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Firefly #5
Life Signs
The fifth original novel tying into the critically acclaimed and much-missed Firefly series from creator Joss Whedon.
A deadly disease
Months after Inara leaves Serenity, Mal and the crew finally learn the reason for her sudden departure: she is dying of a terminal illness. It is Kiehl's Myeloma, a form of cancer that's supposedly incurable, and Inara has very little time left.
A disreputable scientist
Through their shock and despair, rumors of a cure reach the crew. Expert Esau Weng is said to have developed a means to treat Inara's condition, but he has been disgraced and incarcerated for life on a notorious Alliance prison planet.
An infamous prison
On the planet of Atata, inmates are abandoned with no guards and left to survive as best they can. What's more, terraforming the planet did not take properly, so the world is a frozen wasteland. To save Inara, the Serenity crew must infiltrate the prison...
A deadly disease
Months after Inara leaves Serenity, Mal and the crew finally learn the reason for her sudden departure: she is dying of a terminal illness. It is Kiehl's Myeloma, a form of cancer that's supposedly incurable, and Inara has very little time left.
A disreputable scientist
Through their shock and despair, rumors of a cure reach the crew. Expert Esau Weng is said to have developed a means to treat Inara's condition, but he has been disgraced and incarcerated for life on a notorious Alliance prison planet.
An infamous prison
On the planet of Atata, inmates are abandoned with no guards and left to survive as best they can. What's more, terraforming the planet did not take properly, so the world is a frozen wasteland. To save Inara, the Serenity crew must infiltrate the prison...
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2021
69 people are currently reading
1633 people want to read
About the author
James Lovegrove
142books639followersJames Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel � a world in microcosm on an ocean liner � was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel � a world in microcosm on an ocean liner � was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
January 16, 2022
Life Signs
(Firefly #5)
by James Lovegrove
This book was a tough one! I thought the reason Inara left the ship was due to the feelings between her and the Captain. In this book we find she has been battling a fatal disease. She has but a month or two left when the crew find out. Mal goes nuts and will do anything to save her. The crew hatch a plan to rescue a doctor off a prison planet guarded by Alliance ships. No problem!
Three of crew sneak onto the planet and try to find the doc then plan to get off the planet! Then, try to save Inara! You know how their plans go!
In one episode, I remember seeing her with a syringe but I thought it was in case they were caught. Maybe a suspenseful scene was on? Maybe if Firefly had been on longer we might have seen more hints.
Well, the book was action packed and emotional. Her and Wash are my favorite on the show, besides River of course!
I have the audio version and the narrator sounds like the Captain.
(Firefly #5)
by James Lovegrove
This book was a tough one! I thought the reason Inara left the ship was due to the feelings between her and the Captain. In this book we find she has been battling a fatal disease. She has but a month or two left when the crew find out. Mal goes nuts and will do anything to save her. The crew hatch a plan to rescue a doctor off a prison planet guarded by Alliance ships. No problem!
Three of crew sneak onto the planet and try to find the doc then plan to get off the planet! Then, try to save Inara! You know how their plans go!
In one episode, I remember seeing her with a syringe but I thought it was in case they were caught. Maybe a suspenseful scene was on? Maybe if Firefly had been on longer we might have seen more hints.
Well, the book was action packed and emotional. Her and Wash are my favorite on the show, besides River of course!
I have the audio version and the narrator sounds like the Captain.
October 17, 2022
Ar šo bija tā, ka vienkārši ļoti sagribējās vienu kosmosa ziepeni, un ziepene šī bija. 100% baudījums īstajā brīdī bez jebkādas korelācijas ar realitāti :D
April 11, 2021
For a book about Inara dying, Inara is sorely lacking.
March 29, 2024
It's always fun to be reunited with the crew of the Serenity. This one had a solid story, although I'm honestly ready to read more than just Lovegrove's contributions to this universe, as I find his characterization average at best, especially with the female characters. But this was a quick read that is certainly worth the time of Firefly fans.
July 6, 2021
My least favorite Firefly book. Lovegrove just doesn't understand the characters. He has their personality right, but not their mannerisms. How many times in the series does ANYBODY refer to the captain as Mal Reynolds? Ever? Yet in this book, everyone is calling him that, even Zoe, who never calls him by name at all...always Captain or Sir. How many times does River have perfectly normal, rational conversations with no hint of crazy? The whole book is filled with incongruities like this.
The plot is simple, they get ridiculously lucky, and overall I was highly disappointed. The only reason it got 2 stars is because it's Firefly.
The plot is simple, they get ridiculously lucky, and overall I was highly disappointed. The only reason it got 2 stars is because it's Firefly.
May 16, 2021
If ever you want an example of telling and not showing (writing rule of thumb: "Show, don't tell"), this is the one. I'm surprised this was written by the same person as some of the previous books in the series. I guess he was phoning it in. I thought the previous books were good.
The story isn't bad, I did finish it. The character voices and sarcasm was there. But unlike previous books, everything that happened in the story was explained out loud by each character so it was crystal clear what was going on. If you want a more dumbed down version of a Firefly story, this one's for you. It gets a meh rating from me.
The story isn't bad, I did finish it. The character voices and sarcasm was there. But unlike previous books, everything that happened in the story was explained out loud by each character so it was crystal clear what was going on. If you want a more dumbed down version of a Firefly story, this one's for you. It gets a meh rating from me.
May 12, 2022
This story took me a bit to get into. Though I usually love James Lovegrove's takes on the verse, this one felt a little too soap opera to me with Inara dying of cancer and the crew off to save her. While the adventure was fun, the cause felt too overdramatic. It leaves some disbelief that Inara could have gone through such a harrowing experience and never mention it again once she was aboard the Serenity again.
May 2, 2022
I enjoyed this novel more than "Generations". A while back I thought I'd read a fan theory about Inara's "illness" & how in the first episode they show Inara with a syringe when the Reavers were going by Serenity. Of course I just thought that had the Reavers tried to board Serenity her syringe would've been her own "way out", but a personality flaw of mine is that I take what people say & do at face value & don't necessarily question things.
This book did feel like a two-part episode of Firefly. Mal's obsession with finding the doctor was a bit disconcerting. So was Zoe calling Mal by his first name. Don't think she's ever done that before.
I enjoyed Simon being a bigger part of the plot instead of being stuck on the ship. I also liked seeing River pilot Serenity for the first time.
This book did feel like a two-part episode of Firefly. Mal's obsession with finding the doctor was a bit disconcerting. So was Zoe calling Mal by his first name. Don't think she's ever done that before.
I enjoyed Simon being a bigger part of the plot instead of being stuck on the ship. I also liked seeing River pilot Serenity for the first time.
June 1, 2025
This comfort food of a series continues with an episode of saving Inara's life of an incurable cancer.
April 10, 2021
I love the style and the further adventures of the crew of Serenity. This one captures the crew and fills another story gap. In fact, I think this was based of the script outline of a planned episode. I could be wrong but it has that feel. The only week point is the switching of POV to the antagonist who relive the same event and it doesn’t really add much tension to the story. One or two seem to be the same scene and I thought the chapter was accidentally repeated. I can look past that because the adventure is pure Mal and company. Still it bugs the writer in me. These books are for enjoyment and they enrich and answer some of the question fans of Firefly were left with.
August 21, 2024
This one had me on the edge of my seat at times. Mal was hell on wheels in this installment of the series. He and Inara really need to get with the program get on getting on. Love this stuff!
August 2, 2021
*As per all of my reviews, I like to preface by saying that I listened to this book in audiobook format. This does indeed slightly skew my rating. I have found that audiobooks, give me a better "relationship" with the characters if done well, but also kills the book for me if narrated poorly. Also due to the nature of listening to the text, names and places may be spelled incorrectly here as I often do not have the physical volume in front of me.
Alright! Another rip roaring fun adventure with my crew. I swear I've come to love the crew of Serenity even more if that's possible through the books. I really can not express how attached to the crew I've become, even after all of these years later. This time the crew is sans Book (who does show up atleast) and they're on a mission to help Inara who's (suddenly...) become ill with a terminal cancer. It's sort of been retroactively been inserted, seeing that the author reveals that she's been battling it for years now even while aboard the ship during the show. It's finally come to a head while she's been away, and she's now bed ridden. Mal goes on a furious chase to track down a doctor on Book's lead to see if he has any way to cure her.
The adventure that ensues is pretty fun. A ice cold prison planet, more awkwardness between Caliee and Simon (though they're split up most of the book so it's short lived) The entire run in with the Alliance and plan felt natural Firefly faire which is what I expect, but does mean that it is a bit predictable. It's not to say it's a bore, but I found myself being able to see what was happening in many situations. I will say that I enjoy the 'cold openings' that the books continue to use. The first 10 or so pages present a wrap up to a prior job that has nothing to do with the main plot of the book but just serve as a nice way to start the book. As if we're just peering into the crew's daily life and caught them at the end of a mission. In a way it really allows the imagination to flourish and let us know these guys are almost trusted brothers and sisters at this point.
