I have to start this review by admitting that I’m a MAJOR fan of the Firefly/Serenity universe and was gutted when they cancelled the series. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about reading this book in case it didn’t live up to expectations … I needn’t have worried. I LOVED THIS! It was like sinking straight back into this amazing space western world which I completely fell in love with after being introduced to it by my boyfriend, now my husband! We even went to the Starfury Convention where we met lots of the cast. I have a signed poster, autographed comics, DVDs, graphic novels, series companion books and board games. Reading this book, made me go and look them all out again: they made me feel really nostalgic and brought back lots of happy, treasured memories.
Just a few pics from my collection:
Anyway, on to my review ….
The events in The Magnificent Nine take place between the end of the Firefly TV series and the movie Serenity. The scene-setting, the characterisation, the language and the plot all worked perfectly to help me imagine this as an episode of the TV show – just shiny! And exactly what I was hoping for from this book!
Whilst trying to convince an elegantly dancing River Tam to give him back his beloved hat, Jayne Cobb, tough guy with a softish heart, gets a message from an old flame, Temperance McCloud, begging for his help. Coogan’s Bluff is a dead-end town on the scorching planet of Thetis where water is more precious than gold. Elias Vandal, who claims to have run with the Reavers, and his gang have imposed a reign of terror on other towns on the planet, and they have now arrived at Coogan’s Bluff intent on controlling its water supply.
Captain Malcolm Reynolds accepts the plea for help, with a little persuasion from his crew. If there’s one thing they despise, it’s the weak being oppressed by the powerful.
I fought at Serenity Valley. It ain’t about optimism. It’s about doin’ what’s right even when everything’s stacked against you.
When they arrive, two surprises greet them: a missile grounding Serenity and Temperance’s daughter, Jane – I’ll leave it at that!
This story includes everything I loved about Firefly: the bar brawl, the life-and-death situations, the complications, the revelations, the camaraderie, the banter, the bravado, the vicious villain, and the comeuppance.
The Serenity crew may come across as a rather dysfunctional family, but they are a family who, when the chips are down, look out for each other. I absolutely loved returning to the world of Firefly through The Magnificent Nine and am really looking forward to the next instalment, Generations – super shiny!
Book Craic 