5 comments about The Wrong Number 2 (Fear Street, No. 27) (Bk. 2).

1. It has been a year after Deena and Jade were almost killed by Stanley Farberson. Also a year when they called a house on Fear Street and heard a murder. Deena and Jade start getting phone calls. Things that only Farberson knows.. Could it be really Farberson?
   
   Well, this book deserves a three since the explanations done by the person responsible for the calls were lame. Scaring someone just because you are jealous? The car wasn't much explained. I must say that this book is like a roller coaster ride.



2. This book is called Wrong Number 2 by R.L.Stine. I'm 11 years old in the 6th grade. I think people ages 11-13 would like this book. The book is about 3 kids going into a house looking for some money. But they find themselves downstairs in the basement. A man came in and lit a candle. Will they ever get out? I guess you will have to read the book to find out. I like scary stories. I liked the part when they were in the house in the basement. And when the man tried to run them over but they got away.



3. I loved the book Wrong Number#2. I am in the 6th grade and 11 years old. I think people ages 9-15 should read it. It is about two girls, Jade and Deena and these two boys Chuck and Farberson. Farberson got out of jail and went to go look for his hidden money. When he went to find it wasn't there. I love the book, it is a good book and at the end it is sad because someone dies. If you want to know how and who you will have to reed the book. And there is something scary. I did not like that part, you might. But the book was good. I hope you have fun with it.



4. The part of the book i read from Wrong Number Two was very good. The kids I think would like this book are 10-14 years old. Also kids who like mystery And suspense stories would like this book. I am in 7th grade when I read this book.This book was about 3 kids who get trapped in a killers world. Then after a year the killer got out of jail. One of the kids went back to find money the killer had hidden. Then the other two kids go to the killers house to go and get him but the killer is on his way. So, after they get there and get him they go to leave but the killer is standing in the doorway. I don't want to give too much away so read the book to find out what happens. I liked this book because it was a mystery and suspense book. That is what wrong number 2 is about.



5. The story I read was Wrong Number 2. It was about three teenag kids, Deena, Jade and Chuck.They had an enemy, Stanley Farberson. Farberson was a murderer and he killed his wife. Now he was put in jail and Deena and Jade are in school. Chuck is in college. One night Deena and Jade came home from school the phone rang Jade asked if she could answer it. Deena picked up the phone 'Hello' she said no reply. 'Hello' she said again. Then a low voice answered 'Is jade there' a man with a scary said.Then he hung up the phone. As soon as Jade walked in the room Deena said ' A man was looking for you' .'Then he hung up' Deena said. 'Oh well'. So all night Deena and Jade were talking about the basketball game they were going to on Friday. At one thirty a.m. Deena went up to here room and went straight to bed. At three a.m the phone rang 'Hello' Deena said. The same man called and he said 'I already called your friend'. This Review Was Written By Ashley Estrada

5 comments about Bury Me Deep.

1. This is from the back cover. Jean Fiscal is on her way to Hawaii. On the plane, a pasenger beside her suddenly chokes and dies. When Jean arrives, two of her friends are already there and have made friends with Dave and Johnny. And then, Jean starts to have terrible dreams about Mike...



2. Jean Fiscal goes to Hawaii for a vacation where she will meet her two girlfriends. But on the plane there, she witnesses the choking death of a young man sitting next to her and it taints the rest of her vacation. She can't stop thinking about him, dreaming about him. In Hawaii, she meets two guys named Johnny and Dave. Scuba instructors. The three girls and the two guys hit it off. But meanwhile Jean is having all these nightmares and it's really awful.
   
   This is not my favorite Pike book by any stretch of the imagination. It was interesting to read about scuba-diving and all. Pike really goes into depth (no pun intended) and treats every book as if it was a lesson on something or other. I never bothered to verify the accuracy of his facts but I was always impressed with his details. But this particular book is just a basic who-dunnit/ghost story. I know he can do better than this. The story's uninspired. It's not even a guilty pleasure. But that's just my opinion.



3. I liked this book a lot! This book is a good read. The book has a couple twists that kept me wanting to find out what happened next.



4. "That can't be. M-Mike was already dead. How is that even possible? I-I saw him on that plane. I know I did! And I found a skull in an underwater cave. Could it be...? No. I won't believe that... could it be Mike's?"



5. This book was the best book i have ever read. I read it in 1 hour. It is by far the scariest book. it is about a girl Called jean with her 2 friends go to hawwai on vacation. Jean meets a boy on the plane called mike. Mike chokes and dies. Mike was the boy sitting next to her in the plane. When Jean arrives to the island, Her and her friends decide to take scuba diving lessons with Dave and Johnny. Jean was scuba diving and went inside a cave and saw a skull. Mysteries happen on their way and she finds out Mike died a month before she saw him. She gets confused and them figures out that someone or some people are trying to murdur people underwater to hide the murdur of the scull. Jean tries to find who it is. And goes through many dangers.
   This is a great book and it will be a mistake if you dont read it. I suggest it is for ages 10-16. i hope this review was helpfull to u coz everything i wrote here is a fact

5 comments about Call Waiting (Point Horror Series).

