The heroes, villains, and monsters portrayed in such popular science fiction television series as Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Doctor Who, and Torchwood, as well as Joss Whedon''s many series, illustrate a shift from traditional, clearly defined characterizations toward much murkier definitions. Traditional heroes give way to "gray" heroes who must become more like the villains or monsters they face if they are going to successfully save society. This book examines the ambiguous heroes and villains, focusing on these characters'' different perspectives on morality and their roles within society. Appendices include production details for each series, descriptions and summaries of pivotal episodes, and a list of selected texts for classroom use.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The Ultimate Unauthorized Resource to the Stories Behind Lost

Lost is a complex and mysterious tale, one that draws on many sources for its themes and ideas—sources you must understand to become an advanced Lost expert. Lost''s Buried Treasures is the ultimate unauthorized guide to the ideas that have influenced the show and its writers—and is completely updated through Season Five.

Explore:

NO TRUE LOST FAN SHOULD EVER WATCH AN EPISODE WITHOUT THIS CRUCIAL GUIDE IN HAND. Explore all the interconnected stories and mysterious references that make the show so fascinating.

DISCLAIMER: This book is an independent work of commentary, criticism, and scholarship. Neither this book, nor its author and publisher, are authorized, endorsed or sponsored by, or affiliated in any way with the copyright and trademark owner of Lost and/or the creators of Lost.

The 21st century is a good time to be Sherlock Holmes. He stars in the Guy Ritchie films, with Robert Downey, Jr.; an internationally popular BBC television series featuring Benedict Cumberbatch; a novel sanctioned by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate; and dozens of additional novels and short stories, including two by Neil Gaiman. Add to this the videogames, comic books, and fan-created works, plus a potent Internet and social media presence. Holmes'' London has become a prime destination for cinematic tourists.

The evidence is clearly laid out in this collection of 14 new essays: Holmes and Watson are more popular than ever. The detective has been portrayed as hero, and antihero. He''s tech savvy, and scientifically detached--even psychologically aberrant. He has been romantically linked to The Woman and bromantically to Watson. Whether Victorian or modern, he continues to fascinate. These essays explain why he is destined to be with us for years to come.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

As Doctor Who nears its 50th anniversary, it is very much a part of British popular culture, and the Doctor has become a British icon. Nevertheless, thanks to BBC America and BBC Worldwide''s marketing strategy, as well as the Doctor''s and his companions'' recent in-person visits to the U.S., the venerable series is becoming more susceptible to an "American influence," including the possibility of becoming "Americanized." Doctor Who and recent spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures offer American audiences very different insights into the Whoniverse and have met with varying degrees of success. Whereas Torchwood became a U.S.-U.K. co-production, The Sarah Jane Adventures was largely mismarketed. To complicate matters, the interrelationships that keep the Doctor Who franchise alive through radio dramas, audiobooks, comics, novels, etc., during hiatuses in television broadcasts, may give U.S. and U.K. audiences different understandings of the lead characters--the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sarah Jane Smith. Although the past decade has been an exciting time in the Whoniverse, the Doctor--and the franchise--are poised for yet another regeneration.

Vincent van Gogh continues to fascinate more than a century after his death in 1890. Yet how much of what is commonly known about this world-renowned artist is accurate? Though he left thousands of works and a trove of letters, the definitive Van Gogh remains elusive. Was he a madman who painted his greatest pieces in a passionate fury or a lifelong student of art, literature and science who carefully planned each composition? Was he a loner dedicated only to his craft or an active collaborator with his contemporaries? Why is he best known for self-mutilation and "The Starry Night"?

This book has biographers, scriptwriters, lyricists, actors, museum curators and tour guides, among others, presenting diverse interpretations of his life and work, creating a mythic persona that may, in fact, help us in the search for the real Van Gogh.

Nearly 130 years after the introduction of Sherlock Holmes to readers, the Great Detective''s identity is being questioned, deconstructed, and reconstructed more than ever. Readers and audiences, not to mention scholars and critics, continue to analyze who Sherlock Holmes is or has become and why and how his identity has been formed in a specific way.

The films Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Mr. Holmes and television series Sherlock and Elementary have introduced wildly divergent, yet fascinating portrayals that reveal as much about current social mores and popular culture as about the detective. More than ever, fans also are taking an active role in creating their own identities for Holmes through fan fiction and art, for example.

