All I Need To Know I Learned From Xena: Warrior Princess by Josepha Sherman

by Josepha Sherman

In a time of ancient gods,
warlords and kings,
a Land in turmoil
cried out for a hero.
She was XENA,
a mighty princess
forged in the heat of battle.
Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle: Bard of Poteidaia. Theirs was a life of adventure. A life of romance. A life of great deeds and great battles against the forces of evil. A life of good and bad gods, of deep and lasting friendships.
In their travels, Gabrielle, Xena's bosom companion, learned much from the princess. When to keep your sword sharp and your wit sharper. When the size of Your staff does make a difference. In return, Gabrielle taught Xena the secrets of warmth, kindness, and joy.
Now, in her own recently discovered words, the Bard of Poteidaia talks of what she got from Xena and what Xena gave her, lessons about life that will ease the path for those of us battling on through the modern world.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor

Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

About the author

Josepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.

Reviews

[Brenda (aka Grandma) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xena: "It was all right. Maybe it could've done with a few more fight scenes."

Gabrielle: "Everyone's a critic."

[When Fates Collide, S6E18, when Gabrielle asks if Xena really liked her play.]

~~~
If I'd read this straight through and been expecting deep insights I'd have been disappointed. I just read a couple pages or so a day and it made me smile. Very "A Day in the Life", not "The Debt".

~~~
Disclaimer: No immortal legends were harmed in the production of this review.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very boring recap of the early episodes. I could not finish this book due to sheer repetition and boredom factors. The books is suppose to be written from Gabriel's perspective. Well, if she was annoying in the show at times, she is an utter nightmare from this perspective. I swear the author liked Xena but hated Gabriel. Not the she s my favorite either but still...
No new character insight is available nor new backround story info. My advice-if you like Xena, just rewatch the series. Much more entertain than reading this.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way this book was done. It's supposed a translation of ancient manuscripts taken from interviews with Gabrielle by the Athenian Times newspaper which itself is a neat way to frame a book.
It's Gabriell's point of view of various things that she and Xena did during their adventures. There's also a lot of humor in the book.

Two things stood out and both are quotes:

'My body doesn't make me who I am. My deeds do.'

'True courage is simply this: come what may, doing what has to be done.'

Basically a sort of philosophy book about a neat pair of fictional characters written as newspaper interviews.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fun and quick read if you want to enjoy some of Xena and Gabrielle's early adventures from Gabrielle's perspective. That said, don't go into this thinking it's going to be "bard" quality scrolls, it reads more like a inner monologue or an interview rather than a story Gabrielle would've written in her scrolls. However, the writing style does make it sound genuine, especially when I remember how much rambling Gabby used to do early on.

So it probably won't be the favorite thing you've read about Xena and Gabrielle but I don't think you'll regret giving it a shot either.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conceit of this is that Gabrielle has been interviewed or written her thoughts down for us. She briefly recaps episodes from the first three seasons of the show — skipping over some of the more complex plots. It’s a bit silly but somewhat entertaining.

[Katya Starling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically Gabrielle's POV from certain episodes, but it was nice getting to revisit the characters.

[Wicked · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a story book, the humor is just too far between.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Teen Magazine styled interview of sorts with Gabrielle of Potidaea. Poorly done. Parts are whimsical, but there is a blatant heteronormating of the show’s intentionally queer narrative, and several instances of subtle but noticeable transphobia in the book. I cannot see Gabrielle OR Xena holding to such transphobic views. It was published in the 90’s, but I still can’t get past that.

[Sun · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read that may be time better spent re-watching the series on DVD. Despite being quite authentic in channelling the voice of Gabrielle, this slim volume basically recaps seasons 1 and 2. It does not give extra insight into the characters and even the convincing voice suddenly drops away in the second half, leaving only dull platitudes.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a seriously quick read but pretty funny!

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many books produced during the "Xena: Warrior Princess" craze, this is one of the more entertaining. Josepha Sherman writes with an easy wit that makes this short book delightful reading.

[Theresa F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a clever premise in theory. But the book itself is nowhere near as amusing as it seems to think it is.
Did I like it? Not really.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? No.

[Aja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this. As a fan since birth (literally), this is just the greatest!