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Buffyverse Novels #44
Angel: City of
This is the novelization of the fall television premiere of a Buffy The Vampire Slayer spin-off series featuring the hunky, brooding vampire known as Angel, played by David Boreanaz. Angel can never again love Buffy without losing his soul and reverting to the ferocious vampire he once was. So he packs his bag and heads off to Los Angeles in search of a purpose.
177 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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486 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 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 1, 2024
'You don't have to disappear into the darkness.' 🖤🦇🩸💀⚰️
July 2, 2023
This book was the first of Pocket's many tie-ins with Angel, the television show spun off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's an adaptation of the pilot episode written by David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon, and, curiously, I believe it's the only novelization in their long series. It's a well-written and faithful translation of the original script, with several interesting background scenes added that serve to flesh things out. Angel left Sunnydale at the end of Buffy's third season and has relocated to Los Angeles where he is surprised to encounter Cordelia, meets Doyle, and all of a sudden, like magic, the next five years are underway. Grr...arrgh...
December 15, 2022
I really do love re-reading books that I loved as a child/teenager and then many decades later seeing if my perspective has changed or what's still the same.
Yes, it was a fast read and I did have fun reading it but not as much as my younger self did, maybe because I now pick up the inconsistencies and errors within this novelization such as:
- miscalling Angelus even back before he was turned? As he was still called by his human name Liam while he was human and he wasn't named Angelus until his sister Kathy invited him in thinking he had returned to her as an ' Angel' hence the inspiration for his name "Angelus" in the first place.
Even when he was re-ensouled by Gypsies in 1898 he shortened the name into 'Angel'.
- When Spike is sired in 1880 he was still using his human name William as was the rest of the Whirlwind, however, in this novelization, everyone is using his moniker name but he doesn't start using it until Yorkshire, 1880 whereas it dated he was using it in 1898 (technically yes, but his moniker and persona is taken shape bit by bit shown in the episode "Fool's Love" in Btvs S5)
- Angelus had already met the Master in 1760 alongside Darla, and the Master forced Darla to choose between himself and Angelus, of course, Darla chose Angelus.
However in this novelization, it's implied this meeting between the two infamous vampires met much later so my only assumption is the writer, Nancy Holder, wrote this before the episode detailing this meeting shown in "The Prodigal".
Bonuses
- It was nice to see events unfold in chronological order :)
- I've missed Cordy and her sassiness!!
- As much as it was gruesome it was great to read what happened in Prague with Spike and Drusilla when they were attacked by the mob which caused Drusilla's physical weakness before Spike successfully cured her in Btvs S2.
I'll give this book a 3-star rating mainly because I just wanted to see more flashbacks and thoughts in Angel's head that wasn't in the episode. I think I prefer stand-alone Buffyverse novelizations where its not a screenplay from an episode but a creatively spun story set in the universe and allows room for the authors to play and explore that universe :)
Yes, it was a fast read and I did have fun reading it but not as much as my younger self did, maybe because I now pick up the inconsistencies and errors within this novelization such as:
- miscalling Angelus even back before he was turned? As he was still called by his human name Liam while he was human and he wasn't named Angelus until his sister Kathy invited him in thinking he had returned to her as an ' Angel' hence the inspiration for his name "Angelus" in the first place.
Even when he was re-ensouled by Gypsies in 1898 he shortened the name into 'Angel'.
- When Spike is sired in 1880 he was still using his human name William as was the rest of the Whirlwind, however, in this novelization, everyone is using his moniker name but he doesn't start using it until Yorkshire, 1880 whereas it dated he was using it in 1898 (technically yes, but his moniker and persona is taken shape bit by bit shown in the episode "Fool's Love" in Btvs S5)
- Angelus had already met the Master in 1760 alongside Darla, and the Master forced Darla to choose between himself and Angelus, of course, Darla chose Angelus.
However in this novelization, it's implied this meeting between the two infamous vampires met much later so my only assumption is the writer, Nancy Holder, wrote this before the episode detailing this meeting shown in "The Prodigal".
