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Title: Tales of the Slayer, Vol. II (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Various ISBN: 0743427440 Publisher: Pulse Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08
Rating: 4
Summary: Not as entertaining as the first
Comment: In my review of the first Tales of the Slayer compilation, I stated that the stories involved were uneven. The same thing is wrong with this book, but it still manages to entertain. Like any collection of short stories, this novel is bound to have its high and low points. What follow are mini-reviews of each story:
"All That You Do Comes Back Unto Thee" - The first story in this book tells a story about Buffy. It's written (sometimes poorly) by series makeup artist Todd A. McIntosh, and it's about a boy who dabbles in the black arts and awakens the spirit of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It is slowly paced and actually boring at times.
"Lady Shobu" - This is one of the better stories in the book. It tells the tale of a warrior woman in Japan who is called to the home of the Great Lady. She learns of her calling as the Slayer and sets out to find the place on the Lady's grounds where the demons are gathering. A very well-written piece of work... hopefully we will see more of Kara Dalkey in future Buffy novels.
"Abomination" - Another good story, though not great. This tale is of a young potential Slayer who falls in love with her Watcher. She bears his children, and is then called as the Slayer. The Council finds out about this and proceeds to handle things, leaving the Slayer in a bit of a mess with a demon. The first few pages had me hooked, but it tended to drag a bit in the middle. It picks up nicely and the end, though, and left me feeling satisfied.
"Blood and Brine" - I didn't particularly like this story. It tells of a Slayer who sails the seas disguised as a man... and is it just me, or does it seem like a ship isn't the best place to slay vampires? Anyway, this story bored me until the end, when one of my favorite mythological creatures made an appearance. Still, not a very good tale.
"The Ghosts of Slayers Past" - This is a completely silly story. It's a retelling of Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol, and is pretty much pointless. The best thing about this story is that is only about 20 pages long.
"The New Watcher" - Short and sweet, this is one of the best stories in the novel. A Slayer is fighting in the Civil War, and a new Watcher shows up after her previous one was turned into a vampire. Extremely well-written and told by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"House of the Vampire" - I have mixed feelings about this story. It was interesting on some levels, but very silly and far-fetched on others. This time around, a Slayer in England encounters Dracula (this guy is pretty popular with the Slayers, no?). The passage itself is written well, but the story isn't all that great.
"The War Between the States" - The second worst story here, which is surprising since it is coming from a writer of the actual series, Rebecca Rand Kirshner (she wrote such episodes as "Tough Love," "Tabula Rasa," "Hell's Bells," and "Potential"). It's about a woman who tries to achieve the glamorous lifestyle she has always wanted. Very, very boring and we are not even completely who the Slayer is until the final pages (the story is not written about the Slayer... it's written about an outsider). Kirshner took a different approach with this one, but it didn't work too well. Plus, the title is very unfitting.
"Stakeout on Rush Street" - Following one of the worst stories is one of the best. This Slayer is a private eye in Chicago on the heels of a gangster and a vampire. Extremely enjoyable and fun.
"Again" - And now we come to the end, and it's no surprise they saved the best for last. Genius series writer Jane Espenson ("Band Candy," "Earshot," "Superstar," "Checkpoint," "After Life," "Same Time, Same Place," "Storyteller" to name a few of her episodes) contributes a story about, surprise, Buffy! In this particular adventure, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are sent back in time... into their old bodies, but with their current minds. Very inventive and unsurprisingly well-written, Espenson blew me away with this one. This woman is a great story teller... and watch for the strange, surprise ending.
This story alone caused me to raise the ratings by one star.
All in all, Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 2 can be and enjoybale read. But, it can be a tedious one also.
Rating: 3
Summary: Some Excellent Stories of Past & Present Slayers
Comment: Although some of the stories in this book are outstanding, there are a few that I did not think were up to the rest. A truly excellent story was Lady Shobu, set in 10th century Japan; a lot of research went into this very well-written and exciting tale. Another is a hard-boiled detective story of a married slayer and gangster Frank Nitti entitled Stakeout on Rush Street; I loved it. I did not like Blood and Brine, partiallly because I'm not particularly fond of the time period, but primarily because I do not like dialect stories; however, I did like seeing the mention of the "doxy, Darla." Two stories, to remain nameless here, deal with slayers who must pose as men because of the particular conditions of the times. Another features a stubborn slayer who just wants a normal life and an equally stubborn Watcher's Council, who denies it to her, with truly disastrous results; this story left a very bad taste in my mouth. I found the homage to A Christmas Carol to be a little [poor], and The War Between the States badly titled and confusing, but, in the end, quite good. But there are two good Buffy stories as well. All in all, it's a good addition to the basic Buffy library. Perhaps a third volume might deal with the two slayers Spike has killed in the past or with a slayer who has encountered Darla, Angelus, and/or Drusilla, and may or may not have lived to tell the tale. Writers, just a humble suggestion!
Rating: 5
Summary: I loved this Book..........
Comment: I've always love BTVS because of the Mythology of the Slayer line and how she's Chosen and all of that, I also love the characters and how they're written so well.....But i've often wondered about Past Slayers, what they were like, and what their life was like because as we've always known, Buffy is just one of many Slayers throughout the Years. I loved this Book and how it told about Different Slayers from Different Era's and how that particular Era effected their Duty as the Slayer.
I've seen other Reviews where people ask what good a 'Pirate' Slayer would be and if you really think about it, all of the Vampires that Migrate from country too country more than likely use Ships too Travel in because of the Dark Rooms beneath the Surface, she could stop that from happening.
My Favorite story in this book was probably "Stake out on Rush Street", among a few other's....I also liked the one about the Civil War Slayer and the one about the Slayer who fought Dracula........
I thought it was a very good book and I recommend it to other fans of Buffy and especially Fans of the Buffy Books.
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Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1 by Yvonne Navarro, Nancy Holder, Christie Golden, Mel Odom, Doranna Durgin, Greg Rucka ISBN: 0743400453 Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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Title:Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season ASIN: B00008K2XP Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video Pub. Date: 10 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $59.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $44.99 |
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Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer by Joss Whedon ISBN: 1569716056 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Pub. Date: July, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title:Angel - Season Two ASIN: B00008YGRT Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $59.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $38.99 |
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Title: Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Nancy Holder ISBN: 0743400399 Publisher: Simon Pulse Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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