Immortal

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Buffy book reviews)

Immortal

Christopher Golden & Nancy Holder (1999)

RATING: 3/5 Stakes

SETTING: Season Three

CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Oz, Cordelia, Joyce, Angel, Willy

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Veronique (immortal vampire); Queenie (demon groupie), Catherine, Ephialtes, Konstanti, Pepper Roback (vampires); Triumvirate (demon); Angela Martignetti (1862 Slayer); Peter Toscano (1862 Watcher); Leah Coleman (doctor); Tergazzi (demon), Lucy Hanover (as ghost)

BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: “During a routine slaying, Buffy encounters a vampire named Veronique who knows the Slayer’s name and can anticipate her attack. One who doesn’t have the proper respect for Mr. Pointy. One who cannot die. If slain, she will reincarnate in a new body. An invincible demon is the last thing Buffy needs right now. Joyce Summers is about to undergo a serious operation, calling up all of her daughter’s fears about her own mortality. Angel wants to comfort Buffy, but her mother’s crisis underscores the difference between them: he wil live forever, while she will grow old . . . or die young. Torn between her duties as a daughter and as the Chosen One, Buffy needs the support of her friends to help her solve a rash of grave robberies, head off an influex of new vampires, and take Veronique down once and for all. For Veronique is on a mission—to bring about the unification of her masters, the Triumvirate, into one all-powerful demon that will drink the blood of the last man on earth. . . .”

REVIEW

The best part of Immortal is actually one of the subplots. Foreshadowing Buffy Season 5, Joyce becomes increasingly sick and ends up in the hospital with a cancer scare and facing major surgery. Buffy’s feelings of uselessness and Joyce’s attempt to minimize the seriousness of her condition fits in well with the characters’ personalities. It’s powerful stuff and well-written.

The main plot of the book is about a vampire named Veronique’s attempts to summon her demon master(s) the Triumvirate. Veronique has a nifty little ability: everytime she gets dusted, she reincarnates in the body of the next vampire sired in the area. Veronique’s bad-guy personality is fairly standard, but admittedly it’s hard to come up with completely original villains. However, the idea that the villain’s main goal is to summon a giant demon was already pretty over-used at the time the novel was written and now I hope it’s a plot idea we can lay to rest for future Buffy books.

As usual, Golden & Holder have a strong grasp on the characters’ personalities and dialogue. Action scenes are crisp and match well with those in the show. I have mixed feelings about the authors’ penchant for backstory (in this book alone we have scenes set in: ancient Constantinople, 1872 Greece, and 1940s America). It’s a handy way to give characters depth and avoid exposition, but at times it can be hard to care about the characters in the flashbacks. All in all, Immortal is a solid effort but not at the top of the list.