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Monster Island (Buffy the Vampire SlayerAngel) Mass Market Paperback – January 6, 2004
"You never know until you're tested." -- Doyle, "Hero"
Since he arrived in Los Angeles, Angel's mission has been to help the helpless. He has saved countless innocents in his city. However, one escaped his grasp: Doyle, the half-demon who came to Angel on a vision quest. Doyle sacrificed himself and in turn reconciled his internal conflict toward his own demonic heritage, leaving Angel and Cordelia to carry on with the good fight. And fight they do.
But as the group squares off against evil in the City of Angels, little do they know that back in Sunnydale, trouble is brewing. A shakedown of snitches yields info: Someone other than Buffy has been slaying -- and whoever it is, he or she is strictly after half-breeds, going so far as to lie in wait to attack. It doesn't add up, and the Scoobies are stumped.
But back in L.A. the picture becomes clearer when Angel Investigations is visited by an unexpected guest....
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon Spotlight Entertainment
- Publication dateJanuary 6, 2004
- Grade level10 - 12
- Reading age16 years and up
- Dimensions4.25 x 1.25 x 7 inches
- ISBN-100689866992
- ISBN-13978-0689866999
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About the Author
Originally a comics writer, Tom Sniegoski grew a large fan base with his work on titles including Jeff Smith's bestselling BONE, Mike Mignola's HELLBOY, and the currently wildly popular GOON series.
His YA book series THE FALLEN for S&S was turned into a series of TV movies that have aired to strong ratings on the ABC Family Network. SLEEPER CODE AND SLEEPER AGENDA, a YA two-part story for Razorbill/Penguin, was an ALA *Top Ten* Quick Pick in 2006.
Tom lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with his wife and their dog, Mulder.
Product details
- Publisher : Simon Spotlight Entertainment (January 6, 2004)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0689866992
- ISBN-13 : 978-0689866999
- Reading age : 16 years and up
- Grade level : 10 - 12
- Item Weight : 7.7 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 1.25 x 7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,569,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,153 in Teen & Young Adult TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations
- #7,010 in Teen & Young Adult Horror
- #38,176 in Teen & Young Adult Fantasy
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Ararat, Red Hands, Snowblind, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, and Of Saints and Shadows. Golden co-created (with Mike Mignola) the comic book universe known as The Outerverse, featuring such characters as Baltimore, Joe Golem, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Hex Life, Seize the Night, and The New Dead, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, a BBC radio play, and the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson). A frequent speaker at conferences, schools, and libraries, Golden is also co-host of the podcast Defenders Dialogue, and the founder of the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. The winner of the Bram Stoker Award for best novel in 2017 for Ararat, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories, winning twice. He has also been nominated multiple times for the Shirley Jackson Award, sharing a win in 2020 with James A. Moore for the anthology The Twisted Book of Shadows.
Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Thomas E. Sniegoski is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His books for teens include Legacy, Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. As a comic book writer, Sniegoski’s work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the project, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their French Bulldog, Kirby. Visit him on the web at Sniegoski.com.

THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel featuring angelic detective, Remy Chandler, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, hit shelves last year. Its sequel, Dancing on the Head of a Pin, was released in May of 2009.
Sniegoski's work for younger readers includes Billy Hooten: Owlboy, and the fantasy quartet OutCast, which he co-authored with Christopher Golden. Sniegoski and Golden have also collaborated on the adult dark fantasy series The Menagerie, and multiple creator-owned comic book series, including The Sisterhood, and Talent, currently in development at Universal after a major bidding war.
As a comic book writer, Sniegoski's work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the prequel, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. Sniegoski and Golden also wrote the graphic novel BPRD: Hollow Earth, a spinoff from Hellboy.
Sniegoski was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their Labrador Retriever, Mulder. Tom recently completed the new young adult novel, LEGACY, which is set to be released in October of 2009, and is currently writing the next Remy Chandler novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread.
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Set on season 6 - after "Life Serial" and before "Smashed" - "Monster Island" begins with depressed Buffy who has just been ripped off Heaven, and is very angry at the world. As she cannot take her "anger and frustration and despair" on her beloved friends (the ones responsible for her resurrection, by the way), she takes it on the demons she stumbles across on patrol (no, not on Spike, yet - that will come later on the show), until something very nasty comes up and distracts the Slayer from her pain for a while: Axtius, Doyle's father, a big, bigoted Brachen demon who wants to exterminate all demons that don't have pure blood, has gathered an army. When the good guys find out about this evil plan, it's almost too late. Besides, Axtius has a personal vendetta against Angel, because he thinks the vampire is responsible for Doyle's death - a half-breed from whom Axtius intended to purge completely of his human part.
The Scooby Gang and the Fang Gang get along well - Fred and Tara seems to have a lot in common (nothing that jeopardizes Willow and Tara's love, which is strongly reassured), we get to know someone very important in Angel's life (a new character, Elijah, who will have an important part in the end), all bunch of demons (villains and good guys) are appealing, and there is a human who once was rich and handsome, and now cursed, wants Angel to do something for him... very funny!
