#also i'm so intrigued that kendra is in this au too! and has been called before buffy goes into the hellmouth (unlike the first main boom | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

oveliagirlhaditright · 2 years

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The Buffy novel "The Book of Fours" was terrific. I really loved getting to learn about the Slayer before Buffy, India, through her diary entries and whatnot.

She reminds me of Buffy quite a bit (which I think was the point), but not enough to be a carbon copy of her or anything like that (India was a tomboy and Buffy is definitely a girly-girl, for instance. She was also from the Philippines originally and an army brat, who had to travel the world a lot for that reason, etc.). But some of the issues that India had with her mom reminded me of some of the Buffy and Joyce stuff. And Buffy's deep love for her Watcher Kit (who she sacrificed herself for, and that's how she died) reminded me of Buffy's love for Angel some. And in some sort of AU, I could have seen that being the way Buffy died too, or something.

I also found it funny that at first when Faith was reading India's diaries, she said, "I like this girl. She has balls." But then she read a bit more (after India thought her mom didn't want her, that her dad couldn't stay with her because of his work, and that Kit didn't love her), and was like, "Okay, I can't read any more. Whiny, much?" And it's like, "Sheesh, Faith. Make up your mind." I also feel like S3 Faith thinking that last bit is a little bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

The whole plot about each Slayer corresponding with a different one of the four elements... and there being these mummies with these axes that tied into each element, too (and could also summon earth, wind, fire, and water), and if they sliced their matching Slayer with the axe would automatically kill her that way, was also really, really cool? Like, holy crap, I wish we'd gotten this whole thing in the show. (The mummies were actually the underlings of a higher power). For those curious, India was the Slayer of Water, Buffy was the Slayer of Air, Kendra was the Slayer of Earth, and Faith was the Slayer of Fire. And someone please give me some Avatar: The Last Airbender AU with this now. LOL

As I said in another post (as this was the prologue, so this solution gets spoiled for you way before you get to the end), I also really adored having all four Slayers fight this threat together: Buffy and Faith, of course, who are still alive, but Kendra and India through temporarily possessing Cordelia and Willow. I thought that whole thing was really clever. This whole ending was, really.

I also enjoyed the stuff with Lucy Hanover (who's a Slayer ghost in some of these books, who I should probably make a whole different post about), as well as Micaela from "The Ghost Roads" trilogy making an appearance again. I honestly wasn't expecting the latter, but I appreciated it. I didn't think her appearance was overdone or undid her trying to make amends at the end of that trilogy, which is good.

Willow almost dying because of a car accident Joyce got into was nuts...

And the Bangel in this book, as always, is wonderful.

And it's just great to have Faith here, because I honestly wish she was in more of these books that take place during season three.

As much as I love Nancy Holder's Buffy books (and I really, really do), there are times where I'm begging to feel where things are getting a tiny bit too removed from BtVS (like, there's a part of me that doesn't really believe elements of them would have ever actually happened in the show. But when I shut that part of me up, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this is so awesome!"), and think that some of these ideas might have been better off as their own original series (because it's like she's starting to add lore and stuff that wasn't in the show. And part of me loves this, because the stuff she adds actually fits really well and is amazing and intriguing! But since it wasn't in the show, of course, you know it's not canon. But at the same time, these books were okayed by the show writers before they were published, so maybe it makes it like second tier canon, at best, so it all gets a bit confusing if you think about it too hard. I guess the key is to not get hung up on these details, and to just try and enjoy these stories for what they are). But for the most part, I didn't really feel that way with this book.

It's a really solid, epic novel, that I really kind of wish had been part of the show. And had parts that were even better than some of said show, honestly.

Edit: It's also interesting that we now have had two Watcher/Slayer relationships in the Buffy books I've read so far. And they've given us the rule that Watchers and Slayers really aren't supposed to fall for each other (I don't think the show ever said that, though it makes so much sense, but I could be wrong about the series never having mentioned it). Meanwhile, right now in Boom, in that one AU where Fred's a Slayer, she and Wesley are together and no one's mentioned it being frowned upon. Huh...

Edit 2: This book also makes me wish the show had given us more of Faith being good/trying to be good before her villainous turn in season three. Because she has that whole speech about, "...So I slay, I behave, I do the perfect good little girl routine?" But maybe it's just me, but I feel like we didn't really see that? Or at least not as much as we should have. Especially since season three randomly has so many episodes without Faith with no explanation as to why she isn't there or what she's doing. So having her save the world from another apocalypse here helps me buy her anger in that scene more when she says that: "So I slay, I behave, I do the perfect good little girl routine. And who does everybody thank? Buffy."

Edit 3: Oh! And getting more Kendra stuff was *chef's kiss* as I mentioned in my other post:)

#long post #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy tie-in books #buffy book #the book of fours

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