These Our Actors

This was the first Buffy book that I read. I picked it up on a whim, and ended up reading it in about 3 days. I could not put it down. The book flashes back on Spike (one of my favorite characters) which tells more about his background. The whole storyline keeps you interested and flows really well. If you like Spike (aka: William the Bloody) I recommend Pretty Maids all in a Row.

Very interesting storyline - the myth of the origins of the theater and the attempt to go back to these origins by people with very bad intentions - that draw your attention from the beginning to the end, you can't stop reading. Also, the accurate portrayal of all characters makes it a pleasure to go through this book. For those who are Spike's fans, "These Our Actors" is a treat - in flashbacks, it picks up where the very known scene from episode "Fool For Love" left off, when good William is mistreated by Cecily Addams, and ends up in a dark alley with evil Drusilla - or even before, showing William and his liking for the arts as well as his love for Cecily. We finally have the opportunity to learn what happened right after the bloody awful poet becomes a vamp and joins Dru, Angelus and Darla in their thirst for blood and carnage. Besides, Spike gets to solve some unfinished business in 2000 Sunnydale.And, if you appreciate the idea of a Spike/Willow spin-off - as working partners, 'cause you know, Willow's gay now - this is the book for you. Set on season 5 (when Willow started attending Drama class, as seen on TV), we can enjoy once more the sweet nerd girl, who dates Tara, uses magick in a non-evil way and don't miss a class for anything, and the snarky chipped vampire who is in love with the Slayer (his feelings haven't been disclosed yet) and helps the Scoobies, although having some reservations about those folks.To understand better the last chapter, I would recommend doing a quick research on the Internet about Greek Mythology; I did, and it helped a lot.

Disclaimer: the authors of this most excellent BUFFY novel are friends of mine; the three of us each had short stories in the 2000 anthology X-MEN LEGENDS.Now that you know my biases, this is one of the finer examples of BUFFY novel-ness, as it carries on two parallel plots, one focusing on Willow, and also featuring Spike, and one featuring William-turning-into-Spike, also featuring Darla, Drusilla, and Angelus. The book does a masterful job of weaving in and out of the onscreen scenes, building on stuff that was established but not elaborated on (Spike's origin and the awesome foursome of him, Dru, Darla, and Angelus; Willow's Intro to Drama class), retroactively setting the stage for future events (Willow realizing just how bloody powerful she is), and telling a cracking good yarn to boot.The characterization is spot-on, the dialogue matches the onscreen personae, and the little touches, both regarding 19th-century Victorian life and modern-day college theatre, make the book fire on all cylinders.My sole complaint is that the 19th-century climax is stronger than the modern one, which makes the latter seem a bit anticlimactic (literally). But that is a minor complaint about what is overall a most frabjous book.

Then grab this one up, fast. Spike fan? Grab this up faster. (though sorry, no Spuffy action in this one) Love any episode of Angel or Buffy where it goes into flashback of the time where Angel and Darla decide to 'make' some family? Grab this up.The book (which I didn't want to pick up at first because of the weak title)spends at least half the time (maybe more, I confess after awhile I skimmed the present day story so I could get back to the 1800s) flashing back to when William met Cecily and got his heart stomped on. There's some of the scenes from 'Fool for Love', but it goes much further into the backstory-- you find out what happened to Spike after he rose, Angel and Dru teaching him how to hunt, his plan for revenge against Cecily and her family for humiliating him-- which works out much differently then he planned--... and oh yeah, *exactly* how he got his nickname.The present day story, involving mainly Willow and a haunted theater (with Spike jumping in to help when he discovers an old enemy is tied in with this) is decent, and has its moments (such as Willow starting to think Spike is hot at one point, then catching herself when she remembers she's gay) but the book is worth buying for the Spike backstory. Angel is around, but only as evil Angelus. Well written, interesting, nasty, and true to the characters. I read 'Pretty Maids All in a Row' a while ago, thinking it was part of a series, and then was really bummed when I found out it was the only Buffy tie-in novel that focused mainly on them. This book is, at least, the next best thing.So, worth picking up just for the backstory... which would make a great movie, by the way (Joss, are you listening?). You may want to save this one and wait to read it after the series is no more and brilliant back story episodes like Fool for Love are, sadly, just a memory. This one's a keeper.

Now I've read alot of Buffy books but this is the first one I've ever been compeled to review. It was Fantastic we get to see some of Spike just before and after he was turned. Seeing the differences in his charicter was Amazing. It was Fun having Willow as the focus of the book, this is a definite must have for Willow fans.the interaction between W/S was great,good banter. one Suggestion to the Fans re watch "Fool for Love" before reading the book.