It’s been about two months since the new Buffy book, The Making of a Slayer, has been released. It’s been doing well in Amazon sales, and likely filled a lot of holiday stockings. Whedonopolis takes a look through the book after the jump…
Once the Buffyverse has you in its clutches, it won’t ever let you go”
Amber Benson, in the Making of a Slayer foreward.
Well, not a bad place to be stuck in, actually. Ask any fan of Buffy Summers, Angel, Willow, Xander, Giles, Spike or any person who is quite familiar with the world of the Slayer.
The 16th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is coming soon, so Nancy Holder wrote a book reviewing the show’s seven years. It’s a trip down memory lane for fans and an excellent guide for newcomers who may want to see the show for themselves.
The book is divided in four chapters: the birth of Buffy; her high school days; her college days and second death and; her resurrection and problems dealing with that and growing up. Each chapter includes informative features about the writers, Big Bads, past Slayers and the Watchers Council. There are essays devoted to the three most famous episodes, “Hush,” “The Body” and “Once More With Feeling.” We also find out about why “Earshot” and “Graduation Day, Part 2” had to be delayed after Columbine.
The chapters also look at specific themes per season, such as Angel turning from hero to villain in season two, sexual and magic addictions in season six and getting back to the show’s roots in season seven.
There’s some interesting trivia, such as why the city of Torrence didn’t want the show to film there after the third season finale, how Joss gave two Slayers last names, and how there was a plan to connect the movie with the show. Some of the pictures include storyboards from the battle in “Graduation Day, part 2” and a map of Sunnydale….
It’s hard to tell from looking at this map, but the book has a much bigger version. If you look closely, Sunnydale seems to be based on downtown San Diego. Tipoff: the US Grant Hotel on Broadway Circle and “Americas Plaza” at Broadway and Kettner. That’s interesting, because the town is supposed to be based on Goleta, near Santa Barbara.
Aside from the high quality of the book, there is also “Slayer Lore”, which are replicas of important pieces of paper from the show. There’s a drawing of a Gentleman from “Hush”, a Shadowcaster from “Get It Done” and the soul restoration spell for Angel from the conclusion of “Becoming.” There’s also part of a diary about a Slayer named Rebecca from a book that was never read on the show.
Some people may notice some slight errors, like calling Amy Madison “Amy Madigan”. Others may call it more of a summary of the series that doesn’t add anything new to what has been published before. I feel this coffee table-style book is a nice addition for long-time Buffy fans and new fans, too.
It’s available at local book stores and through Amazon – CLICK HERE (at 43% off retail and free shipping)
And my original interview with Nancy Holder is here A New Buffy Book, Just In Time For The Holidays
