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Buffyverse Novels #7, 15, 17
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2: Halloween Rain; Bad Bargain; Afterimage
In every generation, there is a Chosen One. A slayer destined to protect the human race. She alone must fight the demons of hell. She alone must risk her life to stop the spread of evil.
Buffy is the Chosen One.
In Halloween Rain, as if Halloween at the Hellmouth isn’t bad enough, a brewing storm threatens to bring new demons to life, just in time for a celebratory massacre.
A curse on the school’s rummage sale causes strange behavior in the halls of Sunnydale High in Bad Bargain.
Buffy and her friends are looking forward to the revival of the old drive-in theater, but when people start slipping into comas in Afterimage, this late show may be their last….
656 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2010
34 people are currently reading
1616 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Holder
352 books2,408 followersNancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 20, 2017
Halloween Rain (2 stars):
Jeepers Creepers meets a zombie flick. When Halloween arrives, the dead rise. Adding to the fearsome mixture is a scarecrow possessed by the evil spirit of Samhain. Liked the humor as always but the slang used by Buffy and her friends is just weird in places. I also liked how the scarecrow seemed to instill fear into everybody, including the Slayer.
Bad Bargain (3 stars):
During a sale at the High School, various creatures find their way out of the Hellmouth and attack students and teachers alike. Of course, Spike and Dru were attending the sale. Not only does Buffy have to call a truce with Spike, she also has to work with a demonic Pied Piper to send the creatures back. I loved the looks Buffy exchanged with Angel when he arrives on the scene but was disappointed we didn't get to see the couple on their date.
Afterimage (3 stars):
A bit more of Angel and I loved it. Angelus' drinking buddy comes to Sunnydale and tries to feed on people's souls by putting them into comas. Cordelia's parts were written really well. My favorite out of the three.
Jeepers Creepers meets a zombie flick. When Halloween arrives, the dead rise. Adding to the fearsome mixture is a scarecrow possessed by the evil spirit of Samhain. Liked the humor as always but the slang used by Buffy and her friends is just weird in places. I also liked how the scarecrow seemed to instill fear into everybody, including the Slayer.
Bad Bargain (3 stars):
During a sale at the High School, various creatures find their way out of the Hellmouth and attack students and teachers alike. Of course, Spike and Dru were attending the sale. Not only does Buffy have to call a truce with Spike, she also has to work with a demonic Pied Piper to send the creatures back. I loved the looks Buffy exchanged with Angel when he arrives on the scene but was disappointed we didn't get to see the couple on their date.
Afterimage (3 stars):
A bit more of Angel and I loved it. Angelus' drinking buddy comes to Sunnydale and tries to feed on people's souls by putting them into comas. Cordelia's parts were written really well. My favorite out of the three.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2011
The ideas were fine and probably would have made ok episodes, but Joss these writers ain't, and they can't write real Buffy dialogue. Read more like fan fiction than an actual book. But still fun.
July 11, 2018
Halloween Rain, 1* Really goofy and didn't sound like the characters at all
Bad Bargain, 4* Actually seemed like an episode
Afterimage, 2* A bit boring & repetitve
Bad Bargain, 4* Actually seemed like an episode
Afterimage, 2* A bit boring & repetitve
January 11, 2017
4.5 stars. Its Buffy. Enough said.
It was SO good (and needed) to get a dose of Xander the sarcastic, Buffy fighter, Willow the sweet, Giles the British and yes even Spike the punk.
Buffy how I love you so!
It was SO good (and needed) to get a dose of Xander the sarcastic, Buffy fighter, Willow the sweet, Giles the British and yes even Spike the punk.
Buffy how I love you so!
February 26, 2012
barfy
August 1, 2017
Look, it's not Joss but it IS Buffy stories! What's not to like?
June 21, 2017
Over all the best in this collection was Bad Bargain. As a whole this wasn't a great collection of Buffy novels, sad to say. Individual reviews of each book are down below.
Halloween Rain:
2 stars. This one wasn't a fantastic read. It was all right but in comparison to other Buffy books I've read it wasn't up to par.
The story takes place in Season 1, the book references the Master and that he's still around, but it takes place on Halloween, which if you're a fan of Buffy you know that the first Halloween experienced by Buffy in Sunnydale was in Season 2.
There were some thing that bothered me while reading, the constant punning that the characters did. I loved the dialogue in the show but in this book there was just too much of the characters trying to be witty and most of the time it didn't work the way the writers wanted it to.
There was a character, Mr. O'Leary, who was a wasted character. Everything he did, except , could have been done by Angel, who at that point in the TV series was doing what Mr. O'Leary did in this story.
The zombies were boring. I'm rarely interested in reading about zombies, watching it's a different story though.
However I did like the 2 chapters where both Buffy's fight scene in the graveyard and Willow, Xander, and Giles's fight scene in the school/library was written. The 2 chapters blended together wonderfully. Also really enjoyed that they (the authors) added in a character we only saw once, Aphrodisa, she was in the first ep of Buffy as one of the girls in the locker room right before the body fell out of a locker.
