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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
Holder's 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
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THE POWER
OF PERSUASION
Written by ELIZABETH MASSIE
POCKET BOOKS
£4.99
RATING: 8/10
REVIEWED BY: RICHARD MORGAN
NEXT RELEASE:
DEEP WATER
PREVIOUS RELEASE:
UNNATURAL SELECTION
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