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Slayers
Original cast members from the beloved TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reunite for an all-new adventure about connections that never die—even if you bury them.
A decade has passed since the epic final battle that concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). The game-changing spell that gave power to all potential Slayers persists. With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys. Rebellious vampire Spike (James Marsters) is working undercover in Los Angeles with his old pal Clem (James Charles Leary) when he meets feisty, rookie Slayer, Indira (Laya DeLeon Hayes), who wants Spike to be her mentor. Stakes intensify as Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) emerges from an alternate reality where she alone is the Slayer, and Buffy Summers doesn’t exist. Cordelia enlists Spike’s help with a classic big bad terrorizing her world…his ex, Drusilla (Juliet Landau). Giles (Anthony Head), Anya (Emma Caulfield Ford), Jonathan (Danny Strong), and Tara (Amber Benson) also return, but through the years and the vastness of the multiverse, not everyone is who they used to be…
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is written and directed by Amber Benson and Chris Golden, and co-directed by Kc Wayland.
8 hours and 2 minutes
A decade has passed since the epic final battle that concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). The game-changing spell that gave power to all potential Slayers persists. With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys. Rebellious vampire Spike (James Marsters) is working undercover in Los Angeles with his old pal Clem (James Charles Leary) when he meets feisty, rookie Slayer, Indira (Laya DeLeon Hayes), who wants Spike to be her mentor. Stakes intensify as Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) emerges from an alternate reality where she alone is the Slayer, and Buffy Summers doesn’t exist. Cordelia enlists Spike’s help with a classic big bad terrorizing her world…his ex, Drusilla (Juliet Landau). Giles (Anthony Head), Anya (Emma Caulfield Ford), Jonathan (Danny Strong), and Tara (Amber Benson) also return, but through the years and the vastness of the multiverse, not everyone is who they used to be…
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is written and directed by Amber Benson and Chris Golden, and co-directed by Kc Wayland.
8 hours and 2 minutes
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 12, 2023
About the author
Amber Benson
94 books1,609 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 409 reviews
April 15, 2024
Thrilling!!!
I’m a great fan of the original show, I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it, still watch till this day, so when I heard about the release of this story, I was biting my nails with excitement!!!
Great fun, I enjoyed a lot hearing this story, it brought an exhilarating adventure with the atmosphere of the original series! It gave me such excitement and sweet nostalgia, I’m completely satisfied! All the actors were spectacular, James Marsters displayed his amazing technique and experience doing audiobooks, Charisma Carpenter gave a superb performance, great acting, Emma Caulfield Ford, so funny (specially the part with the dog), Juliet Landau Juliet Landau was crepier then ever, such a joy to hear James Charles Leary in the story, Amber Benson, Juno Dawson, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Anthony Stewart Head, Danny Strong, and all the cast, everyone so committed, amazing job, high praises to all!!!!! The plot was very intriguing, it grabbed my attention the whole time, congratulations to Amber Benson, Christopher Golden and Kc Wayland!!!
I wanna know the name of the actor who did Xantina’s messenger, it was hilarious, great job!!!
For my personal taste, I've never liked overexcited teenagers, but I had a blast with this story!
I really hope this series continues, I want more and more, as a big fan of the Buffyverse!!!
5⭐️
I’m a great fan of the original show, I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it, still watch till this day, so when I heard about the release of this story, I was biting my nails with excitement!!!
Great fun, I enjoyed a lot hearing this story, it brought an exhilarating adventure with the atmosphere of the original series! It gave me such excitement and sweet nostalgia, I’m completely satisfied! All the actors were spectacular, James Marsters displayed his amazing technique and experience doing audiobooks, Charisma Carpenter gave a superb performance, great acting, Emma Caulfield Ford, so funny (specially the part with the dog), Juliet Landau Juliet Landau was crepier then ever, such a joy to hear James Charles Leary in the story, Amber Benson, Juno Dawson, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Anthony Stewart Head, Danny Strong, and all the cast, everyone so committed, amazing job, high praises to all!!!!! The plot was very intriguing, it grabbed my attention the whole time, congratulations to Amber Benson, Christopher Golden and Kc Wayland!!!
I wanna know the name of the actor who did Xantina’s messenger, it was hilarious, great job!!!
For my personal taste, I've never liked overexcited teenagers, but I had a blast with this story!
I really hope this series continues, I want more and more, as a big fan of the Buffyverse!!!
5⭐️
November 2, 2023
THIS WAS PERFECT OMFG!! i need this in a book so i can own it physically because it was perfect. the new slayer indira fits so perfectly in this world and it makes me so happy that she’s black. slayer cordelia is mother to be expected. also my husband spike was so hot and funny in this. i loved this so much and the ending was actually the most perfect outcome for these characters. i need another one or even a tv show spin off? please im begging it was so good.
October 19, 2023
What a great listen 👂🥇🥇🥇
I don't like all the Buffy books or audiobooks, but this one I absolutely loved.
Having the real characters from the real show was audio perfection, and I want more. This book captured the magic of the real Buffy a great addition for Buffy fans to collect and hold on too.
Amazing but seriously more of these books with the original cast please.
Who can I expect to find in this book from the original Buffy series?
