Customer Reviews

Queen of the Slayers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Simon Spotlight))

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The idea of a post-Sunnydale Buffy adventure was pure joy to this Buffy addict. Holder is reputed to be one of the better Buffy novelists, so I figured "Queen of the Slayers" was worth a read. It wasn't.

"Queen of the Slayers" begins immediately after the destruction of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, as the few survivors are leaving the scene of the battle. They think they're home free, but--surprise!-- another apocalypse is brewing. After a few preliminary adventures, the group disperses to where they're needed--Faith, Robin, and a changing cast of new Slayer cannon fodder to the Cleveland Hellmouth; Giles to do damage control at the reconstituted Watchers Council; and Buffy et al. to Rome, where she oversees the training of the new Slayers gathering under the auspices of the Immortal. While there she must deal with a personality cult of "Queen Buffy," her growing attraction to and suspicion of the Immortal, the rise of an evil "Queen of the Slayers" and prevent the next apocalypse as well. To say she has her hands full is an understatement.

The book's strength is the way it combines its story of post-Sunnydale Buffy with the events of Angel, Season Five, adding detail to the little bits we were given then. There were also occasional flashes of humor reminiscent of the series. Unfortunately, these aren't enough to overcome the book's problems. Holder's prose tends toward the pedestrian, with too many patches of "this happened and then this and then this" gliding over events that should have be described more fully. Frankly, if the book's length were an issue, I would rather have less going on but have it handled better. "Queen of the Slayers" reads like a combination of several free-standing novels condensed into one. The villains were over-the-top, but they lacked the complexity of the best Buffyverse villains. Almost everyone of any importance to the Scoobies makes an appearance, which makes everything just a bit too tidy. As for the Immortal, this supposedly charismatic character comes across as pretty bland, and Holder manages to destroy any potential he might have had as a player in an ongoing Buffyverse.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on Holder, since I don't know what kind of restrictions she was given by her publishers. When you write a media tie-in book, the characters are not your own and you can't always do with them as you wish. As another reviewer noted, part of the problem with this novel is that it's written as a Young Adult novel, and complexities of plot and character are "dumbed down" to the supposed level of a YA reader. This "dumbing down" make it difficult to do justice to the characters Joss Whedon created, and it isn't even necessary. The best YA books can and do deal with difficult themes--Holly Black's "Tithe," for example deals with some very dark issues in a sophisticated way. Much of Buffy's appeal has been the intelligence with which the shows were written. Unfortunately, "Queen of the Slayers" doesn't reflect this. My suggestion--take a pass on this book and read some fan fic instead. Some of it's better written.

P.S. A note to the book's editors: you don't put someone "enthrall"-- you put them "in thrall."

The best that could be said about this book is that it takes the story line beyond the end of both series. Don't look for any real closure on the Angel/Buffy/Spike triangle or even any REAL answers as to just what takes place in that famous alley after Angel says, "Lets go to work!" It just isn't here. Hopefully, however, this WILL mark a trend as to future books, taking us beyond Sunnydale and Los Angeles. It would be nice also to hope that sometime in the future, SOMEBODY begins to write something for the ADULT fans of Buffy and Angel, and I don't necessarily mean R rated stories, just ADULT themes written from an adult's prospective.

When I heard that a book was being released detailing what happened in the Buffyverse after the Sunnydale Hellmouth's closing, I was very excited. The only hints as to what happened to Buffy and gang were a few vague hints during season five of 'Angel'. I figured it would be nice to know what happened to the crew. I wish I hadn't found out.

Nancy Holder, by far the worst of the usual Buffy book writers, slings out the horrible 'Queen Of Slayers'. The plotline involves Buffy and the gang going to Europe to organize all the newly activated Potentials, Giles helping re-establish the Watchers Council, and what the crew was going to do regarding the infamous Hellmouth in Cleveland. Yeah, sounds good doesn't it? Well, its not. The three little plotlines I mentioned are made immensely boring by Holder.

