How I Survived My Summer Vacation

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How I Survived My Summer Vacation
Author Various
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books
Publication date August 1, 2000
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 288 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-613-63300-8
Preceded by Coyote Moon
Followed by The Suicide King

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

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 obtain 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. Giles, Angel and Jenny must 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. Little do they know that the stage crew are 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 Alan 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 official Buffy merchandise.

[edit] Timing

  • The book is set in the summer after Buffy's first year at Sunnydale High.
  • The book largely follows established Buffyverse 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, spring 1992* Film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Los Angeles, spring 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
Various locations, 1845-1997 WB Buffy promo: History of the Slayer
Sunnydale, January 1997 B1.00 Unaired Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot
Sunnydale, January 1997 B1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth
Sunnydale, January 1997 B1.02 The Harvest
Sunnydale, January 1997 B1.03 Witch
Sunnydale, February 1997 B1.04 Teacher's Pet
Sunnydale, February 1997 B1.05 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.06 The Pack
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.07 Angel
Sunnydale, spring 1997 Buffy the Animated Series unaired four-minute pilot
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.08 I, Robot... You, Jane
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.09 The Puppet Show
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.10 Nightmares
Sunnydale, spring 1997 Buffy book: Night of the Living Rerun
Sunnydale, spring 1997 B1.11 Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Sunnydale, May 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

* Because the 1992 motion picture Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not considered to be canon, its date in the chronology reflects its release date. Because The Origin graphic novel adjusts the events of the movie to fit in-line with the series, its place in the chronology reflects those events having occurred approximately one year prior to Welcome to the Hellmouth.

[edit] External links

[edit] Reviews