Spike -James Marsters
(Narrator)
Cordelia-Charisma Carpenter
(Narrator)
Anya- Emma Caulfield Ford
(Narrator)
Clem-James Charles Leary
(Narrator)
Drusilla- Juliet Landau
(Narrator)
Giles- Anthony Head
(Narrator)
Jonathan-Danny Strong
(Narrator)
Tara Maclay is also in this audiobook but is not played by Amber Benson the Narrator still does a
great job as do all the narrators in this book 📖 ❤ loved it!
Happy Listening 📕🎧🎧🎧🎼🔊🎶🎵🎶🎼🔊🎵🎶🎶🎚🎶🎵
I don't like all the Buffy books or audiobooks, but this one I absolutely loved.
Having the real characters from the real show was audio perfection, and I want more. This book captured the magic of the real Buffy a great addition for Buffy fans to collect and hold on too.
Amazing but seriously more of these books with the original cast please.
Who can I expect to find in this book from the original Buffy series?
Spike -James Marsters
(Narrator)
Cordelia-Charisma Carpenter
(Narrator)
Anya- Emma Caulfield Ford
(Narrator)
Clem-James Charles Leary
(Narrator)
Drusilla- Juliet Landau
(Narrator)
Giles- Anthony Head
(Narrator)
Jonathan-Danny Strong
(Narrator)
Tara Maclay is also in this audiobook but is not played by Amber Benson the Narrator still does a
great job as do all the narrators in this book 📖 ❤ loved it!
Happy Listening 📕🎧🎧🎧🎼🔊🎶🎵🎶🎼🔊🎵🎶🎶🎚🎶🎵
April 10, 2024
I like Spike!
This was pretty good and very nostalgic. I always loved Buffy the vampire slayer and some of my favorite characters returned for this story. Spike has always been my favorite and he played heavily in this story. There was a multi-verse storyline so even some of the characters that died were able to return for this, like Cordelia Chase, Tara and drusilla. I don’t really want to say more about the plot but it was entertaining, especially since the audiobook had the original cast mates back to do the narration and it had all the sound effects as well.
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This was pretty good and very nostalgic. I always loved Buffy the vampire slayer and some of my favorite characters returned for this story. Spike has always been my favorite and he played heavily in this story. There was a multi-verse storyline so even some of the characters that died were able to return for this, like Cordelia Chase, Tara and drusilla. I don’t really want to say more about the plot but it was entertaining, especially since the audiobook had the original cast mates back to do the narration and it had all the sound effects as well.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest|BookBub
December 12, 2023
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is an audiobook based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This takes place ten years after the show's finale. Spike is still battling for the side of good when he is visited by someone from an alternate dimension. It seems like in that dimension Dru is the big bad and this person is asking Spike for help.
This is a difficult one to rate for various reasons. The show delved into multiple dimensions during its run. It barely touched upon them. Now with the comics and new novels they are delving into this concept big time. But isn't everyone? I think I am getting a little weary of this story idea so that might have affected my enjoyment. On the other side of the coin I listen to audiobooks in work. While listening to this I was totally into it and it did make work fly by. As for the story it plays on the nostalgia. How can it not when you have the voices of the original actors in your ear? It also offers little easter eggs than fans of the show will eat up. Some are subtle and some are asking you blatantly if you remember this. The story itself is nothing special. It is your basic alternate dimension story. This person is this instead of being the character that you know. This person is involved with this person instead of being in love with a character from the show. While I enjoyed the different perspective of these characters some were a little weird.
After everything being said this is a fun book for fans of the show. The actors were amazing and it I loved hearing them in their roles again. This story definitely works better as an audiobook. If I read this story in written form I probably would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.
This is an audiobook based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This takes place ten years after the show's finale. Spike is still battling for the side of good when he is visited by someone from an alternate dimension. It seems like in that dimension Dru is the big bad and this person is asking Spike for help.
This is a difficult one to rate for various reasons. The show delved into multiple dimensions during its run. It barely touched upon them. Now with the comics and new novels they are delving into this concept big time. But isn't everyone? I think I am getting a little weary of this story idea so that might have affected my enjoyment. On the other side of the coin I listen to audiobooks in work. While listening to this I was totally into it and it did make work fly by. As for the story it plays on the nostalgia. How can it not when you have the voices of the original actors in your ear? It also offers little easter eggs than fans of the show will eat up. Some are subtle and some are asking you blatantly if you remember this. The story itself is nothing special. It is your basic alternate dimension story. This person is this instead of being the character that you know. This person is involved with this person instead of being in love with a character from the show. While I enjoyed the different perspective of these characters some were a little weird.
After everything being said this is a fun book for fans of the show. The actors were amazing and it I loved hearing them in their roles again. This story definitely works better as an audiobook. If I read this story in written form I probably would not have enjoyed it as much as I did.
November 15, 2023
Excrement.
This is one of the worst cash grabs I've ever fallen victim to. I'm sure the pitch was "let's see how many actors from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are available to record an audio drama, then write a weak story just using those characters."
Oh, and let's place it in a multiverse! A multiverse means that the original characters and their demises are irrelevant, so Cordelia can be the slayer now, Tara (also the author, who somehow also got top billing of the actors in the audiobook credits) can play a much more prominent role, etc. etc. I'm shocked Joss Whedon signed off on this thing, but then again, he's not working right now.... Even some fine voice acting performances (I'm looking at you, James Marsters) couldn't save this thing.
If you're starved for Buffyverse books, the books by Kiersten White and Kendare Blake are all exponentially better than this drivel.
