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Big Damn Hero: The First Firefly Hardcover – November 20, 2018

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,806 ratings

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The original novel tying into the critically acclaimed and much-missed Firefly series from creator Joss Whedon.

The Battle of Serenity Valley was the turning point that led the Independents to their defeat at the hands of the Alliance. Yet the Browncoats had held the valley for weeks against all odds, before being ordered to lay down their arms. Command stated they refused to send in airpower because the ground war was "too hot." But the soldiers who were there insist that was not true...

While picking up a new cargo on Persephone, Captain Malcolm Reynolds is kidnapped by a bunch of embittered veteran Browncoats who suspect him of sabotaging the Independents during the war. As the rest of the crew struggle to locate him, Mal is placed on trial for his life, fighting compelling evidence that someone did indeed betray them to the Alliance all those years ago. As old comrades and old rivals crawl out of the woodwork, Mal must prove his innocence, but his captors are desperate and destitute, and will settle for nothing less than the culprit's blood.
Read more Read less

"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

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Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR THE SERIES

"The entire novel feels like it could be a lost episode from the show." – The Verge

"[
Big Damn Hero is] Season Two. Episode One." - Birth.Movies.Death

"Illuminates not only a huge chunk of Mal's past but also showcases a perfectly plausible chapter in the adventures of the
Serenity's crew." - The Frumious Consortium

"Fans who know the 'verse well...will feel right at home in this story that spans the era before the series, with callbacks to events in the series, and right afterward as if it were a 15th episode." - Borg.com

"For someone who genuinely enjoyed the
Firefly ‘verse, this was a treat to read. - Editing Everything
An outstanding tie-in to the beloved TV series, this book is shiny in every way possible." - Books Bones & Buffy

"This was a wild ride back into the world of
Firefly that I sorely missed; I loved learning some of the backstory that Fox robbed us from fifteen years ago and look forward to the next installment." - Reader Voracious

"Big Damn Hero absolutely nails it across the board for me...It brings back all of the familiar and beloved while adding in dashes of the new and unknown. This Firefly book is a no-brainer buy for fans of the franchise." - Nerds on Earth

About the Author

James Lovegrove is the New York Times best-selling author of The Age of Odin. He was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1998 and for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2004. He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times. He is the author of Sherlock Holmes: Gods of War, Sherlock Holmes: The Stuff of Nightmares, Sherlock Holmes: The Thinking Engine and Sherlock Holmes: The Labyrinth of Death for Titan Books.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan Books (November 20, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1785658263
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1785658266
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1.15 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,806 ratings

About the authors

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,806 global ratings
A Nice and Shiny Visit with Old Friends
4 Stars
A Nice and Shiny Visit with Old Friends
I really have to love a movie or TV franchise to follow it into the books and/or comics that continue it's story. Didn't do it for Buffy, didn't do it for The X-Files, didn't do it for Babylon 5...in fact, the only time I ever really did dive deeply into the literary well of a franchise I first enjoyed on the screen was Star Trek and later, Star Wars, and I don't read the novelizations of either much at all any more. But the idea of a Firefly novel, based on a show that we never got enough of in any form in the first place, seemed to be a good place to dip my toe in the water and try again.Is Big Damn Hero perfect? No. It has the humor and the characterizations you'd expect from a new take on the best show in the 'Verse, but there's very little world building going on, because this world is built and the characterization keeps getting hamstrung by the fact that this movie takes place in between the series and the excellent feature film "Serenity," so we know everyone's going to be OK by the end, if for no other reason than we know that creator Joss Whedon is going to wait to kill half of them off in the movie. So, since they can't take the story forward, the authors wisely take the story back to Mal's time as a member of the Browncoats and the friends he had growing up. Mal's reputation, such as it is, is based on his time with the Rebels and in particular, the Battle of Serenity Valley, so when one of his oldest friends calls all that into question and actually puts Mal on trial for betraying a cause that's already been lost years before, it's an interesting spin on a story we thought we knew.But because of where they placed it in the chronology, not much else you'd want to see happen, happens. There's no forward movement between Mal and Inara or Kaylee and Simon, Wash and Zoe are still Wash and Zoe, because all of that gets dealt with in the movie and Jayne is still Jayne and River's secret skills as a psychic ninja and still, well, secret. The book does try to give you a little background on Shepherd Book's secret past, but there was only so much they could do without getting deeper into the mythology than perhaps Mr. Whedon wanted them to go.If you've never sampled Firefly before, this is NOT the place to start. Watch the series first (only 14 episodes, so it's easily bingeable), then the movie and then this book. If you're looking to find out why so many people love the Firefly universe and hate Fox for treating it so badly, you're not going to find it here. However, if you're already a fan, come on in. Big Damn Hero is a nice snack after the larger meals of the series and the movie and after, you can always give the comics a try. Shiny.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
If you're reading this, or considering reading this book, then you must be a Browncoat. If you are, and you know you can't stop the signal, then read this book.

