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Book ReviewsThe Lost Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) |
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Book: The Lost Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Written by: Christopher Golden |
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5
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Slow start but exciting ending
Rating:
4 / 5
I purchased this book in serial form. The first book was a pretty slow start. The characters felt two dimensional and the storyline shallow. Quite frankly, I almost didn't buy the second book in the series. I'm glad I did. After a disappointing beginning, the book picked up the pace in the second book and I found mself very interested how the story was going to develop and how Buffy and the Scoobies were going to save the day.
Had the first book in the series been a bit more excing, I would have given the story a full five star rating, but it finished well enough to deserve a four out of five.
Buffy's ultimate nightmare
Rating:
4 / 5
I loved the premise of this book. Buffy is forced into a future that she herself is responsible for. And it is a nightmarish future where one of her closest friends is really the ultimate enemy. Since I read the four serial books as one book I thought there was alot of over lapping that could have been done without. There were also times where the battle scenes could have been a bit shorter and more to the point. I loved the story though and it made me cry some to see what that future held.
Thrilling Quartet for Hardcore 'Buffy' Fans
Rating:
5 / 5
"Prophecies" - 5 stars - Vampire-slayer Buffy Summers is having an extremely hard time of adjusting to her life as a non-high school student, and new Freshman at UC Sunnydale. For one thing, she's made a bad impression on her teachers, turning things in late, and missing classes; and her relationship with Willow and Giles is slowly going down the tube. However, when a group of organized vampires covered in bat tattoos show-up in Sunnydale, Buffy knows that it's up to her to try and destroy them before they take over the entire town. But when Giles and her begin investigating, and run into danger, causing Giles to be captured by them, and held hostage, Buffy finds herself fleeing, and calls upon the now-dead slayer, Lucy Hanover to help her out. Lucy informs Buffy that she must find a Prophet, to show her what will happen in the future, so she can avoid danger. But instead of helping, this action catapults the now 19-year-old Buffy into the future, to what she'll be when she's 24-years-old.
"Dark Times" - 5 stars - Sunnydale has always been a marking-ground for vampires, and other creatures of the underworld. At nightfall, they prey upon the innocents that walk upon the Hellmouth, at daybreak they sleep, content with the blood consumed the night before. However, when Buffy Summers - the chosen one - awakens in the future, now a 24-year-old, she is shocked to see what has happened to Sunnydale. It is now overrun with vampires, and creatures of the night, who have claimed it as their own. Buffy soon finds that her friends, known as the Scooby gang, have now grown as well. The usually fun-loving Xander is now a humorless older man, Willow is a complete sorceress, and Oz possesses a tremendous split personality, living as both a human and werewolf. However, back in the present, Buffy's friends can't figure out why the 19-year-old is acting so strangely, and walking around in a trance-life state. They don't yet realize that the Prophet has taken-over her body. Now it's up to the Slayer's friends to draw her out of the future, and bring her back to the present before it's too late.
"King of the Dead" - 5 stars - Buffy has been launched five-years into the future, and is now inhabiting her 24-year-old body, while her 19-year-old mind reigns over all. She has been rescued by Willow and Xander, her two best friends, who, now, in their 24-year-old bodies, have begun working for the Watchers Council. No, they are not watchers, but protectors. The world is bleak five years later, for Buffy has found that her Mother is dead, and that Angel is missing. But that is not the worst of it, for a strange bit of information has found it's way to Buffy, and she now knows that Giles, her beloved Watcher for years, has switched sides, and is now the Vampire King. And Spike, who seemed pretty powerful in the past, is now nothing more than a minion to Giles. Now Buffy is forced to fight to take back Sunnydale, and soon, the rest of California back from the dead, or rather, undead, while her friends back home are struggling to bring her 19-year-old spirit back home.
"Original Sins" - 5 stars - The world is changing. At least inside the walls of the town of Sunnydale, California. Spike is dead, as are Faith, the slayer gone bad, and Joyce Summers, Buffy's beloved mother. All is not right due to the fact that Southern California is now being ruled by vampires. And Rupert Giles himself, is the king of them all. Buffy knows that all that is happening in the future was caused by her. The fact that she didn't want help from her friends in fighting the vampires, and Camazotz led to Giles' capture, and ultimately pushed him to become the King of Vampires. Now, Buffy must gather all of the strength that she has, and fight the demon that is inhabiting Giles' body to alter the future. Now, with the help of Willow, and the rest of the Scooby Gang, Buffy must kill Camazotz, save Giles, and bring her body back to her old self before it's too late.
As a fan of Christopher Golden's writing, both for the BUFFY series, and his side projects, I try to read everything that I can by him. THE LOST SLAYER QUARTET, I am happy to announce, is one of the best collections of novellas that has ever graced the BUFFY series. Each book is filled with immense, and intense action and fight scenes featuring Buffy and the Scooby Gang both as their 19-year-old selves, and 24-year-old selves. THE LOST SLAYER QUARTET is something that cannot be missed by BUFFY fans, as it is essential reading.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
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