At a couple of local thrift stores (which support ARC and Big Brothers/Sister, _not_ the Salvation Army) I came across two LOST books -one of which has the actual LOST brand name logo on it (Bad Twin - www.amazon.com/Bad-Twin-G.../1401302769 ) and the other of which just looks very LOSTish w/o official branding (Unlocking the Meaning of LOST - An Unauthorized Guide - www.amazon.com/Unlocking-.../1402207263 ). I was not aware these sorts of books existed before happening upon these two by chance.

Anyone in the LOST tribe know anything about either of these spin-off books or the others I assume are now around? Are they worth bothering with at all? Are there other --better-- such LOST books you would recommend instead of these two?

The "Bad Twin" book is a novel supposedly authored by "Gary Troup - His final novel before disappearing on Oceanic Flight 815. It is with pride and sorrow that Hyperion presents Bad Twin, the last novel by a wonderful author who was taken from us in the very prime of his writing life. As many readers are already aware, Gary Troup has been missing since September 2004, when the jetliner that was carrying him from Sydney to Los Angeles crashed somewhere over the South Pacific. While nothing is more human than to hope for miracles, reason tells us that the author and his fellow travelers cannot have survived this disaster. In addition to his many novels of mystery and crime, Gary Troup authored several non-fiction books, including The Valenzetti Equation. His disappearance is mourned by all who knew him and enjoyed his work."

Bad Twin is an intriguing title which takes me way back to that which I was daydreaming about in Sunday school class instead of the actual lesson on Cain and Able, as well as to thoughts of the Goffney lads www.bgay.com/news/index.php and [following link not safe to open at work!] the Fischer Twins gay pornstars www.miamistudios.com/redirect.php and other such Bad Twins who are very naughty and should be spanked. This, however, is probably not what the LOST ref'd Bad Twins allusion connects to ...unless, maybe, hope against hope, could it be that Boone & Karl...? ; )

Seriously, I bought the books but wonder whether or not it is a good idea to read them before the LOST series reaches its conclusion next year. Has anyone else in the LOST tribe read these or similar spin-off and companion books, and if so do the books have spoilers or anything else in them which would diminish or interfere with the unfolding of the LOST episodes? Your comments would be appreciated.

This does prompt me to reflect on an aspect of LOST which I have found puzzling: the seeming biblical connections. Some are direct and clear (as with Charlie's vision or dream on the beach and all the stuff with Eko and his bro) while others are arguable (e.g., "Adam & Eve" corpses in the cave) and some may just be reading more into the symbology than what is really there (such as The Fall, being Cast Out of the Garden, Cain & Abel, and so on).