Angel: Impressions

Buffyverse Novels #72

by Doranna Durgin

Even if it takes an eternity, he will make amends....
ROCK SOLID


An otherwise peaceful day at Angel Investigations is disturbed by the arrival of a desperate man -- and the demon at his heels. The gang quickly disposes of the monster, only to find that it decomposes the instant it dies, leaving them with little by way of identifying characteristics. The man is of no help, as he's fallen victim to a stolen identity scam; he's been wooed by a false Angel and is consequently distrustful of the real deal. And he's certainly not going to give up the ancient stone he's pocketed.

Angel's freaked by the thought of his very own impersonator -- and Cordy's quick to point out all the more worthy celebrities residing in the greater L.A. vicinity -- but he doesn't have time to reflect on the weirdness of the situation. Lorne's reporting some majorly bad mojo over at Caritas that needs handling. But what-ever's getting under all the local demons' skin seems to be affecting Angel as well. Will the "real" Dark Avenger please stand up?

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Media Tie In, Paranormal, Young Adult, Buffy The Vampire Slayer

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Doranna Durgin is an award-winning author (the Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H novel) whose quirky spirit has led to an extensive and eclectic publishing journey across genres, publishers, and publishing lines. Beyond that, she hangs around outside her Southwest mountain home with horse and highly accomplished competition dogs. She doesn't believe in mastering the beast within, but in channeling its power--for good or bad has yet to be decided! She says, “My books are SF/F, mystery, paranormal romance, & romantic suspense. My world is the Southwest, and my dogs are Beagles!”

Doranna’s most recent releases encompass the three books of the Reckoners trilogy--a powerful ghostbuster raised by a spirit, her brilliantly eccentric backup team, a cat who isn't a cat, and a fiercely driven bounty hunter from a different dimension who brings them together when worlds collide.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man runs into the hotel looking for Angel. But the man just runs past Angel, saying he’s not the Angel the man’s looking for. A demon then shows up to kill the man. Angel is able to vanquish the demon quite easily, but it’s clear someone out there’s impersonating him. He’ll need to put a stop to this.


A rather straight forward plot, though I do like the added demonic point of view. It just gives us something more to explore and helps flesh out the antagonist. Cordelia in particular is rather well written. The other characters are serviceable, but nothing more than that. The prose can also be a bit much at times, especially for a media-tie in book like this. It’s a solid enough nostalgic read for anyone who was a fan of the show though.


Overall, it’s a perfectly average and okay story. It’s good, but not something you should go out of your way for.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice, solid Angel adventure, set in the continuity of the show's third season. I remember thinking that the characters of Cordelia and Lorne were particularly well-written. As one says when nothing particularly noteworthy comes to mind about a television tie-in novel: It would have made a good episode of the show. Grrr.....arrrgh....

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was okay, it wasn't great, just alright.
The author is new for the Angel series and they didn't seem to quite get the characters for me - they were not completely the same as they were in the TV show and it was a little off.
The story line was okay, but not spectacular. Unlike some, this book did not seem to flow very well and the story actually seem to drag a little which you do not usually get with these type of books which are meant as a fast, fun reads.
There was also a problem with the proof reading in this book, there were obvious spelling errors from the first page (when they called the hotel Hyperio instead of Hyperion and there were a few issues with the grammar with some sentences having to be read multiple times to get what it was the author meant. This can be very distracting and annoying to say the least.
Overall 3 stars as it was very mediocre. I notice the author has another book in the Angel series, I hope that one is better!

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novelization of the TV show that, sadly, ended last year. The time of the story is circa beginning of third season, pre-Darla's-baby. Durgin, although she's written for the series before, seems to have very little grasp on Gunn's character. There are, in fact, parts where none of the characters sound as they would when written and directed by Joss Whedon. The storyline would have made a good tv episode, but the book pales in comparison.

[Adriel Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line and demons were all well done, and the humor of the show fairly well captured. The demons created for this novel fit in very well with the Angel universe. For the most part the characters sound like themselves, although not always--if it's been a while since you've watched the show, you'll probably be fine. Overall a fairly quick and enjoyable read.

[Julie Czerneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the show. Because I trust Durgin, I grabbed the book and was not disappointed. She's captured the characters to a "T." Highly recommended.