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Buffyverse Novels #8, 9, 16
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1
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 Coyote Moon, a typical night at the carnival becomes deadly as shape-shifters turn the amusement park into their own house of horrors.
Buffy starts having past-life nightmares in Night of the Living Rerun, and must face her historic counterpart before the events of the past repeat in the present.
In Portal through Time, Slayers over the centuries are in danger, and Buffy must protect them in order to save her own life and legacy.
Buffy is the Chosen One.
In Coyote Moon, a typical night at the carnival becomes deadly as shape-shifters turn the amusement park into their own house of horrors.
Buffy starts having past-life nightmares in Night of the Living Rerun, and must face her historic counterpart before the events of the past repeat in the present.
In Portal through Time, Slayers over the centuries are in danger, and Buffy must protect them in order to save her own life and legacy.
678 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2010
131 people are currently reading
2775 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
October 10, 2022
Exactly what you'd expect from original tie-in novels from a popular TV series and I'm totally here for.
The first story was silly but fun in which a travelling carnival arriving in Sunnydale, which brings its own mystery.
The middle story that had a lonk with the Salem Witch trials was the weakest that started strong but ultimately disappointed.
Whilst the final story was not only the longest, but easily the best.
Some Timey-Wimey shenanigans as the Masters devotees travel through time to attempt to disrupt the Slayer lineage.
The story even gets a bonus point for referencing Doctor Who!
The first story was silly but fun in which a travelling carnival arriving in Sunnydale, which brings its own mystery.
The middle story that had a lonk with the Salem Witch trials was the weakest that started strong but ultimately disappointed.
Whilst the final story was not only the longest, but easily the best.
Some Timey-Wimey shenanigans as the Masters devotees travel through time to attempt to disrupt the Slayer lineage.
The story even gets a bonus point for referencing Doctor Who!
March 20, 2017
So, this isn't a review but just a few thoughts about the book.
The book deals with teenage Scooby gang.
There is little Angel and Buffy time-well just a kiss here and there.
There are 3 stories in this omnibus:
Coyote Moon-a carnival comes to town where all the carnies are were coyotes-I liked this story the best.
Night of the Living Rerun-Buffy has to stop the Master from rising again-the ending just sucked. I remembered the Master from the TV show and he was scary. This one? Not so much!
Portal through Time-a few of the Master's minions try to get Master to come into power, using a Time Traveling artifact- this one I liked too. We also meet Angelos-who sucks and is a coward which the TV show Angelos never was-and Darla.
But all of this is overshadowed by two things:
1- The cover is beautiful!
2-Its Buffy!
The book deals with teenage Scooby gang.
There is little Angel and Buffy time-well just a kiss here and there.
There are 3 stories in this omnibus:
Coyote Moon-a carnival comes to town where all the carnies are were coyotes-I liked this story the best.
Night of the Living Rerun-Buffy has to stop the Master from rising again-the ending just sucked. I remembered the Master from the TV show and he was scary. This one? Not so much!
Portal through Time-a few of the Master's minions try to get Master to come into power, using a Time Traveling artifact- this one I liked too. We also meet Angelos-who sucks and is a coward which the TV show Angelos never was-and Darla.
But all of this is overshadowed by two things:
1- The cover is beautiful!
2-Its Buffy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2013
I'm not sure why this book got so many negative reviews. What people need to realize: this is a book that is clearly written for the young adult audience. I was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer t.v. show when I was a teenager. I am still a fan. I thought this book was an easy read and it kept my attention. People need to lighten up with the reviews and take it for what it is. I might even pick up Vol. 2!
November 9, 2018
entertaining enough but nothing special and if you are a fanfiction reader this will be a big disappointment since i read way, way better buffy fanfics that had better story ideas and felt as if the characters where more true to how they were portrayed on the show.
all in all it’s my bad but i wish it would have been world better!
all in all it’s my bad but i wish it would have been world better!
July 30, 2021
Leuk boek met 3 verhalen over Buffy the Vampire Slayer en haar vrienden. Ik ben na 2 verhalen even gestopt, ik was even toe aan iets anders. Dit boek is makkelijk geschreven, goed te lezen voor de wat jongere lezers onder ons.
Dit boek is een tip voor elke Buffy fan!
Dit boek is een tip voor elke Buffy fan!
June 25, 2020
I was intimidated with this kinda chunky edition of 3-in-1 books centered around the first two seasons timeline because it had nearly 700 pages and it has been a while since I tried anything Buffy related. I did not want to risk not liking this book since I have fond memories of liking these stories and characters.
The general rating of three stars is due to the first story Coyote Moon being more or less average for me, the second story Night of the Living Rerun was a little underwhelming and the last story Portal Trough Time was much better than expected and I enjoyed it the most.
The general rating of three stars is due to the first story Coyote Moon being more or less average for me, the second story Night of the Living Rerun was a little underwhelming and the last story Portal Trough Time was much better than expected and I enjoyed it the most.
February 6, 2013
2 stars because of the 3rd story; 1.5 without it...
It's well-known (to Buffy fans at least) that Joss Whedon wrote 'Hush', an entirely silent episode of Buffy, in response to a review that said the only good thing about the show was it's witty dialogue. Sadly, the dialogue in this book is in no way comparable to that of the series. The writing is shocking, and in places downright embarrassing - like a middle-age man trying to pretend he's a teenage girl. All 3 are littered with clumsy references to the TV show, sounding like the authors' desperate attempts to go "see?! we watched the TV show too!". The plot in the first two is flimsy and not particularly interesting; the third redeems it somewhat, being more complex and just more appealing in nature.
I can only imagine that my 12 year old self, watching Buffy on the TV for the first time, would probably have enjoyed this more - but then again, even when I was 12 I didn't enjoy a bad writing style.
I was given the 2nd collection of stories as a gift so I will persevere - I hate leaving a book unread. But I'll be taking a break, as I think 2 of these collections in a row is too much for anyone to handle.