1. Karen suspects that her boyfriend Ethan is losing interest in her, and that he would rather be with Wendy, the most popular girl in school. The suspicion is driving her nuts.
   Then the threatening phone calls begin. Are they jokes or is someone after her? Or is she losing it?
   
   I found this book disappointing. It didn't captivate me.



2. Synopsis: Karen Masters thinks her boyfriend Ethan Parker is cheating on her with Wendy Talbot. Micah Davis, her best friend thinks Karen is overreacting and tells her not to worry about it. Karen's cousin, Adam comes back to town and acts very strangely. Ethan seems reserved and tries to avoid Karen. Ethan's friend Jake doesn't like her either. In a desperate attempt to keep Ethan, Karen pretends to receive threatening phone calls so that Ethan can come to her rescue. However, later Karen really starts getting threatening phone calls from someone who hates her. Can she find out who is putting her life in danger before it's too late?
   
   (I cannot be more specific about the synopsis because the plot keeps changing in the book)
   
   Review: Ugh, where do I begin? This book was atrocious! The main reason I disliked it so much was because of Karen's character. Let's see, this girl stalks her boyfriend, is obsessed with him, has sudden flashes of rage, doesn't even know if she pushed a girl to her death or not, throws temper tantrums at everyone, lies to everyone one minute, gets caught, and wants to go to the dance club the next minute, thinks her cousin is weird for hearing voices but doesn't find it weird when she hears them voices a broken phone, and WE are supposed to root for her? Give me a break!
   
   Even the writing was horrible. I felt the actually story started in the last 50 pages of the book, when Karen actually starts receiving the phone calls. Also, every time someone like Ethan, Micah, Wendy etc. gave her an explanation as to their strange behavior, Karen kept wondering, `are they telling the truth, or lying to me'? This started becoming repetitious and confusing throughout the book, to the point where I felt that I didn't even know what was true anymore.
   
   I don't even know what the point of Adam's character in the book was!
   
   Even though the ending made sense (well at least I think it did; I didn't bother looking back at the story to see if there were any loopholes), I felt frustrated because the one character I remotely liked in the book turned out to be the psycho.
   
   But, there were some parts I enjoyed in the book, such as anytime someone like Chris scared Karen, or when she received threatening phone calls from a broken phone in school. It was fun seeing her actually squirm for awhile.
   
   I really think I would have enjoyed the book better if Stine hadn't written Karen so badly.



3. Call Waiting is a book about a gurl named Karen,and she has a b.f named Eathen. who wants to see other people and she doesn't like that idea. she mysteriously gets therating phone calls from a raspy voice saying there ganna kill her. she tells Eathen then Eathen and her spend a lott of time togather.Karan thinks he likes a gurl named Wendy dose he? or dose he not? this book is packed with drama.Its a good book i guess it keeps you woundering. <33



4. I didn't really like this book. The reason why I don't this book is because I thought that it was stupid and there also was WAY TOO MUCH DRAMA! Also I thought they people were so fake and lame and thats why I didn't like this book. Bye have a nice day =]



5. This book is about a girl named Karen and she likes a boy Ethen as well. She loves him so much she will do anything not to let him go. I liked this book because it shows how much Boyfriends and Girlfriends care about each other.

5 comments about The Lost Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. then this book takes you back into the Buffyverse. It is not the best out there but it was fun to dive back in and is worth the price.



2. As with most Buffy books, the overall pace of the story we all saw on TV isn't going to be altered in these and you know that going in. Yet, with this book, its a story and a plot-line created to give us a different world, where the characters are changed, darkened or, in some cases evil.
   
   The writing is solid, I certainly enjoyed the story and the way the characters and their dialogue are portrayed. I definitely recommend it for Buffy fans.



3. The Lost Slayer is actually an omnibus (God I love that word) of four books written by Christopher Golden which follow the same character arc. It's a meaty read, and I suspect it is vastly improved by compiling all four books together. The basic premise is this: Buffy makes a mistake that sees her propelled 5 years into the future into the body of 24 year old Buffy who has spent the past 5 years locked in a holding cell while the King of the Vampires takes over Sunnydale and LA (almost).
   
   *SPOLIERS*
   
   When Buffy breaks out, everything has changed - Willow is heading up the military-esque organisation that is trying to stop the vampires from taking over LA, Buffy's Mom is dead, and so is Anya (killed by Spike), Oz is still around but he and Willow aren't what they once were and Xander. Poor Xander. He is bitter and scarred and doesn't smile anymore. Oh, and the King of the Vampires is...GILES! I almost dropped the book when that was revealed, but vampire Giles makes a great villain.
   