The one thing that really took away from this book was that there wasn't any normal teenage issue that Buffy had to deal with while at the same time battling evil. I felt that detracted from the story.
Bad Bargain
3.5 stars.
One of my goals this year is to read more of the BTVS novels I have. So I've started early on this goal.
I enjoyed this one. It had some of the elements that I really like in a Buffy story, one of those elements is having a normal girl/student problem, along with a Slayer problem. A rummage sale is going on at school and Joyce is in the middle of her keep Buffy on track and know where and what she's doing after school hours kick. Now on top of all of that, the Hellmouth has been releasing little demonic plagues/viruses (for lack of a better word) that are causing bad things to happen to people and they are using items at the sale to infect the wearer's/users/etc.
One thing that did bother me was that the time line was a little messed up. Not much, I don't think it would bother anyone who has only watched the show a couple times but for anyone that has seen the show multiple times it might bother them. There are indicators that it's post Halloween and pre-Surprise. If the timeline had remained vague it would have been fine but there were moments pinpointed that made the timeline now between episodes What's my Line Part 2 and Surprise. Spoiler for the show ---> So little things like that took me out of the story but it's not a huge deal, I've seen a lot worse continuity errors in other BtVS books.
I felt the story was too long. It's under 200 pages but it felt dragged out. I wish the author had slimmed the story down about 50 pages.
I wish there had been more Angel but that's just because I love Angel and I adore Bangel. So if you hate Angel or don't like Bangel this probably won't bother you that much.
Overall this was an enjoyable BtVS novel and I look forward to reading more this year.
After Image/Afterimage (I've seen it spelled both ways)
1.5 stars.
If this wasn’t a BtVS book I would have DNF’d it at the half way point…maybe earlier.
This story was about some force putting various people in Sunnydale asleep…well whatever force was at work in the book was making its way out of the book and putting me to sleep too.
Normally I can bust through a 250-300 pg Buffy novel in about 3 to 4 hours. As I was reading After Image I could only read about 20 pages at a time before I had to set the book aside. There were some pros but the pace of this and the lack of anything going on just made those pros not matter.
Takes place in Season 2 sometime after ‘What’s My Line’ but before ‘Surprise’.
Let’s start off with the Pros!
--There were no major continuity issues that I noticed. This takes place between WML and Surprise and other than that the time line is vague. In a lot of Buffy books the author makes the mistake of pinpointing exactly what episodes the book may fall between or on but they’ll mention stuff from future episodes that in the timeline they started out with it doesn’t make sense if you’ve watched the show. --(For example: Xander and Cordelia are still hiding their relationship or just got together which would be during the episode ‘What’s my Line’ but then the narrative will mention Angelus and Buffy being possessed by ghosts in ‘IOHEFY’ so by that point Xander and Cordy would have been exposed by then.)
--The different perspectives. There wasn’t a lot of Buffy in this Buffy novel. It was mostly a Xander outing with a decent chunk of Cordy and a smattering of Buffy, Angel, Willow, Jonathan and Giles. Xander is usually my least favorite of our core team but I appreciated getting a story that was more centered around his character.
And now the cons….
-Nothing/very little happened for soooo long. All we got for about 150 pages was some slightly weird interactions or visuals of people and 1 creature.
-The book was too long. There was nothing happening but there was so much filler and a lot of descriptions about various things. This whole book felt like the author needed to meet a word count but because the plot was really fairly basic the story had to be filled in, in other boring and long winded ways.
-Buffy and Angel’s interactions with each other were a little too awkward for the point of their relationship. During their first meeting in this book I was confused because it read more like early season 1...maybe late season 1 interaction than post-WML. And I think Angel would have at least offered to carry Buffy’s books.
-Some of the lines of dialogue didn’t seem to match the characters. Willow and Giles were fairly on point but there was a line or 2 that Buffy says that sounded more like a Xander line. There were a couple words here and there that Buffy wouldn't say. Minor nit-pick but still annoying.
-And lastly (or at least the last thing I’m going to talk about) I figured out pretty much what was happening in the first 30-50 pages and then I had to wait 100 more pages for it to be revealed in the narrative (at least a little bit) and then another 50 or more pages for the characters to figure it out.
So this was not a good BtVS novel experience. I will never read this one again. I’m happy it’s over.
Halloween Rain:
2 stars. This one wasn't a fantastic read. It was all right but in comparison to other Buffy books I've read it wasn't up to par.
The story takes place in Season 1, the book references the Master and that he's still around, but it takes place on Halloween, which if you're a fan of Buffy you know that the first Halloween experienced by Buffy in Sunnydale was in Season 2.
There were some thing that bothered me while reading, the constant punning that the characters did. I loved the dialogue in the show but in this book there was just too much of the characters trying to be witty and most of the time it didn't work the way the writers wanted it to.
There was a character, Mr. O'Leary, who was a wasted character. Everything he did, except , could have been done by Angel, who at that point in the TV series was doing what Mr. O'Leary did in this story.
The zombies were boring. I'm rarely interested in reading about zombies, watching it's a different story though.