It's well-known (to Buffy fans at least) that Joss Whedon wrote 'Hush', an entirely silent episode of Buffy, in response to a review that said the only good thing about the show was it's witty dialogue. Sadly, the dialogue in this book is in no way comparable to that of the series. The writing is shocking, and in places downright embarrassing - like a middle-age man trying to pretend he's a teenage girl. All 3 are littered with clumsy references to the TV show, sounding like the authors' desperate attempts to go "see?! we watched the TV show too!". The plot in the first two is flimsy and not particularly interesting; the third redeems it somewhat, being more complex and just more appealing in nature.
I can only imagine that my 12 year old self, watching Buffy on the TV for the first time, would probably have enjoyed this more - but then again, even when I was 12 I didn't enjoy a bad writing style.
I was given the 2nd collection of stories as a gift so I will persevere - I hate leaving a book unread. But I'll be taking a break, as I think 2 of these collections in a row is too much for anyone to handle.
March 6, 2022
As a huge fan of the movie and the TV series, Buffy, and its spinoff series – Angel. I also love getting my hands on any non-canon Btvs/Angel novels. So here are my reviews for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume One: Coyote Moon, Night of the Living Rerun, and Portal Through Time.
The last time I read any Buffy novels was last year but these specific novels I haven’t read since I was a kid, so I’m interested to see how my perspective and opinions have changed after reading this. Stay tuned! 😊
Coyote Moon –
It reminded me of several episodes from the show with the premise of Buffy following her gut instincts of a current supernatural threat in Sunnydale she finds out on patrol and her friends Xander and Willow refuse to trust or believe her (especially when it involves Xander and another girl he can fawn over!) and the Scoobies realize too late they’re in trouble and they’re in the wrong and need her to save them! Go Figure! If I was friends with Buffy, ok I would question them but, in the end, I would trust her bloody instincts lol
Xander’s attitude and behaviour in “Coyote Moon” doesn’t surprise me one ardor – believing himself to know better and that Buffy is jealous – oh you wish mate! Sometimes I wanted to slap him – and Buffy too! His reaction to Buffy trying to reason with him falls on deaf ears, very similar to the episode “Teacher’s Pet” and the Praying Mantis lol
His habit of falling for demon women who find him attractive or most likely need him for a ritual sacrifice turns out in this story
It’s rare for Willow not to believe Buffy. I think the author did well in capturing Willow’s character and personality. I’m guessing that this story takes place in early Season One after “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and before Buffy discovers Angel’s vampiric nature in “Angel” as Willow remembers Darla and Thomas who lured Xander, Willow and Jesse to the cemetery (though the vampires’ names aren’t mentioned) though at the end of the book Willow’s warning neon lights go up and she starts to question the odd things that have been happening and of course realize too late until Buffy saves them in time.
In conclusion, “Coyote Moon” passable, good plot. I can see Sarah, Nicholas, Alyson, and Anthony’s voices as the title characters while reading the book. The author did well to capture their personalities and behaviors though I remember Giles being a bit more pro-active than being neurotic but hey, at least he didn’t get knocked out for a change lol
Night of The Living Rerun-
The story starts off with a dream, about The Master being stuck underground church and then – Buffy’s awake and writing in her dream journal. First thing off the bat, Giles has somehow convinced Buffy to do Slayage homework? In keeping a dream diary!?! Umm…wow!
The majority of us who have watched the TV series, Giles, completely decided against giving Buffy the Slayer Handbook after their first meeting, and in this book, he has succeeded in getting Buffy to write a dream journal? Ok, wow…alrighty…still gobsmacked…but ok, I’ll bite and go with it lol
This story takes place sometime during the first and second seasons as The Master is still a major threat to Buffy and the Scoobies. I’ve always been curious about this Big Bad, wish we learned more about his adventures other than what we know from the TV series, so this book was fun in that regard.
Overall, I was expecting the final battle to be – well more! Again, the build-up was awesome, but the battle was a letdown *sigh* but largely I thoroughly enjoyed reading about
Portal Through Time-
My favourite of all the Time Jumps were the Celtic warrior Slayer during the Roman occupation of Britain (which I thought was very well done) and the Sumerian Slayer in 2700 B.C.E. (just reading about Willow and Giles geeking out was amusing!) and of course Xander gets himself into strife causing Eruk and Willow, the unlikely duo to team up and save everyone.
Unfortunately, the story with Agatha, the American Slayer from Civil War America, was forgettable, even though she was the slayer with who Buffy bonded most. The French Revolution story had a nice twist that Buffy and the Scoobies had to avert to keep the present timeline secure.
Negatives:
There is a line on page 480
I wasn’t completely happy with that felt completely out of character for Angel to say, I have never heard Angel refer to anyone on either series as a “loser” he would be more articulated and sophisticated, this language just sounded juvenile, like something Xander would say, not Angel.
Positives:
I enjoyed the honorary mention of another slayer Lucy Hanover, who has made several appearances throughout Buffy non-canon novels 😊
Portal Through Time was one of my favourites out of all three stories! <3 😊
The last time I read any Buffy novels was last year but these specific novels I haven’t read since I was a kid, so I’m interested to see how my perspective and opinions have changed after reading this. Stay tuned! 😊
Coyote Moon –
It reminded me of several episodes from the show with the premise of Buffy following her gut instincts of a current supernatural threat in Sunnydale she finds out on patrol and her friends Xander and Willow refuse to trust or believe her (especially when it involves Xander and another girl he can fawn over!) and the Scoobies realize too late they’re in trouble and they’re in the wrong and need her to save them! Go Figure! If I was friends with Buffy, ok I would question them but, in the end, I would trust her bloody instincts lol
Xander’s attitude and behaviour in “Coyote Moon” doesn’t surprise me one ardor – believing himself to know better and that Buffy is jealous – oh you wish mate! Sometimes I wanted to slap him – and Buffy too! His reaction to Buffy trying to reason with him falls on deaf ears, very similar to the episode “Teacher’s Pet” and the Praying Mantis lol
His habit of falling for demon women who find him attractive or most likely need him for a ritual sacrifice turns out in this story
It’s rare for Willow not to believe Buffy. I think the author did well in capturing Willow’s character and personality. I’m guessing that this story takes place in early Season One after “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and before Buffy discovers Angel’s vampiric nature in “Angel” as Willow remembers Darla and Thomas who lured Xander, Willow and Jesse to the cemetery (though the vampires’ names aren’t mentioned) though at the end of the book Willow’s warning neon lights go up and she starts to question the odd things that have been happening and of course realize too late until Buffy saves them in time.