The book takes us on a trip through infiltrating a prison, with some Mal and Zoey team work which I always love. They're hot on the trail of this fabled doctor and Mal becomes increasingly dead set on finding him, even going so far as to pretty much dooming them to death if they fail. It's a bit far even for Mal, but it speaks very much to his intent love of Inara. And if it's not clear to her (and anyone) by the end of this, then they may as well be deaf dumb and blind. And speaking of being blind to infatuation, Simon has his own fan club expand by one. A girl has fallen smitten with the doctor and has played tag along with the crew. They find themselves trying to make friendly with the higher ups on the staff of the prison. Interestingly the overseers are prisoners themselves. The prison planet is pretty much un-policed on the ground. There's alliance ships in orbit to prevent anyone from somehow leaving the planet, but on the ground the prisons are left for themselves creating their own hierarchy. After a prison fight, and some information gathering, they manage to learn that the Doctor in question, Doctor Wang has left the facility and gone to try to live in the cold wastes of the elements.
Wash, Caliee, and River keep the ship in the air, dealing with their own Alliance run ins. They play tag with three Alliance Corvettes and the bored and ultra determined officers become hellbent on catching Serenity. After a series of betrayals and back stabbings and atonements the book ends with Inara being saved, all the new people we meet end up either dead or on new paths which is...good and bad. I love the closed nature of these books, and how episodic they are (just like the show) but it does sort of feel a bit of a miss knowing that nothing in these books can effect the story or anyone they meet can stay with them. Which still offers tons of amusement in a fun action packed ride, but it does feel a bit empty...That sounds way too harsh as I really enjoyed this. But I knew going in that the people they'd meet would probably die...and they did. So meh okay, we knew that coming in... Anyway for just going for the ride and spending more time with this crew I love, I really enjoyed it.
Alright! Another rip roaring fun adventure with my crew. I swear I've come to love the crew of Serenity even more if that's possible through the books. I really can not express how attached to the crew I've become, even after all of these years later. This time the crew is sans Book (who does show up atleast) and they're on a mission to help Inara who's (suddenly...) become ill with a terminal cancer. It's sort of been retroactively been inserted, seeing that the author reveals that she's been battling it for years now even while aboard the ship during the show. It's finally come to a head while she's been away, and she's now bed ridden. Mal goes on a furious chase to track down a doctor on Book's lead to see if he has any way to cure her.
The adventure that ensues is pretty fun. A ice cold prison planet, more awkwardness between Caliee and Simon (though they're split up most of the book so it's short lived) The entire run in with the Alliance and plan felt natural Firefly faire which is what I expect, but does mean that it is a bit predictable. It's not to say it's a bore, but I found myself being able to see what was happening in many situations. I will say that I enjoy the 'cold openings' that the books continue to use. The first 10 or so pages present a wrap up to a prior job that has nothing to do with the main plot of the book but just serve as a nice way to start the book. As if we're just peering into the crew's daily life and caught them at the end of a mission. In a way it really allows the imagination to flourish and let us know these guys are almost trusted brothers and sisters at this point.
The book takes us on a trip through infiltrating a prison, with some Mal and Zoey team work which I always love. They're hot on the trail of this fabled doctor and Mal becomes increasingly dead set on finding him, even going so far as to pretty much dooming them to death if they fail. It's a bit far even for Mal, but it speaks very much to his intent love of Inara. And if it's not clear to her (and anyone) by the end of this, then they may as well be deaf dumb and blind. And speaking of being blind to infatuation, Simon has his own fan club expand by one. A girl has fallen smitten with the doctor and has played tag along with the crew. They find themselves trying to make friendly with the higher ups on the staff of the prison. Interestingly the overseers are prisoners themselves. The prison planet is pretty much un-policed on the ground. There's alliance ships in orbit to prevent anyone from somehow leaving the planet, but on the ground the prisons are left for themselves creating their own hierarchy. After a prison fight, and some information gathering, they manage to learn that the Doctor in question, Doctor Wang has left the facility and gone to try to live in the cold wastes of the elements.
Wash, Caliee, and River keep the ship in the air, dealing with their own Alliance run ins. They play tag with three Alliance Corvettes and the bored and ultra determined officers become hellbent on catching Serenity. After a series of betrayals and back stabbings and atonements the book ends with Inara being saved, all the new people we meet end up either dead or on new paths which is...good and bad. I love the closed nature of these books, and how episodic they are (just like the show) but it does sort of feel a bit of a miss knowing that nothing in these books can effect the story or anyone they meet can stay with them. Which still offers tons of amusement in a fun action packed ride, but it does feel a bit empty...That sounds way too harsh as I really enjoyed this. But I knew going in that the people they'd meet would probably die...and they did. So meh okay, we knew that coming in... Anyway for just going for the ride and spending more time with this crew I love, I really enjoyed it.