However I did like the 2 chapters where both Buffy's fight scene in the graveyard and Willow, Xander, and Giles's fight scene in the school/library was written. The 2 chapters blended together wonderfully. Also really enjoyed that they (the authors) added in a character we only saw once, Aphrodisa, she was in the first ep of Buffy as one of the girls in the locker room right before the body fell out of a locker.
The one thing that really took away from this book was that there wasn't any normal teenage issue that Buffy had to deal with while at the same time battling evil. I felt that detracted from the story.
Bad Bargain
3.5 stars.
One of my goals this year is to read more of the BTVS novels I have. So I've started early on this goal.
I enjoyed this one. It had some of the elements that I really like in a Buffy story, one of those elements is having a normal girl/student problem, along with a Slayer problem. A rummage sale is going on at school and Joyce is in the middle of her keep Buffy on track and know where and what she's doing after school hours kick. Now on top of all of that, the Hellmouth has been releasing little demonic plagues/viruses (for lack of a better word) that are causing bad things to happen to people and they are using items at the sale to infect the wearer's/users/etc.
One thing that did bother me was that the time line was a little messed up. Not much, I don't think it would bother anyone who has only watched the show a couple times but for anyone that has seen the show multiple times it might bother them. There are indicators that it's post Halloween and pre-Surprise. If the timeline had remained vague it would have been fine but there were moments pinpointed that made the timeline now between episodes What's my Line Part 2 and Surprise. Spoiler for the show ---> So little things like that took me out of the story but it's not a huge deal, I've seen a lot worse continuity errors in other BtVS books.
I felt the story was too long. It's under 200 pages but it felt dragged out. I wish the author had slimmed the story down about 50 pages.
I wish there had been more Angel but that's just because I love Angel and I adore Bangel. So if you hate Angel or don't like Bangel this probably won't bother you that much.
Overall this was an enjoyable BtVS novel and I look forward to reading more this year.
After Image/Afterimage (I've seen it spelled both ways)
1.5 stars.
If this wasn’t a BtVS book I would have DNF’d it at the half way point…maybe earlier.
This story was about some force putting various people in Sunnydale asleep…well whatever force was at work in the book was making its way out of the book and putting me to sleep too.
Normally I can bust through a 250-300 pg Buffy novel in about 3 to 4 hours. As I was reading After Image I could only read about 20 pages at a time before I had to set the book aside. There were some pros but the pace of this and the lack of anything going on just made those pros not matter.
Takes place in Season 2 sometime after ‘What’s My Line’ but before ‘Surprise’.
Let’s start off with the Pros!
--There were no major continuity issues that I noticed. This takes place between WML and Surprise and other than that the time line is vague. In a lot of Buffy books the author makes the mistake of pinpointing exactly what episodes the book may fall between or on but they’ll mention stuff from future episodes that in the timeline they started out with it doesn’t make sense if you’ve watched the show. --(For example: Xander and Cordelia are still hiding their relationship or just got together which would be during the episode ‘What’s my Line’ but then the narrative will mention Angelus and Buffy being possessed by ghosts in ‘IOHEFY’ so by that point Xander and Cordy would have been exposed by then.)
--The different perspectives. There wasn’t a lot of Buffy in this Buffy novel. It was mostly a Xander outing with a decent chunk of Cordy and a smattering of Buffy, Angel, Willow, Jonathan and Giles. Xander is usually my least favorite of our core team but I appreciated getting a story that was more centered around his character.
And now the cons….
-Nothing/very little happened for soooo long. All we got for about 150 pages was some slightly weird interactions or visuals of people and 1 creature.
-The book was too long. There was nothing happening but there was so much filler and a lot of descriptions about various things. This whole book felt like the author needed to meet a word count but because the plot was really fairly basic the story had to be filled in, in other boring and long winded ways.
-Buffy and Angel’s interactions with each other were a little too awkward for the point of their relationship. During their first meeting in this book I was confused because it read more like early season 1...maybe late season 1 interaction than post-WML. And I think Angel would have at least offered to carry Buffy’s books.
-Some of the lines of dialogue didn’t seem to match the characters. Willow and Giles were fairly on point but there was a line or 2 that Buffy says that sounded more like a Xander line. There were a couple words here and there that Buffy wouldn't say. Minor nit-pick but still annoying.
-And lastly (or at least the last thing I’m going to talk about) I figured out pretty much what was happening in the first 30-50 pages and then I had to wait 100 more pages for it to be revealed in the narrative (at least a little bit) and then another 50 or more pages for the characters to figure it out.
So this was not a good BtVS novel experience. I will never read this one again. I’m happy it’s over.
December 28, 2018
Okay, so I really enjoy reading Buffy novels but this particular selection of them left me a bit baffled. The first story, Halloween Rain, seems to take place before season two of the show, but Buffy didn't move to Sunnydale until halfway through the school year, meaning it was after her birthday in January. But somehow, this story seems to take place during a Halloween between season one and two? I usually can figure out a specific time frame these stories fit into, but this one irks me. Season two covered Halloween, and Buffy wasn't in Sunnydale for Halloween in season one. Yet, somehow here we are. Grr.
The second novel, Bad Bargain, again I was trying to figure out where to place it in the story line. It obviously takes place in season two, but there are some inconsistencies. Willow and Oz are not together yet, but Willow has already found Cordelia and Xander kissing? In the show that doesn't happen until after Willow and Oz are together. And Kendra hasn't made an appearance yet, she's not even mentioned. However, Xander and Cordelia don't share their first kiss until the same episode where Kendra shows up (What's My Line? parts one and two). Another grr.
The third novel, Afterimage, I liked the idea behind it, but again, same problems as novel number two had. Xander and Cordy are kissing all over the place, but Kendra hasn't been mentioned. And what the hell was up with the sudden appearance of Mrs. Kitty Forman from That 70s Show? A nurse, with a Wisconsin lilt, a pixie-ish haircut, a great laugh. Obviously this particular author is fond of That 70s Show but I was caught off-guard by her appearance in the Slayer's world.
Grrr aargh.
The second novel, Bad Bargain, again I was trying to figure out where to place it in the story line. It obviously takes place in season two, but there are some inconsistencies. Willow and Oz are not together yet, but Willow has already found Cordelia and Xander kissing? In the show that doesn't happen until after Willow and Oz are together. And Kendra hasn't made an appearance yet, she's not even mentioned. However, Xander and Cordelia don't share their first kiss until the same episode where Kendra shows up (What's My Line? parts one and two). Another grr.
The third novel, Afterimage, I liked the idea behind it, but again, same problems as novel number two had. Xander and Cordy are kissing all over the place, but Kendra hasn't been mentioned. And what the hell was up with the sudden appearance of Mrs. Kitty Forman from That 70s Show? A nurse, with a Wisconsin lilt, a pixie-ish haircut, a great laugh. Obviously this particular author is fond of That 70s Show but I was caught off-guard by her appearance in the Slayer's world.
Grrr aargh.
January 14, 2019
3.75 stars overall.
Three separate books make up this omnibus.
4 Stars for Halloween Rain the first story. It is the best. It is a stand alone book & I wrote a review on its page.
3.75 stars for Bad Bargain. It is set in the second season, but was published 3 years after the show ended, so I was disappointed how poorly the author did in capturing the feel of the show, the cadence & repartee between the characters.
3.5 stars for After Image, or Afterimage. Too long & too weird. Also published 3 years after the show ended, the author did a better job of the essence of the show & characters, it just was a weak story that was too long. if you try too look up the standalone book it is After Image, but in this version it is Afterimage.
Three separate books make up this omnibus.
4 Stars for Halloween Rain the first story. It is the best. It is a stand alone book & I wrote a review on its page.
3.75 stars for Bad Bargain. It is set in the second season, but was published 3 years after the show ended, so I was disappointed how poorly the author did in capturing the feel of the show, the cadence & repartee between the characters.
3.5 stars for After Image, or Afterimage. Too long & too weird. Also published 3 years after the show ended, the author did a better job of the essence of the show & characters, it just was a weak story that was too long. if you try too look up the standalone book it is After Image, but in this version it is Afterimage.
February 19, 2021
In my world, few things are as delightful as tales of the slayer (as opposed to "the slayer"). Yes! The one and only Buffy Anne Summers triumphs over the forces of evil that come from or are supported by the Hellmouth of Sunnydale, California in these 3 gripping novels. The best of them are, of course, written by Christopher Golden. The Scoobies of season 2 are all here. Spike and Dru make an appearance. This is a great little collection and it's only the 2nd of 3 volumes! How exciting is that? If you're a Buffy fan, you'll surely enjoy these stories. I can't help but wonder though - what would F. Paul Wilson do in the Buffyverse? Or Dan Curtis for that matter.
June 10, 2019
Rating averaged between the three books included in this volume (3, 3.5 and 4). Quality varies accordingly; there are some writers who are better at fitting in with Buffy canon and the feel of the characters than others, of course. Nancy Holder is one of them. I wonder whether GR will class this as one book or three?
November 25, 2020
Rating: 5 Stars!! (Wish i could rate it 10 stars!!)
Review:
This was such a fun, laughable and entertaining Book to read about Buffy and her friends based on the Hit 1990s TV Series!!
The characters were so interesting to read about and the storyline's discription was so beautifully told.
Can't wait to read Volume 3!!
Review:
This was such a fun, laughable and entertaining Book to read about Buffy and her friends based on the Hit 1990s TV Series!!
The characters were so interesting to read about and the storyline's discription was so beautifully told.
Can't wait to read Volume 3!!
July 27, 2022
3 more enjoyable stories. The first was pretty much what you'd expect for a BTVS halloween episode. The second was probably my favourite so far, it would definitely translate well to TV. The third was okay, just very predictable. It would have been nice to see Willow save the day, especially as that's where it seemed the story was going, Overall, a better collection than the first.
February 2, 2021
This book was a blast to the 90’s with a bad ass heroine that shows off her keen fashion sense, a witty sense of humour, and is surrounded by some awesome sidekicks! It’s true the writing wasn’t up to Joss Whedon standards but still a very fun and easy read!
