"As long as there have been Vampires, there has been the Slayer." The 20th anniversary of the *authorized* Watcher's Guide was released in 2008 and features 21 new exclusive interviews with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast and crew. Pulled together by Christopher Golden, Jessica Smith, Nancy Holder, Jeff Mariotte, Maryelizabeth Hart, and Paul Ruditis, the book is an updated encyclopedia about everything culturally Buffy the Vampire Slayer: episode guides, cast & crew tidbits, memorable on and off set adventures, and updated clarity on the mythology of Buffy.
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| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 20 Years of Slaying The Authorized Watcher's Guide |
Honestly, this is a review, but it's also an opportunity to get gushy about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I'll take it! I was the target audience for the series, and I took the show very seriously in my teenage years. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy was a hero, James Marsters as Spike was a heartthrob, Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon were the best friends every teen wanted to have. Reading their interviews and learning new stories as an adult is just as fascinating as encountering Buffy's storylines as a teen. These adults made something incredible, and isn't that what we all want to do with our adult lives?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer contributed more to current pop culture than we probably give it credit. The quips still zing and are as off-the-wall as they were when they first debuted. Special effects have come a long way, but time ages all special effects, and Buffy shot for the moon. The heroine saving the day was a fresh take in an era of burgeoning girl-power. I'm watching Pretty Little Liars (another show about high school cliques with an impossible, overarching mythos that draws on teenage anxieties and insecurities about keeping secrets while growing up and getting older) and it's almost impossible not to see echoes of Buffy before it.
Don't put a stake in Buffy's legacy. The book is beautiful, and it's worth checking out.