Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel

by Lars Pearson, Christa Dickson

More than two years in the making, this highly enthusiastic yet unofficial guide serves as one of the biggest advocates of the "Angel" series. Written by Lars Pearson ("Wizard" magazine) and Christa Dickson ("Dusted: The Unauthorized Guide to Buffy"), "Redeemed" critiques the entire show in berserk detail, with an eye toward reconciling the features of the "Angel"-verse against themselves, and dissecting the formidable vision of "Angel" producers Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Jeffrey Bell and their Mutant Enemy colleagues. Among other concerns, this book seeks to answer such vitally important questions as "Why Do Catholic Objects Harm Vampires?," "How Does the Vampire Invitation Rule Work?," "When Did the Powers Intervene Without Anyone Noticing?" and the not-so-obvious "Who is Angel's True Love?"

Genres: Fantasy

358 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

How is this book getting positive reviews? Had I known it was written by one of the co-authors of Dusted, the Buffy companion, I wouldn't have wasted my money. Once again, I am met with nearly-pointless drivel and typos, as well as boring list making. The authors also proceed to overlook production decisions again, making asinine criticisms on why certain aspects were added to the episode. For example, they point out that it's very coincidental that Spike returns as a ghost in the same episode that a necromancer that can help him is introduced. I mean, really? What would you like them to do instead? Not progress the plot? Seriously, how did observations this inane get published? Off to reread Keith Topping's "Hollywood Vampire" again; at least it has a list of pop culture references.

[Jdetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a few too many typos in this book, but besides those it's a first rate look at an amazing show. The authors really delve into what made the show special and do an amazing job of parsing out what the series meant, and how much it meant to those who loved it.