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Buffyverse Novels #45
Angel: Not Forgotten
Even if it takes an eternity, he will make amends...
BURNING BODIES
A crime wave has swept the Los Angeles area, which under normal circumstances would be par for the course. But nothing links these particular victims except the cause of deaththeir bodies were burned from the inside out. Obviously supernatural forces are at work.
While Angel investigates the murders, Cordelia tracks down a band of child pickpockets. Surprisingly, both searches lead to the same place: a wealthy slumlord who has all but imprisoned the children's immigrant parents.
And conducts elaborate rituals to Latura, the Indonesian God of the Dead.
Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia may have had a rocky start in L.A., but they realize they've got it much easier than the immigrants. Characteristically, Angel wants to help. But can he free them before the Feast of Laturna? And if not, will they become the next sacrifices of someone's quest for immortality?
BURNING BODIES
A crime wave has swept the Los Angeles area, which under normal circumstances would be par for the course. But nothing links these particular victims except the cause of deaththeir bodies were burned from the inside out. Obviously supernatural forces are at work.
While Angel investigates the murders, Cordelia tracks down a band of child pickpockets. Surprisingly, both searches lead to the same place: a wealthy slumlord who has all but imprisoned the children's immigrant parents.
And conducts elaborate rituals to Latura, the Indonesian God of the Dead.
Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia may have had a rocky start in L.A., but they realize they've got it much easier than the immigrants. Characteristically, Angel wants to help. But can he free them before the Feast of Laturna? And if not, will they become the next sacrifices of someone's quest for immortality?
242 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
659 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Holder
353 books2,407 followersNancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 21, 2019
Nancy Holder does a good job of bringing Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle to life in Not Forgotten (Angel: Season 1, #1). Now if only she hadn't forgotten that Angel's human name was Liam... I'm going to have to rewatch season one again soon because I forgot how much I missed Doyle.
June 28, 2023
This was the first original novel based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer's spin-off show, Angel. There are a few details that later episodes of the shows contradicted, but it does a pretty good job of getting the focus from vampires to a wider range of nasty: in this case, Latura, an Indonesian God of the Dead. The characters are well portrayed (though Cordelia is a bit on the mean side), and Doyle is interesting and sympathetic. Cue the cellos.
March 12, 2023
Two stars for adding a bit to Angel’s backstory, otherwise… this was honestly a bit of a jumbled mess.
It felt like stuff was added that didn’t actually contribute to the story. Did we need Angel listening to an old woman’s sad backstory? Did we need to hear multiple times that Cordelia looked like Meg? The whole Meg thing felt a bit of a waste. Father Wahid felt like he made no sense. The abrupt off-page disposal of main bad guy Jusef (and Slamet) was underwhelming to say the least.
It all just felt a bit chaotic and strange.
There is also a terrible ”joke” where Cordelia tells Angel there is a demon in the elevator and he goes ”have you called the plumber?”
Ehm, what? How was that a joke.
Also, why did Doyle ask Angel if he was in the IRA?
Wasn’t a fan of the idea that Cordelia used to think Xander would end up a homeless bum. She is a bully true, but that seemed mean spirited even by her standards.
What I liked really was Angel’s Galway days, that was great. And since the book was released in 2000 (before the episode The Prodigal, I assume) Holder gets a pass for calling human Angel Angelus rather than Liam, because she probably didn’t know when she wrote it. If they make an e-book they should probably fix that though, because it really doesn’t work when you call him Angelus for 8 pages and then finish it with ”two weeks lager he became Angelus, the one with the angelic face…”
I also like the character of Meg, she just ended up seemingly useless to the plot and then just dies (I thought that would connect to the old lady story), but sure, let’s spend time on Angel chatting with a horny body builder EMT, instead of expanding on that.
Truly peculiar. Choices were made here, and I don’t get them.
It felt like stuff was added that didn’t actually contribute to the story. Did we need Angel listening to an old woman’s sad backstory? Did we need to hear multiple times that Cordelia looked like Meg? The whole Meg thing felt a bit of a waste. Father Wahid felt like he made no sense. The abrupt off-page disposal of main bad guy Jusef (and Slamet) was underwhelming to say the least.
