Buffy a Caçadora de Vampiros

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Novelizations #1

by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Em menos de dois meses desapareceram quatro jovens em Los Angeles. Mas Buffy anda demasiado ocupada com os preparativos para o baile de finalistas. Um dia, aparece-lhe um estranho, Merrick, que lhe comunica que ela é a Escolhida- só Buffy, a chefe da claque da escola, pode impedir que os vampiros se apoderem da cidade. Eles estão por toda a parte...Nem nos próprios amigos a jovem pode confiar! Juntamente com novos conhecimentos e poderes físicos e mentais, Merrick trouxe-lhe também um terrível inimigo: Lothos, o Rei dos Vampiros, que está determinado em ter Buffy só para si! Tudo o que a Caçadora possui é uma estaca, uma cruz e uma missão: Destruir o mal- mesmo que isso lhe custe a própria vida...

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

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Richie Tankersley Cusick is the bestselling young adult author of over 25 titles, including two adult horror titles, Scarecrow and Blood Roots. Her popularity grew at the height of the horror/YA boom in the late '80s/early '90s, particularly with books like Lifeguard , Trick or Treat and Teacher's Pet, just to name a few, allowing her to keep company on the bestseller paperback lists with the likes of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Her fan base expanded about the time she changed publishers to Archway/Pocket Books with titles like Vampire and Someone at the Door.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's amazing how the franchise of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer begun with this chessy & campy movie. It was good that Joss Whedon never lost faith on his "baby" and he knew that he has something good between hands. Also, it was good that FOX Network was in dire need to fill its TV schedule when the network was beginning. So, Whedon got green light to shoot a pilot based on the original concept. Whedon took out what was plainly bad and/or without good taste BUT keeping the fun of the concept of a typical teenager against the forces of darkness. I watched the original film at its time and it was fun to find this novelization, since by then I already have on my mind the image of Sarah Michelle Gellar was THE Buffy. I have nothing against Kristy Swanson and I don't think that she was the reason of why the film didn't work. However, by the time that I found this novelization in a local bookstore, my mental image of the character of "Buffy Summers" was Sarah Michelle Gellar, so it was fun to read it, since when I did it, back on 1999, when I was imagining the scenes on the book, I didn't try to remember the ones in the movie but, I built a whole new aventure in my imagination using Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summer, in that way, this novelization is a perfect point of origin for the character. Since in the TV series, they established that Buffy indeed came from Los Angeles, after getting involved in some burning of a high school gym, so, this novelization works perfectly as an "Episode Zero" for Buffy fans and way better since the novelization hardly got any chessiness and/or campiness of the film. It was closer to the vision of Joss Whedon of what could be the movie. So, if you are Buffy fan and you want to know the origin of the character without having to watch the campy film, there isn't better option than this novelization.
In every generation, there is only one Slayer. A chosen girl to battle against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sunnydale, before Giles and Willow and Xander, before a television series that was really quite remarkable for a variety of reasons... there was a pretty bad but still mildly amusing movie that didn't get a whole lot of notice. This short YA novelization is based on Whedon's original script much more than on what was actually filmed, so it's got that going for it. It tells the story rather well, with some really amusing dialog. Probably only for historical context save for the most ardent fans.

[Sean Carlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two-and-a-half stars rounded up to three.

Strictly a YA-grade novelization -- to the point that Cusick even censors or omits the movie's few fleeting instances of salty language and sexual innuendo -- though that's not in any way a bad thing; it's a reminder of what Buffy was at its creatively purest. Before the TV series that heralded (and arguably incited) the lamentable dominion of nerd culture over popular entertainment, Buffy was a sweet, self-contained, likably campy, decidedly ephemeral empowerment tale for the 12-to-16-year-old girls of the early '90s. This movie adaptation gets that in a way later media tie-ins, taking their cue from the show's creator-endowed spirit of self-importance and faux feminism, completely missed.

I will say that if not for the YA-caliber prose -- if this were read in a cultural vacuum with no knowledge of the movie or TV series -- it might otherwise be challenging to grasp the intended tone of this story. It's a straight, scene-for-scene adaptation of Joss Whedon's original screenplay, which differs in a few small but narratively significant (and interesting) ways from the finished film, and it's hard to gauge from the writing alone whether this novel is taking its premise seriously (like Whedon's portentous, unintentionally silly TV show) or whether it's intended to be bubble-gum camp (like Fran Rubel Kuzui's unambitious, intentionally tongue-in-cheek movie). It is, as such, a sort of creative half-breed between Whedon's more grandiose vision and Shakespearean aspirations for his concept (since it's based on his unaltered script) and Kuzui's interpretation of it as "an unfussy pre–Spice Girls girl-power fantasy for a 12-year-old kid" (Soraya Roberts, "I'll Always Love the Original Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Atlantic, July 31, 2022).

