Totally Charmed: Demons, Whitelighters And the Power of Three

The best chapter in this book is 'what would have happened if Prue were still alive'.

I really thought it was different than it was. I found it a bit on the boring side and a bit of a mistake. The only interesting thing was it was about the charmed ones.

This book compiles a gaggle of essays on the facts, fans, flaws and fallacies of "Charmed." The chapters are written by a variety of fantasy, science fiction and romance novelists, modern witches, essayists, columnists, film critics, scientists and more. The funny thing is, being a non-member of the "Charmed" fanverse, I expected to get bored with the book and quickly hand it off to another reviewer. But no, instead I found myself enjoying these deep, analytical explorations of a show I rarely watched. The hypotheses made and the arguments supporting them are interesting, and often quite fun. ("Charmed" fans must, by the show's very nature, have a good sense of humor, and that comes through in many of these essays.) I can't say whether or not I'll become a fan of the show. But "Totally Charmed" has me wanting to turn on the television and give it a chance, and that has to be a victory for the writers.

"Charmed" has always been a show that more than what it seemed. It was never really about 3 sisters with magical powers, but 3 sisters and their dynamic. That's one of the things that I loved about this book - it takes the ideas presented in the series over the course of the past 7 years (not including the current 8th season) and examine them. My favorite is the article discussing Piper's powers that both freeze and speed up time. Personally, I've always believed in magic, but I'm also aware that most of magic is just science. To learn that there is actually a scientific theory behind her power was absolutely fascinating. So if you're looking for something a little different to read, pick this one up. You won't regret it.

This anthology has a top-notch set of contributors, including: Peg Aloi C.J. Barry Kate Donovan Jennifer Dunne Richard Garfinkle Ruth Glick ("Rebecca York") John Hemry Tanya Huff Nick Mamatas Bob Metzger Vera Nazarian Jody Lyn Nye Anne Perry Laura Resnick Maggie Shayne Catherine Spangler Mica Stone ("Alison Kent") Valerie Taylor Evelyn Vaughn Debbie Viguie Leigh Adams Wright