   I really enjoyed my visit to the Buffyverse. I used to read all of the Buffy books (give me a break...I was 20-something. I'm almost 32 now, so obviously I can appreciate the books on more levels and with deeper wisdom and great insight etc. etc.) and Christopher Golden was the best Buffy book writer - he really had the dialogue rhythm down and understood the characters. Good times!



4. The Lost Slayer
   By Christopher Golden (Omnibus Edition, 2003)
   
   RATING: 4/5 Stakes
   
   SETTING: Season Four
   
   T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, Oz, Giles, Olivia
   
   MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Camazotz (bat demon), Lucy Hanover (ghostly Slayer), Clownface & Bulldog (vampires), Zotziloha (Camazotz's wife)
   
   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Buffy Summers's adjustment to life at U.C. Sunnydale has not gone smoothly. She feels awkward, insecure, and jealous that Willow's all over the college life. So when she is visited by a prophecy of impending danger, the timing couldn't be worse. There's plenty of evil afoot as it is: a unified troop of vampires has descended upon Sunnydale, and tension between Buffy and Willow gets in the way of demon hunting. Before long, a single moment of bad judgment catapults Buffy into an alternate future dimension where vampires reign supreme. Imprisoned in the body of her 24-year-old-self--and confronting friends and foes the likes of which she'd never imagined--the Slayer must uncover her past misstep and correct it, or risk facing a terrifying monster that she herself has created. . . ."
   
   REVIEW
   
   The Lost Slayer is an interesting and ambitious book, that takes place in two major time periods: the "real world" of Buffy Season Four and an alternate future five years later, where Giles has been turned into a Vampire King and Sunnydale and much of Southern California has fallen under his evil sway. Through some magics gone awry, Season Four Buffy inhabits the body of future Buffy, while the mind of future Buffy inhabits the mind of Season Four Buffy, leading to some interesting scenarios.
   
   The alternate future is an interesting one, and includes much darker versions of Xander and Willow, along with some characters not otherwise present in the book like Parker, Harmony, Wesley, Spike, and Drusilla. The Season Four material is fairly well done, though it involves Buffy learning her usual lesson that it's okay for her to rely on her friends. The main bad guy--a bat demon/god of some type, and his hyped-up vampire cronies--are about average for a Buffy book. The overall tone of the novel is dark with some brutal, well-done action scenes (a scene where future Buffy kills another Slayer is nothing short of ghastly) and believable dialogue.
   
   All in all, this is one of the better Buffy novels that contains some nice surprises and tense scenes. It's definitely one worth picking up. [Note that this was originally released as a "serial novel" in four separate books; the version reviewed here is the "omnibus" one.]



5. great book even for ppl who arent buffy fans. golden creates an alternate reality from what weve seen in the series. action packed all the way thru and feels like your watching it on tv

5 comments about Sweetblood.

1. gives good insight into a different world many dont know much about - interesting very short book



2. Purchased as a gift for my teenage daughter. She enjoyed it, though I peronally wish that school age girls and young women would cease their interest in vampires and the vampire-genre that has exploded the last few years.



3. There was quite a bit of language in this book, as well as a lot of sensual thoughts. Not to mention it was very boring.



4. I came across this book and was semi-intrigued by the plot summary on the cover. So I decided to give it a try. It had an Abe Award sticker on the spine and had the words 'vampire novel' on the front. It couldn't be too bad right?
   
   The novel itself was interesting, with a new take on vampires being diabetics. It was, however, focused too much on the 'diabetic' aspect and not very focused on the 'vampire' aspect. There was very very little action with vampires and I was pretty hopeful of the character named Draco. Utter disappointment to find him to be a middle aged man.. but I won't give too much of that away.
   
   The narrator is quite snappy and gets a bit annoying at times. She dresses in all black with heavy black eyemakeup and refuses to believe that she is 'goth'. Thumbs up to the author for not believing in stereotypes... but really. Come. On.
   
   I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would but it is sort of interesting. I think it would be a very interesting book to read if you are a diabetic or interested in more medical stuff. Not a book to read for those who love vampire novels.



5. This book is awesome! It is such a fast read, I couldn't put it down! Anyone who is interested in vampires would love this book, it gives great info, has humor, love, everything a good book needs.

5 comments about Bloodlust (Vampire Beach).

1. The carachters are really cool and these books are filled with vampire action, and drama.



2. This book was alright. I have read better but who hasn't? I think the writing was a little shallow but the overall effect was better than you would expect.



