|
|
When the female population of Sunnydale starts
strutting its girl power, the push for gender equality seems like a normal expression of
90's feminism. After all, a girl trying out for the football team isn't usually a
sign of imminent danger. But when the guys start acting like powerless pawns and a
few even turn up dead, Buffy Summers notices that the local womyn's movement has reached a
feverish - and probably unnatural - pitch.
Or so says the blurb on the back says. While the plot makes this sound more like an
episode of Sabrina than Buffy, things are really a lot better on
the inside.
Allison Gianakous, a senior at Sunnydale with no friends, decides she has had enough with
the way her father has been treating her, and the final nail in the coffin comes when he
opens up a Greek restaurant in Sunnydale, even though he can't cook, forcing Allison to be
waitress. Not to pleased with her fathers ideas, Allison jokingly decides to ask the
Greek Gods for help, and just like something out of Xena
or Hercules, they show up to cause havoc for Sunnydale's population.
Going by the names of Polly and Calli, two girls show up at Sunnydale, instantly being
accepted into the inner circle of Cordelia's clique. Not exactly a big surprise
there, until the girls start up their own clique, leaving Cordy alone, with the utter
humiliation of Allison and even Willow being allowed to join, but not her.
Meanwhile something mysterious is also going on in a certain Watcher's life, it appears
that Giles has become obsessed with the new library supervisor Mo Moon (LOL), who he at
first despised.
If that's not enough someone seems to be stalking the male students of
Sunnydale, and
drowning them, while the Girls of Sunnydale now seem hell-bent on becoming equal to their
male peers by joining the basketball and wrestling teams, Willow decides she wants to
enter the Sunnydale High Pageant, Xander has become a zombie to the power of the Moon
sisters and theres a group of vampires out to get Buffy, so she can help them out with a
problem!
With only Cordelia and Oz to help can Buffy solve the problem of the murders, Willow and
Xander's love of the Moon sisters, Giles' love of Mo Moon and the vampire threat, or are
they all linked together...
Massie is obviously a fan of the show, as the characterization is spot on, and we even get
nods to regular continuity, with Willow referenced to being a witch, the mayor mentioned
once or twice and Anya and Snyder making appearances. The only problems (yet again) are
Joyce's lack of knowledge of Buffy's powers, and a no show from Faith. While the latter
could be forgiven, Joyce's knowledge of Buffy's slayer powers came at the end of Season 3,
and Faith also made her appearance in Buffy long before Anya.
Apart from that, this is truly one of the shining stars of the Buffy Young
Adult range, perhaps not yet up there with Chris Golden and Nancy Holders' book, but it's
a start. And for any book that gets Oz and Cordy into the spotlight a bit more, as
well as having a truly chilling ending, it's one you have to pick up now!
Back
to the top
|
POWER
OF PERSUASION
Written by ELIZABETH MASSIE
POCKET BOOKS
$4.99
Reviewed by: RICHARD MORGAN
RATING:
8/10
|