It all just felt a bit chaotic and strange.
There is also a terrible ”joke” where Cordelia tells Angel there is a demon in the elevator and he goes ”have you called the plumber?”
Ehm, what? How was that a joke.
Also, why did Doyle ask Angel if he was in the IRA?
Wasn’t a fan of the idea that Cordelia used to think Xander would end up a homeless bum. She is a bully true, but that seemed mean spirited even by her standards.
What I liked really was Angel’s Galway days, that was great. And since the book was released in 2000 (before the episode The Prodigal, I assume) Holder gets a pass for calling human Angel Angelus rather than Liam, because she probably didn’t know when she wrote it. If they make an e-book they should probably fix that though, because it really doesn’t work when you call him Angelus for 8 pages and then finish it with ”two weeks lager he became Angelus, the one with the angelic face…”
I also like the character of Meg, she just ended up seemingly useless to the plot and then just dies (I thought that would connect to the old lady story), but sure, let’s spend time on Angel chatting with a horny body builder EMT, instead of expanding on that.
Truly peculiar. Choices were made here, and I don’t get them.
October 5, 2024
Happy October! It’s scary book month! Five of these Angel books on my shelf and I’m afraid I’ll only be able to get to one or two of them. Not Forgotten can be literally forgotten. I’m being generous with 3 stars. Choppy and it jumps all over the place. Not quite sure I understand the ending but I finished. On to the next…
January 27, 2022
I'm thinking me and Nancy just don't mesh cause wasn't into the others she wrote either. I read some these in my teens but don't remember this one. I didn't like cause of how ended we didn't know if the little girl Cecilia lived or died. Also there were so many twists that I liked but cause the not knowing and how demon or god rather died thought was so unfilling.
Angel is working to stop this god Latura from coming back. Client hired him that was working in a sweat shop they were like 18 and younger. He got them out but it wasn't end cause bodies were showing up burned from inside out.
He was also connected to this woman who was actually being played by her boyfriend think he was or husband making her think she had tumor and stuff but he was planting fake memories in her.
All these people were thought to be vessels for this god of the dead. They were all wrong cause the thing wanted one person at the end which I thought was a good twist. The person was Angel cause he was both good and part evil. Didn't see that coming cause even this priest guy who I thought was helping Doyle and Cordelia really was on wrong side.
If the ending had been better would got a three but not knowing what happened with Cecilia and that the God just blew his self up cause Angel wouldn't be his vessel I thought was unsatisfying after this build up of 200 plus pages was a let down on an epic scale. I felt sad too cause Meg the woman that was being used died.
Angel is working to stop this god Latura from coming back. Client hired him that was working in a sweat shop they were like 18 and younger. He got them out but it wasn't end cause bodies were showing up burned from inside out.
He was also connected to this woman who was actually being played by her boyfriend think he was or husband making her think she had tumor and stuff but he was planting fake memories in her.
All these people were thought to be vessels for this god of the dead. They were all wrong cause the thing wanted one person at the end which I thought was a good twist. The person was Angel cause he was both good and part evil. Didn't see that coming cause even this priest guy who I thought was helping Doyle and Cordelia really was on wrong side.
If the ending had been better would got a three but not knowing what happened with Cecilia and that the God just blew his self up cause Angel wouldn't be his vessel I thought was unsatisfying after this build up of 200 plus pages was a let down on an epic scale. I felt sad too cause Meg the woman that was being used died.
June 23, 2011
Interesting so far only problem is that apparently no one informed the author (I'm figuring Ms. Holder) that "Angel/Angelus's" original name was Liam when he was human. Somewhat important thing to know when writing about the time when he was alive in a flashback.. certainly something an editor should have caught.
This was an odd story. I think the writer was trying for time shifts by using unusual segues. It didn't work. There are bits of the story that don't belong, they are nice fro showing the character's disposition but out of place in the plotline. (for those who have read this I'm thinking of Angel listening to the elderly woman's memories. A nice scene if it weren't in the middle of that section AND it had anything to do with the rest of the story.)
