Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Dark Times

The Lost Slayer #2

by Christopher Golden

Consequences Sunnydale has always been a haven for creatures of the underworld. But when Buffy Summers awakes in a possible future, she is stunned to discover that Southern California has fallen under vampire rule. Buffy learns that her Slayerettes have already rallied together against the new order. But they're different now: Willow is a full-fledged sorceress, Xander a battle-scarred, humorless man, and Oz a frightening split personality. Almost more shocking is that Faith's gone, and a new Slayer has been called in her stead. Buffy's astonished at the terrifying alternate reality for which only she herself is to blame. Back in the present, Buffy's friends can't figure out why the Slayer is behaving so strangely. They don't realize that the Prophet has inhabited her body. Either they're going to have to bring their friend back or Buffy herself, still trapped in the future, will have to find her own way home -- but not before confronting her worst nightmare.... To be continued...

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

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

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

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book things are really getting interesting.

This book goes from the present day to the future about five years ahead and I have to say things are not good no matter where you are. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Happy Reading 📗📘📚📙📚📓📒📚📓📒📘📗📓📚📙📕📚📓📗📘📒📓📚📖

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my favourite installment in the series. While the first book seemed more like an introduction to the whole story, in this one the pace was much better and it was more engaging. I still had a few problems with it, but overall it was a decent read for the fans of the TV series.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Slayer is a novel in four parts which were published serially in separate volumes in the fashion of King's The Green Mile. Golden did an excellent job of keeping it all moving, establishing everything in the first volume, tying it all up in the last, and introducing the situation without tedium in the later ones. The story takes place in a future mirror-world, much like the famous Star Trek universe reached by the faulty transporter or perhaps more like one of the X-Men arcs where the past must be changed or the present saved in order to fix the future. The characterization is delightful and plausible, if somewhat reminiscent of the world created by Anya the demon in the episode where she granted Cordelia's wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. (Especially Giles!) The serial nature of the original publication was excellent in that it re-created the episodic nature of the series in having to wait for the resolution to the cliff-hangers. This was one of the best Buffy novels.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

**SPOILER ALERT: Do NOT read this review if you have not read Prophecies, the first Lost Slayer novel.**
(Also I assume you've watched all episodes of the show)
Buffy's spirit is transported into the body of her future self, who is being held captive by Camazotz in a slayer-proof cell. Another slayer named August is put in the cell with her and unfortunately thinks that the best way to get a slayer back on the job protecting everyone outside is that one of them has to die so a new one can be called. Of course, August has decided it should be Buffy. They fight. Guess who wins that one? Buffy escapes and tries to find out what happened to her friends and her world, while also keeping away from Camazotz's followers,the Kakchiquels. Another shocking thing happens at the end, keeping us on tenterhooks for the next one.
Can someone please explain to me why people keep saying that if Buffy dies a new slayer is called? This bothered me in Season 7 as well, when the potentials were told that for one of them to be Slayer, Buffy would have to die. Isn't the slayer line Buffy-->Kendra (after Buffy dies in Prophecy Girl)-->Faith-->New Slayer? There isn't a new slayer called when Buffy dies again at the end of Season 5, as far as I know. Seriously, if someone can explain this and point to an in-canon example, that would be great.
Anyhow, aside from that little continuity issue, I am really liking this series. As I said in my review of Prophecies, Golden has a really good ear for the dialogue. It reads just like an episode of the show. Now that I think about it though, it does feel more like a dramatization of a TV episode than an actual book. I suppose that since I didn't notice that until I'm getting all analytical about it, it's not too much of a detraction. I would recommend this to any fan of the Buffyverse.

[SpookyxSpice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dun dun duuuun! What a cliffhanger. Kind of suspected it, the Prophet extraction part towards the end was gross and a bit too Joss Whedon. Which is not a good thing at all, especially after recent events.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't disappointed. I actually enjoyed the second installment better than the first, now that alot of the build-up was dealt with in the first one, now the author can get straight to business.

