Oz: Into the Wild

Buffyverse Novels #47

by Christopher Golden

CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF Bitten by his werewolf cousin Jordy, Oz has struggled with the forces of evil that transform him to a beast three nights of each month. Those who care about him have learned to deal with his alter ego and accept him for who he is. But Oz himself isn't sure who he really is. Part human, part dangerous animal, he must constantly question his basic nature, and worries that he might, as the wolf, bring harm to his loved ones. Therefore, with great difficulty, he leaves Sunnydale and sets off on a course toward enlightenment. Giles has told him of a Watcher in the Fiji Islands who might help him to transcend the lunar pull. Oz's journeys take him from Tibet to Australia, and even to Hong Kong. Far-flung regions and exotic cultures provide new understandings of consciousness and human nature. Before long, though, he realizes that he must gain control of his inner wolf sooner rather than later -- or risk finding himself not predator, but rather, prey...

Genres: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Fantasy, Vampires, Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural, Horror

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 30, 2002

About the author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz was one of the best Buffy characters... everybody wanted to be cool and unflappable like Oz. This book is a well written account of his post-Sunnydale journeys, spiritual and physical, and his brief and bittersweet return.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that is based on the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Do you remember during the fourth season when Oz left Willow so he can learn to control his curse of being a werewolf? This is the story of his side adventure.

This book pleasantly surprised me as I wasn't sure if the character Oz could carry his own novel. I like his character but on the show he wasn't the most talkative and how would this character be carried over into print form. The author did a good job with the character. As of the adventure it was decent and one could have no problem with this existing within canon. The conflict wasn't the best as I thought it was there just for the sake of being conflict. But the author brought back a character that appeared in one episode and I liked this touch.

This isn't the most serious literature but it isn't meant to be. It provides time back with a character from a beloved television series and I appreciate this book for what it is.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz is my favorite Buffyverse character, so this book had a lot to live up to. It delivered! There are a few minor lore inconsistencies that don't really matter (his van breaking down in Mexico, for example) and it definitely has some awkward early 2000s writing issues, especially when it comes to writing characters with different accents. Not bad at all for a TV tie-in novel.

[Jeff Freitag · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a TV show tie-in, it’s not bad. It follows the Oz character after his departure from the show in search of a cure for his lycanthropy. A globetrotting adventure that expands the world of the Buffy TV show. Not great literature, but enjoyable for fans, and a quick, entertaining read.

[Gerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middling book, to be honest.
Picking up right after "Wild at Heart", Oz meets up with an old aquaintance of his and prepares to jump from continent to continent in search for a cure, trailed by werewolf hunter Gib Cain.
There's not much more to it, and while at times it provides an amusing read, with some point on Oz-isms, it lacks overall substance.
There's a half hearted love drama thrown in, which could have worked better. She may have feels for him and he may have feels for her, but we can never really tell because unfortunately none of the characters in the story, including Oz, feels really fleshed out.
In the end most of the time I couldn't get myself to care for anyone.

I guess the story worked a lot better in its original comic format than it does as a novel.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did not work the elaborate headcanons that I've been building since I was 13 into Oz's life story, which was incredibly rude, but I suppose it's a good enough book. (I'm joking, it's fun, like these books should be)

[Derek Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect supplement to the show. It follows oz as he leaves Sunnydale to find himself and deal with his illness. It introduces new characters that easily fit in joss whedon's universe as if he wrote then himself. Excellent for the fans and great for people who are new to the world.

[Immy V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it would be a nice story to fill in the blanks of Oz's trip. It was nice at first, but the story really doesn't track with the character in my oppionion. And there was no need for a love story there. Very out of character as well.

[chisholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good read

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.6

[Kevin Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailing what happens to Oz after leaving Sunnydale to gain control of the beast within him

[Metalfist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik ben een fan van Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Het moet zowat mijn favoriete serie aller tijden zijn en het leuke eraan is dat, hoewel het ondertussen al 10 jaar geleden is dat de reeks zijn finale episode uitzond, er nog altijd boeken en comics worden gemaakt die het verhaal van de Slayer en de Scooby Gang verder uitwerken. Oz: Into the Wild is echter een verhaal dat werd geschreven toen de serie nog niet ten einde was.

Het beste is dan ook om dit boek pas te beginnen lezen wanneer je de vierde episode van seizoen 6 (Wild at Heart) hebt gezien doordat dit verhaal op die gebeurtenissen verder gaat. Hoewel dit boek technisch gezien onder Buffy valt, is er niemand van Sunnydale die een appearance maakt. Oz praat even met Giles aan de telefoon en c'est tout. In het begin kreeg ik dan ook meer het gevoel dat Oz niet sterk genoeg was om een boek geheel op zichzelf te dragen, maar naarmate de plotlijn vordert begin je er wel meer en meer in te komen. Al moet ik toegeven dat ik wel met een gevoel blijf zitten dat Golden de essentie van Oz nooit helemaal weet te doorgronden. Het probleem zit hem dan ook in het feit dat Oz als personage nooit echt nadrukkelijk op de voorgrond was qua dialogen en nu concentreert het hele boek zich op hem. Gelukkig zijn de typische Buffy elementen aanwezig (Christopher Golden blijft een uitstekende schrijver voor de boeken) en er zijn een aantal leuke knipogen naar de serie.

Vermakelijk dus vanwege de vlotheid waarmee het verhaal zich ontplooit, maar er zijn betere boeken in het Buffy universum. PS: mocht de korte inhoud je bekend voorkomen, Oz: Into the Wild is gelijktijdig uitgebracht als comic onder de titel Oz. Het verhaal komt daar ook beter tot zijn recht trouwens.

[Miia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad at all for a spin-off book. The story takes place during season four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and sees werewolf Oz leave Sunnydale to find a way to control the wolf inside him. Oz was always one of my favourite characters in the series and, as we never got to know much about him, it was nice to read a book that's all about him. Golden does a good job describing the different locations, and his depiction of Oz rings true. A good, quick read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that they gave a story to what happen to Oz when he left the show. Now I have to go back and watch the episode when he returned to see if the story matches up to what he told Willow he did when he left. I am glad that dispite the beautiful chinese girl, he didn't cheat on Willow, he stayed true to her.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, book, even reading it now years after the series ended. It was bittersweet, though, seeing what Oz finds when he returns to Sunnydale after all he goes through in the book. It was an incredibly quick read, but kept me busy on a rainy boring Sunday.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best Buffy novels out there. The story of Oz' journey after he left in Season 4 is better than I expected. There are some great new supporting characters, and a surprising old face. It's great insight into how Oz learned to control his Werewolf powers.

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 100% about Oz. I don't think Buffy or the others even had any dialogue in the book and are rarely mentioned. While I like Oz I didn't think he'd carry a book by himself, but the author did a good job with it. Good read for the Buffyverse.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite Buffy books. It tells a great alt story of what happened to Oz during his time away from Sunnydale.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was good, but I don't know why they made a novelization of a comic book story when the comic was frankly better. The story just works better with pictures.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oz was one of my favorite characters in the Buffy TV series. I always wondered where he went and what happened when he left, but I missed the other characters in this book.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool to see an Oz centered story

[Philidine · Rating 3 out of 5]

À réserver aux fans qui veulent savoir ce qu’a fait Oz durant son absence. Christopher Golden écrit bien mieux d’ordinaire.

[Melissa Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many questions answered, I love Oz even more. <3

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]