Bonuses
- It was nice to see events unfold in chronological order :)
- I've missed Cordy and her sassiness!!
- As much as it was gruesome it was great to read what happened in Prague with Spike and Drusilla when they were attacked by the mob which caused Drusilla's physical weakness before Spike successfully cured her in Btvs S2.
I'll give this book a 3-star rating mainly because I just wanted to see more flashbacks and thoughts in Angel's head that wasn't in the episode. I think I prefer stand-alone Buffyverse novelizations where its not a screenplay from an episode but a creatively spun story set in the universe and allows room for the authors to play and explore that universe :)
January 16, 2025
I found a lot of Angel tie-in novels at HPB but I figured I would also reread the novelization of the premiere episode, City of, before I tackle these newer ones.
The episode itself was written by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt who created the BTVS spin-off but here is tackled by Nancy Holder. It adds some of Angel's backstory to introduce him to anyone who wasn't familiar with the character on the show using some dialogue from a few important episodes.
The only other character to come from Buffy to Angel was Cordelia Chase so we get a little caught up to speed on what we need to know of her character crossing paths with our vampire hero. The other main character is Doyle, a half human and half demon who gets visions from The Powers That Be, as his own form of atonement.
This leads him to Angel and a vision he has of a young woman named Tina...no face, no last name but the name of where she works. Angel has been trying to save as many people as he can but doing so with as little human interaction as possible so that he won't feed on any humans or form any connections.
He lost his soul twice, can't be with the one person he truly loves and spent the human equivalent of five hundred years in the pit of Hell but all of the good he has done doesn't compare with the evil he did as Angelus, the vampire with the angelic face and scourge of Europe for almost three hundred years.
Angel is able to gain Tina's trust but finds that she is mixed up with the wrong people and they all seem to work for a man named Russell. Giving her a place to stay in his apartment, Angel does some research into the other women Tina said Russell "helped" and finds a bunch of missing girls...with an equal amount of Jane Does in the L.A. morgue.
All of this soon becomes personal for Angel when someone he does know has her path cross with Tina's and only one young woman will make it out alive...Angel will see to that because this is now his city.
And he will save as many souls as he can...including his own.
As the first of the Angel tie-ins and the only one based on an actual episode, this one is off to a pretty good start. All of the ones that follow are original stories and the plots of them seem far more intriguing than say the BTVS media tie-ins at least...for me anyway.
The only Buffy ones I have are novelizations of episodes of the series because there is just something that has me balk at reading anything original concerning that franchise. If it was decided that Angel could have his own show because David Boreanaz was just that good of an actor to carry as the lead, the potential just seems varied.
Letting Angel be his own character with his own struggles is fascinating instead of just being a vampire who fell in love with a vampire slayer. He has his own companions, his own mission, his own city to protect and a lot of wit to spare...
The episode itself was written by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt who created the BTVS spin-off but here is tackled by Nancy Holder. It adds some of Angel's backstory to introduce him to anyone who wasn't familiar with the character on the show using some dialogue from a few important episodes.
The only other character to come from Buffy to Angel was Cordelia Chase so we get a little caught up to speed on what we need to know of her character crossing paths with our vampire hero. The other main character is Doyle, a half human and half demon who gets visions from The Powers That Be, as his own form of atonement.
This leads him to Angel and a vision he has of a young woman named Tina...no face, no last name but the name of where she works. Angel has been trying to save as many people as he can but doing so with as little human interaction as possible so that he won't feed on any humans or form any connections.
He lost his soul twice, can't be with the one person he truly loves and spent the human equivalent of five hundred years in the pit of Hell but all of the good he has done doesn't compare with the evil he did as Angelus, the vampire with the angelic face and scourge of Europe for almost three hundred years.
Angel is able to gain Tina's trust but finds that she is mixed up with the wrong people and they all seem to work for a man named Russell. Giving her a place to stay in his apartment, Angel does some research into the other women Tina said Russell "helped" and finds a bunch of missing girls...with an equal amount of Jane Does in the L.A. morgue.
