Original Sins: Lost Slayer Serial Novel Part 4

The world is changing. At least inside the walls of the town of Sunnydale, California. Spike is dead, as are Faith, the slayer gone bad, and Joyce Summers, Buffy's beloved mother. All is not right due to the fact that Southern California is now being ruled by vampires. And Rupert Giles himself, is the king of them all. Buffy knows that all that is happening in the future was caused by her. The fact that she didn't want help from her friends in fighting the vampires, and Camazotz led to Giles' capture, and ultimately pushed him to become the King of Vampires. Now, Buffy must gather all of the strength that she has, and fight the demon that is inhabiting Giles' body to alter the future. Now, with the help of Willow, and the rest of the Scooby Gang, Buffy must kill Camazotz, save Giles, and bring her body back to her old self before it's too late. I have been closely following Christopher Golden's LOST SLAYER QUARTET, due solely to the fact that I adore his writing, and I have not been at all disappointed in any of the volumes, especially ORIGINAL SINS. In this fourth and final installment readers are treated to numerous battle scenes, and Buffy's old sarcastic wit, that has made, and kept, all of us such big fans. ORIGINAL SINS is an absolute must-read for anyone who has read the previous three novels in THE LOST SLAYER QUARTET. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

The stunning conclusion of the 4 part book can be considered the best of all four. Christopher Golden continues to show what a imagination he has. The book continues from where it left off. Giles is missing and Buffy finds her lover Angel. When Buffy went missing Angel went looking for her and was captured. The fait he awaits is more pain that Buffy can handle. Buffy finally finds Giles. The book is so compelling. I actually felt a tug at my heartsrings when Xander met his dire demise. And when Wesley was dramitically killed. Buffy fights with Giles in a well described scene and Buffy wins. The book is both adventerous and thrilling and at the same time stunning. Buffy manages to return to her past but she must find a way to change what happened in Prophesies. I think this is the best book out of the four because it shows that Sunnydale has really gone to hell and Buffy must go back to stop this horrible future so she can be with her friends and everyone she loved will not be gone. Like her mother. The conclusion was well done. Christopher Golden did a fantastic job on the whole series of books. If you want to settle down and read a really good book about the Scoobies, fun times, bad times and very sad times then you have to read this book along with the first 3 parts.

Actually, "Original Sins," Part Four in Christopher Golden's "The Lost Slayer" serial novel, offers not one, but two conclusions. In the future, Buffy and what remains of the Scooby Gang have their final showdown with Rupert Giles the Vampire King and "returns" to the present to correct the fatal error from her first encounter with Camazotz. With all the excitement about Giles becoming the king of the Vampires, it is easy to forget that Camazotz is an excellent villain to appropriate into the Buffy mythos and I think Golden deserves extra credit for coming up with two first-rate bad guys in the same storyline.Actually, I almost wish Golden had not put the two great villains in the same book, because I would have loved to have seen Camazotz and his estranged "wife" Zotzilaha, be more center stage, but obviously he is not going to be able to compete with Giles as the Vampire King. Actually, "Popol Vuh," one of the Mayan sacred books, identifies Zotzilaha not as a god, but as a cavern, "The House of Bats." Zotzilaha was home to a type of bat called Camazotz, which has been translated as "snatch bat" and "death bat." Camalotz was also the name of the "Sudden Bloodletter", identified as one of four animal demons which slew the impious first race of men. We all know much more about the European vampire legends than what happened in South America, but Golden has taped a rich vein of lore and maybe in the future Buffy will encounter the religious death cult of the Zapotecs that worshipped a bat-demon, or the soucouyant of Trinidad or the tin tin of Ecuador. Who says Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not educational?"Original Sins" is an appropriate title for this concluding volume, which certain comes full circle given that at the start of the story Buffy is trying to separate her life as the Slayer from her life as a college Freshman. In dividing that world she thinks that her friends belong with the later, which is somewhat surprising since I always thought one of the reasons Buffy has lasted so long as a Slayer is because she was not going it alone. You would think the Watchers Council would have figured out somewhere along the line that a Slayer with support in the field was going to last longer than one forced to go solo. The entire "Lost Slayer" series clearly takes advantage of the fact that it was written during Season 5 but takes place in Season 3. Golden clearly knows how far Willow has advanced in her wicca ways and he uses that to his advantage. I have always thought that it was the relationship between Buffy and Willow that is really at the heart of the show, and both Season 6 and Golden's novels prove the point as far as I am concerned. For those who enjoyed "The Wish" and "Doppelgangland" or have always enjoyed the DC comic "What If..." issues or "It's a Wonderful Life" and its various homages, "The Lost Slayer" is a fitting addition to the oeuvre. When these sort of stories are done right they are so good. "The Lost Slayer" is on

Those that have been following along know that the previous episode of this series ("King of the Dead") ended with Buffy in hot pursuit of Rupert Giles through the cellars of Sunnydale's City Hall. Giles, turned into a vampire by the Bat God Camazotz has become a master vampire. Under his control the blood drinkers of Southern California are preparing to take over a sizable chunk of the Southwest. For Buffy, suddenly thrust forward into this time to share her own body with her five years older self, this is a confrontation she absolutely cannot afford to lose. But it is one she will hate to win.I'm not going to play at maintaining suspense by not quite telling you she is going to win this battle. Win she does, but at tremendous cost in energy and lives. And Buffy quickly discovers that this is to be only the first of many struggles. The future she is in came about as the result of an error she made five years back. She must find out what her mistake was and undo it if there is to be any way of unmaking the horror and returning a better future to the world. Buffy and Willow combine efforts to discover the error and to find a way for Buffy to return. Buffy's trials are hardly over, and if the final end is not in doubt, it still offers a titanic and moving end that is much different than from Buffy's usual tales.Right away the reader will sense that there is more to this story than being yet another Buffy tale. The characters are vivid, sharply drawn by Christopher Golden's. Willow is stronger, Xander is etched by loss and struggle, and Buffy, after 5 years locked in a cell, is tougher and more determined than ever before. As events force Buffy into self examination and new understandings she provides more than just her usual woman-in-charge role model. She demonstrates deeper values of friendship and commitment that make this a great story for all ages.Golden has very much outdone himself this time. The pace of action, which builds constantly over the four episodes, never seems to flag. He has found new ways to use and work with all his characters and maintained a steady stream of surprises and inventions. My only regret is that this was published in four parts rather than as a single 500 page offering. Thus the price a bit higher than it need be, although I would not have quibbled at the price even if the publishers had chosen to issue this as a hard cover. At least then I wouldn't have had to way three months for the conclusion. Highly recommended

19 year old buffy's spirit is stuck in her 24 year old body. giles her trusted mentor is king of the vampires. her mother hasbeen brutally murdered along with faith. angel is missing andpresumed dead. all this is because of one mistake buffy made in the past. now she must not only find a way to restore her 19 year old soul to it's proper time but also how to kill giles andhopefully find angel. a very daunting prospect for the slayer.this final addition to the four part drama answers most of thequestions with finese that only christopher golden can. this oneis not as good as the first 2 but it is definiely worth the read.i know most fans wants to know how buffy will get her real lifeback and i don't think you will be disappointed. i cannot tell you much more without giving away the answers to all your questions but to tell you to go out and read this final addition.