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Buffyverse Novels #26
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Evil That Men Do
Buffy faces her greatest challenge - human evil, without the supernatural element.
When a normal, smart, well-balanced student suddenly shoots his family and then himself, Buffy and her gang figure one of the usual suspects -- vampires, demons, or witches -- must be responsible. But when it seems that everyday stuff like drugs, peer pressure, and thwarted love are to blame, Buffy decides to dig a little deeper just to be sure.
When a normal, smart, well-balanced student suddenly shoots his family and then himself, Buffy and her gang figure one of the usual suspects -- vampires, demons, or witches -- must be responsible. But when it seems that everyday stuff like drugs, peer pressure, and thwarted love are to blame, Buffy decides to dig a little deeper just to be sure.
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2000
12 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Holder
352 books2,407 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 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 11, 2024
I read so many Buffy books that I burned myself out on them. It's now been many years since I read one, and I'd forgotten how much I actually enjoy them. This one did drag a bit, and at 335 pages was a little too long to sustain the slow pace of the plot. But overall I liked it.
April 12, 2023
This is a novel set in the third season chronology of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's a bit darker and bleaker than normal for the series, starting as it does with a mass shooting before the more familiar and comforting supernatural baddies come to the fore. The story feels a little rushed, with some confusing and abrupt changes in point of view, but the author captures the characters nature and voices quite well.
November 27, 2009
Word of Caution: Not recommended to be read as a meal-time accompaniment (believe me, I tried)
A hitherto popular Grade A student goes on a vicious killing spree. The town of Sunnydale deals with the shock by turning into a lynch mob; attacking each other, spreading havoc and letting their inner nastiness run rampant. Sadly, the slayer-brigade is not immune and their anger bursts forth in all it’s vitriolic glory.
Adding that essential degree of creepiness is the return of an ancient and extremely powerful vampire, Helen and her equally sadistic lover, Julian. Helen was known for her violent murders of slayers over the centuries and Buffy is next on her fang-list. The couple also intend raising the goddess of destruction, Meter and for the resurrection, the Slayer has a crucial (unbeknownst to her) role to play.
I am not big on blood and gore…creatures of the night…or Horror as a genre, per se. But with so many people salivating over the Twilight Series (which I personally feel would make any self-respecting vamp want to stake himself), I needed to revisit the magic of a truly wicked and original show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The television series was truly iconic. Buffy’s perky-cheerleader-who-can-kick-dead-butt act; Xander’s sarcasm; Giles’ oddly comforting presence; Willow’s supreme Wiccan perfection and Angel’s brooding portrayal of a vampire-with-a-soul...all are permanently etched in popular culture.
While the book cannot effectively recreate the splendid action sequences, the author does a slick job with the dialogue-delivery, quips and lightening fast repartee. Nancy Holder has dutifully followed the series and recreated Sunnydale’s human ( and demonic) residents to perfection.
A hitherto popular Grade A student goes on a vicious killing spree. The town of Sunnydale deals with the shock by turning into a lynch mob; attacking each other, spreading havoc and letting their inner nastiness run rampant. Sadly, the slayer-brigade is not immune and their anger bursts forth in all it’s vitriolic glory.
Adding that essential degree of creepiness is the return of an ancient and extremely powerful vampire, Helen and her equally sadistic lover, Julian. Helen was known for her violent murders of slayers over the centuries and Buffy is next on her fang-list. The couple also intend raising the goddess of destruction, Meter and for the resurrection, the Slayer has a crucial (unbeknownst to her) role to play.
I am not big on blood and gore…creatures of the night…or Horror as a genre, per se. But with so many people salivating over the Twilight Series (which I personally feel would make any self-respecting vamp want to stake himself), I needed to revisit the magic of a truly wicked and original show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
The television series was truly iconic. Buffy’s perky-cheerleader-who-can-kick-dead-butt act; Xander’s sarcasm; Giles’ oddly comforting presence; Willow’s supreme Wiccan perfection and Angel’s brooding portrayal of a vampire-with-a-soul...all are permanently etched in popular culture.
While the book cannot effectively recreate the splendid action sequences, the author does a slick job with the dialogue-delivery, quips and lightening fast repartee. Nancy Holder has dutifully followed the series and recreated Sunnydale’s human ( and demonic) residents to perfection.
October 9, 2015
A book based on the television series. This one tells the story of two ancient vampires who are originally from ancient Rome. They spread chaos in Sunnydale and they need the slayer's heart to unleash even more evil. Another ho-hum day in Sunnydale.
The highlight of this book is the author nails the portrayal of the characters. I had no problem with any of the Scooby gang. The problem with this book is that the author switches the point of view to everyone of these characters and this gets confusing as it jumps from one to another rather quickly. As of the storyline I thought the author had a good idea but somehow the follow thru didn't quite land. I believe part of the problem is that this book reminded me of different episodes of the show and it seemed like it was nothing new.
I can only recommend this book for fans of the series as it really doesn't have much excitement for new fans. Even then this book is nothing memorable and probably will be easily forgotten within three months.
The highlight of this book is the author nails the portrayal of the characters. I had no problem with any of the Scooby gang. The problem with this book is that the author switches the point of view to everyone of these characters and this gets confusing as it jumps from one to another rather quickly. As of the storyline I thought the author had a good idea but somehow the follow thru didn't quite land. I believe part of the problem is that this book reminded me of different episodes of the show and it seemed like it was nothing new.