Much of the movie's bubble-gum flavor is owed to its lively performances (Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, and Paul Reubens all seemed to embrace and embody the B-movie spirit of the material) and catchy pop-music soundtrack (which features artists as diverse as C+C Music Factory, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Ozzy Osbourne). Devoid of those cinematic flourishes, however, the novel's characterization is exposed as pretty flat (Buffy's got an arc, but everyone else is strictly a one-dimensional NPC in her story), and its action sequences vacillate between perfunctory and prosaic, never really thrilling or scary. As such, it's hard to get emotionally engaged in or excited by the story as it appears on the page. (The same can be said for the faithful-but-flat novelization of The Lost Boys, Buffy's spiritual forerunner, reviewed here.)

But, hey -- it's an undemanding book that can be read in a single sitting, much the same as the movie made no demands on its audience save 86 minutes of their time. It's hard to remember now, given that the Buffy movie became a forgotten footnote in a culturally defining, ongoing multimedia franchise -- one that helped usher in the curse of contemporary fandom -- but this concept started out, ironically enough, as a simple fable about moving on from adolescent concerns and outgrowing juvenile interests. It's a nice message that, like the movie itself, got regrettably overlooked.

For an in-depth reappraisal of the original Buffy vis-à-vis the TV series that eclipsed it in commercial success and cultural resonance, see my 2023 essay "Into Each Generation a Slayer Is Born: How the Buffy Franchise Demonstrates the Differences between Gen X and Millennials."

[Soňa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vážení, chraňte si krčky, krvelační upíři de blíž! Jaký to jednom sny nebo dávna skutečnost, že existují upíři a že jsou vyvolení, kteří je dokáží zlikvidovat?
Akoby som si práve pozrela diela seriálu... Áno hodnotenie je asi nostalgia, a uznávam že si z filmu nepamätám takmer že ničovaté nič... Ale prešla som si cast a teda pána beka, iný výber, na dámu dobu samé hviezdy...
A áno, nič proti Kristy Swanson, ale teda pre mňa je Buffy len jedna, takže viete koho tam mám osadeného 😉☺️

PS. Neodolala som, tu máte aj trailer. Ouu jeeej, divoké 90tky s trochou gýča sú späť 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Prvá veta: Evropa v době temna.
Posledná veta: A jak tam tak oba vedle sebe stálu, konečně se snesla noc a oba je zalévala žlutavým světlem vycházejíciho měsíce.
Goodreads Challenge 2025: 10. kniha

[Iva Frýdková · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really young when I've first read this book and of course these days I thought it was amazing, although now I've finally understood how poor (at least) the Czech translation is. Nevertheless, in the Czech Republic it's quite rare book and I'm really glad I own one.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦]

I need this book.
NOW!

[SpookyxSpice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer this version of the vampire lore compared to the tv series lore. Plus I've only ever seen the movie once. I really enjoyed this fast paced book adaptation.

Read as prompt 2 of the I Know What You Read Last Summer challenge.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one that started it all. Yes i did read this before the TV series started and I thought it was better than the original movie even though it didn't seal my fate as a Buffy fan, it was definitelt a contributing factor

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm gonna give this one a 3.75*, Goodreads should really consider adding 0.5 (at least) between their numbers for ratings. it would help make it more accurate :)

I am a huge fan of the TV show; I consider it my all time favorite and I doubt I'll ever find another that will surpass it. Other shows have tried but failed in taking the #1 spot in my heart. It's got everything; supernatural, werewolves, vampires, magic... name it, it's got it.

I stumbled upon the movie somewhere during season 3, I think, and I had to see it. It is bad. I mean, really bad. Nothing comparable to the show; it's a wonder really... I consider it to be so bad it's good though. I hope this makes sense.

Anyway, when I learned there was a book based on the movie, I had to get my hands on it and it took a while before I got it. At the thrift store, of all places. A few years ago. I wanted to read it but never did so it's been sitting pretty among other books, my Buffy books collection, of course.

I got to read this book a couple days ago, as a sort of "get-out-of-reading-slump" so I was looking for something short that would be easy enough. I hit the jackpot with this. I found the book to be really easy to get into, a completely fast read even though I took 3 days to read it (real life and stuff got in the way, you know how things go!!). It's not the greatest book considering where it's coming from (the movie) but I heard/read that there is parts of the original script in it?!.

Throughout the book, I found there was major similarities to the show, almost copies of what we got in it, I mean. Hemery High's basement being occupied by the major baddie (Lothos) while Sunnydale High had the actual entrance to the Hellmouth. Something Buffy said to Amilyn about the sunrise felt it came right out of Welcome to the Hellmouth Part 2 where Buffy said almost exactly the same thing to Luke. I felt it odd that Buffy would use the same sentence/pun twice for some reason. Maybe it's just me? I feel there wasn't more character development in the book than there was in the movie... but I could feel Buffy's change throughout, which was nice.