All of this soon becomes personal for Angel when someone he does know has her path cross with Tina's and only one young woman will make it out alive...Angel will see to that because this is now his city.
And he will save as many souls as he can...including his own.
As the first of the Angel tie-ins and the only one based on an actual episode, this one is off to a pretty good start. All of the ones that follow are original stories and the plots of them seem far more intriguing than say the BTVS media tie-ins at least...for me anyway.
The only Buffy ones I have are novelizations of episodes of the series because there is just something that has me balk at reading anything original concerning that franchise. If it was decided that Angel could have his own show because David Boreanaz was just that good of an actor to carry as the lead, the potential just seems varied.
Letting Angel be his own character with his own struggles is fascinating instead of just being a vampire who fell in love with a vampire slayer. He has his own companions, his own mission, his own city to protect and a lot of wit to spare...
September 24, 2019
The pilot but in paperback and a mix of past Angel/Angelus and present Angel/us.
It's an easy read, while the jumping back and forth in his long life is not random but chronologically ordered. I reccommend it.
It's an easy read, while the jumping back and forth in his long life is not random but chronologically ordered. I reccommend it.
June 22, 2012
This book is a novelization of the first episode of Angel. For those who don’t know it, Angel is a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
As the title says, Angel is the main character (of the book and the series). He is a vampire who was cursed with a soul and remembers everything he did before that.
As this is the first episode of a series, we can’t judge it the same way that we can other books in terms of character development. We see a lot of how Angel lived and changed through several flashbacks, but the real evolution of the different characters happens throughout the series.
What I loved about this book is that it is not just a novelization. There are also many scenes that are not in the episode, but help with the background of several characters. We see flashbacks of what happened to Spike and Drusilla and why she is so weak in season two of BTVS. We also see how Angel got his soul, which is something I don’t remember seeing in any of the series (other than a brief mention).
Other flashbacks are about things seen in BTVS. Fans of the series will already know what happens in them, but it is very helpful for people who have forgotten the details or for those who never knew them and just want to read this book as a stand-alone vampire novel. The great thing is that it doesn’t matter if you know any of these series or not; you won’t feel completely lost.
A must-read for fans of both series.
As the title says, Angel is the main character (of the book and the series). He is a vampire who was cursed with a soul and remembers everything he did before that.
As this is the first episode of a series, we can’t judge it the same way that we can other books in terms of character development. We see a lot of how Angel lived and changed through several flashbacks, but the real evolution of the different characters happens throughout the series.
What I loved about this book is that it is not just a novelization. There are also many scenes that are not in the episode, but help with the background of several characters. We see flashbacks of what happened to Spike and Drusilla and why she is so weak in season two of BTVS. We also see how Angel got his soul, which is something I don’t remember seeing in any of the series (other than a brief mention).
Other flashbacks are about things seen in BTVS. Fans of the series will already know what happens in them, but it is very helpful for people who have forgotten the details or for those who never knew them and just want to read this book as a stand-alone vampire novel. The great thing is that it doesn’t matter if you know any of these series or not; you won’t feel completely lost.
A must-read for fans of both series.
September 11, 2019
Vampire besitzen keine Seele. Alle Vampire, außer einem. Angelus - kurz Angel - hat Sunnydale und seiner großen Liebe, der Vampirjägerin Buffy - den Rücken gekehrt, um diese vor sich zu schützen und Sühne für seine Missetaten zu tun. Als Angel in L.A. ankommt, setzt er sich mit sich selbst und seiner Vergangenheit auseinander. Immer wieder wird er an Situationen erinnert, die schon Jahrhunderte zurück liegen. Seine Verwandlung durch die Vampirin Darla, seine Schöpfung Drusilla und deren Schöpfung William - später bekannt als Spike. Seine Wandlung zu einem blutrünstigen Monster und seine schmerzhafte Verfluchung durch Zigeuner, die ihn dazu verdammten seine Seele wieder zu erlangen. Die jahrelangen Qualen, die er erlebte, bis er mit sich selbst im Reinen war und das erleben des unendlichen Glücks, was ihn dazu verdammte, seine Seele wieder zu verlieren und wieder als blutrünstiger Angelus in Sunnydale zu leben, bis er durch einen neuerlichen Fluch seine Seele wieder erhielt und doch erkannte, dass er seine große Liebe Buffy für immer verloren hat.