April 7, 2021
Všechny čtyři předchozí romány Firefly se mi hodně líbily, v případě druhého, třetího a čtvrtého bych bez váhání řekl, že jsem z nich byl nadšený. Nejnovější pátá kniha s názvem "Life Signs" je bohužel první, ke které musím zaujmout výrazněji kritický postoj. V plné nahotě se totiž ukazuje, že nakladatelství Titan Books se (zatím) nepokouší utvořit z románových příběhů větší celek, který by byl čímsi víc než sumou jednotlivých částí; stejně tak Titan zřejmě nekonzultuje romány s nikým, kdo by se v kontinuitě Firefly/Serenity (nad rámec seriálu a filmu) doopravdy vyznal, a Joss Whedon, uváděný na obálce jako "consulting editor", nejspíš schvaluje maximálně hrubou osnovu.
Jak jinak si vysvětlit čím dál zásadnější "seky" v chronologii? Nejde jen o to, že v románu "Life Signs" - který se odehrává mezi seriálem a filmem - začíná charakter některých postav působit trochu nepatřičně (River je tu až příliš příčetná a výřečná, skoro jako by se děj odehrával až po filmu). Horší jsou nevysvětlitelné lapsy na faktické úrovni. Román výslovně odkazuje na rozhovor, při kterém Inara prozradila Malovi, čeho se dopustila za války na Fiddler's Green - jenže tento rozhovor proběhl až mnohem později v chronologii, konkrétně v komiksu "Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse", zasazeném do doby dlouho po filmu, a tedy i dlouho po "Life Signs"! Podobně drhne i situace, kde se tvrdí, že Simon neměl ponětí o Inařině zdravotním stavu - a to přesto, že komiks "Serenity: Better Days" jasně uvádí, že Simon Inaru tajně navštěvoval kvůli lékařským prohlídkám (což měl být spolu s jistým dialogem v epizodě Out of Gas bezpochyby další náznak toho, že Inara na tom není zdravotně dobře).
Zápletka, při které se posádka snaží získat pro Inaru lék, a to na vězeňské planetě jménem Atata, je řemeslně dobře zvládnutá, správnou fireflyovskou atmosféru James Lovegrove prostě umí navodit hned od první scény. Je sice trochu divné, že kolem vězeňské planety hlídkují jen čtyři alianční křižníky (jak by to asi dopadlo, kdyby se odtamtud někoho pokusil vysvobodit třeba vlivný gangster formátu Adelaie Nisky?), ale celkově příběh funguje dobře. Ještě lépe by ovšem fungoval v případě, že by byl (samozřejmě s jistými úpravami) zasazen až za zmíněný komiks "No Power in the 'Verse". Vývoj postav by pak podle mého názoru dával mnohem větší smysl, celkový dojem z knihy a jejího významu pro kontinuitu by byl podstatně lepší.
Doufejme, že se Titan poučí a že to příště dopadne lépe. Bez odborníka na kontinuitu, který by pokud možno koordinoval romány i s paralelními komiksovými aktivitami BOOM! Studios, už to ale nepůjde.
Jak jinak si vysvětlit čím dál zásadnější "seky" v chronologii? Nejde jen o to, že v románu "Life Signs" - který se odehrává mezi seriálem a filmem - začíná charakter některých postav působit trochu nepatřičně (River je tu až příliš příčetná a výřečná, skoro jako by se děj odehrával až po filmu). Horší jsou nevysvětlitelné lapsy na faktické úrovni. Román výslovně odkazuje na rozhovor, při kterém Inara prozradila Malovi, čeho se dopustila za války na Fiddler's Green - jenže tento rozhovor proběhl až mnohem později v chronologii, konkrétně v komiksu "Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse", zasazeném do doby dlouho po filmu, a tedy i dlouho po "Life Signs"! Podobně drhne i situace, kde se tvrdí, že Simon neměl ponětí o Inařině zdravotním stavu - a to přesto, že komiks "Serenity: Better Days" jasně uvádí, že Simon Inaru tajně navštěvoval kvůli lékařským prohlídkám (což měl být spolu s jistým dialogem v epizodě Out of Gas bezpochyby další náznak toho, že Inara na tom není zdravotně dobře).
