Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I expected/hoped for more., 13 Oct 2001
Logistically, it is very difficult for the TV shows 'Buffy' and 'Angel' to manage crossovers. Bearing that in mind (and Holder's earlier success in doing what the show can't in the 'Gatekeeper' trilogy) I hoped for the crossover novels to be real crossover events; instead, we got two ends of the same problem worked, true, but from the usual groups. There was very little interaction between the established LA and Sunnydale groups - Willow crossed over, there were phone calls, and Buffy and Angel spent a bare minimum of time with each other in the alternities. Apart from that, this could have been a BtVS novel and a separate Ats novel quite easily. There's amazing potential in full-cast crossovers; I expected something specifically billed as a crossover trilogy to fulfill a lot more of it.Once again, characterisation took second place to numerous fight scenes. Attempts to build up the original characters came to a glaring stop in favour of tales of woodland sprites and dragons. I was interested in Buffy and Angel in their unknown realities; instead, I got interminable scenes of the gang in Sunnydale and the gang in LA, culminating in a miniscule payoff (collecting the lost teens takes about ten pages of 350) and Spike. Spike gets his very own subplot in this part of the story, which besides being pretty dull has absolutely nothing to do with anything that has already happened. There's a distinct feeling the authors just needed to get him in somewhere and couldn't fit him in with the Scooby Gang. Similar is the Faith subplot; though this actually has a decent purpose, it seems to have been levered in so Gunn and Riley would have something to do. It's true that Holder and Mariotte had to work within established canon and so had very little room in which to maneouver, but the characters feel entirely unchanged at the end of the series. Continuity was generally good, except for a glaring error concerning Xander referencing an incident very recognisable as being from season 5 (the story is supposed to take place the summer before 5). This book is worth reading as the last part of a trilogy that isn't particularly worth reading. A disappointing follow-through of an interesting premise.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
For Slayer Chicks and Angelic Boys who love scifi/horror, 11 Sep 2001
Sometimes it's hard to read a book that has either been made into a TV show, or is inspired by characters from it, because the picture of the characters in it that the author paints are so different to the counterparts on screen. This time, however, the character in the book have Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz as their inspiration. The premise of this book, bringing together Angel and Buffy again, is a good one. After all, the chemistry of the characters in the first Buffy series extended a long way beyond the actors, and there is certainly something very intriguing about a vampire and a vampire slayer working together for a common goal, and even falling for each other in the process. What is accomplished well in this book is a good visual description of the creatures they encounter, although for a while I was concerned that Buffy and Angel had merely wandered into a game of Dungeons and Dragons because the adventure/escape from mystical land aspect is a little overplayed at some points. At first I was worried that the 'stuck in a parallel universe' story has been overused in most horror/scifi writing, and so this didn't immediately grab me as some of the previous Buffy offerings. Truthfully I picked it only because I am such a huge Buffy fan. Now I am glad I did read it because despite the initial misgiving on plot, it was hugely enjoyable, with interesting twists in the tale, surprises and suspense around every corner, and a style of writing that makes you want to keep reading until you find out how Buffy and Angel are going to escape this parallel world and get back to Sunnydale as we know it. I'd recommend it to any sci-fi fan, any Buffy fan, and anyone who likes an easy read, but if you're hoping for more of an intellectual challenge, you'll probably find the likes of 'The Lost Girls' better for unexplained/horror mystery, or Dean Koontz better for length.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The long way home., 5 Sep 2001
By A Customer
Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte have finally done something for the viewers - a crossover trilogy. As Buffy and Angel do not meet in the series following this fictional novel, this trilogy provides a farewall to the stake crossed lovers. There were many unanswered questions about Buffy and Angel following series 4. Nancy and Jeff bring the reader back to Sunnydale and Los Angeles as it is on the shows. Few times will viewers enjoy the books, which most are set in previous seasons, but this novel is modelled on the three month period between the ends and the beginning of a new series of Buffy and Angel, and shall keep any Buffy or Angel fans happy, as the trilogy involving other dimensions, missing teenagers and storys in both towns comes to a finish. BUY IT NOW, YOU WON'T REGRTET IT.
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