3. What kind of vampire book takes over half the novel to introduce vampires?!? Bloodlust, the first in the Vampire Beach series, by Alex Duval, is a rambling, contrived story of rich kids in Malibu with only a hint of the action and mystery promised on the back of the book. Overall, I found the story relatively boring, difficult to follow, and overly frustrating.
   
   The story focuses around Jason Freeman who has recently moved from Michigan to the super-elite neighborhood of DeVere Heights in Malibu. Jason is quickly accepted into the inner clique of his school because he is cute and a great swimmer. He even makes great friends with the hottest and most powerful girl in school--Sienna. Oddly, Jason also befriends an outsider named Adam, who, in contrast to any high school I have ever heard of, is accepted by the cool kids without a hint of disagreement. (Where's the teenage angst? Where's the Breakfast Club-style clique wars? In short, where's the conflict?) Jason gets invited to raging parties, dragging along his sister (who seems like a total throwaway character, by the way), and flirting with random girls. Eventually a dead girl washes up on the shore with, you guessed it, bite marks. Now Jason and Adam are on the case trying to track down the mysterious vampires in the perfect Malibu community.
   
   To begin my critique, I'd like to start by saying that I am a great fan of YA Lit and I was really looking forward to this book. However, the problems I encountered really drained the life from me (pun intended). First, it takes forever to get to the vampires. I mean, FOREVER! Duval wastes so much time describing the parties that he seems to forget to build the narrative to support his plot. Second, while the backdrop setting is a standard locale for many current YA novels and CW television shows, the author seems to be trying too hard to reference current trends to make connections with most kids. For example, Duval writes that Alex tried to "eye-TIVO" every detail of his new surroundings. Later, one of the girls calls Alex and "Absolut cutie," referencing alcohol ads that were so five years ago. Third, once we finally get to the vampires, Duval does little to build suspense. Caution to the reader, here. What follows may contain mild SPOILERS: The girl who dies is such a bit character, I felt zero empathy for her. It may as well have been an anonymous dummy washing up on the beach. I thought it was going to be Jason's sister or something that would make me care. The same can be said about the various characters who are accused of being vampires. They are not well-constructed early in the book; therefore, there is no reason to really care at the end. Even Jason himself is such a stock character I cared little if he lived or died at the end.
   
   I bought this book as a special edition that included the first two books of the series. I was excited to introduce my students to a book that combined the seductiveness of the OC with the haunting feeling of vampires. I was sorely disappointed. The characters are poorly conceived, the story is boring, and the quality of the writing is contrived and, well, poor. If only a pack of werewolves would pounce on DeVere Heights before people are stuck having to read another adventure in Malibu. Let's hope for a full moon.



4. I like vampire stories. If you've read any of my other reviews, you might already know that. Because of my prejudice, I dove into the first in the series of VAMPIRE BEACH books with high expectations. And I did enjoy it. Yes, it has some problems in execution, but more about that later. First the good stuff.
   
   As BLOODLUST begins, high school senior, Jason Freeman, has just moved into an exclusive Malibu subdivision with his sister and their nouveau rich parents. He experiences the typical teenage angst: the girl he likes is taken, he can't have a good time at parties because he's always watching out for his younger sister, one of his new friends isn't exactly riding the top rung of the social ladder, etc. The usual stuff. But something seems a little odd in Malibu. Then a girl turns up dead, and Jason discovers that the popular crowd at his high school is made up of vampires.
   
   This book put a fun spin on both the traditional vampire story and the "high school popular crowd" story. I stayed up late, turning pages to see what would happen. That's a good sign. When I was done with BLOODLUST, I was grateful that there was another VAMPIRE BEACH book on hand and I tore right into it.
   
   Unfortunately, BLOODLUST did have some problems that detracted from my enjoyment. First, it was too short. There was clearly a lot of stuff going on in Jason's high school, but relatively little of it was explored. When he discovered the vampires and began learning about them, I ended up with more questions than answers. And by the time the real mystery began, the author seemed in a hurry to resolve it. Seemingly, no sooner did Jason realize there was a problem than it was solved. That was a letdown. I wanted more investigation, more conflict, more story.
   
   Another thing that bothered me was the use of slang. The author was eager to portray authentic-sounding teen dialogue, but it seemed forced and, at times, outdated. That is often the problem with trying to write the way modern teens speak. By the time the book is published, the dialogue already sounds like it was written about two centuries ago. And be warned that this one is for older readers. It contains frequent references to alcohol use and some sexual activity.
   
   I found VAMPIRE BEACH: BLOODLUST to be an enjoyable, light read. No deep human truths will be revealed, but there is plenty of good, old-fashioned, escapist fantasy. This slender volume is the perfect companion for your next plane trip. It should keep you entertained all the way from check-in to baggage claim.
   