0.5/5 (a rating I save only for books so bad I wish they had not been written).
This is one of the worst cash grabs I've ever fallen victim to. I'm sure the pitch was "let's see how many actors from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are available to record an audio drama, then write a weak story just using those characters."
Oh, and let's place it in a multiverse! A multiverse means that the original characters and their demises are irrelevant, so Cordelia can be the slayer now, Tara (also the author, who somehow also got top billing of the actors in the audiobook credits) can play a much more prominent role, etc. etc. I'm shocked Joss Whedon signed off on this thing, but then again, he's not working right now.... Even some fine voice acting performances (I'm looking at you, James Marsters) couldn't save this thing.
If you're starved for Buffyverse books, the books by Kiersten White and Kendare Blake are all exponentially better than this drivel.
0.5/5 (a rating I save only for books so bad I wish they had not been written).
October 17, 2023
4.5 stars ~ [8.90/10]
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see a time where a big chunk of the original cast would reprise their roles for a new Buffyverse story (especially Emma Caulfield!) Not just because it is difficult to reprise certain roles where characters do not age but also because of the rocky path this property has navigated in recent years. This show was never just about the creator (and his subsequent fall from grace) but the general perception was often that he was the mastermind behind everything that made it good. Yet, any hardcore fan will tell you that this show (and the spin-off) never would've achieved the things it achieved without the full ensemble, including: cast, crew and a stacked writer's room. So it really warms my heart to see Christopher Golden and Amber Benson pick up the mantle. Golden because he wrote some of my favourite BtVS novelisations back in the day and Benson because she's always been listening and acknowledging the voices of fans.
And, this is definitely one for the fans. The universe has matured along with its core audience, whilst still keeping it fresh and maintaining the DNA. There are so many easter eggs for fans to pick up on, even down to the way that inflections are used on certain phrases. Juliet Landau really excels at this and it's clear she knows deep in her bones what her most iconic lines are from the show, Drusilla is the role she was born to play. The show was always the most exciting to me when we had female antagonists so it was super exciting to see that Drusilla was the main villain.
However, I think it's greatest success is the focus on giving "justice" to female characters that were a little hard done by when it came to early 2000s media literacy: Cordelia, Tara and Anya. AU Cordy is wonderful, she embodies what it means to be a slayer so well because there were never that many degrees of separation between her personality and Buffy's personality. AtS proved that Cordy was a champion and Charisma Carpenter was able to bring in those aspects of how her character evolved whilst also making it really easy to believe that, in another life, Cordelia could have been the chosen one. (It's extra meta when you think about how CC and SMG were both going up for the role of Buffy during auditions.) Cordelia's send-off in AtS has to be one of the most frustrating things that these shows ever did and now that we know the BTS context of why that happened it sticks in the teeth even more, so it was absolutely wonderful to see a reimagining of a beloved character given the respect that she deserves. Tara got a chance to be a character outside of her relationship with Willow, she was given an edge and a struggle that was purely her own to overcome. In season 6 of BtVS the writers attempted to develop Tara's friendship with Buffy, but most of the time, when her storyline did not revolve around Willow, she was off-screen... until Seeing Red went the way that it did. Tara's role in this production also allows for a better understanding as why she is not featured on the cover art, she's supposed to be a reveal. Anya was and is a fan favourite and although she made it to the finale, rumour has it that Emma wasn't planning to return if the show got an 8th season because they weren't really giving her much to do. Season 7 struggled in a lot of ways, but the potential slayers storyline meant that it was veering away from what made the show excellent... the core cast. We were lucky to get more than one line from Anya in a regular episode, so I wouldn't have blamed her if she was done. In Slayers we get both Anya and Anyanka and it's a treat to listen to Emma deliver these characters as if she'd never stopped embodying them. One of the missteps that the show made with her character was not realising how interesting a 1000 year old ex-demon was and how that gave them so much fruitful ground to mine. I get that it was Buffy's story though so I'm pleased that this new incarnation of the universe allows a lot of breathing room to explore side characters on a deeper level.
Spike is a draw for a lot of us as well. James Marsters will always be associated with this character because he was a little bit method about how he approached it. And since both BtVS and AtS ended he's one of the stars who has really helped to keep the fandom alive - he embraced it instead of trying to distance himself from it. Spike has always been an interesting character because of the way he existed in the grey, how he became a foil for both Buffy and Angel and how he was never meant to exist in this universe in the way that he ended up existing. His character is an embodiment of how JW was never the mastermind because Spike, arguably the most popular Buffyverse character, existed in spite of the creator. Kinda poetic. In Slayers he still gets to live in that grey area even though he's the one leading us through the story. It was really impressive to see how Golden and Benson managed to accomplish this, without ever compromising the things that fans loved about him.
Hearing Anthony Head reprise his role as Rupert Giles was probably the most comforting aspect of this whole story he is the voice of reason, often the only adult in the room and a substitute father figure for the characters and many of the fans (including me.) I'm currently reading through the comics and at a bit of a shaky spot in terms of the Giles storyline (IYKYK), but I was so happy to hear him living his life with Olivia in London where they owned Fairweather Bookshop; it's absolutely the life I imagined for him. He'll always be our "stalwart standing-fast" and because of that he feels like a balancing presence in this new(ish) crew of world-savers. However, there was a moment at the very end that makes me so hopeful for a sequel so that we can see a different side of Giles.