I found this very fast-paced with better pacing which I liked 😊

The story continues straight from the previous book after when Buffy meets August, another slayer who's thrown in the same cage that Buffy has been in the last five years and after the shock of learning about her current predicament and having to deal with past actions and how to rectify them and get back to her past self and stop the present events ever occurring with Buffy reconnecting with old friends and learning some horrible news that will shock her to the core which was absolutely juicy news! 😃👏

There were several concepts that were a nice nod to Buffy's Season 3 episode "Doppelganger", "The Wish" with Vampire Willow and human Willow and the Wishverse Sunnydale. Well, this novel kinda explores the same idea of an alternative reality of what life in Sunnydale would be like if the slayer was taken out of the equation, the same concept yet was explored differently by the story concept and villains in Dark Times which kept the idea fresh and creative.

I thought Christopher Golden did a really good job with keeping up with the individual characters' voices and characteristics, it was also nice to see some nice callbacks to to the Wishverse Buffy, a much more cynical, hardened version of Buffy which I found very similar to this portrayal of Buffy, where the 19-year-old version finds herself being merged with her 24-year-old, sharing her older version's memories and experiences being held prisoner and training to keep her sane and yet struggling with her past self's memories of what's been happening to what's presently happening.

Another thing I had an issue with is, August thinking killing Buffy would call another Slayer, even though the Mayor in Season 3 thought killing Buffy would activate in her death but it was proven later that the Slayer line continues on WITH Faith NOT Buffy. I guess that was the author's own ignorance, or lack of continuity or another plausible reason was that the author WAS aware of this fact and just played it off as August's own ignorance of this little detail.

I was excited to see Spike and Drusilla in the second installment and the dialogue between them and Buffy was on point it was brilliant! (but then again the dialogue throughout the book was bloody good!) another thing I thoroughly enjoyed is that Drusilla and Buffy had two fights in this novel whereas in the TV series they had only physically fought twice, and in this novel, Drusilla meets her demise at Buffy's hands (so also glad that this novel ISN'T canon cuz I love and adore Drusilla's character and the way Juliet Landau plays her!)

It was also interesting to see how the future Willow and Oz interact with each other in this. I don't get a romantic vibe from them, more like soldiers in arms fighting side by side in this bloody conflict between vampires and the rebel humans. In the future Willow has greater ability with her magic and it was nice to see Oz having full control of his werewolf side.

I'm curious to see how the King of the Dead follows up!

[Kaylee Harkness · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall it was ‘okay’.
Better than part one.
Kind of predictable, in the middle for a bit the timeline got a little fuzzy as to when this book takes place in the timeline.
Spike is weirdly out of character and Dru is back to how she was in season two before getting healed.
Anyways, a slow series that is just okay.

[Metalfist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normaal gezien kies ik er vaak voor om een reeks niet in één ruk uit te lezen, kwestie dat het me niet te veel gaat tegen steken. In het geval van deze Lost Slayer reeks is dat wat lastig omdat Prophecies al zo’n heerlijk boek is! Laat ik echter volledig eerlijk zijn: met zijn iets meer dan 130 pagina’s kun je naar mijn gevoel Prophecies niet echt als een volwaardig boek beschouwen. Het zou dan ook logischer geweest zijn om dit rechtstreeks met deze Dark Times uit te brengen.

Want dit tweede deel gaat meteen verder waar Prophecies ophield. Buffy en Auguste zitten nog altijd opgesloten en verderop in het boek leren we meer en meer wat er met deze toekomstige versie van Sunnydale is gebeurd. Het mooie aan dit soort tijdssprongen/alternatieve werelden is ook dat je gewoon meer kunt doen met bekende personages. De serie rond Buffy was nog volop aan de gang toen Christopher Golden zijn verhalen schreef en je kon dus niet zeker zijn wat Joss Whedon en co nog met bijvoorbeeld Spike, Drusilla en Harmony van plan was. Dat doet er nu allemaal niet toe waardoor je Buffy eindelijk eens tegen hen kan laten knokken en dat gevecht met Drusilla bijvoorbeeld is heerlijk. Je ziet meteen Juliet Landau voor je wanneer Golden haar beschrijft en natuurlijk is er nog die fijne climax waarin we kennis maken met een meer volwassen versie van Xander en Willow. Beiden zijn gehard door de afgelopen jaren en dan is de ontknoping dat Giles de grote slechterik is natuurlijk nog net iets beter. Wetende dat ze al jaren tegen hun vroegere mentor strijden… Het is een verhaallijn die zich perfect leent voor de serie en die je in de boeken niet zo makkelijk zou tegenkomen wegens te veel restricties.

