Customer Reviews

Prime Evil (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Diana G. Gallacher, so far, has produced two great novels (the other being Obsidian Fate). It is simple what makes her work better than all the other Buffy authors, including Nancy Holder; she includes rarely used caharcters in her novels. In this novel she has used Anya, and the male witch Michael (Buffy fans should recognise him from "Gingerbread", series three). Diana also writes superb dialogue between all the characters, and has also managed to come up with an excellent evil human character, aside from the frequently used [in Buffy novels] Ethan Rayne (who does not appear in this novel).

This is the second Buffy book that Gallagher has written and she has come up with compelling plots both times. The first (Obsidian Fate) was marred by some inexcusable errors but this title is much better in that regard. A teacher is putting the whammy on Buffy, but given her lack of enthusiasm for history, Buffy thinks it's understandable. But there's much more at stake here, and soon Willow is being drawn into the teacher's spell along with Anya and others. Gallagher incorporates tidbits from the television episodes as well as from other books in the Buffy series, which heightens the sense of continuity. I would have liked for Angel to have had a bigger role, buth otherwise this is a much more successful effort than her first. Buffy fans should enjoy it.

From the moment Crystal Gordon arrives at Sunnydale High, Buffy decides that there is something strange about this new teacher. With the help of Giles, she uncovers the legend of Shugra, an ancient witch strong in primal magic. Throughout the ages, this witch has been reborn into a succession of different bodies and now she has set about gathering a coven of young people who show magical promise. Her goal is total world domination and to achieve this she must trick thirteen teenagers into helping her. It is up to Buffy and the others to destroy Shugras spirit forever

Prime Evil is an excellent Buffy novel with good characterisation and plenty of action, particularly towards the end. The story took a while to get going and in contrast the last few pages seemed almost rushed. Crystal Gordon made an interesting villain and a worthy opponent for Buffy. Characters such as Michael and Anya who dont often appear in any of the novels, are given fairly major roles. One of the best things about this book was the mythology included and the flashbacks to ancient times kept it interesting. The descriptions of the primal magic are amazing and give Prime Evil a mystical atmosphere - definitely one of the main highlights of this novel. Overall, this is one of the best Buffy books I have read so far and I would recommend it to all fans of the series.

~Jenna Ryan~

This was a really good Buffy book. With so many different authors writing this series the moods of the characters are always different, but Ms. Gallagher does a good job keeping the characters real, the way we see them on the show. The book had an easy flow, and I liked the flashes back in history. Xander was his usual comic self, and Buffy wasn't portrayed as depressed as she is in a lot of the books in this series. I also liked that Joyce was in the book, because it is funny read how Giles and her interact. I recommend reading this book if your a hardcore Buffy fan.

First up is to say how good this book is, the plot is very original and its about witchcraft which i love, the book centers around a new teacher called crystal who gives Buffy and the scooby gang a bit more than they bargined for. The book like Dianas last Buffy novel (Obsidian Fate) is brilliant and Diana is definatly my fave author of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Sabrins The Teenage Witch series her books are so imaginative and Prime Evil is really cool as Anya is in it and she is so funny, also Joyce makes an appearence which hasnt happened much since christopher Golden and Nancy Holders Immortal I truly love this book and the ending is really great, i wont spoil it for you but strongly suggest you buy the book and never put it down like me. PrimeEvil is pure Class. This book is extra special as Diana dedicated it to me, i cant belive she did that, it was so nice. Thank you Diana.

This is the first BtVS book I've read, and I have to confess that I'm a little disappointed. The characters were portrayed brilliantly and the trademark Buffy humor was undeniably present, but the positive attributes of this novel stop there.

Though it remains true to the show, this book suffers from amateur writing and poor editing. The plot focuses on a primal witch from early civilization with great power, but the author strays too often into reverent descriptions of nature that resemble something I would expect to see on the Discovery Channel. Many of the passages detailing the witch's past were self-indulgent and poorly dramatized. BtVS is known for its sympathetic and entertaining villains, but there is none of that to be found here. I found the character of the witch to be rather boring, and the author relies far too heavily on magic events to advance the plot and attempt to explain some of the plot's more bizarre attributes. Without revealing the story, suffice it to say that I was irritated most of the time when reading this novel, and often ended up flipping through the book in a futile attempt to figure out some of the more nonsensical elements of the plot--characters knowing things they shouldn't and saying things that they shouldn't be able to say (as a result of the witch's magic). While these complaints may seem small, they were enough to distract me from enjoying the heart the author managed to put into the characters and quite frankly ruined the experience for me.

On a more petty note, the author seemed intent on making as many deliberate references to Season 3 episodes and past BtVS novels as possible. Rather than add depth to her plot, these asides seemed to come out of left field and had little to no relation to the story. Since they lack any practical purpose, I can only conclude that these references were intended to prove the author's familiarity with BtVS canon which, while effective, did nothing to prove her talent as a writer.

i've read quite a few of the buffy books, and they tend to be 2-3 star reads. they aren't exactly what anyone would call deep.

now that the show is over, i cannot help but read them- i can only watch the series on dvd so many times... i'm a definite buffy addict!

the new teacher in school- crystal gordon- is actually an ancient entity longing to create a coven & harness all of the world's magick. some of the flashbacks regarding her prior lives are boring, but this book gets extra kudos for more willow than usual. crystal makes a great foe; like glory (season 5) she is quite hard to beat.

if you're into buffy & you love willow, this is a pretty good choice among the buffy books- some of them are just plain silly (and that's saying a lot!)

have fun!

Gallagher produces another superb entry in the Buffy book series. She excels at stories concerning the seduction of innocence, and this one is no exception.

A charismatic new female teacher begins winning promising students into her own little secret society, including Willow. This being Sunnydale, it goes without saying that the teacher is more than she appears, and has a private agenda that doesn't include making the world a better place.

A worthy read, even for those not familiar with the series.

This book is really good. It has a lot of action and a sense of humor.

Gallagher captures the Slayer and the Scooby Gang perfectly! The book flows logically, even with the occasional trip to Shugra's past. The idea of primal magick and tying it into various historical events was brilliant. The characters are true to the television personas and make for a great read. I recommend this book to all the Buffy lovers out there.