Serenity book.

POSTED BY: Kloud
UPDATED: Thursday, November 3, 2005 22:25
VIEWED: 9673
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KRAD

Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:54 AM

Quote:
I'm a little surprised that you say the book was Joss-authorized. I've read a quote from him elsewhere that when it came to the novelization, he handed it off (the shooting script, that is) and had/wanted no further involvement. Did I misunderstand that quote? How should we resolve the apparent conflict in these statements?

Do you have a citation for this quote?

FWIW, I wrote a memo to Joss when the whole thing started stating what I wanted to do and asking several questions, and he responded to it.

However, I never dealt with him, I dealt with my editor. She dealt with Universal's licensing person, who dealt with Joss's assistant, who dealt with Joss. So there was a chain of command here (waits for inevitable Jayne quote), and I didn't deal directly with him; I was told that he had final say over the book, and that the manuscript was approved with no changes.

I've only met and talked to Joss once, at San Diego, and the atmosphere there wasn't really conducive to any kind of discussion of the novelization.

Make of that what you will. *shrug*

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

KRAD

Sunday, October 30, 2005 4:56 AM

Quote:
Well, I hardly expected my comments to go straight to the author! I might have been a little more diplomatic.

First of all, I've posted on this board lots of times, and I read it regularly. Secondly, the minute you post something on the web, it becomes quite public and easily findable by anyone with a modicum of skill with Google.

So never assume that anything you post on the web can't be found.......

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 30, 2005 5:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by KRAD:
Quote:
Well, I hardly expected my comments to go straight to the author! I might have been a little more diplomatic.

First of all, I've posted on this board lots of times, and I read it regularly. Secondly, the minute you post something on the web, it becomes quite public and easily findable by anyone with a modicum of skill with Google.

So never assume that anything you post on the web can't be found.......

Although I've read this board on and off for awhile, I only started posting here in the weeks before Serenity opened. I guess I never ran into one of your posts, or never glommed onto your identity.

In any case, I don't withdraw my original comments. I only meant that I would probably have expressed them differently to your face. It wasn't like I was hiding under the Shepherd's skirts...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 30, 2005 5:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by KRAD:
Quote:
I'm a little surprised that you say the book was Joss-authorized. I've read a quote from him elsewhere that when it came to the novelization, he handed it off (the shooting script, that is) and had/wanted no further involvement. Did I misunderstand that quote? How should we resolve the apparent conflict in these statements?

Do you have a citation for this quote?

Unfortunately, I do not. I couldn't even be sure it was directly from a Joss interview and not third-hand (or worse). Perhaps it was my misunderstanding of someone's paraphrase of an offhand remark, and got lodged in my calcified brain cells that way.

In any case, your description of the process indicates that it was not a close collaboration, and I get the sense that even you don't know how much time Joss spent reviewing the book. So while it seems that you can legitimately claim it was authorized, I guess I'm still dubious about whether the novelization can be considered "canon".

I remember reading the very first Star Trek (TOS) novel (by David Gerrold, IIRC). It was "official" and "authorized" -- that is, he had Roddenberry's permission to use the ST universe and characters -- but it differed significantly from the show in certain technical details. Not canon, I think.

Those differences don't really mean much in the grand scheme of things -- author's license and all that -- but then someone will try to jump into a discussion about Book's past and insist that he's definitely a former Operative because it says so in the novelization. I'm saying that I wouldn't concede the point on that basis alone.

Right, I'm obsessing. I hope you sell tons of copies of the book and pour all the profits into a new season of Firefly...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

KRAD

Sunday, October 30, 2005 5:55 AM

Oh, the book probably isn't canon. Here's my next question: WHO GIVES A DAMN?

Seriously, life's way too short for me to stress about what's "real" in a fictional construct. If future iterations of Serenity/Firefly pick up on stuff I created for the novelization, great. If it doesn't, I'm not going to be any more concerned about that than I am the fact that Smallville doesn't remotely match up with the Superman comic-book mythos or that Sam Raimi's movies bear only a passing resemblance to the Spider-Man comic books that have been published since 1962 or that there's an early 19th-century novel, a late-19th-century play, and an early-20th-century movie, all called Frankenstein, all rather different from each other, despite having the same basic story of a scientist creating life from lifelessness.

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

WILKS

Sunday, October 30, 2005 6:10 AM

me being deployed to iraq i wasnt able to see the movie at first (which pissed me off since iv been waiting for it to come out since this site said it might be an idea of it comming), so i ordered the book and read it. the book was i thought very well writen and held prety good with the charectors, along with a look into the past and minds behind them. i love how u got to take a better look into rivers mind and see things from her point of veiw. then i was able to see the movie over here a few days after i finished the book. after reading the book i thought it made the movie a little disapointing, dont get me wrong i thought the movie was awsome but not as good as the book. book was able to give you somthing, a better insight, get u closer to the charectors i dont know what, but it made me love this universe more. it gave somthing the movie could not. i hope if the series dosnt restart the same arthor and joss can team up and write some more books

Biggest browncoat in iraq

WILKS

Sunday, October 30, 2005 6:13 AM

duble post sorry

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 30, 2005 12:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by KRAD:
Oh, the book probably isn't canon. Here's my next question: WHO GIVES A DAMN?

I hear ya.

But hey, you know... some people do. There are dozens of threads on this board speculating about every little detail of the show and movie. Waste of time? No question, but then what is watching a football game, or reading most fiction for that matter?

I'm usually not one to get into too much of a twist over such minutiae. But the Firefly 'verse does rather suck one in. What's more, being an engineer, I want to know how it all works. That's why things like crippled spaceships still managing to fly bother me.

But of course, from your post above, "now I know that" you agree there must have been a tow truck involved, so I guess we're shiny. I'll just skip over that page next time I read the novelization.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DONCOAT

Sunday, October 30, 2005 12:50 PM

Hi, Wilks,

Though we clearly disagree about the book, I'd just like to wish you and all your mates the very best of luck in a dangerous situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

DIETCOKE

Sunday, October 30, 2005 1:50 PM

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and highly recommend it. Lots of more stuff as it was built from the shooting script.

I've never read a novel that was based on a movie but I think it was done extremely well, and if you're reading this KRAD, nice job, and thanks for a second ride.

NY/NJ Browncoats: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly_nyc

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