Monster Island

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Buffy book reviews)

MONSTER ISLAND

By Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski (2003)

RATING: 4/5 Stakes

SETTING: Season Five or Six

T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Buffy, Xander, Willow, Tara, Spike, Giles, Dawn, Anya, Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, Harry Doyle, Willy the Snitch

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: General Axtius (main villain); Guhl-iban (flesh-eating demon); Haborym (fire demon); Calvin Symms (L.A. teen); Charlie Nickels (informant); Abner (friendly demon); Elijah Carnegie (friendly magician); Zeke (Miquot informant); Captain Hobbs (sailor); Dai'shu (sorceror demon); Ephraim (Sage of Monster Island); Garth (Elder Demon); Ileana (Vapor demon); Shikah (Bazhripa demon)

INSIDE-FLAP SUMMARY: "Since he arrived in Los Angeles, Angel's mission has been to help the helpless. He has saved countless innocents in his city. However, one escaped his grasp: Doyle, the hard-drinking, easy-living half-demon who came to Angel on a vision quest. Doyle sacrificed himself and in turn reconciled his internal conflict toward his own demonic heritage, leaving Angel (with Cordelia, and ultimately, a new cadre) to carry on with the good fight. And fight they do. But as the group squares off against evil in the City of Angels, little do they know that back in Sunnydale trouble is brewing as usual. A shakedown of snitches yields info: Someone other than Buffy has been slaying--and whoever it is, he or she is strictly after half-breeds, going so far as to lie in wait to attack. It doesn't add up, and the Scoobies are stumped. Back in L.A. the picture becomes clearer when Angel Investigations is visited by an unexpected guest. It's Doyle's father, a Brachen demon named Axtius. He's come to give Doyle a gift: Daddy's going to rid Doyle of his pesky human side. In fact he's looking to rid the world of half-breeds. He's not happy to learn that Doyle's gone, and if someone is to be blamed, it's Angel. But Axtius doesn't have time to point fingers--he knows where the mixed-blood demons have set up camp. Before long Buffy and her avengers have assembled right alongside Angel and Co. Both slayer and vampire have skirted the boundaries of humanity, but neither can support a massacre. A crime against monsters is a crime nonetheless. . . ."

REVIEW

Monster Island was a crossover between the Buffy and Angel novel lines, and received the deluxe treatment with both hardcover and paperback versions. The plot, as the title indicates, revolves around a magically-hidden island off the coast of California called Questral, home to hundreds of outcast half-breed demons trying to make a peaceful home for themselves. Something, of course, has to disturb their happy lifestyle and in this particular case it's a massive invasion by an army of "pure-bred" demons led by the Brachen General Axtius.

How do our erstwhile heroes get involved? It turns out that Axtius is the father of Angel's deceased friend Doyle, and wants revenge on the vampire-with-a-soul for his son's death. Throw in Doyle's ex-wife, several new characters, and the cast of both shows, and you have a novel packed with a lot of people running around.

With dozens of Buffy and Angel novels and comics to his name, Christopher Golden knows the characters inside and out, and there aren't any "so-and-so would never do that!" moments. Along with his co-author, Golden weaves an interesting story with some great action scenes and an exciting ending. With so much happening, the plot takes precedence over the interaction of the two casts, but there are some really fun Xander/Cordelia moments and it's interesting to learn what happened to Harry Doyle after her husband's death.

The bottom line is the Monster Island is a strong adventure story; it won`t make you cry or reveal surprising new insights into the characters, but it is an above average Buffy novel and worth reading.