Battle On!: An Unauthorized, Irreverant Look at Zena: Warrior Princess

By Greg Cox

Book Overview

Looks at the top syndicated hit show, providing fan reactions, interactions, and commentaries that also compare the events of the show to events in actual history.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451457315
• ISBN13: 9780451457318
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Roc
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The Best Xena Guide Available...

This is the ultimate Xena guide. Extremely well written! Greg Cox does an excellent job reviewing each episode with accurate facts and humerous observations. The first three seasons (I wish he would write one for seasons 4-6!) episodes are discussed along with their (possible) Mythological basis, subtex, highlights, and even an episode rating. There is also information on both Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor. If you are going to buy an episode guide this in the one to buy!

The best Xena guide available to date

If you want a perfect reference for every Xena episode of the first three seasons that is enjoyable to read and very informational, this is the book for you. It makes up for its lack of pictures with great wit and an amazing style of writing. You learn a great deal about the origins of myths and the like. You even learn some ideas about possible symbolism in some of the episodes. This is a show that can always be read on many levels, and when this author peels away the top layer you do find much deeper ideas in many cases. Although I do not always agree with the "rating" he puts on every episode and I do not agree with every comment he makes, all in all it is a wonderful book that makes you think. And you can't agree with someone all of the time. I do respect him though for taking the time to make such a wonderful compendium to the greatest fantasy show in television history. Hopefully he'll create an updated version at the end of this year, to include the fourth and fifth seasons. I always reach for his book after I watch an old episode to read his ideas and I'm dying to be able to do that for the newer episodes also. Please, please write a sequel! In my opinion, the fifth season so far is the greatest Xena has ever had. It deserves a book from him, as does the fourth.

This is the Book!

Although completely unauthorized, this is the finest book on Xena Warrior Princess. It contains reviews and insightful remark about the first three seasons of the show. Greg Cox also gives us a "reality check" in which discusses the actual historical/mythological context that the elements of each episode contain. He discusses continuity matters and character motives. He also included reviews of all the Hercules episodes that Xena and Gabrielle appear in. This is a book for fans written by a fan. Read, enjoy and Battle On! YiYiYiYiYiYiYiYiYiYiYiYi!

REQUIRED READING FOR ALL XENITES

This book is a great companion when watching the reruns on the USA network. Unlike "official" books on Xena, the author is not afraid to question a bad episode, but fortunately that's seldom required. He does a great job cross referencing recurring actors, characters, scenery(!) and related Hercules episodes, and his remarks on historical tie-ins are really illuminating for a non-history buff like me. I bought this a year ago and I reference it almost daily. The writing is clear and clever, and obviously done with love for the show. Please, Greg, we need a volume 2! I recommend this over all other Xena books I've read.

Episode reviews are excellent. It needs an index & volume 2.

Any XENA fan should just buy it ! Is just mildly irreverent, cuz the author really seems to have a warm spot in his heart for this show. The episode reviews are thought inspiring; however, the book needs an index & comprehensive TOC. The next volume or two, for the more recent seasons, are sorely overdue.