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Title: Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show by Glenn Yeffeth, David Brin, Jennifer Crusie, Drew Goddard ISBN: 1-932100-08-3 Publisher: BenBella Books Pub. Date: 03 September, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: So near, yet so far
Comment: Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show is very nearly a text I could have recommended to anyone; those who think Buffy was Shakespeare, those who think it was, or turned into, crap, and even those who think it was -- gasp -- "just" a television show. But unfortunately, like Buffy itself, this book loses its way and runs out of good ideas by the end. Let's start with the good stuff; the essays that had me thinking I could finally start a Buffy-related book review with words to the effect of "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Sarah Zettel adds brilliant depth and a convincing thesis to a not uncommon criticism of the series: That Buffy lost, at the very least, certain cohesion when the characters graduated from high school. And in what I think is the heart of this collection, Justine Larbalestier charts her evolution over the course of Buffy's seven seasons from Champion of All Things Buffy to Horrified ex-true believer. In so doing, Larbalestier reflects the experiences of millions of Buffy watchers who found themselves seduced by a dramatic series for television, convinced themselves it was something more than it could ever be, and eventually hit the wall.
Jacqueline Lichtenberg's essay is devoted to the idea that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not 'just' a TV show." but a watershed event for television as literature. I dunno, I think she needs to look at her watch once in a while. In his nearly-brilliant 1992 book Teleliteracy, TV reviewer (and future Buffy fan) David Bianculli devoted an entire chapter to the idea that "Some Television Is Literature -- And Vice Versa," using as examples series (Taxi, St. Elsewhere, others) that pre-date Buffy by at least 15 years.
I am not saying that Buffy, at its best, was not the equal of the shows I've mentioned above at theirs. It was a really good show, when it was a really good show, like a lot of really good shows. It's just not inherently superior to all other shows, as some writers here want us to believe.
Still, as a whole, this book is better written than earlier Buffy-related volumes I've reviewed here on Amazon. It is badly marred, however, by the inclusion of a piece by Kevin Andrew Murphy. His essay digresses into vile, dubious and non-representative portraits of fans of actress Amber Benson, who played Tara on Buffy, as stalkers. It's based on wild speculation and deserves contempt for its intent to smear these fans.
I myself am a fan of the character Tara, and the group Mr. Murphy attacks in this book is one with which I am well acquainted. So let me make something clear: I am not saying that any fan group, much less one with which I have been associated, is above thoughtful criticism, any more than I believe Buffy is. Unfortunately, thoughtful criticism is not what Murphy does here.
Rating: 5
Summary: 23 Writers Contributed
Comment: 23 writers who have numerous other books available here on amazon contributed to this volume. To decide if you really need to own this book, check them all out -- read what folks say about their other books or read excerpts of their writing. Everyone in this anthology finds something intriguing, interesting, inspiring or curious about Buffy The Vampire Slayer. They're not all totally worshipful of the show, but as professional writers with sharpened critical faculties, they all found something to get deeply involved in thinking about.
That alone tells you something about the quality of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's writing. OK, sorry -- that's a hobby horse of mine. I wrote the article contending that this show is actually drawing television writing another step along the way to becoming Great Literature. Excerpts (with the publisher's special permission) of all the articles are in Writers In Residence at simegen dot com. Here is a list of the contributors. Use Amazon's new Search Inside feature by typing in each author's name without quotes around it. Once you see what they've been writing, you'll want to know what they think of Buffy The Vampire Slayer even if you haven't been watching the show.
Contributors in no particular order:
Peg Aloi, website Witch's Voice and poetry
David Brin, bestselling author of Kiln People
Margaret Carter, academic and author, The Vampire in Literature: A Critical Bibliography plus several novels.
Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, Author, Copper Moon and Bridge of Shadows
Jenny Crusie, bestselling author of Faking It and What the Lady Wants
Christie Golden, contributor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1 and author, The Last Roundup
Charlaine Harris, author of the acclaimed Dead Until Dark and Club Dead
Nancy Holder, co-author, The Watcher's Guide and Angel: The Case Files
Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the bestselling Dark Hunter series
Nancy Kilpatrick, Arthur Ellis Award-winner and author, Bloodlover
Marguerite Krause, author, Blind Vision
Justine Larbalestier, academic and author, The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction
Jacqueline Lichtenberg, author of the cult favorite Sime~Gen series
Jean Lorrah, winner of award-winning Blood Will Tell
Carla Montgomery, winner, Writers of the Future
Kevin Andrew Murphy, author of Fanthom: The World Below and Drum Into Silence
Laura Resnick, award-winning author of In Legend Born
Lawrence Watt-Evans, veteran fantasist and author, The Dragon Society
Michelle West, author of Sea of Sorrows
Scott Westerfield, author of the acclaimed Risen Empire
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of popular St. Germain vampire series
Sarah Zettel, author of Fool's War
Rating: 5
Summary: Hands down, the best Buffy anthology that there is
Comment: I have read a lot of serious essays on Buffy: all of the essays on www.buffy.tv, and the entirety of the contents of the collections edited by Kaveney, by South, and by Wilcox and Lavery. But this new collection is far and away the best of the lot. I believe there are two reasons for this. First, the writers of the essays in this volume have the tremendous advantage of being able to look back on all seven seasons of Buffy and speak with some authority on what actually happened. If you read the other collections, there was always constant speculation about what might happen in the future. Now we know what happened. But the second and more important reason this collection is so superb is the fact that it was written almost exclusively by creative writers rather than academics. Although I am an academic myself, too many of the academic essays written on Buffy seem to me transparent attempts to graft unconnected academic interests onto the writers' favorite TV show. The writers here, however, are truly trying to tease out the meaning of the show on its own terms, and not trying to force the themes of the show fit the needs of philosophical, cultural, or feminist theory.
Another advantage of this collection is that just about every selection in the volume is excellent. I might want to differ with a couple, like the one that defends Riley as the best boyfriend for Buffy or the one that lavishes extensive praise on Tara (I don't dislike Tara, and loved her singing in "Once More, With Feeling," but I can't really get excited about her, either; I do, however, really dislike Riley, like a majority of Buffy fans), but even those take up positions that are fun to argue with. Some of the pieces are flat out outstanding, such as an early one that is cast as a essay question on a test in which a demon is asked to explain which is the most powerful force for good in Sunnydale and why (answer: Xander, with an interesting defense). In the other anthologies, there were essays I had to suffer through in order to get to others more to my liking. There isn't a clunker in the bunch here.
If I had a complaint--though I really don't--it would be that too many of the essays are fixated on the romance aspects of Buffy. I would estimate that well over half of the essays primarily are focused on one or more of the romances in the series. My own interests have always focused on the ethical aspects (e.g., did Spike's actions in Seasons 5 and 6 give him something like a soul before the shaman gave him one at the end of Season 6?, or on the extraordinary optimism that pervades the series that people can grow and become more than they are, that leopards can indeed change their spots), but clearly anyone who hates romance is not going to enjoy Buffy for very long. My lone complaint is that there isn't a bit more diversity of subject matter. There are just a few too many articles focusing on romance than I would have liked.
Still and all, this is a great, great book, and although I have frequently noted in other reviews that anthologies by their very nature are inconsistent and uneven, this one breaks that rule. It starts off great and stays that way all the way through. I can't imagine anyone with any interest in Buffy at all, not loving this collection.
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Title:Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fifth Season ASIN: B0000AQS18 Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video Pub. Date: 09 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $59.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $38.99 |
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Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (Popular Culture and Philosophy Series) by James B. South ISBN: 0812695313 Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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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: Slayer Slang: A Buffy The Vampire Slayer Lexicon by Michael Adams, Jane Espenson ISBN: 0195160339 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title:Angel - Season Three ASIN: B0000TEW8C Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video Pub. Date: 10 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $59.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $38.99 |
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