For those of you who may be new to KSiteTV that might not have known me from Smallville, a few years ago, I was the writer of four companion books about The WB/CW series Smallville.
Because of that experience, I’m very critical when I purchase books about TV.
I’ve been buying books about TV as long as I can remember – Growing Up Brady by Barry Williams was one of my favorites, and The Complete Directory Of Prime-Time And Network TV Shows is still my “bible.” I’ve also seen some bad companion books – puff pieces that are put out to cash in on a show’s success, or, even worse, created by the studio with no real heart behind them at all.
Love You To Death: The Unofficial Companion To The Vampire Diaries Season 2 is full of heart, and as companion books go, even though this is unofficial, it has me amazed at the amount of detail within. I know this had to have taken a lot of work, but the author, Crissy Calhoun, totally pulled it off.
In addition to some great photography within, there are in-depth discussions about every episode of Season 2. There are comparisons to what we see in the Vampire Diaries books, notes on continuity and even mistakes, off-camera anecdotes, and even lists of questions an episode posed. This format is fantastic and has got me wanting to seek out the Season 1 volume as well. There’s a lot to The Vampire Diaries that even the most ardent fan might not catch – but here’s Crissy Calhoun, catching it all. There are even interviews with some fans and guest stars. I admit I was also impressed that there’s an appendix listing sources for quotes and information for the book – and I had a huge grin when I saw that Crissy sourced VampireSite.net at one point. That was really cool of her.
In short, I’m so glad I was sent a review copy of Love You To Death’s second volume and I hope this review gives it justice. If you’re a fan of The Vampire Diaries, this is definitely a must-read.
1 Comment
This is really ironic that I came across this today because I just got this book in the mail yesterday. I am so excited to read it, and by the looks of it, it seems like a great companion book. I have read the introduction and I quite like the way Crissy has different sections for each episode. I’m sure I will love this book and will reply again once I’m finished with it!