Sliders.tv → Sliders Bboard → Is SLIDERS: THE CLASSIC EPISODES worth $20 USD?
I'm visiting a small town for a stage theatre festival and this used bookstore has SLIDERS THE CLASSIC EPISODES -- the badly reviewed episode guide by Brad Linaweaver -- for $20. Do YOU think it's worth it? Decide for me! Decide!
yes, buy it....no other episode guide, few other sliders items out their, the book was badly rated because it was released during year of the show about 2 years late and only reiews year 1, 2, and most of year 3. yes it is done badly with spelling and grammer error even i was able to notice
I got it on Amazon for cheaper. I would get it from there. It's not quite worth 20. However, it'd be noble thing to reward any bookstore that carries it, so if you have the $, it's worth taking that into consideration.
Some of the interviews are fun to read, but most have been superseded by more "open" interviews they've given over the last few years.
I found the interviews really the only thing of value. I'm not sure what the show recaps/synopsis offered all that much value in today's internet era. But the interviews were cool. Nothing explosive but there's definitely some unique stuff.
I own a copy, and seeing as how it's one of the few Sliders collectibles out there, I don't regret buying it. But its infamous reputation is accurate.
There are a number of inappropriate crass comments in the book (for instance, in the "Time Again and World" review), and a number of bewilderingly wrong episode descriptions that suggest that the author, Brad Linaweaver, hadn't actually seen the episodes. For instance:
--He praises the "Weaker Sex" episode because he claims that "after an attempt is made on Arturo's life, Wade has a change of heart and questions the wisdom of the Sliders' involving themselves in this world's politics." In fact, she does nothing of the sort. She remains rather smug and defiant of Arturo all the way until the end of the episode. (Actually, I would like the episode a little better if the above scene happened, but it doesn't.)
--He claims that, at the end of "The Young and the Relentless," there's an epilogue that shows one of the denizens of that world having been captured by the Kromaggs, as a lead-in to "The Invasion." That simply doesn't happen.
--According to him, "Murder Most Foul" ends with Arturo not cured! "He slides, still thinking he's Reginald Doyle." Um...what??
--The description of the series on the back cover reads: "Following the success of The X-Files, Sliders has become a cult classic in its own right, attracting the many fans who follow the world of the strange and supernatural." WHAT??? NO!!! Sliders is not a show about ghosts and goblins! Why is this publisher even doing a book about the show if they apparently have no idea what it's about?? (On this last point, Linaweaver may not have written the back cover description.)
As for the rest of it: To be fair, perhaps Linaweaver had to work in a hurried fashion, and instead of video copies of the episodes, he had to work from early scripts. But it would be still weird that no one gave him the final scripts, at least. Admittedly, this is all speculation. But certainly, this was long before the beautiful Mill Creek set.
Anyway, due to the errors and incompleteness of the work, I don't think it's worth $20, but it's nice to have on your shelf somewhere as a Sliders collectible if you can get a decent price.
I think Tf's review from 18(!) years ago sums it up well enough:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-revi … 1575000539
I really wish there was a "0" star rating.
As a fan since day one of Sliders, I can tell you that basically what you have with "Sliders: The Classic Episodes" is a piece of trash...especially when you consider that this book underwent a year's worth of delays to get to the sorry state it was released in.
First of all is the bulk of the book, the episode reviews. Not only is the job done in the most unprofessional manner possible (you get more childish ranting and rambling opinion of the author than actual information), but it's hard to tell what show the reviewer was watching. The reason for that is that the reviewer never bothers to point out that he is not watching the episodes that were broadcast...thus he never points out that many of the things he talks about in an episode review were *never* broadcast. He just treats the rare inside info as parts of the episode and adds so much of his own rhetoric that the main idea of the "lost scene" is lost (thus confusing the reader and robbing them of the enjoyment of inside information which would otherwise be a treasure).Examples of this can be found for the episodes "Summer of Love" and "The Young and The Relentless"...just to name a few. This just blends into the larger problem...Linaweaver based his book on the production scripts and not by viewing the episodes (he misleadingly tells the readers that he viewed the episodes). I've read the production scripts...I know. And don't even get me started on the pleothra of unintelligible mistakes in the episode information of this book that any "long time" fan would never make.
Of course, the most annoying thing of all is that even with one year to get it right, Linaweaver still couldn't "find the time" to review the last parts of season three. What was he doing during the delays?The highlight of the book is the interviews...but that isn't saying much. The interviewer seems to take up all the time commenting on himself and his assistants rather than getting information from the stars and creators...and I personally love how the *co-creator* of the show (Bob Weiss) only got a page and a half in the book where as Peter Spellos (a *guest* actor) got a more in depth interview. Where were the priorities? Or do you get more inside info from the guest actor?!? And of course, every interview contains the endless mentions of how the book is dedicated to Ken Steadman...which takes any true, honorable meaning away from the gesture.
Bottom line: Save your money. You can find more comprehensive, better structured, more reliable, more insightful Sliders information on the internet for free (and you don't get as much pompous attitude and lude comments either!). Just consult your local search engine to find more inside information and thoughtful commentary on Sliders...and you'll find more enjoyment too.
Tf
I use this book on a daily basis. It's got me covered. When I'm in a pinch I whip it out to prove season 3 is the best season there is. If I don't have time to watch an episode, no problem. I can read each episode synopsis in about 2 minutes. Certainly worth the full retail $19.95 Canadian doughlars. Its a great compliment to my Limited Edition $139.99 Complete Series collector set.
I just want to take this moment to hand over my Most Sarcastic Person On Sliders.TV award to Jim_Hall. Clearly, I have been trumped, the better man has won. I did not buy the book. Thank you all.
Wow, I don't think I've ever read TF's review before, but it's 100% spot-on.
I speculated that Linaweaver was working from the production scripts, but I didn't know it was ever confirmed. That's a cool bit of info. I agree that if the information had been presented as bits of trivia -- "Here's how the script differs from the final episode"-- that would have been a great deal more interesting than just presenting the information in a wrong and confusing way.
I also agree about Ken Steadman. The impact of the dedication is lost because Linaweaver seems to mention it on every other page.
As for why Linaweaver said that he didn't have the time, I think I actually understand that. At Dragon*Con 1998, Linaweaver spoke about the book, saying that the publishers figured that with the show (at that point) still continuing, they hoped to get a second volume out of the later episodes (hence why this volume is called "The Classic Episodes"). It was a bad plan, because so many fans felt ripped off with what we got the first time that it didn't sell well enough to get a second volume.
I still say the book might be worth picking up at a garage sale for under $1, but probably not more than that. Its value is as a Sliders collectible rather than what's inside.
I know that ireactions has already made up his mind not to buy the book, but I can't resist sharing one final thought: You could pay $20 for a used copy of a book that covers half the series, or you could buy the entire series on DVD for the same amount. 
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