Monster Book [School & Library Binding]

Christopher Golden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000

Starting with Giles' research into the various monsters and demons Buffy and the gang have encountered, this book then delves into the folklore that inspired the show's bad guys - their mythology, science, cultural, literary and historial origins. "The Monster Book" looks at how vampires are created on the show. There are interviews with the series creator, Joss Whedon, as well as the writers, make-up and costume artists, stunt men and actors. It explores the mythology surrounding vampires and other ghouls, in other forms of popular culture. Meet the vampires and other Sunnydale hellmouth creatures, safely, in this monster book.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer watch the show for a number of reasons, one of which is certainly the various creatures that show up every week. Golden, the author of many other Buffy books, and his coauthors have compiled a guide to the monsters that have appeared on the show, from menacing demons, hellhounds, and the most prominent of the show's many vampires to friendly regulars who happen to be supernatural, such as the tortured vampire Angel (who now has his own show) and werewolf Oz. What makes the book unique is that it includes, in addition to interviews with the creator of the show and many of the writers, the history of demons, vampires, ghosts, and others in folklore, literature, television, movies, and pop culture. Fans will enjoy the details and behind-the-scenes info, while those looking to get into the series will find this a handy guide. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Christopher Golden is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, Of Saints and Shadows, and the Body of Evidence thriller series. He has cowritten a number of novels and comic books set in the worlds of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. There are more than eight million copies of his books in print. He lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Originally a comics writer, Tom Sniegoski grew a large fan base with his work on titles including Jeff Smith's bestselling BONE, Mike Mignola's HELLBOY, and the currently wildly popular GOON series.

His YA book series THE FALLEN for S&S was turned into a series of TV movies that have aired to strong ratings on the ABC Family Network. SLEEPER CODE AND SLEEPER AGENDA, a YA two-part story for Razorbill/Penguin, was an ALA *Top Ten* Quick Pick in 2006.

Tom lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with his wife and their dog, Mulder. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613633229
• ISBN-13: 978-0613633222
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,002,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monstrous Fun, July 24, 2000

By 

algerina "algerina" (Saint Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Monster Book (Paperback)

The Monster Book is a delightful reference guide filled with pictures and information. There are chapters on demons, vampires, magic users, primals, ghosts, the walking dead, bogy men, invisible people, Faith, and, perhaps the most frightening of all, the human monster. Segments from the scripts are used to illustrate the monster's powers and effect on the slayer and her friends.In addition to detailing every creature that has crawled across the television screen in the first four seasons of Buffy. It contains research into the orgins and folklore of monsters. This is a must for all Buffy fans and monster lovers everywhere.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another First Rate Companion Volume to the Buffy TV Series, November 6, 2000

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Monster Book (Paperback)

As soon as you see the cover art by Dave McKean you know "The Monster Book" is going to be good. As with "The Watcher's Guide," this "Official Guide" to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series is first rate in terms of both design and execution. The three authors of "The Monster Book" have pretty good credentials. Christopher Golden, one of the co-authors of "The Watcher's Guide" has written more Buffy novels and comics than anyone. Stephen R. Bissette, best known as the artist on Alan Moore's run of the "Swamp Thing" comic, is also a Bram Stoker award winning writer and pop-culture journalist. Thomas E. Sniegoski is the new kid on the block, but he is co-writing the Angel comic with Golden for Dark Horse Comics.

There are two important elements to this awesome reference work. First, you have your chapters on: Demons from Moloch the Corruptor to Polgara Demons; Vampires from Angel to Harmony Kendall; Magic Users from Willow Rosenberg to Tara; Primals from Oz the Werewolf to Veruca the Werewolf with the She-Mantis, Hyena and Fish People in between; Ghosts from Sid to Hus; Walking Dead from Daryl Epps to Adam; Bogeymen from the Ugly Man to the Gentlemen; Invisible People from Marcie Ross to Xander Harris; and last, but not least, Faith and the Human Monster, which effectively covers everyone and everything that has come into contact with the Slayer. Each chapter provides choice dialogue regarding each monster (sometimes lines omitted from the show, details their first appearances and other episodes in which they appeared, key relationships to other characters in the Buffy universe, unique attributes, "Most Monstrous Moment" and current status (not all of them are dead, you know).

The second element is an examination of each particular monster in terms of its cultural, literary and cinematic history. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is famed for its pop-culture references from Zeppo Marx to Russ Meyers, so it should not surprise us it is willing to talk about monsters with references to writers from H. P. Lovecraft to Stephen King, literary works from "Dr. Faustus" to "Tales from the Crypt," and films from "Nosferatu" to "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday." This is the most monumental example of name-dropping and cross-referencing you have every seen. You will find all of your favorites mentioned in appropriate contexts and you most certainly will discover some new writers, books and films you will want to put on your Christmas/Birthday wish list (I want to check out Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series).

I look forward to each and every addition to this series of Official companion volumes to one of the best shows on television. Joss Whedon has obviously exercised as much control over these books as he does over his show. Now that the first season is coming out on DVD, these reference books are going to receive a lot more wear and tear. Golden and his co-horts have set the bar a lot higher in terms of this sub-genre of publishing.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and informative, August 29, 2000

By 

Beth Winegarner (San Francisco, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Monster Book (Paperback)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book" is sort a kind of compendium of all the demons, vampires, and other creatures on the show, but is even more interesting than I expected. It includes a lot of information about the influences Joss Whedon and the other writers used to create the mythology of the show, and then goes into traditional myths about werewolves, vampires, ghosts, witches, demons, etc. All this is in addition to a page or two (at least) about each of the creatures which has played a role on the show. It includes everything from Ted the RoboStepfather to The Three. In addition, it explores the concepts of our main characters as, in a sense, monsters -- including the Slayers, Willow as a witch, Willow as a Vampire, Oz as a Werewolf, and so on. It has a whole section about Faith and the concept of a "human monster." It's really well written and well thought out and full of pictures. I only wish that somewhere, perhaps in the back of the book, there was an index of monsters and who played them (actors and/or stunt folks). I know the book is about the characters and not the actors, but it'd still be nice to give some credit to the people who portrayed these monsters.