My letter “F” pick for this year’s A to Z Book Challenge was FIREFLY: BIG DAMN HERO by James Lovegrove. Ooooh it was great to be back in the ‘verse. This book was immensely fun, incredibly captivating, and just a bit sad. The sad comes because this book reads just like an episode (set between “The Message” and “Heart of Gold” in the series canon), and I want to rage and cry again at the shortsightedness of Fox in canceling one fantastic, big damn show.

If you’re a Firefly lover, don’t wait as long as I did and pick this up. The premise of the story is this: a group of Browncoats (rebels, if you haven’t watched the show before and OH MY GOD STOP READING NOW AND BINGE THE WHOLE DAMN SHOW IMMEDIATELY if so) who are still salty about their losses in the Battle of Serenity Valley, and have decided Mal somehow did them dirty. They set a trap for Mal, kidnap him and whisk him away while the rest of the crew searches the galaxy for him – all while transporting some very questionable, highly unstable explosives.

This book has all the characters, humor and situations we loved in Firefly. There’s an epic bar fight, lots of Chinese cursing, Mal verbally abuses his captors, Kaylee is frantic about Mal’s loss, Zoe and Wash have that rough flirty vibe, Book is serene, Simon is worried, River plays the flute for the explosives to keep them “calm,” and Jayne is – well, he’s Jayne. ‘Nuff said.

We get some new backstory details on Mal and Shepherd Book, and all the rollicking fun, clever dialogue, and unexpected twists you can depend on in a Firefly episode. I felt like I’d just had a reunion with my very best friends in the world – you know, the ones who always embarrass the shit out of you.

It’s a big damn five shooting stars on this one.