Lost, the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning hit television show, has become renowned for its complexity week after week, enticing both cult and mainstream fans to figure out the keys to some of the mysteries. There are several Lost books on the market, but Stafford's Finding Lost series is recognized by fans as the only book to cover each episode in-depth, as well as provide chapters on books referenced on the show, historical figures, religious iconography, and other background materials that put her readers far ahead of other viewers.
Now, in Finding Lost - Season Four: The Unofficial Guide, Stafford continues to delve into the mysteries of this show. Season 1 was about trying to get rescued; season 2 was about adapting to the island; season 3 about the tension between the Lostaways and the Others. Season 4 is the turning point in the series, pointing fans to the future through flashforwards, rather than to the past. The Season Four guide will contain analyses on the Oceanic Six, how the time travel theories play into the greater mysteries on the show, how different characters are starting to come together, and point the way to how this series could possibly end. It will include chapters on the books alluded to this season (The Tempest, Slaughterhouse Five, Valis) and give background into new philosophical and scientific references. With exclusive photos of the show's filming locations in Hawaii, as well as ones taken on the set, this book helps both casual and diehard fans "find" Lost. Nikki Stafford is the author of several books, including previous books on Lost, as well as Bite Me! An Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and co-author of Uncovering Alias: An Unofficial Guide. She lives in Toronto.
Season 1 of Lost was immensely popular. But by season 2 the ratings had begun to decline. This was either thanks to the inefficient scheduling of episodes (a couple of weeks of new episodes followed by a month of reruns, then three weeks back on and three more weeks of reruns) or thanks to the exposition of the story lines and the deepening of the mysteries (with no answers) that had fans scratching their heads. By season 3, when the network aired six episodes that were heavy on the Others, Kate, Jack, and Sawyer, and very light on everyone else, and when they ran the rest of the season a full three months later, those fans who were already frustrated by the show jumped ship, which left only the hardcore fans behind.
Thank goodness we stayed. We've loved Lost unbendingly from the beginning, but season 4 was mind-blowing.
In fact, the fourth season won back many viewers. Reduced to a mere 13 episodes due to the WGA Writers' Strike, this season was short, but packed with intrigue, drama, mysteries, and answers. During an interview I did while the Writers' Strike was on, a journalist asked me why I thought season 4 was getting great ratings and was so critically acclaimed. Was it because of the strike?, he asked. I said the answer was manifold. Yes, the Writers' Strike (which lasted from November 2007 to February 2008) created a dearth of new programming in January and February, precisely the time Lost began rolling out brand new episodes. Or it could have been the timing of the DVDs. In previous seasons, new fans of the show would buy the DVDs when they came out - usually around September 7 or 8 - and try to make it through the episodes in two weeks before the new season started.
