The Deathless
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| The Deathless | |
.jpg/200px-The_Deathless_(Buffy_novel).jpg) First edition cover |
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| Author | Keith R.A. DeCandido |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Genre(s) | Horror novel |
| Publisher | Simon Spotlight Entertainment |
| Publication date | 24 April 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-84739-037-4 |
| Preceded by | The Evil That Men Do (Buffy novel) |
| Followed by | Doomsday Deck |
The Deathless is an original novel based on the U.S. television series Buffy.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
From the Publisher:
"As if Ring Day weren't enough to make Buffy Summers anxious (she can't even afford one of the less expensive silver bands), the Slayer has her hands full trying to figure out why an average split-level house in Sunnydale has all the vampires spooked. When she arrives at the library to discuss this new development with Giles, a package he's received from an old folklorist in Russia reveals what's going on: The stars are properly aligned for an attempt to resurrect Koschei the Deathless, a long-dead evil sorcerer. So while her classmates are busy choosing rings to demonstrate their school spirit, Buffy must figure out how to keep someone from reviving Koschei and, should she need to resort to plan B, how to kill him again.
A little investigating soon leads Buffy and the gang to the necromancer who originally killed the sorcerer, an immortal Russian sorceress named Yulia Dryanushkina, who can control vampires (which explains their reluctance to pass by her place of residence). When the crew pays Yulia a visit, she assures them that with Willow's assistance, she would be able to kill the sorcerer again should he be revived.
Neither Buffy nor Willow are particularly comfortable with aligning themselves with the necromancer, but they have no other choice when, twenty-four hours later, the vampires start behaving strangely . . . and half the senior class goes missing."
[edit] Trivia
- The author confirmed characters that would appear in the novel: Buffy, Angel, Xander, Willow, Giles, Oz, Cordelia, Principal Snyder, and Faith. Other familiar Sunnydale High students are likely to appear as well, including Willow's fellow magic user Michael (from "Gingerbread").
- Ring Day - Occasion in American Highschools, where students receive their class ring. It usually would take place in junior or senior year.
[edit] Folkore and Mythology
The book uses draws from Slavic mythology:
- Koschei - In Russian mythology, Koschei is an evil person of ugly appearance, who principally menaces young women. Koschei is also known as Koschei the Deathless (Коще́й Бессме́ртный). Koschei is extremely difficult to kill because his soul is hidden separate from his body, and as long as his soul is safe, he cannot die.
- Baba Yaga - The wild woman, the dark lady, mistress of magic, and a forest spirit, leading hosts of spirits.
[edit] Continuity
- Set after "The Zeppo" but before "Bad Girls". According to the author, "At the end of "The Zeppo," Giles and Willow are injured, but in "Bad Girls" they're all better. Since neither of them have the super-healing powers of vampires and Slayers, it has to be several weeks between those two episodes, so it's the perfect spot to place a novel-length adventure -- with the added bonus that I get to use Faith as a good guy."
[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
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse chronology: January 1999 - Spring 1999 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Uninvited Guests |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy comic: The Final Cut |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Bad Blood |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.11 Gingerbread |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy comic: Bad Dog (by Doug Petrie) |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Crash Test Demons |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Pale Reflections |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.12 Helpless |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.13 The Zeppo |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: The Deathless |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.14 Bad Girls |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.15 Consequences |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.16 Doppelgangland |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: Doomsday Deck |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy book: Immortal |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | B3.17 Enemies |
| Sunnydale, 1999 | Buffy graphic novel: Angel: The Hollower |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Prime Evil |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Revenant |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.18 Earshot |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.19 Choices |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Power of Persuasion |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.20 The Prom |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Resurrecting Ravana |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy books: The Gatekeeper [Trilogy] |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Return to Chaos |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Visitors |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Unnatural Selection |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Obsidian Fate |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Deep Water |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: Here Be Monsters |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy book: The Book of Fours |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.21 Graduation Day, Part One |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | B3.22 Graduation Day, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Sunnydale High Yearbook |
| Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | Buffy comic: Double Cross |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ - Keith R.A. DeCandido reveals story (June 2006)
- ^ - Author reveals characters (scroll down) (June 2006)
[edit] External links
- Keith R.A. DeCandido posts an announcement that Fox have give "The Deathless" an initial approval (June 2006)
- Whedonesquers discuss upcoming book (June 2006)
- Keith R.A. DeCandido reveals timing and some dialogue (August 2006)
- Whedonesquers discuss upcoming book (August 2006)
- Keith R.A. DeCandido reveals some more dialogue (September 2006)
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