaroids") consists of short vignettes involving Deadheads at a Grateful Dead concert, of which only "How Clear Is Your Vision of Heaven?" seems to be effective. In that tale, Columbia tells her young children a bedtime story (about an enchanted city beset by drought that continues on a downward spiral with the appearance of a skeleton) as they all bunk inside an Econoline van while Columbia's husband Ezekiel enjoys the concert alone.

The middle of the book is the best read. "Portraits of People and Places" is a collection of essays, letters, postcards, pictures, and rants about different places that Coupland has visited and experienced. His piece of Lions Gate Bridge is perhaps one of the best pieces I've ever read about Coupland. I loved the image he created with the trumpeter playing tunes for the gridlocked drivers/passengers while the suicide jumper teetered over the edge of the bridge. Coupland's descriptions of Palo Alto, CA, Los Alamos, NM, and Vancouver are magnificent. I've never been to these places, but Coupland effectively recreates them without much effort.

The final part is the "Brentwood Notebook," an interesting piece on suburban Brentwood, California, site of Marilyn Monroe's suicide in 1962 and the Nicole Brown Simpson-Ron Goldman murders in 1994, of which football great OJ Simpson was tried and acquitted in what has become the trial of the 20th century. Coupland goes through every detail of the suburb, from the fact that it is NOT an actual city, just a suburb, to details about nearby cemetaries and places of interests. A map would have been nice, however.

Overall, I have to give this one a three. The first part did nearly next to nothing for me. The middle was wonderful; the end was anti-climactic. The numerous photos helped, especially the cover photo of the beautiful actress Sharon Tate, who, within the book on pp. 14-15, eerily shares space with the man who had her killed, infamous murderer Charles Manson.

????

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.

Smug, overwrought and overwritten, pretentious reworking of the Canterbury Tales into tales of K-ville, the tent city that grows outside Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University during basketball season.

My opinion may be shaped by my dislike for the school and my jealous response to a young Duke graduate having a book published on such a thin premise--by the press of the university it lauds from beginning to end!.

Aaron Dinin gives an insider view of the greatest support group the Duke basketball program has-its students at Krzyzewskiville.
The story unfolds as a group of students, tenting for tickets for a Duke basketball game, decide to while away a few hours by each giving their perspective on K-ville.

A must read for basketball fans, everywhere.

Cute little take on the Cantabury Tales from the Duke point of view. This book is only for lovers of all things Duke.

As a Duke basketball fan I found this book interesting and it made me wish I could have gone to Duke and experienced it for myself. This book was the next best thing.

Though never having been a particularly big Duke basketball fan, I picked up a copy of this book upon a friend's advice, and am glad I did. It's an entertaining way to learn about the fascinating history of what everyone knows is a storied basketball dynasty (whether you like 'em or not, it's true). The stories are easy to read, but packed with relevant information, and I was able to breeze through the book in one sitdown while still feeling like I'd gained a lot of knowledge. I look forward to what Mr. Dinin writes next.

This book is really like a kid's picture book than an adult reference book. It shows some good pictures (maybe that will give ideas for your costumes) but that's about all it does. It appears that this was some grad-student's project that just happened to get published. As long as it cheap though, it wouldn't hurt to add to your collection if you want to see some examples of cosplay.

I always wondered how and why star trek fans get involved in making costumes and what types of events they attend looking like Starfleet or an Alien. Heather Joseph-Witham answers those questions and much more in this fanstatic book about Star Trek Costume Art. The photos are great, and really show how these wonderful fans create their works of art. A good read - A great collectable!!!

As a trekkie who has been costuming for years, I did not feel that this book accurately represented costumers. I am always improving my craft. Each costume gets better and better and yet the ones in this book seem very amatuer. There was not much attention given to details. I am ecstatic that a book was done on trekkies in costume. I just think better costumers could have been found and perhaps a little less detail given to the woman's bosom.

"Get a Life" is the derogatory dismissal often aimed at the
Star Trek fandom. As Heather Joseph-Witham discloses in her
fan-friendly little book, Trekkies usually do "have a life"
outside of fandom, and most take "fan-dumb" not too
seriously. That costumed Klingon or Starfleet Officer is quite likely
an environmental engineer, a college professor, a parent and
homemaker, a Kung Fu Master, a computer wizard, a police officer, a
priest, pastor, or rabbi, or even a technician at NASA! For these
people, the creation of costume art is a diversion or a hobby, and the
"professionalism" of the costume is much less important than
the wearability and pure fun of it. The "hall-costumes"
featured in Ms. Joseph-Witham's book are that kind of art, their
wearers those kinds of fans. These costumes are often whipped
together out of fabric remnants, leather strips, thrift-store fur
coats, inexpensive polyester or vinyl, crepe hairpieces. The fan
interviews conducted by the author reveal that many Trek enthusiasts
are attracted to the archetypes embodied by the series' various
characters and alien species. Thus, a fan chooses to role-play a
Klingon warrior, a Vulcan science-officer, or a Bajoran priestess
based on his/her affinity with that archetype. And although all the
convention-goers in this book are members of a tightly-bonded
community, the relative annonymity of costuming allows them the
opportunity to portray themselves in a manner which they otherwise
might not attempt in public.
@

I was able to finish this book only because I wanted to know who the killer was. It certainly isn't the worst book I've ever read, but, it was very dull at times. And I didn't really like how the writing was all in faxes, letters, and phone conversations. Get this one at the library so you won't waste any money on it.

I purchased this book out of pure curiosity, and I do not regret it for even a second! Ronald Munson took a turn for the better when he wrote this book completely by letters. emails. faxes. and recorded telephone messages. Joan Carpenter, a contraversial newscaster, is new to town and must rely on her co-workers and friends for support with settling in. Not long after arriving to town, Joan begins to get letters, faxes and emails, from someone who clained to be her "biggest fan." When Joan had a problem with a fellow worker at her TV station, the stalker killed the troublemaker. Just how far would this "fan" go? Would this person..KILL... Joan? Who is this stalker?... Well they might be closer than you think.....

In Fan Mail he is. This book was so unique in the fact that the story was told purely thru e-mails, faxes and phone messages.

The plot touches on a stalker called The Watcher, something that every personality fears but what made this book so chilling was the fact that the reader, along with the stalked, had no clue as to what the stalker was thinking.

The reader is kept in suspense by not being allowed to view what is going on inside either the stalker's head or the vicitim's. While this is not the best mystery I have ever read, it certainly wins points for creativity.