Plot threads are left hanging, and the ending is just very disjointed an ill-written. I hope Ms. Holder has improved in her writing skills since this, but I'm stunned this made it past an editor.
Two stars because I like the series.
This was an odd story. I think the writer was trying for time shifts by using unusual segues. It didn't work. There are bits of the story that don't belong, they are nice fro showing the character's disposition but out of place in the plotline. (for those who have read this I'm thinking of Angel listening to the elderly woman's memories. A nice scene if it weren't in the middle of that section AND it had anything to do with the rest of the story.)
Plot threads are left hanging, and the ending is just very disjointed an ill-written. I hope Ms. Holder has improved in her writing skills since this, but I'm stunned this made it past an editor.
Two stars because I like the series.
April 20, 2020
The last time I watched an episode of ANGEL was about 15 years ago. Therefore, NOT FORGOTTEN was a nice little walk down memory lane, and I enjoyed it well enough on that level. The cover looks like a thumbnail on the Hallmark Channel movie app, but the story itself is surprisingly nasty--far more brutal than anything the show ever got away with. To me, the grisly elements feel at odds with how campy the whole thing is, but whatever. And though Nancy Holder's writing starts out fairly strong, the story loses momentum after awhile, eventually collapsing at the finish line due to an anticlimactic final showdown and several plot twists that left me scratching my head.
Still, for a tie-in to Season 1 of a BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER spin-off, I suppose it's fine. You definitely have to be a fan of the show, otherwise forget it.
Still, for a tie-in to Season 1 of a BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER spin-off, I suppose it's fine. You definitely have to be a fan of the show, otherwise forget it.
May 3, 2024
As a fan of the show, this sparked some nostalgia, and I enjoyed the world building of the villainous Indonesian God of Death. My biggest criticism of the story is the anticlimactic finale that contains a few confusing twists back-to-back, and a rushed final battle. I wasn’t sure what actually happened at the end, and a few crucial plot threads never concluded. Overall, this book is a fun read if you’re in search of new stories in this world.
November 4, 2023
I really struggled to get through this. The plot felt very meandering and convoluted, and I just found myself really struggling to care very much. It also committed my deepest sin for TV show novels, which is saying "As (insert character name) would say..." and then just reciting a quote from the show. Honestly I expect more from Nancy Holder!
January 25, 2024
*2.5* My first "Angel" novel. Kind of a mixed bag for me. I thought the beginning and early middle of the book were great. Felt like an actual episode of the series. Then at some point, it just got kind of redundant and boring and I just wanted it to be over by around the 200 page mark. I had to force myself to skim through the remaining 30 or so pages.
April 23, 2025
I liked the first book, the one that covers the actual first episode of Angel, but I can’t begin to describe how bad this one is.
Flashbacks within flashbacks, boring story that doesn’t really go anywhere, terribly vague descriptions.
It’s just bad.
Flashbacks within flashbacks, boring story that doesn’t really go anywhere, terribly vague descriptions.
It’s just bad.
June 6, 2025
Had high hopes as love Buffy and Angel but I hated every moment! No idea what happened or what the point of the story was. Hugely important events we're dealt with off the page and barely mentioned whilst having to wade through pages of irrelevant stuff. I'm afraid one star is being generous!
October 12, 2017
Great story. My only complaint is that once again there are flashbacks to Angel's pre-vamp days and he is referred to as Angelus. Again...his human name was Liam....
January 20, 2019
I got out of this book just exactly what I wanted from it, which I can’t say about many books.
February 12, 2020
Just finished this one, and I have no idea what the hell actually happened...??? 😕
September 16, 2020
I liked all the Cordelia and Doyle interactions, but it was unnecessarily violent and brutal at so many points.
May 8, 2024
It didn’t really feel like it ended and that was kinda weird for me. Like what conflict was resolved and how? I don’t get it.
