- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks (30 April 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340961724
- ISBN-13: 978-0340961728
- Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 506,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Wiffle Lever to Full
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Product Description
Review
'Personal and engaging . . . anyone who agrees that "Star Wars; was a defining moment of our collective childhood" will love this book' ( The Times )
'Will give anyone from the era of Spam fritters and Blue Riband biscuits a Prustian rush . . . a witty, heartwarming exploration of the light side of SF fandom' ( SFX magazine )
'Amiable and amusing . . . a glimpse into the world of fandom cranked up, on holiday, given licence to be sillier than usual' ( Daily Telegraph )
'Funny and affectionate' (Time Out )
'Guaranteed to make you yearn for days of yore... don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing at more in-jokes than you care to admit' (Focus**** )
'An amiable read' (Independent )
'Will have you hitching aboard the Millennium Falcon to a galaxy overflowing with infinite possibilities' (Metro**** )
'A joyous, irreverent celebration of Britain's secret love of the bizarre' (Gay Times )
'It's hilarious . . . For anyone who has ever liked any of this stuff, there's laughter and nostalgia aplenty' (Nottingham Evening Post )
'Will give anyone from the era of Spam fritters and Blue Riband biscuits a Prustian rush . . . a witty, heartwarming exploration of the light side of SF fandom' ( SFX magazine )
'Amiable and amusing . . . a glimpse into the world of fandom cranked up, on holiday, given licence to be sillier than usual' ( Daily Telegraph )
'Funny and affectionate' (Time Out )
'Guaranteed to make you yearn for days of yore... don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing at more in-jokes than you care to admit' (Focus**** )
'An amiable read' (Independent )
'Will have you hitching aboard the Millennium Falcon to a galaxy overflowing with infinite possibilities' (Metro**** )
'A joyous, irreverent celebration of Britain's secret love of the bizarre' (Gay Times )
'It's hilarious . . . For anyone who has ever liked any of this stuff, there's laughter and nostalgia aplenty' (Nottingham Evening Post )
Review
'amiable and amusing' -- Daily Telegraph 'Personal and engaging ... anyone who agrees that "Star Wars was a defining moment of our collective childhood" will love this book' -- The Times 'a witty, heartwarming exploration of the light side of SF fandom' -- SFX magazine
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An absolute delight. This is another in the procession of male memoirs focusing on childhood and adulthood obsessions. Nick Hornby did it with football. Seb Hunter did it with Heavy Metal Hell Bent for Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict. Here, Bob Fischer relives his childhood fascination with Star Wars, Star Trek, Discworld, Robin of Sherwood, The Prisoner,James Bond, Blake's Seven, Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Hitch Hiker's Guide... and Monty Python. He does this by visiting a series of conventions as an adult and reflecting on his childhood attitudes and beliefs, compared with his adult's eye view. Much like Blake's ideas of Innocence and Experience, he contrasts the two perspectives. And if you think that's a wildly pretentious simile, then you haven't read this book ! In amongst the funny anecdotes and self-deprecating humour, there also lies philosophy, musing on relationships and friendship, and a warm look back at the past as a different country.
At the end of the day, a book like this depends entirely on your response to the author's style and personality- and Bob is witty, wise and likeable; the kind of person you want to spend time with, listening to his stories and opinions. As a radio DJ, he might be expected to be glib and facile, but he shows real talent as a writer, a facility with language and structure which brings this disguised autobiography to life.
You will laugh out loud while reading this, and you may even want to get your lightsabre out of the attic, pick up your twelve-sided dice, or don your long leather coat. Why not? After reading this book, Fischer's world sounds like a lovely place to be.
Importantly, he writes with real affection and enjoyment, not a cynical sneer, and leaves you feeling that the world is a better place.
If there were more Bob Fischers (not forgetting the lovely Sorcha, who sounds enchanting) then the world would be a better place.
At the end of the day, a book like this depends entirely on your response to the author's style and personality- and Bob is witty, wise and likeable; the kind of person you want to spend time with, listening to his stories and opinions. As a radio DJ, he might be expected to be glib and facile, but he shows real talent as a writer, a facility with language and structure which brings this disguised autobiography to life.
You will laugh out loud while reading this, and you may even want to get your lightsabre out of the attic, pick up your twelve-sided dice, or don your long leather coat. Why not? After reading this book, Fischer's world sounds like a lovely place to be.
Importantly, he writes with real affection and enjoyment, not a cynical sneer, and leaves you feeling that the world is a better place.
If there were more Bob Fischers (not forgetting the lovely Sorcha, who sounds enchanting) then the world would be a better place.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having spent his youth being transported to other worlds, Bob Fischer takes the opportunity to transport us to his and it turns out to be a very amusing and heartwarming world indeed. It also turns out to be worryingly full of Flamin' Hot Monster Munch, but surely nobody was ever put off reading a book because of a corn-based snack food?
I confess that I bought this book purely as a result of enjoying the author's way with words in the course of his now nightly shows on BBC Radio Tees rather than out of any affinity with the subject matter. I had little or no interest in any of the featured "fandoms", but felt sure it would be a highly entertaining read. This, it transpires, was something of an under-estimation. My lack of in-depth knowledge of most of the subjects covered was not the hindrance I'd feared, because Bob has a real gift for weaving the right amount of 'beginner's info' into each uproarious chapter, and in any case the book is less about the individual "cults" and more an exploration of what it means to be a child of the 1970s and 1980s in a 21st Century world where evil can lurk inside a knitted Ray Winstone doll and Johnny Depp never quite makes it to your pub quiz.
