Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row

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Note: Not to be confused with the trade paperback: Spike & Dru
Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row

First edition cover
Author Christopher Golden
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books
Publication date 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 is 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 Slayers-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 Slayers-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

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

  • Set in the 1940s
  • This book was released before the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode entitled Fool for Love was shown. 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:
Location, time
(if known)
Buffyverse chronology: 1901 – 1995
(non-canon = italic)
US, 1911 Tales of the Slayer: Sideshow Slayer
Brooklyn, 1912 WB Buffy promo: History of the Slayer
Chicago, 1919 Tales of the Slayer: Survivors
New York, 1922 Tales of the Slayer: The War Between the States
1922 onwards Tales of the Vampires: Father
Germany, 1923 Tales of the Slayer: Silent Screams
Chicago, 1927 WB Buffy promo: History of the Slayer
Las Vegas, 1930s Tales of the Vampires: Dames
Hollywood, 1930s Angel comic: Spike vs. Dracula #2
1933 Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: All's Fair
1933 Tales of the Vampires: Dust Bowl
New York 1937 Tales of the Slayers: Broken Bottle of Djinn, 1937 (2nd half)
Germany, 1938 Tales of the Slayers: Sonnenblume
World War II Angel comic: Spike vs. Dracula #3
1940s Buffy book: Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row
Dec. 12, 1940 Tales of the SlayerVoodoo Lounge
Chicago, 1943 Tales of the Slayer: Stakeout on Rush Street
New York, 1952 Tales of the Slayer: Undeadsville
Italy, 1950s Angel comic: Spike vs. Dracula #4
Florida, 1956 Tales of the Slayer: And White Splits the Night
1969 Tales of the Slayer: Back to the Garden
New York, 1970s Tales of the Slayers: Nikki Goes Down!
New York, 1973 Tales of the Slayer: It's All About the Mission
New York, 1977 Buffy book: Blackout
Nebraska, 1981 Tales of the Slayer: Two Teenage Girls at the Mall
Tokyo, 1993 Tales of the Slayer: The Code of the Samurai

[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