The Girl's Got Bite : Unofficial Guide to Buffy's World (Paperback)

by Kathleen Tracy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Girl's Got Bite is like a lengthy TV magazine special on the wonderful action-drama-comedy show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Because the book is not affiliated with the show, the author, Drew Carey biographer Kathleen Tracy, dwells on quotations from the stars and Joss Whedon, the show's brilliant creator, not quotes from the show itself. About half the book is devoted to synopses and discussions of the first 33 episodes, including bloopers and a sharp-eyed insider's observations, such as the bumper sticker for the rock band Nerf Herder glimpsed inside Willow's locker and the reason Buffy's estranged dad looks so familiar in the ninth episode, "Nightmares." (Nerf Herder performs the show's theme song, and Buffy's dad is played by Dean Butler, who married Melissa Gilbert on Little House on the Prairie.) Tracy spices up the episode guide, and the whole book, with fun facts about vampires in literature, onscreen, and in life. Did you know that nasty Countess Nasdasdy in 17th-century Transylvania actually bathed in the blood of 40 murdered maidens? Or that if Angel and Buffy had a half-vampire baby, it would be called a "dhampir," and would probably take after its slayer mother?

The most interesting stuff in the book is its journalistic history of the Buffy film (starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry) and the very distinct TV show. Tracy gets good, insightful quotes from everybody, most crucially from Whedon, who loathes the Buffy film (for which he wrote the screenplay) and defines the TV show as "The X-Files meets My So-Called Life." He's right.

Product Description
Buffy Summers is just your average teenager with everyday problems except for one teeny tiny thing-she's the Vampire Slayer. Balancing homework with her duties as the one chosen to rid the Earth of evil forces sometimes puts a crimp in Buffy's social life, but she manages. That the buff high schooler can annihilate vampires and other monsters while remaining fashionably dressed and cutely dressed illustrates the dichotomy that is Buffy.

This companion guide covers all aspects of the Buffy phenomena-from the 1992 feature film starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry, to the development and production of the current hit TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Based on interviews with the show's creator, producers and principal cast members, the book includes cast biographies, critical summaries of each episode, trivia, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and more. Like the series, the Buffy book combines the thoughtful (an essay on slayer mythology throughout history) with the frivolous for a frightfully good time.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Renaissance Books; First Edition edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580630359
• ISBN-13: 978-1580630351
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,558,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for what the author had to work with, November 29, 1998

By	TheHappyHermit (Medina, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This book was the first book on the market about the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". At the time it greatly fed my hunger for information on what has become my all-time favorite show. Since then, "The Watcher's Guide" has become tops on my list for Buffy books. The author of this book basically pieced together interviews from various sources for the actor biographies. Also, the episode guide turned out to be more interesting than I had expected seeing that the author did not have access to as much inside information as the authors of the official guide did ("The Watcher's Guide"). The one thing that sets this book apart from the other Buffy books is its coverage on the Buffy movie from 1992. That movie was not very good, and it does not come close to being what the TV show is. However, I did enjoy reading about the beginning of the whole Buffy phenomena. I am just glad that the author did not devote more time and pages to the subject. All in all, it is a very good book about "Buffy", but it is not the best one available.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty awesome book on the really awesome show!, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

It's a really good book!! I was surprised to find some great info on the cast and show, and I loved the section on bloopers! This book definately deserves 4 stars, if not 5!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any Buffy Fan!!!!!!!, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This book is an awesome Buffy Bio! Kathleen Tracy is an awesome writer and nailed, or should I say staked, every point (no pun intended) perfectly. I loved he book and have read thought it a number of times. As a HUGE Buffy fan, I must say that it is one of the best!!