Rating: 
Summary: An excellant prequal novel set during World War II.
Review: It's early 1940, and Europe is poised on the brink of World War II. But all Spike is concerned with is obtaining a magical necklace known as Freyja's Strand for Dru, to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of her rebirth as a vampire. They travel to Norway, to the lair of a demon who supposedly has the necklace. He agrees that he will give it to Spike and Dru if the two kill all the young woman currently in training to become the Slayer, as well as the current slayer herself, Sophie Carstensen, a sixteen-year-old Danish girl who has fled with her watcher, Yanna, to London, now that the Nazis have occupied her homeland. While Spike and Dru hunt down and begin to kill the potential Slayers one by one, Sophie and Yanna are dispatched by the Council of Watchers to the battlegrounds of France to kill the vampires who have gone there to feast on the dead and dying soldiers. When the Council learns of Spike and Dru's activities, they send the pair to follow them and keep them from further killing, and gather the remaining girls in the Council's London stronghold as the Blitz rages around them. I especially loved this new addition to the Buffy series because even though Buffy herself was not in it all, it combined two of my favorites, history and horror. It's a great read for Buffy fans if you don't mind the fact that she doesn't appear at all. And of course, Spike and Dru fans will especially like it. Kudos to Christopher Golden for the great job he did on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Book About The Big Bad
Review: Few writers can take characters from a popular TV series and give them a 100 percent transition into books, as well as expand on the overall mythology. Christopher Golden is one such writer.In "Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row," a noirish tale of Spike and Drusilla, the Sid and Nancy of vampires, Golden fills in their long history together. The book has the feel of an Elmore Leonard novel, where the main characters are bad guys. In the Buffy-verse, you can't get any badder than the Big Bad himself, Spike! This is the Spike many know and miss before he received the behavior-modifying chip on the TV series. The tale unfolds in World War II where in exchange for Freyja's Strand--a magical necklace allowing its wearer to shape-change--Spike and Dru most not only kill the WWII generation's Slayer, Sophie Cartensen, but all the other Slayers-in-Waiting, girls who have not yet been Chosen. Needless to say, they go on a killing spree, leaving a bloody trail of death in their wake. Golden's characterization of Spike and Dru is spot on. You can hear James Marsters and Juliet Landau's--the actors who play the undead couple--voices in your heard when you read their dialogue. Golden also journeys into territory the show hasn't touched, giving you an inside look at the Council of Watchers and explaining, to some degree, how a Slayer is Chosen. It's too bad Golden hasn't written for the TV series. There are also cameos and brief mentions of popular Buffy-verse characters. Golden throws in a few references to Angel and the Master. Kakistos, the vampire who debuted--and died--in "Faith, Hope, and Trick," the same episode Faith the evil Slayer made her first appearance, cuts a deal with Spike. And while Giles doesn't appear, an ancestor--also a Watcher--does. Buffy does NOT appear at all throughout the course of this novel, nor is she mentioned. This book is for die-hard fans only. Contrary to how Amazon.com categorized this book, this is NOT for children! This story contains graphic violence and sex. Also, this novel raises a contradiction in Buffy-verse continuity. It's been established Spike killed two Slayers, the first in the Boxer Rebellion. The second... well, the show says Spike killed a Pam Grier-esque Slayer in New York City in 1977, whereas this novel says otherwise. DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU! "Pretty Maids" is very well-written. I'm sure Golden, a gifted storyteller, can devise a way to fix this glitch without compromising his work and the episode detailing Spike's origin.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Spike-Book!
Review: As a BtVS fan, and especially as a great Spike-Fan, this book was absolutly wonderful! It is not, in the strictest sense, a Buffy book, as it happens almost 50 years before Buffy's birth, but it incorporates alot of the show's mythology. As the title says, it's all about Spike and Dru and they're violent, destructive, yet wonderful relationship.
The only problem I had about the story, was the lack of continuity, when Spike killed Sophie Carstensen, the slayer. It has been mentioned on the show several times that Spike has killed 2 slayers, not 3. This story twist did disappoint me a bit, but not enough not to enjoy the book.