In conclusion, “Coyote Moon” passable, good plot. I can see Sarah, Nicholas, Alyson, and Anthony’s voices as the title characters while reading the book. The author did well to capture their personalities and behaviors though I remember Giles being a bit more pro-active than being neurotic but hey, at least he didn’t get knocked out for a change lol
Night of The Living Rerun-
The story starts off with a dream, about The Master being stuck underground church and then – Buffy’s awake and writing in her dream journal. First thing off the bat, Giles has somehow convinced Buffy to do Slayage homework? In keeping a dream diary!?! Umm…wow!
The majority of us who have watched the TV series, Giles, completely decided against giving Buffy the Slayer Handbook after their first meeting, and in this book, he has succeeded in getting Buffy to write a dream journal? Ok, wow…alrighty…still gobsmacked…but ok, I’ll bite and go with it lol
This story takes place sometime during the first and second seasons as The Master is still a major threat to Buffy and the Scoobies. I’ve always been curious about this Big Bad, wish we learned more about his adventures other than what we know from the TV series, so this book was fun in that regard.
Overall, I was expecting the final battle to be – well more! Again, the build-up was awesome, but the battle was a letdown *sigh* but largely I thoroughly enjoyed reading about
Portal Through Time-
My favourite of all the Time Jumps were the Celtic warrior Slayer during the Roman occupation of Britain (which I thought was very well done) and the Sumerian Slayer in 2700 B.C.E. (just reading about Willow and Giles geeking out was amusing!) and of course Xander gets himself into strife causing Eruk and Willow, the unlikely duo to team up and save everyone.
Unfortunately, the story with Agatha, the American Slayer from Civil War America, was forgettable, even though she was the slayer with who Buffy bonded most. The French Revolution story had a nice twist that Buffy and the Scoobies had to avert to keep the present timeline secure.
Negatives:
There is a line on page 480
Angel walked to Buffy and embraced her. “Don’t worry about this loser,” he said, hooking his thumb at Lucien. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t go anywhere”.
I wasn’t completely happy with that felt completely out of character for Angel to say, I have never heard Angel refer to anyone on either series as a “loser” he would be more articulated and sophisticated, this language just sounded juvenile, like something Xander would say, not Angel.
Positives:
I enjoyed the honorary mention of another slayer Lucy Hanover, who has made several appearances throughout Buffy non-canon novels 😊
Portal Through Time was one of my favourites out of all three stories! <3 😊
April 1, 2023
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Volume 1 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coyote Moon by John Vornholt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A classic first season Buffy adventure, has the same feel as the hyena episode 😁
Night of the Living ReRun by Arthur Byron Cover - ⭐️⭐️
Had some inspired ideas and I really wanted the story to focus on the slayer during the Salem witch trials and her connection to Buffy. Unfortunately the story throws so many other random things into it that it becomes confusing and muddled.
Portal Through Time by Alice Henderson - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An excellent story exploring the history of the slayers, parallel universes and time travel. It was so much fun to read this story and made the whole book worthwhile.
Coyote Moon by John Vornholt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A classic first season Buffy adventure, has the same feel as the hyena episode 😁
Night of the Living ReRun by Arthur Byron Cover - ⭐️⭐️
Had some inspired ideas and I really wanted the story to focus on the slayer during the Salem witch trials and her connection to Buffy. Unfortunately the story throws so many other random things into it that it becomes confusing and muddled.
Portal Through Time by Alice Henderson - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An excellent story exploring the history of the slayers, parallel universes and time travel. It was so much fun to read this story and made the whole book worthwhile.
February 13, 2023
I really wanted to love this book, but honestly I had to keep forcing myself to skim the book and finish it. There’s 3 novels in this one book, and none of them really wowed me. Each one had a plot that had already been similarly played out in the show. Except for the last story, which just seemed a bit out of the realm of the Buffyverse. And I feel like the authors didn’t fully grasp the characters and their voices. The whole book just seemed a little forced. If you’re into sci-fi and fantasy, check it out. But as a major Buffy fan, this one misses the mark.
October 14, 2023
I really enjoyed reading these stories. It was so cool to be back in the Buffy universe, but in book format. The authors managed to keep the essence of each character and the humor that is in the show. The third book in this had to be my favorite. We got to see a few slayers in all different time period and it was just so cool. I loved seeing the dynamic they had in their time and how they reacted to things. Overall, I really enjoyed these books. They weren't amazing, but they were a lot of fun.
July 8, 2018
The first two books were a bit lame. So this book did sit on my bed side only reading a chapter or two a night. It wasnt until I got to the last book that I could stand reading more than one chapter. After two day of being sick with a cold, Ive finished it. Not bad. It kept me entertained, where the tv gave me headaches. It honestly shocks me that after 15 years... Im still a Buffy Fan. 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
July 22, 2023
Read 2 of 3, dnf'd the 3rd. Book 1 was cute and fun. Book 2 was okay. Book 3 was basically unreadable. Provide me a Buffy story or don't give it a Buffy title...those villains were too boring, cartoonish, and incompetent to seem believable let alone carry multiple POV chapters of their own lol. Thy scrapped the bottom of the barrel for this one unfortunately.
November 5, 2020
Rating: 5 Stars!! (Wish i could rate it 10 Stars!!)
Review:
This was my first time read these 3 books in this series and i love it just as much as i did the Tv Series in the mid-1990s.
The Characters were so fun to get to know in each story and the Mystery, Fantasy and YA aspect was just enough to not ruin the storylines for the reader.
Can't wait to read Volume 2 in a few days!!
Review:
This was my first time read these 3 books in this series and i love it just as much as i did the Tv Series in the mid-1990s.