Angel ist sich sicher, dass L.A. für ihn zu einer Ablenkung wird und die erhält er bald, als der Dämon Doyle auftaucht und ihn dazu animiert etwas für die Menschen zu tun. Angel soll einem Mädchen namens Tina helfen. Doch dieser scheint noch immer zwischen Abscheu zu sich selbst und einem Helferdrang für die Menschen hin und her gerissen. Als nicht nur Tina von einer finsteren Macht bedroht wird, sondern Angel auch noch in L.A. auf Cordelia Chase - einer ehemaligen Bekannten aus Sunnydale - trifft, beginnen sich die Ereignisse zu überschlagen und Angel muss ganz schnell entscheiden, auf welcher Seite er stehen will.
Der erste Band "Angel - Jäger der Finsternis: Stadt der Träume" zu der gleichnamigen Serie - und einem Ableger zu der berühmten Serie "Buffy die Vampirjägerin" gibt einen guten Einblick und viele Hintergrundinformationen zu dem Vampir und Hauptprotagonisten Angel. Wir sehen die Schlüsselsituationen zu der Serie "Buffy" aus seinem Blickwinkel und erfahren außerdem, wie Angel zu dem geworden ist, was er ein war und nun ist. Immer wieder erlebt der Leser wie Angel durch Schuldgefühle heimgesucht wird und wie er versucht seine große Liebe Buffy zu vergessen. Doch so einfach wie sich Angel das alles vorgestellt hat ist es nicht. Als der Dämon Doyle auftaucht und ihn dazu anleitet dem Mädchen Tina zu helfen ist es Angelus, der sich zu Beginn weigert, schließlich aber sein ganzes Herzblut in die Sache steckt. Dass er im Umgang mit Menschen sehr eingerostet scheint und er immer wieder von Selbstzweifeln und dunklen Erinnerungen geplagt wird, macht die Sache für Angel nicht einfacher.
Angel als Charakter ist ungemein faszinierend - das war er schon in der Serie "Buffy", aber in seiner eigenen Serie setzt er seinem düsteren Image noch einen drauf. Durch die Rückblenden erlebt man, was Angel war und was er wurde. Das schreckt ab, das fasziniert. Einerseits sympathisiert man mit seinem Charakter, auf der anderen Seite findet man ihn abstoßend. Man kann also ganz genau nachvollziehen, wie sich Angel wohl in seiner Haut fühlt. Und doch überwiegt im Effekt der Sympathiefaktor und man hofft mit ihm, dass er seiner neuen Aufgabe gewachsen ist.
Der Roman zur Serie lässt sich sehr leicht lesen. Nancy Holden hat einen fesselnden Schreibstil und schafft es alles sehr bildlich zu beschreiben, sodass man sehr schnell in die Geschichte hinein findet. Immer wieder springt sie zwischen der "Realität" und den Erinnerungen von Angel hin und her. Das ist am Anfang etwas befremdlich, aber wenn man erst einmal daran gewöhnt ist, dann fliegen die Seiten nur so dahin. Eingefleischte Buffy- und Angels-Fans werden das Buch regelrecht fressen. Es liefert hochinteressante Hintergrundinformationen zu den beliebten Charakteren Angel, Spike und Drusilla und gibt außerdem einen Einblick in die Gefühlswelt von Angel. Das macht Spaß und durchaus Appetit auf mehr. Wer also die Serie mochte, der wird mit diesem Buch hier hoch zufrieden sein.
