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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some very interesting ideas, but uneven story results, February 5, 2003
This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 2 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)
By the time I was halfway through "Tales of the Slayer, Volume 2" I knew that my main comment was going to be that these stories were basically gimmicks, where the execution either is not up to the idea or the story fails to take advantage of it. Still, there are definitely some bright spots within these pages. Just remember going into this one that it saves the best for last, so do not get too disheartened: "All That You Do Comes Back Unto Thee, Sunnydale, California, 2000," by Todd A. McIntosh is about a Sunnydale boy who messes with the dark arts. This is set more recently but it really reminds me of the spirit of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" back in the first couple of seasons when the gang was back in high school. It does establish a sort of baseline for the stories in this book at 3 Stakes. "Lady Shobu, Sagami Province, Japan, 980," by Kara Dalkey is the story of a Slayer who must function within the Japanese court. This is a problem because ladies at court are not supposed to be out and about staking vampires. The vampire situation she encounters is pretty good, and Dalkey provides excellent period detail, but I did have a problem with this Slayer being dumped into this situation with minimal explanation (although there is a reason for that in terms of the ending). 4 Stakes. "Abomination, Beauport, Brittany, France, 1320," by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Mertz is about a Slayer who is not only a mother she refuses to obey the Council until her husband is returned to her. She had the kids BEFORE she became the Slayer, which begs a lot of interesting questions (I always had an idea that if Buffy became pregnant she would not be the Slayer anymore, i.e., a way of getting her out of the series alive). This story does try to deal with the Slayer as a mother, but there was a lot more to explore here. 4 Stakes. "Blood and Brine, The Caribbean, 1661," by Greg Cox tells of a Slayer dressed up as a male pirate captain. On the one hand a Slayer on the high seas since rather a waste given it is closer to the last than the first place you would look for vampires, but bonus points for finding a way for a Slayer to always have a stake handy (long a concern of mine in watching "BtVS"). 3 Stakes. "The Ghosts of Slayers Past, London, England, 1843," by Scott Allie has the spirits of three Slayers visiting a snobbish watcher a la "A Christmas Carol." Take a wild guess as to who the spirit of Slayers yet to come ends up being. Playing off Dickens becomes a big joke, rather than any sort of profound dramatic point . 2 Stakes. "The New Watcher, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864," by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is about a Slayer dressed up as a man in the Union army occupying army. This is not the Slayer as a southern belle in the grand tradition of Scarlett O'Hara, and while the idea that being a woman is a big detriment to the Slayer, I really did like the payoff on this one. 4 Stakes. "House of the Vampire, London, England, 1897" by Michael Reaves is about a Slayer who takes on everybody from Springheel Jack to Dracula. Any story that needs to drop names (and more names than those two) is a bit much for me. 3 Stakes. "The War Between the States, New York City, New York, 1922" by Rebecca Rand Kirshner is about a Slayer who has surrounded herself with friends a la Buffy. The problem is that the story is told tangentially, so the impact of that idea is rather lost. You figure out the point just when the story is over and it is not that sort of a point worth saving until then. 3 Stakes. "Stakeout on Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois, 1943," by Max Allan Collins with Matthew V. Clemens tells the story of a Slayer who is a private eye in gangland Chicago. This Slayer also happens to be married, but he is overseas enjoying World War II, so there is no exploitation of this idea beyond the fact that it gives our Slayer detective a reason to go chat up with Frank Nitti, who has made the mistake of hiring a vampire as a hit man. As you would expect with Collins the dialogue is on point in grand Raymond Chandler sytle and the punch line is the best in the book. 5 Stakes. "Again, Sunnydale, California, 1999," by Jane Espenson has Buffy, Willow and Xander suddenly finding themselves back in their senior year of high school, knowing what is to happen in the future. A really great idea that should have been developed as a novel (or even an episode) rather than a short story. This one is over just when it is really getting interesting. It also shows the weakness of the short story format with revolving around "new" Slayers, because we lose all of the resonance of the characters. As soon as you understand the premise here you know exactly what Buffy's first thought is going to be. This gives Espenson an advantage over the other writers. I really wish the editor(s) had pushed most of these writers a bit more on some of these stories because I think all of my major complaints could have been addressed and the stories would have benefited. I also would not mind if some of these authors thought about some of these past Slayers as being more than one-shot deals. Certainly worth reading for fans the "BtVS" universe, but I have to admit I had higher expectations for these stories.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not as entertaining as the first, March 7, 2003
This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 2 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)