En zo gaan we alweer richting het derde deel van de Lost Slayer reeks. Een boekenreeks waar ik veel fijne herinneringen aan had en het is tof om te merken dat die liefde nog altijd even groot is. Deze reeks bevat dan ook alles wat ik leuk vind aan dit soort alternatieve realiteiten en dat doet Golden toch ook wel erg sterk. Ik begin alleszins met erg veel zin aan King of the Dead.

[Fantastic Alice Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Continues to be involving, gory and surprisingly well drawn characters. It's really obvious that this was written before season 4 got into gear and its a little surreal seeing Oz still around.

But even though it is simply because season 4 hadn't happened yet it still raises some interesting questions of identity. There's some lines with Buffy that almost hint at her being 'kinda gay' but not necessarily but what is fascinating is Willow being with Oz still and what that entails.

Is she with Oz because his violent nature was a gift? Is future Willow still involved with Oz because she is writing off what in a gentler reality would be her real orientation? He's a huge asset in this post apocalyptic world where anyone would have doubts about their SOs but ignore them just due to simply having a living SO in this nightmare space.

I found this dynamic, although likely not intentional, utterly fascinating. Also this apocalyptic world doesn't really show much romance I felt. So I am not even sure if Willow and Oz are still together in this nightmare or they are simply brothers in arms.

Sometimes the prose feels a little funny but characters are written PERFECTLY. Drusilla and Spike's portrayal alone has me wanting to rewatch every episode they appear in.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in a four part story is where the action really starts happening. Where the first was the set up, episode wise, with a surprise ending this one is the first big fight, episode wise, where all our favourite characters really encounter the big bad.

This charges along at a fair pace and is a quick read but most importantly it leaves you wanting to go straight into the next book to see what happens next.

[Antonia Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I read these was honestly because Giles was on the cover. And the blurb sounded interesting. Reading them again, the twist is there. It has the potential to be so so good.

However, when I read them the first time it was before I was an author. and now, the writing just isn’t there for me. I see too much now, if that makes sense.

I may continue to reread the series. Only because I’ve forgotten almost all of the story. But right now I’m taking a break and trying something else.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This the second of the four part mini series was decent. The story allows some theoretical character growth to play out which is neat. the twist at the end was predictable and clearly foreshadowed, but still makes me interested in reading the next installment to find out what happens next.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Really enjoyed where the story is going and the twist at the end was definitely a surprise that has me thinking I need to read the next book sooner rather than later

[Véronique Laplante Grenier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love it!

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Buff and Scoobies still fighting Camazotz. Two Buffys: one in current time; one five years into the future. Need Willows witchy help to bring Buffy back and right the wrongs.

[Maggie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fight scenes were epic. Buffy snapping the knees of her enemies like Rice Krispies makes the reading experience beyond worth it.

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

ARHGHGHH GILES IS SO FUCKING HOT LIKE THAT i'm so sane

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2513777.html

Set in early Season Four (Xander and Anya are together, so are Oz and Willow), this has Buffy yanked forward to an alternative future in which Giles has been turned vampire by the ancient demon Camazotz (I'd always thought that was just the evil planet of A Wrinkle in Time, but it turns out that it's also the name of an Aztec god of bats). This gives Golden licence to kill off many characters both new and old, before returning Buffy to our time line where everything is almost as before. It's well enough written, with reflections on how the other characters would have developed in five years where they had continued the fight without Buffy.

I'm troubled, though, as I was in the other book I read by this author, that the story ends up on the wrong side of colonialism - Camazotz, who is after all a native American entity, is rapidly outsmarted by vampire Giles who takes charge of his realm and allows the indigenous inhabitants only as much licence as he finds amusing; and this is presented as a natural development. So I may cast my reading of Buffy a bit wider, but I think I will try other writers next.

