Customer Reviews

Little Things (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am pretty open minded and when it comes to the willing suspension of disbelief I will accept a lot of things in the name of a compelling narrative. But I have to admit that in "Little Things," author Rebecca Moesta goes over the line for me. A troop of fairies arrive in Sunnydale and it seems the wee folk intend to turn the never peaceful city into their own version of Tinkerhell. Okay, no problem with that idea (homage to Swift combined with the Blue Fairy as a psycho), but it seems Buffy has a toothache. Not only that, it is apparently the any kind of a toothache kind of toothache (as opposed to the not just any kind of toothache). If there had been some explanation forthcoming for this curious chink in the Slayer's healing and recuperative powers then I could have rendered a judgment via-a-vis the aforementioned willingness to suspend disbelief. Ultimately it seems the breach in the wall being explored has more to do with the Summers family's financial problems in the post-Joyce era. But enough of this rant.

After reading Mel Odom's complex tale in "Crossings" and Christopher Golden's mini-epic in "The Wisdom of War," Rebecca Moesta's summer Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale is like a wind sprint. The pacing is as fast as any BtVS novel I can recall reading and the average length of a chapter must be around six pages (perfect for taking short breaks at work to find out what happens next or to read in trips up and down in the elevator to procure liquid/salty/chocolate refreshment).

Fans of Spike should be forewarned that although the Big Bad appears on the cover he is not the focal character in "Little Things." (See? I made it to the third paragraph before "complaining" about the cover this time around.) The fairies are in town because of the beckoning call of the Hellmouth, but then they discover an old friend and things take a turn towards revenge.

Moesta likes the research thing (along with a certain Monty Python movie) and readers will find out about the "real" origins of fairies. This is one of those BtVS novels where the quips and pop culture references come fast and furious (I cannot share my favorite with you because it gives away a wee bit too much of the plot). In terms of characterization I think Moesta does a nice job on Willow (Buffy is distracted by that toothache you see) and especially Xander, who has a couple of nice serious moments. However, despite coming up with a nice brush with the law for Giles, she does have the Watcher being a bit too nice to Spike (that cannot be right). Anya is once again almost relentlessly oblivious to social convention and any form of propriety, but this is certainly a constant pitfall in the Buffy Mythos and there are a couple of nice scenes where she remembers the good old days.

I especially like the creative ways in which Moesta comes up with Buffy and the Scoobies to take on the wee folk, especially for the grand finale when the group does one of its better "Wild Bunch" impersonations. Who would not want a Slayomatic? "Little Things" is a quick read, so do not take this as your only book on a trip because you might be able to get it read between the time you get to the airport and the plane actually takes off. For that matter, you could probably read it while waiting for the dentist...

I am a HUGE fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and had never read a book on the series and tried one out. Am I glad I did! Wow! Just like watching the show itself! The characters were true to form and came off genuine. I could just hear their unique quips and voices while I read. This one in particular is somewhere in the 5th Season, I am guessing near the middle more or less.
For those of you who are fans of the show, it's after Buffy's mom dies, during the height of Xander and Anaya's romance, after Spike's declaration of love but before Dawn's capture as the 'Key' and during Willow and Tara's affair, albiet when Tara began telling Willow she shouldn't be doing so much magick. My guess, near the middle to end of the 5th Season(the HellGod Glory Season).

The plot here? Big baddies that come in little packages. Should've been an episode. A troupe of winged sprites come to Sunnydale to create chaos.
Buffy is having a hard time dealing with her mother's death and the responisbility of raising and protecting her 15 year old sister Dawn, not to mention being the Slayer and having to save the world too many times to count. More problems arise when Spike discovers mini-demons wreaking havoc in Weatherly Park. Not just that, but she realizes she has no dental insurance and her toothache is interfering in her Slayer duties! How to combat the problem? Think small...very small.
The Scoobies are doing there best to help her, but Anaya and Xander are being held hostage by a plague of ants, Willow is determined to fix everything with magick, Giles is fixated on a parking ticket, Dawn is desperately trying to fit in somewhere and the smitten vampire Spike is trying to impress the Slayer.
Thinking things can't get worse, they do, this is Sunnydale afterall. Buffy must stop the winged menaces, save the Scoobs, take care of her tooth and keep a lovesick vampire at bay all in a weekend's time. Too much for the Slayer? Not at all...just don't sweat the small stuff...literally.

Hysterical, creative and action-packed. True to form. Fans of the Scoobie gang with Spike as a side-kick will love this one as I did. I love when Spike came into the scene and became part of the group even though a lot of fans missed Angel, I thought Spike was a breath of fresh air and enticed me to watch every week and I became addicted. He is true to character in this book, with all the witty lines and 'Spike moments' intact. All the characters were very well written and I couldn't ask for better. Ms. Moesta did a fine job of bringing the show to book form and kept all the characters intact and even giving us a more detailed look into their thoughts and minds. I will definately look into the rest of the books!