Zápletka, při které se posádka snaží získat pro Inaru lék, a to na vězeňské planetě jménem Atata, je řemeslně dobře zvládnutá, správnou fireflyovskou atmosféru James Lovegrove prostě umí navodit hned od první scény. Je sice trochu divné, že kolem vězeňské planety hlídkují jen čtyři alianční křižníky (jak by to asi dopadlo, kdyby se odtamtud někoho pokusil vysvobodit třeba vlivný gangster formátu Adelaie Nisky?), ale celkově příběh funguje dobře. Ještě lépe by ovšem fungoval v případě, že by byl (samozřejmě s jistými úpravami) zasazen až za zmíněný komiks "No Power in the 'Verse". Vývoj postav by pak podle mého názoru dával mnohem větší smysl, celkový dojem z knihy a jejího významu pro kontinuitu by byl podstatně lepší.
Doufejme, že se Titan poučí a že to příště dopadne lépe. Bez odborníka na kontinuitu, který by pokud možno koordinoval romány i s paralelními komiksovými aktivitami BOOM! Studios, už to ale nepůjde.
January 24, 2022
With Life Signs, James Lovegrove addresses one of the well-known--though never overtly stated--elements of the Firefly narrative. Had the show been allowed to flourish--beyond the abbreviated single season--it would have become a plot point that Inara was dying before she'd ever joined the crew of Serenity. There were hints and allusions in the existing episodes, setting the stage for that revelation, but Firefly didn't have sufficient time to delve into the assorted elements it was establishing.
When it came time to create Serenity as a follow-up to the series, the fat had to be trimmed, to make a story that would appeal to both the disaffected fans of the original series as well as a new audience not already immersed in what had come before. There was no time to dig into the more obscure details that only the most die-hard fans were aching to see as the filmmakers' focus. Thus, a whole narrative thread was snipped and allowed to drift away like a leaf on the wind.
Thanks to a team of writers who never stopped fleshing out the world of The Verse, there have been graphic novels as well as these supplemental novels providing us with answers to questions we had as well as some we'd never thought to ask.
This book, more than the other four, satisfies the Firefly fan by addressing Inara's sickness. It also provides a much-desired glimpse into the story that was taking place between the conclusion of Firefly and the opening scenes of Serenity.
Because this story relies on the reader having been previously introduced to characters who weren't set up during the television series, it makes sense that Life Signs is the fifth of these releases.
Learning of Inara's terminal cancer, Mal is desperate to find some way to restore the woman he loves to good health. The knowledge that there is a scientist who might have developed a cure sends Mal and the crew of Serenity on a trajectory that leads to a distant, frozen prison planet where The Alliance deposits only those they most want out of sight and out of mind.
In the frigid wastes of Atata, the crew faces impossible odds as Mal's desperation to save Inara endangers everyone. Alliance forces, dangerous inmates, mutated predators brought about by failed terraforming, and an environment unsuitable for human life might be less hazardous than the quixotic pursuit Mal leads Zoe, Jane, and Simon on as he drives them toward unknown dangers.
As with all of the previous installments in this series, James Anderson Foster does a superb job of bringing the characters to life with his expert narration.
When it came time to create Serenity as a follow-up to the series, the fat had to be trimmed, to make a story that would appeal to both the disaffected fans of the original series as well as a new audience not already immersed in what had come before. There was no time to dig into the more obscure details that only the most die-hard fans were aching to see as the filmmakers' focus. Thus, a whole narrative thread was snipped and allowed to drift away like a leaf on the wind.
Thanks to a team of writers who never stopped fleshing out the world of The Verse, there have been graphic novels as well as these supplemental novels providing us with answers to questions we had as well as some we'd never thought to ask.
This book, more than the other four, satisfies the Firefly fan by addressing Inara's sickness. It also provides a much-desired glimpse into the story that was taking place between the conclusion of Firefly and the opening scenes of Serenity.
Because this story relies on the reader having been previously introduced to characters who weren't set up during the television series, it makes sense that Life Signs is the fifth of these releases.
Learning of Inara's terminal cancer, Mal is desperate to find some way to restore the woman he loves to good health. The knowledge that there is a scientist who might have developed a cure sends Mal and the crew of Serenity on a trajectory that leads to a distant, frozen prison planet where The Alliance deposits only those they most want out of sight and out of mind.
In the frigid wastes of Atata, the crew faces impossible odds as Mal's desperation to save Inara endangers everyone. Alliance forces, dangerous inmates, mutated predators brought about by failed terraforming, and an environment unsuitable for human life might be less hazardous than the quixotic pursuit Mal leads Zoe, Jane, and Simon on as he drives them toward unknown dangers.
As with all of the previous installments in this series, James Anderson Foster does a superb job of bringing the characters to life with his expert narration.
