Customer Reviews

Avatar (Angel)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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There is a killer stalking the streets of Los Angeles, one sucks the essence from his victims leaving an empty husk. The only thing the victims have in common is the manner of their deaths and their link to the Internet. An Internet savvy demon is the last thing that Angel thought he would have to deal with - but you never say never in his line of work. As he tries to track the killer he is unaware that he is not the only one hunting the killer. A cult is on the trail too, but they plan to bind the demon. Now Angel is in the way - and they don't like that.

There are some authors for series like Angel and Buffy that make you feel like they are sitting inside their world. You get that feeling from John Passarella - it really feels like he has spent time with Buffy and Angel and really gotten inside their heads. The storyline of this novel is both gripping and seamless. It could have just as easily been an episode off the series. I agree with other reviewers here that Passarella compares really well to Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder and I can only hope that he writes more in the series.

Who is your ideal dream date? Imagine a demon who can deliver the perfect man or woman. That's exactly what author John Passarella has done. The one catch is that with one kiss your perfect date will vacuum you clean until there is nothing left but a lifeless skin. Using the internet a demon selects his victims from chatrooms in order to complete a ritual. A cult tracks the demon in order to bend it to their will. Kate assumes the cult is respondsible for the killings. The Powers That Be send Angel and his crew to stop the demon and the cult. The demon presents himself to Angel as the one person in all the world Angel wants and can't have.

While the mythology is a bit hard to follow at times, the action is non-stop. The characters are written true to their television voices. I recommend this book to Angel fans.

Elliot Grundy has made a deal with a demon. In return for everything he desires Elliot will help the demon to complete a ritual that will allow it to be reborn. Using Internet chatrooms, the pair are luring unsuspecting men and women into meeting with the demon, disguised as the victim’s ideal date. However, little does the demon know that an ancient cult seeks to posses and control it for their own purposes…

When Doyle’s visions lead Angel to the scene of a murder, he discovers that a man has been attacked by a demon that leaves behind nothing of the victim except for their skin. It soon emerges that this is not the first attack and that both men and women from all over L.A. are being targeted. The victims seem to have nothing in common, and the description of the attacker differs in every case. Angel has no idea who or what this demon may be.

“Avatar” was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. John Passarella manages to capture the characters exactly as they are in the TV show and ultimately produces an original, entertaining novel that maintains your interest throughout. There is no pause in the action and “Avatar” is one of the best of the Angel or Buffy books I have read so far. I recommend this book to all Angel fans.

Loved it! Fans of the TV show will definitely enjoy this novel. At some points it kind of grossed me out, but I couldn't stop reading because I enjoyed at the same time. Highly recommend.

I recently read John Passerella's first Buffy novel, Ghoul Trouble, and LOVED it. He captured the characters with such ease and approximately. And now, with Avatar, he does the same with the characters. Angel, Cordelia, Doyle, and even Kate are displayed respectfully and with the right characterization.

When a demon materializes in LA, needing to find 12 victims to complete a cycle in which the demon will be reunited with its true body, Angel and the crew are on top of it, along with the help of Detective Kate Lockley. The demon is using a man, who he promised the world to, to find his victims online in chatrooms. The demon appears to his victims as what they most desire. On a side note, Cordelia wants a website made for Angel Investigations, and that results in some humorous moments. Especially with the aide of a teenage computer geek.

Passarella really knows how to write a novel. It's absolutely expertise, and he knows exactly what he's writing about. He never makes the novel drag or become dull. There is one incident that makes the whole novel though. It plays out when Cordelia is chosen as bait to lure the demon in so Angel and Doyle can destroy it. We then see who each one of them desire. It's a very interesting and suspenseful moment in the novel.

John Passerella is now up there with Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder as one of the best Buffy and Angel novelists. I hope to see more coming from him in the future.

First of all, let me start out by saying that John Passarella is one of the top authors writing for Buffy & Angel. His story flows so smoothly, and you feel like you're watching an episode of the show.

There's just one thing I think I missed when reading this. If everyone was meeting online in chat rooms, and then setting up a location to meet in person within a few hours or a day, did the book ever explain that they were only going into LA chat rooms?

I might have missed that part, but if you're in a chat room, people could be from anywhere in the world.

Anyway, I would highly recommend this book and any others by John Passarella.

Out in Los Angeles a so-so net hacker has managed to make a deal with a demon. A deal that will allow that demon to complete a ritual of slaughter and be reborn a second time on the earth. Vishrak demons are bad news even in their first incarnation, but when incarnated for the second time they leave large holes in the population. Now Elliott Grundy the not-quite-hacker is using the net to troll for victims.

On the other side of town Doyle, Angel's assistant, has had a vision that sends Angel to a death site where he runs into Kate Lockley, the detective. Other than a dried, empty skin there is no evidence. Kate tells Angel that this is not the first victim. Angel follows up the other cases and finds few clues. The victims are male and female with nothing in common. And witnesses all seem to have seen a different killer. Angel knows it's a demon, but he has no idea what.

Coming from Las Angeles and San Francisco members of a secret sect come together. Called the Brotherhood of Vishrak, they possess secret lore. For they know the power of Vishrak blood and have hunted them through the ages. Now their down to the last Vishrak demon on earth, except he's not quite on earth yet. With fierce intensity they too are following the killings, trying to catch the demon. Their plan is to trap it in this dimension so that it can be their own, personal keg of Vishrak essence.

Angel, Cordelia and Doyle race against time to track the demon and its human assistant down. And discover how to kill it. They need help from other demons, friends, and the Internet itself. "Avatar," is a non-stop chase scene with short breaks for research and monster feedings. John Passarella is a natural story teller, and all the characters, even the demon, ring perfectly true. This is the kind of book you can almost read in one sitting. As is true of most books set in the Buffy-verse you need some familiarity with the TV shows to understand some of the references. But not a whole lot. If this is your first Angel book or your seventh, you'll love it.

This was the fourth Angel book that I've read. So far, it's the first that really seemed to capture the characters and the spirit of the show. According to the blurb at the back, this is only Passarella's second novel (and his first solo attempt), but surprisingly it reads like it was written by a seasoned pro. The dialog is realistic (okay, Angel uses a few too many puns during the battle scenes for my taste, but a small flaw in an otherwise fantastic grasp of the character), the fight scenes intense and the plot well thought out. If you're an Angel fan who is unhappy with the quality of some of the tie-in books that you've read, here is one that is sure to please.

Angel Investigations verses a computer geek, a rebirthing demon, and a single-minded cult that wishes to control the monster. There is plenty of fun as each character reacts to the demon's physical appearance in a different way. I don't normally read novelizations of TV shows (even shows I like) but I am familiar with John Passarella from his award winning horror novel WITHER, and thought this might be fun to read. I really liked that each character seems to have stepped right out of the show -- even Doyle is there to wise-crack and lust after Cordelia. This book is fun and has obviously been written by an excellent writer who is also a fan of the show and the series. Highly recommended for Angel fans.