Indira was a really welcome new addition to this world and kind of genius on the part of the writers because her youthfulness really provided the nostalgic energy of seasons 1-3. I really loved that she'd only just come into her Slayer powers but was also quite clued up on everything because she had been born into a world where Slayers were the norm - it also meant that they didn't have to waste valuable time in info-dumping for her. She kind of ended up being a mirror for the fans because she was such a fan of everyone else, and because of that it was really easy to feel a kinship with her straight away.
I really loved the new character of Miranda too. I kept trying to place her voice and it wasn't until the end credits that I realised she had been voiced by Juno Dawson (yes, that Juno Dawson!) I loved Danny Strong's cameo as ghost Jonathan and it did make me wish we could've gotten an Andrew/Tom Lenk cameo too because we all know he absolutely would've been up for it - perhaps we'll see him in a sequel!
I'm not the biggest fan of multiverse stories because when they're introduced into existing properties they often feel like an easy-out for writers who don't want to stick to canon, which can subsequently take me out of the story. However, multiverses and alternate universes have been an established part of the Buffyverse canon since season 3, episode 9 The Wish so it felt very in keeping with the worldbuilding that had already been established. It's still not my absolute favourite vehicle to tell a full story, but I do like they way that they interweaved "our" characters with the AU characters. The ending made it seem like we might by sticking around in this alternate universe for a while though so I have a little bit of trepidation about what that means for the storylines that played out in the series, if they do decide to make a sequel.
I could go on and on about this and even though this has turned into a much longer review than I intended, it still feels like I've barely scratched the surface. If you're a fan of the Buffyverse, you're in for a treat!
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see a time where a big chunk of the original cast would reprise their roles for a new Buffyverse story (especially Emma Caulfield!) Not just because it is difficult to reprise certain roles where characters do not age but also because of the rocky path this property has navigated in recent years. This show was never just about the creator (and his subsequent fall from grace) but the general perception was often that he was the mastermind behind everything that made it good. Yet, any hardcore fan will tell you that this show (and the spin-off) never would've achieved the things it achieved without the full ensemble, including: cast, crew and a stacked writer's room. So it really warms my heart to see Christopher Golden and Amber Benson pick up the mantle. Golden because he wrote some of my favourite BtVS novelisations back in the day and Benson because she's always been listening and acknowledging the voices of fans.
And, this is definitely one for the fans. The universe has matured along with its core audience, whilst still keeping it fresh and maintaining the DNA. There are so many easter eggs for fans to pick up on, even down to the way that inflections are used on certain phrases. Juliet Landau really excels at this and it's clear she knows deep in her bones what her most iconic lines are from the show, Drusilla is the role she was born to play. The show was always the most exciting to me when we had female antagonists so it was super exciting to see that Drusilla was the main villain.
However, I think it's greatest success is the focus on giving "justice" to female characters that were a little hard done by when it came to early 2000s media literacy: Cordelia, Tara and Anya. AU Cordy is wonderful, she embodies what it means to be a slayer so well because there were never that many degrees of separation between her personality and Buffy's personality. AtS proved that Cordy was a champion and Charisma Carpenter was able to bring in those aspects of how her character evolved whilst also making it really easy to believe that, in another life, Cordelia could have been the chosen one. (It's extra meta when you think about how CC and SMG were both going up for the role of Buffy during auditions.) Cordelia's send-off in AtS has to be one of the most frustrating things that these shows ever did and now that we know the BTS context of why that happened it sticks in the teeth even more, so it was absolutely wonderful to see a reimagining of a beloved character given the respect that she deserves. Tara got a chance to be a character outside of her relationship with Willow, she was given an edge and a struggle that was purely her own to overcome. In season 6 of BtVS the writers attempted to develop Tara's friendship with Buffy, but most of the time, when her storyline did not revolve around Willow, she was off-screen... until Seeing Red went the way that it did. Tara's role in this production also allows for a better understanding as why she is not featured on the cover art, she's supposed to be a reveal. Anya was and is a fan favourite and although she made it to the finale, rumour has it that Emma wasn't planning to return if the show got an 8th season because they weren't really giving her much to do. Season 7 struggled in a lot of ways, but the potential slayers storyline meant that it was veering away from what made the show excellent... the core cast. We were lucky to get more than one line from Anya in a regular episode, so I wouldn't have blamed her if she was done. In Slayers we get both Anya and Anyanka and it's a treat to listen to Emma deliver these characters as if she'd never stopped embodying them. One of the missteps that the show made with her character was not realising how interesting a 1000 year old ex-demon was and how that gave them so much fruitful ground to mine. I get that it was Buffy's story though so I'm pleased that this new incarnation of the universe allows a lot of breathing room to explore side characters on a deeper level.
Spike is a draw for a lot of us as well. James Marsters will always be associated with this character because he was a little bit method about how he approached it. And since both BtVS and AtS ended he's one of the stars who has really helped to keep the fandom alive - he embraced it instead of trying to distance himself from it. Spike has always been an interesting character because of the way he existed in the grey, how he became a foil for both Buffy and Angel and how he was never meant to exist in this universe in the way that he ended up existing. His character is an embodiment of how JW was never the mastermind because Spike, arguably the most popular Buffyverse character, existed in spite of the creator. Kinda poetic. In Slayers he still gets to live in that grey area even though he's the one leading us through the story. It was really impressive to see how Golden and Benson managed to accomplish this, without ever compromising the things that fans loved about him.
