Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Here Be Monsters

Buffyverse Novels #42

by Cameron Dokey

Evil Times Two

Something icky is brewing, as usual, in Sunnydale. This time it's in the form of two clean-cut, prep school-type boys. Buffy's suspicious from the start -- their fashion statement is so old it's dead, and it seems they have a slightly unnatural attachment to their mother.

But then, almost everything about these boys is unnatural -- they're vampires. Not ordinary vampires, either -- they are descendants of a clan known for its ability to summon powerful occult forces. And when the Slayer dusts this dynamic duo, she learns what you get when you mess with a vamp family tree. Now it's up to Buffy to battle her personal demons -- or risk endangering her own most cherished relation. Because mama vamp has something in mind for Joyce....

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

178 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Cameron Dokey is an American author living in Seattle, Washington. She has a collection of over 50 old sci-fi and horror films. Cameron was born in the Central Valley of California. Cameron grew up reading classical literature and mythology, perhaps due to her father, Richard, being a teacher of Philosophy, Creative Writing, and Western Literature.

Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is the author of over a dozen young adult novels. Her favorite read is J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings." Her favorite TV show is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

When she's not writing, Cameron likes to work in the garden and is learning to quilt.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the earlier original Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels directed towards younger readers. It's set during the third season, with the original, classic cast of Scoobies together. The set-up is just a little slow in development, but the characters interact quite cleverly and read true to how they're portrayed on screen, and there are some very nice examinations of family and values. Buffy is put on trial and must win through to save her mother... so, ahem, the stakes are high. It's a fast, good read.

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good concept, with good humour, as if taken straight from the series and characters being true to their on-screen personas. The problem is, as usual, with execution. The main idea - a villainess mother avenging children dusted by Buffy and forcing Buffy to confront her fears and failures is maybe not entirely original but it is a good basis for the novel... but is over way too quickly. And maybe that's me, but facing your fear should require some more introspection than just punching the personification of fear, just as you would any other monster.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Buffy the Vampire Slayer side story takes place during the third season of Buffy. After reading the back of this side story novel I was not sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. I had mixed feelings about two vampires being so obsessed with their mother that they would do anything for her actually being a plot line for a 178 page book. However, I was wonderfully surprised when I realized that this was not the actual plot to the novel. The two brothers were more of a jumping off point for what the novel would actually be about. The thing that made this specific Buffy side novel stand out was that it was more personal than most of the others I've read. This one was about Buffy and her personal journey with the big bad demon being the side story that was their to help move Buffy's personal journey a long. It brought up a lot of issues that the characters were dealing with and had the characters having to face these issues to help Buffy save the day! Overall this was a great short Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel that I would recommend to any Buffy fan. I will say for those who do not watch Buffy and are interested in reading the novel, if you do not have any background information on the show some small details might be hard to follow, but overall you would enjoy the novel as well :D

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. It is set during the the third series and characters such as Angel are in it. I was glad to see Angel in it with Buffy because I always liked their stories as I think they work well together.

The story starts with two young vampires hunting girls who they see as unladylike. They hunt the girls and then bring them back to their mother for food. When a friend of the girls is being followed she goes to Buffy for help. Buffy slays the two vampires and think's that it is over until the boys vampire mother shows up looking for them. She witnesses Buffy killing one of her boys and realises she has killed the other. Angry, she wants revenge and calls a powerful force called 'Nemesis' who puts Buffy on a trial. Buffy then has to go through a trial to save her mother.

After reading this book, I would say that I like the way the story was written because it reminded me of the show in the earlier years. The only fault I found with this book was that I thought that it started very slow.

I would recommend this book if you are a fan of Buffy. If your not a fan it would be difficult to know what was going on because there are some references to earlier episodes. But I would still recommend it as I thought that it was a very good story.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

As books go, this was amusing and competently executed, but shallow. Young-adult themes at a middle-grade depth. Three stars.

As Buffy books go, this was fantastic. It captured many characters very well, fit in with the Buffy mythos, and would have made sense as a one-off episode, both thematically and in tone. Five stars.

Let's call it 4 and move on, shall we?

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Slow Start But By Chapter 3 I Felt Like I Was Watching An Episode Unfold In Front Of My Eyes. Cameron Dokey Definitely Stayed True To Each BTVS Character. Quick Fast Read For Any Buffy/Angel Fan.

