Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row

When a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel appears in hardback you know it has to be pretty special, even if Buffy herself is never even mentioned in the book, as is the case with Christopher Golden's "Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All In A Row." The "Pretty Maids" of the title are the Slayers in waiting, those young girls who have been identified by the Watchers Council as potential Slayer and trained so that when the time comes they can handle the responsibility. Hitler's Germany is about to invade France and for once in her un-dead life Drusilla has something in mind for her birthday: The necklace of the Brisings, known also as Freyja's Strand. Spike has promised her the trinket, which is supposedly in the possession of an ice-demon named Skyrmir, who is too powerful for the vampires to overcome. But Skymir is willing to make a deal: if the vampires can find out the names of all the Slayers in waiting and kill them, Dru will get her happy birthday gift. The Slayer in this novel is Sophie Carstensen, a native of Denmark, who is forced to fleeter country when her Watcher, Yanna, is also a seer. However, with the outbreak of war on the continent, all of the Vampires in Britain head for the battlefield where the pickings will be easy, and the Council orders the Chosen One to follow them, even though the bullets that cannot kill the vampires can certainly kill the Slayer. Meanwhile, Spike and Dru are starting to knock off the pretty maids one by one. When the Council sends the Slayer after the two vampires while the demon Skymir attacks the very stronghold of the Watchers with his horde, Golden's narrative arrives at a most fateful confrontation. I had a little bit of trouble getting into the book, but once the situation was laid out for me I was hooked and the conclusion is as good as anything you will find in any other Buffy novel. Readers have to remember that the Spike they encounter within these pages is the Spike of the old days, paired up with Drusilla, and not the character's current persona on the television series. His characterization is much stronger in the second half of the book than the first, but it is Drusilla that is really fleshed out in this book. Golden provides an insane sort of logic to her wild visions and ramblings much more so than the series ever had time to develop. Sophie the Vampire Slayer is not Buffy to be sure, but she is certainly a Slayer appropriate to time and place with a very unique relationship with her Watcher. Plus she uses the family broadsword to cut off the heads of the vamps when she dusts them. There is even a reference or two to the Giles family's association with the Council for those who like to see the past tied up neatly with the present. I am one of those readers who think that the very best Buffy stories are penned by Golden and Nancy Holder writing in tandem, but each has proven capable of hitting the mark without the other. "Pretty Maids All In A Row" is certain Golden's best solo effort, ric

"Spike & Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row" was a wondrous read from page one to conclusion. Not only did it revolve about the history of WWII, but moreover, the history of Spike & Dru. We learn more of their past, their evildoings, their habits, their loyalty. Many questions are answered about the Watcher's Council and Slayers in Training, as we see how they choose waiting Slayers, train them, prepare them, and more. Spike and Dru are fabulously evil, to each other and to everyone else. Two thumbs and two stakes way up to author Christopher Golden for a delightful read and engaging story.

Spike & Dru totally rocked. It completely captures the fun of Spike and Dru. If you want more of them than you get on the shows, and especially if you miss seeing them together from the second season of Buffy, you should get this book. Spike is at the height of pre-chip evil, and Dru is loopy as ever.Since this book is in the adult series, you don't have to worry that it's watered down or light. It has all the horror one would expect from the genre, with excellent characterizations and lots of slayer and Watcher Council history. With all its twists and turns, it's a great ride.

Christopher Golden has done the impossible. He has taken the nasty, big bad villain from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and made him the anti-hero of an excellent novel. William the Bloody, known as Spike to his friends for the vile habit of torturing his victims with railroad spikes,wants nothing more than to please his demon lover,Dru. Together, they set off on a quest. They must simply kill all the 'slayers in waiting' young girls who are being trained because one day they might be called to be the Chosen One,the one girl in all the world born with the powers to fight the vampires. If Spike can accomplish this task, Dru will have a necklace which will allow her to see her reflection, a sight she has not seen for 80 years. It is 1940. The world is at war, as the pair travel from country to country leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Taking pleasure in the bloody battle and each other, their journey becomes an erotic second honeymoon. When the council becomes aware of the plan they send the current slayer to hunt the hunters. The final duel is fascinating and deadly. Mr Golden combines, history, romance and horror to create this wickedly wonderful novel. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys good horror fiction even if they have never seen one episode of the TV show. For fans it fills in the back story on two of the series' favorite characters. Don't miss this book.

It's early 1940, and Europe is poised on the brink of World War II. But all Spike is concerned with is obtaining a magical necklace known as Freyja's Strand for Dru, to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of her rebirth as a vampire. They travel to Norway, to the lair of a demon who supposedly has the necklace. He agrees that he will give it to Spike and Dru if the two kill all the young woman currently in training to become the Slayer, as well as the current slayer herself, Sophie Carstensen, a sixteen-year-old Danish girl who has fled with her watcher, Yanna, to London, now that the Nazis have occupied her homeland. While Spike and Dru hunt down and begin to kill the potential Slayers one by one, Sophie and Yanna are dispatched by the Council of Watchers to the battlegrounds of France to kill the vampires who have gone there to feast on the dead and dying soldiers. When the Council learns of Spike and Dru's activities, they send the pair to follow them and keep them from further killing, and gather the remaining girls in the Council's London stronghold as the Blitz rages around them. I especially loved this new addition to the Buffy series because even though Buffy herself was not in it all, it combined two of my favorites, history and horror. It's a great read for Buffy fans if you don't mind the fact that she doesn't appear at all. And of course, Spike and Dru fans will especially like it. Kudos to Christopher Golden for the great job he did on this book.