Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel with TWO good endings, July 9, 2002
This review is from: Crossings (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
WARNING: Once again, we begin with a sincere warning not to read the copy that appears on the back cover and above describing the content of this novel. Apparently they write such things before the books are really written, which certainly explains why some of the recent BtVS one have been so off base. "Crossings" is Mel Odom's second "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" novel after last year's "Revenant," although his contribution to the "Tales of the Slayer, Volume 1" was the best of that rather uneven collection. This latest effort takes place in the wake of Joyce Summer's death during Season 5 and while at first it seems that Buffy's problems with Dawn is but a major subplot it becomes a critical part of the novel's payoff. But because the Slayer's sibling does not show up until well into the story you are distracted by the problem at hand, which involves a demon who wants to ascend character level (I am beginning to get the hang of the Buffy CCG). However, "Crossings" is one of those novels were everything comes together in the end for the big payoff. So while Buffy and Willow are tracking a Craulathar demon who collects body parts from corpses, Xander and Anya are trying to enjoy a "Star Trek" film festival, and Giles and Tara are attending a taping of the television program "Othersyde," they are all just picking up threads of Odom's narrative. Odom does an excellent job of maintaining the pace of this story, which takes place in the course of one night. Even as he adds more characters into the mix he keeps all of his balls in the air and you are never left wondering what is happening with anybody at any given moment. "Crossings" comes close to the actual pace of a television episode (it could not be because diversions and lavender eyes will cost big time special effects bucks). However, the main strength of this effort is Odom's characterization. The picture of Xander and Anya on the cover might be somewhat arbitrary (they just used Buffy and Dawn on the cover of "Sweet Sixteen"), but they are probably the two characters that Odom captures best, mainly because in both cases he reigns in their senses of humor; most BtVS novel writers give Anya way too much free reign, but Odom keeps her from going off the deep end. There is also a scene between Buffy and Dawn that is actually better than anything we have seen on television between the two, which really makes me realize that they need to do more with Dawn than making her the damsel in distress. Odom even has her actually do something constructive in the course of the adventure. I also like Odom's attention to detail, which is also reflected in the careful construction of his story. There is a point in the story where a pair of binoculars pops up. Admittedly, this is a small thing, but pay attention to how much sense it makes and why there should be more such things in the BtVS universe. He also has a hysterical scene when a TV medium has a more ghostly encounter, a guy who insists on calling the Slayer "ma'am," a pretty good pay off line for the Slayer's big kill, and not one but two good endings to his novel. Given the limitations that are placed on the writers of BtVS novels (e.g., do not write about the season's main villain, do not have anything really important happen, etc.), "Crossings" is a more than solid effort. Odom is really hitting stride and the auspices are pretty good that his next BtVS novel could be something pretty special.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It isn't a game anymore..., July 17, 2002
This review is from: Crossings (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
Crossings is Buffy at its best. Someone arrives in Sunnydale and he's recruiting video gamers to test a new virtual reality game. All the gamers know is that he calls himself Dredfahl and that the game is the greatest and most realistic they've ever played. Xander finds out what's going on one night when a friend of his goes insane at a movie theater. Turns out he's being possessed by a demon, and Dredfahl isn't quite who he seems... In Crossings, every character gets something to do, even the smaller characters. Buffy, Xander, Anya, Willow, Giles, Dawn, Spike and Tara all have things to do, as well as some new characters. One of the things that I liked best about this book is that pivotal information comes from everyone, not just one or two characters like usual (i.e. - usually Giles and/or Willow come up with a lot of the info). Everyone gets in on the action, and it actually works. The plot is pretty easy to follow, yet I don't ever remember being bored while reading. If you want a great Buffy book, go with Crossings. It's a major step up, especially following the dreadful Sweet Sixteen. I highly recommend Crossings to any fan of the Buffy series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Joystick Free Demon Chasing, August 16, 2002
This review is from: Crossings (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Mass Market Paperback)
When a Craulathar demon begins to collect people parts, the outcome is always bad. Buffy and Willow are following a trail of discards in an effort to track the demon down before it works some awful spell. Faced with a demon in the process of opening a gateway to some particularly malignant dimension, they are going to need help to shut the door. Whom do you call when you need an expert on serious badness...? Spike! Meanwhile... Xander and Anya are engrossed in a sci-fi film festival, popcorn in hand, when Robby Healdton, a gaming friend, plucks a fire axe of the walk and threatens to chop the audience into geek cutlets. Xander to the rescue (barely). Later, at the hospital, Xander discovers Robby isn't just acting as if he wasn't himself; he really isn't Robby at all! Even more meanwhile... Giles and Tara are in the studio audience watching Derek Traynor, a popular medium and spiritualist perform. Suddenly Traynor makes contact with the dead spirit of another friend of Xander's who is lost in another dimension. However, the boy still appears to in this world, alive and well! The Scooby gang realize that these tangled problems are the visible loose ends of a magic that has somehow managed to convert virtual reality into a tool to subjugate the world. Xander has disappeared, Dawn is giving Buffy a major headache, and a guitar playing New Orleans demon slayer shows up in Sunnydale with an agenda of his own. Soon Buffy is wishing she could go back to the old 'See it, put a stake in it' days. Mel Odom does a good job with this plot, but there is a lot of complex action in a very short novel. This is his forte, but sometimes the plot is a little hard to follow in the space allotted. Certainly, the book could easily have been longer, or there should have been one or two plot arcs less. To be honest, I find the Buffy/Dawn conflict is a bit overworked lately. The potential relationship between Bobby Lee Tooker (the Cajun demon duster) and Buffy never has a chance to develop with everything else going on, and he is a very interesting character. I hope that this is not a trend. What makes BTVS something else besides a monster kill-a-thon is the focus the show puts on its characters. Books like this that are heavily action focused are in danger of drifting away from a successful formula. All this criticism aside, the story is an active, upbeat book with some unusual twists to the use of magic. I enjoyed reading it, and would have enjoyed another fifty pages even more.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
