The good preacher of Firefly passed away this weekend at the age of 71. The death of Ron Glass, a veteran of some 50 television shows, follows the deaths of Prince, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and so many more this year. It seems we lost so many great artists this year, and there is a little less magic in the world. Glass was most remembered for his depiction of the gentle yet worldly preacher, Shepherd Book, on Firefly, the 2002 cult hit television show that lasted just a season, but which even now is ahead of the times for its easy camaraderie and a unique combination of a sense of freedom, rebellion and family all in one. In the midst of this family was Shepherd Book, the preacher who had been “out of the world for a spell, like to walk it a while.” He could be awkward at times, like that time he scared the bejeezus out of River. But the preacher also had a mysterious past that was never quite fleshed out, and …