The full title is “Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly” by Jane Espenson, writer for the series (and other Jossy shows), and Glenn Yaffeth. Crammed with essays and articles by people who worked on Firefly and people who just loved it. I really like Larry Dixon’s analysis of the show; he pointed out subtleties I was never consciously aware of, like character clothing color palettes. However, John C. Wright’s article on the role of chivalry in Firefly annoyed me, and one or two other ones seemed (to me) to have missed the point entirely.

There are also essays on why the show got canned, opposing essays on the role of women in the ‘Verse, some letters from the FOX execs (you’ll see), a glossary of usesome Chinese phrases, a memoir from Jewel (Kaylee) Staite on her five favorite moments from the show, and an essay explaining why, if the crews were swapped, the crew of Serenity could take over the Enterprise universe while Captain Archer and pals would have a tough time of it in the Whedonverse. This is worth the price of the book.

At turns serious and silly, scholarly and whimsical, there are some nice insights into the world of Serenity that no Browncoat should be without.

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When you walk out of every new movie shaking your head and wondering why you bother to keep coming, when you can’t understand why you pay such high prices for cheap snacks so you can sit surrounded by rude people to watch inferior entertainment, it is almost cathartic to see a movie like “Serenity.”

It’s science fiction, set 500 years in the future in the aftermath of a galactic civil war in which the powerful Alliance won over the underdog Independents. A brilliantly gifted young girl, tortured and surgically altered by an unknown group, is rescued by her brother and hidden on a smuggler’s ship captained by an honorable man who continues to fight for his independence long after the war is over.

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David Newman took this little western comedy science fiction action thriller and made it epic with a soaring, exciting soundtrack. Personal favorites: the Serenity theme and “Going for a Ride.”

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All the insider stuff you know you want. Pictures from production, from behind the scenes, pictures of star charts and money and weapons and locations and more! Interviews with Joss about the ‘Verse, about the history of the movie, and lots of the technical side of his job. Oh, and the complete script of the movie.

Titan Books, trade paperback, 160 pages.

Buy: Amazon

The busy folks at Inkworks have produced collectible Serenity trading cards with scenes from the movie.

There’s the 72-card basic set, which you can buy separately or collect from the 6-card packs. Or you can buy a box of the packs, which has a card or two of its own. Or you can buy a case of the cards, which comes with a loader card not found anywhere else.

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Serenity! In plastic form!

Sadly, none of the ladies of Serenity have been figured, but here’s what’s available so far, with comments. WARNING: the more spoiler-centric of you might wish to avoid reading, just in case. Just look at the pictures.

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Go traveling in the ‘verse your ownself, and see what it’s like.

Roll up your own characters and crew and see if you can make your way in the Firefly/Serenity universe. Crammed full of information about the people, ships, weapons, technology, and history of Joss Whedon’s brilliant series, plus gorgeous artwork by 11th Hour, the Serenity RPG is just what you need to get your Firefly fix. There are also limited editions available, signed by author Jamie Chambers and publisher/author Margaret Weis at http://www.serenityrpg.com/

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If you have not seen the movie Serenity, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK YET. If you have seen the movie, read this book several times.

Like the best novelizations, DeCandido’s Serenity includes all the dialogue and action from the movie and then slides in the mustard; now we get to get inside the characters, see the motivations and histories, find out what River really thinks and what Jayne muses about when there’s no one needs shootin’ right off. Not that you’ll find out all you’d like to, but there are a few more questions answered and some apparent inconsistencies smoothly explained. DeCandido clearly loves these characters and wears their voices well, and in this work he does exactly what Serenity fans want him to do: he makes the movie even better. And that’s no small feat.

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Can’t find the comics in this three-part mini-series from Dark Horse? Just get the trade paperback! Easier to read anyway, and you won’t have to smudge your collectible comics.

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