Rating: 
Summary: Totally Rocked
Review: Spike & Dru totally rocked. It completely captures the fun of Spike and Dru. If you want more of them than you get on the shows, and especially if you miss seeing them together from the second season of Buffy, you should get this book. Spike is at the height of pre-chip evil, and Dru is loopy as ever.Since this book is in the adult series, you don't have to worry that it's watered down or light. It has all the horror one would expect from the genre, with excellent characterizations and lots of slayer and Watcher Council history. With all its twists and turns, it's a great ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Spike and Dru:Could it be any Worse?
Review: Spike and Dru are two of Joss Whedon's most interesting creations and in Golden's hands they become nothing more than one note, static characters. Just when Golden starts to reach true character insight, his plot veers off in a different direction. The memory of Angelus, the vampire who long-ago sired Dru, hangs over our characters' heads like a ticking time bomb. Spike wants to get Dru a special present, just like Angelus used to. Dru knows that Spike is trying to out do her sire. But the ticking time bomb never explodes. Spike and Dru never talk about Angelus, making the references to him just as pointless as the Slayers (in waiting) and Watchers that enter and exit the story to die pointlessly at the hands of our main characters. By nature media tie-in novels make it difficult to achieve character development, however, even the characters that Golden invents strictly for the plot of his story never become anything more than cardboard cut-outs and cliches. His 1940's Slayer bares a striking resemblance to Buffy, which only emphasizes Golden's lack of imagination. There are some good Buffy and Angel books out there, but trust me, this isn't one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Bloody Lumps All in a Row
Review: Wow. Where to start? I think I'll start with what Golden does right. This will be the short part of the review, kiddies! The author of numerous other Buff-books gets Spike's dialogue, and Dru's dialogue and personality down pat. Some of the segments told from Drusilla's point of view are interesting and round her out... a bit. Since her character is a "weird-talking-nut-bar" it's not that hard. On, on to what is WRONG with the book! The book is constructed out of plot coupons, interspersed with bloody carnage completely out of place in the Buffy universe. The premise of the novel is that Spike and Dru are on a mission to kill potential slayers. Each segment of the book is composed of the following parts: Spike and Dru kill (often with extreme gore and graphic torture scenes) the slayer in waiting. Sophie, the 1940s Slayer, tries to catch up with Spike and Dru. The Watcher's Council does some really dull stuff. From everything we know about Spike, he's not a torturer, not even in the psychological realm like Angelus. It's disconcerting to see him rip people apart bit by bit, rather than what he's done on the show. Spike kills to feed, he kills for expediency, and he kills in fights. He doesn't drag his victim's deaths out, ever! Golden has consistently tossed more violence into his books than is warranted, but that's a topic for other rants... I mean, reviews. Did I mention the complete lack of character development for ANY of the 1940s characters? One Watcher goes nuts, another falls in love... we either don't care because they are only making cameos, or because the characters are dull. Nowhere is this more apparent than with Sophie, the Slayer. At the end of the book, she is just the same as she was in the introductory chapters. Over all, I can't say I would recomend this book to anyone. It was a chore to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the price
Review: This was another great hardcover novel by Christopher Golden. He managed to write a compelling and interesting story about evil characters and it wasn't boring! This was on par with Immortal. I hope Mr. Golden will be delivering more Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories soon.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book.
Review: I am a huge Buffy fan and I purchased this book to get me through a long plane ride home. I was not disappointed. This is my first book in the Buffy series and I will definitely be buying other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Good look at the Big Bad...
Review: This is definitely one of the better Buffy books to come along. The focus on Spike and Drusilla is especially intriguing and Golden fills in a good part of the blanks in the two characters' history (alas, a recent episode of Buffy contradicted some what Golden wrote). Positives: the nice insight into the Slayers and Watchers of the era, Golden's ability to make Spike and Dru entertaining, if not likeable by any means, during most of the novel. Negatives: a pair of related historical gaffes (Sweden and Switzerland under Nazi occupation in WWII - is the Buffyverse an alternate history?) and the graphic and frequent descriptions of Slayers being killed by Spike and Drusilla. Overall, this book is definitely worth a look for Buffy fans. 3/5.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, but difficult subject
Review: Before I settle in to critique, I want to say that this is a very well written book. Golden's talents are well showcased here. However, the book is plagued with problems which writing cannot conceal. To my disappointment, this really isn't a Buffy book. Other than the appearance of Spike, Dru and the Watchers there is no real Buffy presence. Which makes sense, all the action in the book takes place in World War 2. If it weren't for the slayer mythos that it borrows, the this volume could be any occult serial killer book that has ever been written. And serial killers are what we have here. Spike & Dru are remarkably unsympathetic characters. At first their antics add a bid of humour, but as the grotesque body count mounts Spike's nastiness and Drusilla's evil hippy princess act lose their luster. For the most minor of reasons they set out on a slay ride of horrific proportions sA is often the case with the serial killer genre, the book presents an unrelieved picture of violence against women. There were points where I felt that Golden was using female people as plot gimmicks to make Spike & Dru look worse. We tolerate the violence in Buffy's books because it often serves a purpose. In this book the violence is sadly unanswered. As such this is truly noir writing. The plot gets grimmer and grimmer, with no letup or relief. Just about everyone dies, and few, if any, of the deaths serve a purpose other than to upset our digestion. While Buffy herself is a difficult heroine, mixing violence and anti-intellectualism in with her positive traits, Spike and Dru are simply Hannibal Lecter without class. Hopefully this is a short term aberration.
Rating:
Summary: Whether or not you like them, this novel is a must have.
Review: A wonderfully written novel that gives real insight into the Watchers Council, the lives of the Slayers, and the lives of Spike and Drusilla. This novel really brings us full circle and gives a better understanding of the lineage of Buffy & Giles. This is a must have for any true Buffy Fan!
Rating:
Summary: The impossible nightmare, a bloody wonderful quest.
Review: Christopher Golden has done the impossible. He has taken the nasty, big bad villain from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and made him the anti-hero of an excellent novel. William the Bloody, known as Spike to his friends for the vile habit of torturing his victims with railroad spikes,wants nothing more than to please his demon lover,Dru. Together, they set off on a quest. They must simply kill all the 'slayers in waiting' young girls who are being trained because one day they might be called to be the Chosen One,the one girl in all the world born with the powers to fight the vampires. If Spike can accomplish this task, Dru will have a necklace which will allow her to see her reflection, a sight she has not seen for 80 years. It is 1940. The world is at war, as the pair travel from country to country leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Taking pleasure in the bloody battle and each other, their journey becomes an erotic second honeymoon. When the council becomes aware of the plan they send the current slayer to hunt the hunters. The final duel is fascinating and deadly. Mr Golden combines, history, romance and horror to create this wickedly wonderful novel. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys good horror fiction even if they have never seen one episode of the TV show. For fans it fills in the back story on two of the series' favorite characters. Don't miss this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun for Spike\Dru fans :)
Review: To all the people who hate Spike and\or Dru, don't get the book. It's extremly well-written but if you hate the main characters, you won't enjoy it. Plus, some parts are a little gruesome, so don't read it if you can't handle that kind of thing. For example, a Slayer-In-Waiting gets railroad spikes driven through her palms and feet so she'll be stuck to a wall. Or a Watcher being left in the desert to fry to death-- It doesn't go into any details, thu. To you guys who do get it, enjoy!
| 
