Customer Reviews

Doomsday Deck

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

 

 

Doomsday Deck is a good book. The Tarot is intelligent and the author seems to know alot about this subject. However, I rejected this book a 4 or 5-star rating because it doesn't explain clearly enough about Justine's paintings, the characters just aren't the same and the subject of Tarot doesn't really match slaying vampires excellently. I like stories about witchcraft and psychic people, and although this book's psychic story is interesting, the idea of people who touch Justine's Tarot cards and then become one of her paintings is totally laughable. It's hard to see Buffy taking this idea seriously in the TV show. There is a descriptive, intriguing and overall cracking conclusion that almost forgives all the film's faultS but when you look back, you remember the times when you sighed at the silliness. This is definitely a different idea, but I don't think it matches well with in the Buffy saga. Maybe as a book on it's own, Doomsday Deck would've been worthy of a higher rating.

Buffy and her friends have got their hands full with helping Buffy's mother out with the annual Sunnydale Sidewalk Art Festival and patrolling to make sure vampires don't prey on the unsuspecting artists. Xander is especially eager to help out - a young artist named Justine has attracted his attention. Justine tells Xander she senses psychic powers surrounding his aura. Xander thinks that means he's psychic, and he allows Justine to do a Tarot card reading for him. After that, Xander begins to act more than a little strange. At first, Buffy thinks he's just infatuated with Justine, but he's not the only one acting weird - after Oz gets a Tarot reading, he begins to act like Xander. So Buffy and Willow go to investigate Justine, who acts pretty weird herself. When Willow is next to fall victim, Buffy learns that Justine struck a deal with the evil demon Kali. Justine plans to hand the world to Kali in exchange for becoming a famous artist. What Justine fails to realize is that the only way Kali can be satisfied is if the entire universe comes to an end. And not only that, but Justine's method of handing the world to Kali involves killing twenty-two people by trapping their souls in paintings of the Tarot cards - and Willow, Oz, and Xander are doomed to be her latest victims. But if Buffy doesn't find a way to stop Justine, it won't be just her friends who will be dead - but everyone in the entire world as well. This was another great Buffy novel by Diana G. Gallagher, who also wrote the excellent Prime Evil, which came out earlier this year.

The only female that Xander has ever fallen for who did not turn out to be evil or become evil is Buffy. This book is not an exception. Buffy's mom is in charge of the Sunnydale Sidewalk Art Festival. She asks Buffy to help keep peace at the fair and make sure no artists wind up on someone's dinner menu. The rest of the gang also helps out with festival details. Xander falls for an attractive young artist who specializes in fantasy images (wizards, unicorns, fairies, etc.). Doing what he can to remain near the artist he allows her to perform a Tarot reading on him. The strangeness begins. Soon the oddness is noticed by others and they try to figure out what is going on and who is responsible. But it just gets worse and worse as they discover that not only are the lives of friends in danger, but the fate of the entire universe as well. Can Buffy and the gang put a stop to things before it is too late?

This is a pretty good story that makes good use of the full cast. The characters are properly portrayed so you can hear their lines as if watching an episode. The villain, and the escalation of danger, are well handled. There are a few times when it seems the characters don't get suspicious quickly enough, the same has happened on the show so its no big deal. So if you want to see Buffy and company save the world again then this is one to check out.

I had three problems with this particular entry to the Buffyverse:
1. It's short. 193 pages in large print, so you really aren't getting your money's worth. It's a novella at best.
2. The author doesn't capture the voice of the characters nearly as well as some of the other contributors, and some items are just wrong (e.g., especially in this Season 3 chronology, Buffy doesn't drive.) The dialogue is lame, with Buffy occasionally sounding like Giles, Anya never sounding like Anya, and a villian that doesn't even acheive the insightful repartee of your cheesy comic book. Try Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder for far superior characterizations and voices that "get" the Buffy tone.
3. The story, which had potential in theory, is just plain lame in execution. The characters do stupid things, the conclusion is artificial, and you are left with the thought that these people are no better than the various teenagers offed in any B grade horror flick. Don't waste your money.

I'll spare you the basic rundown of the plot and synopsis, as I'm sure you are aware that it involves a sinister Tarot Deck from the other reviews and the description, so I'll get right into my review and criticism.