When it comes to Buffy books, there's one major thing I look for: do the characters feel like they do on the show? None of them do in this awful attempt. They don't act like themselves and most border on irritating. Not to mention the absolutely horrible storyline involving Buffy and the Immortal. And then when Holder starts throwing in guest appearances by just about every person that was ever on the television show, it just gets laughable. Not to mention the extremely childish nature with which the book is written (Holder using verbs like "fwopping"...ugh). And the most interesting storylines, those being the re-establishment of the Council and Faith fighting the Cleveland Hellmouth, are more-or-less glossed over for a plot involving Buffy, the Immortal, and mystical cellphones...seriously.

But by far the worst thing in the book (along with the many typographical errors) is the ending. It is absolutely ridiculous. There's a big apocaplyptic battle, which in theory sounds interesting (I won't give it away if you actually intend on reading this piece of garbage). But it ends up, like every thing else in this book, turning out in a way that makes you want to vomit. I couldn't believe what had Ms. Holder had written over the last twenty pages or so. I was laughing all through it because it was so terrible. Wait until you read about the banner with Buffy's name on it...just awful.

I know that Buffy's creator, Joss Whedon, has to approve everything (books, comics, etc.) by other authors regarding the Buffyverse. I just can't see how he could've let this stinker get through. This is an awful book. There are so many different plots (including one involving some shapeshifters that goes nowhere, one about Xander going to Africa, and then Holder throws in one about Dawn being put into a mystical coma) and none of them go anywhere. Its really quite sad that the first book post-Sunnydale had to be this junker. 'Queen Of Slayers' is easily the worst Buffy book ever and one of the worst novels overall I've ever read.

Please do youself a favor and skip this one. It really is that awful. I cringe thinking about the ridiculous nature of the book. Terrible.

This is an interesting read for those that were annoyed that buffy ended. It is not that the storyline is not interesting, it is just plain boring at certain times. Certain chapters should have been rewritten or just left out completely. There is a very good storyline, but the author seems to either lack the ability or has missed out on, how to present the storyline to her audiance.
Alot of the time I found myself skipping pages, because there was too much detail and uninteresting dialogue and characters. It is a real pity because the book had so much potential!! I could really see this as developing into a series, that would make buffy the vampire slayer seem as a boring series.

I really liked the main characters, Nancy Holder did them justice, but other characters, such as the bad guys, especially the immortal was just muddled and lifeless.
I do hope in the future that Nancy Holder will write more about life after sunnydale. However, I advise to let some fans view that book before she publishes another, that way the mistakes that has been made in this book will not happen again.

I was very disappointed by the time I got to the end of the book. For all her knowledge in Buffyverse, Nancy Holden did a shoddy job in continuing the saga. The book started out well enough and I could actually envision the comments flying out of each character's mouth. However, it soon got confusing...and some of the things she had characters say made absolutely no sense. There was too much skipping around and choppy endings (one day ends and soon its 2 months later...huh?).

There was a number of things I didn't agree with including the gang facing danger so soon after escaping Sunnydale. It truely began the decline of the story. I can understand the grief felt of Buffy and Willow, the graves of their loved ones were destroyed...all the grieving of the Scoobies was understandable.

However, having several storylines going at once was confusing. The mythical daughter concept with Angel's eyes and Spike's smile was ridiculous! Ok, I can see perhaps the trouble with the Cleveland Hellmouth since that was mentioned back in Season 1... but why couldn't the Watcher's Council have been different? Why must she battle them over and over again...didn't they learn their lesson? In fact, the Scooby's are the only qualified individuals to train new slayers therefore they themselves are the Council. It wouldn't have been difficult to make Buffy aware of the danger that Angel and Spike have found themselves in and rushed to assist them. Slayers could've been strategically placed throughout and the battle could've been won before moving onto Cleveland. More information could have been relayed on her life in Italy... Xander and Dawn studying to become watchers and Willow's healing powers...Buffy finally realizing her cookie dough was really cake...Angel Cake (ok bad I know but my point was made).

There was enough ideas of battles here that could've been accomplished over several books, beginning with saving Angel, the Cleveland Hellmouth, buiding a new council of Scoobies/training slayers/getting government involvement for funding, and finally battling the Borgias or the Hellgods 3. Absolutely NO need for it in one book. This was insane.

Hopefully someone will come along and write a Buffy continuation the way it should be done...properly!!!!

