Scan barcode
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
Numfar! Do the dance of a job well done!
When I was approved for the ARC of this book from Netgalley, it would be a drastic understatement to say I was excited. I have been a worshipper at the feet of the Whedon for a very long time now, and I was ready to throw the book I was reading aside and dive headfirst into this. I expected to finish it in hours, not days.
And then in the "You're approved!" e-mail, I saw We do ask that you hold your review until the book's publication month.
I couldn't read it right away. Having to wait to post a review, I would lose any thoughts and feelings I'd once had. If I wrote the review then and there, and waited to post it, reading it back over I'd probably want to adjust it, and remove the spontaneity.
Why god, why?!?!?
Needless to say, July 31st I dived back in. And killed my phone two times a day being absorbed into the story of Joss Whedon.
I'll be the first to admit, I am super biased to the subject matter. I like to joke that I was a fan of Joss Whedon before I even knew I was a fan. I was a big fan of the first Toy Story, so finding out he'd been involved in that process, bam. Early Joss fan.
Then I found out his father wrote for the Golden Girls. HUGE fan of the Golden Girls growing up. I've always been a Whedon fan! Grandfather wrote for what?! Jesus, that's my entire Nick at Nite childhood!
Cut to a few years ago, reading a book about Sesame Street, and Captain Kangaroo. Guess whose name appears one more time.
And I was one of those 10 people who adored the movie version of Buffy.
Then in this book, I actually find out which episodes of Roseanne were written by Joss himself, one of which being one of my favorites, the episode where Darlene has to write a poem and read it for class.
Yeah. I'm a three generation Whedon fan. I apparently was destined to fall in love with a spunky blonde with a pointy stick, and follow her creator through hell and cancellation.
I did go into the book hesitant, though. The trouble with biographies is the same trouble Joss had when making Serenity. The biggest draw will be the people who are already invested. Those of us who have followed Joss, who railed against the WB, railed against Fox, took part in the campaigns. We are the readers.
But what about everyone else? What about the people who see this book while passing their eyes over a shelf full of biographies, and say, "Who's this guy? Oh, The Avengers? Yeah, that movie kicked ass. Okay, I'll read it." Will this biography hold the interest of someone who's never heard the term Browncoat?
I think it will.
This book is jam packed with information, without being heavy. You get bits from every aspect of his life without feeling like you're stuck in one part. The origin story (as it were) is clean, and succinct. Grandparents, parents, siblings, born. School, comics, England. Bam bam bam. And plenty of good Jossy soundbites in between.
And really, I read this for the Jossy soundbites. I've read at least half of the big quotes in this book, but some of them I haven't read in 10 years, and getting a refresher was like talking to an old friend. Reminding myself why I follow this man to every new project. I even learned things I hadn't known, and that was fantastic.
I can never have enough lip service to Buffy, it is my original fandom, my original love. I think the portions dedicated to that time on the show are well fleshed out. Maybe I'm projecting, but I think you can really tell the author's preferences, likes and dislikes, regarding the show. Much attention is given to the first three seasons, then she just...stops describing. Barely anything about seasons 4 and 5, other than talking about The Gift.
And again, maybe projecting a tad, but I think she and I have the exact same opinions about season 6. I was very interested to see that she mentioned the extreme fan....dislike....for Marti Noxon. Not that I'm guilty of that or anything. ::cough::
Ms. Pascale was a Bronzer, and the cast and crew did frequent that board a lot. But as someone who found her own family via an online Buffy forum, just a tiny mention of the other Buffy forums online would've been nice? I know we never got a visit from Joss (well, that he made himself known, anyway), but still. AOL Buffy boards. Hi. ::waves::
We did find who we believed to be Tim Minear once. I don't know if anyone had the balls to say hi to him, though.
Speaking of. I was interested to see if she would mention any of the tensions regarding the Buffy and Angel set. I've heard rumors, two of which were definitely substantiated. And those were the ones talked about, though it feels like they were greatly sandpapered over. The Jeff Pruitt battle, for one, and what was done to Charisma Carpenter.
I'm glad they're included, and I wasn't expecting (or wanting) Joss to be dragged through the dirt. But still. Kind of felt like the edges were sanded a bit heavily.
Last thing: I know someone mentioned in the acknowledgements. I promptly ran to her Facebook page to crow about it. Because I am a nerd who reads the acknowledgements.
I cannot say enough how pleased I was by this book. Pleased enough to get a little emotional at times, remembering how much being a fan of his has given me over the years. I will be buying this book, and it will have a good spot on my bookshelf.
Again, though. I am very biased.
(Note: Review also posted to my Tumblr account)
migimon2002's review against another edition
5.0
I was completely enthralled with this gem! This book brought back so many memories of the TV I watched as a teenager. And, as a HUGE fan of Buffy & Angel, the references, quotes, and anecdotes from cast/crew were meaningful to me. I really liked how, although Amy Pascale highlighted necessary points of Joss' family and youth, it wasn't bogged down in boring details of his childhood - this was refreshing for a biography. Instead, I was really able to re-live Joss' creative journey. I even discovered a few projects I hadn't realized he was a part of (ex. Much Ado About Nothing; and HOW did I NOT know of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog?!?! I ordered it immediately from Amazon!) Fans of Joss Whedon will really appreciate this book, I think.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
4.0
I'd been looking for a book about Joss Whedon since December. There had been a few biographies, but then I saw this one was about to come out. It looked the most official -- even having a foreword by Nathan Fillion -- so I waited.