   Reviewed by: K. Osborn Sullivan



5. Jason Freeman's Family has just moved from Michigan to an exclusive neighborhood in Malibu. Jason is thrilled even if his younger sister has her doubts. Things go well at first as Jason quickly makes friend, makes the swim team, and falls in lust with a beautiful rich girl. But then he notices some odd things. For instance, everyone raves about a party he thought was mediocre. But then after a party on a boat, one of the guest turns up dead on the beach.
   
   The death is tragic enough but one of Jason's new friends shows Jason evidence that he thinks a vampire is involved. And not just one. He suspects there is a whole clan of bloodsuckers in Malibu. Jason does not believe at first until he comes face to face with the truth. There are vampires in the area but they don't kill. Now there is a rogue suffering from bloodlust who cannot keep control. While the rogue is about, no one is safe. Can Jason find out who is the villain and save the day?
   
   This is a fast and fun books. The vampires and stuff do not appear for the first half as Jason acclimates himself to the new life but it really sets things up for how everything works. There is a pretty good-sized cast in this one so you have to pay attention. Although the bad vampire does kill a victim, this is not really a horror story. Jason and most of the characters are quite likeable. I don't know how many books are going to be in this series, but this is a very good start.

5 comments about Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary
   
   Robert Joseph Levy (2006)
   
   RATING: 5/5 Stakes
   
   SETTING: Season Three
   
   T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Faith, Kakistos
   
   MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Diana Dormer (Watcher); Faith's Mother; George Lehane (Faith's Father); Kenny (psychic & boyfriend); Vanity Collins (social worker); Alex (imaginary friend/Slayer soul?)
   
   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Faith has always been a loner. Growing up in a broken home in South Boston, shuffled from relative to relative, her only companion was an imaginary friend named Alex, who helped her escape into a fantasy world of monsters and the supernatural, far from the real-life horrors of the waking world. Now, taken away from her mother by social services and shipped off to a foster home, Faith learns that some nightmares are all too real, that the inventions of her childhood really do haunt the night, hungry for blood. Enter Diana Dormer, a Harvard professor and representative of the Watchers Council who has come to tell Faith of her destiny, to train her, to prepare her for what is to come: Faith is the Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. But she's not alone. When Alex, her childhood companion, returns in her dreams, she warns Faith that someone else is coming to her, a force so deadly and unforgiving that it has inspired fear in the underworld for a thousand generations. Its name is Malice. As memory and fantasy begin to merge, Faith's two worlds collide, with cataclysmic results. A violent battle for the Slayer's soul is staged, winner take all. This is her story. . . ."
   
   REVIEW
   
   The stylistic conceit behind Go Ask Malice is that it is the diary of Faith found in an archaeological expedition of Sunnydale after the end of Season Seven (though the last entry takes place just prior to Season Three). The concept works beautifully, as Faith has a strong first-person voice and seeing events from her perspective offers insight in to her character and background that would be much harder to achieve in normal third-person storytelling. The television show hinted that Faith had a troubled upbringing, but this book really fleshes it out as we encounter Faith's frequently-absent mother (who becomes a prostitute), her incarcerated father, her bouncing around foster homes, and more. We're also introduced to Faith's first Watcher, Professor Diana Dormer and learn much more about the backstory of Kakistos, the demon responsible for killing Dormer and driving Faith out of Boston. Kakistos was polished off in a single episode in Buffy (and probably wasn't handled very well), but here the demon has a nice menacing aura and build-up through prophetic dreams that Faith is having. The fact that the reader already knows that Kakistos kills Dormer lends a pall of impending tragedy over the book that works very well because the reader is constantly kept guessing as to how and when it'll happen.
   
   Suffice it to say, Go Ask Malice is a very dark book--something the too-sacharine Buffy novel line desperately needed. If you only like happy endings or can't stand Faith, this isn't the book for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend it (and hope the author can get talked into writing some stories for the Buffy comic).



2. Interesting look into the mind of one of the most complex Buffy characters. She's not all bad. She wants to do the right thing, she just doesn't always know what it is or how to accomplish it.
   
   The whole thing's written diary-style, a la Louise Rennison's Georgia Nichols books (like "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging"). So it's all from Faith's POV.
   
   Definitely worth a read.



3. Curious about the last name of our evil slayer? Then you should definitely read this book. The whole book is all about Faith before she came to Sunnydale. It starts out with learning about her drunk mother, the horrible guys she dated, and how she discovers she is a potential slayer.
   
   I just really enjoyed this book because it gives a lot of insight about Faith. You kind of feel and see why she is the way she is. It's written in her point of view and it actually looks like a journal so you kind of feel what she feels.
   
   In the end, if you want to read about Faith and discover things which were left out on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you should read this book. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down until I finished it.



4. when i heard of this book, i was a little skeptical. i mean, why would faith write a journal? but anyways once i got into it, i couldnt stop reading. the way faith described her boyfriends, mom and "prof" was totally the way Eliza would do it. i highly recommend this book to anyone, and not just buffy fans.



