Rating: 
Summary: Reads like a great Anime ...
Review: A wonderful Buffy novel! The only fault I have found with it is that it begins very slowly. If you can make it to the middle of the book, be prepared to reap wonderful rewards. The plot is a bit confusing at times, but the action sequences are astoundingly good. Odom writes very discriptively and litterally paints pictures with words; at times they are very grusome pictures, which makes it even better. Many of the characters are well trained in martial arts and wear costumes reminiscent of the Anime genre, a real treat to read.Continuing in the Buffy tradition, the author of this book adds things we've *never* seen in Sunnydale before to make the plot work. This happens all the time on the show, to the point where the characters even make fun of the fact ("I've lived in Sunnydale for a few years now, you know what I've never noticed? A big honkin' Castle" ~Buffy vs Dracula). In this book we get a large Asian community stuck smack dab in the middle of what until now has been what seems to be a mostly white community. If you can get past that, though, this is a great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Chinese myths with a Buffy twist
Review: An excellent addition to the Buffy series, Revenant holds the reader's interest from cover to cover. The mythology and culture are presented with respect. The characters are well defined. It is enjoyable to see Xander in a major role and in love. Set in the third season Buffy and Angel are together again. More violent than many of the other books, the author writes action with amazing detail. The reader can easily visualize every kick, every punch. The racial tension adds a layer of realism. All in all well worth adding to your library.
Rating:
Summary: A Chinese/Demon gang tries to take over Sunnydale
Review: At first in "Revenant," it seems that the real world is suddenly intruding into the quiet little town of Sunnydale. As if being on the Hellmouth was not fun enough, a Chinese gang has hit town and is clearly trying to take over. But this is a Chinese gang that employs not only automatic weapons but also demons and a bit of good old fashioned Chinese magic. Mel Odom does a nice job of incorporating some elements of Chinese mysticism into the Buffy mythos and his characterization of the Slayer and her cohorts is certainly above average. The most interesting sub-plot involves the arrival of a beautiful martial-arts warrior, with whom Xander becomes hopelessly smitten. This is carried off well until the very end of the novel, at which point, following a hysterical exchange of apologies between Buffy and Xander, we suddenly jump ahead to the post mortem and are denied the actual farewell between the couple we have been rooting on throughout the story. By the time I finished reading this Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel I kept thinking there was too much of one thing and not nearly enough of another. With all the weaponry the Chinese gang brings to town, you would have to think that somebody else besides Angel was going to be hit by all those hail of bullets (nice touch by Odom having Angel's face get messed up for a while in the story). Guns are a touchy item in the Buffy universe, where only the occasional vampire (Darla in "Angel" comes to mind) bothers to try and shoot it out with the Slayer. This is because it is awfully hard to get close enough to kick somebody in the chest when they are shooting an Uzi at you. That being said, I have to admit I was surprised that Mayor Wilkins was not more of a presence in the story. After all, Sunnydale is his town and has been for well over a century. Consequently, it very hard to believe he and the Dark Forces he serves would not do something about these invaders. Of course, this would open up the opportunity for some sort of temporary alliance, but at the very least the Mayor should be doing a lot more to defend his turf. Despite these caveats, "Revenant" is an above average Buffy novel and I will be interested to see what Odom comes up with the next time around.
Rating:
Summary: A Chinese/Demon gang tries to take over Sunnydale
Review: At first in "Revenant," it seems that the real world is suddenly intruding into the quiet little town of Sunnydale. As if being on the Hellmouth was not fun enough, a Chinese gang has hit town and is clearly trying to take over. But this is a Chinese gang that employs not only automatic weapons but also demons and a bit of good old fashioned Chinese magic. Mel Odom does a nice job of incorporating some elements of Chinese mysticism into the Buffy mythos and his characterization of the Slayer and her cohorts is certainly above average. The most interesting sub-plot involves the arrival of a beautiful martial-arts warrior, with whom Xander becomes hopelessly smitten. This is carried off well until the very end of the novel, at which point, following a hysterical exchange of apologies between Buffy and Xander, we suddenly jump ahead to the post mortem and are denied the actual farewell between the couple we have been rooting on throughout the story. By the time I finished reading this Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel I kept thinking there was too much of one thing and not nearly enough of another. With all the weaponry the Chinese gang brings to town, you would have to think that somebody else besides Angel was going to be hit by all those hail of bullets (nice touch by Odom having Angel's face get messed up for a while in the story). Guns are a touchy item in the Buffy universe, where only the occasional vampire (Darla in "Angel" comes to mind) bothers to try and shoot it out with the Slayer. This is because it is awfully hard to get close enough to kick somebody in the chest when they are shooting an Uzi at you. That being said, I have to admit I was surprised that Mayor Wilkins was not more of a presence in the story. After all, Sunnydale is his town and has been for well over a century. Consequently, it very hard to believe he and the Dark Forces he serves would not do something about these invaders. Of course, this would open up the opportunity for some sort of temporary alliance, but at the very least the Mayor should be doing a lot more to defend his turf. Despite these caveats, "Revenant" is an above average Buffy novel and I will be interested to see what Odom comes up with the next time around.
