Reading the Vampire Slayer: The Complete, Unofficial Guide to 'Buffy' and 'Angel' (Reading Contemporary Television) [Paperback]

Roz Kaveney (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 186064984X | ISBN-13: 978-1860649844 | Publication Date: March 18, 2004 | Edition: 2 Rev Exp

The first edition of Reading the Vampire Slayer was highly praised in both the fan magazine SFX and the Times Literary Supplement. This second edition is hugely revised and expanded to cover the sixth and seventh seasons of Buffy and the third and fourth seasons of Angel. It contains chapters on the relationship between Buffy and the lovelorn vampire Spike and on the thematic structure of Angel, as well as interviews on the writing of Buffy with scriptwriters Jane Espenson and Steven DeKnight. Individual chapters have been updated and the useful episode guide is expanded to cover all seven seasons of Buffy and the four seasons of Angel, as is Roz Kaveney's general introduction to the scenes and structures of each season.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...very thoughtful essays...accessible and intriguing..." -- Booklist

About the Author

Roz Kaveney is a well-known reviewer, contributing editor of The Encyclopaedia of Fantasy, and co-founder of Feminists against Censorship.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks; 2 Rev Exp edition (March 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186064984X
• ISBN-13: 978-1860649844
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,170,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent required reading for BtVS/AtS fans, May 14, 2005

By 

gunngirl (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Reading the Vampire Slayer: The Complete, Unofficial Guide to 'Buffy' and 'Angel' (Reading Contemporary Television) (Paperback)

Unfortunetly we don't get Angel season five in this book, it is still very engaging, informative, interesting and thought provoking. This book is not for the average viewer or even for just a passing fan. It's for the fanatic. He does include a character list, including villains and recurring characters with descriptions for everyone, but it won't mean much to you unless you're a fan of the show.

This book links both shows together, often discussing them both in unison and how some characters on Angel relate to Buffy, which I liked because both worlds do intertwine, epecially with Buffy and Angel as a former couple. But what's best is Kaveney really goes in depth with Buffy, making points about show titles, quotes, certain moments and key comments and objects and how they either pertain to something important or forshadow something else. He explains a lot, and does well discussing Spike and Buffy's relationship and all the sexual relationships on the show, which is one of his best reviews. He goes through each season discussing character growth, and the oh so many metaphors of Joss' world -- many things that you probably didn't catch, but can now note on another viewing after him pointing it out to you.

There were so many things I didn't catch or understand during the years that were pointed out to me now. However, not every page is exceptional or even worthy. Best chapters are : "She save the world. A lot" "Entropy as Demon" "What you are, what's to come" "The only thing better than killing a slayer" and "Blood and Choice" Also, "They always mistake me for the character I play" is fairly interesting and provides some good key information.
The interviews were pretty bland. Kaveney sometimes writes with an overzealous flair, but he does get his point across and I enjoyed it. I gave this five stars for the chapters I mentioned. I wish season five of Angel could have been included. I think his discussion on Angel would have been deeper had it been. Overall, a FANTASTIC read for a hardcore fan. I reccommend, especially now the the Whedonverse is officially gone.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite A Love Letter, August 2, 2011

By 

Summer40 (Montclair, California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reading the Vampire Slayer: The Complete, Unofficial Guide to 'Buffy' and 'Angel' (Reading Contemporary Television) (Paperback)

"Reading the Vampire Slayer" is more than a guide to the "Buffy" and "Angel" series. The author pays a lot of respect to the shows without bowing down to the 'genius' of Josh Whedon. The introduction chapter serves as a brief summary of seasons 1-7 of "Buffy" and 1-4 of "Angel". The summaries were refreshing and they went far beyond what Buffy/Angel boards would offer.
The interviews of Jane Espenson and Stevens DeKnight brought an awareness of the writing/script process. Both writers were down-to-earth and critical of their own work. The authors, especially DeKnight, listened to what the fans said about certain episodes and strove to improve his work. There were a couple of chapters that could have been written by Wilcox (emphasizing literature/religon & Buffy), but Kaveney sinks his/her teeth into the chapter involving sexuality and the two shows. The reader could tell that Kaveney enjoyed writing that chapter, because the writing becomes less collegiate and more raunchy (intelligent raunch).
The last chapter belongs in the "No they didn't!" category, where the author critiques the actual actors from the shows. If you were an actor on either series, upon reading this particular chapter, the author could either receive a nice bouquet of flowers or toe nail clippings. Overall, this was a great book and a must read for all Buffy/Angel fans.