Blood and Fog

Buffyverse Novels #86

by nancy-holder

The strongest magic ever distilled, and the deadliest butcher England has ever known...Buffy is on the trail of a killer demon, and reluctantly needs Spike's help. But Spike, as usual, has an agenda of his own. The demon carries vial of pure magical power, and Spike can think of several people -- or demons for that matter -- who would pay the earth to have it in their possession. Doc, for instance. Or Rack. Or the nameless evil known only as The First. Spike has met The First before. In the good old days in Victorian London when he, Drusilla, Angelus and Darla ran through the night in pursuit of unholy fun, another terror also stalked the streets. And when the so-called 'Jack the Ripper' struck too close for comfort, the vampires found themselves on the same side as the Slayer of that time. Working to bring down Jack, and running afoul of The First, Spike and the Slayer formed an uneasy alliance: a bond which has tracked him down the years to twenty-first century Sunnydale, now blanketed in an eerie, mysterious fog...

Genres: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Vampires, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural

Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tie-in novel set during the frequently bleak and depressing sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are some nice flashback sequences of Spike, Dru, Angel, and Darla in 19th century London, but the contemporary Sunnydale story is a little flat. I think there must have been a rule that every genre television show had to do a Jack the Ripper story, so here's Buffy's. There are a lot of references to events from various episodes that read a little like a trivia quiz, but Willow's character is presented in an interesting manner. It's an average adventure for the Slayer & The Slayerettes; fun if you're a devoted fan, meh if a casual one.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even with an extra star for being about Buffy I still could only give this 3 1/2 stars. It just did not grab me. I felt like the author was trying too hard to capture the slang of Buffy, even while describing fight scenes. Buffyspeak should really just come through in the dialogue. Parts of this also took place in 1888 London, and I found those to be much more compelling. The concept is ambitious, involving Jack the Ripper and a centuries old fight between two groups of evil faery folk, but there was so much explanation needed to get that concept across, and a lot of it was pretty repetitive.
As I said, I liked the flashbacks to 1888, especially since they featured Spike, Dru, Darla and Angelus, and would have liked to know more about the then-Slayer, Elizabeth.
There was an interesting correlation between Jack and Willow with the scent of strawberries that I was hoping would be explained or at least fleshed out, but it was not.
Overall, pretty lackluster considering the hefty premise. Might have been more interesting if they'd just kept it simple and said Jack was a vampire of unusual cruelty and gone from there...with more flashbacks and backstory on Elizabeth. But, that's just my opinion.

[Elif · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buffy the vampire slayer en sevdiğim dizilerdendir. Sahafta bu kitabı görünce dayanamayıp almıştım ve nihayet okudum. Nostaljik bir his yaşattı ama anlatımı kötüydü. Okurken sıkıldım bir an önce bitsin istedim.

[Lizzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

After about 100 pages, I'm giving up. This is the first Buffy book I have DNFed. The dialogue is stilted and clunky, and far too much time is spent establishing expository background details about who the characters are and what part of the show's timeline this story takes place in when most of that detail is just not necessary, so it reads like bad fan fiction. I know Nancy Holder has written a lot of these books so I seriously hope this is the exception to her Buffy books and not the rule.

[Terese]

While Holder is easily one of the strongest Btvs writers, this one was mainly so-so for me. I really enjoyed how it felt like she nailed where the characters are at this point of the series, it feels pretty organic, and she doesn't gloss over the heavy topics (exception initial dialogue between Buffy and Willow, but it's the intro so I'll give that a pass).

I also really loved getting flashbacks to the Fanged Four, I thought that was a lot of fun.

What dragged this book down for me was the Jack/Thak story and the like 19 pages of backstory one had to wade through just to get into the book and understand the mythology. Which I still didn't care about or feel engaged with through the rest of the book. Like I get it, there is a limited amount of exploration you can do with the main characters, so you have to fill the page count somehow, but yeah, this mythology/backstory didn't work for me.

I really like the end though, with Willow, and felt that over all it was a fun book to read, but not one I would re-read.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise was great, but it could have been done so much better.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was fckn great and was actually slightly scared at some points - ME! At a BUFFY novel.

Terrific.

[Jim C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is based on the television show. This takes place during its sixth season. Jack the Ripper was more than human and he has set his eyes on Sunnydale.

This is my second book I have read from this author that takes place in this universe and this author is not for me. The same issues I had with the first book are prevalent with this one. The first issue is the reference of older events that happened on the show. The author definitely has watched the show as she makes references over and over. She uses too many and most don't strengthen a point and some of them are incorrect or misplaced. The second is aspects of the story line are disjointed and seem like they were thrown together to make up this book. There was not a natural flow to the story. And at times the author would make a point but several pages later she contradicted her point. This book made me shake my head several times. The only positive thing I can say about this novel was the portrayal of Buffy's turmoil of her burgeoning relationship with Spike. I thought this was handled well.

One doesn't expect great literature when reading a media tie-in novel but one doesn't expect to shake his head either. This novel never captured the feeling of the show as it was all over the map. My recommendation is to pass on this book as there are better Buffy books out there.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I'd read this one previously, but I clearly haven't- I must be mistaking it for another Buffy tv tie-in.

Structure wise, there seems to be at least 3 separate novels in here all vying for attention. The parts set in 19th Century England are so anachronistic as to annoy me and pull me out of the story. The character of Sir James especially is irritating as he is ludicrous.

Holder recycles actual lines from the TV show and it's incredibly jarring. There are spelling and grammar mistakes that make you read the same sentence 5 times over. I found the story to be dull even though it's set in one of my favourite seasons of Buffy and it moves at a glacial pace.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad the Scooby Gang was able to stop Jack the Ripper. I wonder if Willow will stay permanently as Dark Willow in the future. Would seem very interesting. Can't wait to read more Buffyverse novels!!!

Recommended to any fans of Buffy the Vampire and Angel. Or if you just like the vampire genre in general.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting background story on a previous Slayer, flashbacks to Angelus, Spike and Drusilla and an interesting villain.

Spelling and grammar mistakes occur throughout the book, could have been darker considering the main villain was Jack the Ripper.

Overall an enjoyable, quick read but not one of the best Buffy novels out there

[A Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a very good story, I've read better fan fiction honestly. I stuck with it mostly cause it was Buffy lol. I've read other Buffy novels that have been more entertaining.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this Buffy novel fell flat for me. Yes, it takes place in season six, and yes, it does have the Spuffy pairing, but in all honesty, it fell flat for me. The whole thing with Buffy hiding her relationship with Buffy was just weird, then Xander, Tara, Dawn or Anya was barely in it, maybe like a couple of seconds before they disappeared. Angelus, Darla and Dru was in it as well, but as a flashback.

Jack the Ripper as a fae was…okay?? I guess??? It didn’t feel like I should be all scared of him and stuff. He was just all, “I’m going to unleash hell on Sunnydale with a fog, unalive 12 women and become and god” and I was all like…okay? Can you do something more sinister, more evil, I guess? But I guess he can’t??? And the whole Tuatha thing was weird as well, along with the thing of ‘Buffy’s blood is going to drip by her enemy’ and it turns out to be…Willow??? Of all people??

(I know why, since I’ve watched season six).

This just fell flat for me, sadly, and then the other side story of Giles in England was just weird as hell as well. But while I did hear the flashbacks of the Fanged Four (which I actually liked because they made the book much better, to be honest) I did hear Dru’s voice, and maybe Darla’s?? But throughout the book I did hear Spike’s voice, so there’s that.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book. Positives- had the right 'voice' of the characters, the tone of Buffy Summers and co, set in Victorian London, here I felt the setting was fully fleshed out, being atmospheric and creepy with the fog. Negatives- too much violence at times, poor Elizabeth and a bit sad with the subtext of Series 6 storylines, mainly Xander and Anya. Probably not my fave. There aren't many pages so it is readable in a short amount of time, I would have finished it sooner but I chose to either take a break from the content, or read something else for a change. So I have been reading it on and off. My 2nd Buffy novel I have read, first novel was 'Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids in a Row,' also had violence in. To be honest though, I think violent/gory scenes should be expected in Buffy novels, so it doesn't bother me too much as I know I can take a break from a book and return to it later on. 3 stars, first read- May 2022

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a 2 that became a 3 in the middle then went back to a 2. It’s just too convoluted. It’s barely got anything really to do with Jack the Ripper. It’s like she had 3 ideas for books and smooshed them all together in this one. And the, “Remember when this happened on the show?”s every other paragraph got very tired by the end. She would just reference something from movies or tv instead of describing them. And the ending made very little sense. Just poorly constructed.

[Mary Jane Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buffy and Spike take on Jack the Ripper and for Spike it is not the first time. This story is set in the period where Tara ans Willow are estranged but Buffy and Spike are NOT to say the least. IN many of the other Buffy novels I have read, Spike is a pariah so this was a welcome change.

[Tore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and well written with some great insight into Buffy and Willow's heads during season 6.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Loved the character stuff but the villains did absolutely nothing for me.

[Rachelia (Bookish Comforts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thick, mysterious fog has taken Sunnydale into it’s hold, and it’s not letting go anytime soon. This makes patrolling a bit harder for the Slayer and her friends. Buffy doesn’t become concerned about the fog (and the mysterious demons rolling into town with it) until she starts noticing that the fog has some unusual side affects - like making everyone paranoid, anxious and ultimately, insane! However, she also has other things to worry about, like her little sister Dawn, Tara & Willow’s break up, the loss of Giles’ services as her Watcher, and most pressingly, her unhealthy relationship with yet another vampire, Spike. Then to top it all off, Jack the Ripper comes strolling back into the world. Needless to say, Buffy yet again has her hands full!

Let me just go on record and say that Nancy Holder is one of my favourite Buffy the Vampire Slayer novelization and media tie-in authors. I’ve read quite a few of her novels, and this one did not impress me as much as some of my favourites, like Queen of the Slayers. While it did have it’s moments, there was a bit too much happening, a bit too complicated a backstory, and a few issues with the writing.

In Blood and Fog Holder takes the story of Jack the Ripper and Buffy-fy it, making him a supernatural creature, a faery halfling that has gone mad, and is determined to take over the world, descending it into a monster’s playground. The idea is interesting, but I actually found Jack the Ripper to be more terrifying and horrible as a faceless human being carrying out the atrocities that he did than a supernatural being that was orchestrating a war between two faery races. The story gets a bit bogged down with the telling of Jack’s backstory and about the faery world and all it’s players, etc. I found this really confusing and by the end, I still don’t think I figured it all out, unfortunately. However, I did like the idea that the fog that is often described in Jack the Ripper retellings was supernatural, and in some way, a form of psychological torture. That part did really creep me out! The descriptions of it were just overwhelming, as I was imagining this ever-present gross yellow fog that just seeped into your brain!

The story also alternates between numerous time periods and points of view. We are given a glimpse at Jack the Ripper’s beginnings, and then London in 1888, present day Sunnydale, and present day London (where Giles is). The story alternates between the point of views of Jack, Spike, Elizabeth (a previous Slayer), Buffy and most of the Scooby Gang. Sometimes this got to be a bit much, but for the most part, it worked. Holder had a real grasp on Spike, Willow, Drusilla and Anya’s characters! In fact, I absolutely loved her portrayal of Drusilla - getting all her idiosyncrasies down, making her appear mad but psychic at the same time, it was brilliant.

Lastly, the writing was a bit hit-and-miss for me. There were some excellently crafted passages that I bookmarked, such as:

“It was like any bad breakup, any divorce - friends trying to stay neutral, friends trying to pretend that there wasn’t a big, wide chasm in everybody’s lives and in the fabric of their everyday world.” (p. 16)
and
“For over a hundred years the men and women of London, no, of the world, had through themselves safe from this bloody monster, rescued from his atrocities by the inescapable kiss of Death. Blissful fools - naive and innocent - they had no clue that Death could be recanted or avoided altogether, and that time itself could be twisted into a tool for renewing age-old battles.” ( p. 246)

However, at times it also seemed like the author was trying to incorporate too many puns, or Buffy-speak and it made the writing and conversations feel stilted. I also noticed a few times when words would be used somewhat improperly, or be misspelled, in addition to some grammatical errors.

Overall, while I was excited over a Jack the Ripper and Buffy showdown, the execution of the concept was just OK in my opinion. I think if you are trying to read all the Buffy books then sure, go ahead and read this one, as I’ve definitely read ones I liked less. If you are just looking for a good Buffy book to read, however, then I think I’d recommend a few others (such as Queen of the Slayer, also by Nancy Holder, and Out of the Madhouse by Christopher Golden) before this one.