4 von 5 Sterne
Gebundene Ausgabe
Verlag: Egmont Vgs; Auflage: Egmont Vgs (2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3802527798
ISBN-13: 978-3802527791
Verpackungsabmessungen: 20,4 x 13,2 x 1,6 cm
Angel ist sich sicher, dass L.A. für ihn zu einer Ablenkung wird und die erhält er bald, als der Dämon Doyle auftaucht und ihn dazu animiert etwas für die Menschen zu tun. Angel soll einem Mädchen namens Tina helfen. Doch dieser scheint noch immer zwischen Abscheu zu sich selbst und einem Helferdrang für die Menschen hin und her gerissen. Als nicht nur Tina von einer finsteren Macht bedroht wird, sondern Angel auch noch in L.A. auf Cordelia Chase - einer ehemaligen Bekannten aus Sunnydale - trifft, beginnen sich die Ereignisse zu überschlagen und Angel muss ganz schnell entscheiden, auf welcher Seite er stehen will.
Der erste Band "Angel - Jäger der Finsternis: Stadt der Träume" zu der gleichnamigen Serie - und einem Ableger zu der berühmten Serie "Buffy die Vampirjägerin" gibt einen guten Einblick und viele Hintergrundinformationen zu dem Vampir und Hauptprotagonisten Angel. Wir sehen die Schlüsselsituationen zu der Serie "Buffy" aus seinem Blickwinkel und erfahren außerdem, wie Angel zu dem geworden ist, was er ein war und nun ist. Immer wieder erlebt der Leser wie Angel durch Schuldgefühle heimgesucht wird und wie er versucht seine große Liebe Buffy zu vergessen. Doch so einfach wie sich Angel das alles vorgestellt hat ist es nicht. Als der Dämon Doyle auftaucht und ihn dazu anleitet dem Mädchen Tina zu helfen ist es Angelus, der sich zu Beginn weigert, schließlich aber sein ganzes Herzblut in die Sache steckt. Dass er im Umgang mit Menschen sehr eingerostet scheint und er immer wieder von Selbstzweifeln und dunklen Erinnerungen geplagt wird, macht die Sache für Angel nicht einfacher.
Angel als Charakter ist ungemein faszinierend - das war er schon in der Serie "Buffy", aber in seiner eigenen Serie setzt er seinem düsteren Image noch einen drauf. Durch die Rückblenden erlebt man, was Angel war und was er wurde. Das schreckt ab, das fasziniert. Einerseits sympathisiert man mit seinem Charakter, auf der anderen Seite findet man ihn abstoßend. Man kann also ganz genau nachvollziehen, wie sich Angel wohl in seiner Haut fühlt. Und doch überwiegt im Effekt der Sympathiefaktor und man hofft mit ihm, dass er seiner neuen Aufgabe gewachsen ist.
Der Roman zur Serie lässt sich sehr leicht lesen. Nancy Holden hat einen fesselnden Schreibstil und schafft es alles sehr bildlich zu beschreiben, sodass man sehr schnell in die Geschichte hinein findet. Immer wieder springt sie zwischen der "Realität" und den Erinnerungen von Angel hin und her. Das ist am Anfang etwas befremdlich, aber wenn man erst einmal daran gewöhnt ist, dann fliegen die Seiten nur so dahin. Eingefleischte Buffy- und Angels-Fans werden das Buch regelrecht fressen. Es liefert hochinteressante Hintergrundinformationen zu den beliebten Charakteren Angel, Spike und Drusilla und gibt außerdem einen Einblick in die Gefühlswelt von Angel. Das macht Spaß und durchaus Appetit auf mehr. Wer also die Serie mochte, der wird mit diesem Buch hier hoch zufrieden sein.
4 von 5 Sterne
Gebundene Ausgabe
Verlag: Egmont Vgs; Auflage: Egmont Vgs (2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3802527798
ISBN-13: 978-3802527791
Verpackungsabmessungen: 20,4 x 13,2 x 1,6 cm
June 16, 2018
I read this book in a fit of nostalgia and was duly disappointed.
