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Previously Pocket Books have given us BUFFY books based on the film, television episodes and comic books, now - as the splash on the cover of CHAOS BLEEDS tells us - they're novelising computer games. Goodness knows why... Pocket Books' amazing attention to detail crops up before we've even started, with the "historian's note" telling us that the story takes place during season 6. Except that it doesn't. According to the author, it actually takes place during season 5, which does fit in slightly better with some of the continuity references. We open with a flashback scene which takes places during the Middle Ages, before the story moves to Sunnydale. Sadly, it's pretty much downhill from here on. I've criticised previous novels for having too many fighting scenes, but - perhaps unsurprisingly - CHAOS BLEEDS is simply overflowing with them. The first half of the book seems to be a succession of fight scenes, which makes it a very frustrating read. I suspect that you could actually skip whole chunks and not really miss anyway since all we learn is that something weird is going on and that Kakistos, who Faith supposedly killed back in season 3, is back in Sunnydale. Of course, a quick read of the back cover blurb and the cover montage tells us that Ethan Rayne and The First are also in town, so it's not difficult to work out what's going on. Turns out that Giles' old associate has made a deal with The First, one which sees his champions (Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang) up against the First's. Rather ludicrously, Ethan has been a little slack in naming his champions, so rather than specifying them so there's no mistake, he appears to have made one of them "that guy who hangs around with Buffy and Willow", ending up with Xander, rather than Oz. Anyone else thinking the words "plot convenience" round about now? If the fighting scenes weren't enough evidence, the second half of the novel also highlights the novel's roots as a computer game. Two levels, sorry chapters, really give this away, including one where Buffy must find the other Scoobies and sprinkle them with a magic potion. Even worse is the penultimate chapter (which clocks in at over 60 pages, and is way too long) where each of the Scoobies has to find part of the dismembered Cassandra Rayne's body. Looking back at previous reviews, I think that this is the first time I've rated a BUFFY novel so low. However, it does showcase the worst aspects of the BUFFY range (endless fights) and of spin-off novels in general (returning characters - not just Ethan Rayne and The First, but Faith and even Sid from THE PUPPET SHOW). However, I do feel a little sorry for the author, The storyline is based on that developed by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski for the computer game, so it's hardly his fault that its packed with fight scenes and chapters that read more like levels of the game that part of an interesting plot. But perhaps the real villains of the piece aren't Kakistos, Ethan Rayne or even The First, but Pocket Books for their decision to novelise a computer game in the first place. BACK TO THE TOP |
CHAOS BLEEDS
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