Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row
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- Note: Not to be confused with the trade paperback: Spike & Dru
 First edition cover |
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| Author | Christopher Golden |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Genre(s) | Horror novel |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Released | June 1, 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Pages | 368 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7434-1892-1 |
| Preceded by | 'None' |
| Followed by | Blackout (Buffy novel) |
Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row is an original novel based on the U.S. television series Buffy.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
It's 1940 and for Drusilla's vampiric birthday, Spike decides he will acquire Freyja's Strand for her. The strand, a necklace, has the ability to allow Drusilla to view her reflection. After a dangerous trek, Spike and Drusilla strike a deal with the ice demon Skrymir: should Spike and Drusilla destroy all the current Slayers-in-waiting as well as the current Slayer, he will fork over the necklace. Up to the challenge, Spike and Drusilla acquire a list of the slayer-in-waiting from the Watcher's Council in London and ravage the Earth, killing girls hideously as they go.
Meanwhile the current Slayer, Sophie, is alerted to the situation and sent off with her Watcher, Yanna, to rescue the remaining Slayers-in-waiting. Unfortunately Yanna has developed an unhealthy obsession with Spike and cannot fight against him when there is a run in between the two groups. But Sophie rescues a decent numbers of the girls and has them brought to the Council headquarters. Sophie leaves to retrieve the last girl and runs into Spike and Drusilla in Denmark who capture her Watcher. While Sophie hunts down the duo, Skrymir has grown impatient and manifests himself inside the Council headquarters where he wreaks havoc on the inhabitants. The Council must find a way to stop Skrymir from killing all the Slayer-in-waiting (which would end the line of Slayers) while the Slayer herself tries to track down her Watcher who may already be dead.
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Canonical issues
- 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
- Set in the 1940s
- This book was released before the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode entitled Fool for Love aired. According to "Pretty Maids...", the second slayer Spike kills is Sophie Carstensen from Denmark. Fool for Love establishes that the second slayer Spike kills is Nikki Wood, an African-American slayer living in New York.
- States that the Travers family, like the Giles, has been involved with the Council for a long time, Harold Travers is the Council's head. Edna Giles also has a small role, having been away from England during the major events, though she's only called Mrs. Giles.
- Guest appearance from Kakistos, the vampire master that killed Faith's First Watcher.
- Yazi Demons, a race of minotaur-like appearance, also appears in the Angel comics.
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
[edit] Characters
- Alphabetical by surname where known
- Allanah: One of Kakistos vampire minions.
- Monsieur Henri Arno: Collette's Watcher, apparently he turned into a vampire by Spike or Dru.
- Marya Bajdek: Potential Slayer from Warsow, Poland.
- Collette Boisvert: Potential Slayer from Paris, France.
- Eleanor Boudreau: potential Slayer from LaFayette, Louisiana, and Isabel's successor
- Arthur Cabot: Rita's Watcher, turned into a vampire by Spike or Dru
- Sophie Carstensen: The Slayer.
- Alessandra Cavallaro: Potential Slayer from Venice, Italy.
- Charn: French vampire and the owner of Freyja's Strand prior to Skrymir
- Christian: vampire minion of Gorm.
- Isabel Cortes: potential Slayer from Barcelona, Spain, and Sophie's successor.
- Ariana de la Croix: potential Slayer from Geneva, Switzerland, and later, Watcher trainee.
- Dru.
- Ernst: vampire with hypnotic powers, one of Gorm's minions.
- Marie-Christine Fontaine: Watcher and one of the Council's Directors, daughter of Jacques Fontaine, also a Watcher. Later, Eleanor's second Watcher.
- Edna Giles.
- Kenneth Haversham: Council Operative.
- Marco Giampa: Italian Watcher trainee.
- Rita Gnecco: Italian-American potential Slayer from Boston.
- Gorm: ancient master vampire of Copenhagen.
- Gudrod: a viking vampire who discovered Freyja's Strand.
- Kakistos.
- Trevor Kensington: A very old Watcher and a skilled sorcerer.
- Beatrice Lizotte: Potential slayer from Nova Scotia.
- Betram Martin: Eleanor's first Watcher.
- Adrianne Montclaire: vampire sired by Spike, seeks to kill The Master.
- Donald Morgan: Valerie's Watcher.
- Yanna Narvik: Sophie's Watcher and Seer.
- Gillian Partington: Council Operative teamed with Rubie.
- Pazel: Yazi demon and servant of Skrymir.
- Kurt Raeder: Vampire Captain of U-28B, a Type VIIA U-Boat of the Kriegsmarine, sired by Spike.
- Sir Nigel Rathbone: An older Watcher.
- Charles Rochemont: Ariana's first Watcher.
- Mr. Rubie: Council Operative teamed with Haversham.
- Ilse Skovgaard: Potential Slayer from Copenhagen and ballet dancer.
- Skrymir: Demon with frost-based powers and commander of a demon legion.
- Edgar Somers: Watcher and Yanna Narvik's mentor.
- Spike.
- Jozeff Strakus: Marya's Watcher.
- Thorvald: an old vampire from Copenhagen recruited by Spike and Dru.
- Harold Travers: Watcher and one of the Council's Directors, grandfather of Quentin Travers.
- John Travers: Watcher trainee, father of Quentin Travers and Later, Ariana's second Watcher and eventually, mentor as Watcher trainee.
- Tycho: a Quetz demon and ally of Sophie and Yanna.
- Valerie Vourtas: potential Slayer from Mykonos, Greece.
[edit] Trivia
- The plotline about removing Slayers-in-Waiting foreshadows the "potentials" used throughout Buffy Season 7.
- Voodoo Lounge, found in Tales of the Slayer Volume III, is a companion to this story.
[edit] See also
[edit] Spike comics
[edit] Spike novels
[edit] External links
[edit] Reviews
- Litefoot1969.bravepages.com - Review of this book by Litefoot
- Teen-books.com - Reviews of this book
- Nika-summers.com - Review of this book by Nika Summers
- Shadowcat.name - Review of this book
- Teenreads.com - Review of this book