The Characters were so fun to get to know in each story and the Mystery, Fantasy and YA aspect was just enough to not ruin the storylines for the reader.
Can't wait to read Volume 2 in a few days!!
August 10, 2021
If you're a fan of the show you'll enjoy this easy read. It falls right in line with the series from the characters to the humor.
January 18, 2013
Night of the Living Re-run receives a generous one star. Full review here.
Coyote Moon is a 3.5 star read. Click for full review.
Unfortunately I never got around to a review for the best story in the volume, Portal Through Time, which is a solid four-star read.
Recommend either getting the books used or from the library, $10 seems rather pricy for what there is.
Coyote Moon is a 3.5 star read. Click for full review.
Unfortunately I never got around to a review for the best story in the volume, Portal Through Time, which is a solid four-star read.
Recommend either getting the books used or from the library, $10 seems rather pricy for what there is.
Read
May 27, 2014Finished Coyote Moon and I rate it 4/5 stars. Will continue Night of the Living Rerun and Portal Through Time some other time.
January 13, 2016
Enjoyed this one. Also picked this up at a second hand store. It was great just like watching a Buffy episode.
March 1, 2019
Overall I really enjoyed this bind up. It's been a while since I've read buffy novels but when I first started reading, apart from Harry Potter with my mum, the buffy novels were the only books I chose from the library for myself. So now I've made a mental note to read ALL of them, in order. Although this book isn't in order really, i have all three bind ups and the larger part of this bind up was a story I haven't read, while the others were rereads, although I read them over a decade ago they still felt newish.
I'll try to keep it relatively spoiler free -
Coyote Moon - this was my least favourite of the three. Although the story flowed quickly like an episode of buffy, it was a bit.. I'll guess I'll use the word sloppy. I get it that teenagers are fully of hormones but I find it hard to believe that willow would ditch buffy so easily for a guy she just met. Xander, I understand he would. There was alot of unnecessary explanation points at the end of spoken sentences in which there was no need. It gave the impression that characters were hysterical when the conversation was just a normal conversation, or at times making it out that characters, mainly buffy were panicked by mundane things. The story itself was interesting - a carnival, skinwalkers, a mystery, which itself made up for its flaws. 3/5
Night of the Living Rerun - I vaguely remember reading this a while back but it still felt new to me. It was an interesting read, especially with the gang having different flashbacks to major players in (this version) of the salem witch trials, one being a witch and a slayer. I liked this version that the author changed a bit of the witch mythology, making them darker and "in league with the devil/whatever deity they actually worshiped, staying true to the puritan beliefs of what witches actually were. It was a bit confusing to be honest as at first I believed the baddies (not going to say who, but if you've read it you know) were trying to summon the devil. But then mentions of the Master and the "despised one" made it a confusing mess and it wasn't exactly clear who they were trying to summon. Then the flashbacks? Dreamstates? Well whatever they were with the Master just felt a bit... cheesy. The devil himself giving The Master a trophy? Also the fact that at this point the master was trapped beneath Sunnydale, but then how come he was aparantly sucked down into hell in 1692? How did he get out? It was unclear on if the Master and the despised one were one in the same or different entities. But I'm a sucker for anything to do with witches, especially the Salem variety. Again this felt like an episode of Buffy, quick and fast paced, with plenty of that famous 90s humour and slang. Overall another great story with minor flaws, the characters felt true to the series and it was wrapped up nicely, if not a little too quickly. 3/5
Portal through time - my faveorite out of the bunch, and also the longest, taking up almost half of the book itself. The main reason I loved it so much because there was so much going on, and it was pretty dark in my opinion. (I mean come on. A three year old got cut down the middle with an ax). This was the first one out of the three to directly feature Angel, although he was mentioned in the other two. The plot was interesting and intense and giving how the vampires of the buffy verse aren't always the smartest when it comes to master plans, this plan sure was inspired. Instead of opening from the veiw point of Buffy, it followed the vampires for a few chapters before it switched back over to the scoobies. From there they do kind of stumble onto the plot rather quickly but that's okay - the fact that this narration takes us to multiple time periods and timelines, and we get to meet different slayers overpowers that. This was also the only one to really feature direct references to different episodes "inca mummy girl, the pack, the harvest, the puppet show, prophecy girl." Also the fact that buffy "never wants to meet Angelus" means that this takes place in season 2 - sometime after Inca Mummy Girl and before Angel turns. Although no mention of Spike and Drusilla. The way the author describes these different time periods in a fast paced way, made me feel like I was not only there but I could feel the urgency of the scoobies. I enjoyed that we briefly got to see a vampire Cordelia, which was pretty hysterical, and also a cameo from Darla and Angelus. 5/5
Overall, the entire bind up was a delight to read and I don't mean to sound too harsh in my review. It's the buffy verse which means endless possibilities and each author delivered a unique story in their own personal styles which any fan of the tv show will enjoy. I do highly recommend this to any buffy fan and as a plus the cover is absolulty stunning.
