Customer Reviews

Tales of the Slayer, Volume 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an anthology series about previous Vampire Slayers. The stories are written by high profile Buffy the Vampire Slayer authors.
I normally love anthologies.
However, this wasn't really one of my favorites.
Maybe it's because I'm so used to Buffy and her fellow Scoobies. However, I think it's all so because I felt like some of the stories fell short
Some of them could have continued
But it's still pretty good none the less.
I recommend some of Navarro's other series. Such as The Wicked Willow trilogy.

The premise is a brilliant one: an anthology that samples from the long line of Slayers extending back from Buffy to ancient times. However, the execution of this idea seems scarcely to tap its potential. Too many of the authors don't really bring their characters to life in the small span of pages allotted to them. Too much of the novelty in each tale comes from its setting, not the Slayer herself. Not coincidentally, the two best stories strive to give their characters a more unique voice. Nancy Holder's "Unholy Madness" features a Slayer-countess in revolutionary France, who has been raised to believe that her duty only extends to protecting the nobility. Mel Odom wrote "Silent Screams" from the perspective of an all-too-fallible Watcher in 1923 Germany.

The remaining writers seem to treat the concept as a template. Their tales are simply accounts of how a girl gives up all she's known to become the Slayer or how she gives her life in the pursuit of her cause. The protagonists here could almost be the same character transplanted through time over and over. Their struggles against the forces of darkness are interesting enough, but if you're looking for some deeper insights into how different young women bore the mantle of Slayer throughout the ages, this anthology won't leave you entirely satisfied. If all you're really looking for is a glimpse into the lives of prior Slayers, I would recommend instead the comic book version of this idea, Dark Horse's Tales of the Slayers, which includes stories from Joss Whedon and other writers on the show.

Like any book full of short stories by various authors, there are good ones and there are bad ones. Taken as a whole, the book is enjoyable to read, but as one reviewer pointed out, it lacks any real depth and doesn't add anything earth shattering to the Buffy mythos. My main issue with these stories is that The Slayer dies in nearly every single one. After the first few, I began to wonder if the editor specifically asked that The Slayer die at the end of each one. Finally, I arrived at a story where she doesn't die, and in fact it is more of a story that tells the a story about learning of being The Slayer. This one ended up being my favorite, mostly because it was so much more positive and forward looking than the others.

So, while this book is an interesting read, I probably won't be purchasing the second volume to quell my need for things Buffy. The DVDs of the real thing will have to quench my thirst.

I've always love BTVS because of the Mythology of the Slayer line and how she's Chosen and all of that, I also love the characters and how they're written so well.....But i've often wondered about Past Slayers, what they were like, and what their life was like because as we've always known, Buffy is just one of many Slayers throughout the Years. I loved this Book and how it told about Different Slayers from Different Era's and how that particular Era effected their Duty as the Slayer.
My Favorites were probably "Unholy Madness", "A Good Run", and "Silent Screams". I liked this one better than the Second Book, although it's a close call, I like this one just a little more.
I thought it was a very good book and I recommend it to other fans of Buffy and especially Fans of the Buffy Books.

This book offers good tales of differnt slayers, along with some tales that waver on being just a tad awful. It's worth getting if your a hardcore Buffy fan.

I found reading this book to be similar to watching a year of Buffy, not evenly done, some stories better than others.
As you would expect from a group of writers each story is different, some even have historical references. I considered the ancient Greek story as one of the best(and,at 29, the oldest slayer I've ever read of), the Virginia Dare story was also good (and is full of those historical references), the 1880's Kentucky and 1950's Florida stories also had their points.

Tales of the Slayer, Volume I, is a collection of short stories inspired by Buffy, who does not actually appear within the volume. Each of the seven stories introduces a previous girl who was Slayer over various periods in time, ranging from ancient Greece to the segregated South of the 1950s. Sometimes the Slayer dies, and the story chronicles her last few days. This kind of stuff is official fan fiction, a place where authors actually get paid to write in someone else's word. We've seen it before in the publications for Star Trek, Star Wars, Xena, Farscape, and any number of licensed properties currently sitting on contemporary SFF bookshelves. Most of said material is mediocre at best, with the occasional brilliant work that stands out.

Unfortunately, Tales of the Slayer is not such a work. The seven stories, while introducting Slayers, Watchers, and villains interacting in intriguing time periods, are often passively constructed, expository narratives without much compelling material. There are a few exceptions, however, and those three stories not only provide an entertaining read, but also offer unique characters.

