The Deathless

A fast-paced, interesting book that does a fairly good job of keeping everyone in character, and honestly feels a lot like an episode of Buffy.

This book was great. The writing made me feel like I was watching an actual episode. It takes place in the third season before "Bad Girls" so Faith is involved. I loved everything about the book except that Faith say "B" like every other sentence :) But I can live with that.

TIMING: It's set in the third season, between "The Zeppo" and "Bad Girls." Big, big plus that the book itself mentions that. STORY: Writer Keith R. A. DeCandido is obviously passionate about two things: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Russian mythology. In this clearly well-thought out book, DeCandido has Buffy and co. cross paths with mythological figures such as Baba Yaga and Koscheiv (the eponymous "Deathless"), demonstrating deep knowledge of both of his topics. That makes this one of the most inventive Buffy novels, as well as one of the best written. Something I've seen other Buffy novelists do that DeCandido (for the most part) avoids is tediously describing backstory when a character gives a nod to an event. That's annoying to Buffy fans, because we're usually so passionate that we already know what a character is talking about when they reference past events so we don't need a two-page debriefing, and DeCandido seems to be the only novelization-writer that recognizes that. From the way the characters interact (and the way that interaction is written), it just feels like another episode out of Season Three. Which is the highest compliment I can give. CHARACTERS: The characterization is the best I've read in a novelization. From the opening scene, which features Buffy and Faith on their nightly patrol, this book sets itself apart from your average BtVS book by completely nailing the characters. From their little idiosyncrasies, the way they interact with each other, and their speech patterns, Keith R. A. DeCandido captures these characters very well. Out of all the BtVS novels I've read, this is the best--and that is chiefly because of characterization. CONTINUITY: I didn't notice any flaws at all. An interesting note is that DeCandido didn't avoid continuity, he wrapped the past and future continuity around this book, foreshadowing events (particularly Willow's turn towards the darker side of magic in Season Six) with offhand comments made by some of the characters. It gives the book a very rich feeling, in that it feels as if it fits in within the context of the actual series, which is, in my opinion, the ideal. COVER: It's boring. I wish this book had a better cover, because it deserved one. The cover is basically a close up of Buffy's face with a blurry picture of a shadow in the background. Basically, it could be about anything. I'd prefer a cover that paid homage to the actual topic of the book. OVERALL: It flows very well, seems thoroughly researched, and DeCandido communicates how much he loves both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roman mythology through his writing, which makes their coming together in this book seem very organic instead of forced. It's a book that every Buffy fan should scoop up, because it's the best one I've read so far. 8/10

This story is set right after the episode The Zeppo so much of the cast is pretty beaten up. One night on patrol Buffy sees a vampire wig out near a strange house. The last time she saw such a reaction the house held a giant mantis posing as a teacher. Is there another mantis present? Further research shows that the house should be a vacant lot. To top it off, Giles is on edge as the conditions are right for the resurrection of a powerful sorcerer. Then the Scooby gang discovers who is in the strange house. They say they are here to stop the resurrection. But another figure of legend arrives and says the other is not to be trusted. One thing is for sure, if the sorcerer is resurrected it will not be good. But who can be trusted regarding how to stop the resurrection? The new sorceress? The ageless knight? For the resurrection to occur, much blood will have to be spilled. The Scooby gang thinks they can just try and prevent that until the proper time has passed but another spell looks like it will ensure the presence of enough victims. To stop the evil, the Slayer is going to have to figure out just who can be trusted before it is too late. This was a fun story and brings the reader back to the fun years of Buffy in high school. Many of the plot elements can be found in other episodes but Keith R. A. DeCandido brings in some strong Russian folklore and imagery to make the story unique. If you liked the third season of Buffy this story fits in as well as if it were one of the seasons episodes. A must for Buffy fans. Check it out.

Countries all over the world possess their own unique folklore and fairy-tales that reflect their heritage and culture. When the Buffyverse collides and meshes with Russian folklore, Sunnydale is in for one heck of a history lesson... This novel takes place during season 3, immediately after the episode "The Zeppo". Buffy and company (excluding Xander of course) have just finished fighting off yet another apocolypse, and desire a much needed break from fighting the forces of darkness. Unfortunately, the Hellmouth isn't prone to acts of kindness, and proceeds to spit out yet another challenge for our favorite Slayer and her loyal band of Scoobies. This time around, it's nearing the end of Buffy's senior year, and the whole senior class is obsessed with obtaining their class rings (an expensive and useless piece of jewelry that shows you attended and survived the rigorous perils of high school). Unfortunately, due to the usual bills of having to repair a damaged house after an unplanned zombie attack (during "Dead Man's Party") Buffy can't afford to purchase a class ring of her very own. However, that fact soon becomes irelevant once the Scoobies learn of a plot to resurrect a powerful sorceror named Koeschei, the Deathless. The only way to put down this nefarious scheme is to accept the help of the only known sorceress to have ever defeated the Deathless -- a necromancer known to many as Baba Yaga, the Russian sorceress depicted in fairy-tales and fables. Can Baba Yaga's offer of help be trusted? Or will she prove to be after more than meets the eye.... Like most of the recent Buffy novels, "The Deathless" chooses to fall into place on an earlier timeline in the Buffyverse, most notably during seasons 2 and 3. I believe this might be because it's easier to slide an original story into the pre-existing timeline during these two seasons, before the Buffyverse grows more complex and difficult to change. A Buffy novel set in season 3 is far easier to create than one that is set in season 6 or 7. Even so, this novel is an entertaining homage to the Buffy world and it's particular style of story-telling. I found the incorporation of Russian folklore fascinating. Many people know of some of the traditional fairy-tales as told by the brothers Grimm (and popularized by the likes of Disney), but not everyone is aware of the various versions and original stories passed down throughout each nation and culture. There are many Native American folktales known to Americans that are not familiar to people who live in, say, Ireland or Norway (and vice versa). The use of Russian folklore and the character of Baba Yaga is intriguing and well utilized -- and will be an extra treat to those who are familiar with these stories. My one complaint to this book might be the under-use of some of the characters who, at the time this story takes place, were an integral part of the Scooby gang (most notably, Xander). However, this is really only a minor hiccup in the overal