Using the Force

A great book for appreciating the various outlets of current Star Wars fandom. While offering little serious academic discourse, the book does put into print many issues which to this point have been limited to internet discussion and fan zines, such as LFL's strict licesing enforcement, the culture of message board discussion, fan fiction and films. In the end it stands as an interesting catalog of current happenings in the world of Star Wars fandom, as seen from an insider who respects the devotion of a unique community.

Okay, we all know the stereotype - the nerd who is incapable of carrying on a conversation with the opposite sex, but is able to speak fluent Klingonese; the geek who can't shoot a basket to save his life, but who can personally reenact the final lightsaber duel from The Phantom Menace (complete with sound effects); the misfit who owns every Star Wars actionfigure ever produced, displayed on a set of shelves built into the walls of - wait for it - his parent's basement!I give you the stereotypical science fiction/fantasy fan. Only, stereotypes are an inch of fact and a mile of embellishment and conjecture. Are there fans that dress up like Mr. Spock and wave the V sign, telling you to "Live Long and Prosper"? Sure there are! Are there people who can do perfect imitations of a wizened, green puppet (and now CGI character) asking the Force to be with you? You bet! However, such stereotypes are only a small portion of what encompasses fandom, but they are likely all that the non-fan (or "mundanes" as in the Harry Potter series) may envision, because it is upon the more flamboyant fans that the media so loves to shine their questionable spotlight. Yet, in truth, fandom is as varied as - well - "real life!". For every guy dressed as a Jedi and waving a plastic lightsaber at a Star Wars premiere, there is a family in jeans and t-shirts sitting down to share popcorn in the front row of the theater. Perhaps most unfortunate of all is the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) suggestion of superiority on the part of the media covering fandom - the outsider studying some exotic, and not quite healthy, cultural phenomena and offering it up as an object of amusement if not outright derision for the "normal" masses. I've heard the jokes and the put downs, repeatedly. I've come to expect it. So it was with some trepidation that I picked up William Brooker's study of Star Wars fandom. "Here we go again," I thought. "Someone who thinks they understand fandom and is going to tell us all about the "unhappy, socially inept fans who use science fiction and fantasy as a form of escapism from their sad, miserable little lives."I was wrong. The first thing you should know about Will Brooker is that HE is a fan himself, and this gives him a unique perspective - not to mention it makes it more likely fellow fans will trust him enough to allow glimpses into aspects of their lives they have learned to keep secret to avoid ridicule. Brooker walks the walk and talks the talk. He respects his fellow fans and their views, and he presents them in a fair minded and non-judgmental light in his book, which makes for a pleasant change. Furthermore, he discusses fandom from many angles, including those that are often overlooked or somewhat obscure and may not be familiar even to many that consider themselves Star Wars fans. Do the terms PWP, EU, "gusher" and "Space Wheat" mean anything to you? They will once you have read this book, and some of the insights you discover may sur

A well written book offering plenty for the dedicated female Star Wars fan, as well as the males of that persuasion - this is not a discussion about military hardware or the handling characteristics of the Falcon. Well researched, but alas not complete. An in-depth review of fan-art, conventions and costuming would enhance any future editions enormously.The ingenuity of fans in acting out and enjoying their obsession is made public, as they broadcast their interest on the Internet, and this book tells (almost) all in a witty and entertaining style.Not a dry academic treatise, but interesting and uptodate coverage of that enduring phenomenon, Star Wars, and the fans celebration of it. Enough to interest me in Will Brooker's other books.

This is, fundamentally, a smart and funny book about being in love with Star Wars. But Brooker walks a difficult line between being a fan (which he most assuredly is) and being a scholar. Some of the time this works, some of the time his analysis seems slightly skimpy to me. Ultimately, I think the book would have worked better if Brooker had cast aside his academic pretensions (and that's not supposed to sound mean) and concentrated on writing a clever, witty, well-researched fanbook. Because, damn, he can write so well! Parts of this book had me doubled over with laughter - although he's very careful not to laugh at any of the fans he's in contact with. In fact, you probably have to be a fan to find this amusing, it's all about laughing at yourself. I didn't come away from this book with any huge insights, I'll admit. But I did get a very warm sense that this level of fandom is a positive thing, and that a life of following Star Wars is just as valid as a life of sports-watching, novel-reading or religious devotion. Definitely worth reading!

I'm admittedly biased, as my web site is mentioned in this book, and I'm mentioned by name a few times in the chapter on "Slash and Other Stories," but this is a really good book. It's a respectful, honest, and entertaining look at Star Wars fandom today. It covers everything from group viewings, to arguments over what constitutes canon, to fanfic, to fan films, and more. I had to skip the "Speculation" chapter because after only two paragraphs, I'd gotten some pretty huge honking spoilers on Ep 2, but I'll go back and read it on May 17th. The author himself is a fan, so that most likely contributes to the respectful, fun tone of this book. It's not complete by any means, and there are some major omissions that caused me to only give this a four star rating instead of a five, but still, Star Wars fans looking to read a good analysis of our culture should definitely check this out.