Customer Reviews

The Complete Slayer: An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Every Episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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What is left to say in the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer?. Not a lot. But Keith Topping's latest, and assumably last, offering in the Buffy world, is the last one tome of Buffy lore that every fan, or newbie, must own. Topping has already least 3 previous editions of this book covering a new season as it comes along. Some may of felt gyped to shell out bucks for each new installment, when a lot of it was stuff you had already purchased and read in the other editions. But now, Mr. Topping has released his work on the Buffy universe in one big, cohesive book that has it all. One stop shopping, folks. There have already been numerous books on the show, but only a few of a fan's critical review of the material. Nikki Stafford's "Bite Me"

book was a lot of fun, but I believe that Topping's "Slayer" tops them all. In fact, I will go so far as to say that his book is THE one to have. Unlike one other one I read recently, Topping clearly loves this show. Through the good times and bad. And even in the bad times, he is more thoughtful,intelligent, and respectful than other critics. He is never too harsh, and when he has strong opinions on something, they are fair, mature, and still contain a wisp of praise even when he doesn't agree with something. But more than anything else, Topping writes with a sure hand that displays his genuine love and affection for the show, it's characters, and everyone involved in it. And to top it all off, he is quite witty and the book is filled with a number of witty and funny comments. The book is all about the episodes, and Topping has gone into each one with wonderful and insightful detail. Like most of the other books, Topping's episode guides have different categories. First, of course, is the plot of each episode itself. There is "Dudes And Babes", a funny part that pinpoints when a male or female of carying degress of hotness or importance is mentioned. "A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing" is a section that points out something in an episode where someone has learned, or is learning, something. "School Dinners" I think pretty much describes itself. "It's A Designer Label!" showcases the wardrobe that our characters are wearing. "References" is pretty much explainable. Pop culture references mentioned on the show. Then there is "Bi**H!", my personal favorite, that points out some of the more catty coments on the show. Mostly coming from either Cordelia or Buffy. "Valley-Speak" has dialogue spoken on the show with that oh so hip slang. "Logic, Let Me Introduce You To This Window" is one of many fans' favorites. A section that picks out moments or situations that are mistakes, or just don't make any sense. "Quote/Unquote" is basically a part that brings out some of the best lines in an individual episode. "Notes" is Topping's part of the episode where he has his final word/say and critique of the episode. "Soundtrack" is what you think it is. Music, and the artists playing it, in an episode of the show. There are a few others that pop up here and there. Ones like "Awesome!" that points out a really cool moment in an episode. "You May Remeber Me From Such Films..." tells you where you may of seen some of the more familiar people who appear in an episode. "Denial, Thy Name Is Joyce" is a funny one where the author pinpoints Mrs. Summers' cluelessness to the world around her, before findout her daughter is a vampire slayer at the end of season two. What's great is that Topping also has a section on the Buffy novels, with a minor critique of them too. That is something that would go under his "Awesome!" category. The only thing this book doesn't have, and would of been better with, is a bit of color. And pictures. But who's picky?. Topping has delivered what I, and many others, believe to be the number one Buffy book. I can't imagine anything more coming from him, or anyone, on this subject, so this book is a mighty amazing one to go out on.

Once again, Keith Topping delivers. Out of all the Buffy guides out there that I have read, this one is the best. Even better, it contains all of his previous Slayer guides in one volumn. I had almost bought the 3rd edition for $80.00 used, but I saw that this was due to be released, so I waited. Thank goodness! :)If you're a Buffy fan you will not be disappointed by this guide.

I bought this book locally because, the last time I checked Amazon, it was on a 1-2 months wait here- big mistake because The Complete Slayer is now available in a reasonable time at a good price.

I've just started reading it and find that just about everything seems to be covered, even the original movie starring Kristy Swanson. You'll find original US & UK broadcast dates, episode cast lists,music, descriptions and quotes for each episode as well as a lot of interesting trivia bits. That last part surprised me because this isn't even Topping's Slayer trivia book. The man obviously loved the show, there's so much here (I guess he got it right, I do remember a little item or two that aren't mentioned in this book)the problem is that, at 702 pages, it may be a little hard to get into for a casual reader.

If you can get only one viewer's guide to BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, this is definitely the one to get. Compared to the other guides, this one contains a lot more of the information you most want to have and is simply a lot more fun. If you have a question about some music used on the show (usually by bands appearing at the Bronze), this will have it. If you want to know where you have seen a performer before, this is likely to have it. If you want to check for cultural allusions this will have a majority of them (though curiously there is no mention that the sixth season episode "Older, and Farther Away" had its central plot line lifted pretty straightforwardly from the Luis Bunuel surrealist masterpiece THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL, in which a group of people at a party mysteriously find themselves unable to leave). On top of all the sheer information the book contains several fascinating essays that offer interesting insights into BUFFY, as well as an extensive though by no means exhaustive bibliography on all things Buffy. For a more extensive bibliography one should consult the various reference links at www.slayage.tv.

BUFFY was such an astonishingly rich show that a guide such as this will greatly enhance the viewing process. Sometimes thinking about one thing that has happened will cause you to miss something else that is happening after that. The best way to approach a show as complex as BUFFY, especially one that is so rife with cultural references, is to go at it from a variety of directions: reviewings of the episodes, reading essays, listening to commentary, reading script books, and reading through viewing guides. This one is widely considered by many fans to be the finest one available. I certainly agree with this assessment. It does bring a British perspective on the whole affair, but that is actually a strength, since it calls attention to details that might not immediately strike an American as noteworthy.

This is as good as guide to any TV show as I've ever seen - lots of detail, care and obvious attention. It doesn't include any photographs because it's an unofficial guide and, obviously, there's a copyright issue. If you want nothing but photos there are plenty of magazines out there with nothing else but. if you want 720 pages of text about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this is the book for you.

Highly recommended for the diehard Buffy fan who insists on learning as much as possible about this rare TV gemstone. I've watched the programme avidly at least a dozen times and Topping's book enables me to see new and fascinating aspects of the show which I had previously missed. I find many of the author's observations quite informative and even witty. However, his criticisms of certain aspects of the show -- though not by any stretch mean-spirited -- are sometimes a bit harsh. It is a shame that the book is no longer in print, and I had to acquire a rather tattered, dog-eared copy. Perhaps the author would be willing to release an expanded and revised edition (*ahem* with photos *ahem*) for the show's upcoming 20th anniversary. Let's all cross our fingers...

Personally, with all the hype, I thought it would have been better than it is. In size and content, it looks more like a Stephen King novel than a BtVS information book. Sure, it has a lot of text in it, but personally, most of the information is fluff and can be found in better context in books like "The Watcher's Guide" series.

I just couldn't get into reading through this book. The sections on each episode are too short, badly written and it contains a lot of sections and information about each episode that frankly nobody really cares about or would have even thought about. If you took out all of the useless information and fluff, not counting the MIS-information (I found TONS of false information that I was able to prove by popping in my DVD and watching the episode... mis-quoted lines credited to characters that did not even say them, etc) the book would be VERY thin, and would be lucky to be classified as a coffee table book!

All of the other books on BtVS at least have photos, humor, etc, but this book is just 100% text... it is literally like reading a novel! If you are a SUPER fan and simply want every book about BtVS, then by all means purchase this, but at just under $10, I personally think it was not worth the paper it was printed on!