[Mervi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Buffy the Vampire slayer book, set in the third season.

The story starts with a young woman, Heidi, who is chased by two vampire men, twins in fact. They catch her and take her back to their “home”, to their mother who is also a vampire. Together they drink from the girl and kill her.

Buffy and her mom Joyce are in the mall, having a nice day together. Then Buffy realizes that someone is following them. It turns out to be Suz Tompkins, one of the “tough girls” in Sunnydale High. She asks Buffy for help, nearly crying because her best friends have gone missing and she suspects something really bad has happened to them. Heidi’s own mom doesn’t care and the police think that Heidi has just run away or joined a gang.

Buffy agrees to help and the vampire twins arrive in the Bronze. Buffy lures them out. She and Angel attack. She kills one of them and then their vampire mom arrives just in time to see her kill the other. The vampire mom summons the Greek goddess of revenge, Nemesis, and asks for revenge against Buffy. Nemesis puts Buffy on trial.

This was a fun Buffy story, except she does more contemplation than usual. The Scooby Gang are in character and pretty funny. It has several references to earlier episodes, which I quite enjoyed. Overall, I enjoyed the story.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, and I think it's my favourite of the Buffy novels so far, simply because it felt the most like an episode.

For once, it didn't feel like the plot was being stretched with tangents and unnecessarily complicated tasks or historical demons or new side characters. Instead, a fairly simple vampire story, that develops into an interesting "trial" that incorporates some of the show's lore in a really fun way.

If anything, it felt like the book could have been longer - what felt like it should have been the bulk of the story actually only came into play in the last third of the book.

I did feel that the "banter" between Buffy and Angel in the opening rights was a little off, a bit too quick with the sarcastic deadpan responses to each other in a way that didn't feel natural between those two characters, but that didn't last for too long.

My only other criticism is that it felt like the Scooby Gang were severely underused, and for the most part their subplot did feel kind of unnecessary, and like it was only happening because the author felt they needed to include those characters.

But overall it was a really great, fun story, and one I could actually see myself reading again.

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one bites the dust, literally. Buffy dusting vamps in Sunnydale along with the Scoobies. This time a southern mama vamp from the Civil War era loses her twin vamp sons to Mr Pointy, Buffy's stake. Mama vamp cries foul and releases a curse in the form of Nemesis, a balancing demon who puts Buffy thru a trial with the end game being that Joyce (Buffy's mom) gets to live. Silly, but fun reading.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buffy dusts twin vampires and has to answer to their vampire mum.
A pretty straightforward adventure that held no surprises that was an easy read. There wasn't much for the Scooby Gang to do so the focus was very much on the Slayer and the girl she's trying to save.
It was okay and more memorable than some of the other Buffy books I've read.

[Jessie Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was struggling to get into this for quite a while, but the last 50 pages or so we're great! I whipped through them fast. I think the plot was just a little thin, so some bits of this were stretched out way too long. It's definitely one of my least favourite Buffy books so far.

[Uzma Bano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story..

[Drululu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido sin más. Me han gustado las referencias a otros capítulos pero la trama en sí se queda un poco floja.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, quick read, quite fun. Not as laugh-out-loud as other Buffy books.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two mama’s boys get dusted and Buffy ends up in a vengeance trial to save her mum.
Really liked the idea but it kind of struggled to keep my attention. Suz was a tad annoying but redeemed herself.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This stayed so true to the nature of the early episodes. There was action, friendship, and beasties galore. Personally, I could have used more of the Scooby Gang supporting characters, because I miss their early innocence. Anyway, the plot is pretty standard: two Civil War-era vampires are preying on unladylike ladies and bringing them home to their mother for family dinners. Buffy and her mom are getting along remarkably well. Buffy kills the vamp boys and Mama demands justice from the Powers of Darkness, which forces Buffy to prove her love for her mother. It's a bit cheesy (but really, everything Buffy is kind of cheesy) and the writer uses a lot of crutches instead of finding legitimate humor, but I liked it well enough.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

i expected mindless fluff...i did not expect boring mindless fluff....i know, i know...i should know better by now...books based on television shows are usually just not that good...but they are usually better than this one was....1.5 stars...rounded up b/c...i don't know why i rounded up.....

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Buffy book!

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent quick read. Can be finished in a couple of hours. Strait out of season 2 or 3

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here be a solid story