I'll try to keep it relatively spoiler free -
Coyote Moon - this was my least favourite of the three. Although the story flowed quickly like an episode of buffy, it was a bit.. I'll guess I'll use the word sloppy. I get it that teenagers are fully of hormones but I find it hard to believe that willow would ditch buffy so easily for a guy she just met. Xander, I understand he would. There was alot of unnecessary explanation points at the end of spoken sentences in which there was no need. It gave the impression that characters were hysterical when the conversation was just a normal conversation, or at times making it out that characters, mainly buffy were panicked by mundane things. The story itself was interesting - a carnival, skinwalkers, a mystery, which itself made up for its flaws. 3/5
Night of the Living Rerun - I vaguely remember reading this a while back but it still felt new to me. It was an interesting read, especially with the gang having different flashbacks to major players in (this version) of the salem witch trials, one being a witch and a slayer. I liked this version that the author changed a bit of the witch mythology, making them darker and "in league with the devil/whatever deity they actually worshiped, staying true to the puritan beliefs of what witches actually were. It was a bit confusing to be honest as at first I believed the baddies (not going to say who, but if you've read it you know) were trying to summon the devil. But then mentions of the Master and the "despised one" made it a confusing mess and it wasn't exactly clear who they were trying to summon. Then the flashbacks? Dreamstates? Well whatever they were with the Master just felt a bit... cheesy. The devil himself giving The Master a trophy? Also the fact that at this point the master was trapped beneath Sunnydale, but then how come he was aparantly sucked down into hell in 1692? How did he get out? It was unclear on if the Master and the despised one were one in the same or different entities. But I'm a sucker for anything to do with witches, especially the Salem variety. Again this felt like an episode of Buffy, quick and fast paced, with plenty of that famous 90s humour and slang. Overall another great story with minor flaws, the characters felt true to the series and it was wrapped up nicely, if not a little too quickly. 3/5
Portal through time - my faveorite out of the bunch, and also the longest, taking up almost half of the book itself. The main reason I loved it so much because there was so much going on, and it was pretty dark in my opinion. (I mean come on. A three year old got cut down the middle with an ax). This was the first one out of the three to directly feature Angel, although he was mentioned in the other two. The plot was interesting and intense and giving how the vampires of the buffy verse aren't always the smartest when it comes to master plans, this plan sure was inspired. Instead of opening from the veiw point of Buffy, it followed the vampires for a few chapters before it switched back over to the scoobies. From there they do kind of stumble onto the plot rather quickly but that's okay - the fact that this narration takes us to multiple time periods and timelines, and we get to meet different slayers overpowers that. This was also the only one to really feature direct references to different episodes "inca mummy girl, the pack, the harvest, the puppet show, prophecy girl." Also the fact that buffy "never wants to meet Angelus" means that this takes place in season 2 - sometime after Inca Mummy Girl and before Angel turns. Although no mention of Spike and Drusilla. The way the author describes these different time periods in a fast paced way, made me feel like I was not only there but I could feel the urgency of the scoobies. I enjoyed that we briefly got to see a vampire Cordelia, which was pretty hysterical, and also a cameo from Darla and Angelus. 5/5
Overall, the entire bind up was a delight to read and I don't mean to sound too harsh in my review. It's the buffy verse which means endless possibilities and each author delivered a unique story in their own personal styles which any fan of the tv show will enjoy. I do highly recommend this to any buffy fan and as a plus the cover is absolulty stunning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2018
Overall this book was a 2.5 stars. This book contains three stories that were previously published separately. I base that on my rating for each story contained and then averaged out. This wasn't really the greatest read, but had some shining moments that made me smile. One random thing that bugged me was that even though Coyote Moon appears first in the book, chronologically it would of happened after Night of the Living Rerun. I feel like it they are going to put these books into bigger volumes like this, they really should be in chronological order.
Coyote Moon: 3 Stars- The same time a pack of coyotes start to roam around Sunnydale, a fair pops into town. The fair workers are all crazy attractive and Willow and Xander both find the possibility of summer romance. But the whole thing messes with Buffy's instincts and the 'hunt' for the truth begins. I found that I could easily picture this story as an early season episode of Buffy. That is something I really found lacking in the other two stories, and why this one was probably my favorite of the three.
Night of the Living Rerun: 2 Stars- Buffy starts having dreams of a past slayer's life. The slayer was alive during the Salem witch trials. Things come to a head as other characters start having dreams of other townspeople from that time, and they all realize that history is trying to repeat itself. This was easily my least favorite story in the book. Which really bums me out, because I love reading things about Salem and the witch trials. My problem with this story was there were parts that were just too far-fetched. Things that were thrown in for no real reason, I mean Buffy randomly defeating an evil clown while on patrol? Come on.
Portal Through Time: 3 Stars- A few rouge vampire figure out how to travel through time, and make trips to try and make the Master return. Buffy and gang have to travel back to stop them and make sure history doesn't get upset in the fray. This story had a great premise. It is something that wasn't really explored this way in the show, and was still believable in the magic of the Buffyverse. My problem with the story was it just didn't keep my interest. I just found too many parts that drug on. This is the longest story in the book, and unfortunately it felt like it.
Coyote Moon: 3 Stars- The same time a pack of coyotes start to roam around Sunnydale, a fair pops into town. The fair workers are all crazy attractive and Willow and Xander both find the possibility of summer romance. But the whole thing messes with Buffy's instincts and the 'hunt' for the truth begins. I found that I could easily picture this story as an early season episode of Buffy. That is something I really found lacking in the other two stories, and why this one was probably my favorite of the three.
Night of the Living Rerun: 2 Stars- Buffy starts having dreams of a past slayer's life. The slayer was alive during the Salem witch trials. Things come to a head as other characters start having dreams of other townspeople from that time, and they all realize that history is trying to repeat itself. This was easily my least favorite story in the book. Which really bums me out, because I love reading things about Salem and the witch trials. My problem with this story was there were parts that were just too far-fetched. Things that were thrown in for no real reason, I mean Buffy randomly defeating an evil clown while on patrol? Come on.
Portal Through Time: 3 Stars- A few rouge vampire figure out how to travel through time, and make trips to try and make the Master return. Buffy and gang have to travel back to stop them and make sure history doesn't get upset in the fray. This story had a great premise. It is something that wasn't really explored this way in the show, and was still believable in the magic of the Buffyverse. My problem with the story was it just didn't keep my interest. I just found too many parts that drug on. This is the longest story in the book, and unfortunately it felt like it.
March 29, 2025
Buffy the Vampire Slayer defined 90s supernatural teen television with its wit and characters. This book, however, struggles to capture that magic. While the author successfully replicates the surface-level personalities of the Scooby Gang, the heart of 'Buffy'—its humor and unique voice—is missing.
'Coyote Moon' is the collection's saving grace. Its straightforward, early-season monster-of-the-week plot, reminiscent of Xander's hyena transformation, feels authentic and engaging. It's the closest the book comes to replicating the show's original charm.
