Vengeance (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [Paperback]

Scott Ciecin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Publication Date: September 2, 2002

A charismatic self-help guru promises she has the key to a perfect world. But it's midnight in the Garden of Eden, and the original evil is after Angel's soul...Lost Angeles is a city divided between the haves and the have-nots, and those that have it seem to have it all: tanned good looks, fit physiques, celebrity, flashy cars, high-tech toys, and then some. It's little wonder that the have-nots tend to get tired of standing on the sidelines...Enter Lily Pierce, a motivational speaker whose New Life Foundation message is sweeping the country. Her mantra is simple: "Erase doubt. Erase fear. Become pure of purpose. Perfect in execution. Attain your dreams." But Lily is guarding a secret of truly mythic proportions. Even Wolfram and Hart -- the sinister law firm whose machinations lie behind much of Los Angeles' evil -- want to stop the rising insanity: and incredibly, they are looking to Angel for help. Can he work with the very people who have tried to hard to destroy him? And is Lily's promise of a perfect world for all who embrace her vision too tempting for Angel to fight against?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-10-Another installment in the novelizations of the TV series Angel. Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn must thwart Lily Pierce in her efforts to corrupt humankind and turn the Earth into a living Hell for her demon "children." Teens will gravitate to the book because of the popularity of Angel and of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, the sly humor and campy fun of the TV scripts are lost in the print version. Too much time is spent reinforcing the characters' motivations (Angel is moody, Cordelia is obsessed with her looks, etc.) rather than concentrating on the plot and character development. The writing is heavy-handed, and the plot is pretty weak, but teens eat this series up. Purchase where demand dictates.
Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Cinematic in its scope and execution...a triumph on every level" - Dreamwatch "One of the best produced, most entertaining shows on television" - Starburst

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (September 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743449800
• ISBN-13: 978-0743449809
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,363,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hand-to-Neck Combat, September 20, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vengeance (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

It is business as usual for the Angel team. First, take out a Krinj demon living in a homeless shelter. Make a quick stop to help out at a traffic accident. Drop in at the office and get a job offer from Wolfram & Hart. That's right, Lilah Morgan, VP in charge of dirty business, shows up at the Hyperion hotel to offer Angel a job that even the world's nastiest lawyers can't handle. Lilah wants Angel to retrieve an artifact so evil that its user could destroy the human race. Apparently, even Wolfram & Hart know that is bad for business.

The artifact is the Serpent's Hand. This gruesome relic rumored to be one of the limbs the Snake lost in the Garden of Eden. It is capable of totally corrupting its wearer. In this case, the wielder is Lilith (Adam's other wife). Working under the name of Lily Pierce, Lilith is using the guise of a motivational speaker to assemble a huge following.

Angel's job is simple, snatch the Hand (and turn it over to Ms. Morgan, of course). Well it would be simple if it wasn't for the fact that the immortal Lilith is a powerful sorceress, protected by a horde of antediluvian demons. Right away you know this is not going to be fun. When the team makes their move they unleash a series of events that leaves none of them untouched. Angel tries to kill every demon in Los Angeles, Lilith tries to wipe out the entire human race, and everyone else limps to cover.

I only have two minor complaints about the novel, neither enough to effect the over effect. The first is that this is an extremely violent novel. Even if most of the victims are demons, it still gets a bit out of hand. The other issue is that a very different Lilith has already appeared in 'Dust Waltz' an original graphic novel in the BTVS series. In that story, it is clear that Angel had known Lilith even earlier, but this is never mentioned in 'Vengeance'. For those readers who like consistency, this may be a bit irritating. In spite of these qualms, this may still be the best Angel novel of 2002.

Scott Ciencin and Dan Jolley have created an extraordinarily intense story, far darker than the norm, even for the Angel series. Each of the characters must deal with changes and make decisions that stretch their ability to cope. Cordelia is a particular focus, as she shows surprising maturity during the crisis and in her developing (?) relationship with millionaire David Nabbit. In many ways, this is an imaginative and thoughtful story masquerading as blood bath.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, and mostly about Angel, July 28, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: Vengeance (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one of my favorite Angel books, and I've read them all. The best part that it actually WAS about Angel, although everyone else was in it. Very easy to visualize this book on screen. Lots of good fighting, and insight into Angel's thoughts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best in the seris, but very enjoyable, August 10, 2002

By 

fjmcmm (Gardena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Vengeance (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

I mainly enjoyed this novel because it featured my favorite character, Angel. I loved the tortured Angel when he tried to keep control of his conscience, defying "the hand". Such emotion. The action was really good, along with some weird yet exciting fighting. It was hard getting my imagination to conjure up the fighting and the creatures, but I enjoyed nonetheless. Looking forward to the next novel.