If you don't understand a gorram thing I'm saying, then go watch the sci-fi western series, Firefly. Then watch the follow-up movie, Serenity.

Then you'll be a full-fledged Browncoat, and you'll devour this book.

It felt like a lost, never-before-aired episode of Firefly. Great backstory on Mal, and a peek behind Book's curtain of mystery.

The only downside to finding this book is needing to read all of the other books.

Don't stop the signal. Keep flyin'.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
I really have to love a movie or TV franchise to follow it into the books and/or comics that continue it's story. Didn't do it for Buffy, didn't do it for The X-Files, didn't do it for Babylon 5...in fact, the only time I ever really did dive deeply into the literary well of a franchise I first enjoyed on the screen was Star Trek and later, Star Wars, and I don't read the novelizations of either much at all any more. But the idea of a Firefly novel, based on a show that we never got enough of in any form in the first place, seemed to be a good place to dip my toe in the water and try again.

Is Big Damn Hero perfect? No. It has the humor and the characterizations you'd expect from a new take on the best show in the 'Verse, but there's very little world building going on, because this world is built and the characterization keeps getting hamstrung by the fact that this movie takes place in between the series and the excellent feature film "Serenity," so we know everyone's going to be OK by the end, if for no other reason than we know that creator Joss Whedon is going to wait to kill half of them off in the movie. So, since they can't take the story forward, the authors wisely take the story back to Mal's time as a member of the Browncoats and the friends he had growing up. Mal's reputation, such as it is, is based on his time with the Rebels and in particular, the Battle of Serenity Valley, so when one of his oldest friends calls all that into question and actually puts Mal on trial for betraying a cause that's already been lost years before, it's an interesting spin on a story we thought we knew.

But because of where they placed it in the chronology, not much else you'd want to see happen, happens. There's no forward movement between Mal and Inara or Kaylee and Simon, Wash and Zoe are still Wash and Zoe, because all of that gets dealt with in the movie and Jayne is still Jayne and River's secret skills as a psychic ninja and still, well, secret. The book does try to give you a little background on Shepherd Book's secret past, but there was only so much they could do without getting deeper into the mythology than perhaps Mr. Whedon wanted them to go.

If you've never sampled Firefly before, this is NOT the place to start. Watch the series first (only 14 episodes, so it's easily bingeable), then the movie and then this book. If you're looking to find out why so many people love the Firefly universe and hate Fox for treating it so badly, you're not going to find it here. However, if you're already a fan, come on in. Big Damn Hero is a nice snack after the larger meals of the series and the movie and after, you can always give the comics a try. Shiny.
Customer image
Don
4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice and Shiny Visit with Old Friends
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
I really have to love a movie or TV franchise to follow it into the books and/or comics that continue it's story. Didn't do it for Buffy, didn't do it for The X-Files, didn't do it for Babylon 5...in fact, the only time I ever really did dive deeply into the literary well of a franchise I first enjoyed on the screen was Star Trek and later, Star Wars, and I don't read the novelizations of either much at all any more. But the idea of a Firefly novel, based on a show that we never got enough of in any form in the first place, seemed to be a good place to dip my toe in the water and try again.

