Lost: Secret Identity – Cathy Hapka

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Like the first novella in the series, it’s set in the Lost-universe just after the crash.

Thoughts:

This one is pretty on par with Endangered Species, and again, the author tackles a common Lost theme: secret identities, obviously. Out of curiosity, I did some research on the author and found that she’s written a bunch of books – some of them tie-ins for companies like Disney and Lego, essentially professional fan-fiction. That really is what you get when reading Secret Identity and Endangered Species: good fan-fiction, no more and no less. You can tell the author is in love with all the existing characters, but it does mean that in both books, original characters apart from the main one don’t get much development. But no one reads these things for the literary value, right? Just enjoy them for what they are.

Lost: Endangered Species – Cathy Hapka

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

This semi-canonical novella is set on the Island immediately following the Oceanic crash (except for the flashbacks, of course).

Thoughts:

The writing seemed amateurish, especially in the unnatural dialogue. However, it did move along at a good pace, and it handled some of the themes that readers would expect in Lost, if in a heavy-handed way. (The main character’s name is Faith, she struggles with self-confidence, she has a secretly violent past, etc. It is also formatted so that the 23 chapters alternate between Faith’s present and her flashbacks.) The big upshot for this book was that it did, in fact, focus on someone other than a member of the show’s main cast. It makes sense, considering how many people were on that flight, and I’m glad those responsible for these tie-in books decided to take that route. So, don’t expect anything deep, but your average Lost fan would probably get some enjoyment out of the experience.

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.