This was a decent book in its own right, but we are finally moving on to having more of Spike in the Buffy books. Since he is the best character by FAR, this is a welcome change, and the book was GREAT.

while out on patrol, spike leads buffy to a couple in the park who have been murdered. on closer inspection, they find that they are missing a lot of blood, but it is obvious no vampire did this. for on their bodies, they have lots of tiny bite marks instead of one big one. meanwhile buffy has a toothache that is a killer, giles gets a parking ticket, xander and anya have ants and the problems seem to keep coming. this book is deceptively mild at the beginning, but it picks up steam and ends decently. i only gave it four stars because it was not the best buffy book i have read, but the plot is okay.

This little ditty was absolutely delightful!

It's a short book, a quick and light read that is comfy and fun. The author does a wonderful job of keeping the characters true to their TV personalities that first drew us to them, and she mixes just enough comedy and Buffy-style one liners into the action to keep the reader chuckling.

I've read a few reviews where people say the toothache thing was distracting, or that they had a hard time imagining Buffy being so bothered by that kind of pain. To that I can only say that they must not have ever had a severe toothache. I have a plethora of medical conditions that involve pain, enough to fill a medical dictionary. Hence my high pain threshold. But a serious toothache can bring me to my knees. I thought it brought out Buffy's human vulnerabilities in an amusing and totally relatable way. It was a reminder that she's not immune to everything, even though she is the Slayer.

Spike was also very enjoyable in this story, toothpicks on his fingers and all. And I loved how he was the only one who figured out what was troubling Buffy. It paid nice tribute to his ability to tune in to her and see the things she tries to hide.

A fun read! Get yourself a copy!

I read somewhere this book was better then Holder or Golden and though I'm not sure I'd go that far this is one of the best BTVS books I've read it also happens to be the second one I ever read and essentially hooked me on reading as many good BTVS books as possible. All the characters are accurate and its a seriously fun read. Toothpick stakes..funny. Vampire faires...funnier. Its got all the makings for a real Buffy episode. Drama..Horror..Humor..and SPike! You'll love it I promise!

Very good. Interesting idea - vamp fairies - and my favorite character, SPIKE, is portrayed accordingly, that is, almost like if he was a member of the Scooby Gang!

Spike helps the Scoobies and is treated by them with kindness - Willow and Dawn are sweet to him, Buffy isn't so mean, and even Giles thanks the vampire for his efforts 3 times! Since the novel is set on season 5, it couldn't be different; Spike is already in love with Buffy (the book confirms this fact), and, since he has found out it (on TV), he has been trying to be a better... man.

I also liked to see Buffy and the gang having to deal with the "little things" of life - tooth problems, ant infestation, traffic fines etc - things we usually don't have on the show.

And the vampettes - I wish I could see them on television! Those little creatures are fascinating, and their destiny (on the book) although sad, resulted in a good story.

Here we are in the fifth season and Buffy is trying to be a step in mom to Dawn and the world's only working Slayer at the same time. Dawn's grades are suffering, and the Scooby team steps in to help her study for a history test. This provides enough distractions that Buffy nearly misses one of Sunnydale's more peculiar invasions. The new, conscientious Spike manages to get her attention long enough to show here a pair of recent corpses with the strangest bite marks...

Imagine if you will a group of cute little pixies (complete with glamour and glow) who will totally captivate you. Or rather, that's what they do until the fangs come out and they start to munch on your bloodstream. These mischievous little critters also happen to be fairies from your worst nightmare. Moesta creates an entirely new kind of fairy tale. As Buffy says, "Welcome to Tinkerhell."

It turns out that Anya was instrumental in the making of these tiny fanged people some 500 years ago. While their appearance in Sunnydale is pure coincidental, one sight of Xander's favorite retired vengeance demon is all the pixies need to become fixated on getting their own vengeance. Buffy to the rescue, and she quickly finds out that slaying several hundred micro-vampires is a task that requires the ingenuity of the entire team. Xander sets a new high mark for inventive slaying with his invention of pixie ping-pong.

Rebecca Moesta is new to Buffy novels, but she catches on quite quickly. She does overdo Willow's ending everything in 'y' thingy, nearly making the witch insufferably cute. At one point she actually has Willow saying, "We've all noticed you've kind of been not so much with the perkiness of slayering." Sheesh! English lies dying by the wayside.

Other than this particular fetish the characters ring true, and the plot moves along swiftly. Most readers will enjoy the extended focus on Anya and Buffy's much-avoided visit to the dentist. Moesta is a writer who prefers to throw a lot at the reader and work in quick jabs. This is quite a change from the recent fiction that has been written from the fifth season, and is quite entertaining. Perhaps this isn't the pinnacle of Buffy lit, but it is well worth pursuing.

This was a good book, but with an odd topic. I mean really, vampire faries? Past that, this book delivers very accurate personalites from the main characters, as well as a good plot. If you don't mind reading about toothpick stakes, this is a good book for any Buffy fan.

Wow. What an amazing novel. It was probably the first Buffy book I have read and probably what got me hooked on the books. The author did a real good job summing up the characters emotions and it was a brilliant plot. I think "Wow - amazing book" sums it up. Definetly read it, its great!