June 26, 2021
Yet again, characters weren't acting right. Like Zoe, the loyalist with a closed off intimacy. How hard is that?
In these books, violence is almost always taken to the next level over the movie and show and feels unnatural.
It felt like they were trying to make it longer than necessary.
It really felt like the author was trying to rant about his own hangup with God as it applies to sickness and death. Everybody dies. People like to deny God and then blame him for everything. They want to live how they want and then blame him for the results. The shepherd is often times given stupid answers, like how God doesnt give us more than we can handle when the bible and christianity doesnt teach that. Rather he doesnt allow us to be tempted without a way out. God doesnt have to give us an accounting, and Mals continual blaming God for the bad and taking credit himself for the good is super annoying on this book - of course that is what people do though. It's pretty stupid to get mad at God because of political problems anyways. Just because something is really important to us to happen a certain way doesnt mean that God is wrong anyways. And who said life was fair? Still, they had a whole lot of good "luck" on this poorly planned event. It's always Gods fault for everything. Ugh. But ultimately that is Mals story: doubt, confusion, bitterness, purposelessness. But I do wish, as well as he nailed mals attitude, that he wouldnt have gone so far with the blasphemy just to take out his own irritations with God. Ugh. My own hangup.
In these books, violence is almost always taken to the next level over the movie and show and feels unnatural.
It felt like they were trying to make it longer than necessary.
It really felt like the author was trying to rant about his own hangup with God as it applies to sickness and death. Everybody dies. People like to deny God and then blame him for everything. They want to live how they want and then blame him for the results. The shepherd is often times given stupid answers, like how God doesnt give us more than we can handle when the bible and christianity doesnt teach that. Rather he doesnt allow us to be tempted without a way out. God doesnt have to give us an accounting, and Mals continual blaming God for the bad and taking credit himself for the good is super annoying on this book - of course that is what people do though. It's pretty stupid to get mad at God because of political problems anyways. Just because something is really important to us to happen a certain way doesnt mean that God is wrong anyways. And who said life was fair? Still, they had a whole lot of good "luck" on this poorly planned event. It's always Gods fault for everything. Ugh. But ultimately that is Mals story: doubt, confusion, bitterness, purposelessness. But I do wish, as well as he nailed mals attitude, that he wouldnt have gone so far with the blasphemy just to take out his own irritations with God. Ugh. My own hangup.
May 10, 2022
3.5 Stars
For a minute chance at a medical miracle, half of the crew of Serenity breaks into (onto?) a prison planet while the other half has to do some fancy flying to stay just outside of the Alliance's clutches.
This would have made a decent episode. As a book, it was a little lacking. Mainly in the characterization arena. (Mal kept doing some pretty un-Mal-like things with the apparent excuse that he is just SO driven toward any chance at saving Inara... even at the expense of his crew.)
It was fun seeing River take a crack at flying the ship. A bit sadly foreshadowing, as well.
For a minute chance at a medical miracle, half of the crew of Serenity breaks into (onto?) a prison planet while the other half has to do some fancy flying to stay just outside of the Alliance's clutches.
This would have made a decent episode. As a book, it was a little lacking. Mainly in the characterization arena. (Mal kept doing some pretty un-Mal-like things with the apparent excuse that he is just SO driven toward any chance at saving Inara... even at the expense of his crew.)
It was fun seeing River take a crack at flying the ship. A bit sadly foreshadowing, as well.
September 11, 2021
This was all right... not my favorite Firefly novel, maybe, but still fine. A few reviewers pointed out a couple of clunky scenes where the action and exposition were presented from one vantage point, then the timeline was backed up so the situation was visible from the other side, and I agree that those were a little odd.
However, I couldn't think of a better way for the author to have presented those scenes (aside from maybe switching off sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph)... in a TV screenplay, it could have been done with quick cuts, but alas, this is a written adaptation of a story that could have been for TV.
Overall, those were minor annoyances in a novel that I otherwise enjoyed fully.
However, I couldn't think of a better way for the author to have presented those scenes (aside from maybe switching off sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph)... in a TV screenplay, it could have been done with quick cuts, but alas, this is a written adaptation of a story that could have been for TV.
Overall, those were minor annoyances in a novel that I otherwise enjoyed fully.
January 15, 2023
As with the other books, I listened to this one and really enjoyed it.
As a big fan of the show, listening to the audiobooks has been a great fit for me. I'm not sure this would hold up for new fans, so my recommendation is definitely to watch the show first then if you want more after the small amount of visual content, then check these books out!
The narrator does a really good job with the story, and it feels like I'm listening to an additional episode.