Is Big Damn Hero perfect? No. It has the humor and the characterizations you'd expect from a new take on the best show in the 'Verse, but there's very little world building going on, because this world is built and the characterization keeps getting hamstrung by the fact that this movie takes place in between the series and the excellent feature film "Serenity," so we know everyone's going to be OK by the end, if for no other reason than we know that creator Joss Whedon is going to wait to kill half of them off in the movie. So, since they can't take the story forward, the authors wisely take the story back to Mal's time as a member of the Browncoats and the friends he had growing up. Mal's reputation, such as it is, is based on his time with the Rebels and in particular, the Battle of Serenity Valley, so when one of his oldest friends calls all that into question and actually puts Mal on trial for betraying a cause that's already been lost years before, it's an interesting spin on a story we thought we knew.

But because of where they placed it in the chronology, not much else you'd want to see happen, happens. There's no forward movement between Mal and Inara or Kaylee and Simon, Wash and Zoe are still Wash and Zoe, because all of that gets dealt with in the movie and Jayne is still Jayne and River's secret skills as a psychic ninja and still, well, secret. The book does try to give you a little background on Shepherd Book's secret past, but there was only so much they could do without getting deeper into the mythology than perhaps Mr. Whedon wanted them to go.

If you've never sampled Firefly before, this is NOT the place to start. Watch the series first (only 14 episodes, so it's easily bingeable), then the movie and then this book. If you're looking to find out why so many people love the Firefly universe and hate Fox for treating it so badly, you're not going to find it here. However, if you're already a fan, come on in. Big Damn Hero is a nice snack after the larger meals of the series and the movie and after, you can always give the comics a try. Shiny.
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12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
It was great to get back into the ‘verse of Firefly and hang out with the characters so damn vividly portrayed by the show and the movie! Easy to read, easy to imagine how it would have unfolded on the screen.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
I am a patient miser who almost never buys books new, preferring to wait until used copies hit the market. But when I learned that there was a Firefly novel scheduled for release, I preordered and didn't blink. Set during the run of the show, Big Damn Hero delivers as close as we'll get to another episode of the shiniest show that ever ran. At its opening, Mal Reynolds and the good ship Serenity are looking for work, trying to recover their reputation after the Niska disaster, and necessity compels them to take a questionable payload of explosives from the even-more questionable person of Badger. Mal's been asked to see a local businessman about a smaller delivery he can handle on the way, but something goes awry: emerging from an epic bar fight, Zoe and Jayne quickly realized the captain's been kidnapped. With destabilizing explosives in the hold, and Mal in the hands of parties unknown, Zoe and the whole Serenity gang have to work double time to figure out what's gone awry before matters get worse.

Big Damn Hero offers a fast-moving plot (a two-day story) and all the flavor of the show that Browncoats should enjoy; Lovegrove has a good ear for the show's peculiar mix of frontier drawls peppered with Chinese expressions, and none of the characters from the ship are overlooked in contributing to the resolution: it's very much an all-hands on deck kind of story, bringing even Book and Inara into the thick of things. The show's humor runs throughout, from Mal's verbal harrying of his captors, to Zoe and Wash's playful banter and Jayne's mix of wiles and tactlessness. River is...well, River, playing a flute to calm the explosives down and providing just the right amount of insight to get the team out of tight corners. There are plenty, too; with so many members of the crew separated in the search for answers. Zoe, never a weak character -- never -- is in fine form hre, hobbling round town on a fractured leg, keeping the crew focused despite River's episodes and Jayne's fits and Kaylee's near panic at the idea of leaving the captain behind. The only fly in the ointment is the questionable backstory about the Alliance and the Independents, as the settling of this system is portrayed simplistically with rich people buying the core planets and leaving the poor people to the frontier planets, and then there being some confusion about the independents "seceding" from the Union...which they were not part of to begin with. That's relatively minor, though, perhaps on the scale of arguing about Klingon head makeup.