April 18, 2021
Found this at a thrift shop and of course I had to get it, it was a couple of bucks and it's Buffy! It was basically like reading Buffy episodes except not the better episodes but the same love for the characters
3/5
3/5
August 5, 2023
Much less fan-ficcy than the first volume- the characters seem a lot more like themselves.
Halloween Rain - 3 out of 5
Bad Bargain - 4 out of 5
After Image - 3 out of 5 (would have been 4, but the end is a bit anticlimactic)
Halloween Rain - 3 out of 5
Bad Bargain - 4 out of 5
After Image - 3 out of 5 (would have been 4, but the end is a bit anticlimactic)
February 12, 2021
I really liked the plots of these stories, but the language is very different than that of the comics and show.
November 9, 2023
The first two stories were my favourites. The last one I found it a little bit boring.
May 29, 2024
A fun read. Not that well written, but fine. This volume contains three "episodes", two of which are pretty good and one not as good.
August 14, 2024
Spike<3
July 23, 2011
Recieved this from a goodreads giveaway, and was very excited to be chosen!
I guess the first thing I should start with is that I adore Buffy... and pretty much everything Joss Whedon created or inspired. (Browncoat!)
I also write/read fanfiction sometimes, 'cause I'm just awesome like that.
Still, I was hesitant when going into these stories...but when I won it from goodreads giveaways, I decided to go for it.
I'm going to go ahead and talk about it by story.
Halloween Rain -- Not the best opening story. First, we have Buffy reminding us that she's the slayer every other page.
As well, the dialog falls a bit flat on me. Also, I was wondering if the author has watched all the episodes of Buffy, specifically the episodes on Halloween and how supposedly nothing evil happens on Halloween. Of course, Joss plays with that upside down and right side up, but that's not what this story is doing. This story just seems to ignore that convention all together.
I'd give the book a 2/5 on the stars. The grammar, plot, spelling, and just basic skill is much higher than you'd find on a fanfiction website, but it doesn't seem to be much more than a nicely written fanfic.
Bad Bargain - Dialog was better, but I didn't like the point of view, because it was jumpy and made it confusing and a little frustrating. There was a weird hang up on the music playing, that I thought was odd -- we were alerted every time a different song came on. Still, I over all enjoyed the story. It would have been a good episode. 3/5
Afterimage -- I really liked the opening to this story, because it does catch your attention well. There were a few lines that felt awkward and OOC (out of character -- a fanfiction term!) but it was a minimum. 3.5/5
This book isn't going to my favorites shelf, but it wasn't horrible and it was a good way to spend one of my days off. Buy it if you wanna/gotta, but I'd recommend waiting for the library to have a copy.
I guess the first thing I should start with is that I adore Buffy... and pretty much everything Joss Whedon created or inspired. (Browncoat!)
I also write/read fanfiction sometimes, 'cause I'm just awesome like that.
Still, I was hesitant when going into these stories...but when I won it from goodreads giveaways, I decided to go for it.
I'm going to go ahead and talk about it by story.
Halloween Rain -- Not the best opening story. First, we have Buffy reminding us that she's the slayer every other page.
As well, the dialog falls a bit flat on me. Also, I was wondering if the author has watched all the episodes of Buffy, specifically the episodes on Halloween and how supposedly nothing evil happens on Halloween. Of course, Joss plays with that upside down and right side up, but that's not what this story is doing. This story just seems to ignore that convention all together.
I'd give the book a 2/5 on the stars. The grammar, plot, spelling, and just basic skill is much higher than you'd find on a fanfiction website, but it doesn't seem to be much more than a nicely written fanfic.
Bad Bargain - Dialog was better, but I didn't like the point of view, because it was jumpy and made it confusing and a little frustrating. There was a weird hang up on the music playing, that I thought was odd -- we were alerted every time a different song came on. Still, I over all enjoyed the story. It would have been a good episode. 3/5
Afterimage -- I really liked the opening to this story, because it does catch your attention well. There were a few lines that felt awkward and OOC (out of character -- a fanfiction term!) but it was a minimum. 3.5/5
This book isn't going to my favorites shelf, but it wasn't horrible and it was a good way to spend one of my days off. Buy it if you wanna/gotta, but I'd recommend waiting for the library to have a copy.
March 22, 2015
This is a collection of three stories based on the television show. These take place during the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2. I liked the stories. They were readable and the authors correctly portrayed the characters. Here is a review for each story:
"Halloween Rain" - If you are a devout fan of the show you have to take this story with a grain of salt. This had to be written before season 2 was televised and an episode in that season nullifies this story. There is a local legend that if it rains on Halloween a scarecrow will come to life. Being Sunnydale this actually happens. This story was my least favorite out of the three stories. I liked the storyline but the problem was the character's dialogue. They attempted to duplicate the show's witty dialogue but it was forced. This wasn't a bad story since it was written early into the show's run.
"Bad Bargain" - My favorite of the three. There is a leak in the Hellmouth and a school sale is being overrun by the Hellmouth's critters. This story had all the characters from season 2 and other characters from future seasons. It was a nice adaptation of a familiar story and I really enjoyed the little twist at the end. This story deserves high marks for its foreshadowing. Any story that has Snyder saying the band will sell candy next year is fun because we all know how that works out.