All in all it is a very violent, gory novel, but with Spike and Drusilla as the main characters this should be anticipated. I enjoyed reading about Spike in his evil days and also how his love for Drusilla showed (how he's always the "fool for love").
Very good read for any Buffy/Spike fan, who enjoys the wicked side of the "Big Bad".
Rating: 
Summary: Continuity? What Continuity?
Review: Christopher Golden has succeeded in penning a reasonably entertaining novel with Spike and Dru. The story takes place in the 1940s as World War II breaks out into full swing. Spike is in search for a mystical artifact to present to his sire/lover Drusilla for her eightieth anniversary as a vampire. To do this he must kill the potential slayers and ultimately the current slayer of the time, wiping out the Slayer line. This sounds cool even if it does seem directly lifted out of Season Seven's big story arc. This time, however, Spike is on the side of evil.
The writing in this book moves along nicely with great action sequences and some interesting character development in regards to Drusilla. She's more fully fleshed out and her relationship with Spike can be seen during its height, at a time where Angelus is no more and forty-three years before Buffy is even born. Finally Spike and Dru can be seen at their destructive best though the narrative shifts between the titular characters, the Slayer of the time and a few other story tangents. Spike and Dru seem to be included solely for the sake of selling the book to Buffy fans only interested in the stories of recognizable characters. Here's where I have some issues.
The largest gap in continuity stems from the fact that the television series holds to the fact that Spike had only fought and killed two slayers. Well, in this novel, he not only battles a third (guess how that turns out) but also manages to kill a half-dozen potential slayers. None of this is mentioned in the show and though I risk sounding like a continuity nazi, I find these lapses on the author's part to be extraordinarily distracting. I'm assuming that this novel had been written either after Buffy was over or near its untimely demise so Golden has no excuses to screw with established continuity. What this does is take me out of the story when I have to try to reconcile this novel with the show, something that should be unnecessary. He puts in some nifty sensical references like a guest spot by Kakistos and Giles' Grandmother so its obvious he knows the show pretty well (that and the fact that he's co-authored the Watcher's Guides).
Despite this gaping wound of an issue, I did find the novel to be an entertaining read. For those of you who could give a darn about continuity, give this book another star.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is a great book for all Spike and Buffy lovers alike. I only give it 4 starz though, because a book really cannot satisfy the craving for the real show. But since it is set before Buffy's time, and there is no show on it it is really cool. I reccomend it to any Buffy/Spike fans.
Rating:
Summary: What we'll do for love.
Review: Spike and Drucilla are vagabond vampires at this point, at about the start of WWII. Spike decides that he wants to do something special for Drucilla on the eightieth anniversary of her birth into vampirism, so the two embark on a quest to find a magical talisman that will give Dru the ability to see her reflection again. But they must do a little job for the ice demon holding the trinket; kill all the potential slayers, and then do in the slayer of that time. The Watcher's Council gets hold of the plan and tries to stop them, but with little success. I reather liked this book, even though Buffy Summers isn't born yet and Angel is only refered to briefly. But this is a bloody (very bloody) excellent adventure that fans should enjoy. I especially liked Drucilla's characterization, getting in the mind of the lunatic. I really found that to be a treat. And the fact that Spike loves her so is a great counter point to the self serving ego maniac Spike later on.
Rating:
Summary: Good big bad!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I was sceptical at first about the book I dont like books that wedge themselfs into the TV story and just dont fit, but this definetly fit. It was before "Buffy" time so it doesnt mess with the shows story lines, (well one little thing but Im sure it can be explained, but it just adds to the excitement of not knowing how things will unfold). All in all The extra slayer story lines could have been avoided (or maybe writen a continuation book to finish some story lines left open), and you just love to root for the big bad. After reading this book I just wanted more. It was so good I couldnt put it down. If you love Spike or Dru you will love this book. I just wish there were more books after this to continue the storys.
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