Q Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Gregory L. Norris
Alyson Books

Years after its cancellation the influential TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which blended genre thrills with teen angst and a girl power message, continues to inspire criticism and debate. It also inspired this book. Although it's a slim little volume, it took quite a while to get through it. That's because every five minutes I had to stop, carefully scrutinize the front and back covers, and confirm I was holding a final product and not a galley. Barring the deluded opuses from self-publishing outfits like Xlibris, this is the shoddiest book I've ever received. Poorly organized, poorly written, and possibly using Wikipedia as a primary source (judging by its utter blandness and lack of interviews with or quotes from any of the influential show's creators or main cast,) this so-called guidebook gives the impression of being written over a long weekend by someone with only a passing familiarity with the show. Most of the book is given over to vague episode summaries, some of which are strangely worded or contain inaccuracies. You can get this kind of thing on dozens of websites - try the snarkily insightful recaps at televisionwithoutpity.com - or a dozen other books. Save your money for the Buffy Season 8 comic books.