As a Spike fan, I bought "Monster Island" mainly because I knew he was on the book. The treatment of my favorite vampire follows the same pattern of all novels - that is, teaches us that when Spike was evil, he wasn't so evil as the Scourge of Europe Angelus; and when he tries to be good, he isn't so good as Angel or the Scoobies - you know, it doesn't matter much what he does, he was/is always beneath them, and almost everybody wants him dead. Besides, the Spike on the book is more the one we saw on season five (when he was proud to be a demon) than the one from season 6 (when he was already seeing himself more like a man, and less like a monster).
The soulless vampire is in love with Buffy, of course, but they haven't started their "thing" yet; Angel senses a connection between the vampire and the Slayer, and when he thinks of the possibility of Spike having his way to Buffy (because he *thinks* of the possibility...), he gets disgusted (or jealous?). By the way, Spike's love for Buffy seems to be the one that cannot be spoken, and is always described without mentioning Buffy's name:
"His passionate interest was being spent elsewhere these days."
"She was not the one he wanted, but she was breathtaking, heartbreakingly beautiful. If the one he wanted wouldn't have him, he was more than happy to make due."
However, in fairness to Thomas Sniegosky and Christopher Gold (who LOVES *evil* Spike, according to himself), the soulless vampire has his BIG moment of glory, performing an heroic act, in a very powerful scene, as well as we have Buffy wondering that, maybe, the chip in his brain can result in something very good, eventually. Angel and Spike together rule - the rivalry between the two vampires is cool, true to the characters - and in the final battle Buffy even worries about Spike being severely hurt, while Angel is far away fighting some demon.
Although I would have liked a bigger part for Cordy - who doesn't have much interesting things to do, in contrast to Gunn and his annoying protégé Calvin - overall, "Monster Island" is a very enjoyable reading for Buffy's, Angel's and Spike's fans.
By Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski (2003)
RATING: 4/5 Stakes
SETTING: Season Five or Six
T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Buffy, Xander, Willow, Tara, Spike, Giles, Dawn, Anya, Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, Harry Doyle, Willy the Snitch
MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: General Axtius (main villain); Guhl-iban (flesh-eating demon); Haborym (fire demon); Calvin Symms (L.A. teen); Charlie Nickels (informant); Abner (friendly demon); Elijah Carnegie (friendly magician); Zeke (Miquot informant); Captain Hobbs (sailor); Dai'shu (sorceror demon); Ephraim (Sage of Monster Island); Garth (Elder Demon); Ileana (Vapor demon); Shikah (Bazhripa demon)
INSIDE-FLAP SUMMARY: "Since he arrived in Los Angeles, Angel's mission has been to help the helpless. He has saved countless innocents in his city. However, one escaped his grasp: Doyle, the hard-drinking, easy-living half-demon who came to Angel on a vision quest. Doyle sacrificed himself and in turn reconciled his internal conflict toward his own demonic heritage, leaving Angel (with Cordelia, and ultimately, a new cadre) to carry on with the good fight. And fight they do. But as the group squares off against evil in the City of Angels, little do they know that back in Sunnydale trouble is brewing as usual. A shakedown of snitches yields info: Someone other than Buffy has been slaying--and whoever it is, he or she is strictly after half-breeds, going so far as to lie in wait to attack. It doesn't add up, and the Scoobies are stumped. Back in L.A. the picture becomes clearer when Angel Investigations is visited by an unexpected guest. It's Doyle's father, a Brachen demon named Axtius. He's come to give Doyle a gift: Daddy's going to rid Doyle of his pesky human side. In fact he's looking to rid the world of half-breeds. He's not happy to learn that Doyle's gone, and if someone is to be blamed, it's Angel. But Axtius doesn't have time to point fingers--he knows where the mixed-blood demons have set up camp. Before long Buffy and her avengers have assembled right alongside Angel and Co. Both slayer and vampire have skirted the boundaries of humanity, but neither can support a massacre. A crime against monsters is a crime nonetheless. . . ."
REVIEW
Monster Island was a crossover between the Buffy and Angel novel lines, and received the deluxe treatment with both hardcover and paperback versions. The plot, as the title indicates, revolves around a magically-hidden island off the coast of California called Questral, home to hundreds of outcast half-breed demons trying to make a peaceful home for themselves. Something, of course, has to disturb their happy lifestyle and in this particular case it's a massive invasion by an army of "pure-bred" demons led by the Brachen General Axtius. How do our erstwhile heroes get involved? It turns out that Axtius is the father of Angel's deceased friend Doyle, and wants revenge on the vampire-with-a-soul for his son's death. Throw in Doyle's ex-wife, several new characters, and the cast of both shows, and you have a novel packed with a lot of people running around.
With dozens of Buffy and Angel novels and comics to his name, Christopher Golden knows the characters inside and out, and there aren't any "so-and-so would never do that!" moments. Along with his co-author, Golden weaves an interesting story with some great action scenes and an exciting ending. With so much happening, the plot takes precedence over the interaction of the two casts, but there are some really fun Xander/Cordelia moments and it's interesting to learn what happened to Harry Doyle after her husband's death.
The bottom line is the Monster Island is a strong adventure story; it won`t make you cry or reveal surprising new insights into the characters, but it is an above average Buffy novel and worth reading.