QUEEN OF THE SLAYERS
Nancy Holder (2005)

RATING: 4/5 Stakes

SETTING: After Season 7

CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Willow, Faith, Robin Wood, Kennedy, Giles, Rona, Vi, Andrew, Oz, Marie, Senaya (first Slayer), Whistler, Tara (as ghost), Nikki Wood (as ghost), Anya (as ghost), Angel, Gunn, Illyria, Spike

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: The Immortal; Aram, Bey (Immortal's servants); Lucy Hanover (ghost of former Slayer); Lord Ambrose-Bellairs (Watchers Council); Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia, Antonio Borgia (villains); Belle, Ornella, Haley (Slayers); Golden One (Oz's master); Janus, Eo, Shri-Urth (other-dimensional deities), Malfeo.

BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "With the closing of the Hellmouth and the awakening of hundreds of potential slayers, Buffy Summers thought she had earned herself a much-deserved break. But the thrill of victory is short-lived. The forces of darkness are not ones to graciously accept defeat, and the collective rage unites disparate and powerful parties more eager than ever to reclaim dominance. Willow's magickal distribution of the Slayer essence left girls across the world discovering their latent power. Giles races to reorganize the now much-needed Watchers Council, and the Scoobies relocate to Europe. And there, in Rome, Buffy is drawn to the Immortal--a charismatic, if inscrutable, figure. But then comes word that a number of the fresh Slayers are being coerced to join an army of Slayers governed by the mysterious `Queen of the Slayers,' an awesome evil determined to claim the intoxicating Slayer essence for herself. Xander is sent to Africa to learn more about the origins of the slayer essence. Instead he returns to report that, alarmingly, there's not enough good in the world to counteract the overabundance of evil and that the deciding apocalypse is drawing much too near. Alliances are formed and loyalties betrayed as it comes down to Slayer versus Slayer, leading to an ultimate battle of champions--from Buffy's past and present. And then an unimaginable gift arrives. . . ."

REVIEW

Queen of the Slayers, although not the best, is certainly the most important Buffy novel for fans of the show. Why? Simply because it tells the story of what happens to the Scooby Gang after the Hellmouth closes and Sunnydale is swallowed up forever. Indeed, until a movie or some other Joss-penned work contradicts, the novel line (and perhaps comics) are the only places to look for the official, canonical exploits of Buffy and her friends. It will be very interesting to see in the coming years if the editors work hard to maintain strict continuity between future novels (a la the Star Wars novel line) or allow for multiple tellings of what happens after the Hellmouth closes. One of the virtues of Queen of the Slayers is how well it is integrated into Angel Season Five.

On the whole, Queen of the Slayers should satisfy most fans curiosity about life after Sunnydale. The story picks up *right* after the end of Season Seven, when Buffy and crew are still on the yellow schoolbus speeding away from the crater. The aftermath of the battle is portrayed well by Holder, who, after several novels, has a good grasp on the characters and their unique personalities. In particular, Buffy's grief over Spike's "death" and Andrew's hilarious dialogue are captured perfectly.

The main plot takes a bit to get started, and then suddenly it seems like there are several major plot threads to be resolved. In order to avoid major spoilers, I'll stick to the most basic: Faith and some of the Slayerettes head to Cleveland where the Hellmouth has opened completely, wreaking enormous havoc; Buffy ends up in Rome living with the Immortal, as they try to summon Slayers from all over the world; and Giles moves to London to work with the newly-formed Watchers' Council. Of course, three Hellgods from another dimension have decided to try to seize the initiative to land a foothold on earth, as have the enormously powerful Borgia clan of vampires and a rogue, evil Slayer who fashions herself "Queen of the Slayers". The Borgias are given extremely satisfying personalities and backgrounds, and halfway through the novel I couldn't help but think this was by far the best Buffy novel ever written.

