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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This review was written in real time, 21 May 2003
Keith Topping is the most prolific 'cult' writer in the business. His Slayer volumes (on Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and his book on The West Wing have all been massive sellers for Virgin, and are all exceedingly good.The appeal of these books are the amazing detail and candidness with which he writes. In any of his solo guides, various elements of individual episodes are detailed under seperate categories (The Conspiracy Starts At Closing Time is a common theme amongst the books), the various goofs and continuity errors are lovingly listed (Logic, Let Me Introduce You To this Window), reaction from media is presented (Critique), as are comments from the cast and crew (Cast And Crew Comments). But what really makes his books worth it is his unashamed honesty. Every episode comes with a review which is not afraid to say when a show sucks. These reviews almost invite the reader to argue with them, but he is,more often than not, accurate. So, on to this book. There are two official 24 guides out there, both of which present substantially the same material (i.e. plot). Whilst plot takes up the bulk of the book, it is interspersed with the usual trivia. One category which really stands out is Points At Which Teri/Kim Needs A Slap, which highlights those moments when you want to hit Jack Bauer's wife and daughter for being incredibly stupid and/or selfish. The book is incredibly well researched and contextualised (the first episode was delayed due to the tragic events of September 11 2001), and Topping takes time at the end of the book to look back at the series, seeing how well it stands up. However, there are problems. Typos are found throughout the book, and the editor appears to have little control over Topping's level of detail. Whilst it is nice to see the real LA compared to the one seen onscreen, the thought of a man who lives Albion commenting on the physical and social makeup of one of the largest cities in the US is one that makes you stop and think. Also, many descriptions of LA descend into little more than a tourist guide (or a list of where the author went on his holidays). However, do not let these small points stop you from buying what is an very good guide to one of the most innovative TV series of recent years. You will find out more from this volume than from any of the official guides out there.
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