"Afterimage" - This is the longest story in the collection. A demon comes to town and his intent is to feed. His power comes from the reopening of the drive-in theater that allows him to make the characters enter this world. I liked how this story walked us through the process of a Scooby investigation. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Cordelia and Xander as it explored their development on the show. My complaint on this story was the villain was underdeveloped and the ending was a little too hokey.
If you are a fan of the show I believe you will like this collection as you get to visit old friends.
"Halloween Rain" - If you are a devout fan of the show you have to take this story with a grain of salt. This had to be written before season 2 was televised and an episode in that season nullifies this story. There is a local legend that if it rains on Halloween a scarecrow will come to life. Being Sunnydale this actually happens. This story was my least favorite out of the three stories. I liked the storyline but the problem was the character's dialogue. They attempted to duplicate the show's witty dialogue but it was forced. This wasn't a bad story since it was written early into the show's run.
"Bad Bargain" - My favorite of the three. There is a leak in the Hellmouth and a school sale is being overrun by the Hellmouth's critters. This story had all the characters from season 2 and other characters from future seasons. It was a nice adaptation of a familiar story and I really enjoyed the little twist at the end. This story deserves high marks for its foreshadowing. Any story that has Snyder saying the band will sell candy next year is fun because we all know how that works out.
"Afterimage" - This is the longest story in the collection. A demon comes to town and his intent is to feed. His power comes from the reopening of the drive-in theater that allows him to make the characters enter this world. I liked how this story walked us through the process of a Scooby investigation. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Cordelia and Xander as it explored their development on the show. My complaint on this story was the villain was underdeveloped and the ending was a little too hokey.
If you are a fan of the show I believe you will like this collection as you get to visit old friends.
June 13, 2013
Being a long time fan of Buffy the Vampire the Slayer, I enjoyed reading the stories, but they are not the up to par with some of the other books written based on the series. I don't think the stories would stand alone or be as enjoyable for someone who isn't familiar with the series and isn't a fan. A few thoughts on each of the stories is listed below.
"Halloween Rain" - When I first started reading this story, it felt kind of rushed, like the authors didn't take much time. While the usual banter of the characters as seen in the series was present and accurate to their personalities, there was a feeling of disconnect as a reader. It wasn't until a little past mid-way that I was able to really get into to the story itself. From the first scene in the cemetery to the end, was better written with great description. I liked how they showed Buffy's vulnerability and strength working together.
"Bad Bargain" - In terms of well-written, I enjoyed this one the most. Each characters true personality is seen clearly, and it had all the elements from the series. It was easy for me to visually see the story as I was reading, always a plus for the written word.
"Afterimage" - This one was rather long in comparison to the others. It had a good story line, but for most of the story it was difficult to determine what direction it was going in in terms of purpose. The life lessons and learning experience(s) of the characters, which is one of the aspects that made the TV series go great, wasn't as clear. I did like the way the story would switch from each characters experience on the same time line.
"Halloween Rain" - When I first started reading this story, it felt kind of rushed, like the authors didn't take much time. While the usual banter of the characters as seen in the series was present and accurate to their personalities, there was a feeling of disconnect as a reader. It wasn't until a little past mid-way that I was able to really get into to the story itself. From the first scene in the cemetery to the end, was better written with great description. I liked how they showed Buffy's vulnerability and strength working together.
"Bad Bargain" - In terms of well-written, I enjoyed this one the most. Each characters true personality is seen clearly, and it had all the elements from the series. It was easy for me to visually see the story as I was reading, always a plus for the written word.
"Afterimage" - This one was rather long in comparison to the others. It had a good story line, but for most of the story it was difficult to determine what direction it was going in in terms of purpose. The life lessons and learning experience(s) of the characters, which is one of the aspects that made the TV series go great, wasn't as clear. I did like the way the story would switch from each characters experience on the same time line.
August 23, 2010
First off, I must say that I'm a huge Buffy fan. I've watched and re-watched some of the episodes (okay...ALL of the episodes) a hundred times. I was really disappointed when I read the first volume (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume 1 : Coyote Moon, Night of the Living Dead, Portal Through Time) so I was kinda hesitant to buy volume 2. But being the Buffy fan that I am, I just HAD to buy it. I'm really glad I did because this book is great.
A lot of the Buffy characters from season 1 and 2 are in this book: Harmony, Cordelia, Andrew, Jonathan, Oz, Jenny Calender, Angel, Spike, Drusilla, Joyce, Principal Snyder, Giles and of course Buffy, Xander and Willow. I was really happy that Angel, Spike and Drusilla were finally in one or two of the stories but I still would've liked to see more Angel. :)
The three stories are so well written that I could really imagine the characters, especially Xander, saying or doing those things . Xander always had something funny to say on the show and he's portrayed the same in the book.
