Joss Whedon: Geek King of the Universe – A Biography by Amy Pascale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amy Pascale is clearly a big fan and treats her subject with reverence. This is a biography of Joss Whedon through his work. That suits me fine because I hoped to learn something from it.
I didn’t watch Buffy when I was a teenager (despite being right in the middle of the target demographic at the time). The first time I came across anything by Joss Whedon was when I watched Dr Horrible. I totally loved it. I want cowboys singing my text messages like they do for Bad Horse.
Likewise, I adored Firefly, Serenity and Dollhouse. I admired the writing. A lot.
As I mentioned, I didn’t watch Buffy. But, having watched a couple of episodes now, I realise that I talk like the characters in it. I probably picked this up from people around me, who picked it up from Buffy. Joss Whedon shaped the way I talk. Influential, much?
So, what did I learn from all this?
1) Joss is very talented.
2) He’s a nice guy and likes to work with people he gets on with.
3) He tends to like people who are very bright and good at what they do (is the flipside of this ‘doesn’t suffer fools’?)
4) He expects a lot from himself and others.
5) He works ridiculously hard. This guy works so hard there should be a new word to describe it.
I also learned the answer to something that has bothered me for years: Why did Wash have to die?? (Alan Tudyk fangirl, me).
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Joss Whedon’s work. Read, absorb and learn.
I wish I’d bought it in hardback because it’s the sort of book I’d dip into for motivation.
Rhoda Baxter 