It's never easy to recapture the enthusiasm one had for certain entertainments as a teenager. Subjects that seemed vitally important and fascinating then, are more or less trivial now. I simply couldn't get back into that mind-set that had made the TV-show "Angel" so fascinating to me as a teen.
Then there was the fact that this book was extremely thin on plot. More than half is simple re-telling of past events, without any real focus on the main storyline. That may work for a TV episode, but for a novel, it's deadly.
I can't say that I feel any urge to revisit the series again.
It's never easy to recapture the enthusiasm one had for certain entertainments as a teenager. Subjects that seemed vitally important and fascinating then, are more or less trivial now. I simply couldn't get back into that mind-set that had made the TV-show "Angel" so fascinating to me as a teen.
Then there was the fact that this book was extremely thin on plot. More than half is simple re-telling of past events, without any real focus on the main storyline. That may work for a TV episode, but for a novel, it's deadly.
I can't say that I feel any urge to revisit the series again.
October 18, 2023
Maybe I'm biased because I don't have a particular fondness for Angel (the character, or really the first season of the show) but this just felt like it dragged quite a lot. The idea of redemption is mildly interesting, but was stretched out to fill a 180 page book with various character flashbacks that just didn't really work for me outside of the context of the full story that they initially appear in in the show.
September 28, 2017
I enjoyed this novelization of Angel's pilot episode. It included flashbacks to important moments with Buffy and even some new scenes with Spike and Dru. My only complaint is that the author refers to pre-vamp Angel as Angelus; before being turned by Darla, Angel's name was Liam. Angelus was the name that Darla gave him.
May 13, 2021
Very cute adaptation of the premier issue of the TV Series Angel. Gives you some background scenes that weren't in the episode which was cute. After was done went and watched the episode on Disney Plus.
June 27, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
3.25
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per series (etc.) and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: N/A
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
3.25
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per series (etc.) and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: N/A
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
January 22, 2012
As a huge fan of the TV show itself, I've had the entire series of tie-in novels for years. I'm read them over and over again to the point where some of the pages are falling out.
'City Of', is a novel adapted from the very first episode of Angel by Nancy Holder. For a person who has never seen the TV show, this book is a great way to get to know the characters. For a person, like me, who has seen the episode numerous times, it's a refresher.
Nit picks: Angel's name is not Angelus back before he became Angelus. It was in fact, Liam. I've noticed this mistake on other novels written by Nancy Holder, and I wonder if she ever picked up to it, and if not, why didn't the producers of the show pick up on it.
The flashbacks to things we've already encountered on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Again, I can understand why Nancy Holder decided to do this. It's only fair to keep people who haven't seen Buffy nor Angel updated with how he got to LA, but for those of us who have seen the episodes and know the story, it was a bit redundant.
All in all it was an okay read. I've read this book/seen the episode so many times, that it's almost a bit pointless to actually read this book, but I do because it was the first in the series.
'City Of', is a novel adapted from the very first episode of Angel by Nancy Holder. For a person who has never seen the TV show, this book is a great way to get to know the characters. For a person, like me, who has seen the episode numerous times, it's a refresher.
Nit picks: Angel's name is not Angelus back before he became Angelus. It was in fact, Liam. I've noticed this mistake on other novels written by Nancy Holder, and I wonder if she ever picked up to it, and if not, why didn't the producers of the show pick up on it.
The flashbacks to things we've already encountered on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Again, I can understand why Nancy Holder decided to do this. It's only fair to keep people who haven't seen Buffy nor Angel updated with how he got to LA, but for those of us who have seen the episodes and know the story, it was a bit redundant.
All in all it was an okay read. I've read this book/seen the episode so many times, that it's almost a bit pointless to actually read this book, but I do because it was the first in the series.