The first story in the collection, "A Good Run," takes place in ancient Greece. Written by Greg Rucka, the story follows the tale of one of the longest-living Slayers as she struggles to prevent a vampire invasion. While much of the text is expository at times, the setting and 29-year old heroine are strong enough to push past the moments when the author tells rather than shows.

"The White Doe" explores the myth of Roanoke and the missing colony while dropping an English-born Slayer, orphaned as an infant, into a tribe of Native Americans. There were some intriguing points, but the entire set up seemed trite and obvious; I've lost track of the number of stories I've read that placed an orphaned white girl to live and struggle and prove herself among the "noble savages," be they Indians or prehistory man. Again, there were many passive, expository passages that did little to advance character development or story, and the myth seemed forced.

One would think that placing Slayer against Elizabeth Bathory, as "Die Blauthafen" explores, would be an exciting story... but I was bored by the vast number of pages that simply did not advance the action. Short stories have little space to tell their tales... why waste half of one's allottment on telling us all about the Slayer's history until that point? On the one hand, it's good to know something about a story, but on the other hand, in medias res means getting into the action now rather than waiting until the second half of the story. More dialogue, too, would have helped advance many passive areas that served to trample the pacing.

As with the previous story, I was also disappointed with "Unholy Madness," a Slayer story set during the French Revolution in 1789. The approach was initially unique with placing the Slayer as a member of high French society where she functioned under Royal command and took care of demons that threatened Royal civilization. She knew nothing of the poor and common man because she'd been sheltered away from it all. This was a very good angle, but, again, there were problems with the pacing. I also felt that the character, Christine-Marie, wasn't fully developed or realized, that what I was reading was akin to a movie novelization, with emphasis on the bare minimum.

I really, really liked "Mornglom Dreaming," a story that takes place in late 19th century Kentucky. Not only was the Slayer a fully-realized character, but the narrative was crisp, descriptive, and compelling with a solid story. Think of Little House on the Prairie meets the Slayer and that's the kind of unique setting we have with Mollie Prater's world. The narrative moved between Mollie and her Watcher as he tried to locate her, the story working its way from Mollie's discovery of her Slayer powers to her impending marriage. Well-balanced and fun.

"Silent Screams" explored the silent movie making of the 1920s with a new, scarier Nosferatu... as with other stories, this one didn't actually get started until the halfway point because the author spends far too much time setting up the characters. If that development was interesting, it might have saved the story, but Mel Odom spends far too much time working his way up to the climax without really advancing the plot. Why send Britta and her watcher to a movie preview, for example, without previously mentioning the interest or the technology? We move from training, daily activities, and shopping to suddenly accepting an invitation from a friend... the flow just didn't work, which is disappointing because the rest of the story -- the movie, the battle, and the conclusion -- are very good and creepy.

The final story is "And White Splits the Night," which takes place in Florida during segregation. Our Slayer is Black, orphaned when a vampire cult kills her father and hides the bite marks under the thick rope of a lynching. This story engaged me immediately and kept my attention throughout, merging well conceived and executed characters with a creative setting. There was a nice balance between description, dialogue, thought, and exposition, and the conclusion was both satisfying and heart-rendering.

Overall, this is an average collection of short stories with a few highlights that make it worthwhile. The concept is unique and offers a wealth of possibilities throughout time and history, and there is a second volume of Slayer tales, published this year; I haven't read it yet.

This book was an excellent collection of many different Slayers stories and opinions about their way of life. I don't know if people not into the Buffy image would enjoy reading this book but if you're a Buffy fan I completely recommend it!

An anthology of stories about 7 Slayers in the line of Slayers who have fallen in the past, this book is a must for any Buffy fan and even non-fans. It is written by different authors each writing the tale of a Slayer. This should interest those interested in the mythology of Buffy.
The tales of each Slayer brings the reader around the world from Germany to Greece and more , each with a intriguing tale of each Slayer. The tales center around sometimes during their duty, their last battle or the day they learned of their destiny.
My favourite among these tales included The White Doe a tragic tale of the Slayer being killed by her love and Silent Screams the tale of a Slayer who was left by her Watcher to die.
This book is a great anthology of the different Slayers living in a different time and place than ours. It demonstrates the different personalities and styles of each Slayer and the author of the tale. I look forward to Vol. 2

I read this book when it first came out and am now reading vol.2. This book was excellent, I loved the fact that it was about previous slayers and what happened to them during their time as the chosen one! All in all, a great read, any Buffy fan would enjoy it.