Hearing Anthony Head reprise his role as Rupert Giles was probably the most comforting aspect of this whole story he is the voice of reason, often the only adult in the room and a substitute father figure for the characters and many of the fans (including me.) I'm currently reading through the comics and at a bit of a shaky spot in terms of the Giles storyline (IYKYK), but I was so happy to hear him living his life with Olivia in London where they owned Fairweather Bookshop; it's absolutely the life I imagined for him. He'll always be our "stalwart standing-fast" and because of that he feels like a balancing presence in this new(ish) crew of world-savers. However, there was a moment at the very end that makes me so hopeful for a sequel so that we can see a different side of Giles.
Indira was a really welcome new addition to this world and kind of genius on the part of the writers because her youthfulness really provided the nostalgic energy of seasons 1-3. I really loved that she'd only just come into her Slayer powers but was also quite clued up on everything because she had been born into a world where Slayers were the norm - it also meant that they didn't have to waste valuable time in info-dumping for her. She kind of ended up being a mirror for the fans because she was such a fan of everyone else, and because of that it was really easy to feel a kinship with her straight away.
I really loved the new character of Miranda too. I kept trying to place her voice and it wasn't until the end credits that I realised she had been voiced by Juno Dawson (yes, that Juno Dawson!) I loved Danny Strong's cameo as ghost Jonathan and it did make me wish we could've gotten an Andrew/Tom Lenk cameo too because we all know he absolutely would've been up for it - perhaps we'll see him in a sequel!
I'm not the biggest fan of multiverse stories because when they're introduced into existing properties they often feel like an easy-out for writers who don't want to stick to canon, which can subsequently take me out of the story. However, multiverses and alternate universes have been an established part of the Buffyverse canon since season 3, episode 9 The Wish so it felt very in keeping with the worldbuilding that had already been established. It's still not my absolute favourite vehicle to tell a full story, but I do like they way that they interweaved "our" characters with the AU characters. The ending made it seem like we might by sticking around in this alternate universe for a while though so I have a little bit of trepidation about what that means for the storylines that played out in the series, if they do decide to make a sequel.
I could go on and on about this and even though this has turned into a much longer review than I intended, it still feels like I've barely scratched the surface. If you're a fan of the Buffyverse, you're in for a treat!
Read
October 18, 2023Buffy means the world to me and I think I went into this with expectations that were too high.
As wonderful as it was to hear some of the old cast, who we all know and love, I couldn’t get past how cheesy the plot and a lot of the dialogue was. Tonally, it felt completely wrong and, god, I found the dog & monkey painfully off putting!
I can’t rate this. In my heart, I know I didn’t have the best experience listening - but I can’t do something that was done with so much love dirty like that.
I just hope the cast had an absolutely brilliant time creating it and that it even healed some old wounds.
If there is a sequel, will I listen to it? Yes. Because this show has its hooks into me so deep that, no matter what, I can’t let new content surrounding it pass me by.
*Climbs into a confused hole and hibernates for 20 more years*
As wonderful as it was to hear some of the old cast, who we all know and love, I couldn’t get past how cheesy the plot and a lot of the dialogue was. Tonally, it felt completely wrong and, god, I found the dog & monkey painfully off putting!
I can’t rate this. In my heart, I know I didn’t have the best experience listening - but I can’t do something that was done with so much love dirty like that.
I just hope the cast had an absolutely brilliant time creating it and that it even healed some old wounds.
If there is a sequel, will I listen to it? Yes. Because this show has its hooks into me so deep that, no matter what, I can’t let new content surrounding it pass me by.
*Climbs into a confused hole and hibernates for 20 more years*
March 3, 2024
I absolutely loved this, being back in the Buffy world. The production is incredible, loved hearing these actors reprise their roles, and the plot was fun.
Super bummed that there's not going to be a sequel :( especially with that teaser at the end
Super bummed that there's not going to be a sequel :( especially with that teaser at the end
October 23, 2023
There’s no amount of nostalgia that can save this story, unfortunately.
The audiobook's narration and production are fantastic, but the story though… it’s just bad. It truly reads like fan fiction (and not the entertaining and fun kind!)
The audiobook's narration and production are fantastic, but the story though… it’s just bad. It truly reads like fan fiction (and not the entertaining and fun kind!)
December 15, 2023
This is a fun audio adventure set in an alternate Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. (Or several of them, actually.) It's in the format of an old radio drama, not a prose narrative, and many of the actors from the original television series return to perform their characters' roles. Juliet Landau as Drusilla was wonderfully creepy, Emma Caulfield as multiple Anya's was quite good, as was co-author Amber Benson as Tara, Anthony Stewart-Head as Giles, Charisma Carpenter as a kickass Cordelia, etc., etc. James Marsters was spot-on as Spike, too, of course. The story itself is a little scattered, and some of the plot seemed to me to probably hinge on what performers were available at what times, but it's quite a fun romp, nonetheless. There are a number of great humorous lines (Giles is running a bookstore and is interrupted in the middle of an expository scene by a caller to whom he has to explain that the new book from Mr. Martin is still not yet available, for example), a new character named Indira who's a spunky young slayer is endearing, and there are several scenes that struck me as being particularly memorable. (I found Tara and Dru being cuddly a bit disturbing.) My favorite bit was probably Cordelia as the slayer; she deserved some retribution. The multiple alternate universe concept is both a blessing and a curse to the story, because when anything can happen it opens the possibilities for story variations up unlimitedly, but also lessens the consequences. There's that whole balance of a universe without shrimp and one with nothing but shrimp, right? Anyway, it was a fun listen, and though I prefer reading to hearing I hope that more Buffy-verse stories are forthcoming. What's up with Oz, and what if...?
