Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [Paperback]

Nancy Holder (Author)

Book Description

Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Publication Date: May 6, 2003

The strongest magic ever distilled, and the deadliest butcher England has ever known...Buffy is on the trail of a killer demon, and reluctantly needs Spike's help. But Spike, as usual, has an agenda of his own. The demon carries vial of pure magical power, and Spike can think of several people -- or demons for that matter -- who would pay the earth to have it in their possession. Doc, for instance. Or Rack. Or the nameless evil known only as The First. Spike has met The First before. In the good old days in Victorian London when he, Drusilla, Angelus and Darla ran through the night in pursuit of unholy fun, another terror also stalked the streets. And when the so-called 'Jack the Ripper' struck too close for comfort, the vampires found themselves on the same side as the Slayer of that time. Working to bring down Jack, and running afoul of The First, Spike and the Slayer formed an uneasy alliance: a bond which has tracked him down the years to twenty-first century Sunnydale, now blanketed in an eerie, mysterious fog...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nancy Holder lives in San Diego with her young daughter Belle. She is a four-time Bram Stoker award winner for her work in supernatural fiction and the author of several Buffy and Angel bestsellers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743468198
• ISBN-13: 978-0743468190
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bloody hell, this is painful, May 15, 2003

By 

Gisele "easyreader" (Brazil) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Blood and Fog" starts very slow, and when you finally manages to get into the storyline, you stumble across some mistakes and annoyances concerning the portrayal of Spike that keep you wondering which will be the next thing that will make you hit the ceiling.

It's very disappointing when you buy a book hoping to enjoy a good story with your favorite character and ends up finding out that the author haven't even bothered to do some research about him, and therefore avoided making such primary mistakes like portraying Spike as a "white-haired lad" in the flashbacks (did he use to bleach his hair in 1888, already?), showing him lighting up his cigs with matches (haven't you been introduced to Spike's lighter, Mrs. Holder?), or worst of all, affirm that Spike's chip does work on Buffy (and implying if it didn't, he would kill her in a heart beat), when even the casual viewer who watched season 6 should know that the chip haven't worked on Buffy since she came back from the dead - and never did cross Spike's mind to bite the Slayer. However, through the book, you keep getting references to Spike as "serial killer", "the loser vampire of all time", "evil", "every human's enemy", "bloody thirsty killer", "murderer", "thing", "predatory animal". Want more? Spike, besides evil, is a moron; at least one time, he doesn't get what Buffy says (making him, besides dead, brain dead, as Buffy points out), and is bad at math. Towards the end, the author concedes a little bit, and Spike is shown as not soooo evil - but then, too little, too late. I, for one, was already very angry and disgusted.

The flashbacks with Angelus, Darla, Spike and Dru are just correct. And we are given some news - Angelus killed Slayers! Not according to what we've learned on the small screen, at all. To my understanding, Spike was the one who used to seek and fight Slayers, not Angel's evil self.

And the Buffy/Angel nonsense? "She drooped inside, wishing for it to be Angel who was downstairs"... So, of course, we don't get any Spuffy love (or sex, whatever). ***Please, let this to B/A novels, for B/A fans to buy; there's no Angel on season 6, he's been GONE for years, Spike is the PRESENT in Buffy's and viewers' lives.***

And Wicca (shouldn't be Wiccan?) Willow... is the junkie Willow, who has seizures, and throws up in the toilet. If it was necessary to put the poor character in a "bad place", it would have been much more fun to read about her evil side (Dark Willow), than about the magick addicted witch.

And if all of this weren't enough, many dialogues on "Blood and Fog" are quite dull, like the parts with Xander, Anya (who, according to the book, has "demon blood") and Tara in the car; just words that go on endlessly without getting anywhere. And you get just bored with the numerous descriptions of how "cold and how scared people are in Sunnydale", besides confused about the final battle. The plot itself - Jack The Ripper, the Fomhóire, and the Tuatha (no mention of First Evil - well, just once, but he/it is soon forgotten - or Doc or agendas, by the way) - isn't that bad, but doesn't compensate the bad things, either.

So Fox, if Spike is one of the main characters of a novel set from season 5 on, please, don't give me things like "Blood and Fog"; "These Our Actors" and "Little Things" are good examples of respect for what it was shown on TV - and what I enjoyed. I do want books with Spike (and/or Spuffy), but I don't appreciate him portrayed as being evil to the core.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for Spike fans...., May 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)

I think that with a little judicious editing, and a more careful eye to detail, this book could have been a lot better. There are canon inaccuracies in the book that make it very distracting (for example, on the show in season 6, Spike could hurt Buffy even in with his chip in; the author of the book maintains otherwise.) There is also some very sloppy printing, in that the wrong title is printed on some of the header pages. (Hopefully this will be corrected if the book goes into a second printing.)

My impression is that the author is not a Spike fan, but did the very best she could within the constraints that Fox has put on writers that the Spike character must never be portrayed as having good intentions (even though that isn't what we saw onscreen.) At least Holder does maintain the wonderful relationship Spike once had with Dawn and which was lost in the atrocity that was canon season 6.

Spike loved/loves Buffy, genuinely and sincerely; I've come away from this book not entirely convinced that the author recognizes that, which is why my opinions are so lukewarm.

With such a vibrant, passionate, *alive* character to work with, the book should have been so much better.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm not bad..., May 8, 2003

By 

Naomi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood and Fog (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was okay. I brought it because I am a fan of Spike, and seeing Spike and Buffy on the cover made me finally believe that we would get some decent Spike characterisation. My feelings having read the book are mixed. There was a lot of positive Spike/Dawn interaction which is always welcome. Also the Buffy/Spike sex was very erotic and worth a read.

I felt this book fell short in Spike saying if he ever got the chip out he would hurt and kill Buffy. That confused me as it is not true at all. Maybe the auther missed some season 6 episodes as it was well established that Spike can hurt Buffy because his chip no longer recognises her as human since she was ressureceted. It was a major plot point in Smashed with the two beating each other up before their first time, I was surprised the auther missed that. I also was surprised at the suggestion that Spike could ever hurt Dawn. In Intervention he is willing to die to protect her secret (partly because of Buffy and partly for Dawn). He babysat Dawn for an entire summer, telling her to go to school etc. He was a protective big brother, I felt it was sloppy writing having the slightest hint that Spike would betray those he loved. In season 6 he was not above hurting strangers, or having the odd sneaky deal. But the implication that he would kill Buffy if give the chance is frankly ridiculous. He got a soul for Buffy!

Overall those niggling moments I mentioned do stand out. But perhaps the bad points are being exagerated by frustrated Spike fans? I for one did find the book enjoyable overall. Spike fans get such little choice in the buffy range with far to much concentration on Buffy/Angel for the teens (I am looking at you Christopher Golden). I prefered These Our Actors but this book was fine I personally felt. Only next time the auther should make sure she watches all episodes so she has the facts straight in her mind. Spike talking of wanting the chip out so he could hurt Buffy really did stand out.