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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I won't lie, I picked up this book because I'm a sucker for illustrated, archival novels like this. I love all of the ephemera and art and illustrations. So I really really wanted to like this book. However, such books tend to take on more than they can handle, and this one followed suit.
I was skeptical about this hook just because it was about Twin Peaks. this book could have easily been about another place, so the name drop was a publicity point.
plot wise, it was alright. When it started, I thought it was going to follow more about the Walking Owl and the giants, but instead also included UFOs and aliens, which I think are overused. There were a lot of loose ends that were brought up but not clarified (Lewis' ring?). While it made sense to mention some of the characters of the series, the extended stories seemed like fan service. Plus, the scope of time the book covers made it follow just in the sense of scope and number of characters. not going to lie, I skimmed lots of this book. The documents just booked down to one thing: UFOs happened, military involvement, conspiracy.
TL;dr: twin peaks + x-files = ambitious fan fiction
I was skeptical about this hook just because it was about Twin Peaks. this book could have easily been about another place, so the name drop was a publicity point.
plot wise, it was alright. When it started, I thought it was going to follow more about the Walking Owl and the giants, but instead also included UFOs and aliens, which I think are overused. There were a lot of loose ends that were brought up but not clarified (Lewis' ring?). While it made sense to mention some of the characters of the series, the extended stories seemed like fan service. Plus, the scope of time the book covers made it follow just in the sense of scope and number of characters. not going to lie, I skimmed lots of this book. The documents just booked down to one thing: UFOs happened, military involvement, conspiracy.
TL;dr: twin peaks + x-files = ambitious fan fiction
It was really fun as an information and lore and it even got me interested in the oldest stories of my own hometown and state. I learned that two lawmen apparently encountered a UFO with people on it in Garland County according to old newspapers. There are several other stories I found but this was the most interesting to me.
From the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
As they were riding, they saw a bright light in the sky that quickly disappeared. Puzzled, but not too alarmed, the two kept on their journey. Suddenly, they saw the light again, this time much closer to the ground. The two lawmen rode on to investigate. According to the account they gave to the Hot Springs Sentinel, they rode until their horses refused to go any farther. They dismounted and drew their weapons. They described seeing a cigar-shaped vessel, sixty feet long. Walking around the ship were several men, all shining lights while another filled a sack with water. Sumpter and McLemore asked the men what they were doing. A bearded man, holding a lantern, came near the policemen and told them that they were traveling through the country on an airship. The presumed pilot of the airship asked if the two lawmen would like to ride in the ship, “saying that he could take us where it was not raining. We told him we believed we preferred to get wet.” The pilot said their eventual destination was Nashville, Tennessee. The lawmen let the airship go on its way.
From the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
As they were riding, they saw a bright light in the sky that quickly disappeared. Puzzled, but not too alarmed, the two kept on their journey. Suddenly, they saw the light again, this time much closer to the ground. The two lawmen rode on to investigate. According to the account they gave to the Hot Springs Sentinel, they rode until their horses refused to go any farther. They dismounted and drew their weapons. They described seeing a cigar-shaped vessel, sixty feet long. Walking around the ship were several men, all shining lights while another filled a sack with water. Sumpter and McLemore asked the men what they were doing. A bearded man, holding a lantern, came near the policemen and told them that they were traveling through the country on an airship. The presumed pilot of the airship asked if the two lawmen would like to ride in the ship, “saying that he could take us where it was not raining. We told him we believed we preferred to get wet.” The pilot said their eventual destination was Nashville, Tennessee. The lawmen let the airship go on its way.
I loved the dossier style of this, even though it meant some sections were less interesting than others. I wonder how it would feel reading it after years without the show, knowing it would be coming back the next year. I think it does a good job of introducing ideas from The Return (namely Cooper and Miller's disappearances, the origins of the Blue Rose, and the intertwining of Twin Peaks history with wider US military history. Can't wait to finish The Return and read the last book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
My opinion is heavily subjective as I absolutely love Twin Peaks. I love the book and I love how far back it goes in providing the history of the area and the strange entities that surround and inhabit it. I do wish the book provided additional detail to the third series of the show rather than contradicting it at times and reinforcing it at others. The 'sequel' book tries to explain them away but it makes everything feel a little too messy and makes me constantly second guess if any of this history matters or is useful in unlocking some of the mysteries of the show. Doug Milford is a strange choice as the lynchpin for most of the story to follow but Frost makes it work and much of Milford's story are my favorite parts of the book. That said, I do find part of those parts, in the middle where numerous UFO sightings are mentioned, explained, explained away, and/or called into question, overly complicated. There is a particular sequence that despite multiple listens and reads, I cannot fully track who all the characters are and what their timelines and outcomes are, as they are all introduced rather quickly and at the same time, and are entirely superfluous to the denizens of Twin Peaks or the rest of the story at large. In the end, this book is not a codex for unlocking the show or the mysteries of who or what the various beings we've all wondered about from the show are, nor is it entirely fan service that is otherwise pointless and unnecessary. It may feel that way in relation to The Return, but it does explain certain things that were hinted at in the original show, but didn't require a full explanation. Knowing how Nadine lost her eye or how Norma and Hank got together doesn't change the way you'll look at the show, but it's somewhat interesting.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I never actually ended up finishing this, because once The Return started, I didn't need it any more. I kept telling myself I'd get back to it, and maybe I still will, but it was a fun diversion while waiting for The Return, and once The Return began there was no longer any reason for this.
I'm sure there's a variety of Twin Peaks fan that this book is for, who needs these kinds of answers, but I prefer the mystery.
I'm sure there's a variety of Twin Peaks fan that this book is for, who needs these kinds of answers, but I prefer the mystery.
This is a very, very strange book. It's fascinating in its level of detail and willingness to provide backstories for a bunch of the second-tier Twin Peaks characters, but it also spends SO MUCH TIME on history that has only a tangential relationship to the town or the show. It's strange. So much care and effort was put into this, and the end result is wonderful, but I almost wish it was edited a bit more tightly and more focused on the town, rather than on so much historical narrative. (Although, really, it's cool [?] how they blend fact with fiction.)