'Night of the Living Rerun' squanders a rather promising premise. The concept of a Slayer from the Salem witch trials possessing Buffy's world should have been thrilling. Instead, the narrative devolves into a tedious slog through zombie encounters, ghostly apparitions, and uninspired dream sequences.
The final story, a time-travel adventure, initially sparks interest. The idea of the Scooby Gang navigating Sumerian and French Revolutionary settings, encountering various Slayers, holds immense potential. Unfortunately, the narrative sacrifices character development for plot, leaving the Slayers as mere cameos in a rushed and ultimately underwhelming conclusion.
This book is a reminder of Whedon's irreplaceable pen. While it may offer a fleeting nostalgic glimpse for die-hard 'Buffy' fans, it fails to live up to the charm of the source material.
'Coyote Moon' is the collection's saving grace. Its straightforward, early-season monster-of-the-week plot, reminiscent of Xander's hyena transformation, feels authentic and engaging. It's the closest the book comes to replicating the show's original charm.
'Night of the Living Rerun' squanders a rather promising premise. The concept of a Slayer from the Salem witch trials possessing Buffy's world should have been thrilling. Instead, the narrative devolves into a tedious slog through zombie encounters, ghostly apparitions, and uninspired dream sequences.
The final story, a time-travel adventure, initially sparks interest. The idea of the Scooby Gang navigating Sumerian and French Revolutionary settings, encountering various Slayers, holds immense potential. Unfortunately, the narrative sacrifices character development for plot, leaving the Slayers as mere cameos in a rushed and ultimately underwhelming conclusion.
This book is a reminder of Whedon's irreplaceable pen. While it may offer a fleeting nostalgic glimpse for die-hard 'Buffy' fans, it fails to live up to the charm of the source material.
August 2, 2022
My rating of two stars is the average for these three stories. I am a HUGE BTVS fan and picked this collection up to be a fun, light read. It is obviously geared towards the YA fanbase and I didn't have the intention of taking it very seriously... and somehow, I still ended up disappointed.
#1- Coyote Moon by John Vornholt. 2 stars. The idea for this story was... okay. I guess. It could have been funny, if played right. Unfortunately, Vornholt doesn't seem to be overly familiar with the Buffy Universe. Giles and Xanders characters were completely off the mark, and downright unlikable. I give him points for Willows character and focusing on her infatuation with Xander but then I deducted them for focusing on it too much and pretty much erasing any intelligence her character was supposed to have. Oh, and more points deducted for making Will and Xander blow off Buffy without good cause. Sure, it moved the story along but was completely out of character and created pointless hurdles/roadblocks/conflict. Additionally, Vornholt does a poor job of writing from a teen girls perspective. Don't get me wrong! I am well aware that Buffy's love-life and craving for normalcy is a large part of her story but in this story she came off as downright vapid. And outside of a few fight scenes, Vornholt relies on her "Slayer instincts" instead of showing us ANY other skill that Buffy may (or in this stories case - May not) have had.
The writing itself was good. Vornholt definitely has his own style and I think would be able to write some really good comedic pieces. This would have been better off as a Solo novel with original characters. It didn't really fit with the established Buffy universe and for this, I give it a 2.
#2-Night of the Living Rerun by Arthur Byron Cover. 1 star. If I could give it less. I would.
This whole story is an ABSOLUTE Mess. I think the base idea could have been good but it became absolutely ridiculous.
This story deals with Satan, Witches, Ghosts/Possession, Clairvoyance, space rocks, prophecies, supernatural media AND Zombies. The story is only 165 pages! That's a lot to fit into that short of a timespan EVEN for a skilled/good writer. I will give Byron credit that he seems to be more familiar with the universe than Vornholt, however, that didn't help him write the characters any better. Even though it was set in the 90's, some of the gender specific texts and ideas are absolutely juvenile. The plot devices he comes up with to get from point A to point B are ridiculous. Xander and the baseball game is a good example. Additionally, as with Vornholt, Byron struggles to write from a female perspective. It's painful. The characters fall completely flat, Giles comes off as a dolt and the side characters are indistinguishable from one another (This could be due to underdeveloped characters OR because the author is constantly confusing them and can't seem to keep track of who is who in his own story.)
The dialogue is a disaster. The conversation between the Scoobies and MacGovern is almost incomprehensible. I think it was meant to be witty, but I felt like I had lost my ability to read. The author tries to add in what I think are meant to be jokes but none of them land. When speaking with Lora and Rick, Giles says "a man *ahem* has to do what a man has to do" and he'd rather do them alone. It is so out of place and I have no idea what he's talking about. Or when Willow tells Buffy to knock out MacGovern (or knock some sense into him) and he says "It's too late for that!"
I don't think you get to choose if it's too late to be punched in the face.
To add to the terrible dialogue, the author very clearly did not use an editor. The story is riddled with spelling errors, he forgets which Characters had which conversations and they are constantly mentioning things that they should not know or referencing conversations that they did not have. There is dialogue that (I assume) was meant to be deleted but was left in, so several sentences are repeated or completely irrelevant/out of place.
Overall, this story is terrible. It reads worse than a bad fan fiction. I am sorry Mr. Byron but this does not get a passing grade.
#3- Portal Through Time- Alice Henderson. 4 stars. It is honestly such a shame that this story was included in this particular collection because it is PHENOMENAL! This story accounts for half of the entire volume. It is the longest story, the most interesting and the best written.
This author was well versed in the BTVS universe and you can tell that she did a LOT of research and planning for this story. Not just within BTVS lore but within history. The details in this story are plentiful and purposeful.
Her characters are in-line with the existing universe and she was able to make them believable, likable (when we were meant to like them) and the dialogue for each was realistic and true to their personalities. The jokes/witty banter she adds are well done and well placed.
The story line was interesting, carefully plotted and well executed. Henderson creates rich relationships between the characters and makes the new additions are three-dimensional.
Henderson is a skilled writer and this story was great to read. It is an example of what I had expected from the whole collection.
It's a shame that the other two bring down the average for this rating because Henderson knocked it out of the park with this one. I had given up on buying the second volume but my faith has been renewed with this carefully considered story.