October 28, 2023
This new BuffyVerse story was definitely made for the fans & it was pretty bloody fun!
Spike singing? Giles being his superb Giles self? More Tara? Cordelia being The Chosen One? YES SLAYERS, YES!!!
Spike singing? Giles being his superb Giles self? More Tara? Cordelia being The Chosen One? YES SLAYERS, YES!!!
October 16, 2023
This was SUPERB! It felt just like watching an episode, and though I love me some Spuffy, I was fine with Buffy and most of the Scoobs being away for this adventure. I'm a big fan of alternate realities in the first place, but one where my queen Cordy is the slayer? Yes, please! And I'm almost embarrassed at the high-pitched sound I made when Jonathan made an appearance. Dru was just as unhinged as I remember, and seeing a different side of Tara was ridiculously pleasing! I missed Anya so much nd I'm so glad she was back for this one! Clem made me laugh so many times! Giles was as dashing and drypan as ever. James played Spike like he'd just left the role yesterday! He's always amazing! Indira, the new slayer, was cute and quirky, and I was here for it! If it sounds like I'm fangirling over this entire production, it's because I so am! I need them to do more of these because this was a delight!
January 7, 2024
The gang is back (most of them) most importantly my favorite character, Clem!
This was excellent. I blew through it in one day. The OG cast sounded great and the new characters were exactly what you want/expect in a Buffyverse story.
I hope they put out more seasons.
This was excellent. I blew through it in one day. The OG cast sounded great and the new characters were exactly what you want/expect in a Buffyverse story.
I hope they put out more seasons.
November 13, 2023
This was fine. It certainly has the flavour of the typical Buffy story, which is helped immensely by some classic characters returns. However, in order to fit in some of these previously deceased characters the plot does get a little convoluted at times, to the detriment of the pacing. I liked the inclusion of Indira, she injects a lot of energy and humour to the story, but honestly there's always a big white elephant hanging over the plot - where's Buffy and the core Scoobies? You just can't have a Buffy story without her, and other than a passing comment I'm still at a loss as to where they are.
October 14, 2023
I think my expectations for this were high because I love Buffy so much and I’ve gotten into Big Finish audio dramas. Some aspects of this story were hard to get behind, like changing characters in the AU so radically (Tara especially, and then even Cordelia). But overall, it was just nice to hear these actors as these characters again. I found myself more interested in the world we knew post-Chosen, but we completely left it after the halfway point. Hearing Anya, Cordy, Tara, Amy, and even Jonathan again was cool… but I don’t care about these iterations because I don’t know them, and in many cases they’re less likable than the ones we knew. I’d say Anya was the one AU character closest to her other counterpart we knew, and it made her the most likable instantly out of the new characters from the AU world. Cordy was great, she just wasn’t anything like the Cordy we knew; changing her background before being activated as a slayer seemed unnecessary to me. Why does she have a sister in this world? Why are her parents split up? Just seems like they wanted to make this Cordy as close to Buffy as possible (her roots at least), and I didn’t need those major changes to her past. This plot also felt really stretched out and dragged in places, like they were mandated to hit a minimum of 8 hours of content, but the plot they came up with felt like it could have been a couple episodes less. Evil Tara was so campy and you could tell Benson was having a blast, but we spent waaay too much time with her, imo. The Anyanka and Sunnydale/Magic Box retcons are a bit weird and not needed, but I’ll accept them. Sure, I guess we can pretend vengeance demons always operated like vampires if it means having a version of Anya existing somewhere in our main reality still? Sure, I guess we can pretend part of Sunnydale didn’t sink and it coincidentally was the Magic Box portion… Maybe it was located by the docks we also retconned out of Sunnydale in the finale? Sure, why not! Clem was a standout character in this. And Giles was such a nice addition to the cast. He felt like a solid link to the Buffy show we knew and loved. I’m glad this series seems to set up a second season, and it teases some cool aspects to look forward to, but I honestly just want to explore the original universe post-Chosen. There’s so much to explore! Yes, the comics did it, but this series establishes that the comics are in a different continuity entirely. Spike and Clem staying in the AU seems like a missed opportunity to use them to explore the world I actually care about. I guess they could go back eventually, but I’m just ready to leave alternate realities behind us and go back to our original world. If we can’t get a Spike series set in that original world, I think they should do a Faith series set there. And even a Giles/Ripper series set in the past with Head narrating. The Buffy universe is so vast to explore; and we don’t need to rely on AUs to do that. So while I have some issues with this series, overall I think it succeeds in what it wanted to do. And it was just so fun to hear these characters again! 4.5/5 rounded up.
October 20, 2023
My 99s/00s heart is so full right now 😭 James Masters and Juliet Landau back as Spike and Drucilla was exactly the spin off I needed! Hearing their voices in those roles again was such a nostalgic experience and I am so excited for hopefully more of these audiobooks to come, if that ending was anything to go by!