May 17, 2019
I love the show and the other books, but I am starting to think that it's the author's writing that makes her books dull because I just can't get into Nancy's books unless she has someone like Christopher Golden with her. I've read this three times, but it had been so long I'd forgotten how bad it really was.
This was the pilot episode book and where some was the same there was a lot of extras that bored me almost to tears. The fact that the book was broke into acts or their were names, besides Buffy's, it drove me nuts how it was broken up.
Angel was remembering his passed and at points they were, what would would be, chapters long with Spike, Dru, & Darla. I just didn't like that since to me it really didn't tie-in much with the book. I know it was about his past, but what all was there could have been condensed into smaller parts not chapter lengths.
The parts I did enjoy were about Buffy & Angel, the birthday they shared together was the main reason this didn't get two stars. I loved Doyle so much & Whistler's part. I even loved Cordelia because when she lost her money she because a real person in my opinion. Those all is why it was saved from two stars on top of the Buffy part.
This was the pilot episode book and where some was the same there was a lot of extras that bored me almost to tears. The fact that the book was broke into acts or their were names, besides Buffy's, it drove me nuts how it was broken up.
Angel was remembering his passed and at points they were, what would would be, chapters long with Spike, Dru, & Darla. I just didn't like that since to me it really didn't tie-in much with the book. I know it was about his past, but what all was there could have been condensed into smaller parts not chapter lengths.
The parts I did enjoy were about Buffy & Angel, the birthday they shared together was the main reason this didn't get two stars. I loved Doyle so much & Whistler's part. I even loved Cordelia because when she lost her money she because a real person in my opinion. Those all is why it was saved from two stars on top of the Buffy part.
January 20, 2015
There were a few discrepancies that bugged me. For example, unless I missed something, there were contradictions in memories about the Budapest meet-up. Like, one side said it never happened and the other side said it did. Also, pre-vamp Angel isn't 'Angelus,' he was Liam then.
Otherwise I found the story to be interesting enough and the author managed to capture the characters' voices quite nicely.
Otherwise I found the story to be interesting enough and the author managed to capture the characters' voices quite nicely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2010
This is a novelization of the first episode of Angel and a good introduction to the series. I liked the added depth to some scenes and the characters rang true, which probably has to do with it being based off the teleplay. While there might have been some inconsistencies, that might have more to do with changes that occurred after the book was even written. Nevertheless, at 177 pages, it's a fast and easy read.
March 4, 2016
Here Nancy Holder has written a novelization of the premier episodes of the TV series Angel. I recently found twelve used books with original Angels stories. I read this to help remind me what all was going on, and who was who. Ms. Holder has written other original novels about Angel and Buffy and has always done an excellent job. So, if you need a little "Angel reminder", or if you're about to read Angel books that you've found, start with this novel!
May 25, 2009
While based on the television series Angel, the book is not a simple repetition of events. I especially liked the part where Angel's history is described, which explains how he became what he is and what torments his soul. Of course a must-read for fans of the series.
May 3, 2011
A nice light read, made me miss Angel loads though.. some parts are abit... umm chick flicky i guess... also there is a dodgy football reference which is totally wrong.. but other than that its a good light read :) might read some more of these.
July 16, 2013
In recent weeks I have struggled to find a book that has truly captured my attention. This is not one of them. My third book of the day (thank you long hot sunny day!), this has been the most enjoyable, but it is certainly not one I will read again in future.
August 19, 2013
I'm usually really wary of novelisations, they don't often live up to the screen play, but this was quite good. An excellent summary of Angel's life (or unlife!) and what makes him tick. A great way to speand a day's reading.
August 9, 2009
Fluffy
November 15, 2010
So far my review is that this book was a suggestion by my sister and this book is about vampiers and a true love story
August 8, 2011
i looooove this.... ive read it over and over.... i especially like the beginning, the whole describing LA part, its so "Angel" :D
December 10, 2014
Quick but thoughtful and enjoyable novelization.
December 14, 2022
Nice to have a little more background than present in the show.
February 4, 2016
Novelization from the Angel TV series.
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