"Who is Sherlock Holmes?" is still a viable question. The answers provided by illustrators, scriptwriters, directors, costume designers, set designers, actors, scholars, and fans provide insights into both Victorian and the modern-day Sherlock.

Like the many disguises the Great Detective has donned throughout canon and adaptations, his perceived identities may be surprising or shocking, but they continue to make us look ever more closely to discover the real Sherlock Holmes.

When the BBC''s Sherlock debuted in summer 2010--and appeared in the U.S. on PBS a few months later--no one knew it would become an international phenomenon. The series has since gathered a diverse and enthusiastic fandom.

Like their hero, Sherlock fans scrutinize clues about the show''s deeper meaning, as well as happenings off screen. They postulate theories and readings of the characters and their relationships. They have tweeted with "The Powers That Be," mobilized to filming locations via #Setlock, and become advocates for LGBTQIA communities.

Sherlock''s digital communities have changed the way that fans and series creators interact in person and online, as each publicly takes "ownership" of beloved television characters who represent far more than entertainment to fans.

"Perhaps I should have realized that cancer runs in my family. After all, three grandparents and my father and brother perished from this disease. Yet, when I received my colorectal cancer diagnosis, I was surprised. I never expected to be primarily identified as a cancer patient. Following a typical combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and more chemo, I was presumably cancer-free when my post-treatment scans looked clean. Nonetheless, within a year I received a terminal diagnosis; cancer had metastasized in my lungs. Thus began my year as a dead woman--a time of chaotic emotions, new priorities, and rapid-fire plans and changes. Expecting the unexpected became a theme in my life, but the things that turned out to be most shocking are social, familial, and even my expectations about what is realistic for a dead woman to be or do."

Preconceptions about a terminal cancer diagnosis frequently are based on popular culture depictions of cancer and dying, which can be misleading as a guide for knowing what to expect when you''re expecting to die. This memoir provides one woman''s often-irreverent, pop culture-illustrated guide to life that deconstructs some common preconceptions about living with a terminal diagnosis.

The heroes, villains, and monsters portrayed in such popular science fiction television series as Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Doctor Who, and Torchwood, as well as Joss Whedon''s many series, illustrate a shift from traditional, clearly defined characterizations toward much murkier definitions. Traditional heroes give way to "gray" heroes who must become more like the villains or monsters they face if they are going to successfully save society. This book examines the ambiguous heroes and villains, focusing on these characters'' different perspectives on morality and their roles within society. Appendices include production details for each series, descriptions and summaries of pivotal episodes, and a list of selected texts for classroom use.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The Ultimate Unauthorized Resource to the Stories Behind Lost

Lost is a complex and mysterious tale, one that draws on many sources for its themes and ideas—sources you must understand to become an advanced Lost expert. Lost''s Buried Treasures is the ultimate unauthorized guide to the ideas that have influenced the show and its writers—and is completely updated through Season Five.

Explore:

NO TRUE LOST FAN SHOULD EVER WATCH AN EPISODE WITHOUT THIS CRUCIAL GUIDE IN HAND. Explore all the interconnected stories and mysterious references that make the show so fascinating.

DISCLAIMER: This book is an independent work of commentary, criticism, and scholarship. Neither this book, nor its author and publisher, are authorized, endorsed or sponsored by, or affiliated in any way with the copyright and trademark owner of Lost and/or the creators of Lost.

The 21st century is a good time to be Sherlock Holmes. He stars in the Guy Ritchie films, with Robert Downey, Jr.; an internationally popular BBC television series featuring Benedict Cumberbatch; a novel sanctioned by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate; and dozens of additional novels and short stories, including two by Neil Gaiman. Add to this the videogames, comic books, and fan-created works, plus a potent Internet and social media presence. Holmes'' London has become a prime destination for cinematic tourists.