I can only recommend this book for fans of the series as it really doesn't have much excitement for new fans. Even then this book is nothing memorable and probably will be easily forgotten within three months.
October 18, 2020
Buffy and the Scooby Gang face an insidious plot by an ancient vampire to bring a demon back to life and usher in an age of terror in Sunnydale. Their alliance, however, is in jeopardy as an infection is turning them against each other. Buffy and Angel, the only ones seemingly unaffected, must find a way to cure their friends and stop the return of the ancient Roman demon.
The book plays out as an expanded episode of the series, with the characters words and deeds consistent with the show. However, there is a lot going on, with several subplots, and it is hard to keep track of everything going on. But the story is a good one and it's great to see more Buffy adventures!
The book plays out as an expanded episode of the series, with the characters words and deeds consistent with the show. However, there is a lot going on, with several subplots, and it is hard to keep track of everything going on. But the story is a good one and it's great to see more Buffy adventures!
April 11, 2020
This was the first Buffy novel I've read. I liked it better than the Buffy comics because ths story is more fleshed out and it feels more like an actual episode. The only thing that took some getting used to was the 90s lingo. Each character is written more or less faithfully in their tv show voice, but in writing the speech seems more dated. I soon got used to it though and was able to enjoy another adventure of the Scooby gang. Will look out for more of these in 2nd hand shops as they make good comfort reading.
December 31, 2020
This was a phenomenal book. It does have some heavy themes, and as I was reading it in 2020 I had to take a break from in several times which is why it took me so long to finish. With everything going on in the world this year I was more in the mood for l if by reads.
That being said I am SO glad I read The Evil that Men Do, Nancy outdid herself with this Buffy novel. It was beautifully written, wonderfully imaginative and felt so real at points. I highly recommend this book, this is one of my favorite Buffy books that I’ve read so far.
(Just a warning it does include shootings and riots)
That being said I am SO glad I read The Evil that Men Do, Nancy outdid herself with this Buffy novel. It was beautifully written, wonderfully imaginative and felt so real at points. I highly recommend this book, this is one of my favorite Buffy books that I’ve read so far.
(Just a warning it does include shootings and riots)
January 6, 2024
I was sort of surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I thought the group dynamics were mostly on point (apart from Angel making weird uncharacteristic jokes about handcuffs?) and the Roman Slayer storyline was pretty interesting.
It did get a little convoluted towards the end with varying parties double crossing each other, and the finale felt quite hectic, but otherwise good.
It did get a little convoluted towards the end with varying parties double crossing each other, and the finale felt quite hectic, but otherwise good.
May 14, 2024
Probably one of my favourite novels so far. The 1900 year old vampire I found so interesting, probably because I love the history aspect of it. I love the whole Helen storyline which started out quite sad with her being a friend of a slayer.
It was beautifully written and I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. Brilliant.
It was beautifully written and I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. Brilliant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2017
Little on the wild an crazy side, but a good Buffy and gang story
July 27, 2019
Review to come.
October 4, 2021
One of my favorite Buffy novels so far!
November 18, 2021
A whole star is tacked on here because of the Roman story line. That part was at least interesting. Guns are not interesting to me.
March 14, 2022
Hard to put down.
March 14, 2025
3.5 stars.
November 17, 2008
I LOVE the show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I thought I'd try out some of the books. I read a couple, and they were okay, but this one was just so...icky. Like the title, it seemed all evil. So I stopped reading it. Buffy deals with some intense badness, but the thing that's cool about the show is that it also blends humor, romance, and a hope or belief in goodness. This book failed to include those positive aspects that I loved about the show. I think I'll just stick to checking out the first three seasons (my faves!) from the library.
May 9, 2017
Don't get me wrong, I love me some Buffy books. They keep the show alive. But this is probably one of the worst Buffy books I've ever read (and trust me, I've read most of them now). The plot is so slow, and seems very repetitive. It just seems so many unnecessary things unhappen to the over all flow of the story. The only thing this book really had going for it is the dialogue. It is just like the television with the typically scooby gang banter.
May 23, 2012
It was just not as good as other books I've read in the Buffy series. The story had a lot of flash-backs, which was fine, but they just seemed to be placed randomly and didn't flow with the rest of the book. The ending was a bit of a let down; just seemed to be "over". But, it did have the characters down and it was an interesting concept. I think it was just rough around the edges and could have been better if it was developed further......
November 1, 2010
This was a great book. Had better flow than some of the other Buffy Books that I have read in the past. Could see why this wasn't made into an episode...enough content for several episodes plus the school shooting kinda not something they could do because of the real school shootings that did happen (one reason why Joss turned the school shooting into a suicide episode, Jonathan in the tower)
September 19, 2014
Not my favorite of the Buffy books. The story was interesting but the constant perspective changes were disruptive and some perspectives would end on a sort of "cliff-hanger" and then return with the character in a completely new situation.
April 24, 2009
I like it, but it sort of mirrored that Angel episode where he had to fight against demons in an arena. I love Buffy though!
July 24, 2011
A little slow at parts but overall, pretty good.
March 18, 2012
I read this so long ago I can't do a true review but I do remember enjoying it.
February 25, 2019
Solid season 3 action
May 24, 2013
awesome!!!
June 10, 2014
one of the coolest Buffy book I read.
May 29, 2015
told better as earshot played with the cannon too much of angel darla still was a ok read
August 25, 2015
Another great Buffy novel! Miss the show? Read the books!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews