Greetings
Joss junkies! This is the first of (hopefully) many reviews on one of the most
overlooked aspects within the wonderful world of Whedon— the Buffy novels!
And
what better book to begin this brouhaha AND celebrate the October
season than… “Halloween Rain!”
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| "Let's start at the--" ... you get the idea. |
“Halloween
Rain,” released in 1997, is the first official Buffy novel, discounting an
earlier written adaptation of the series’ pilot. The book, co-written by
Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder, marks the first of several
stellar collaborations between the authors— both have contributed numerous
novels to the Slayer universe, and together wrote two of my favorite Buffy
companion works that I frequently cite when writing my video scripts, “The Watcher’s Guide, Vol. 1” and the “Sunnydale High Yearbook.”
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| My Bibles |
The
plot takes place on the eve of the titular holiday. After a major lull in
slayage, Buffy hopes for a low-key evening and makes
plans to attend the Bronze’s annual masquerade party with her friends. Sensing
her restlessness, Willow and Xander tell her of a Sunnydale legend that says if
a scarecrow is soaked with Halloween rain, it will come to life and slaughter
anyone in sight. As the night progresses, the town’s vampires gather, the dead
begin to rise and Buffy begins to think that her Halloween might not be as
uneventful as she had hoped. And then the rain begins to fall…
“Halloween
Rain” is meant to take place during Season One of the show, specifically
between the episodes “The Pack” and “Angel.” However,
since Buffy moves to Sunnydale during the spring, the events in the novel are
impossible. Additionally, they contradict the long-running Buffyverse
gag that Halloween is an “off-night” for vampires and demons, a joke that was
established in the aptly-named Season Two episode. Interestingly, Golden
has said that although “Halloween Rain” was written before this episode, the
book was published less than a week after it aired.
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| The Scoobies stand in shock of this ill-fated timing! |
Despite
being definitively non-canon, it’s fun seeing Golden and Holder work within the
Season One framework to craft their narrative. Their knowledge of the
Buffyverse is apparent, and it’s the little touches— using the one-off
character of Aphrodisia, citing Buffy’s
love of Neiman Marcus, bringing back Principal Flutie for a macabre cameo,
etc.— that make this story feel like an authentic tie-in to the TV series.
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| Hooray, now you're more than a punchline! |
The authors also make several ambitious additions to the preexisting material. Their most notable contributions are Erin Randall, a past Slayer whose exploits are recorded in the annals of the Watcher’s Guide, and Mr. O’Leary, a former Sunnydale High teacher driven insane by the town’s supernatural goings-on. Both of these additions show keen creative inspiration and serve as believable extensions to the Buffy mythos.
In
fact, Golden and Holder even unknowingly pre-empted the show with some of their
ideas they introduce (vampires crossing the threshold of public buildings,
Willow dying her hair red, etc.) and its fun finding these nostalgic elements.
However,
Golden and Holder’s greatest strength is their ability to perfectly capture the
witty dialogue and personality of the characters— Giles’ stiff upper lip,
Xander’s dry humor and Willow’s shy enthusiasm are all on display here, and you
can actually hear the Scoobies’ voices as they banter:
“I’m off duty tonight,” Buffy declared. “It’s been way dead
in the undead department, boss. I figure it can’t hurt to pretend Halloween’s
just tricks and treats.”
“First of all, Buffy, I am not your boss,” Giles huffed.
“Your mentor, perhaps… but not your boss… Secondly, I’m afraid what you propose
is impossible.”
“She didn’t propose,” Willow said. “I didn’t hear her
proposing.”
“Definitely no proposing,” Xander agreed. “More of an
announcement. Attention K-Mart shoppers, no slaying tonight. That kind of
thing.”
Besides
these pitch-perfect characterizations, the best part of the book without a
doubt is its villain— the lord of night, the specter of souls, the pumpkin king
himself, Sanhaim!
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| No relation. |
Sanhaim
is a member of the ancient ones, the race of demons that originally inhabited
earth. It’s explained that he is the spirit of Halloween, and due to a waning
belief in superstition, his power has substantially weakened. He’s only able to
enter our reality once a year on Halloween night through a vessel built in his
image… namely, a scarecrow with a carved pumpkin for a head.
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| All hail the Dark Lord! |
The authors have created a sophisticated, spine-chilling antagonist with Sanhaim— not only is he technically immortal, he also has the power to control jack-o’-lanterns, raise zombie hordes and, as the god of fear, can prey on people’s worst nightmares.
Hell,
just the DESCRIPTION of this guy terrifying:
“A nightmare jack-o’-lantern, the pumpkin head leered at
her, hideous and savage. Its mouth— lined with horrible fangs—was pulled into
a broad smile so wide it disappeared around the sides of the blistered gourd.
It belched sickly green fire from its mouth and carved nostrils, flames shot
from its eyes and glowed beneath the orange, uneven skin, casting shadows over
its face...”
Recipe
for Samheim:
2 cups
of Scarecrow from “Arkham Asylum”
1 pint
of Jack Pumpkinhead from “Return to Oz”
1 dash
of flair from The Headless Horseman
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| Enjoy the nightmares everyone! |
If
“Halloween Rain” had been adapted into an actual episode, Samhaim would’ve
hands down been one of the scariest villains in the entire show.
The
only criticism I can make about the book is the ending. Although the climax,
which features a final confrontation with Samheim, is thrilling and intense,
the wrap-up is a bit abrupt— there was no time to enjoy the aftermath and it
could’ve used a bit more closure. This rushed conclusion may be due to the
book’s short length (162 pages), but it still seems like a missed opportunity
to tie everything back to the Halloween party, or, even better, put the
character of Erin Randall to rest.
“Halloween
Rain” is an engaging, scary romp— with its suspenseful plot and creepy
atmosphere, Golden and Holder have lovingly crafted a fantastic story that
serves as a worthy addition to the Whedonverse. More importantly, they set the
bar high for all future Buffy novels.
Rating:
4/5 stakes
Halloween Rain is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Be sure to follow the authors via their social media!
Great review! I realize this is a very old post, but I clicked on your books link first since I'm a big reader, and found my way here.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Halloween Rain does, as you point out, contradict what later seasons showed us (not to mention there was no fall season/Halloween in season one), I have a soft spot for it because this was the first Buffy novel I read. I reread it each Halloween because it can be finished in a couple hours and it's just light, cute fun (as anything in season one automatically is, imo) with a touch of suspense.
Found your blog through your post to Whedonesque's Facebook wall and I'll be sure to keep track of you! Any Whedon fan is a friend of mine. :)
Just so nice review it was. I am really happy to have these ideas here. Keep posting such posts my friend. Even I am very much interesting in hosting a Halloween themed bash at one of the local venues in NYC and have been finding some ideas for the décor online. Found some inspirations on Pinterest which are easy and creative.
ReplyDelete