The evidence is clearly laid out in this collection of 14 new essays: Holmes and Watson are more popular than ever. The detective has been portrayed as hero, and antihero. He''s tech savvy, and scientifically detached--even psychologically aberrant. He has been romantically linked to The Woman and bromantically to Watson. Whether Victorian or modern, he continues to fascinate. These essays explain why he is destined to be with us for years to come.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

As Doctor Who nears its 50th anniversary, it is very much a part of British popular culture, and the Doctor has become a British icon. Nevertheless, thanks to BBC America and BBC Worldwide''s marketing strategy, as well as the Doctor''s and his companions'' recent in-person visits to the U.S., the venerable series is becoming more susceptible to an "American influence," including the possibility of becoming "Americanized." Doctor Who and recent spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures offer American audiences very different insights into the Whoniverse and have met with varying degrees of success. Whereas Torchwood became a U.S.-U.K. co-production, The Sarah Jane Adventures was largely mismarketed. To complicate matters, the interrelationships that keep the Doctor Who franchise alive through radio dramas, audiobooks, comics, novels, etc., during hiatuses in television broadcasts, may give U.S. and U.K. audiences different understandings of the lead characters--the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Sarah Jane Smith. Although the past decade has been an exciting time in the Whoniverse, the Doctor--and the franchise--are poised for yet another regeneration.

Vincent van Gogh continues to fascinate more than a century after his death in 1890. Yet how much of what is commonly known about this world-renowned artist is accurate? Though he left thousands of works and a trove of letters, the definitive Van Gogh remains elusive. Was he a madman who painted his greatest pieces in a passionate fury or a lifelong student of art, literature and science who carefully planned each composition? Was he a loner dedicated only to his craft or an active collaborator with his contemporaries? Why is he best known for self-mutilation and "The Starry Night"?

This book has biographers, scriptwriters, lyricists, actors, museum curators and tour guides, among others, presenting diverse interpretations of his life and work, creating a mythic persona that may, in fact, help us in the search for the real Van Gogh.

Nearly 130 years after the introduction of Sherlock Holmes to readers, the Great Detective''s identity is being questioned, deconstructed, and reconstructed more than ever. Readers and audiences, not to mention scholars and critics, continue to analyze who Sherlock Holmes is or has become and why and how his identity has been formed in a specific way.

The films Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Mr. Holmes and television series Sherlock and Elementary have introduced wildly divergent, yet fascinating portrayals that reveal as much about current social mores and popular culture as about the detective. More than ever, fans also are taking an active role in creating their own identities for Holmes through fan fiction and art, for example.

"Who is Sherlock Holmes?" is still a viable question. The answers provided by illustrators, scriptwriters, directors, costume designers, set designers, actors, scholars, and fans provide insights into both Victorian and the modern-day Sherlock.

Like the many disguises the Great Detective has donned throughout canon and adaptations, his perceived identities may be surprising or shocking, but they continue to make us look ever more closely to discover the real Sherlock Holmes.

When the BBC''s Sherlock debuted in summer 2010--and appeared in the U.S. on PBS a few months later--no one knew it would become an international phenomenon. The series has since gathered a diverse and enthusiastic fandom.

Like their hero, Sherlock fans scrutinize clues about the show''s deeper meaning, as well as happenings off screen. They postulate theories and readings of the characters and their relationships. They have tweeted with "The Powers That Be," mobilized to filming locations via #Setlock, and become advocates for LGBTQIA communities.

Sherlock''s digital communities have changed the way that fans and series creators interact in person and online, as each publicly takes "ownership" of beloved television characters who represent far more than entertainment to fans.

"Perhaps I should have realized that cancer runs in my family. After all, three grandparents and my father and brother perished from this disease. Yet, when I received my colorectal cancer diagnosis, I was surprised. I never expected to be primarily identified as a cancer patient. Following a typical combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and more chemo, I was presumably cancer-free when my post-treatment scans looked clean. Nonetheless, within a year I received a terminal diagnosis; cancer had metastasized in my lungs. Thus began my year as a dead woman--a time of chaotic emotions, new priorities, and rapid-fire plans and changes. Expecting the unexpected became a theme in my life, but the things that turned out to be most shocking are social, familial, and even my expectations about what is realistic for a dead woman to be or do."

Preconceptions about a terminal cancer diagnosis frequently are based on popular culture depictions of cancer and dying, which can be misleading as a guide for knowing what to expect when you''re expecting to die. This memoir provides one woman''s often-irreverent, pop culture-illustrated guide to life that deconstructs some common preconceptions about living with a terminal diagnosis.