Frak You!: The Ultimate Unauthorized Guide to Battlestar Galactica

AS A BSG FAN WAS EXCITED TO FIND THIS AND THAT IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY LARGE. 251 pages including all resources. False advertising that it s 400 pages.

A friend of mine recommended this and she was right on! While Frak You is about BSG, it's not just about the show. The author writes about everything from the oracle at Delphi to the idea of a social contract. Since what I liked about the show in the first place was its mystical leanings and its willingness to take on unflinchingly issues of religion and faith, I was really glad to see a guide that did the same. I especially liked the end of the first season where the author talks about how the finale puts us in "the framework of the unknowable" and then goes on to examine how many of the characters are forced to confront the fragility of their attempts to control their lives. She points out that only Adama and Roslin, "seem the most competent at planning, while letting go of how they want things to be." She concludes that this episode, "shows that only by losing control, by going down avenues other than rigidly defined reason, military training, and brute force, can people ... become the kind of leaders that are needed." That's not just good analysis, that's wisdom. My favorite element of science fiction is its ability to be startlingly true to our lives today and this book does a great job of tying together the themes of BSG with ideas that are very relevant in our world now.

I'm a casual but loyal fan of BSG. I enjoy the show a lot, own a few seasons, but haven't watched all the episodes in a row. Jo Storm's guide "Frak You" was a great way to pick up details I'd missed along the way and understand the depth of mythology and philosophy behind BSG. Her writing style is engaging and easy to follow even when she's talking about the history of deep concepts. This book quickly picks up on and goes into depth on the very topics that drew me to BSG in the first place: its history among Science Fiction shows, the religious and philosophical issues it explores, and the character-driven stories. The author seems to have a good sense for the kinds of questions fans like me have about the show. I found a lot of the questions I'd been left with after watching the show were answered here. I'd definitely recommend this book for other fans like myself who enjoy the show and have questions or want to know more about its background. In particular, if you want to learn more about the mythological, philosophical and religious underpinings, this book does a great job of exploring those without getting overly academic or dense. Considering that I enjoyed watching BSG, it's great to have a book about the series that's also an enjoyable read. Plus the pictures are a lot of fun!