Slay...This!   April 30, 2004

The Slayer and Her Scoobies   April 27, 2004

For my money, the best Buffy episode guide there is   October 16, 2003

Now, I don't want to be misunderstood here, but this is also one of the great bathroom books of all time. It rates right up there with Dave Marsh's THE BOOK OF ROCK LISTS,THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY, and THE ESSENTIAL BIFF. Never underestimate the value of a good bathroom book.


A British perspective on the Buffyverse   July 21, 2003
  4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Each episode, up to and including season 5, gets 3-to-6 pages of coverage, organized under various thematic headings: Plot summary, music, memorable quotes, comments on the women's clothing, continuity errors, logic flaws, pop culture references, etc. Books of this nature are enjoyable because it's fun to compare one's reaction with the author's reaction, and Topping notices every tiny detail.

There are also separate essays: (1) History of the vampire myth, (2) 'The Outsiders' as a series theme, (3) BtVS and real-life school violence, (4) BtVS and the internet, and (5) disputes with the TV networks. As well, each BtVS novel gets about a page of coverage.

This differs from other BtVS books because of Topping's perspective as a Brit. He's a bit thin-skinned about the anti-British jibes, especially Principal Flutie's snide remark about the royal family in the second episode (Flutie was right!). On the other hand, Topping sees connections between BtVS and US culture with an objectivity that US viewers lack. Apart from the vampires, Sunnydale is a bit too perfect to be realistic, and it's certainly bizarre that a southern California town would be so lily-white. It is only in the 7th season (beyond the scope of this book) that we see a recurring black character (Principal Wood) and a recurring hispanic character (Iyari Limon as 'Kennedy'). Topping notes that (white) Americans often see themselves as decent people, perhaps overly trusting, fighting off non-white underclass intruders who seek to ruin their caucasian paradise. See the connection? Does the shoe fit?


Best Buffy reference book   July 16, 2003
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Don't bother with any other unauthorised Buffy reference guides as Keith Topping's 'Slayer' books are the only ones you'll ever need. This guide is packed with all sorts of information and Keith doesn't shy away from giving his informed and personal opinions about the series. He also briefly covers the spin-off comics, books and websites.

Keith Topping is a talented writer (check out his Doctor Who novels from BBC Books and Telos) and his episode guides are the best ones on the market. He has also written a companion book that covers Angel called 'Hollywood Vampire' which is well worth purchasing.