I’ll admit, I was concerned when “he who must not be named” wasn’t having any creative part of this but Amber Benson and Chris Golden did an exceptional job keeping these characters true to their roots and the overall feeling of the entire audiobook gave me ALL the Buffy vibes. The cheesy, corny jokes, the unique personalities we all love so much, the fast talking witty slayer - it was just truly everything I could have hoped for and more!
Thank you for allowing me to revisit this universe and bring these characters back to life (figuratively and literally) - easy 5 stars!
I’ll admit, I was concerned when “he who must not be named” wasn’t having any creative part of this but Amber Benson and Chris Golden did an exceptional job keeping these characters true to their roots and the overall feeling of the entire audiobook gave me ALL the Buffy vibes. The cheesy, corny jokes, the unique personalities we all love so much, the fast talking witty slayer - it was just truly everything I could have hoped for and more!
Thank you for allowing me to revisit this universe and bring these characters back to life (figuratively and literally) - easy 5 stars!
October 28, 2023
Nearly gave this three-stars because nostalgia and Drusilla doing gay shit, but I have so many criticisms of this even Juliet Landau’s performance can’t compensate.
December 10, 2023
So I am a huge Buffy fan. I remember being in high school when the series started and I have rewatched it COUNTLESS times! So how could I NOT get this audio PRODUCTION! I say production because it is only available on audible, and it is like a movie for your ears! A great Buffy "sequel" with Spike as the central character and yes it is the original cast. Not all of them... some were absent, cough.. cough.. Sarah Michelle Gellar... cough. But we have a LOT of the original cast and for a die-hard fan like me this was PURE AWESOMENESS!
PLUS! It was written by Amber benson (Tara). And Spike (James Marsters) is just bloody superb! One of my fav narrators!
How do they bring back so many characters that died in the series? Well I will leave that up to you to listen. Although far-fetched, it worked for me. And I loved it.
There were so many good moments and I laughed so much! Oh I will be listening to this again and again! Bloody fantastic!
And I'm counting it as a book, even if it's only available on audio.
5 slaying stars! See what I did there?
Loved it!!!
PLUS! It was written by Amber benson (Tara). And Spike (James Marsters) is just bloody superb! One of my fav narrators!
How do they bring back so many characters that died in the series? Well I will leave that up to you to listen. Although far-fetched, it worked for me. And I loved it.
There were so many good moments and I laughed so much! Oh I will be listening to this again and again! Bloody fantastic!
And I'm counting it as a book, even if it's only available on audio.
5 slaying stars! See what I did there?
Loved it!!!
February 4, 2024
Amber Benson NEVER write buffy fanfic (or anything else) ever again. Truly heinous.
January 3, 2024
Massive disappointment. The voice acting was inconsistent, some actors were bringing their A-game others seemed to just be there to cash a cheque. The plot is fanservice with no satisfaction. Way too much yappy dog. Just made me wanna re-watch actual Buffy to cleanse this from my brain.
November 8, 2023
Listening to this was like coming back home after a long time. The nostalgia I felt was overwhelming despite the flaws in the story. Hearing my favourite characters from Buffy and Angel coming back to life… Still feels dreamy. I hope they continue the series by adding other cast members. It felt strange not to have Buffy in this but Spike and Dru alone carry the whole story to another level. Loved everything about it, well-done Audible!
October 14, 2023
This is the first audiobook that I listened to with a full cast. It was a fantastic story in the Buffyverse with so many characters I wished had a longer story. Thank you to all who brought this story to light! It was thoroughly enjoyed!!!
February 17, 2024
As a Buffy fan, I was so looking forward to this. But this was awful.
October 24, 2023
Amber Benson and Christopher Golden do a fine job spinning off a multiversal Buffyverse story that brings back actress Charisma Carpenter and her character of Cordelia Chase -- now a vampire slayer from a different Earth. It's a welcome return, too, with both the actress and character given a much-needed focus after being waylaid in the fourth season of Angel by series creator Joss Whedon.
Slayers is also a welcome return to the world Whedon created without all the excess toxic baggage of its creator, with series staples like Spike, Giles, Anya, and others coming back for another go-round... or at least some version or another (or more) of them. Cordelia has arrived on our Earth to recruit Spike to help her save her world, which is threatened by Drusilla, Queen of the Vampires, who is close to unleashing a magic spell that will make her and her vamp minions immune to sunlight. Tagging along is a brand-new slayer, one of the hundreds of women activated in the wake of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finale, Indira Nunnally, a Buffy fangirl who has decided Spike will be her mentor, whether he wants to or not.
Benson and Golden have been entrenched in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a good, long while, with the former giving life to the series' character Tara Maclay and the latter having written a number of media tie-ins for the property. Both are well-suited to help revive the Buffyverse, and Slayers gives a good idea of what to expect from their capable hands should Audible commission additional "seasons." Slayers isn't quite as frighteningly apocalyptic as some of its televised predecessors, and feels relatively low-stakes (no pun intended) following the series finales of both Buffy and Angel with its focus on Drusilla's magical shenanigans, but it certainly is an enjoyable romp nonetheless. Mostly, it just feels great to have characters like Giles back in action, and switching the setting over to an alternate reality, sans Buffy Summers, allows for a proper return to form with familiar locales, like a Sunnydale that hasn't been sucked into a Hellmouth and the occult bookshop, The Magic Box. There's a lot here for long-time fans to appreciate, not the least of which being the return of the show's actors themselves, and no doubt there will be much clamoring for Benson and Golden to pen another batch of Audible Original episodes and the return of a few other familiar faces (or voices) -- especially given the groundwork they lay for a second season in the final moments of Slayers.
