How I Survived My Summer Vacation

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How I Survived My Summer Vacation
First edition cover
Author Various
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books
Released August 1, 2000
Media Type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 288 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-613-63300-8
Preceded by Night of the Living Rerun (Buffy novel)
Followed by Keep Me In Mind (Buffy novel)

How I Survived My Summer Vacation is an anthology novel based on the U.S. television series Buffy, it consists of six short-stories.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Dust

Written by Michelle Sagara West

Buffy continually sees the death of everyone she touches while she heads out to LA to spend summer vacation with her dad. She must come to terms with her own death before the deaths of others will disappear from her mind.

[edit] Absalom Rising

Written by Nancy Holder

Absalom tries to get a hold of the Master's bones from Giles who has them kept in his house.

[edit] Looks Can Kill

Written by Cameron Dokey

A shapeshifter comes to town and Giles, Angel and Jenny must figure out how to deal with it before it gets to the Slayer.

[edit] No Place Like...

Written by Cameron Dokey

While shopping in LA Buffy runs into a fortune-teller who tells her that she's the warrior sent to free the spirit of her dead child. Buffy must solve the mystery of the daughter's death and why her spirit isn't free.

[edit] Uncle Dead and the Fourth of July

Written by Yvonne Navarro

A newly risen vampire raises the war veteran General Sam from the grave. General Sam, crazy and still sure that World War II rages on, decides to seize Sunnydale since he believes it has been infiltrated by the enemy. Giles, Jenny and Angel must stop the General and his legion of zombie followers.

[edit] The Show Must Go On

Written by Paul Ruditis

Willow and Xander are running a play at the local theater and little do they know but the stage crew are actually all vampires who have a love for Shakespeare. After several deaths in a Shakespearian fashion, Giles, Jenny and Angel decide to remove the vampire threat on the night of the play.

[edit] Trivia

  • Tagline: 'What really happened the summer after sophomore year'.
  • Characters include: Buffy, Joyce, Giles, Jenny, Angel, Xander and Willow
  • The full title How I Survived My Summer Vacation, Volume 1 seems to suggest the publisher considered releasing future volumes of short stories about the scooby gang in the summers which were not covered by the TV series. Future volumes failed to materialize.
  • Mayor Richard Wilkins and Deputy Mayor Alann Finch make brief appearances.
  • Willow wonders whether there are such things as werewolves.

[edit] Continuity

[edit] Canonical issues

Main article: Buffyverse canon
Buffy novels, such as this one are not considered by most fans as part of canon. They are usually not considered as official Buffyverse reality, but are novels from the authors' imaginations. However unlike fanfic, 'overviews' summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy merchandise.

[edit] Timing

  • The book is supposed to be set in the summer after Buffy's first year at Sunnydale High.
  • The book largely follows established Buffy 'canon'. The book successfully explains the experiences the scooby gang could have had in the gap in established 'canon' between "Prophecy Girl" and "When She Was Bad".
  • Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
Location, time
(if known)
Buffyverse chronology: Spring 1996 - Spring 1997
(non-canon = italic)
Los Angeles, summer 1996 Film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Los Angeles, summer 1996 Buffy graphic novel: The Origin
Los Angeles, summer 1996 Buffy graphic novel: Viva Las Buffy
Los Angeles, summer 1996 Buffy graphic novel: Slayer Interrupted
Los Angeles, summer 1996 Buffy graphic novel: A Stake to the Heart
Sunnydale, fall 1996 B1.00 Unaired Buffy pilot
Sunnydale, fall 1996 B1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth
Sunnydale, fall 1996 B1.02 The Harvest
Sunnydale, fall 1996 WB Buffy promo: History of the Slayer
Sunnydale, fall 1996 B1.03 Witch
Sunnydale, fall 1996 B1.04 Teacher's Pet
Sunnydale, Halloween 1996 Buffy book: Halloween Rain
Sunnydale, 1996/7 Buffy book: Night of the Living Rerun
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.05 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.06 The Pack
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.07 Angel
Sunnydale, 1996/7 Buffy the Animated Series unaired four-minute pilot
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.08 I, Robot... You, Jane
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.09 The Puppet Show
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.10 Nightmares
Sunnydale, 1996/7 B1.11 Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.12 Prophecy Girl
Sunnydale, summer 1997 Buffy book: Coyote Moon
Sunnydale, & L.A., summer 1997 Buffy anthology book: How I Survived My Summer Vacation

