Customer Reviews

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide 02 (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sagebrush))

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This reference book is everything a reader wanted to know about season three and four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As volume one covered the first two seasons, The Watcher's Guide, Volume Two by Nancy Holder with Jeff Mariotte and Maryelizabeth Hart chronicles the next two seasons. In addition to the episode guide, character and cast profiles, the book explores the Buffyverse, the wonderful world of Buffy from creation to production. It has many features including quote of the week and scenes that were cut from the original scripts. Of course the romances are detailed with all their tragic passions. The pictures are wonderful. I also enjoyed the sections on the bands and merchandise. This book is a must for all Buffy fans.

For fans of the hit show, this is an absolute must. Whereas the last 'Watcher's Guide' was geared a little bit more towards a younger audience, the second installement (looking over seasons three and four) is definitely aimed at adults. Each episode of the two series is given a thorough synopsis, with quotes, pictures and pop culture references. Particularly worth pointing out is the respectable explanation of season four finale 'Restless', a complicated episode that has whole pages dedicated to its meaning on the Internet.

The interviews are much more interesting, and longer, than in the previous guide. For instance, gone are questions about distinguishing marks. The only nitpick is that there isn't a proper interview with the big stars of the show such as Sarah Michelle Gellar herself. Saying that, the extensive cast biographies mostly make up for this. These are even expanded upon by what is probably the most interesting feature of the entire book: interviews with the people behind-the-scenes of 'Buffy'. The guide looks at what went into designing and decorating Tara's room, for example, right down to minscule details such as paintings on the wall. There are even small interviews and biographies of the lesser stars such as Paige Moss who played Verruca, and Fab Filipo who played Scott Hope.

Overall, this is a definite must-have for any 'Buffy' fan.

In Series Three and Four of `Buffy the Vampire Slayer' the show moved into a new dimension. The characters grew up before our eyes, new characters were introduced and the show cemented its place as one of the freshest most original pieces of sci-fi/fantasy television around.

But why? Why was this show such a success? Why do millions of viewers around the world crowd around their TVs and take in the majesty that is `Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? You really want to know do you? Really?

Then read this book. It really is the Buffy equivalent of the Bible. It goes into scary detail about plot, characters, cast and crew whilst dissecting each and every episode of Series Three and Four of Buffy into manageable bite size chunks. Not once in this book will you find any attempts to fill up page space with useless babble. The last third of the book is a fascinating look into the making of Season 4 episode `The I in Team' with interviews with almost every person who makes Buffy a joy to watch.

Make no mistake; this is one book that no Buffy fan, from casual watchers to Buffy crazed fanatics, should not be without.

This book can only be summed up as EXCELLENT. This book had everything an avid Buffy fan would need. The detail in this book was amazing, as was its writing style.

First off, this book deatils the world according to buffy, with all information on the Buffy world, be it monsters or harsh reality of life. It then gives detailed Character profiles, and summaries to show what makes each character tick. This is an excellent introduction to the book.

It then gives completely detailed (and deatiled is the word) summary of each episode in both seasons 3 and 4, with refernecing to season 1,2, and tid-bits of season 5.

It then goes behind the scenes with star interviews (every cast member and guest star), and behind the scenes of the episode, "The I in Team." It even lists the sudden departure of Seth Green (Oz) and why he left a major story line (and how it was trimmed back.)

This book was an excellent piece of work, as it is greatly detailed with tremendous effort. It gives the reader everythng they wanted to know about Buffy, and her world. Nancy Holder, the Author, must be commended on her great effort (as well as her supporting authors).

However, there are some flaws. The only major flaw is the countless number of typeos, this may not seem like much, but after a while you start to want to use the spell-check! Also, the last episode (Restless) should have been a little (little!) more detailed, as it was so different to other episodes in the past.

Still it's a great read, and deserves 5 stars. A MUST HAVE for all Buffy-fans.

Got Buffy?

The second Watchers Guide is packed with information. It contains everything you'd expect from an official guide, and more. Besides the episode summarys it has many interviews with cast and crew members, such as all the staff writers, actors Marc Blucas, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head and loads of supporting cast, and even extras. Then there are the obligatory profiles of the cast and characters, all done with with lots of detail, and enough quotes and cut dialogue to keep people satisfied. The "Creating Buffy" section gives you a detailed look at how episodes are made, the process involved, ect. So, with all of this information, you're in for an entertaining read, right?

Unfortunately, all of this is as interesting to read as a school textbook. It is riddled with continuity mistakes, misinterpritations, and observations from the writers that can leave you feeling frustrated. The questions asked during the interviews are uninspired and, with the exeptions of ASH, Amber Benson and Emma Caulfied, they are sometimes incredibly boring to read. This volume lacks the 'fun' feel of the first, and does not come close to living up to it. A missed feature is 'Bloodlust: Sunnydale Love Connections', which was instead replaced by the dull 'The Pain'. It's missing the little facts which were found in the corners of the last volume, instead packing it all in the overly long sections. These are simply the more noticable problems with it; another was my feeling that it simply had not been proof-read. Besides the glaring errors in continuity, it is full of spelling mistakes, among other things.

