Apocalypse Memories [Mass Market Paperback]

The premise of Apocalypse Memories is that the REAL Apocalypse is coming -- you know, the one in the book of Revelations. Where the good and evil are judged. That one. The BIG one.

Unlike many of the Buffy books where it is fairly obvious how Buffy will save the day, Apocalypse memories kept me wondering until the end just how Buffy was going to get out of this mess.

And, there are some excellent plot devices, such as the literal interpretation of the wolf-in-sheep's clothing and the unfightable bad guy.

The major subplot of this book, set early in Season Seven, is Willow's struggle with her magic and her fear that she'll return to the dark side if she starts using magic again. Willow's struggle with magic is realistically drawn as are most of the major characters.

My major complaint with this book is that it was too short for the ground it tried to cover. Under those circumstances, there really wasn't the depth of plot development that I would have liked. In addition, there were a couple places where seemingly important details were never tied back into the story.

All in all, a good, short read and faithful to the Buffy-verse.

In the meantime, Buffy has her regular chores and patrols to make, Dawn continues to be everyone's favorite headache, and Anya is determined to make everyone just as grumpy as she is. Things would be almost normal except for the sudden, inexplicable appearance of a hunky angel, who cheerfully sets about ending the world. No doubt you are thinking 'yet another apocalypse for Buffy to avert,' but this time it's not a bad apocalypse, it's the real one. The powers of good have seen a sign, and this time it is for keeps.

While Giles tries to decide whether resistance is appropriate, Buffy decides that she isn't ready to throw in the towel. Unfortunately, Michael (our angel), is not only invincible but an all around nice guy as well. Buffy would really like him if he didn't keep apologizing as he unleashes on disaster after another. Willow tries to gather the courage to cast a spell that might stop the apocalypse, which might just undo the world in the process. On a lighter note, Spike and Anya develop really bad cases of acne.

The premise of the book gives each of the characters a moment to consider what is truly meaningful to them. What matters when faced with with what seems to be the real end of it all. Spike's plight, that he is still numbered among the damned despite having regained his soul touches Buffy deeply, as she realizes that all of her friends are dear to her, even the irritating ones.

The flaw of the book is that Burns and Metz have taken an interesting idea and made it into a lightweight confection. For all that they focus on characters rather than plot details, the story never really brings the horror of the situation home to the reader. Instead you get an hour or two of light reading where Spike, Anya, and Zander get all the good lines (Michael has a few as well). The book is an entertaining change of pace with a novel plot, but never quite reaches it's full potential.