I’m a snob when it comes it reading books based on series I like. I’m not interested in reading anything that isn’t canon.
Canon – Anything that happens to a character that is part of the officially sanctioned story.
I think of it as “What Really Happened” even though it is all fiction anyway. Fan fiction where people send characters careening off in different directions doesn’t interest me at all.
That’s why I was interested to hear about Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas’ plan to continue her story in a series of books.
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
“Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.
Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person’s case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.” from Goodreads
You can tell this book is by the writer of the series and the movie. The dialogue is similar and would probably sound even more familiar if you listened to the audio read by Kristen Bell.
I think it is accessible if you hadn’t seen the series but you may not understand exactly how all the characters fit into the overall story if you haven’t seen the show. There is enough intro of everyone here to remember who is who since it has been years since the show was on.
One of the main people who has embraced continuing stories after TV series is Joss Whedon. There are graphic versions of life after Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. The one story that I always wanted to read from Firefly is Shepherd Book’s backstory. He is a holy man in the show who has a surprising knowledge of military tactics and ability to be violent if needed.
Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale by Joss Whedon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“One of Serenity’s greatest mysteries is finally revealed in The Shepherd’s Tale, filling in the life of one of the show’s most beloved characters–Shepherd Book!
Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew? How did he become one of their most trusted allies? And how did he find God in a bowl of soup?” from Goodreads
Like all graphic novels it felt way too short for my liking. It gave the answers but it is a story that I would have loved to see in novel form. There is a lot of room to develop it. It feels just like an outline of a life but I’m glad to have even those answers.
I’d like to read the Veronica Mars books at some point, but I still haven’t even seen the movie (even though I backed it on Kickstarter – I know, go figure). But I have read the Buffy comics. I’m with you, I really only want to read the books if they’re done by the creator of the show because those feel more “real” to me.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Wait…there are book based on Firefly and its characters?? No way! We just discovered it a few years ago – watched all of season 1 on DVD – such a crime there was no more. We are going to watch the movie this summer, though! Thanks for the heads up on the books 🙂
And thanks for visiting my blog!
Sue
2015 Big Book Summer Challenge