Tales of the Slayer, Volume 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [Paperback]

Yvonne Navarro (Author), Christopher Golden (Author), Nancy Holder (Author), Mel Odom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2003

The Slayers' lives are short, and not very sweet. The Watchers' Journals are full of their tales -- their battles, their triumphs, and ultimately, their successors.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is but the latest in a long line of women warriors stretching back to the dawn of humankind. As long as there have been vampires, there has been a Slayer. Usually called in her teens, the Chosen One leads a brief life full of conflict and doom.

From the Anasazi villages of A.D. 1250 to Shanghai, China, in 1866, from Hollywood in the '40s to Buffy's predecessor in Tokyo of the '90s, Slayers have always risen above their most recent defeat.

Four best-selling Buffy novelists come together in a collection of novellas chronicling tales of Slayers past. Christopher Golden, Nancy Holder, Mel Odom, and Yvonne Navarro each present a new entry in the historic line of Slayers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; 1st edition (November 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689864361
• ISBN-13: 978-0689864360
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born back in the early days when black and white photographs were considered normal instead of artsy. As a child I always thought I'd grow up to be an artist, and I was was convinced I'd spend my life doing line drawings of long, leggy models like the ones in the daily newspapers. Life, however, did not cooperate: a foul-up in grammar school resulted in a transfer to a local high school instead of the technical, arts-heavy one I'd planned to attend.

Following that was a move that really made things start winding around. By the time I returned to Chicago for the second time in 1981, I'd worked as a waitress, a nurse's aide, a bookkeeper and gift shop cashier, an accounting clerk, and a secretary in everything from office furniture stores to a hotel to a journalism society. In 1981 I came back to my old job in a Chicago law firm and settled down in the Windy City for awhile. In 1982 I tried to write because my mother said "You could do this." The seed had still been planted, and I sold my first story in 1984. Since then I've written around a hundred stories, most of which have been or are scheduled to be published.

My first novel, AfterAge, was published in 1993 and was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. In 1995 my second solo novel, deadrush, was published, and it also was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award, this time in the category of Superior Achievement in a novel. Final Impact, the third solo novel, was published in 1997, and won both the Chicago Women In Publishing's Award for Excellence in Adult Fiction and the "Unreal Worlds" Award for Best Horror Paperback of 1997 from the Rocky Mountain News. Since then I've published several more solo novels, Red Shadows (a follow-up to Final Impact), DeadTimes, and That's Not My Name, her first suspense novel. That's Not My Name, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Paleo, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Willow Files, Vol. 2 all won at the Illinois State level of the IWPA 2001 Mate E. Palmer Communications contest (two first place and one second place, respectively), plus I somehow swept all three awards of the Short Story category with "Ascension," "Divine Justice," and "Santa Alma." I've also written a number of media tie-in novels, including several Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, Hellboy, Elektra, and Ultraviolet. Full info about all her books can be found on her website along with a lot of free excerpts.

I moved to my beloved Arizona in 2002 and currently work on historic Fort Huachuca. in southern Arizona. Numerically, I'm up to about twenty novels and one non-fiction book, with those never-ending plans for more. I love heat, Godiva chocolates, and Great Danes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four quality novellas, July 19, 2004

By 

jsdunk "jsdunk" (Camas, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)

Unlike the first two Tales of the Slayer books which consisted of 8-10 short stories, this one consists of four fairly meaty novellas.

The first novella was set in a Native American community in 1229. While I didn't enjoy this story immmensely, it was extremely well executed. Its the story of a slayer who was trained without understanding her calling. When she was called she still didn't understand the rules of the game. The story follows her frustration and angst and she realizes that she has failed to fulfill her duty because she doesn't understand her duty.

The second story is set in China in 1856 and revolves around yet another Slayer who doesn't really understand her calling. She has been trained. But when her Watcher died she ran away from the monastery where he trained her and posed as a man to survive on her on in the city. Her new Watcher finds her and they (reluctantly) set out to destroy an extremely powerful vampire. Another excellently executed story.

The third novella is set in Hollywood in the 1940s. The then current slayer and her Watcher set out to find a Watcher that has gone AWOL from the council. In the process they encounter a bar full of demons and stars, someone who is killing demons - both dangerous and peaceful - indiscriminately, and vigilante demons who want to find and punish the demon killer. This story is particularly captivating for the amount of gray in it. In this story, the slayer spends a lot of time tredding in the space between black and white, between good and evil.

The final novella is set in Tokyo in 1993 and involves Buffy's predecessor, India. India is able to move freely around Tokyo with her Watcher because her parents don't have the time to pay much attention to her. She has a bit of a crush on her handsome young watcher, Kit, only adding to the dramatic tension of the story. India and Kit have been called to help a clan destroy their ancestor who was turned into a vampire, along with over 50 of his fellow warriors. Another ancestor vowed that no one in the family would rest until the vampire samauri was destroyed. But, they're running out of descendents and time. So, India is called in as reinforcements.