Big Damn Hero will find an audience, I think, not just because it's a new story in a beloved franchise, but because it also adds to that Firefly universe by fleshing out Mal's past and the people he loved and fought by. I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope this series keeps flying.
44 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read.
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2023
I love this book! It is very well written and true to the show. It is just like watching an episode of Firefly. This book is full of adventure and humor and all the wonderful characters from Firefly. I could not put this book down. This is a must read for any Firefly fan.
One person found this helpful
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Chris Wildi
5.0 out of 5 stars Such an enjoyable return to Serenity
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2019
If, like me, you are appalled at the nonsense that Greg Pak has been writing for Boom! Studio's Firefly comic, buy this novel!

I had a great time reading Big Damn Hero, I don't think the smile left my face while this book was in my hands and these characters walked back into my life like old friends.

I think the author's biggest triumph is how well he's captured the voices of these characters. It's always a difficult task, particularly when characters have as distinctive a manner of speech as Whedon's, but James Lovegrove absolutely nails it (Badger's in particular, Bravo!). There wasn't a line of dialogue that missed the beat. (For how not to do it, look at literally any page of Boom!'s rubbish).

The story is a bit derivative hitting similar beats as 'Safe' and 'War Stories' but I truly I don't mind; I want these novels to feel like stepping back into the show. Having said that the novel takes the brave decision to hugely expand on Mal's backstory in a series of flashbacks. In my opinion the author was very successful; I could believe in the teenage Mal and it was interesting to see into the mind of the man before he decides to enlist with the Browncoats.

The continuity is good, the story is set between 'The Message' and 'Heart of Gold' which is an excellent choice as Inara hasn't decided to leave the ship but the characters are very familiar to one another. I really liked that every episode prior to 'Heart of Gold' got a nod and even events from 'The Shepherd's Tale' graphic novel are referenced. These nods convinced me that James Lovegrove is a real fan of the show and a safe pair of hands to write these novels.
7 people found this helpful
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Mark Sheppard
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in Australia on March 31, 2023
This IS Firefly. The writing is bang on--the character voices are perfect. These writers are both clearly enamoured with the show AND great writers in their own right. The combination is fantastic and a long-held dream come true: Season 2. My most sincere thanks to all involved in bringing this series of novels to market. I know you didn't write them for me...but it feels like you did.
Connie & Don Fraser
5.0 out of 5 stars Shiny
Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2021
Best book ever! Great intro to the series. Absolutely love that it's an episode in my hand. Everything down to the way they speak down to the adventures. It's fantastic. Just shiny.
Half way through the Second one and I can't put it down.
2 people found this helpful
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Randal
4.0 out of 5 stars Big Damn Story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2019
I don't usually read tie-in fiction because I usually find that on some level it disappoints, however right from the get-go Nancy Holder and James Lovegrove capture the spirit of what is possibly my all-time favourite TV show by my all-tine favourite TV writer, Joss Whedon. The trick to Joss Whedon's writing (if you can call it a trick) is to delve deep into character while turning up the comedy one-liner-quotient to eleven, and all this while not losing sight of the drama and plot line. His writing is a tour-de-force whether you're looking at Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the fabulous one-liners in Toy Story 1 (Whedon was the script doctor.) I didn't expect Whedon to write his own tie-ins. He's somewhat busy with - y'know - directing major movies, but I do feel that the authors mostly capture Whedon's spirit, especially at the beginning of the book.

This Firefly adventure is pretty much like watching an episode and covers approximately the same ground. It's set part way through the first and only season, more towards the latter end. The major characters are all assembled. River is still wambly in the brain-pan; Simon still hasn't made a pass at Kaylee; Zoe and Wash are happily married and Jayne has the knitted hat and a gun called Vera. Mal is his usual cynical self, but he can't afford to turn down a job, which is why they all find themselves on Persephone's Eavesdown Docks getting ready to transport crates covered in warning stickers (as in warnings of imminent explosion should the crate be rattles, wet, warmed up etc. Maybe they shouldn't have taken another job from Badger, but they need the cash to keep flying (presuming he pays them this time).

Oh, yeah, this is gonna be great!

Badger's job (transporting unstable mining explosives is one thing, but when Mal is kidnapped he ends up being tried in a kangaroo court as a traitor to the Browncoats while his crew follows every clue available to trace him. There's some interesting backstory from Mal's youth on Shadow, before the war, which I assume can be taken as canon since this is an official tie in.
9 people found this helpful
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