Unfortunately, things start to go downhill at the end. Holder has a real leaning towards cosmic, epic stories that lack the punch of the more "realistic" stories (for example, Cleveland is rendered post-apocalyptic, earthquakes are swallowing whole islands, tidal waves are wreaking havoc all over the world, etc.). In addition, the book concludes suddenly and in a disappointingly abstract, metaphysical way. After so much excellent build-up, Queen of the Slayers feels like the first in a trilogy, but as far as I can tell it is intended to stand alone. It's almost as if Holder was forced to stop writing a few weeks early and wrap everything up in a single chapter. The "unimaginable gift" that arrives is, to my mind, both slightly creepy and extremely silly.

Queen of the Slayers is a very good book and worth reading-just don't get your hopes up too much.

[...]

I was really bummed out when Buffy ended, but even more so when I read this book. Not because of any sad ending, but the bad story. The idea was good, but it was executed poorly by the writer. Not the witty dialog from the show, nor the intriguing storline was in this one. I have to say I was greatly disapointed. I found myself skipping pages and bored. The immortal was lame. The mention of Spike and Angel was o.k. The only good that came out of this is the hope that maybe more Buffy AND Angel books will be written taking place after Sunnydale and L.A.

I finished reading this book a while back, but I just now got around to posting my review. I absolutely hated this book. Though it did try to tie in with the information provided in Angel season 5 (which takes place at the same time as this novel), it did not do a very good job at it. Some of the information was incorrect or flat out not plausible. Some of it also did not fit in with the timeline on Angel; such as the events surrounding Andrew's visit to Wolfram & Hart. Another thing is that the writer, Nancy Holder, didn't write the characters very well. The people were either all out of character or the far, extreme stereotype of that character. This was reflected not only in their behavior and mannerisms, but also in the decisions that were made. The odd behavior was especially true for Xander, Faith and Robin. Robin Wood wasn't like himself at all. He is a very professional, well spoken man, but the author wrote him like a stereotypical black thug. In regards to the decision making, where they go after leaving California is not where I think Joss Whedon (the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) would have sent them. In the book, a surviving watcher had just begun to rebuild the Watchers Council from scratch. He was just as stuffy and arrogant as the original Watchers Council leaders had been. In addition to being a NEW council, they obviously did not have the connections or power that the old council had (which wasn't that great even at their best). The characters also put too much trust into The Immortal - a man who's history has been clouded by neither evil nor good acts (if that makes any sense at all).
The new characters that were introduced didn't get much of a description. The only ones that did get a good description were the villains; and there were way too many of them. When I say villians, I don't mean a vampire of demon that showed up and was easily dispensed of by one of the heroes. I'm talking about a "big bad" that would have been the main bad guy throughout an entire season (i.e. the Mayor, Glory, The First). In this book, there were about 3-4 different groups of big evils all having really nothing to do with one another. It was also too convenient that a bunch of old characters somehow managed to make an appearance in one form or the other. It was almost like the novel's equivalent to "Sweeps Week".
Finally, the writer spent too much time on stupid events and details. I was 3/4 through the book and she was still setting up the story. I knew then and there that the final battle would be quick and without details. She built up the conflict so much that by the time she got to the end, even she (the author) did not know how to solve it so she created this short, fairy tale ending that really let me down.
Hopefully, Joss Whedon allows another book to come forward to challenge what happened after the end of Buffy. I refuse to believe that this is what happens to the characters I have watched for over seven season of television.

If I could sum up my impressions of "Queen of the Slayers" into a single word, then "disappointing" would fit the proverbial bill just fine. However, I'm going to go into more detail than that.

There are few things that irritate me more than a disappointing book. I'm a very picky, choosy reader. Most of my non-fiction reading involves books that are tied into existing media properties, like "Star Trek", "Star Wars", and "Doctor WHO", and that's simply because I like to read stories that contain a few characters with whom I am already familiar. There's a lot of comfort there, assuming that the characters are translated well in the process. That's one of the problems with this book, and I'll get into that a bit later.

Now, to set this whole deal up, "Queen of the Slayers" gets going right after the events of the Buffy series finale, "Chosen", in which Willow has created an army of Slayers by activating all the potentials on Earth in the hopes of defeating the armies of the First-Evil, and in the ensuing battle, the Hellmouth is destroyed, taking the whole town of Sunnydale with it. It is interesting to note that Holder takes the scooby gang down a few paths that I myself took them when I set up my post-Chosen RPG storyline. The re-building of the Watchers Council, the effort to train the new Slayers, Buffy, Willow, Xander and Dawn in Europe, with Faith and Robin in Cleveland. However, she does a few things differently than I would have, some are pretty good, and some not so much.