Rating:
Summary: A Chinese/Demon gang tries to take over Sunnydale
Review: At first in "Revenant," it seems that the real world is suddenly intruding into the quiet little town of Sunnydale. As if being on the Hellmouth was not fun enough, a Chinese gang has hit town and is clearly trying to take over. But this is a Chinese gang that employs not only automatic weapons but also demons and a bit of good old fashioned Chinese magic. Mel Odom does a nice job of incorporating some elements of Chinese mysticism into the Buffy mythos and his characterization of the Slayer and her cohorts is certainly above average. The most interesting sub-plot involves the arrival of a beautiful martial-arts warrior, with whom Xander becomes hopelessly smitten. This is carried off well until the very end of the novel, at which point, following a hysterical exchange of apologies between Buffy and Xander, we suddenly jump ahead to the post mortem and are denied the actual farewell between the couple we have been rooting on throughout the story. By the time I finished reading this Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel I kept thinking there was too much of one thing and not nearly enough of another. With all the weaponry the Chinese gang brings to town, you would have to think that somebody else besides Angel was going to be hit by all those hail of bullets (nice touch by Odom having Angel's face get messed up for a while in the story). Guns are a touchy item in the Buffy universe, where only the occasional vampire (Darla in "Angel" comes to mind) bothers to try and shoot it out with the Slayer. This is because it is awfully hard to get close enough to kick somebody in the chest when they are shooting an Uzi at you. That being said, I have to admit I was surprised that Mayor Wilkins was not more of a presence in the story. After all, Sunnydale is his town and has been for well over a century. Consequently, it very hard to believe he and the Dark Forces he serves would not do something about these invaders. Of course, this would open up the opportunity for some sort of temporary alliance, but at the very least the Mayor should be doing a lot more to defend his turf. Despite these caveats, "Revenant" is an above average Buffy novel and I will be interested to see what Odom comes up with the next time around.
Rating:
Summary: The Buffy Palooza!
Review: I think Revenant is a top rate Buffy book. the mixture of Gang warfare and chinese magic clash spectacularly. But, what with me being a big Angel fan and all, I mostly like the way Angel gets to come out of Buffy's shadow in this "Buffy" season 3 based novel, & gets to shine on his own, with detailed accounts of his own encounters & search for clues. Also, Xander's obssession with the mysterious swordswoman adds for light entertainment, just as Willow's encounters with Lok Rong at the Rong residence are frightening. Even Buffy's Mum gets in on the act, Planning the interception of a dragon statue. With its Graphic action sequences & killer climax, no regular 'Buffy' reader should bypass this novel, no matter how big or small fan you are of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of action, plenty of menace, good dash of humor
Review: REVENANT starts out in a popular "Buffy" location: a cemetary. Buffy, Willow, and Angel are there because of Willow's friend, Jia Li Rong, who, with her family, has emigrated from China to America. [Yes, this story takes place before high school graduation.] In the first chapter Mr.Odom manages to give us some background on Chinese beliefs, including that of the Hungry Ghost; a funny look at male-female communication differences, and sets us up for the fight in chapter two. The book gets even better from there. I have no idea if the author is describing the fighting moves accurately, but he writes the battles in such detail that I could easily picture them in my mind. This adventure's well-meaning [sort of] character meddling with forces he doesn't fully comprehend is Jia Li's older brother, Lok. The further you read, the more you'll learn about why Lok is the way he is, but you'll still have to wonder if he'll survive to be sadder but wiser in the end. Speaking of sadder but not-necessarily-wiser, Xander falls for a beautiful Asian superwoman who rescues him from one of the many nasty situations that fill this story. You know it's not going to work out. It's only a matter of learning how it won't. There's a gang of mixed humans and demons causing death and destruction and a mysterious Chinese businessman named Zhiyong. Supposedly, he's here to create lots of new jobs in Sunnydale, but we don't believe that, do we? Of course not. Did I mention the danger-packed fight scenes? There are probably chapters without one, but it won't seem that way. Everyone gets to use his/her talents to save the world from the evil magic-infested threat. Even Cordelia and Mrs. Summers get a chance to help. Mr. Odem is one of the Buffy novelists who manages to write the characters accurately, including their funny side. REVENANT is really worth adding to your collection...
Rating:
Summary: Lots of action, plenty of menace, good dash of humor
Review: REVENANT starts out in a popular "Buffy" location: a cemetary. Buffy, Willow, and Angel are there because of Willow's friend, Jia Li Rong, who, with her family, has emigrated from China to America. [Yes, this story takes place before high school graduation.] In the first chapter Mr.Odom manages to give us some background on Chinese beliefs, including that of the Hungry Ghost; a funny look at male-female communication differences, and sets us up for the fight in chapter two. The book gets even better from there. I have no idea if the author is describing the fighting moves accurately, but he writes the battles in such detail that I could easily picture them in my mind. This adventure's well-meaning [sort of] character meddling with forces he doesn't fully comprehend is Jia Li's older brother, Lok. The further you read, the more you'll learn about why Lok is the way he is, but you'll still have to wonder if he'll survive to be sadder but wiser in the end. Speaking of sadder but not-necessarily-wiser, Xander falls for a beautiful Asian superwoman who rescues him from one of the many nasty situations that fill this story. You know it's not going to work out. It's only a matter of learning how it won't. There's a gang of mixed humans and demons causing death and destruction and a mysterious Chinese businessman named Zhiyong. Supposedly, he's here to create lots of new jobs in Sunnydale, but we don't believe that, do we? Of course not. Did I mention the danger-packed fight scenes? There are probably chapters without one, but it won't seem that way. Everyone gets to use his/her talents to save the world from the evil magic-infested threat. Even Cordelia and Mrs. Summers get a chance to help. Mr. Odem is one of the Buffy novelists who manages to write the characters accurately, including their funny side. REVENANT is really worth adding to your collection...
Rating:
Summary: Slam-Bang Buffy
Review: The most action-oriented of all the Buffy books, though the fights are excellently written. The book is more slam-and-tussle than plot - the reviewer who equated it to anime was dead on the money - but, hey, nothing wrong with that. As with several of the Buffy books, this one has too many irons in the fire to satisfactorily resolve them all, but overall it is quite satisfying. In a plot almost ripped out of the day's suppressed headlines, a Chinese power broker is shipping heavy arms to California street gangs. The ensuing chaos provides excellent cover for occult behind-the-scenes activities, keeping Buffy and Company distracted. Several out-of-town players get involved in the act, including a likeable Chinese warrior-woman who nearly fills the void in poor luckless-in-love Xander's sex-life. Welcome additions in this entry are Mayor Wilkins and his faithful hench-vamp, Mr. Trick, but they are relegated to incidental roles when they should have been much bigger players in this plot. And where is Faith, for God's sake? One of the worst failings in the entire book series is the all but complete negation of one of Sunnydale's most notorious personages, Faith the Fallen. A strong entry in the series, well-written. Most recommended for lovers of action and anime.
Rating:
Summary: Slam-Bang Buffy
Review: The most action-oriented of all the Buffy books, though the fights are excellently written. The book is more slam-and-tussle than plot - the reviewer who equated it to anime was dead on the money - but, hey, nothing wrong with that. As with several of the Buffy books, this one has too many irons in the fire to satisfactorily resolve them all, but overall it is quite satisfying. In a plot almost ripped out of the day's suppressed headlines, a Chinese power broker is shipping heavy arms to California street gangs. The ensuing chaos provides excellent cover for occult behind-the-scenes activities, keeping Buffy and Company distracted. Several out-of-town players get involved in the act, including a likeable Chinese warrior-woman who nearly fills the void in poor luckless-in-love Xander's sex-life. Welcome additions in this entry are Mayor Wilkins and his faithful hench-vamp, Mr. Trick, but they are relegated to incidental roles when they should have been much bigger players in this plot. And where is Faith, for God's sake? One of the worst failings in the entire book series is the all but complete negation of one of Sunnydale's most notorious personages, Faith the Fallen. A strong entry in the series, well-written. Most recommended for lovers of action and anime.
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