Angel: "Redemption" (2000) [BUFFY]

Redemption

By Mel Odom (Pocket Books, 2000)

RATING: 4/5 Stakes 

SETTING: Early Season 1

TV/MOVIE CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Angel/Angelus, Cordelia, Doyle, Darla, Kate Lockley, 

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Moira O'Braonain (Blood Cadre vampire slayer); Whitney Tyler (actress); Gunnar Schend (producer); Darius Lynch (vampire sea captain); Fiachra O'Domhnallain (Blood Cadre leader); Mama Ntombi (spiritualist); Father Gannon (Blood Cadre agent)

BACK OF THE BOOK SUMMARY: "When their investigation agency books a walk-in client, Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle couldn't be happier.  Whitney Tyler is a beautiful, widely adored actress who plays a vampire on a popular television series.  Trouble is, a cult of viewers seems to think she's a real vampire, and has made attempts on her life.  Cordelia has got stars in her eyes now that she's rubbing elbows with Hollywood's elite, and Doyle's just relieved to have signed on a case that didn't start with a vision--and a blinding migraine.  But when Angel lays eyes on Whitney, he's astounded--she's the spitting image of a young woman warrior whom he encountered during his early days as the scourge of Europe.  As the attempts on Whitney's life continue, the trio uncovers a symbol that links the perpetrators to an ancient cadre sworn to battle creatures of the night.  But what could connect Whitney to someone that Angel once knew--almost two centuries ago?"

REVIEW

It might take me twenty years after buying a book to read it, and another six months after having read it to review it, but sooner or later I get there!  Redemption has a lot of similarities with the excellent Season 1 episode Eternity, so many in fact that I wonder if the episode inspired the novel or the novel inspired the episode (they were released within just a few months of one another).  As the back-of-the-book summary indicates, Redemption centers around an actress who plays a vampire on TV.  When there are threats on her life, Angel gets hired as her bodyguard.  Those last two sentences are the exact plot of Eternity!  From there though, the two tales diverge.  In the novel, the actress isn't hoping to stay young and salvage her career by becoming a vampire; instead, she's (unknowingly) an immortal who carries a curse dating back two centuries to when Angelus still stalked Ireland.

The novel alternates chapters between the past, in which Angelus and Darla try to escape from a group of vampire hunters called the Blood Cadre, and the present, in which Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle try to keep the actress safe.  Angel can't get over the stunning resemblance between the actress (Whitney Tyler) and a member of the Blood Cadre (Moira O'Braonain), and the mystery behind their connection (as well as who keeps murdering people in Whitney's vicinity) is what moves the book forward.  I was a little fuzzy on the answer to the first question (it could have been fleshed out more), but it has to do with Moira being unwittingly possessed by an evil entity.  The Blood Cadre is still around (the Buffyverse loves ancient secret societies that persist throughout centuries but are only ever mentioned in one episode or novel), and Angel is faced with the decision about whether he should let them kill her to stop the demon inside.

I liked Redemption.  It portrays Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle well, even though the three are split up for most of the book (Doyle's encounter with a toe-collecting crime boss he owes money to is pretty fun).  The action scenes are strong and there are enough red herrings that I didn't guess the "whodunnit" element right away.  I think the strongest writing comes at the end, as Angel argues for Moira's redemption in ways that parallel his own struggle (a major theme of the whole series, of course).  In sum, it's one I'd recommend.