Lego: A Love Story - has anyone read it?

[CyclonatorZ]

So, there's this book called Lego: A Love Story, and apparently on page 53, my BZP user account is referenced. How do I know this? Because its literally the tenth result if you google "bzpower zarkan." Has anyone read this book, and if so, can someone tell me why exactly a random lego book ended up referencing me without my knowledge.

[Bfahome]

 

I dunno, probably Galidor opinions or something.

[Aanchir]

I have it and have read it. You're on Page 53 (even listed in the index as "Zarkan (BZPower user)".

 

"'Galidor is nothing more to me than a huge ink stain on Lego's history, and signaled the lowest point in their dark ages (which I define to be from 1997 to 2004). The line was based on a failed TV show that lasted only one year, and was basically an action figure line with the LEGO brand name slapped on. No studs, barely any Technic pins, and pieces that are basically useless in any creations. I don't even consider the line real lego [sic], and I'm extremely glad that TLC learned a lesson,' wrote the user Zarkan on the Bionicle fan Web site BZPower."

 

The original post being quoted seems to be lost to time, so I don't know how the author happened upon it. In fairness, when the book was written there weren't a lot of authoritative sources on Galidor. Today, it's a bit better understood that Galidor wasn't based on a TV show, but the other way around. (as described in Brick by Brick, pages 57–59). Not that that really changes the core message of your post, i.e, that Galidor was easily one of the LEGO Group's single biggest missteps.

 

LEGO: A Love Story is a pretty good book and I'd probably recommend it. It's perhaps not as great a reference source as Brick by Brick since it's basically written from the perspective of an AFOL rediscovering the brand and community, so it doesn't get as much of an inside look into the LEGO Group's operations. But it's still a really engaging story and a good exploration of the LEGO fan community, and in it the author describes meeting with plenty of LEGO employees, LEGOLAND employees, and fellow AFOLs.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Aanchir

[CyclonatorZ]

Thanks for the details, Aanchir. It's a great relief to me that book quotes one of my less awful posts. The whole reason I made this topic in the first place was that I was worried one of my really stupid comments had been enshrined in print, since I wasn't exactly known for measured and reasonable posting during some of my earlier years. Anyway, I think I'll see about buying this book - it sounds like a good read.