8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Solid Fun Read, March 16, 2006
This review is from: Afterimage (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm suprised that some other reviewers, who basically liked this book, only gave it 3 stars. This isn't American Idol, you don't have to be so exacting. I've read practically all the Buffy books and this isn't the best, but I still gave it 5 stars. Why? Because it's GOOD. The author captured the characters, dialogue and the fun aspects of the show well. Also, I thought the whole drive-in concept was pretty clever and original with some funny moments. I loved the whole Inga/Giles bit too! Some parts lag a bit with some spotty writing here and there, but lighten up folks. Wouldn't you all rather have this guy write another book then some of the hacks they've had in the past? At least Askegren knows what he's doing, Marie Celeste flub, aside. My 5 stars indicate to other Buffy fans that Afterimage is worthwhile and a fun read, nothing more. What's the best? That's debateable. Let's try to encourage the publishers to keep the good writers, like this guy, going. Who knows maybe his next one WILL be the best.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, July 2, 2006
This review is from: Afterimage (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was good if a little dry at times. For the most part it keeps you entertained. I like that Cordelia had a big role in the storyline. Usually in the Buffy books she is persona non grata. I did think there should be more focus on Buffy though. It did annoy me that the book didn't narrow down the time period it was set in until close to the end (the writer finally revealed it was set about a year after Buffy came to town). I wanted more about the back story of Buffy. But for a short read this was pretty good. I would recommend it to anyone with a few free hours on their hands.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Jhaeman's Review, March 14, 2006
This review is from: Afterimage (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
Afterimage
Pierce Askegren (2006)
RATING: 3/5 Stakes
SETTING: Season Two (ambiguous)
CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Giles, Xander, Joyce, Angel, Harmony, Aura, Jonathan, Principle Snyder, Xander's Dad, Xander's Mom
MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Balsamo (Caliogstro, evil alchemist); Amanda (Magic Box employee)
BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Sunnydale, California, hosts more than its fair share of action and horror. It's understandable, then, that news of the long-closed Sunnydale Drive-In's grand reopening with a scheduled night-long festival of classic action and horror movies is met with disinterest or disdain by Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia. Only Xander, who has been spending his afternoons on the drive-in's work crew, is eager to enjoy the rewards of his effort. Buffy is too distracted to sit and take in a movie, anyway. A frightening encounter with a werewolf ends with its vanishing-not into the woods, but evaporating like a ghost before her eyes. Suspicious people in dated clothing and hairstyles are spotted throughout town but don't appear to be the usual vampires. And most disturbing, a sleeping sickness begins to sweep over town, leaving those affected in a state of extreme drowsiness-or a coma. It's no wonder no one notices the distinguished-looking gentleman of indeterminate age. His name is Balsamo. At least, that's what he's calling himself this century. But Xander simply knows him as `Boss' and has been promised a prime parking space for the upcoming evening's spectacle. . . ."
REVIEW
With such a thorough back-of-the-book summary, I almost don't even feel the need to recap the plot, but here I go anyway: Sunnydale has a new drive-in movie theater and you can bet something bad is gonna happen when it opens (anything new in Sunnydale is almost automatically evil). The man with the plan is a centuries-old schemer better known as the evil alchemist Caliogstro, and the magic crystals that power his movie projector make some of the screen characters become real. Oh, and if you go to see a movie? Good chance you'll fall into a coma real quick.
Afterimage is well-plotted and paced, with a good lead-up to the mystery and one of the better demonstrations of how the Scooby's do detective work. Although the dialogue is only average, the action scenes are enjoyable and there's a very sweet scene when Xander, unable to convince anyone to go to the drive-in with him on opening night, decides to ask Jonathan. All in all, an average but satisfying offering.
Simon & Schuster has continued to focus most of its recent Buffy books on the high school years-wouldn't it be interesting to see them try a more intense, hard-edged, high-stakes novel geared toward adults?
Jhaeman's Buffy Reviews: www.geocities.com/jhaeman
(c) 2006 Jeremy Patrick (jhaeman@hotmail.com)
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