As with any short story (or novella) collection, the topics and writing are varied. So, one story may not appeal to you simply because you're not interested in China in the 1800s or in Samauri stories. But all the stories are well written, with the well developed characters allowed by this longer form. If you're interested in exploring the history of the slayers, this collection is for you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Despite what everyone else said, I highly enjoyed this Book., March 1, 2004

By 

Rachel "rachel_26280" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. I got it last week and finished it within a couple of days. I had read the reviews that other people had posted and wasn't expecting much, in fact I was expecting it to be horrible. But luckily I'm one of those people who read what people say about things but that like to find out for myself if I actually like it.

Most of the reviews have had people complaining that the book only had 4 Stories.... For the previous books people complained that some of the Stories didn't go into Detail enough... This book may have only had 4 stories but they went into Detail about their lives, instead of just their deaths or one of the many Big Battles that they Fought... Plus, it may have only had 4 stories but it was longer than the first book and I think the second Book as well (can't find the second one right now though) The first Book was only 276 pages worth of stories, the third was 319 pages worth of stories.

I have to say, I liked the fact that these stories were more Detailed than the ones in the other Books. You learned more about the Slayer in the stories, who she was, what she was like, what she thought of things, how she reacted to her calling.. Etc. Etc... I really liked that.

The first story, while I thought it was good it wasn't my favorite... I think that it could have been written better but I still enjoyed it. It took place in 1229 A.D... I liked the Descriptive Detail that was given of things. It was almost like you were there. They described the Smells, the way things looked and how they felt, What life was like back then and the way people lived and their Traditions, what it was like suddenly being the Slayer after waiting for many many years for it to happen... What it was like being the Slayer back then and not knowing much about the Vampires, such as their weaknesses.
It kinda gave the Impression that she was the First Slayer or at least the first Slayer in a very long time... I don't know what I think about that.

The Second Story I think was my favorite. I really liked the Story of Ch'ing Shih. Not only did it go into great Detail about the Slayer's Life but it went it detail about how life was for people back then... In particular women... It went into detail about how she reacted to being told that she was the Slayer. About the relationship between her and her Watcher. It also went into some Detail about her past, before being Called.... Which I really liked and enjoyed.... The way that they described the fights that they were involved in was great, I could actually picture the fights in my mind.... Again I REALLY enjoyed this story.

Really quick though, to the person that said her name meant "Moon Kissed Petals", maybe the reason that you didn't like the story was because you didn't read it thoroughly... That name was a name that was used to refer to another little girl, a thief in the Tavern... Not only that but the girl who used it, made it up, it was fake. I suggest reading it again.

I liked the third story as well. I think that it probably came into a close second whenever it came to being on of my favorites... Again, I liked the fights.. I liked that the Slayer's Watcher was a woman, a very capable woman who could also hold her own in Battle... I liked the way that the Slayer thought, what she thought of her calling, how she missed certain things back home, and how they mentioned "'Kakistos" in this story (The Vamp that Faith was afraid of whenever she first came to Sunnydale)... I also liked the fact that she was willing to Compromise with Demons, that she knew not all of them were evil and that she wasn't interested in killing the ones who were harmless... She reminded me of Buffy ALOT.

Now for the last one. I liked this story but I didn't love it. India was never one of my favorite characters, I enjoy her but not as much as I wish that I could. The fact that she was the Slayer before Buffy makes her very appealing to me though..... She doesn't like being the Slayer sometimes but at other times she does, kinda like Buffy... If it wasn't for being the Slayer, she really wouldn't have a purpose, her parents could give a rats ass about her and they're never around, she's lonely.. If it wasn't for Slaying, she wouldn't have "Kit", her Watcher and the man she loves... I think that more than anything she likes being the Slayer.. More than she dislikes it.
I like that she's an American Slayer stationed in Tokyo and the fact that her parents aren't around much and don't seem to care much for her, which makes her Job.. Her calling.. Easier. She can Travel more with Kit without them noticing than she could with them around.... I like that Kit is not only her Watcher but that he's also talented in the Magics. Which also helps them out.... The story itself was interesting, I liked it. I liked that the Vampires that she and the others Fought had a long history behind them... They had a Purpose.. It made the characters involved more interesting.... And that they threw in some details about the Traditions in Tokyo... Both Past and Present.... India seems like one of those Laid back kinda Girls who happens to be the Slayer. I highly enjoy that.. I also find that in some ways, she's alot like Buffy. Again.

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reader, August 2, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 3 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)

The Third Tales of the Slayer collection is better again. This time there are four longer novellas by Holder, Golden, Odom and Navarro. We have a Chinese slayer in the time of the British hold on China, a Native American slayer, a Louisiana slayer in Hollywood in the 1940s, and finally an slayer than lives on an American military base in Japan, who has to deal with the 47 Ronin.

Tales of the Slayer 3 : 01 Dark of the Moon - Yvonne Navarro
Tales of the Slayer 3 : 02 Ch'ing Shih - Mel Odom
Tales of the Slayer 3 : 03 Voodoo Loubge - Christopher Golden
Tales of the Slayer 3 : 04 The Code of the Samurai - Nancy Holder


Native American slayer does her best with little help.

3.5 out of 5


Chinese girl dealing with vamps, crimelords and protecting the people gets Irish help, but has to face vampire lord.

4 out of 5


Louisiana girl's Hollywood demon murder debut.

4 out of 5


American girl is welcome relief for the living side of a Japanese family's monster war.

4 out of 5