Unlocking the Meaning of Lost: An Unauthorized Guide
ABC's hit show, Lost, goes under the knife as Porter, a humanities professor, and Lavery, who has written studies about other shows including Twin Peaks, investigate the show's mysteries and provide valuable explanations of the show's plotlines and characters, along with speculation as to how they may be interlinked. The authors analyze the show's predecessors-Gilligan's Island, Jurassic Park and the Stephen King novella, The Langoliers-and posit "Lost's ongoing narrative drive is modeled, in what may be a television first, on the storyworld of video games." Loftier questions dealing with philosophical and spiritual concerns (Is technology good or bad? How do people define who they are? Does man have free will, or is he controlled by destiny?) are posed and left to the reader to ponder. The writers are remarkably conversant with the show and the subculture it's spawned, and though this makes for an insightful and satisfying read, the narrative can get bogged down in debating contradictory or insignificant details. With easy-reading plot summaries, intriguing predictions and swift overviews of the show's philosophical underpinnings, the book is sure to be a hit with fans.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.