A few very interesting essays, including, but not limited to: a first season episode-by-episode breakdown of camp vs. noir, the obligatory discussion about dads and their portrayal, and a really interesting take on the role of cars in the series. Very interesting, with some cool takes on the subtext and relationships. Contains spoilers for the entire first season and parts of the second.

Spoiler free.I'm not really sure what to rate this collection of essays because each of the essays offers a different perspective and opinion about Veronica Mars. After reading all of the essays I found that while most of the essays had interesting points that I never thought of there were only a few that I really and truly liked. I rated the collection a 4 stars simply because the essays that I did like were fantastic and had me obsessing over them to everyone I know who liked Veronica Mars.The...

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm abandoning this book that I was SO excited to dive into. It's strange reading these essays that are so 'of a time', a time when Veronica Mars was in the middle of season 3, with no apparent end in sight. Reading them now everyone seems so cocky and overconfident and like they're practically jinxing it all. 60-odd pages in, and some of the essays had been vaguely interesting while others were just self-indulgent drivel. But I lost it completely when contrib...

Mon avis en Français My English reviewI confess that when I saw the book, I immediately thought that I could find stories of Veronica Mars but in written form. Yes because younger I took a great pleasure in following this series and I was very sad when it was stopped, leaving us full of questions. With the release of the movie, the appeal of the show came back and it is true that I was curious about this novel too. Yet it was not at all what I expected. I expected as I said before some nice sho

I went into Veronica Mars pretty late (in fact it was around the time the movie was going to release) and as a person who isn't living remotely close America, I never paid much attention to 'teen drama' aspect of the show. I had seen other teen drama shows that were shallow and they seemed completely unreal. I treated Veronica Mars as a detective show in which the characters had their own traumatic back stories which, in turn, aided the plot somehow.But as I went further into the episodes, the c...

As far as pseudo/pop-academic books go, this was more pseudo than I thought it would be. The first chapter read more like a blog than an essay, with parenthetical asides every few sentences (as it turns out, the writer is also a blogger, hmm). Once I got over that things improved vastly. The chapter topics were varied and at times intricate. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on cars as extensions of a character's personality. Since my personal tastes lean more towards academia than totally pop,...

Pretty much required reading for any V-Mars fan. I read it in an entire weekend, which probably isn't advised; I had all the first two season's plots swimming in my head for a week.The "Smart Pop" series compiles essays on TV shows written by fans that either analyze it to death, give it a historical context, or view it from a certain scholarly lens. My favorite essays included: - Geoffrey Klock's breakdown of the first season finale's story structure (which reminded me to read some Robert McKe...

This is a must for any Veronica fan as there is so little merchandise out there, and although this is stamped with "unauthorised' over the cover about three times (probably to appease the CW lawyers) Rob Thomas has compiled and bookended the essays within.It proves for some interesting reading, although the quality of each contribution varies. There is one particularly embarrassing ode to the 'love' of Veronica and Logan which sounds like it was written by a Buffy/Spike fan, so blind are they to...

Fair warning - this was written before season 3 aired. And way before the movie. That being said I enjoyed almost every single entry. The 5th star, I will say, is for Boom Goes the Dynamite by Misty Hook. That one is for all of us LoVe fans out there!

I found the introduction and notes from Rob Thomas more interesting than the actual essays in most cases, although that could be because I was expecting a more critical, analytical look at the show and characters. That said, I thought "Daddy's Girl" and "I Cannot Tell A Lie..." were the particularly interesting. "Daddy's Girl" analyzes the relationship between Veronica and Keith, focusing on the way it changes from season one to season two. "I Cannot Tell A Lie..." illustrates the various ways t...

You know how when you have to read an academic paper on something you REALLY don't care about, it just drags? But when you get to read a paper on something you really, REALLY enjoy, you feel so much smarter after reading it and it gives you an entire new perspective on what you love? Drawing parallels, noticing themes, etc. Well that's how this collection goes.It's "Unauthorized" so far as the CW, who owns the rights to VMARS, did not authorize, but Rob Thomas does the foreword and has commentar...

This was a fun read! As an avid marshmallow, it was cool to read different perspectives on the show and its themes, especially since the theories came in real time amidst the show airing. My favorite article was definitely the one about Veronica and Logan, and the best part overall was Rob Thomas’s commentary on each essay.

As with all the Smart Pop series, the word "unauthorized" is displayed twice prominently on the front cover and again on the spine, but make no mistake: show creator (and frequent episode writer) Rob Thomas edited this collection of essays, penned the opening piece, and provided a half- to one-page response to each chapter. The CW owns the show, but Thomas was its heart and soul, so this is as authorized as most fans care about.If you haven't seen the show, a few of these essays will seem pointl...

Veronica Mars is one of my favorite TV shows ever. When I heard about this book, I immediately bought it. The essays were written after the first two season, which I thought were definitely better than the third. They contain many spoilers, so you need to have watched the show first. By the end, I was feeling like I'd read the same things over and over. However, there were some really great essays (the ones about Logan & Veronica, cars in the series, and noir v. camp) and I'm feeling like I need...

I don't care if it wasn't quite as deep or as comprehensive as it could have been. I was able to read it in a day, and it reminded me of why I love Veronica Mars and why I miss it and how I should probably watch it again. I like the different takes on the moral grey area VMars inhabits--maybe the exploration of why she appeals to the red states most of all.And also, it did some thinking about her relationship with her dad that I wouldn't have done myself but that I found fairly spot-on.Thanks, b...

Very good for my Veronica Mars withdrawal. This book explores all things Veronica. From her relationship with Logan to the relevance of the choice of cars on the show. Camp factor to the father figures. Everything is covered in reference to the first two seasons. Thankfully the third one is not included as this publication was prepared too early on, and this season officially led to cancellation.

Not exactly academic, but some of these provide interesting insight into the remarkable complexity of the show. Worth more, if anything, are the side notes by Thomas which accompany each text. Still, the cars one was rather stupid. Who can't identify a Ford Taurus?

As with any anthology, some entries impressed more than others (and a couple were just plain stinky), but who cares, they're ALL ABOUT VERONICA MARS! I devoured them. It was fun. What's not to like about fun?

A must read for any Veronica Mars fan. I loved the articles in-depth look at the show and my favorite factors, Veronica, Veronica and Wallace's friendship, and the exploding relationship of Logan and Veronica.