Time Period: Events take place at the start of Season Three.
Author: Craig Shaw Gardener
Starring: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, and Giles. (Angel does not appear in this novel.)
Supporting Cast: Joyce Summers, Principle Snyder, Naomi, Eric, Gloria, Bryce, George, Dave, Tom, and Ian.
Review: I don't want to say it's pain-stakingly obvious that this was one of the first Buffy novels written...but, you uh, yeah you can tell. The plot is alright--every single main character has a part to play in the plot (with the exception of Angel, who is only mentioned and doesn't actually appear in the book--but luckily Ian takes care of that). Taking place at the start of Season Three, Buffy's still somewhat fragmented from the group, while the couplings begin to have problems, and Giles senses a new evil in the air. Parts of this book are good, and parts of it are bad. The bad is that the plot isn't monstrously interesting. I mean, "Meh, it's alright" and there are a few things you can try to figure out, but it isn't terrifically great. Joyce's purpose in this book is pointless and inconsistant with what happens in the series. Ian is an alright character, but I got so very little from Tom and Dave that I kept on forgetting who they were at points. And the computer prophecy is kinda corny. The end of it all is somewhat...anticlimatic. It's not very "Oh god! What's gonna happen!" It just kinda happens. The good is that I actually enjoyed the Cordelia-centric part of the story--the way Gloria talked pissed the hell out of me, but it was a rather interesting story...which I believe Dave was a part of (Dave or Tom, one or the other), and I enjoyed the fact that Xander and Oz seeked a purpose in this story. It wasn't that great. I'd give it a 2 1/2.