Rites of passage from childhood, adolescence and adulthood punctuate the more literal journey of a year spent attending conventions and other fan events, and while some of these are touchingly personal, they all have a surprisingly universal resonance for anyone of roughly the same generation as the author. There are many pleasing examples of a thought or incident that seemed irrelevant at the time coming back, sometimes years later, to throw a new light on a current situation; as good a demonstration as any of how the seemingly effortless lightness and wit of the prose style mask a real ingenuity at work. In this, and in the way that a knowingly portentous comment will almost always immediately be punctured by some wryly hilarious vulgarity, "Wiffle Lever To Full" brings to mind the autobiographical writings of Clive James, which is no small achievement. A genuine pleasure to read and re-read.
I confess that I bought this book purely as a result of enjoying the author's way with words in the course of his now nightly shows on BBC Radio Tees rather than out of any affinity with the subject matter. I had little or no interest in any of the featured "fandoms", but felt sure it would be a highly entertaining read. This, it transpires, was something of an under-estimation. My lack of in-depth knowledge of most of the subjects covered was not the hindrance I'd feared, because Bob has a real gift for weaving the right amount of 'beginner's info' into each uproarious chapter, and in any case the book is less about the individual "cults" and more an exploration of what it means to be a child of the 1970s and 1980s in a 21st Century world where evil can lurk inside a knitted Ray Winstone doll and Johnny Depp never quite makes it to your pub quiz.
Rites of passage from childhood, adolescence and adulthood punctuate the more literal journey of a year spent attending conventions and other fan events, and while some of these are touchingly personal, they all have a surprisingly universal resonance for anyone of roughly the same generation as the author. There are many pleasing examples of a thought or incident that seemed irrelevant at the time coming back, sometimes years later, to throw a new light on a current situation; as good a demonstration as any of how the seemingly effortless lightness and wit of the prose style mask a real ingenuity at work. In this, and in the way that a knowingly portentous comment will almost always immediately be punctured by some wryly hilarious vulgarity, "Wiffle Lever To Full" brings to mind the autobiographical writings of Clive James, which is no small achievement. A genuine pleasure to read and re-read.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As I devoured 'Wiffle Lever to Full!' in its entirety over the course of about a week the book quickly climbed its way up to take its place among others in my mental list of favorite reads. I'd happily recommend this book to anyone and indeed I already have on numerous occasions. This isn't just a book on science fiction, it's about letting go of childhood, the transition into adulthood and that never ending desire to return to the people, places and things that made you happy when you were young.
The overwhelming impression one gets from reading this book is just how plain nice Bob is. This isn't the sort of book that mocks and derides a defenseless sub culture. Fischer loves the subjects of the conventions he attends and actually enjoys spending time with the weird and wonderful people who populate them. At the same time the book is not written from a bitter fan's perspective. Bob love's these films and television series but understands that you might not. He isn't going to judge or deride you if your first impression of science fiction fandom is negative but he will do his best to win you over. If you purchase this book I'm sure he will.
The overwhelming impression one gets from reading this book is just how plain nice Bob is. This isn't the sort of book that mocks and derides a defenseless sub culture. Fischer loves the subjects of the conventions he attends and actually enjoys spending time with the weird and wonderful people who populate them. At the same time the book is not written from a bitter fan's perspective. Bob love's these films and television series but understands that you might not. He isn't going to judge or deride you if your first impression of science fiction fandom is negative but he will do his best to win you over. If you purchase this book I'm sure he will.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A must buy for all children of the 70's & 80's!!!
This book is a laugh-out-loud nostalgiafest of the highest order & shouldn't be read on public transport due to the danger of being carted off in restraints by the men in white... Read more
Published 11 months ago by sarak74
Funny and Warmly Nostalgic
This is not a purist book, there are little stories that the author wrote in his childhood heading every section and a bluffer's guide which is quite handy if you're not familiar... Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2009 by A. I. Mackenzie
A Witty and Lively Trawl Through Sci-Fi Conventions
In this lively book, part-travelogue and part memoir of the author's formative years as a childhood sci-fi fanatic, Bob Fischer takes a tour of that most weird and wonderful of... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2009 by A. Foxley
A quest for lost origins
This is a warm-hearted, honest and good-natured account of Fischer's casually eccentric romp through an archipelago of alien worlds - the various fan conventions of the title. Read more
Published on 9 April 2009 by W. J. Angus
Terrible title, great book
Wiffle Lever to Full!: Daleks, Death Stars and Dreamy-eyed Nostalgia at the Strangest Sci-fi Conventions
Frankly, I can't believe the negative reviews of this book. Read more
Frankly, I can't believe the negative reviews of this book. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2009 by Mr. S. Berry
Absolutely brilliant!
This book is wonderful. Mr Fischer has such a gift with words that it was all I could do to stop myself from bursting out loud with laughter on the train. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2009 by Jezza
Thoroughly enjoyable!
I really enjoyed this book. It read like a autobiography with nostalgic memories triggered by visits to conventions, mazes and water pistol fights. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2008 by Mr. Christopher Williams
Softback Nostalgia
This is a warm and affectionate account of one man (sometimes with his girlfriend in tow) exploring the world of fan conventions. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2008 by AlanH
The Force is strong in this one..
A must read for anyone born in the Golden age of British TV. When Blake's Seven and Dr Who, boosted by the phenomenal success of Star Wars, captured the imaginations of millions of... Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2008 by J. S. Jaques
Dreadful
Utter, utter tedium in book form. Bob is so 'light' he makes Terry Wogan look like John Pilger. No geek would be remotely interested in reading a book so condescending and dumb... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2008 by Martin Anderson
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