Watership Down – Richard Adams

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

Boone had this book in Australia, but Sawyer found it and is seen reading it in a few scenes. (“It’s about bunnies.”) Also, the book has a big bunny motif, largely thanks to Ben and DHARMA.

Thematically, the novel has the ongoing idea of home, which is important to all the various rabbit communities. Some of the rabbits are lead to find this home through one rabbit’s prophecies.

One group of rabbits is reminiscent of the Others, as a military state from which no one is allowed to leave. They practice kidnapping and murder (and at one point, they even have some of the protagonists captive). This group also has difficulties with childbirth.

As in Lost, Watership Down has some Smoke Monsters. One is a train, and the other is the legendary Black Rabbit of Inlé who brings fear and sickness, lives in a cave (where no time exists), and plays a game with stones.

Thoughts:

When I was a kid, Tales From Watership Down was one of my favorite books. I had a thing for rabbits, and this book seemed a little edgier than other bunny books. Some parts of the book even genuinely freaked me out, like the White Blindness (which, incidentally, is a real rabbit disease known as Myxomatosis and is used by humans to control their population). The rabbit characters were more fleshed out here than in other rabbit books. They have a very complete culture of their own, and I loved the side stories about their folk hero, El-ahrairah.

Looking back years later, I have no reason to change my opinion. The original novel, Watership Down, has the same charm and originality, so it was a pleasant foray into children’s literature.

Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton

Rating: 4/5

Lost References:

When Paulo worries about the (noisy) Smoke Monster, Nikki tells him the Island’s not like Jurassic Park.

Thoughts:

Two things that surprised me about this book: Some of the scenes from the book that hadn’t made it into the movie I still recognized from the sequels, and there was a whole lot of faux-science. The second one I didn’t mind; it made me appreciate the movies more (I’ll admit to liking the dinosaur action and Malcolm’s wit). The second point, I wasn’t crazy about. I could stomach the chaos theory quotes at the section openings, but all the fake genetics sections bored me. Apparently, Crichton’s famous for fake, topical science, but this was my first of his books, so I didn’t know that then. I’ve read some more since, and I’m learning to tune him out when he gets into his spiels. If you can do that, you’re in for an exciting read. And another good Crichton book is Timeline.

Above: the Crichtonsaurus bohlini – a new species of ankylosaurus named for Crichton and Swedish paleontologist Birger Bohlin.

Lassie Come-Home – Eric Knight

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Sawyer tells Kate that “Timmy fell down a well,” the ultimate Lassie cliché.

Thoughts:

Since there are lots of Lassie books, I went with Lassie Come-Home, Eric Knight’s first novel-length Lassie story. It was your average book about a super-loyal dog that is too perfect to exist in real life. I know it was probably innovative back when it was written, like a lot of things that seem overused to us now. Still, some heartstrings were tugged. I can’t help it. And there was a decent side-story with Lassie’s family.

Dark Horse – Tami Hoag

Rating: 2/5

Lost References:

This book is on Jack’s office shelf.

Thoughts:

The former cop is full of trauma and depression then ends up solving crimes anyway because of some lingering sense of duty. Is there a setup more cliché than this? Didn’t think so. Also, I found the “mature child” who finds her pretty uninspired, too. And there were way too many people to keep track of.

Babar – Jean de Brunhoff

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Sawyer calls Hurley “Barbar,” and Hurley tells him, “It’s ‘Babar.'”

Thoughts:

It’s a cute kid’s story. Not very deep, not remotely realistic. Still, it’s short and lighthearted and as entertaining as anything for the very young.

Animal Farm – George Orwell

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Arzt says “the pigs are walking” to describe how he thinks Jack and Kate are getting power-hungry. (In this book, the pigs take over the supposedly communist farm as they become more and more human. Eventually, they start walking and wearing clothes.)

Thoughts:

Written as a critique of Stalinism and distributed through high schools across America, many people seem to grow up resentful of this book. No one likes being forced to read certain things. However, when my turn came around, I found myself grateful for one point – it was short.

Now, I can appreciate it for another, similar reason. It gets to the point swiftly and insightfully without belaboring the point. It’s not terribly clever as far as plots go, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. It’s written to be a satire, and it communicates its points efficiently. Orwell indicates his targets pretty clearly and exposes their hypocrisy with a straightforward allegorical tale. So, it gets marks for effectiveness, but anyone disinterested in politics might want to stay clear.

The Adventures of Pinocchio – Carlo Collodi

Rating: 2/5

Lost References:

Sawyer calls Charlie “Jiminy Cricket.”

Thoughts:

First of all, though this book is on my list and others, I don’t technically count it. The talking cricket is never given a name in the book – that was a Disney invention. I’m just including it for thoroughness.

I did not enjoy this book in the slightest. It had an unlikeable protagonist repeatedly getting himself in difficulties of his own making. He theoretically feels bad in the end, but he feels bad at other times in the story, and that doesn’t change anything he does. I remain unimpressed.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass – Lewis Carroll

Rating: 4/5

Lost References:

Jack reads the first book to Aaron in Something Nice Back Home. In Via Domus, a copy of it can be obtained and traded. In the pilot, Vincent runs Jack by like the white rabbit. White rabbits are also a recurring motif, especially for DHARMA and Ben; one episode is even entitled White Rabbit. Another is Through the Looking Glass, and DHARMA has a station called the Looking Glass.

Thoughts:

These books were terribly original and creative when they were first published and still are today. So many people enjoyed Lewis Carroll’s works that many of the scenes, such as Alice’s tea party, have entered into iconic popular culture. The sequel suffered, but that’s to be expected. Also, the poetry was creative but a bit much, especially in the sequel. In any case, the strong point is the dialogue. I especially enjoyed the Mad Hatter and, surprisingly, the Cheshire cat (who is not nearly as offensive in the books as in the movies).

Above: DHARMA’s Looking Glass Station logo.

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

Charlotte Staples Lewis takes her name from Clive Staples Lewis, the author. There is a DHARMA station where Eloise works called The Lamp Post, which is an important marker in the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Narnia is a hidden world that only certain people can enter, much like the Island. In the Narnia books, Aslan usually brings in the visitors, and on the Island, it’s Jacob. Actually, on the LA X audio commentary, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have fun comparing Aslan and Jacob. (They decide Aslan would win in a fight.)

Damon Lindelof: You know what Aslan needs? Daddy issues.

Thoughts:

This series has long been one that holds great nostalgia for me, largely because of the old BBC movies, I have to admit. Whenever my dad would go away on business trips, my sister and I would camp downstairs on the hide-a-bed and pop one of the tapes in. True, the special effects were less than special, but I forgive them. Walden Media has, apparently, not forgiven them, for the effects are the main strength of the new movies. The first was a really spectacular remake; I absolutely loved it. The cast was variable. I loved their new Lucy – she had naivety in place of whininess. The new Tumnus was actually likeable. The White Witch, unfortunately, was personality-less. Just like Prince Caspian in the new Prince Caspian movie, which had far more angst and inter-king conflict than was necessary.

But enough about the movies. The books are also wonderful – there are seven of them, all unique fantasy adventures. C.S. Lewis evidently didn’t run out of ideas. If they were longer (and in poetry form), I’d probably call them epics, based on how much time they cover in the world of Narnia (which passes much more quickly than time in our world). They also deal with mythic themes and battles. But as it is, they’re children’s stories which partially serve as Christian allegories on different subjects, in the different books.