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EUROPE'S MOST VISITED SF/F WEB SITE |
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Angel:
The Longest Night by Pierce Askegren, Scott and Denise Cienin, Doranna Durgin,
Nancy Holder, Christie Golden, Christopher Golden, Jeff Mariotte, Yvonne Navarro
and Emily Oz check
out website: www.simonsays.co.uk
Each story takes the reader through an hour of the night until the final story sees daybreak after what is suggested to be Angel Investigations busiest night of the year. The fact that there is a variety of authors and storylines means there should be enough here to satisfy any fan. Cases tackled here by the group include ghosts, angels, time travel,
cults, magick and, of course, numerous demons. Certain tales stick
in the imagination more than others but all are well written and
tie into the ethos of the show. Whilst
some of the authors have chosen to focus on horror tales that could affect anyone
and which just happen to involve Angel and co. because that's the area they operate
in, some use even these short trips into Joss Whedon's world to explore and add
to the personalities of the main characters. One that digs deep into a reader's sub-conscious is Yvonne Navarro's 'Icicle Memories' in which an ice-demon uses our heroes' desires for normal lives, especially at Christmas time, to overtake them. This skilfully crafted piece serves to explore the characters as well as attempting to show us how right or wrong it may be to give into our desires and needs and asking what is really important in life. Whilst Navarro focuses
on suspense and characters, other authors include more action, as well as plenty
of humour. Of course the beauty of a collection of stories is that each one is different and if you don't like the story-line just skip to the next. There's certainly enough here to keep readers occupied. Another original and enjoyable tale is 'The Sun Child' by Christie Golden. This has moments of sickly-sweetness
and religious underpinnings but also works well particularly with the characters
of Angel, Wesley, Cordelia and Gunn and we see Angel doing battle with his demon
side once more in a very realistic way. Christopher Golden's 'I Still
Believe', on the other hand, is a well-written humorous story that taps into the
growing relationship between Cordelia and Angel and competently portrays the two
characters. 'The Longest Night' is an attempt to appeal to the market of 'Angel' viewers but to give them something more like an episode than an in-depth tie-in novel. This may then be especially welcome by viewers who like the fast pace of a one-hour segment of programming or in this case a twenty-page short story. Even though it may be far-fetched that even Angel Investigations
has a new case for every hour of the night, the idea fits in with the dark and
suspenseful nature of the show, with readers not sure what will occur next and
all action taking place within the shadows of darkest and longest night. 'Angel:
The Longest Night' is a welcome change from Tie-In novels or novelisations of
actual episodes and is likely to be savoured by any Angel/Buffy fan. Laura
Kayne
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OTHER REVIEWS - February 2003
NEW NOVELS The
Dead Sea Scrolls Deception by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh Buffy
The Vampire: The Cordelia Collection Volume 1 by Nancy Krulik Tourniquet
Heart edited by Christopher C. Teague The
Devil In Green (Book One of The Dark Age) by Mark Chadbourn Angel: The Longest Night by Pierce Askegren Dark
Angel: Before The Dawn by Max Allen Collins Guilty
Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton The
Divine Comedies: Here Comes The Sun & Odds And Ends by Tom Holt The
Drawing Of The Dark by Tim Powers. Fantasy Masterworks # 33 The
Far Enough Window: The Reclaiming Of Fairyland by John Grant and illustrated
by Ron Tiner The
Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles Volume 1) by Melanie Rawn The
Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson (SF Masterworks # 51) HARDBACKS INTO PAPERBACKS Wizard's
Funeral (The Red Pavilions Book Two) by Kim Hunter Wanderers
And Islanders (Legends Of The Land Book One) by Steve Cockayne Effendi (The Second Arabesk) by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
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A
somewhat different track by the writers and publishers of 'Angel'
tie-ins. This is a collection of short stories featuring the cast
of 'Angel' (third season) and their adventures throughout the night
of December 21st - the winter solace and longest night of the year.
Every
story is by a different author, some of them veteran 'Buffy' and
'Angel' Tie-In book authors, such as Nancy Holder, Christopher Golden,
Jeff Mariotte and Scott Ciencin, whilst others are new-comers.
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