It becomes little more than an IMDB page after a while. I don't read many biographies, so maybe this is what they're like. I wanted to know more about his family life or his writing life, I didn't need to know what happened with "Firefly" or "The Avengers". I already follow the guy. I already knew that. Except for his early life, there wasn't much I didn't already know from Twitter, Wikipedia, and Comic-Con panels on YouTube.
I did like that it goes under the covers for how certain things happened and affected the evolution of some of my favorite shows, like the online influence on Buffy. It was one of the first shows to embrace its online presence. And how the downtime on Roseanne led him to write the script for BtVS.
I feel like this book was intended for people who don't know much about Joss Whedon. Like bigwigs in meetings who declare "who is this Joss Whedon fellow all the kids keep talking about? Go get him. The kids love him." It's more about his work than his personal life or mental life. But it's so stable, there's not much to entertain. I suppose it's better that his life isn't a National Enquirer saga, for the sake of his stability.
It becomes little more than an IMDB page after a while. I don't read many biographies, so maybe this is what they're like. I wanted to know more about his family life or his writing life, I didn't need to know what happened with "Firefly" or "The Avengers". I already follow the guy. I already knew that. Except for his early life, there wasn't much I didn't already know from Twitter, Wikipedia, and Comic-Con panels on YouTube.
I did like that it goes under the covers for how certain things happened and affected the evolution of some of my favorite shows, like the online influence on Buffy. It was one of the first shows to embrace its online presence. And how the downtime on Roseanne led him to write the script for BtVS.
I feel like this book was intended for people who don't know much about Joss Whedon. Like bigwigs in meetings who declare "who is this Joss Whedon fellow all the kids keep talking about? Go get him. The kids love him." It's more about his work than his personal life or mental life. But it's so stable, there's not much to entertain. I suppose it's better that his life isn't a National Enquirer saga, for the sake of his stability.
nearside's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big Whedon fan, obviously. A browncoat, even. This was a good read, and I enjoyed finding out more about Joss Whendon's experiences at school in England. I knew he was a Shakespeare nut, but it was also good to read more about that, too.
It was also interesting to read more about the relationship between Joss and his writing team, and the Buffy/Angel fans on the Bronze, way back in the early days of the web. It's hard to imagine show runners and the fan base being that interconnected today, and maybe some shows would benefit from that kind of connection.
All-in-all, this was a good read. If you don't like Joss Whedon or his shows, I'd probably recommend this book even more, since I think it would clear up some misunderstandings and misconceptions about the man and his work.
It was also interesting to read more about the relationship between Joss and his writing team, and the Buffy/Angel fans on the Bronze, way back in the early days of the web. It's hard to imagine show runners and the fan base being that interconnected today, and maybe some shows would benefit from that kind of connection.
All-in-all, this was a good read. If you don't like Joss Whedon or his shows, I'd probably recommend this book even more, since I think it would clear up some misunderstandings and misconceptions about the man and his work.
tschonfeld's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic...with the equally fantastic side effect of wanting to re-watch everything he's ever created. Joss Whedon rocks.
vlphildreth's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first biography I've read in years. As a huge Whedon fan, I smiled at Joss's triumphs and winced at his failures. Pascale does a great job putting his work into the context of his life, but I wish she had given more industry context as well. There was a bit with the WGA strikes, which was interesting, so I would have liked to see more of that.
dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
This took me so long to read. I love Buffy with a fiery passion, and love most of Joss's other work. His biography deserved more passion. If you love his work, you should probably read this book for the back stories, but not for a wondrous story. I got bogged in details, and felt it lacked some personal details from the last decade. (His stepfather's death, for example, is only mentioned as an aside, while covering professional events 10 months later.) I don't want to sensationalize and pry, but large chunks felt like merely his resume and not his biography.
But if you're a Joss fan, you should read it anyway.
But if you're a Joss fan, you should read it anyway.
bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition
5.0
This man is my hero; what an incredible journey his career has been (and hopefully will continue to be)! I don't read biographies very often (except for the other one I'm reading right this moment), but this was a testament to how relevant and interesting they can be. I am absolutely reading and reviewing with a bias, but this man is fascinating to me and his works have had an incredible impact in my life since 1997. His works continue to evoke more excitement for me than any other entertainer because of his specific voice, his respect for all characters, and the depth of emotion he works with.
This book, while just a glimpse of that, is a must-read for Whedon-ites :)
This book, while just a glimpse of that, is a must-read for Whedon-ites :)
dili's review against another edition
3.0
It's not really an in depth look at the man. More like a collection of facts and anecdotes. Joss Whedon is awesome. I'm not sure this book lives upto him.
tarrant's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved the deep inside look at TV and movie production and Whedon's experience. I am not a Whedonverse person so most of the shows and movies I have not seen. There is very little about his personal life, very few pictures. But it is an excellent dive into the How and why of why things ended when they did or never got off the ground. I suspect there are more than a few lessons for aspiring TV and filmmakers.