It's been a while since I've seen the movie and I own it on DVD. I don't pop it in that often whereas I can marathon the entire series at least 4 times a year. Now that I have read the book, I don't have to watch the movie for a little while since one is the other but a little more detailed in parts.

[Biblioteca de evocaciones · Rating 3 out of 5]

La novela es divertida y ligera, fácil de leer, aunque personalmente me resultó algo molesta porque mi inglés no es perfecto, así que no pude disfrutarla con la misma fluidez que si lo hubiera leído en español. No es terrorífica, pero sí contiene un trasfondo de fantasía oscura para adultos. Al mismo tiempo, la lectura resultó nostálgica; me recordó mi adolescencia viendo la serie y la película, aunque en mi mente Buffy no era Kristy Swanson, sino Sarah Michelle Gellar y su watcher se parecía más al Merrick del comic "The origin" y no a Donald Sutherland.
Se logra capturar de manera muy fiel la personalidad de Buffy tal como aparece en el primer capítulo de la primera temporada: ingeniosa, decidida, con un humor sutil que recuerda al de Whedon. Sin embargo, el estilo de la novela es rápido y simple, casi cinematográfico; no es detallista y el vocabulario a veces se siente incómodo, como si la historia se moviera demasiado rápido entre escenas.
Los villanos, Amilyn y Lothos, son interesantes y amenazantes al principio, pero terminan con un final bastante convencional, similar a los antagonistas de “villano de la semana” de la serie, y no llegan a dejar la impresión duradera que uno esperaría de un filme. Aun así, hay momentos memorables: la interacción de Buffy con su vigilante en el cementerio y la batalla final en el gimnasio son, sin dudas, escenas icónicas que más he disfrutado.
El libro mantiene el tono de la serie: la historia de una chica que, a pesar de ser linda y no tan inteligente, se convierte en heroína por corazón y nobleza, desafiando las expectativas de su época. Es un recordatorio de la importancia de la representación femenina en la fantasía y del humor característico de Whedon.
Recomiendo esta novela principalmente a fans de Buffy, para apreciar cómo era la visión original de Whedon antes de que algunos elementos cambiaran en la película y la serie, y también a lectores de fantasía oscura ligera o novelizaciones de películas. No es una obra redonda ni un clásico de terror juvenil, pero es entretenida y evocadora, especialmente para quienes disfrutaron la franquicia.

[Teena Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super short read. Very easy going and I thorough enjoyed it. As a massive Buffy fan, I had the intention of reading this one day as Buffy’s origin story. Yes, I know that our SMG Buffy technically wasn’t this character but it’s close enough that you could choose to picture her as the leading lady in this. From the language, to her mannerisms, it’s her before she made it to Sunnydale. The book perfectly describes a teenager in turmoil. With the wants and whims of a young adult, wanting to enjoy her time knowing something bigger is about to happen in her life.

I really loved the addition of some crossovers that happened in the book and in season 1 of Buffy too. My favourite one being her sassing the vampire about the time of the sunrise! I also wonder if Joss intentionally did some things because of how they are written in the book... Like how Buffy wore Pike’s jacket at the end and I could picture her dress ripped and flowing like when Buffy killed The Master in Season 1. Or how earlier on she was emotionally washing out the blood from her clothes (this reminded me of Faith later on after her first accidental kill)... and many more!
Brought back some fantastic memories! Geek-gasm!

Totally loved it!

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will never understand the purpose of these dull, scene-by-scene movie novelizations where every shred of wit, intrigue, and good narrative is cribbed from the work of someone else, only presented artlessly in a new format adding nothing of value in the translation. Like, why?

Less still do I understand why a novelization would change things around subtly -- a new snippet of dialogue here, some extra blood there -- in passages that are so clearly out of character with the rest of the writing (specifically, the dialogue) that it acts as a distraction instead of "more lore."*

And least of all do I understand why I continue to seek out and read these things. Today is not a day to find answers.

2 stars. Not completely incompetent, and it reminded me I need to watch this again soon. It's been nearly a year, which is just crazy.

* It has come to my attention that this novel is different because it is based on the original screenplay. I hereby applaud the editors for the improvements they made in the final film product. I also find it entirely believable that this was written by someone who had seen the movie only on paper.