5. This book was EXCELLENT. It really gave a solid history on Faith and allowed the reader to really understand why she had a dark side. The author really captured her essence. I recommend this book to any Buffy or Angel Fan!

5 comments about Tales of the Slayer, Volume 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. This book is connected to the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Its tales feature the slayers before Buffy became the vampire slayer. There is 7 stories in the volume, most of which are only okay and not memorable. Pretty much all of the stories were about the last days and battle of the former slayers.
   
   There were 2 stories I enjoyed. First was The White Doe by Christie Golden about a Native American tribe with a slayer know as White Doe. The second was Die Blutgrafin by Yvonne Navarro, in which the big bad is based on a real person, Countess Bathory, said to have bathed in the blood of virgins.



2. Tales of the Slayer, Volume 1
   (2001)
   
   RATING: 4/5 Stakes
   
   SETTING: Before Season 1
   
   T.V. SHOW CHARACTERS: None
   
   MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Greece, 490 B.C.E.: Thessily Tessilonikki (Slayer); Thoas (Watcher); Phidippides (Messenger). London, 1586: Virginia Dare/White Doe (Slayer); John White (colonist); Eleanor Dare (colonist); Manteo (Croatoan Indian); Takes From Eagle (adopted father); Ceremonial Fox (elder conjuror). Hungary, 1609: Idilko Gellert (Slayer); Kurt Rendor (Watcher); Countess Bathory (villian); Jo Ilona (Bathory's servant). France, 1789: Marie-Christine (Slayer); Edmund de Voison (Watcher); L'Hero (Vampire leader); Mathilde (adopted girl). Kentucky, 1886: Mollie Prater (Slayer); Ethan Bentley (Watcher); Harly (lover). Munich, 1923: Britta Kessler (Slayer); Friedrich Lichtermann (Watcher); Erich Sahr (vampire). Florida, 1956: Asha Sayre (Slayer); Laurent (Watcher).
   
   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Into every generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, to find the vampires where they gather, and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. In our time, that girl is Buffy Summers. But Buffy is merely one Slayer in an eternal continuum of warriors for the Powers That Be. We've known of others: The Primal Slayer, who stalked the earth and the forces of darkness in fierce solitude . . . Nikki, the funky hipster whose demise at Spike's hands lent an urban edge to his wardrobe and a bigger bounce to his swagger. Slayers by nature have a limited life expectancy; for each one who falls, another rises to taker her place. Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1 chronicles Slayers past who have influenced--and are influenced by--the traditional and mythologies of yore. From ancient Greece, to aristocratic Slayers holding court in revolution-era France, to the legend of the Bloody Countess Elizabeth Bathory, to 1920s Munich, each girl has a personal history, a shared moral code, and a commitment to conquer evil, regardless of the cost . . . ."
   
   REVIEW
   
   Tales of the Slayer (Volume 1) is an excellent collection of short stories and adds some much needed tension to the Buffy fiction line of books. The reason is simple: when reading about Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc., the reader knows for sure that they can't be killed off; when reading about these home-brewed Slayers, however, it's far from certain they'll survive the end of the tale. Indeed, all but one of the Slayers chronicled in Volume 1 end up dying--which one survives? Well, that's why you have to read the book . . . Given the high mortality rate, the reader should expect stories more gruesome and tragic (some might even say depressing!) than average episodes of the television show.
   
   As a whole, the various writers do a nice job with placing Slayers and Watchers into different geographical and chronological settings. My favorite would have to be Marie-Christine and Edmund de Voison, Slayer and Watcher in 1789 France--the aristocratic ethos has pervaded even their lives, to the point where they question whether saving the lives of the poor is really worth it. A little more variation in the stories' villains (almost all are vampires) would have been nice, but perhaps that is saved for subsequent books.
   
   After finishing the collection, I was left with the question--did the Slayer matter? If we put Buffy and the Hellmouth to one side (where she saves the world every season), it seems like having one Slayer at a time would be like having only one police officer for the entire world. Sure, that cop will catch his or her share of criminals, but won't have any impact on the crime rate across the world--just like one Slayer couldn't possibly impact the number of vampires in the world.
   
   Anyway, if you can handle stories set in the mythos but not featuring television show characters, Tales From the Slayer vol. 1 is well worth reading.



3. Tales of the Slayer throughout time, and how they lived their short, sharp, dangerous lives. The best two stories are perhaps the first tale, by Greg Rucka. A Slayer in ancient Greece, Thesilly, is on a mission to protect Phidippides on his run, as many Persian vampires are after him. The final tale is about a cajun Slayer and her watcher in a small town. There, the Kln are all vampires, and intend to feed on a Negro prayer meeting, then blow up all the corpses. Asha the Slayer has other plans.
   