As a whole, there doesn't seem to have been much thought put into which books were grouped together for which collections. These stories do not seem to be in chronological order and are vastly different in tone and quality. There is also some discrepancies between the stories about Buffy's abilities (In one story, she has the ability to see well in the dark - in another she is completely blinded in darkness.) so it's helpful while reading to consider each story individually. If you are looking for coherence and consistency, you won't find it here... and you'll probably want to skip Night of The Living Rerun entirely.
I would recommend reading A Portal Through Time if you are a Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan but I would suggest passing over the other two.
#1- Coyote Moon by John Vornholt. 2 stars. The idea for this story was... okay. I guess. It could have been funny, if played right. Unfortunately, Vornholt doesn't seem to be overly familiar with the Buffy Universe. Giles and Xanders characters were completely off the mark, and downright unlikable. I give him points for Willows character and focusing on her infatuation with Xander but then I deducted them for focusing on it too much and pretty much erasing any intelligence her character was supposed to have. Oh, and more points deducted for making Will and Xander blow off Buffy without good cause. Sure, it moved the story along but was completely out of character and created pointless hurdles/roadblocks/conflict. Additionally, Vornholt does a poor job of writing from a teen girls perspective. Don't get me wrong! I am well aware that Buffy's love-life and craving for normalcy is a large part of her story but in this story she came off as downright vapid. And outside of a few fight scenes, Vornholt relies on her "Slayer instincts" instead of showing us ANY other skill that Buffy may (or in this stories case - May not) have had.
The writing itself was good. Vornholt definitely has his own style and I think would be able to write some really good comedic pieces. This would have been better off as a Solo novel with original characters. It didn't really fit with the established Buffy universe and for this, I give it a 2.
#2-Night of the Living Rerun by Arthur Byron Cover. 1 star. If I could give it less. I would.
This whole story is an ABSOLUTE Mess. I think the base idea could have been good but it became absolutely ridiculous.
This story deals with Satan, Witches, Ghosts/Possession, Clairvoyance, space rocks, prophecies, supernatural media AND Zombies. The story is only 165 pages! That's a lot to fit into that short of a timespan EVEN for a skilled/good writer. I will give Byron credit that he seems to be more familiar with the universe than Vornholt, however, that didn't help him write the characters any better. Even though it was set in the 90's, some of the gender specific texts and ideas are absolutely juvenile. The plot devices he comes up with to get from point A to point B are ridiculous. Xander and the baseball game is a good example. Additionally, as with Vornholt, Byron struggles to write from a female perspective. It's painful. The characters fall completely flat, Giles comes off as a dolt and the side characters are indistinguishable from one another (This could be due to underdeveloped characters OR because the author is constantly confusing them and can't seem to keep track of who is who in his own story.)
The dialogue is a disaster. The conversation between the Scoobies and MacGovern is almost incomprehensible. I think it was meant to be witty, but I felt like I had lost my ability to read. The author tries to add in what I think are meant to be jokes but none of them land. When speaking with Lora and Rick, Giles says "a man *ahem* has to do what a man has to do" and he'd rather do them alone. It is so out of place and I have no idea what he's talking about. Or when Willow tells Buffy to knock out MacGovern (or knock some sense into him) and he says "It's too late for that!"
I don't think you get to choose if it's too late to be punched in the face.
To add to the terrible dialogue, the author very clearly did not use an editor. The story is riddled with spelling errors, he forgets which Characters had which conversations and they are constantly mentioning things that they should not know or referencing conversations that they did not have. There is dialogue that (I assume) was meant to be deleted but was left in, so several sentences are repeated or completely irrelevant/out of place.
Overall, this story is terrible. It reads worse than a bad fan fiction. I am sorry Mr. Byron but this does not get a passing grade.
#3- Portal Through Time- Alice Henderson. 4 stars. It is honestly such a shame that this story was included in this particular collection because it is PHENOMENAL! This story accounts for half of the entire volume. It is the longest story, the most interesting and the best written.
This author was well versed in the BTVS universe and you can tell that she did a LOT of research and planning for this story. Not just within BTVS lore but within history. The details in this story are plentiful and purposeful.
Her characters are in-line with the existing universe and she was able to make them believable, likable (when we were meant to like them) and the dialogue for each was realistic and true to their personalities. The jokes/witty banter she adds are well done and well placed.
The story line was interesting, carefully plotted and well executed. Henderson creates rich relationships between the characters and makes the new additions are three-dimensional.
Henderson is a skilled writer and this story was great to read. It is an example of what I had expected from the whole collection.
It's a shame that the other two bring down the average for this rating because Henderson knocked it out of the park with this one. I had given up on buying the second volume but my faith has been renewed with this carefully considered story.
As a whole, there doesn't seem to have been much thought put into which books were grouped together for which collections. These stories do not seem to be in chronological order and are vastly different in tone and quality. There is also some discrepancies between the stories about Buffy's abilities (In one story, she has the ability to see well in the dark - in another she is completely blinded in darkness.) so it's helpful while reading to consider each story individually. If you are looking for coherence and consistency, you won't find it here... and you'll probably want to skip Night of The Living Rerun entirely.
I would recommend reading A Portal Through Time if you are a Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan but I would suggest passing over the other two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2020
If you take these stories as published fan fiction intended as YA then they were pretty good. The first story, Coyote Moon felt the most out of sorts, as while reading it I kept finding myself going "But Buffy wasn't in Sunnydale during the summer..." I don't have an issue with the idea of skinwalker beings, it isn't new to me. But it was okay for a short story.
I liked the second story, Night of the Living Rerun, more so, flashbacks to a previous Slayer from the Salem Witch Trials time was an interesting view to see. Though the story felt odd, it was an enjoyable read. Some creativity in the way the story was presented.
The third story, Portal Through Time, was the highlight of the three stories. By far the longest and most interesting. Time travel to visit past Slayers, giving Buffy some insight into how much better her life is than she thought. Plus the time periods they jump to were intriguing and well thought out.