[Metalfist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het blijft vreemd maar na al die jaren heb ik nog steeds mijn 'jaarlijkse' Buffy-fix nodig. Jaarlijks is misschien wat veel gezegd, maar ik merk wel dat ik af en toe de nood heb om me nog eens te verdiepen in de lotgevallen van een stel tieners in Sunnydale en daarvoor zijn er genoeg mogelijkheden. Naast de comics (die effectief een officieel vervolg zijn op de serie) zijn er ook talloze boeken geschreven. Die zijn niet altijd van een even goede kwaliteit en zijn bovendien ook onofficieel maar werden, toch zeker in het begin, nog geschreven met goedkeuring van Joss Whedon himself.

Je moet echter niet veronderstellen dat een boek dat zich afspeelt in een later seizoen van Buffy ook effectief later is geschreven dan een boek dat zich afspeelt in het tweede of derde seizoen. Maakt op zich ook niet bijzonder veel uit, maar het is wel handig om op voorhand wat te weten waar het verhaal zich ongeveer situeert en bij Blood and Fog is dat volop in seizoen 6. Een interessant seizoen met de evolutie van Willow en Nancy Holder laat de kans niet liggen om hier en daar verwijzingen te droppen. Het basisidee van Jack the Ripper als demon is ook leuk gevonden (vind het sowieso wel leuk dat er wat echte geschiedenis wordt tussen gegooid, zo ook met Marie Antoinette in één van de Tales of the Slayer verhalen) maar de uitwerking laat wat te wensen over. Je krijgt nooit een goed idee wat Jack/Thak nu eigenlijk is en heel dat subplot met de Faeries is al helemaal van de pot gerukt. Toch leest dit op zich nog wel vlotjes weg eigenlijk en is en blijft het genieten van de aanwezigheid van Spike. De Scoobies zijn hier ook niet meer zo onschuldig (Buffy heeft haar traumatische ervaring uit seizoen 5 al achter de rug) en de strubbelingen in de relaties van Xander & Anya en Willow & Tara - het verhaal speelt zich dan ook af na episode Tabula Rasa - zijn boeiend genoeg.

Tof ook dat er hier en daar nog wat flashbacks zijn verweven waarin we wat meer te weten komen over een vroegere Slayer (al zorgt dat wel voor een erg flauwe 'hulp uit onverwachte hoek' als je het mij vraagt) en is het altijd een pluspunt wanneer Spike, Drusilla, Angel en Darla bij elkaar zijn. Wel een vermakelijke schrijfster, die Nancy Holder. Ze heeft heel veel Buffy boeken gemaakt, ben benieuwd.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a few Buffy books and comics over the years, and this is one of my favorites. I've always had a morbid fascination for Jack the Ripper stories, but that aspect of this one was too far over the top for me to swallow. That aside, "Thak" makes a great supervillian, and Nancy Holder really nails the banter and pace of a Buffy TV episode. Big kudos to her for taking on a story set in one of the darker, more troubling times in the series, too. Willow & Tara's separation, the rumbles about Xander & Anya's future...it's all very deftly handled here, and fits perfectly with the show's continuity. Poor Giles, though. He has the worst luck with women.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... interesting? Jack the Ripper is a *SPOILER* faery?! Hahahahahaha! Definitely didn't see that one coming. I'm sad to say that that very fact was the highlight of the entire book. The POVs jumped around a lot and the writing left a lot to be desired. Seems like the author just tried too hard to sound like authentic Buffy. Holder is more like Buffybot - a good imitation to the untrained eye, but to a fan, you could tell it wasn't the real deal.
I'd actually give it about a two, but rounded it up simply because it's Buffy and Spike's amazing.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Buffy novel I've read that wasn't based on an episode(s) and I am very happy with it. I've always enjoyed novels that explain unsolved mysteries from our past. Not to mention that seeing Jack the Ripper go 'poof' was satisfying, too. :) Yay Nancy Holder!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know most people love Buffy and Angel romance and angst, but for me Spike was my favorite character on both shows. Add another interpretation of Jack the Ripper and this is probably my fav Buffy book.

[bluetyson]

isbn,original

[Keira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot and kick ass

[Slayderd · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is pretty good so far. I have seen the movies but I think they are going to be better.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

a new take on Jack the Ripper!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Buffy story

[Kristi McWhirter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I admit it, I was and am a Buffy fan!