[Rogue Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gets 5, not necessarily because it's good and well written, but because I had so much fun reading it.
I became a Buffy fan at a fairly young age due to having (considerably) older siblings. Buffy is one of my comfort movies and favorite shows.
It's kind of fun to read a novelization of the movie. Unfortunately, I have seen it so many times that I noticed everything wrong.
Notably the yellow jacket Buffy gushes over and Kimberly dismissed - in the book it's a dress and Kimberly doesn't go back to buy it behind Buffy's back, calling it retro after previously saying it was SO 5 minutes ago.
Both Merrick AND Lothos meet their ends differently than in the movie.
So there's some differences, big and small.
Would I recommend reading this?
Probably not unless the person in question was also a die hard Buffy fan and avid reader as well.
I picked this up from a shift when I used to sell used books. I recently found it again in my home library and noticed it was in near mint condition. Definitely more of a collector's piece, but I doubt it will ever be worth anything. I'm just happy to have it and have read it.

[Tessie Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffy, moje naprosto nejoblíbenější ženská hrdinka. Je mi líto, že v ČR vyšla oficiálně jen 1 česká knížka. Zasloužila by si více českých Scooby Gangů, ale vraťme se ke knížce. Odehrává se v době, kdy Buffy byla jen 'obyčejná' středoškolačka, kterou zajímají jen kluci, oblečení a vzhled. Na to, že je knížka tak teňoučká a staršího typu se mi moc líbila, přenést se do doby, kdy Buffy byla hloupočká, zranitelná dívka, kterou čeká ještě spousta dobrodružství. Knížku rozhodně doporučuju všem Buffy fanouškům, zaručeně se vám bude líbit. ;)

[em ⋆ (Spike’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!!
Such a short and easy read. Although there were not many details at all (which i would say was perfect, because it can be kinda annoying and unnecessary long). If you haven’t watched the movie it could be confusing (as it was for me), but if you watched the show it’s fine ( even though none of the characters are in the show besides Buffy).

Hopefully the next ones are about the show, because i miss my favourite cast. I can’t believe i almost finished the show ( i don’t want to see the ending i know Spike is dying and i love him).

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a small book, the novelisation of a movie which probably would have been forgotten quickly if it wasn't for the excellent TV series which followed it later. The book is a quick read, but the characters don't have much depth to them. As an origin story the Buffy we see here is quite different to the TV series version. This is a quick read but probably mostly of interest to fans of the TV series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I am biased as I watch the show before reading this. So obviously Sarah Michelle Gellar is MY Buffy so I couldn’t help but think of SMG as I was reading this. I loved the story, but I’m glad Whedon changed a few things for the tv show. I feel like Buffy in this book is a little too sassy and popular, which for me, made her less relatable. I’m glad the tv show adapted more consistent characters (I was gutted about Merrick). I would have loved to have seen Pike on the show, though.

[Natali Madrigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

183 pages in no time at all. I think I pretty much read the entire book in each voice from the movie. It was kinda hard to read it normally. Pretty good similarities to the movie, with some extraness and things I never realized. The few things that were different were hard to follow with whys. But in all it brought back my childhood happiness. Except for the last chapter….i have no clue where they were or for what reason?

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun little adventure. There were times when it was clear that it was a novelisation, as the descriptions very much felt like they were describing camera shots and angles, rather than setting the scene the way prose generally tends to. But it was still a fun read.

I do wish the final battle had been a little more grand, the defeat feels kind of... anti-climactic.

[E. D. Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread for me. I originally read this in college, along with The Harvest. I have to say, the writing isn't wonderful, but makes for a fun quick read and you can easily picture the scenes. Better than the fulm, in my opinion, then again, so is the comic adaptation, but I still enjoy the film even though it was silly and a little ridiculous. Happy 30 years of Buffy Summers!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Buffy. But this was weak.

There's an art to writing a novelization of a movie, and just transcribing the scenes doesn't cut it. The choppy chapters and lack of descriptors really did this (in my opinion, kind of funny) movie a disservice.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, fun read. Lovers of Buffy and children of the 90s alike will love the descriptions of clothing and the slang. I don't know that I'll read any of the other Buffy novelizations, but this was a nice little afternoon read while my kiddo napped.

[Bianca Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei muito! Era super interessante e com um ótimo vocabulário. E a parte das brigas era muito cativante.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fluff read based on the original movie. Basically a simple translation of the movie to a novel with very little deviation or addition.

[João Pereira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não é a história da série, trata-se da história de de um filme que surgiu antes da série.

Not bad!

[Caity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it in under an hour and a half, and it just doesn’t have the same campy goodness as the movie. I’ll definitely stick to the movie in the future.

[Britt]

This is one of my favorite movies ever so its hard to compare but I liked the movie way more

[Cláudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Como se atrevem a usar uma série maravilhosa para escreverem um livro tão mau? Sinto-me ofendida.

[Kathryn Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is slightly different than the movie. Although I think that Joss Whedon’s original script was even more different.

[Lizzie the Book Hoarder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Could picture the movie while reading.