First-off, Holder's prose seems a little disjointed and fractured, as if a selection of several short-stories had been smashed together. Its like Holder had all these notes about the plot points, but couldn't quite make the various brainstorm sessions flow together smoothly. Some of the transitions are a bit jarring, as a lot of things that should have been described in some detail are merely glossed over, and some are just skipped entirely.

However, there are worse literary crimes afoot.

Holder introduces a score of new villainous characters, and they all seem a mile wide and an inch deep. Each and every one of them seems to be full of sound and fury signifying nothing, because they don't get fleshed out properly, nor do they seem to do all that much. One of the great strengths of both Buffy AND Angel was the fact that even the villains were typically well-rounded and interesting, especially the Big-Bads. However, we see very little of that type of depth here. Part of the problem lies in the fact that we have not one, not two, not three, but SIX major big-bad types. Thus, each one suffers because there is very little time to devote to them. Janus in particular suffers because of this, and much is made of the fact that the troublesome Ethan Rayne served him, but Ethan himself never appears. Not only that, but she gets her mythology quite wrong where Janus is concerned (Hint: He's a Roman God, not a Greek one), and that's just inexcusable.

And its not just the villains who suffer because there are so many of them, but Holder simply uses too many characters. Its hard enough to deal with the enlarged main cast we were left with at the show's end, but Holder opts to introduce even more characters, some new, and some old. The whole book seems terribly crowded, much like the Summers' house in the show's final season.

Another big problem lies in Holder's use of "The Immortal", a character whom was teasingly introduced in the Angel episode "The Girl in Question". The Immortal wields a great deal of power and influence in the episode, and yet is never seen. The author pretty much wastes the character, and thus destroys any air of mystery or real allure the character had. And that's a real shame.

And while I'm on the subject of Angel, Holder also ties the events in her novel into events depicted in season 5 of the series. Andrew's arrival in LA in the episode "Damage"? Check. Spike and Angel's jaunt to Rome in "The Girl in Question"? Check. However, these things are pretty much glossed over. The first instance, in particular, warranted some more musing on Buffy's part than we actually get. Most annoyingly, the events of "Shells" are totally skipped, which baffles me. Why did Holder go to such lengths to tie things into the final season of Angel, but yet miss such a pivotal event? I have no answer for this particular quandary. And lest I forget, the climax of the novel ends up tying itself into Angel's final episode, "Never Fade Away", and I have to say I don't like what Holder did with that at all. However, that's probably more of a personal preference issue than anything.

While I'm on the subject, Holder does some things that I found absolutely ridiculous in a book that ties into Angel. Over the course of the book, Cleveland is an absolute mess due to the increasing activity of the Hellmouth there, and the city is pretty much evacuated. Not only that, but we have cataclysmic weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and all sorts of other chaos that builds up to the book's finale. This struck me as odd, because you'd think that events of this severity would have attracted the attention of team Angel. Granted, by the time things get REALLY bad, Angel is making his moves against the Circle of the Black Thorn, but still, its just a bit much for a story that pretends to take place in the same shared universe.

Oh, and lest I forget (because I very nearly did), the climax of this book is more than just a touch lackluster. It seems very, very rushed and rather anti-climactic. For a book that really builds to an apocalyptic end, it sure doesn't deliver what it promises, and I really, really hate that. A strong ending could have helped save this book. Instead, the weak ending helps doom it.

Lastly, some of the characterizations and dialogue just don't ring as true as they should, and that's more than just a little bothersome. There are flashes of the wit and charm that we Buffy-fans know so well, but they just aren't enough to make up for everything that is wrong with this book.

Before I wrap it up, some other reviewers pointed out some things that I should mention for the sake of fairness. 1) This is a "young adult" novel, and that certainly places its own set of restrictions on the content. And 2) this is indeed a licensed book, and we have no clue what demands were made of Holder in terms of what she did with the characters. Both of these factors should be taken into account, and fans under the age of 20 will probably enjoy this title more than someone of my age would. And there were some moments that were enjoyable, and a couple of instances where I chuckled at a line that was truly funny. Also, despite its shortcomings, the book was hard to put down. If it wasn't for that flat ending, the book would have netted three stars instead of just two.