Buffy fans will enjoy reading about the Chosen One battling creatures from the Hellmouth along with her friends, her Watcher and her vampire boyfriend. If you haven't watched the series (what are you waiting for??) I still think you will enjoy reading this book. It does mention a few things that happened during the show, like the Master, but you don't need to have seen the episodes to understand the story. Anyone who likes a good book with a kick ass heroine and some vampires will enjoy it.
A lot of the Buffy characters from season 1 and 2 are in this book: Harmony, Cordelia, Andrew, Jonathan, Oz, Jenny Calender, Angel, Spike, Drusilla, Joyce, Principal Snyder, Giles and of course Buffy, Xander and Willow. I was really happy that Angel, Spike and Drusilla were finally in one or two of the stories but I still would've liked to see more Angel. :)
The three stories are so well written that I could really imagine the characters, especially Xander, saying or doing those things . Xander always had something funny to say on the show and he's portrayed the same in the book.
Buffy fans will enjoy reading about the Chosen One battling creatures from the Hellmouth along with her friends, her Watcher and her vampire boyfriend. If you haven't watched the series (what are you waiting for??) I still think you will enjoy reading this book. It does mention a few things that happened during the show, like the Master, but you don't need to have seen the episodes to understand the story. Anyone who likes a good book with a kick ass heroine and some vampires will enjoy it.
August 17, 2011
I'll state again, (as I did with the first), anyone who wants to read Buffy in order should not use these compendiums to do so. The books in each are not connected and not in any particular order.
That being said, here are my thoughts on each book. (may contain SPOILERS)
Halloween Rain- This one was thoroughly enjoyable to me. It contained the extreme sarcasm and jokes that the series is known for in the show, while also showing a more vulnerable side of Buffy. I didn't expect to find her so scared, but I was glad at the same time to see it. I only remember one time in the show when Buffy was really scared, but reading about it makes her that much more normal (even though she is far from normal)
Bad Bargain - While this was my least favorite of the three, it was still an entertaining book. Once again Buffy is thrown from her comfort zone with something she can not beat on her own. There is also a sense of false ending near the end, with some conflicts I couldn't predict the solution to. This is one of those stories you enjoy because it contains material they could never properly execute on TV with the restrictions they have.
Afterimage - The longest of the three, but a neat concept. Besides the storyline itself, what I most enjoyed when reading this was how the Author (Pierce Askegren) would switch character point of views. We would follow Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Giles, and Xander. It was a nice change from the others to really get a feel for the other characters what we all know and love (or hate) from the series.
That being said, here are my thoughts on each book. (may contain SPOILERS)
Halloween Rain- This one was thoroughly enjoyable to me. It contained the extreme sarcasm and jokes that the series is known for in the show, while also showing a more vulnerable side of Buffy. I didn't expect to find her so scared, but I was glad at the same time to see it. I only remember one time in the show when Buffy was really scared, but reading about it makes her that much more normal (even though she is far from normal)
Bad Bargain - While this was my least favorite of the three, it was still an entertaining book. Once again Buffy is thrown from her comfort zone with something she can not beat on her own. There is also a sense of false ending near the end, with some conflicts I couldn't predict the solution to. This is one of those stories you enjoy because it contains material they could never properly execute on TV with the restrictions they have.
Afterimage - The longest of the three, but a neat concept. Besides the storyline itself, what I most enjoyed when reading this was how the Author (Pierce Askegren) would switch character point of views. We would follow Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Giles, and Xander. It was a nice change from the others to really get a feel for the other characters what we all know and love (or hate) from the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2012
The only story out of these three that is worth mentioning was the second one.
The first story was horribly lacking in details and facts, it seems as if the person who wrote this has never watched Buffy in their life and therefore was unaware that even though monsters do seem to appear on Halloween, they shouldn't and take it as a night off! Not only that, but it was extremely predictable and lacking in originality. 1 out of 5.
The second story was far better. The story was original, had a great plot and kept me entertained from start to finish. The author managed to write the characters to perfection, both ones taken from the TV Show and new. This was the story that I read most easily, as it was the most interesting. 4 out of 5.
The final story was, once again, lacking something. I'm not quite sure what that something was, but I was bored the whole time I was reading it. I think the message of the story was unclear, proven by the fact that it ended without any explanation of what the villain was hoping to achieve, why the method they used to destroy him worked or how he even got his hands on some of the important artefacts he used to carry out his plan. This story had the potential to be great, the idea was a good one, unfortunately the writing just wasn't able to make it worth more that 1 out of 5 stars.
Overall, a rather disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
The first story was horribly lacking in details and facts, it seems as if the person who wrote this has never watched Buffy in their life and therefore was unaware that even though monsters do seem to appear on Halloween, they shouldn't and take it as a night off! Not only that, but it was extremely predictable and lacking in originality. 1 out of 5.
The second story was far better. The story was original, had a great plot and kept me entertained from start to finish. The author managed to write the characters to perfection, both ones taken from the TV Show and new. This was the story that I read most easily, as it was the most interesting. 4 out of 5.