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 01 A Good Run Greece 490 b.c.e. - Greg Rucka
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 02 The White Doe London 1586 - Christie Golden
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 03 Die Blutgrafin Hungary 1609 - Yvonne Navarro
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 04 Unholy Madness France 1789 - Nancy Holder
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 05 Mornglow Dreaming Kentucky 1886 - Doranna Durgin
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 06 Silent Screams Germany 1923 - Mel Odom
   Tales of the Slayer 1 : 07 And White Splits the Night Florida 1956 - Yvonne Navarro
   
   
   A slayer protects the Marathon man from vamps.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   What really happened at Roanoke = vamps.
   
   4 out of 5
   
   
   Countess Bathory is a bit much for a young slayer.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   French class warfare. With monsters.
   
   3.5 out of 5
   
   
   Country girl's calling.
   
   2.5 out of 5
   
   
   A Watcher's hellspawn history, with horror movies.
   
   3 out of 5
   
   
   Cajun Kln vamp conflagration.
   
   4 out of 5



4. I like BTVS and was happy when this came out. The one thing is that it goes into more than Buffy which I like but if you want only Buffy do not get this book there are only two stories about her and the gang in this book, but if your into the whole mytho's then this is the book for you!



5. This is an anthology series about previous Vampire Slayers. The stories are written by high profile Buffy the Vampire Slayer authors.
   I normally love anthologies.
   However, this wasn't really one of my favorites.
   Maybe it's because I'm so used to Buffy and her fellow Scoobies. However, I think it's all so because I felt like some of the stories fell short
   Some of them could have continued
   But it's still pretty good none the less.
   I recommend some of Navarro's other series. Such as The Wicked Willow trilogy.

5 comments about The Boy Who Couldn't Die.

1. I've read and loved other works by William Sleator as a kid. I'm now 25 and have recently reread "Singularity," which was significantly better than this book.
   
   On the positive side, the basic plot was interesting. It does a good job of explaining voodoo black magic and exploring what could happen if a teen got involved with it.
   
   Unfortunately, the actions of the characters aren't believable and most of the conversations are strained. It seemed like the author didn't take any time to research how teenagers would have talked or acted in the given situations. The ending was abrupt; I felt like there was one more chapter that didn't get written. Overall, it just felt like there wasn't much effort put into it.
   
   If you'd like to read a book by William Sleator about dark magic, I would suggest you pick up "Blackbriar" rather than "The Boy Who Couldn't Die."



2. Ever wonder how it would feel to anything in the world. To be like a super hero like in the comics and never die when you do something dangerous. Well William Sleater is a guy that writes magnificent science fiction, horrors, mystery and other wonderful books that is so mesmerizing. His books come with so many trills that will make your body shiver.
   
   
   Ken is a kid that lost his best friend (Roger) in a plane accident. Ken then starts to worry about himself dieing in such a horrible accident. That is when he finds a woman (Cheri Buttercup) who says that she can make him invulnerable to pain and death for a very cheap price. But when he finds out what has to happen, then he would have to choose between feeling pain and death or if he wouldn't want to die. Once he decides on what to do, he then tests it out. He tries to get fight and beat up the school bully, he notices that he can't get burned, and when he takes a little vacation he wants to do something even more dangerous and that is to...
   
   
   
   William Sleater writes some of the best young adult books you could ever imagine. It is so detailed and William Sleater describes how the character is feeling really well and what is going through their minds. Here is a quote from the boy who couldn't die. . "I'm lying in some kind of box, and I'm paralyzed, I can't move an arm, a leg, a finger. I have no voice, because my breathing is so shallow it's like I'm hardly aware of breathing at all. I feel very cold. My temperature is so far below normal that if I weren't paralyzed I'd be shivering uncontrollably. I have the digestion sensation that bugs are crawling under my skin, but I can't move to scratch. And then everything goes black when they fit a cover onto the box." This is the things that William Sleater writes, it's amazing.



3. When your best friend dies, life seems to end right then and there. But, Ken doesn't let this happen. He visits a psychic, and for only $50.00, she preformed a "spell" on him that would eventually change his life forever.
   
   I really had a lot of favorite parts in this book. But the best part would have to be when this large guy Toby, tries to beat up Ken after hearing that he is going to take out his ex Kaitlin. But since Ken can't feel pain, to Toby, it feels like punching a brick wall. But soon that night, Ken figures out that his spell in totally not what he expected. And this shows that what you may think is the easy way out, will end up surprising you in the end.
   
   Overall I really liked this book because it shows that everything has its negatives. And either you can chose to handle it or do something about it. Many people, I think, will enjoy this book, especially if you like mystery and thrilling suspense! On a scale from 1-5 stars, I gave I would give this book 4 stars.



4. This book is about a boy who Goes to see a person who says that she can take away his soul and hide it for a mere $50. Ken wants to do this because his best friend Roger recently died in a plane crash, and he dosen't want the same thing to happen to him. Then he goes to St. Calo to test his new invulnerability against a shark. He meets Sabine who soon becomes his girlfriend. When he tells her what he has done and she tells him that the lady that she went to go see actually turned him into a living breathing zombie. If you want to know what happens then you will have to read the book for yourself. This is one of the best books that I have ever read. Even though I have only read one of his books William Sleator is one of my favorite authors. This is a great book!



5. im not the one to usually read books and finish them. but i finished it in two days. it is an amazing book. i never wanted to put it down. with a lot of other books i did read, there would be a good part, and it would just go down hill. thats not what happened here. it started high and just went all the way up. it is an awesome book. read it.

5 comments about Close to the Ground (Angel).

1. Somewhere in Ireland an old mage is getting older faster. He is in danger of dying before he can complete his he plans to resurrect Balor of the Baleful Eye and conquer the world. Naturally, the solution is to move to Los Angeles and make life miserable for Angel. In the meantime Doyle has a flash, and Angel finds himself defending Karinna Willitts, a beautiful young woman who happens to be the daughter of Hollywood's most powerful studio head. Trust Cordy to immediately parlay this fortunate moment into a studio job, while Angel is offered the opportunity to become Karinna's permanent guardian. The young lady has a nose for trouble, and loves to be in it.

   As Mordractus (the mage) begins to weave his plans to turn the unsuspecting vampire into a health food drink there is action on another front entirely. Kate Lockley is hunting a group of bank robbers who make a habit of tunneling into vaults and popping up with the money. Only this last time they popped up the killed three people who happened to be in their way. In other words, business is as usual in the city of stars.

   Jeff Mariotte is a change of pace in this fourth volume in the Angel novel series. For a change, the story stays in the present, and the plot is full of complex twists and turns. Mariotte is good at developing characters through action, which means that those characters who play big roles (Angel, Kate, and Cordelia) develop considerable dimensionality. The walk-on parts (and in this case Doyle doesn't get much of a part to play) are always a bit sketchy, but Mariotte's pace is fast enough that it never really becomes an issue.

   Cordy's adventures in studio land are a characteristic satire of the countless facades of Hollywood life, as Mariotte works to build a cynical view of the industry that, after all, has provided some of cynicism's greatest moments. One has to sympathize with Cordy, who would either like to get paid or become famous, and never seems to manage to accomplish either. Angel, wizards, demons, thieves, Hollywood, and the FBI - who could ask for anything more?




2. Really interesting story. Loved seeing a side of "Angel" that I'm not use to. Recommend to all, especially fans of the show.



3. I just finished reading "Close to the Ground" and I must say that so far, it is my favorite. It started out as a magician named Mortractus tried to bring back Balor, the one-eyed giant, from another dimension. But he was aging with every spell that he performed and was looking for a way to live forever. Which was what brought him to LA. Meanwhile, Angel had troubles of his own: what with having to be a bodyguard to the daughter of a big movie company, whom he thought was spoiled and only helped her because Doyle had a vision. I really liked the book because even though Angel was not around Kate, the writer still had a story for Detective Lockley and her and Angel seldom crossed paths until close to the end. The best part was right after that when the whole story took a quick turn and Angel finally figured out how to save the girl from Doyle's vision. This is a great book and I think that anyone who's an Angel fan should pick this one up.



4. This book matches and surpasses most of the big bestselling mainstream suspense thrillers. It is not just for the fans of the tv show about the vampire detective. If it had been relaesed as a hardcover with a different character's name, it would be a bestselling hardcover. SHAKEDOWN, and HOLLYWOOD NOIR are particularly great other volumes in this series. If you like James Patterson, Tom Savage, Jonathan Kellerman, Jefferson Swycaffer, Joe L. Hensley, Tami Hoag, Wilson Tucker, John Sandford, David Wiltse (or not) add this to your pile to be read.



5. Close to the Ground is now my favorite in the line of Angel books. Mariotte managed to combine true greed with the supernatural in a well-thought out manner. After Angel has accepted the job of bodygaurd over a hot-shot director's daughter, Karinna, weird (as usual) things began to happen. What does an ancient Celtic sorceror want with Angel? How does Karinna mesh with the Celtic man? Angel has to figure out those two questions, as well as save Kate Lockley who has become hostage to a group of nasty bank robbers. Nothing like a good old cops and robbers plot. Especially one which is splendidly done and meshed in with a supernatural tale. I do have one tiny complaint; Mariotte made Angel a bit too sarcastic during his battles with the Celtic sorceror's minions. But other than, Close to the Ground is a very good novel.