If nothing else, read the last one if you enjoy Buffy and the Buffyverse
I liked the second story, Night of the Living Rerun, more so, flashbacks to a previous Slayer from the Salem Witch Trials time was an interesting view to see. Though the story felt odd, it was an enjoyable read. Some creativity in the way the story was presented.
The third story, Portal Through Time, was the highlight of the three stories. By far the longest and most interesting. Time travel to visit past Slayers, giving Buffy some insight into how much better her life is than she thought. Plus the time periods they jump to were intriguing and well thought out.
If nothing else, read the last one if you enjoy Buffy and the Buffyverse
May 27, 2023
I went into these as a Buffy fan, wanting to like them, hoping at the very least they might be a bit of a giggle, but with suitably low expectations.. which I think helped.
"Coyote Moon"- 3 star. Has a bit of a fan fic feel - the writing isn't particularly brilliant, but not too off-putting. If anything it kinda added to the fun by making me chuckle when I wasn't sure I should (eg, "...he kissed like a man in a vacuum chamber, gasping for air.")
"Night of the Living Rerun" - 3 star. There's less of a fan fic feel than the previous story/ the writing is better. Enjoyable enough.
"Portal Through Time" - 4 star. Of the three stories, Buffy et al felt closest to that of their series characters in this. There were a few events which I found a little over the top, even for the Buffyverse.. but there was a Welsh connection, so how could I not like it?!
Overall, 3 and a half stars for the collection, even if I can't give the half "officially".
"Coyote Moon"- 3 star. Has a bit of a fan fic feel - the writing isn't particularly brilliant, but not too off-putting. If anything it kinda added to the fun by making me chuckle when I wasn't sure I should (eg, "...he kissed like a man in a vacuum chamber, gasping for air.")
"Night of the Living Rerun" - 3 star. There's less of a fan fic feel than the previous story/ the writing is better. Enjoyable enough.
"Portal Through Time" - 4 star. Of the three stories, Buffy et al felt closest to that of their series characters in this. There were a few events which I found a little over the top, even for the Buffyverse.. but there was a Welsh connection, so how could I not like it?!
Overall, 3 and a half stars for the collection, even if I can't give the half "officially".
July 16, 2017
it's not by Joss Whedon and unfortunately, that fact is SO OBVIOUS.
I'm a die hard Buffy fan, but I didn't enjoy these stories at all. In fact, I had to drop it after 2/3 of the second story, so I can't tell you how the last story is or if it is slightly better than the first two.
I feel like the characters were horribly written, highly stereotypical, their character traits way too exaggerated, it felt so forced and nothing like the characters of the show. Things like "the pretty librarian with his cup of tea" or "Willow's tiny waist" almost made me laugh out loud, because - I'm sorry if it sounds too harsh - it's so so baaaad. The plot was boring and not original and I just generally could not deal with this book. Needless to say, I won't buy the other two books.
I'm a die hard Buffy fan, but I didn't enjoy these stories at all. In fact, I had to drop it after 2/3 of the second story, so I can't tell you how the last story is or if it is slightly better than the first two.
I feel like the characters were horribly written, highly stereotypical, their character traits way too exaggerated, it felt so forced and nothing like the characters of the show. Things like "the pretty librarian with his cup of tea" or "Willow's tiny waist" almost made me laugh out loud, because - I'm sorry if it sounds too harsh - it's so so baaaad. The plot was boring and not original and I just generally could not deal with this book. Needless to say, I won't buy the other two books.
January 22, 2018
The uneven quality of the stories in this collection reminded me why I stopped reading Buffy novels. The first two stories are awful. The characterizations in Coyote Moon, Giles in particular, made me question just how familiar the author was with the series.
The second story - Night of the Living Rerun was a muddled mess. Not sure there's much more I can say about it.
The final story, Portal Through Time, was actually worth the read. Buffy and company travel back in time to stop vampire assassins from disrupting the Slayer line. Definitely worth the time and effort to read if you can find it as a standalone or as part of a different collection.
The second story - Night of the Living Rerun was a muddled mess. Not sure there's much more I can say about it.
The final story, Portal Through Time, was actually worth the read. Buffy and company travel back in time to stop vampire assassins from disrupting the Slayer line. Definitely worth the time and effort to read if you can find it as a standalone or as part of a different collection.
May 12, 2018
4 Stars. I really enjoyed reading this, but I am a big fan of the Series so, it would have to have been truly bad to disappoint me.
All three stories are very good, all take place in the 2nd season, and the stories do read just like an episode.
The description of the the three stories gives enough away that I am not spoiling anything when I say that I like the 3rd story just a teensy bit better because of the time travel aspect of the story.
There are two more volumes, & I plan on reading them.
All three stories are very good, all take place in the 2nd season, and the stories do read just like an episode.
The description of the the three stories gives enough away that I am not spoiling anything when I say that I like the 3rd story just a teensy bit better because of the time travel aspect of the story.
There are two more volumes, & I plan on reading them.
July 27, 2022
For the most part, the stories themselve were entertaining. I could quite easily see them being episodes of BTVS, especially the third one, it would make for an interesting arc across half a season or so. Unfortunately, the writing wasn't so great. The first story read like a bad fan fiction. There was way too much exposition and descriptors for 90% of the speech, it was almost unbearable. Some chapters were only 2 pages long in the midst of the action, instead of building suspense, it made for disjointed, frustrating reading.
April 8, 2025
Coyote Moon: Fine, on par with other Buffy books I read when I was younger.
Night of the Living Rerun: Terrible. This book made me so angry for so many reasons but mostly that the author seems to have never seen an episode of Buffy when tapped to wrote this.
Portal Through Time: Decent. The characters felt like the show versions. The timeline made sense on a lot of levels. It was just a bit long and dragged before speeding through the ending.
Night of the Living Rerun: Terrible. This book made me so angry for so many reasons but mostly that the author seems to have never seen an episode of Buffy when tapped to wrote this.
Portal Through Time: Decent. The characters felt like the show versions. The timeline made sense on a lot of levels. It was just a bit long and dragged before speeding through the ending.
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