The final story was, once again, lacking something. I'm not quite sure what that something was, but I was bored the whole time I was reading it. I think the message of the story was unclear, proven by the fact that it ended without any explanation of what the villain was hoping to achieve, why the method they used to destroy him worked or how he even got his hands on some of the important artefacts he used to carry out his plan. This story had the potential to be great, the idea was a good one, unfortunately the writing just wasn't able to make it worth more that 1 out of 5 stars.
Overall, a rather disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
August 13, 2014
Halloween rain I had a lot of problems with. First is that the author painted Xander as a sexist. One biased comment I could live with, but I counted three. Also, The way Giles saved the day just seemed so random. Maybe I'm nit-picking. Another thing, I wasn't quite sure why the big bad in this wanted the slayer dead. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the pumpkin patch?
Bad bargain was interesting. I'll be honest and say that at first it didn’t grip me, but I eventually got really into it. I liked all of the monsters, each one unique, and there were a lot of characters from the show that made an appearance. Although, I am a big Willow/Oz shipper, and was a little disappointed they didn’t really interact. Also, I actually felt bad for Cordelia (but not by much).
I quite enjoyed Afterimage, it felt like an actual episode, only missing some more witty dialogue, but still there was enough to satisfy. The original character, a goth girl who works at the magic box, was a little unnecessary, though. And the antagonist, while well thought out, was a little bland. Still, I liked it.
I give the first a 2, the second a 4, and the third a 3 (Can I give it a 3 and a half?) Now, lets see how I like the last one.
Bad bargain was interesting. I'll be honest and say that at first it didn’t grip me, but I eventually got really into it. I liked all of the monsters, each one unique, and there were a lot of characters from the show that made an appearance. Although, I am a big Willow/Oz shipper, and was a little disappointed they didn’t really interact. Also, I actually felt bad for Cordelia (but not by much).
I quite enjoyed Afterimage, it felt like an actual episode, only missing some more witty dialogue, but still there was enough to satisfy. The original character, a goth girl who works at the magic box, was a little unnecessary, though. And the antagonist, while well thought out, was a little bland. Still, I liked it.
I give the first a 2, the second a 4, and the third a 3 (Can I give it a 3 and a half?) Now, lets see how I like the last one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2015
This book consisted of three separate stories that took place in season two, but weren't apart of the actual series.
1) Halloween Rain:
Wasn't interested in this one at all. Zombies? Boring. They had a couple episodes with zombies, I wasn't interested in reading about one as the zombie ones weren't my favs. I had hopes it was going to be more along the lines of the episodes were everyone transformed into their costume self. Obviously I didn't want it to be the same, but something along that path would have been better than zombies.
1 star
2)Bad Bargain
This one was interesting. At first I wasn't too thrilled and was ready to give up on the book all together, but then I saw that Spike was in it, so I kept reading. Spike and Drusilla's parts made the whole thing worth while. This story I wish actually was an episode! What I wouldn't give to see Dru turned into a HUGE, insane bat-woman-vampire thing. Spike and Buffy have to work together and there was very little Angel action. Buffy and Spike forever! <3
3 stars
3)Afterimage
The best one of the book, though it was a tad confusing at first with all the POV changes. I literally LOL'd at the thought of Angel driving like a crazy man, whipping in and out of traffic at high speeds in Giles 'classic' car. Bahahahaha.
3.5 stars
1) Halloween Rain:
Wasn't interested in this one at all. Zombies? Boring. They had a couple episodes with zombies, I wasn't interested in reading about one as the zombie ones weren't my favs. I had hopes it was going to be more along the lines of the episodes were everyone transformed into their costume self. Obviously I didn't want it to be the same, but something along that path would have been better than zombies.
1 star
2)Bad Bargain
This one was interesting. At first I wasn't too thrilled and was ready to give up on the book all together, but then I saw that Spike was in it, so I kept reading. Spike and Drusilla's parts made the whole thing worth while. This story I wish actually was an episode! What I wouldn't give to see Dru turned into a HUGE, insane bat-woman-vampire thing. Spike and Buffy have to work together and there was very little Angel action. Buffy and Spike forever! <3
3 stars
3)Afterimage
The best one of the book, though it was a tad confusing at first with all the POV changes. I literally LOL'd at the thought of Angel driving like a crazy man, whipping in and out of traffic at high speeds in Giles 'classic' car. Bahahahaha.
3.5 stars
February 27, 2015
I think I enjoyed the second story the most, and the third story wasn't bad... but the first story? God! The first story, it almost made me not read the rest (in fact, had they been written by the same people I wouldn't have!) It's so poorly written, it took me forever to finish. I know these people aren't Joss (or Marty or Jane or any of the regular writer/producers), but paraphrasing Xander these guys "aren't too good at the putting the words together and making them come out good." And it's not even the dialogue that's completely wrong, the phrase that stuck with me most was a description about Giles "musty old books"... If Buffy were talking (or thinking) I would have accepted it as her POV, but Giles was alone... so no. Even if it's not exactly from Giles' POV, it's just wrong. On the other hand, and more to the point, it doesn't go with the Mythos established during the series, in other words, they got Hallowe'en all wrong.
In general, though, I admit the other two stories would have made decent episodes.
In general, though, I admit the other two stories would have made decent episodes.
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