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The prolific partnership of Golden and Holder is reunited for this, the
first Buffy hardback novel (also available as a double
cassette audiobook - see below). Following a run-in with a group of vampires, Buffy finds herself up against
the immortal, or rather eternal Veronique, who is reborn into a new body every time she is
killed in her old one.
Veronique's past is told in a series of flashbacks;
from sixth century Constantinople, to the destruction of the Knights Templar in mediaeval
France through to her battles with nineteenth century Slayer Angela
Martignetti, who has a
somewhat different relationship with her Watcher than Buffy does!
This being a Golden and Holder book there is also
the apparently obligatory guest appearance from Slayer Lucy Hanover. With the BBC
churning out Doctor Who novels featuring previous Doctors,
how long before Pocket Books hit upon the idea of a range of novels featuring previous
Slayers? I'd be happy to see more of Angela (although not in the same way as her
Watcher!), but to be honest, it's getting just a tad boring to have Lucy popping up all
the time.
Veronique's immortality brings home to Buffy not
just Angel's lack of ageing - especially as he meets a blast from his past - but also that
her mother is definitely not immortal as a cancer scare sees Joyce rushed into hospital.
Buffy is thus torn between her duties as a daughter
and a Slayer, as she tries to prevent Veronique unleashing the power of her masters, the
Triumvirate (or the Triumverate as the cover calls them).
Unfortunately like many TV spin-offs,
including Buffy, the characterisation isn't great. Throwing in a few
expressions used in the TV series (whether it's as speech or not) does not make up for
some rather out-of-character comments from pretty much all of the Scooby Gang.
Incidentally, if Cordelia's making money from her own website, what's on it and, more
importantly, what's the URL?
Overall, though, a good hardback debut for the
Slayer, although younger fans in particular might prefer to save their cash and hang on
for a paperback version.
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