Slayers is also a welcome return to the world Whedon created without all the excess toxic baggage of its creator, with series staples like Spike, Giles, Anya, and others coming back for another go-round... or at least some version or another (or more) of them. Cordelia has arrived on our Earth to recruit Spike to help her save her world, which is threatened by Drusilla, Queen of the Vampires, who is close to unleashing a magic spell that will make her and her vamp minions immune to sunlight. Tagging along is a brand-new slayer, one of the hundreds of women activated in the wake of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finale, Indira Nunnally, a Buffy fangirl who has decided Spike will be her mentor, whether he wants to or not.
Benson and Golden have been entrenched in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a good, long while, with the former giving life to the series' character Tara Maclay and the latter having written a number of media tie-ins for the property. Both are well-suited to help revive the Buffyverse, and Slayers gives a good idea of what to expect from their capable hands should Audible commission additional "seasons." Slayers isn't quite as frighteningly apocalyptic as some of its televised predecessors, and feels relatively low-stakes (no pun intended) following the series finales of both Buffy and Angel with its focus on Drusilla's magical shenanigans, but it certainly is an enjoyable romp nonetheless. Mostly, it just feels great to have characters like Giles back in action, and switching the setting over to an alternate reality, sans Buffy Summers, allows for a proper return to form with familiar locales, like a Sunnydale that hasn't been sucked into a Hellmouth and the occult bookshop, The Magic Box. There's a lot here for long-time fans to appreciate, not the least of which being the return of the show's actors themselves, and no doubt there will be much clamoring for Benson and Golden to pen another batch of Audible Original episodes and the return of a few other familiar faces (or voices) -- especially given the groundwork they lay for a second season in the final moments of Slayers.
Read
March 14, 2024Narrated by original Buffy cast members: James Marsters, Amber Bensin, Juliet Landau, Emma Caulfield, Charisma Carpenter, Danny Strong, Anthony Head James Charles Leary and Indira - Laya DeLeon Hayes playing a new slayer character, Indira. In a different reality, Cordelia is the only slayer and Drusilla is the Big Bad, aided and abetted by Tara, who is still alive in the second reality In the original reality Spike and his best friend Clem are working undercover, working to keep threats down along with multiple slayers. Spike is the main narrator. Slayer Cordelia arrives to enlist Spike's help against Dru. Retired watcher, Giles, is enlisted, too. There are demons and ghosts in both realities and plenty of bad guys to fight, including two versions of Anya, one of them still a vengeance demon, Anyanka.
October 14, 2023
“You’re my favourite freak show, Spike”
Indira has been a slayer since breakfast. As a slayer fan, she tracks down Spike to help train her. But they are interrupted by Cordelia, but this a Cordelia from another reality who is the solo chosen slayer. She seeks Spike’s help in taking down the big bad set to destroy her reality. Indira sees this as an excellent opportunity to get help training from a real slayer. Also with the help of Clem, Anya & Giles they set out to help Cordelia & get Indira some hands on experience.
Such a great listen with the original cast, bringing this world & characters back to life. Also the slight change on who they are now & the new relationships to each other. Loved the take on Cordelia now being the slayer.
Is left with a slight open ending & really hope we get more.
“I stay a live for the hugs”
Indira has been a slayer since breakfast. As a slayer fan, she tracks down Spike to help train her. But they are interrupted by Cordelia, but this a Cordelia from another reality who is the solo chosen slayer. She seeks Spike’s help in taking down the big bad set to destroy her reality. Indira sees this as an excellent opportunity to get help training from a real slayer. Also with the help of Clem, Anya & Giles they set out to help Cordelia & get Indira some hands on experience.
Such a great listen with the original cast, bringing this world & characters back to life. Also the slight change on who they are now & the new relationships to each other. Loved the take on Cordelia now being the slayer.
Is left with a slight open ending & really hope we get more.
“I stay a live for the hugs”
December 7, 2023
OG Buffy fans! This one's for you! I don't know if they plan on actually releasing this as a print book, but I think this is obviously going to capture the essence more if you listen to the audiobook since we've got lots of the original actors on here! I absolutely loved the unhinged romance and humor between Spike and Druscilla, and what a treat to get this in 2023! I have not rewatched Buffy in several years, and worried I wouldn't remember many things, but the way the plot is designed, you don't have to totally recall everything that happened on the show; they give a quick rundown on what last happened. I was so thrilled listening to this book, and I totally pictured everything happening as I heard the actors' voices!
November 22, 2023
4 stars for the story and the performance and the 5th star for nostalgia reasons and for James Marsters singing a part of "Rest in peace".
I looooooved all of this so much. The little Easter eggs in the story were awesome. Having so many of my favourite characters back and being back in this world that means so much to me was just great and I really hope that there's going to be a part 2.
PS.: Who designs these fugly audible original covers??!! Like, what is happening there?
I looooooved all of this so much. The little Easter eggs in the story were awesome. Having so many of my favourite characters back and being back in this world that means so much to me was just great and I really hope that there's going to be a part 2.
PS.: Who designs these fugly audible original covers??!! Like, what is happening there?
November 9, 2023
Just awesome… if you’re a fan of the show it’s a MUST!!
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