Five Seasons of Angel: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Vampire (Smart Pop series) (Paperback)

~ (Editor) "Nothing in Joss's universe is left to chance, and so perhaps it's not surprising that Angelus, Buffy's high school nemesis, seems so familiar to every..." (more)
Key Phrases: hell dimension, gypsy curse, home dimension, Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, never attained the popularity of its parent show but was every bit as beloved by its die-hard fans. Similar to The Seven Seasons of Buffy [BKL S 1 03], this book gathers essays about Angel and its characters by popular sf and fantasy writers such as Peter S. Beagle, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Nancy Holder. In "That Angel Doesn't Live Here Anymore," Laura Resnick writes about how different the brooding vampire was on Angel compared to the romantic ideal he was on Buffy (which was, of course, before he went evil). Chief Lighting Technician Dan Kearns gives fans some behind-the-scenes info in his essay, while Roxanne Longstreet Conrad offers a humorous guide to the evil law firm, Wolfram & Hart. Several essayists celebrate such individual characters as Lorne, the genial green demon; Doyle, the noble half-demon; and Lindsay, the sexy lawyer who skirted the line between good and evil. This intelligent, wide-ranging collection is a must read for any fan who still misses Angel and his comrades. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

The constellation of characters and themes created in Angel, the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off, are explored in this collection of essays. A vampire author, a sex expert, a TV critic, a science fiction novelist, and Buffy writer Nancy Holder provide essays examining the different issues relating to the series, including Angelus as the prototypical high school bully, Angel as victim, Wesley's many transformations, how Spike fits into Angel, the takeover of Wolfram & Hart, and Lindsey's moral center.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Benbella Books; 1st BenBella Books Ed edition (September 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932100334
• ISBN-13: 978-1932100334
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #270,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first anthology on ANGEL is a superb one, October 16, 2004

By	Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Although BUFFY THE VAMPIRE has already received the anthology treatment four different times (with at least one more on the way), ANGEL has been singularly ignored by publishers. Sure, there are official viewing guides, some of them (especially the one by Kenneth Topping) excellent, but this isn't the same as getting a host of unofficial takes on the show. And to judge by the collections of essays, the folks who do the best job of writing about the show are writers, not academics or scholars (even though my own background is aggressively scholarly and oppressively academic). It isn't surprising that the best anthology on BUFFY is SEVEN SEASONS OF BUFFY, edited by the same Glenn Yeffeth who edited this new ANGEL collection, nor surprising that this volume happily comes up to the same high standards of that volume.

The great problem with anthologies is that they are of necessity uneven. Some essays are simply going to be better than others. Luckily, there are virtually no truly weak essays in FIVE SEASONS OF ANGEL, and a number of very strong ones. The twenty-one essays overlap to some degree, conflict with one another from time to time, sometimes cover subjects that I would have preferred left uncovered, and take up most, if not all, of the potential themes of the show. No one who loves ANGEL can fail to find this collection utterly fascinating, and no fan will fail to gain new insights into the show's characters and storylines. I was grateful that Conner, my least favorite show got scant mention, and saddened that more was not done with both Fred and her transition into Illyria (a plot line that contained scads of potential for the Season Six that was not to be, a season in which producer Jeff Bell revealed that Willow as to guest star and cast a spell that would allow what remained of Fred to escape from within Illyria, allowing Amy Acker to play a permanent double role).

I hesitate to start mentioning specific essays, for most are quite good. Dan Kerns, who was the Gaffer on ANGEL for the final three years and the Best Boy for the first two, brings a host of fascinating behind-the-scenes details in a highly humorous fashion. Nancy Holder has a great essay on how Spike on the final season of ANGEL differed from his previous incarnations on BUFFY. I'll mention only two more. I belong to those who believe that as much as Angel, Cordelia was the thematic heart of the show, in that she showed how even shallow, petty, and self-absorbed people can fulfill their potential and become not only good but genuinely heroic. I also believe that the dismantling of her character at the end of Season Three, its bizarre transformation in Season Four, and nonuse in Season Five (except for a wonderful one episode reappearance). I understand that some real world issues entered into her being written out of the show, but that doesn't lessen her essentiality in the show. Laura Anne Gilman gets at the heart of her story in her essay on Cordy entitled "True Shanshu." And Jennifer Crusie expresses sentiments precisely like my own (hunt down my old reviews of the ANGEL DVDs if you doubt me) in "The Assassination of Cordelia Chase."

The only two things that I really miss in the collection are an essay that deals with the character of Gunn, who was to me always one of the most underutilized characters on the show, and a lot more on Fred/Illyria. Some might complain of the absence of material on Connor, but for me that is one of the strengths and not one of the weaknesses of the collection.

Any BUFFY or ANGEL fan is going to love this collection. While there is now only one anthology dealing with ANGEL (a situation that will hopefully change), at least it is a good oen.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Funny, December 21, 2004

By	Andrew "Radaar" (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

As a fan of Buffy and Angel, I try to keep my distance from conventions, fan clubs, and books like "The Watcher Diaries" in order to not appear obsessed with the shows. However, when I found out about this book and its "sister" Seven Seasons of Buffy, I broke down and got them. The reason I was so interested was that the essays in this anthology were written by many different types of fans; some of them hold PhDs, while one essay is written by a crew member from the show, so he had some pretty interesting stories to tell. I must say that some of these people's interpretations of the show are pretty interesting. A lot of them made me take a step back and look at certain episodes again to see what they were talking about. This book will make a good read for even a casual Angel fan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My first foray into obsessiveness, June 13, 2005

By	H. Packard - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was the first book I've ever read about a television show. I really enjoyed watching the Angel DVDs and discussing them with other equally insightful friends, but eventually our discussions ran out of juice. I mean, Lorne's sweet and all, but really, what is his purpose on the show? And what was the thought behind bringing Lindsay back in the final season? The authors of the essays in Five Seasons of Angel have a wide variety of backgrounds and are often quite insightful - others hit the mark dead-on. (Why, why, Doyle, did you have to die??) After having read this, I look forward to many more books about television shows.