Customer Reviews

One Thing or Your Mother (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Simon Spotlight))

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

 

 

Reading BTVS One Thing or Your Mother is like watching an episode of what I consider "Classic Buffy". The story takes place during the second season of Buffy, after Episode 19 ("I Only Have Eyes for You") and before the season finale (Episode 21 & 22 "Becoming"). Angel has lost his soul, murdered Jenny Calendar, and begun to wage his emotional war against Buffy.

Like a TV episode, there is a main plot (why is everyone in Sunnydale continually falling asleep, how is Principal Snyder connected, and how can Buffy put a stop to it before everyone falls into permanent slumber?), and a small subplot with Angelus, Drusilla & Spike (still in the wheelchair). The theme of the sub-plot also ties in with main plot's theme. There are a few surprises, and there is some foreshadowing of both events in "Becoming" and the Third Season of Buffy.

I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to any Buffy fan looking for a good new story to excite their imagination. Kirsten Beyer has a great feel for both the characters and the story flow, and it's a shame that this is probably the only BTVS story we'll be able to read of hers.

I liked this book. And it is supposedly the last one to be published. It has several twists and turns to it, and sheds light on several of the characters. It really shows that Spike has a heart and yearns for love this early in the series. It sets up several coming events. Cute title, too.

I loved this book. It takes place during the season 2 time period. Angelus is stalking Buffy and Spike is well......Spike (got to love him). Great story....takes me back to Buffy at her best. If you are a fan......any book about Buffy is rated an A+++++++++!!!!!!

I enjoyed this book. Kirsten Beyer really captured the voice, the tone, of the show. Plus, I loved her idea of what Principal Snyder's childhood must have been like in order to create the little troll that he becomes as an adult. It's a fun read, and one of the best Buffy books I've read in a long time. I hope she writes more.

My copy of this book sets prominently in my collection. I won it in an essay contest over the internet. My copy is inscribed by the author, who I think is very cool. This book is interesting, it foreshadows future events in the series in a very gentle way and at the same time gives us a deeper look into Drusilla's disturbed psyche. This was one a the last Buffy novels, which is very sad because I enjoyed so many of them. Thank goodness we have season 8.

One Thing or Your Mother

Kirsten Beyer (2008)

RATING: 4/5 Stakes

SETTING: Season 2

T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Buffy, Angelus, Drusilla, Spike, Willow, Principal Snyder, Giles, Joyce, Xander, Cordelia, Larry, Johnathan, Oz, Detective Stein, Detective Winslow, The Mayor, Allan

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Josh Grodin (demon summoner), Paulina Snyder (Principal's mom), Todd Harter (tutor), Callie (child vamp)

BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "It's tough being a teenage Slayer. On the verge of failing her junior year--thanks to annoying Principal Snyder, who seems to be acting even stranger than usual lately--Buffy agrees to meet with a tutor. Not helping her studies is the fact that lately she's been exhausted, waking up each morning feeling more tired than she did the night before. To make matters worse, she's tasked with investigating the disappearance of a child . . . a little girl who happens to have gone missing mere hours before a child vampire surfaced in Sunnydale, accompanied by a wheelchair-bound male who fits Spike's description perfectly. Fighting off exhaustion and uneasy at the prospect of staking a child vamp, Buffy learns that Principal Snyder is the target of a sleep-deprivation spell that has taken over Sunnydale. Putting aside her fear that her tutor is out to get her, and hoping that the sleeping spell is affecting both humans and demons, Buffy investigates Snyder's off behavior. She follows him to his childhood home to discover that he has arranged to have his abusive mother banished to the demon dimension. Meanwhile, Drusilla, who has been playing mother figure to the child vampire, is learning how difficult it is to be a parent. As sleep takes hold of the citizens of Sunnydale, Buffy beings to realize that unless she breaks the spell soon, the nightmare is just beginning."

REVIEW

Whew! The summary on the back of the book is almost as long as the book itself! With such a thorough description of the plot already provided, I can move right into some commentary. One Thing or Your Mother is set in Buffy Season Two and the author has paid close attention to continuity and included several minor characters from the show, like Larry, Allan, and police detectives Winslow & Stein. The revelation that Principal Snyder had to make a deal with The Mayor to have the abusive Mrs. Snyder sent to a demon dimension is done quite well and adds some strange sympathy to the figure of Principal Snyder. The subplot involving Drusilla deciding to be "mother" to a vampire child is also well-written and includes excellent portrayals of Drusilla's fickleness, Angelus' volatility, and Spike's ability to show tenderness as surprising times. Overall, the book has a creepy, dark feel that is missing from too many Buffy novels. It's one worth picking up.

I'm not really sure where to begin. I am a huge Buffy fan and wanted this to be a refreshing and new read. The plots were confusing in the fact that they didn't fit together well. There were three things happening that weren't really explained.

plot 1) A little girl has gone missing. Buffy finds her at the playground. But is shocked to find that she has been turned into a vampire.

plot 2) Everyone in Sunnydale is tired. And Buffy keeps noticing Principle Snyder walking around in daze at night.

plot 3) Buffy has a new tutor. A very cute boy she thinks she might like. But he is more then meets the eye.


The book was good. I laughed out loud at parts and smiled at others. But there were parts were I was scratching my head trying to remember if I had missed something important.
Could have been better.

Of course I've mostly pointed out the bad things. If you are a Buffy fan you should read it!!! It has the humor and the feeling of a show.


A plus was having Spike in the story and showing how Angel was making his life much harder. I liked his realtionship with little Callie. It fit well with the Spike from the show.