As a big fan of the show, listening to the audiobooks has been a great fit for me. I'm not sure this would hold up for new fans, so my recommendation is definitely to watch the show first then if you want more after the small amount of visual content, then check these books out!
The narrator does a really good job with the story, and it feels like I'm listening to an additional episode.
July 14, 2024
Decent enough installment in the ongoing escapades of the crew of Serenity. I appreciate that the author was trying to insert tension in the story by creating rifts between crew members, but I thought some of the actions taken by the main characters were, well, out-of-character.
[I listened to this as an audio book performed by James Anderson Foster, who did his usual excellent job]
[I listened to this as an audio book performed by James Anderson Foster, who did his usual excellent job]
September 9, 2021
I am a huge fan of Lovegrove, but especially when he's writing Firefly. His latest is a tale of the Firefly crew fighting fur the life of one of their own. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this is a must read addition to the lore of Firefly.
February 13, 2023
Think this is my last firefly book. They're well written, but have to walk such a weird line of doing absolutely nothing of consequence (because they're set before the movie).
Hopefully they'll write some post-movie adventures. Until then I' think I'm good just re-watching the show.
Hopefully they'll write some post-movie adventures. Until then I' think I'm good just re-watching the show.
Read
March 20, 2022There's a bit in this where spaceship manoeuvring is described as "Astrobatics"
February 15, 2024
As huge fan of the show, I found this a great read. Captured the characters well.
June 4, 2021
Entertaining, predictable fluff. An enjoyable easy read 🙂
February 13, 2024
This one just wasn't a riveting as the others to date.
April 12, 2021
Soooo good. I'm enjoying these books immensely. They are so true to the characters brought to life in the Firefly tv show.
December 13, 2024
I love how true to character these books are.
The reactions and the conversations are all pure Firefly.
It's like getting to visit some old friends.
The reactions and the conversations are all pure Firefly.
It's like getting to visit some old friends.
August 28, 2021
Ugh. I enjoyed Big Damned Heroes. It was fun. It was light. It wasn’t deep, but it was pretty good. The characters were well written.
Life Signs? Everything BDH wasn’t.
High-grade Fan Fic. That’s all I can say. Characters were still pretty good, but the plot was so thin you could see through it. Editing was poor � one entire line had no spaces between words, and no, it was not supposed to be that way. Too many times the action fell apart for me because it just wasn’t believable. I’ve walked through many a large pine forest, and not once, as in never, have I seen a “pine knot� on the ground, especially one large and heavy enough to fend off a genetically oversized wolf. Anything that’s fallen off a tree that large is generally so rotted it will just crumble. I’ve pinched myself with manual can openers. Might cut you, might not. It’s certainly not going to slit a throat while the handles are still attached to each other. To me, that’s a laughable attempt at a weapon. I would never have taken it seriously if it was against my own throat. A rotary fabric cutter? THAT’s a throat-slitting weapon. It would have been far more believable if they’d whapped someone over the head with the handle. THAT would hurt.
And no. No no no no no. You lost me for good the minute you tried to tell me that puncturing a lung with a blade results in death in 10 seconds. Not even if you slashed the artery. You can live quite a while with a sucking chest wound. Gonna hurt like gorram hell, it’ll knock you flat in the long run, but you’ve got at least 10-20 minutes with heavy bleeding � AND YOU CAN STILL BREATHE WITH YOUR OTHER LUNG. And then you tell me a page later that someone WITH a much more fatal wound is still fighting�. Someone seriously needs to brush up on biology and trauma wounds. Unless Weng had severed an artery, he would not have died in a minute with even a massive belly wound. Belly wounds usually died of sepsis after agonizing days. DAYS. There are a thousand years of actual war stories with swords to reference. You make a point of this planet being a Rura Penthe penal colony, with unbearable deadly winter conditions where people freeze to death easily � but rabbits are finding forage under the snow? Seriously? Suddenly, when you need it, you mention just once a thawing in summer? And then we’re back to snow? No. If you have an ice planet, you have an ice planet. There are no plants buried under snow that is suddenly so shallow rabbits can dig to find frozen food, when you already said 8 feet of snow can happen. Nope. Can’t accept that.
And the cutesy fandom namedropping just made the Fanfic feeling worse.
And the plot � was trite and weak. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing original.
A- for mostly keeping the characters true.
C- for development
D- for science and environment
for an overall C grade. If you’re desperate for anything Firefly, go ahead. The dialogue and characters will make you feel good. The rest of it � is forgettable.
Life Signs? Everything BDH wasn’t.