To put it simply, this guide to the Buffy-verse doesn't match up to the first Watchers Guide, or the excellent Monster Book. Borrow it off your friends, buy it if you find it half price.

While the first Watcher's Guide was almost like a test for the Buffy audience to see if such a book would appeal to them, this second Watcher's Guide is written on the author's knowledge of the success of the first!

Its format is much like that of the first Watcher's Guide with a detailed episode guide and interesting explanations of Joss Whedon's pop culture references in the show. As Season 4 became more complex than previous seasons, this book is an essential and informative guide that will help viewers to understand the meanings of such episodes as "Restless" as well as pick up on smaller things that they may have missed.

It also includes exclusive information about the makeup and behind-the-scenes work done on Buffy including photos of the cast backstage, which is always interesting. There are several pages of colour photos throughout the book which are also a good item to have for any die-hard Buffy fan.

The only gripe I have about this book is that I would have loved to have seen more quotes!! The writing is one of my favourite parts of the TV show so I would have liked to have seen them show off some off Joss' best work! Other than that, this book is a great read for any Buffy fan with a lot of time on their hands; it's a fair bit longer than the first Watcher's Guide but that's just more fascinating information on the show to learn about!

A must-have for any Buffy fans, and it is an obvious addition to the first Watcher's Guide if you already own that one. I say, bring on Watcher's Guide 3!

The Watcher's Guide: Volume 2 covers seasons three and four of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Season three featured rogue Slayer Faith, the megalomaniacal Mayor of Sunnydale, and introduced a subsequent regular, former vengeance demon Anya; season four had the secret military operation known as the Initiative and their creation, the Frankenstein-like Adam, and brought on as regulars neutered vampire Spike and soldier-boy Riley.

This book is incredibly in-depth -- with interviews of everyone from the main actors (Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles, and James Marsters, who plays Spike, are notable highlights) down to the set designers and makeup artists. It has summaries of every episode, along with the pop-culture references and notable quotes from each. It looks at the making of the season four episode "The I in Team," where season baddie Adam first appears. And, of course, it has pages of full-color pictures from the series. While not groundbreaking when compared to the first volume, it's still a solid, informative book in its own right.

If you're even mildly a fan, you need to own this book!

The Watcher's Guide Vol. 2 is a superb companion for seasons three and four of this great show. Much like the first guide, it breaks down each episode, providing a synopsis, cast list, music, etc. In addition there are interviews with the cast, photos and other bonuses. Buffy is such an intrigent show that moves quickly and sometimes things can be missed. With the assistance of the guide you can go over every nook and cranny of every show and not miss a thing.

If it was the end of Season 2 that made it clear that Joss Whedon's little fancy of a young Slayer and her doughty band of misfits was a force to be contended with, it was the following two seasons that demonstrated the ability of BTVS to baffle its critics and make original dramatic statements completely beyond the range of standard teen fare. Volume 2 of The Watcher's Guide is a giant concatenation of all that went into the making of those two years. From props to folks, and every kind of critter in between.

This is the time when love blossoms and falls on its face - the spectacular Zander/Willow/Cordelia/Oz breakup playing counterpoint to the winding down of Buffy's relationship with Angel. Then graduation, college, the Initiative and even more strange relationship vibes. The appearance of Riley, Anya, and Tara. The repercussion of these two seasons are still echoing years later, so watching them and learning their backgrounds are required reading for the Buffy fanatic [in my case it's Willow fanatic]

Partially, this is a repeat of Volume 1's style with more details, fewer quotes and a whole lot of interviews. Of course, it is quite a bit thicker. Some of which is explained by the presence of more glossy photos, but a major component is the writers' compulsive expenditure of energy on lengthy interviews. This is a good, not a bad. Moreover, very little is a rehash of the Volume 1 articles. One of my pet likes was the planning of all the staff interviews around the production of Episode 13 from Season 4, 'The I in Team.' It introduces all the people who never get on film, and provides a mini-lesson on what goes into the making of an episode. As I said, if you are going to be a fan you have to read these. So put down the stakes and rest in your coffins with a good book.

I saw this book on the counter at B. Dalton's, as I was in line at the check-out, and put down two other books just so I'd have enough money to purchase it. I absolutely loved the first Watcher's Guide, and I just knew that this one was a must-have. I was even more excited to see that it was chunkier than the first as well.

Well, chunkier isn't necessarily better. The reviews of all the episodes in seasons 3 and 4 are as good as ever, especially with the sidebars and the "quote of the week" and the "pop-culture I.Q" included in each. I just felt that the second guide lacked a bit everywhere else. I suppose it would be more difficult though to write new information/personal bios of the original/regular cast, seeing as how it was done so throroughly in the first guide, and so much was said about the "behind the scenes" action in the first guide it was difficult to really get into the same info in the new book.

Still, a must have for any fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the talented people who are involved in all aspects of this show (including the novels and multimedia).