November 26, 2011
The first original story from the 'Angel' novelizations. Written by Nancy Holder (who did it's predecessor 'City Of'), this book is a nice read for those who want adventures between the episodes of the original show. Originally taking place in the first half of Angel series one, this places Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle on the hunt for a supernatural being that is targeting immigrants.
The story itself has a lot of promise, and it starts off really steady, but half way into the book it starts to slow down, and I really lost interest in it for a bit. Again, Ms. Holder seems to not realise that Angel's name was Liam not Angelus before he was turned, but I am getting used to overlooking it.
It picks back up by the end of the story, but the ending seems rushed and I felt like it wasn't really worth my investment of time.
All in all, I again recommend it to anyone who loves the show and just wants to read/re-read adventures that weren't shown on television.
The story itself has a lot of promise, and it starts off really steady, but half way into the book it starts to slow down, and I really lost interest in it for a bit. Again, Ms. Holder seems to not realise that Angel's name was Liam not Angelus before he was turned, but I am getting used to overlooking it.
It picks back up by the end of the story, but the ending seems rushed and I felt like it wasn't really worth my investment of time.
All in all, I again recommend it to anyone who loves the show and just wants to read/re-read adventures that weren't shown on television.
March 26, 2020
The first book to emerge from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series.
While Angel and Cordelia are familiar figures from BtVS, Doyle, the half demon plagued by visions of people in trouble, is new and it was pretty cool to get inside his head in this book.
As with the BtVS books, and both TV series, there's a good blend of fighting, quips, and, sometimes, a little detective work to put the pieces together. There's also that typical element of "must stop the ritual before it's completed and a super scary, evil demon is released".
If you're a fan of the show, like me, then this book is a fun, easy read to keep you going in-between getting your fix on the TV (or whatever streaming service has the screening rights as this time)
While Angel and Cordelia are familiar figures from BtVS, Doyle, the half demon plagued by visions of people in trouble, is new and it was pretty cool to get inside his head in this book.
As with the BtVS books, and both TV series, there's a good blend of fighting, quips, and, sometimes, a little detective work to put the pieces together. There's also that typical element of "must stop the ritual before it's completed and a super scary, evil demon is released".
If you're a fan of the show, like me, then this book is a fun, easy read to keep you going in-between getting your fix on the TV (or whatever streaming service has the screening rights as this time)
July 26, 2016
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
January 5, 2016
Angel Investigations gets involved in an ancient conspiracy to bring the god of death into the earthly plane. Doyle's still alive at this point, and I always felt his character shouldn't have been killed off eight episodes into the show, so that was a plus. And Cordelia's not crazy - also a development that I think contributed to the show's demise. The plot's nothing special, and since the books are technically not considered "canon," I guess I can't get mad about timeline inconsistencies, but there were a few that ticked me off anyway.
April 23, 2013
A book based on the television show. One would assume that when a author writes about characters of a tv show that the author would have his or her facts straight. Not so in this book. I found a couple of different glaring mistakes. These mistakes were not tiny mistakes but mistakes that moved the plot along. For this reason, I could not give it a higher rating. Also, I believe more time of the story was spent on the villians than the characters that are the reason we are reading this book. My recommendation is to skip this book.
March 12, 2016
Nancy Holder has written an excellent novel about Angel's life in Los Angeles. And, just like in the TV show, Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia find themselves having to fight a creature of evil. This time around they are dealing with an evil god based in Indonesian lore. It's an interesting story with a surprise ending. Nancy Holder has always done well writing Buffy and Angel stories. With both series gone, these books allow us to continue to get our fix of these two shows.
March 9, 2014
That was so fucking anticlimactic. The story was interesting till the last 10 pages. Then it just fizzled out. And so many stories were started but left hanging. Just whispers of rumors of how they ended.
November 13, 2007
The second book in the Angel series. Their are a cult of people who worship their god of death Latura. A girl who has a psychic connection to Angel needs his help.
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July 28, 2011Good book crap load of typos. but a good book.
December 21, 2011
A fill-in book. wanted something light, this borders on horror, more so than the show...and I sure like the show better than this book- too gruesome for me.
September 16, 2015
it is nice because i think this is a suspense book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews