Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show
by Glenn Yeffeth (Editor)
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Description
This collection of irreverent and surprising essays about the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer includes pieces by leading science fiction and fantasy authors. Contributors include bestselling legend David Brin, critically acclaimed novelist Scott Westerfeld, cult-favorite vampire author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and award-winner Sarah Zettel. The show and its cast are the topics of such critical pieces as Lawrence Watt-Evans's "Matchmaking in Hellmouth" and Sherrilyn Kenyon's show more "The Search for Spike's Balls." An informed introduction for those not well acquainted with the show, and a source of further research for Buffy buffs, this book raises interesting questions concerning a much-loved program and future cult classic. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A collection of twenty-two essays on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I got a big kick out of this! While there are certainly a few duds, (most of which take the form of good ideas presented in a haphazard, difficult fashion), most of the pieces are solid. They back up their conclusions with concrete examples from the show. They explain their points in enough detail that I can see exactly where they're coming from. And amidst all the scholarly jargon, there's a strong love of the subject under discussion.
They're basically my favourite sort of criticism. Fun, literate, and very easy to get wrapped up in. Even when I disagreed with the essayists, I could see where they were coming from. They provided me with an excellent starting point for my own show more critical response to the show, and really got me thinking about all the different ways people view this important piece of popular culture. I really believe that meaning lies with the viewer/reader/listener, and that the story I've experienced need not be the same as the one you've encountered. Anthologies like this prove how many different ways we can react to any given text, and they do so in a fascinating way.
Highly recommended to Buffy fans. show less
I got a big kick out of this! While there are certainly a few duds, (most of which take the form of good ideas presented in a haphazard, difficult fashion), most of the pieces are solid. They back up their conclusions with concrete examples from the show. They explain their points in enough detail that I can see exactly where they're coming from. And amidst all the scholarly jargon, there's a strong love of the subject under discussion.
They're basically my favourite sort of criticism. Fun, literate, and very easy to get wrapped up in. Even when I disagreed with the essayists, I could see where they were coming from. They provided me with an excellent starting point for my own show more critical response to the show, and really got me thinking about all the different ways people view this important piece of popular culture. I really believe that meaning lies with the viewer/reader/listener, and that the story I've experienced need not be the same as the one you've encountered. Anthologies like this prove how many different ways we can react to any given text, and they do so in a fascinating way.
Highly recommended to Buffy fans. show less
As always, when reading a collection from many different contributors, it's impossible to like them all equally. My favorite essays were written by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad (loved her frisky creativity), Scott Westerfeld (his ideas about story types intrigued me), Laura Resnick (liked her writing and it rang true to me), Justine Larbalestier (really loved her voice and her "festival" ideas), Kevin Andrew Murphy (interesting behind-the-scenes info about making the show), Christie Golden (another fresh and frisky voice, explaining just why Willow isn't a Wiccan) and Lawrence Watt-Evans (offering an unexpected choice for a Buffy love interest).
Several of the other essays were interesting enough but not standouts, and a couple didn't show more support their arguments very well or took things to a weird, and in my opinion, overly-serious level.
Also, the intro by Drew Goddard had me laughing out loud.
Fun collection and a must-read for Buffy fans. show less
Several of the other essays were interesting enough but not standouts, and a couple didn't show more support their arguments very well or took things to a weird, and in my opinion, overly-serious level.
Also, the intro by Drew Goddard had me laughing out loud.
Fun collection and a must-read for Buffy fans. show less
As a die hard Buffy fan and someone who views the series from an academic stand point, I found the collection of essays in Seven Seasons of Buffy fascinating. Recommended to me by an equally studious Buffy fan, it was an intellectually stimulating read.
The humorous forward, very much in the style of Buffy, asks why we care about Buffy, and answers it. It discusses and praises Buffy's representation of the human condition and does so in an engaging manner.
Most of the essays themselves are well written and well thought out. I strongly disagree with points made by some of the authors, but these disagreements caused me to think extensively about my views on each topic. I especially enjoyed Skin Pale as Apple Blossom, A World Without show more Shrimp, and Unseen Horrors & Shadowy Manipulations.
So, though not perfection, this anthology is a small gem for only the most dedicated Buffy fans. show less
The humorous forward, very much in the style of Buffy, asks why we care about Buffy, and answers it. It discusses and praises Buffy's representation of the human condition and does so in an engaging manner.
Most of the essays themselves are well written and well thought out. I strongly disagree with points made by some of the authors, but these disagreements caused me to think extensively about my views on each topic. I especially enjoyed Skin Pale as Apple Blossom, A World Without show more Shrimp, and Unseen Horrors & Shadowy Manipulations.
So, though not perfection, this anthology is a small gem for only the most dedicated Buffy fans. show less
Seven Seasons of Buffy is an anthology of essays about... duh... Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written by, it says, "science fiction and fantasy writers." Except that the reason I even knew about this book is that one contributor is Jennifer Crusie, and she's not by any stretch of the imagination a science fiction or fantasy writer. Unless you're one of those terminal cynics who classifies romance as fantasy.
I started reading this back in November, one essay at a time between other books, and I'd initially intended to write something about each of the essays, but there are 22 of them, so it didn't take me long to change my mind about that.
Like any anthology, there are good essays and bad ones. The good ones took some aspect of the show and show more drew conclusions, and made me think, whether I agreed with them or not. The bad ones rambled on, more or less summarizing the series without actually making a point. Fortunately, there were more good ones than bad.
Of course, the essays that left the biggest impression were the ones that were well-written, but that I disagreed with. Like the one praising Tara. In principle, I agreed, but in the show, she got on my last nerve--I really dislike sad-sack, pitiful, depressed, martyr characters. Worse was the one praising Riley. I could follow the author's reasoning, but she lost me when she claimed that anyone who didn't agree with her was stuck in high school, and that real, adult, mature love was by definition, dull.
The best thing about this anthology is that it provides a lot of food for thought, and springboards for conversation with other Buffy fan(atic)s. show less
I started reading this back in November, one essay at a time between other books, and I'd initially intended to write something about each of the essays, but there are 22 of them, so it didn't take me long to change my mind about that.
Like any anthology, there are good essays and bad ones. The good ones took some aspect of the show and show more drew conclusions, and made me think, whether I agreed with them or not. The bad ones rambled on, more or less summarizing the series without actually making a point. Fortunately, there were more good ones than bad.
Of course, the essays that left the biggest impression were the ones that were well-written, but that I disagreed with. Like the one praising Tara. In principle, I agreed, but in the show, she got on my last nerve--I really dislike sad-sack, pitiful, depressed, martyr characters. Worse was the one praising Riley. I could follow the author's reasoning, but she lost me when she claimed that anyone who didn't agree with her was stuck in high school, and that real, adult, mature love was by definition, dull.
The best thing about this anthology is that it provides a lot of food for thought, and springboards for conversation with other Buffy fan(atic)s. show less
A lot of the essays in this book start getting samey. The power of friendship, sexiness of vampires, who should Buffy be with, wiccan good, love the earth, woman power. It starts feeling like refined versions of online editorials, only by professional authors.
And that's saying something because, unlike most things, I did not lurk on Buffy web sites. I didn't read the analyses or identify with a main character or get into discussion groups. Mostly because I wanted to avoid spoilers, but because I thought the TV show, by itself, was perfect. Anything extraneous would sully it, like dumping a bunch of toppings on ice cream.
And that's saying something because, unlike most things, I did not lurk on Buffy web sites. I didn't read the analyses or identify with a main character or get into discussion groups. Mostly because I wanted to avoid spoilers, but because I thought the TV show, by itself, was perfect. Anything extraneous would sully it, like dumping a bunch of toppings on ice cream.
Why read: Received for review.
What impressed me: Many authors I had read, or at least heard of, contributed essays to Seven Seasons of Buffy. I didn't agree with everything the essayists put forth, but appreciated the contrasting opinions that made me consider other outlooks. This book is a celebration of everything that Buffy was, but doesn't hold back when presenting theories and ideas that show fans may rabidly disagree with.
What disappointed me: With any anthology of this nature, some essays were drier than other and some essayists seemed less familiar with the subject that they should have been. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of the better books that look deeper into Buffy.
Recommended: Buffy fans, obviously, but the more show more fanatical the better. show less
What impressed me: Many authors I had read, or at least heard of, contributed essays to Seven Seasons of Buffy. I didn't agree with everything the essayists put forth, but appreciated the contrasting opinions that made me consider other outlooks. This book is a celebration of everything that Buffy was, but doesn't hold back when presenting theories and ideas that show fans may rabidly disagree with.
What disappointed me: With any anthology of this nature, some essays were drier than other and some essayists seemed less familiar with the subject that they should have been. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of the better books that look deeper into Buffy.
Recommended: Buffy fans, obviously, but the more show more fanatical the better. show less
I really hated this book. The essays were superficial, self-conscious attempts at snarky humor, and offered little insight. Most of them seemed to be written solely to bemoan the latter two seasons--which I happened to love, so I am clearly not the target audience. What really killed the book for me were the inaccuracies: if these people are truly all fans, as they claim, then mistakes such as referring to the AU portrayed in "The Wish" as "Vamp World" (with the parenthetical assurance that this is the accepted term in fandom) are quite perplexing.
I'm glad to be rid of it.
I'm glad to be rid of it.
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- Canonical title
- Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Television Show
- Original publication date
- 2003
- Related movies
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- Dedicated to Joss Whedon, for your kindness, support and, most of all, for seven seasons of Buffy
- First words
- Why do we care?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I posit that the finale Joss Whedon provided does unleash a surge of positive energy that empowers the forces of good, at the same time concluding the final arc of the show, thus providing a sense of closure to that dynamic thread; and additionally circling backward--or perhaps, spiraling upward--to promises of the journey laid out in the premiere, seven seasons previous, exploiting the mythic structure of the Hero's Journey to create an extremely satisfying, balanced end.
- Publisher's editor
- Yeffeth, Glenn
- Blurbers
- Roberts, Nora; Logan, Michael; Elrod, P.N.; Sizemore, Susan; Sargent, Pamela; Havens, Candace (show all 7); Gaffney, Patricia
- Original language
- English
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- Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Literature Studies and Criticism
- DDC/MDS
- 791.4572 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Movies, TV, Video Motion pictures, radio, television, podcasting Television Programs; television plays Single programs
- LCC
- PN1992.77 .B84 .S48 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Drama Broadcasting Television broadcasts
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- Reviews
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- Rating
- (3.53)
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- English
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- Paper, Ebook
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- 2
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