Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book

by Christopher Golden, Stephen R. Bissette, Thomas E. Sniegoski

Starting with Giles' research into the various monsters and demons Buffy and the gang have encountered, this book then delves into the folklore that inspired the show's bad guys - their mythology, science, cultural, literary and historial origins. "The Monster Book" looks at how vampires are created on the show. There are interviews with the series creator, Joss Whedon, as well as the writers, make-up and costume artists, stunt men and actors. It explores the mythology surrounding vampires and other ghouls, in other forms of popular culture. Meet the vampires and other Sunnydale hellmouth creatures, safely, in this monster book.

Genres: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Nonfiction, Vampires, Horror, Media Tie In, Paranormal, Tv

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

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

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

*Book source ~ Home library

From Goodreads:
Starting with Giles' research into the various monsters and demons Buffy and the gang have encountered, this book then delves into the folklore that inspired the show's bad guys - their mythology, science, cultural, literary and historial origins. "The Monster Book" looks at how vampires are created on the show. There are interviews with the series creator, Joss Whedon, as well as the writers, make-up and costume artists, stunt men and actors. It explores the mythology surrounding vampires and other ghouls, in other forms of popular culture. Meet the vampires and other Sunnydale hellmouth creatures, safely, in this monster book.

I’d like to start by saying I screwed up and bought this book (used) without paying close attention to the title. It’s only for Seasons 1-4. I’ve looked but can’t find a comprehensive guide to all of the Buffyverse monsters and that’s a disappointment. There are also some editing issues. Anyway, as for this book, it is loaded with info, almost too much at times, that includes the mythology, folklore and popular culture of each section. The monsters are sorted into said sections: demons, vampires, magic users, primals, ghosts, the walking dead, bogeymen, invisible people and human monsters (Hello, Faith!). All of the info goes up to 1999 (there may be a few 2000 references, I can’t recall), so it’s now way out of date in regards to the popular culture sections. Supernatural, True Blood, Vampire Diaries or Walking Dead (etc.) aren’t mentioned regarding the popular paranormal stuff that’s so widely known today. But other than that it is a pretty good guide, limited as it is to Seasons 1-4, and I do recommend it for fans of Buffy.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the probably the the third time I have read this and as usual enjoyed it to a certain extent. The bits discussing the monsters as they appear in Buffy are great - quotes and pictures, with discussions on the characters and motivations. The other sections discussing the history and cultural impact of different 'monsters' can be a bit tedious. More often that not, it lapses into simple lists of titles, authors, actors and directors, which makes it a tough read. Other bits are better and more enjoyable. One that will be on my shelf for the foreseeable future.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great behind-the-scenes guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this time focusing on the different monsters she slayed. This is the definitive monster guide with interviews with the makeup artists, stunt crew and creators. The most interesting part for me was all the folklore about the demons.

[gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Starting with Giles’ research into the various monsters and demons Buffy and the gang have encountered, this book then delves into the folklore that inspired the show’s bad guys – their mythology, science, cultural, literary, and historical origins. “The Monster Book” looks at how vampires are created on the show. There are interviews with the series creator, Joss Whedon, as well as the writers, make-up and costume artists, stuntmen, and actors. It explores the mythology surrounding vampires and other ghouls, in other forms of popular culture. Meet the vampires and other Sunnydale Hellmouth creatures, safely, in this monster book.’
This book was great.
I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer so I was not at all surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. In saying that, there is so much information in this book for readers that you don’t need to be a Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan to enjoy this book.
As much as I loved reading about the show’s villains I was much more excited to read about the historical elements that led to their creation, I found it really interesting to learn about the myths and legends that these characters were based on.
I also loved reading about the makeup and costuming and how these elements were used to bring these bad guys to life for the show. The work that the makeup and costuming department did on this show was truly fantastic and getting to learn more about their work was brilliant.
The way in which this book covered so many different elements of the creation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Monsters means that there is something in this book for everyone regardless of your knowledge or interest in the TV series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book by Christopher Golden, Stephen R. Bissette, and Thomas E. Sniegoski is well worth the read.

Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com

[Ann Feutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say it was an entertaining weekend read, especially if you're a Buffy fan. I liked revisiting the monster characters that have been a part of the Buffy universe, though it was a bit disappointing that the book only covered the first four seasons. I also thought the interviews with the writers were nifty, albeit most of those were pretty short. Each section of the book had an essay on how the monster in question has permeated other aspects of pop culture. There was definitely interesting stuff in those essays, however, I found it a bit annoying that those essays dominated the sections they were in. I also found the essays got to be a bit repetitive since there's a lot of cross-overs between monsters. But I did learn some things I didn't know before (like HP Lovecraft's fear of sea monsters) so that was cool.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Buffy as a kid and I just recently rewatched the entire series only to realize that I'd seen very little of the show (mostly season 2-4). It was truly a pleasure to watch it again from an adults perspective and really understand what was going on.
Now for the book, the detail was amazing, as were the pictures. Too bad the whole thing wasn't in color, but that didn't really bother me.
While I understand why they published it during the fourth season because it was so popular, I wish it was of the complete series, because so much happened is the last 3 seasons.
I loved hearing where they got their ideas and what they thought of them, but I must say it was a tad long-winded in the explanations for the many books and movies that they drew inspiration from thus why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Really I'd give it 4.5

[Garrett]

This book catalogs the vampires, demons, and monsters features on the first four seasons of Buffy! It's packed with information about each individual creature, as well as their mythological and literary roots. It's interesting to read about each one, as well as discover facts you didn't know about these beings. It's the perfect book to flip through to find out more about your favorite villains Buffy and her Scooby Gang must slay, as well as to find out the inspiration behind each individual creature!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this is obviously a total guilty pleasure. I actually put this one off for awhile figuring I wouldn't really enjoy it but surprisingly it was really good. It was a neat revisit to some of the plot points from the show but also some neat interviews with the writers. The sections tracing the history of each type of "monster" in culture and media was very cool. I thought they went a little overboard parsing the different types of monsters and that got a little distracting after awhile but overall I liked it.

[Regina Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the props on hors of giles demon!!!!

[Carrie]

Might just start this over from the start, it's been awhile since I started it.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a Buffy fan and I am this is a great addition to your collection. It only goes up to season four but its still good to own.