In my review of the first Tales of the Slayer compilation, I stated that the stories involved were uneven. The same thing is wrong with this book, but it still manages to entertain. Like any collection of short stories, this novel is bound to have its high and low points. What follow are mini-reviews of each story: "All That You Do Comes Back Unto Thee" - The first story in this book tells a story about Buffy. It's written (sometimes poorly) by series makeup artist Todd A. McIntosh, and it's about a boy who dabbles in the black arts and awakens the spirit of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It is slowly paced and actually boring at times. "Lady Shobu" - This is one of the better stories in the book. It tells the tale of a warrior woman in Japan who is called to the home of the Great Lady. She learns of her calling as the Slayer and sets out to find the place on the Lady's grounds where the demons are gathering. A very well-written piece of work... hopefully we will see more of Kara Dalkey in future Buffy novels. "Abomination" - Another good story, though not great. This tale is of a young potential Slayer who falls in love with her Watcher. She bears his children, and is then called as the Slayer. The Council finds out about this and proceeds to handle things, leaving the Slayer in a bit of a mess with a demon. The first few pages had me hooked, but it tended to drag a bit in the middle. It picks up nicely and the end, though, and left me feeling satisfied. "Blood and Brine" - I didn't particularly like this story. It tells of a Slayer who sails the seas disguised as a man... and is it just me, or does it seem like a ship isn't the best place to slay vampires? Anyway, this story bored me until the end, when one of my favorite mythological creatures made an appearance. Still, not a very good tale. "The Ghosts of Slayers Past" - This is a completely silly story. It's a retelling of Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol, and is pretty much pointless. The best thing about this story is that is only about 20 pages long. "The New Watcher" - Short and sweet, this is one of the best stories in the novel. A Slayer is fighting in the Civil War, and a new Watcher shows up after her previous one was turned into a vampire. Extremely well-written and told by Kristine Kathryn Rusch "House of the Vampire" - I have mixed feelings about this story. It was interesting on some levels, but very silly and far-fetched on others. This time around, a Slayer in England encounters Dracula (this guy is pretty popular with the Slayers, no?). The passage itself is written well, but the story isn't all that great. "The War Between the States" - The second worst story here, which is surprising since it is coming from a writer of the actual series, Rebecca Rand Kirshner (she wrote such episodes as "Tough Love," "Tabula Rasa," "Hell's Bells," and "Potential"). It's about a woman who tries to achieve the glamorous lifestyle she has always wanted. Very, very boring and we are not even completely who the Slayer is until the final pages (the story is not written about the Slayer... it's written about an outsider). Kirshner took a different approach with this one, but it didn't work too well. Plus, the title is very unfitting. "Stakeout on Rush Street" - Following one of the worst stories is one of the best. This Slayer is a private eye in Chicago on the heels of a gangster and a vampire. Extremely enjoyable and fun. "Again" - And now we come to the end, and it's no surprise they saved the best for last. Genius series writer Jane Espenson ("Band Candy," "Earshot," "Superstar," "Checkpoint," "After Life," "Same Time, Same Place," "Storyteller" to name a few of her episodes) contributes a story about, surprise, Buffy! In this particular adventure, Buffy, Xander, and Willow are sent back in time... into their old bodies, but with their current minds. Very inventive and unsurprisingly well-written, Espenson blew me away with this one. This woman is a great story teller... and watch for the strange, surprise ending. This story alone caused me to raise the ratings by one star. All in all, Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 2 can be and enjoybale read. But, it can be a tedious one also.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some Excellent Stories of Past & Present Slayers, February 3, 2003
This review is from: Tales of the Slayer, Volume 2 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (Paperback)
Although some of the stories in this book are outstanding, there are a few that I did not think were up to the rest. A truly excellent story was Lady Shobu, set in 10th century Japan; a lot of research went into this very well-written and exciting tale. Another is a hard-boiled detective story of a married slayer and gangster Frank Nitti entitled Stakeout on Rush Street; I loved it. I did not like Blood and Brine, partiallly because I'm not particularly fond of the time period, but primarily because I do not like dialect stories; however, I did like seeing the mention of the "doxy, Darla." Two stories, to remain nameless here, deal with slayers who must pose as men because of the particular conditions of the times. Another features a stubborn slayer who just wants a normal life and an equally stubborn Watcher's Council, who denies it to her, with truly disastrous results; this story left a very bad taste in my mouth. I found the homage to A Christmas Carol to be a little [poor], and The War Between the States badly titled and confusing, but, in the end, quite good. But there are two good Buffy stories as well. All in all, it's a good addition to the basic Buffy library. Perhaps a third volume might deal with the two slayers Spike has killed in the past or with a slayer who has encountered Darla, Angelus, and/or Drusilla, and may or may not have lived to tell the tale. Writers, just a humble suggestion!
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