[edit] External links

[edit] Reviews

Buffy novels


Buffy books in order of Buffyverse chronology

Tales of the Slayer | Pretty Maids All in a Row | Blackout | Halloween Rain | Coyote Moon | Night of the Living Rerun | How I Survived My Summer Vacation | Keep Me In Mind | The Suicide King | Colony | Night Terrors | After Image | Carnival of Souls | Blooded | Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary | Sins of the Father | Child of the Hunt | Ghoul Trouble | Paleo | The Evil That Men Do | The Deathless | Doomsday Deck | Immortal | Prime Evil | Power of Persuasion | Revenant | The Gatekeeper | Resurrecting Ravana | Return to Chaos | Visitors | Unnatural Selection | Obsidian Fate | Deep Water | Here Be Monsters | The Book of Fours | Sunnydale High Yearbook | Lost Slayer | Oz | These Our Actors | Unseen | Tempted Champions | Little Things | Crossings | Sweet Sixteen | Wisdom of War | Cursed | Blood and Fog | Monster Island | Wicked Willow | Seven Crows | Apocalypse Memories | Mortal Fear | Spark and Burn | Heat | Queen of the Slayers

Buffyverse & related topics
Main Canon | Index

Chronology: Ancient | Modern | BS1 | BS2 | BS3 | BS4/AS1 | BS5/AS2 | BS6/AS3 | BS7/AS4 | AS5 | Future | Flashbacks

Buffy Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | Quotes

Comics | DVDs | Film | Novels | Pilot (unaired)

Angel Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | Quotes

Comics | Corrupt (unaired) | DVDs | Novels | Pitch tape

Expanded Uni. Comics | Fray | Novels | Slayer timeline | Tales of Slayer (prose) | Tales of Slayers | Tales of Vampires | Video Games

New: Auld Lang Syne | Asylum | Bad Bargain | Blackout | Deathless | Go Ask Malice | Masks | Portal Through Time | Spike vs Dracula

Auxiliary Academia | Cast & crew | Fan made productions | Rare promos | Unofficial parodies | Undeveloped productions

Buffy Animated | Card Game | Guidebooks | Magazines | RPGs | Spike movie | Toys

Powers Angel Investigations | Circle of the Black Thorn | Order of Aurelius | The First Evil | The Initiative | Monsters | Old Ones | The Powers That Be | Ra-Tet | Scooby Gang | Scourge of Europe | Senior Partners | Watchers' Council | Wolfram & Hart
People Adam | Amy | Andrew | Angel | Anya | Buffy | Caleb | Connor | Cordelia | Dawn | Darla | Doyle | Drusilla | Eve | Faith | Fred | Giles | Glory | Gunn | Harmony | Holtz | Illyria | Jasmine | Jenny | Joyce | Jonathan | Kate | Kennedy | Lilah | Lindsey | Lorne | Master | Mayor | Oz | Robin Wood | Prof. Walsh | Riley | Spike | Tara | Warren | Wesley | Willow | Xander
Places L.A. | Sunnydale
Bronze | Buffy's residence | Caritas | Hellmouth | Hyperion | Library | Magic Box | Pylea | Sunnydale High
Music Complete Tracklist | Use of Music in Buffy & Angel

Buffy album | Dingoes Ate My Baby | Film | Radio Sunnydale | Live Fast, Die Never | Once More, with Feeling

Key Terminology "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch"

"Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon