Book of the Dead

Rating:
Summary: I Loved It
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Book of the Dead." Wes has always been one of my favorite characters. The story gives us some insight into Wes's schoolboy days at the "Watcher's Academy."

The story was very interesting and I loved the concept. The pace was a little slow at the beginning, but it was still very enjoyable and interesting.

All of the central characters are very well written. Connor is not in the story because he is out of town for a few days. By sending him out of town, the author didn't have to deal with the Connor/Cordy relationship which was a wise decision.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves the TV show "Angel" and especially to anyone who loves Wesley.

Rating:
Summary: Missing Ink
Review: It's always a surprise to pick up a new Angel or Buffy book by and unknown author and find that not only is the book quite good, but the author is only unknown to me. In a sense it's a bonus, I get to enjoy a new book and find a new author to follow. This is certainly the case with Ashley McConnell's Book of the Dead, which is both well written, has an ingenious plot device, and features Wesley, one of the team who more often than not is on the outs.

An obscure volume of spells finds its way to an occult store in Los Angeles. When the owner of the store examines the book he discovers it is The Red Compendium, a legendary volume containing the last and greatest spells of history's most noted mages - all of whom seem to have disappeared. One missing store owner later the book, really a trap designed by a demonic Bookwyrm to collect spells, finds its way to an auction and then into Wesley's hands. Wes finds the book impossible to put down.

Two collateral stories richen the broth. Emilio Herrara, and alienated high school student who has been coming to the store to swap work for bits of magical training, steals several books and suddenly tries to become a master wizard in one great leap. A disastrous leap for all those concerned. Angel and the team are desperately trying to trace Emilio down when they aren't trying to de-biblographize poor Wesley. And an old watcher school friend (make that not-quite-friend) of Wesley's suddenly shows up in Los Angeles. Adrian O'Flaherty has never really got along with the priggish Wesley, but Adrian's real agenda isn't making up with Wesley, it's revenge on the killer of his father.

Between Wesley's involuntary adventures in a book turned delicatessen, a teenager determined to work out his hostility with ferocious demons, and Adria's surfeit of hidden agendas, this is a plot that never stops anywhere for very long. It says something for McConnell's writing ability that despite all this the read never feels rushed or confused. In fact the pacing is perfect. In addition, a series of flashbacks to Wesley's adventures as a watcher-in-training give us a one of his best fleshed out characterizations. It makes you wish that the series hadn't come to an end.

Rating:
Summary: McConnell Delivers
Review: The best media tie-in novels take the world of the television show and enlarge it, making it richer and taking it places the series couldn't go because of time or budget constraints. McConnell has done that brilliantly in this novel with an ingenious Big Bad wrapped in a delicious character-driven plot cooked up to delight any fan of Wesley Wyndam-Price. Wes' characterization is dead-on and runs deep; I could hear Alexis Denisof's voice in my head for each line. This is a story and a villain that are particularly Wesley's, and it is wonderful to watch the interactions between him and the rest of the team. McConnell has a deft hand with dialogue and her word snapshots capture the show's visual feel. The story, which you've read about in the reviews above this one, draws the reader in, and the result is a very satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: Wesley in the spotlight
Review: Wesley is visited by an old rival from his days at the Watchers Acadamy, Adrian O'Flaherty. O'Flaherty invites Wes to a rare occult book auction, where he buys the "The Red Conpendium", supposed to be the most comprehensive collection f magick in this or any other world. After he gets it, he is literally sucked into the book, and meets several other magicians and sorcerors who were traped inside as well. All of them are being hunted fown by a monster called the Bookwyrm (yes, I spelled that right). Elsewhere, Angel Investigations is trying to track down some boys who are playing with magick way out of their league and leaving Angel and the others to clean up the mess. Also Lilah Morgan wants the book, not only for her bosses at Wolfram & Hart, but also for a more personal (and oddly good) purpose. This is an odd case of the parts being greater than their sum. The majority of the book focuses on Wesley Wyndym-Price. You have a lot of back story on Wes's early life as a student with the Watchers, and a lot of background on Watcher's education and prodical, before the First destroyed the Council, that is. It was extreamly facinating. Based on Wes's behavior in Sunnydale, I was guessing he wasn't well liked by his fellow students, and I was right. O'Flahery still dosn't like Wesley much, but he needs Wes's help. Meanwhile, some kids are finding out the dangers of using magick when you have no idea what you're doing. A great metiphor for leaving well enough alone. And then there is The case of Lilah Morgan, this book showing a warmer side to the usual ice queen image, which I thought was a nice touch. I really liked the part of literally being lost in a book, and the demonic bookwyrm (great in joke, by the way) were really cool conceptts. The best part of the book is the practicle joke Wes played on O'Flaherty; introducing a Watcher to Angelus without any prior warning. But alas, I didn't feel that it all worked together well. Not that it is a bad book, it is really good with a lot of good action (although not as much as I have liked to have read).