It's been a while since I've read a "Buffy" novel but this one was a pleasant revisitation to the series and I found it to be a nice change from the general Demon or Vampire going ons in Hellmouth. This novel takes the series into a new dilemma of a Tarot deck and to my knowledge has never been explored by the series thus far, so it was fun to have a change. The characters are essentially the same and Giles role is to a minimum as well, but this is actually a good thing as it spends more time devoted to everyone in general and never really just sets on following the adventures of one particular person. Doomsday Deck is a well written novel that is short and to the point, not taking it's time with much character development or inane dialogue and corny one-liners to fill it's pages, no Doomsday Deck has a goal and it finishes it in a minimal amount of time, which can be for the better or worse. I actually liked the idea of a shorter novel as it helped me finish the novel quicker and the amount of satisfaction was the same. Gallagher did sum this whole Slayer venture quickly and efficiently and accomplishes a fine story that stays true to what the characters personality is and how they might handle a situation in the TV series without going on and on for a good 300 pages. Not that 300 page novels are bad it's just fun to be able to find a "Buffy" adventure that tells an original story and has some nice action sequences and can complete its goal in a relatively short amount of time.

Doomsday Deck is a fine novel that I'm sure "Buffy" fans would get a kick out of and I see no reason why a general reader would not enjoy it as well. I can easily recommend this novel to just about anyone; the only downfall one may find is its lack of length (193 Pages to be exact), but other than that slight fault it should be a novel you would be pleased to read, I know I was. I honestly hope this helps in your decision on purchasing this novel whether you pass or buy, thanks for reading.

Gallagher's least-developed Buffy book, but not bad. It shoots out of a gun and rips right through, but everything seems to happen out of the blue without any kind of buildup. It's as light as popcorn and just as satisfying, but hey, sometimes you're in the mood for popcorn.

You can't completely dislike a book with a villainess so venal, she'd sell her soul and risk the destruction of the universe just for her own New York art show. The would-be artist in question is in league with the goddess Kali, utilizing a cursed tarot deck to hasten the apocalypse. Kali! Buffy! One round only! Winner take all!

Yeah, kinda fun, if you're in the mood. You've read better, but you could kill an hour or two out of your life in worse ways.

this book starts out with the scooby gang helping out joyce summers at a sidewalk art fair. when xander keeps buffy from getting hit by a bunch of sawhorses falling off the back of a passing truck, he thinks he has pschic abilities. when everyone else just brushes it off, he goes into a funk and avoids everyone. that leaves him plenty of time to get to know one of the hot artist that is working in the show. when she volunteets to do tarot card reading for him, he is already to go. afterwards he is withdrawn and the scooby gang thinks that he is just upset with them still until oz also gets a tarot card reading from them and becomes withdrawan and distant. the scooby gang jumps into action to find out what justine(the hottie from the art show) is up to and barely escape with their lives. this book was worth reading even though when you read the back cover it sounds pretty dead.....

This book combines the mystery of the Tarot deck with the lives of Buffy and her gang. Joyce asks Buffy and her friends to help staff the Sunnydale Art Fair. But when a stranger comes to town that even vampires fear, the fair takes a back seat to Buffy's need to save her friends and the universe from the evil visitor. The action is very visual. I can see the gang, Willow, OZ, Anya, and Xander as lifeless zombies and the small meaningful glances between Angel and Buffy. The time line of the story is set in Buffy's senior year so Angel and Cordelia are still part of the mix. The colorful plot really engaged me. I found that I got out my Tarot deck and turned the cards with the artist as she read the cards for each character. I highly recommend this book.

"Doomsday Deck" packs a lot of emotion and action in a short novel. Gallagher thoroughly knew the characters, especially Xander and Anya. Xander acknowledges his growing complex over being the non-powered Scooby. It sucks, but deep down, Xander knows that his friends love and respect him. Giles is a bit bitter after being kicked out of the Watcher's Council, but he can never abandon Buffy in the fight against evil. Stalker "Anya" shows up to add levity to the tale of mystical tarot cards and ambition. Buffy briefly contemplates asking her friends to give up fighting by her side to pursue their own lives. The only thing this reader didn't buy was Joyce asking Buffy to be the "Slayer" for her own means. This wouldn't and shouldn't happen in the Buffyverse. Overall, I would recommend this novel to any Buffy fan.

Another of the shorter variety of the Buffy books, in Doomsday Deck a young artist comes to Sunnydale for an art show. She also has a somewhat odd tarot deck.

It turns out she is a tool whereby Kali wants to bring about the much quicker destruction of the universe. It just requires turning a few more people into Major Arcana tarot paintings, and Xander, Willow, Oz and Buffy are all available.