Customer Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2: Halloween Rain; Bad Bargain; Afterimage

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The good: With the simple-minded plots and language of these novels, it is obvious that they are written for 9-10 year olds, so it should give the very young and unsophisticated an introduction to Buffy. The bad: For the most past the novels are adequately well written, except for the pathetic offering by Nancy Holder. I think she fancies herself a comedian, so in nearly every line spoken by any character and in every tiny bit of exposition, she throws in constant one-liners that are so not funny and so lame, that it gets incredibly annoying rather quickly.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2 presses three novels together in one neat package: "Halloween Rain", "Bad Bargain" and "Afterimage". These stories coincides with Season One of "Buffy" and the beginning of Season Two, before "Angel" becomes everyone's nightmare. The three stories tie in nicely together with similiar themes: Giles' relationship with Buffy. He doesn't understand her teenage, American ways, but he has complete trust in her ability to get the job done when a crisis arrives. Willow and Xander are her devoted friends. Even Cordelia is woven nicely into each story with her trademark coldness wih a hint of tenderness underneath. "Halloween Rain" is a story written so that the reader could visualize Buffy making warm pie out of Pumpkinhead. My problem starts with Gallagher's characterization of Cordelia and Buffy. Cordelia is written like a one not mean girl and Buffy seems humorless and unsure of herself. Johnathan and Andrew were never friends in high school. Why did Gallagher choose to create that friendship dynamic? "Afterimage" is a story that could have been bought to life on the small screen with the intriguing stranger going to the Magic Box and Buffy and the gang battling beings from the movie screen.