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It's the end of the world as they know it.
I had high hopes for this book as I adore Metz's 10 book 'Roswell High' series and I wasn't disappointed. Set in season 7 shortly after 'Same Time, Same Place', this is a tale of the apocalypse (storms of maggots, blight, boils, the dead rise and more maggots) but this is the biblical apocalypse that Giles doesn't think they should attempt to stop.
Giles has come to Sunnydale after reports of Willow's disappearance in 'Same Time, Same Place' but before he can leave, the archangel Michael shows up to end the world. Now Buffy has faced down the Master, her boyfriend, Faith, a Mayor-snake, Adam, nerds and Willow but how can she stop an angel? Giles doesn't think she should even try, as this may be Earth's natural end.
Meanwhile Dawn sulks, Willow and Xander bond, Spike muses on his condition and Anya fumes over Xander's continued desertion of her. This book is good at characterization - it examines Willow and Xander's relationship, Anya's feeling of loneliness and exclusion by the gang and her heartbreak at Xander's betrayal and Xander even realises how badly he has treated her. It's all good stuff.
There is no mention of Sunnydale High 2.0, Robin Wood or "From beneath you" what it does have is Anya pointing out - quite rightly - how Willow destroyed her livelihood and never apologised, then Willow wonders if she really is good after what she did to Warren, Spike points out the double standard the gang have about bad deeds and it's all presented so well, you wonder why the tv show never touched most of this stuff.
There are two quibbles - Spike is much more lucid than he should be and when the cemeteries empty and zombies roam Sunndydale not one single person even mentions the possibility that zombie!Tara could be lurching around. That's a pretty major gaffe in my opinion but the rest of the book is so good you can almost overlook it.
This is a good novel and the cover has a nice touch, there are stock photos of Buffy, Xander and Willow on the cover but the red background behind them is actually giant angel wings like something out of 'Angels in America' - a neat touch.
Recommended. but it is short at just 242 pages.
P-Con VI March 27th/28th/29th 2009
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