Wicked Willow

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Book cover
Book cover

The Wicked Willow trilogy were three original novels based on the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the UK, an omnibus of the entire trilogy was later released.

Contents

[edit] Wicked Willow: The Darkening

First of the trilogy.

The Darkening

First edition cover
Author Yvonne Navarro
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wicked Willow
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books
Publication date May 4, 2004
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 288 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-7434-8996-9
Preceded by Blood and Fog (Buffy novel)

[edit] Plot summary

Tagline: 'A new power is rising in Sunnydale'.

Characters: Include; Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn and Giles

Struggling with an increasing addiction to magic, Willow is crushed to find she cannot stop using her powers for the one she loves. It grows worse, however, when Tara is shot and killed by Warren, who had been trying to shoot Buffy. Losing herself in grief, Willow allows herself to be overwhelmed by the powers of dark magic. Determined to get revenge on those responsible for Tara's death, she begins her descent into evil. In the woods outside of Sunnydale she extracts a terrible price from Warren, Tara's murderer, by flaying him alive. Buffy, Xander and Anya arrive too late to stop her. Revenge is not enough to satisfy a grief-stricken Willow. Her friends hope to halt her trail of vengeance and magic-collecting before Willow does more damage.

[edit] Continuity

  • While it is supposed to be set at the end of BtVS's sixth season, immediately after Villains, the story is placed in a parallel universe to that established by Buffyverse canon. It moves from this event into an alternative set of events than the ones that took place on the screen.

[edit] Wicked Willow: Shattered Twilight

Second of the trilogy.

Shattered Twilight

First edition cover
Author Yvonne Navarro
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wicked Willow
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books release_date = June 22, 2004
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 272 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-7434-9236-6

[edit] Plot summary

Tagline: 'A new power has risen in Sunnydale'.

Characters: Include; Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn and Giles

Willow's own coven has turned against her. Willow is condemned for saving Buffy from an evil phantom and for not adequately protecting other coven members. Willow must devise a way to restore their confidence in her, and reinforce her power.

In truth, she battled the phantom because Tara's ghost asked her to do it, even though it would lower her status in the coven. Willow seeks infallible magic.

Buffy and the Scoobies still hope to fight back, yet do not want to lose Willow forever.

[edit] Continuity

  • Continues an alternative storyline than the one that emerged on screen after Villains. The story continues from 'The Darkening.'

[edit] Wicked Willow: Broken Sunrise

Third of the trilogy.

Broken Sunrise

First edition cover
Author Yvonne Navarro
Country United States
Language English
Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wicked Willow
Genre(s) Horror novel
Publisher Pocket Books
Publication date August 24, 2004
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 352 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-7434-9237-4
Followed by Apocalypse Memories (Buffy novel)

[edit] Plot summary

Tagline: 'A new alternate history trilogy'.

Characters: Include; Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn and Giles

Tara's ghost has disappeared. Willow suspected it was something she had done or that the universe was again conspiring to hurt her. She soon learns that the Scoobies are responsible.

Willow desperately wants Tara to return. She misses the spectre's company and Tara's ghost is needed to perform a resurrection spell Willow hopes to use to bring Tara back to life. Her first impulse is to bring wrath upon the heads of her old friends, but the coven reminds her that in the past Willow's anger has controlled her, leading to subsequent failure. Willow must use an alternate idea to regain Tara's spirit and perform the spell to bring her back to life.

Meanwhile, the Scoobies want to drain Willow's dark magic, and release fellow Scoobs Spike and Oz from enslavement. Willow's anger is deep; she may stop at nothing to carry out her plans.

[edit] Continuity

  • Continues an alternative storyline than the one that emerged on screen after Villains. The story continues from 'Shattered Twilight.'

[edit] Trivia of the trilogy

  • While the story received mixed reviews from fans, many appreciated the alternate reality idea. Other fans wished it had been taken further and admonished the author for not deviating further from Buffyverse canon. Many anonymous reviewers on Amazon.com wrote negative reviews for the third book, and Yvonne Navarro responded with an article titled, 'Rant,' about the reviews. She made four key points:
  1. The reviewers at Amazon failed to use proper grammar,
  2. Editors forced certain story decisions upon her
  3. Publisher deadlines were to blame for typos
  4. Critics of the book should attempt to write their own Buffy books

[edit] Canonical issues

Main article: Buffyverse canon
Buffy/Angel books such as this one are not usually considered by fans as canonical. Some fans consider them stories from the imaginations of authors and artists, while other fans consider them as taking place in an alternative fictional reality. However unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy/Angel merchandise.

[edit] Timing

  • Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
Location, time
(if known)
Buffyverse chronology: January 2002 - Spring 2002
(non-canon = italic)
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.13 Dead Things
L.A., 2002 Angel book: Fearless
L.A., 2002 A3.13 Waiting in the Wings
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.14 Older and Far Away
L.A., 2002 A3.14 Couplet
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.15 As You Were
L.A., 2002 A3.15 Loyalty
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.16 Hell's Bells
L.A., 2002 A3.16 Sleep Tight
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.17 Normal Again
L.A., 2002 A3.17 Forgiving
L.A., 2002 Angel comic: Spike: Old Times
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.18 Entropy
L.A., 2002 A3.18 Double or Nothing
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.19 Seeing Red
L.A., 2002 A3.19 The Price
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.20 Villains
Sunnydale, 2002 Buffy books: Wicked Willow
L.A., 2002 A3.20 A New World
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.21 Two to Go
Sunnydale, 2002 B6.22 Grave
L.A., 2002 A3.21 Benediction
L.A., 2002 A3.22 Tomorrow


[edit] External links

[edit] Wicked Willow Controversy: Yvonne Navarro vs Amazon reviewers

[edit] Reviews

[edit] Book I

[edit] Book II

[edit] Book III