Child of the Hunt

Rating:
Summary: Sink your fangs into this!!!
Review: It seems the creative team of Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder are perfect for writing the Buffy novels after this successful attempt. From the use of off-beat villians like the ERL-KING from Norse mythology, to the small, gremlin like, Dark Fairies. They retain all character aspects from the show, with the way the characters act and with their dialogue. Also able to bring an eerie, sense of forboding quality in all of the key scenes involving the Faere and the Wild Hunt.You'll find that the fight scenes are a bit more full-on than the tv show, with the cast actually receiving pretty full-on wounds, which is great and more truthful for the subject matter. This book runs exactly like a movie length episode would on tv. RECOMMENDED to all.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Pleasant Surprise
Review: Whenever I read a commercial tie-in book (basically, any novel that's based upon an existing television show, movie, video game / RPG system, or comic book), I'm always wary. Usually you're left with a sub-par story that just happens to feature the same characters that you know and love from the initial source material. So when I started reading "Child of the Hunt", I didn't have high expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised, however. The book is able to capture much of the spirit and voice of the television show (of which I'm a fan). The credit for this of course lies in the authors, who are well versed in the Buffy franchise, as both have written previous novels on the subject and Mr. Golden alone has contributed about as much to the "Buffyverse" as Joss Whedon himself at this point. There were many elements from the TV series that the authors were able to translate well into the novel, such as the distinct humor of the show, the dead-on characterization of the cast, as well as some of the more serious nature of the program.

I found the story to be very interesting and inspired as well. On the show it's common to see Buffy take on all manner of vampire and demon, but the program usually doesn't stray into the realm of the fae. Golden and Holder provided a refreshing deviation from the normal Buffy villain (delving deep into mythological lore to bring us a unique creature of legend). The story here is very dark as well; it touches upon the runaway population of Sunnydale, as well as feelings of loss, fear, despair and abandonment. The authors do a great job of setting up the mood for the story. The villains here are truly evil and ruthless, and the violence (of which there is a good deal) is at times quite brutal. This works for the best of the plot, though. If this was an episode of the show, it would definitely get the "for teens and adult audiences" label at the beginning of the program.

Overall, this was a wonderful book. I was surprised at just how good it was. If you are a fan of the show, than this is definitely something that you should purchase; you won't be left disappointed. But this is not just a book for Buffy fans; on its own merits, this is a rather well-done piece of horror fiction, with interesting characters, intriguing villains, and a lot of intense action. Definitely a recommened read.

Rating:
Summary: Ricardo's Child of the Hunt Review
Review: Out of the Buffy books I have read this is one of the best stories. A great plot with many surprise that keep you guessing. The evil in this book was great, different form just any episode. I also LOVED the action. Everybody did there part and it was a lot of fun going through the adventure. Cordy and even Joyce had great parts. These reason and many others like great eniemes made me believe this book to be one of Nancy Holder's and Christopher Golden's best ever.

Rating:
Summary: The Slayer takes on the Erl King, Leader of the Wild Hunt
Review: Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder write the best Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, not just because they are good writers but because they understand both the characters and the mythos of the Slayer. Even though the stories are set in Sunnydale, Golden and Holder have a keen appreciation for the Old World-ness of the Slayer's world. This is not just a question of Giles coming from England, Angel from Ireland and Jenny from the land of the gypsies, but rather a recognition that when you are talking about ancient evil you have to skip across the ocean because that is where our sense of vampires, demons and things that go bump in the night originates. "Child of the Hunt" represents this sensibility quite nicely.

Buffy and her cohorts are enjoying a traveling Renaissance fair that has come to Sunnydale, but while they enjoy most of what they see they do not like the way the visitors treat Roland, their court jester. That is not the only significant development in town, for roaming the countryside are the minions of the Wild Hunt, in the service of the Erl King and with a taste for flesh. Of course there is a strange and terrible secret that links Roland to the eerie visitors. The Slayer wants to get involved, but Buffy must beware the awful curse, which dictates that no one can see the face of the leader of the Wild Hunt and live. Unless, that is, they join the hunt and take an oath to serve the Erl King.

This is not a story about the end of life as we know it, like a Buffy season finale or Golden and Holder's justly celebrated Gatekeeper Trilogy, but then that is not the point. This is a more intimate story, where Buffy is fighting to save Roland more so than she is to stop the Erl King. Consequently, there is a complexity here that she just do not find in your average Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel. This is a serious story, with less of the humorous lines and cultural allusions than you find in most Buffy novels (usually to excess, I must add), that captures the spirit of ancient, Old World evil that provides such a provocative counterpoint to the essentially Post-Modern Slayer (there's a dissertation topic if ever I heard one). Actually, all you need to know is that if you are like Buffy then you should just read all of Golden and Holders novels. There is ample reason to believe they are genetically incapable of writing anything less than a great one.

Rating:
Summary: Definitley a Top 10 !!!!
Review: This was by far one of the best Buffy books I've read and I have almost every Buffy book in print.I would reccomend this book to anyone because it's so versatile. It's got your usual demons and monsters, plus the Buffy and Angel chemistry that I allways look forward to. By reading the Buffy books you get a more elaborated version of the characters as well. You can really start to feel like one of the scooby gang. In this book you also get to see what kind of sacrafices Buffy is willing to make for her friends, and how much she really loves them. The only thing that sort of made me sad in this book was Rolands fate which I don't think he deserved.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best
Review: this book was awesome. i was surprised when i read the poem on the erl king because i had read that poem in grammar school some 23 years before and cannot for the life of me remember where. if anyone has an ideal on the origins of that poem i would love to know where it came from. and if i am not mistaken the original was not in english. but this book is probaly tbe best to date behind the gatekeeper triology. must read for all buffy fans.

Rating:
Summary: Read it again!
Review: As a fan of the TV show I was excited when I discovered the books about her but at the same time hesitant, thinking they might ruin things for me. The opposite happened. Now the space between Tuesdays seems to drag on forever, for after reading the book you feel even more a part of Buffy's inner circle. What makes the book even better than the show is you get to read each characters thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

This book isn't simply another Buffy episode either. It would be a major production for any of this book to make it to the small screen. You don't need it to either, the authors' imagery and descriptions allow the imagination to create your own show.

The plot is exciting. I couldn't put the book down, and if I hadn't moved on to another Buffy book by the authors I would be reading it again, and again, and again...

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy and Imagination
Review: When I first read this book, I loved the way it brought back the child dreamer in me. It had a mlesc of fantasy,horror,and humor. This story (though many might not know) includes a famous German folk beast, the Erl King. (There is a famous poem by a German author called "The Erl-King.") Forget what they say about the show (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) this book will surely make a fan out of anyone. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: An excellant Buffy novel.
Review: Child of the Hunt, with the exception of the Gatekeeper Trilogy and Immortal, was one of the best Buffy novels to date. The characterizations were excellant, and Golden and Holder did a great job with the plot and action, and there were edge-of-your seat thrills. I reccomend this book to all Buffy fans.

Rating:
Summary: Hunt me anytime!
Review: Child of the Hunt is fast-paced and interesting from cover to cover. A new twist of the Hellmouth delivers ancient Hunters that steal the soul of anyone making eye contact. Sunnydale's central park is used as a believeable setting and the humorous antics of some Renaissance Faire participants fill in the low spots. New characters expand the Buffyverse. A delightful read!