To sum it all up, I really think that Holder's reach exceeded her grasp in this particular instance. She creates some big events that seem lackluster because they seem to be writ small-scale. I'd have some real reservations about reading more of her Buffy works in the future.

I am a very hard core Buffy and Angel fan and was so excited to read this book so I could continue Buffy with a season 8, boy was I ever wrong! I am going to be pretty blunt and honest, as this book has major issues. The first chapter and Xander's chapter going to Africa was really the only 2 chapters worth reading. How do I begin...the repeated phrase of "as if on cue" was most annoying or how many times do we need to hear Willow tell everyone "her name is Senaya", or she is the "mother of poisons and potions"...I could still scream. The memory refreshing was absurd as well...if I needed to have my memory refreshed on what happened continually in previous seasons I would watch my DVD's or one of my numerous recordings! Plus, most people who would read this all ready know and love Buffy, they do not need to have this repeated to them. Then there is the ordeal of the God Janus and Ethan Rayne; first off Janus was NOT a Greek God, he was Roman and never had a counter part in any Greek mythology, and to top it all off, what the heck does this have to do with Buffy? A simple paragraph about Janus would have been just fine, or maybe to introduce Ethan into the story with maybe a part of the involvement in the story line...but no she has to screw up mythology and Buffyverse! Let's see what else, the numerous...and I mean numerous references to other movies, TV shows and songs...does she not have an imagination of her own! Like we as the readers did not all ready see the stupidity of Snow White, Wizard of Oz or lets refer all of the characters to that of someone else such as Usher, Audry Hepburn, Christina Aguilara, Boris Karloff...I could go on but then I would be like her and repeat myself over and over again! Then lets make an issue of the cell phones(all are matching-lets not forget that!), glow sticks, magic mirrors, spell spheres and orbs...again where is the imagination?... and let's not forget the best one...the "monsters" that do not like chewing tobacco...I thought I was going to laugh my a-- off! Then she has to even make the reference to where "they" are kind of like vampires who don't like garlic, BUT vampires are not real...oh my gosh...she needs to get another profession or an imaigination. Joss (or any of his other writers) would have NEVER came up with crap so lame! Now if you do not see where this has all gone and what this book is about then maybe you might like the book, but I have never read a book so ridiculous in my life. The immortal was bland, Robin is on his death bed but wow, after one short trip to the hospital he is ready to fight and save the world! If I heard Faith say "yo" one more time, or Buffy call Dawn "Dawnie" one more time...arghh! Hardly any of the Buffy characters are true to the show, I can just hear Giles saying "cheery bye", god that makes me laugh and he does not say it once but numerus times! Can you hear Giles saying that? Be honest!!! Well I could go on forever, but I won't. I just have one more thing to say (I think), the "gift" at the end has got to be the most absurd "gift" I have ever heard of! I don't know if I should spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book, but I would advise not to read any way...what the heck...here it is...we all get to see/hear about Angel and Spike's combined love child with Buffy who comes and holds it palms over Buffy's head to save the world from the "Queen of Slayers" ( I won't even go there!!!), soooo ridiculous! But any way, buy the DVD's, watch re-runs or maybe some of the other boks, but if you do not want your next season of Buffy ruined DO NOT READ this BOOK! Maybe we should throw them all in a magic bubble like she did Oz and his werewolf buddies and say ABRACADABRA and they will all be gone!!! Sorry to offend anyone who liked this book, but this is the worst book I have ever read and it does not continue anything great for Buffy and the Scooby Gang, or Angel! I agree with the review above, we need a better season 8! Maybe the flying dragon that must have been on his way to LA will bring us a new book, because this lacks alot! Long live Buffy/Angel and gangs...but not through this book or even this author, even if they are limited to what they can do with these characters, it could have been a heck of a lot better! Thanks for listening...and I must mention my Buffy buddy in Wi. she feels the same way!