[Rocket to Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in this series had a weird pacing and left with an unsatisfying ending, but fortunately this does none of that. With the exception of the questionable first chapter which is just a copy of the final one from the previous book, every single moment is tense and interesting. The story developing is very intriguing and, given the things that can happen in the Buffyverse, not hard at all to believe.
There are some minor issues of continuity with the canonical show, in particular the complete absence of a particular group of people who should've been there. I'm reserving judgement on that since perhaps it will be explained in the following books.
The writing of the characters is, as with other books in the Buffy series from Christopher Golden, very close to how they felt when portrayed by the actors in the TV episodes.
The only fault I can give this book now is that it has massively raised my expectations for the next two and it will be a tall order for them to clear the bar it has set.

[Slayermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in a four book series. So far they have been very fast reads and quite interesting. This series would have made a great season finale around year 4. :0)

Buffy wakes up in an alternate future, her 19 year old soul is trapped in her own 24 year old body and it has become a lethal killing machine. Buffy is locked away in a cell by the vampires that captured Giles and they keep her alive so that no other Slayer can be called.
Meanwhile out in Sunnydale everything has changed. Vampires run the town and the territory around it and they have their eye on expanding throughout the entire state. People cower in fear and do as they are told.

It seems that even in this bizarre future the Slayerette's are still together and waging war on the enemy.

Spike, Dru and Harmony all make an appearance and a shocking twist at the end leaves you dying to read on to book three, so make sure you have it handy for when you’re done with this one. :0)

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume starts leads on exactly where the last one finishes - Buffy is locked in a cell, held captive by the God of Bats and his powerful vampires. But when she manages to escape, she is determined to exact revenge. The world outside is controlled by the vampires, the humans have either fled or are reluctantly co-operating with their deadly, organised new order. Tracking down her friends, she finds them very changed - Willow is a powerful sorceress leading the fight, Xander is a cold, calculating killer and Oz can turn into a werewolf on command. And Giles....well that is something she finds hard to except.

The dark, cruel world of the future is brilliantly portrayed. A scary place for even the Slayer to be. Another volume brilliantly written and enjoyable to read. The twist with Giles is excellent and I would have loved to see this as a TV episode - Anthony Stewart Head would have been great in this part. On to the next to see how the story pans out...

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dark Times" is the second installment in the serial novel "The Lost Slayer", and frankly I think the serial format shows a bit in a negative way. I felt hold at arm's length when the novel holds the big revelation out until page 134 so that it can be the amazing cliffhanger ending. There is plenty of action in the novel but the most happenings are in the last 25 pages. Additionally some cameos seemed a bit shoehorned in...
Having said this and with that giving my reason as to why I rate it one star less than the first volume, it was still a genuine bucket of fun with a nice dose of Buffy nostalgia. This 'episode' is a lot lighter on the humor and the characters, the tone due to the events is darker. I am quite exited to dive into the next one but will try to wait a whole week so it feels even more like watching the TV series again.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the first book, but I don't think it really matters too much. Golden gave enough background without it being annoying. I enjoyed it, I think he got Drusilla perfect. There probably weren't enough cheeky one-liners, but I guess it makes sense. Buffy has been locked up for five years, so of course her puns and whatnot aren't what they used to be.

Her escape was totally awesome. I kind of disagree with killing off Drusilla, but it was a totally Drusilla kind of death. Then again, Buffy went back (I read the Wiki summary) and stopped it all from happening, so I guess Drusilla survived.

[King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Golden does an excellent job

It's like Christopher Golden was a long time fan of the Buffyverse before he was recruited to write these Lost Slayer books. The man intertwines the books with the TV series in such a way one would only think Joss Whedon would be able to do plenty of twists and turns, along with Buffy lore make this book worth reading after the first in the Lost Slayer series.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, this series is still awesome. Mostly because Giles getting the chance to be SUPER BAD is kind of awesome, and makes the "Is Giles the First?" crap from Season 7 look so super lame. ASH would have had a blast with this plotline.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buffy finds herself in another place and time and faced with trying to survive while trying to free herself from the prison she finds herself in. Once free, she tries to make her way back to Sunnydale while trying to understand what is going on and trying to stay alive. A good book in this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Second book in the Seriel Novel The Lost Slayer.

[Helen Maltby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part 2 - similar to part 1 :) Big reveal at the end wasn't expected though and I picked up part 3 straight away.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are looking up

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