High-grade Fan Fic. That’s all I can say. Characters were still pretty good, but the plot was so thin you could see through it. Editing was poor � one entire line had no spaces between words, and no, it was not supposed to be that way. Too many times the action fell apart for me because it just wasn’t believable. I’ve walked through many a large pine forest, and not once, as in never, have I seen a “pine knot� on the ground, especially one large and heavy enough to fend off a genetically oversized wolf. Anything that’s fallen off a tree that large is generally so rotted it will just crumble. I’ve pinched myself with manual can openers. Might cut you, might not. It’s certainly not going to slit a throat while the handles are still attached to each other. To me, that’s a laughable attempt at a weapon. I would never have taken it seriously if it was against my own throat. A rotary fabric cutter? THAT’s a throat-slitting weapon. It would have been far more believable if they’d whapped someone over the head with the handle. THAT would hurt.
And no. No no no no no. You lost me for good the minute you tried to tell me that puncturing a lung with a blade results in death in 10 seconds. Not even if you slashed the artery. You can live quite a while with a sucking chest wound. Gonna hurt like gorram hell, it’ll knock you flat in the long run, but you’ve got at least 10-20 minutes with heavy bleeding � AND YOU CAN STILL BREATHE WITH YOUR OTHER LUNG. And then you tell me a page later that someone WITH a much more fatal wound is still fighting�. Someone seriously needs to brush up on biology and trauma wounds. Unless Weng had severed an artery, he would not have died in a minute with even a massive belly wound. Belly wounds usually died of sepsis after agonizing days. DAYS. There are a thousand years of actual war stories with swords to reference. You make a point of this planet being a Rura Penthe penal colony, with unbearable deadly winter conditions where people freeze to death easily � but rabbits are finding forage under the snow? Seriously? Suddenly, when you need it, you mention just once a thawing in summer? And then we’re back to snow? No. If you have an ice planet, you have an ice planet. There are no plants buried under snow that is suddenly so shallow rabbits can dig to find frozen food, when you already said 8 feet of snow can happen. Nope. Can’t accept that.
And the cutesy fandom namedropping just made the Fanfic feeling worse.
And the plot � was trite and weak. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing original.
A- for mostly keeping the characters true.
C- for development
D- for science and environment
for an overall C grade. If you’re desperate for anything Firefly, go ahead. The dialogue and characters will make you feel good. The rest of it � is forgettable.
March 20, 2022
Would actually rate at 4.5 stars
Inara is dying. There is a single hope � a chance that is grasping at straws � and dangerous. Mal will do anything to save Inara, but how far are the crew willing to follow him at a risk to themselves?
This has been the novel most in-line with the heart of the TV show � sarcastic humor, biting wit, suspense, wrenching emotions, and the love and loyalty among the crew. Of course, because of the change in media, there will be a difference in how story, scene, and characters come across, but it’s done reasonably well. It moves at the pace of visual media, meaning a lot of dialogue and quick descriptive scenery. Because of that, it may be a little hard to get into the writing style if you aren’t familiar with the ‘verse already.
There are a couple references to events from the previous novels and plot points set up from the TV show, but events seemed to be generally explained enough that it should be alright to read it as the first experience to Firefly. That being said, you will miss those references, and miss out on the fun of previous adventures!
Violence against humans and with graphic detail; innuendo and direct reference (but nothing ‘shown�); a decent amount of swearing � primarily in typical Firefly Chinese, but with more English cussing than the other novels, as well. Probably 13-15+.
Read in hard copy. Would be 5 stars if there were an audiobook out that's read by the cast.
Inara is dying. There is a single hope � a chance that is grasping at straws � and dangerous. Mal will do anything to save Inara, but how far are the crew willing to follow him at a risk to themselves?
This has been the novel most in-line with the heart of the TV show � sarcastic humor, biting wit, suspense, wrenching emotions, and the love and loyalty among the crew. Of course, because of the change in media, there will be a difference in how story, scene, and characters come across, but it’s done reasonably well. It moves at the pace of visual media, meaning a lot of dialogue and quick descriptive scenery. Because of that, it may be a little hard to get into the writing style if you aren’t familiar with the ‘verse already.
There are a couple references to events from the previous novels and plot points set up from the TV show, but events seemed to be generally explained enough that it should be alright to read it as the first experience to Firefly. That being said, you will miss those references, and miss out on the fun of previous adventures!
Violence against humans and with graphic detail; innuendo and direct reference (but nothing ‘shown�); a decent amount of swearing � primarily in typical Firefly Chinese, but with more English cussing than the other novels, as well. Probably 13-15+.
Read in hard copy. Would be 5 stars if there were an audiobook out that's read by the cast.
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