A Buffy the Vampire Slayer book set right after the end of the last episode.
Publication year: 2005
Page count: 337
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Format: print
Buffy, her friends, and the surviving young Slayers are on a bus, heading away from Sunnydale which has collapsed because the Hellmouth exploded. Buffy is upset because she just saw Spike die as well as Anya and a dozen of the young Slayers. However, someone runs in front of the bus and when Kennedy tries to dodge her, the bus falls to its side and catches fire. Buffy helps evacuate others from the bus.
The girl who ran in front of the bus is scared and confused and Buffy thinks that she's a new Slayer. The whole group needs a place to stay and rest. Fortunately, a local sheriff helps them. Unfortunately, during the night Buffy comes face-to-snout with the local hostile supernatural creatures. After a tough fight, she's victorious.
The group needs to decide where they will go next. There's still a Hellmouth in Cleveland. Faith, Robin Wood, and some young Slayers head there. Buffy and the rest of the gang will go to England to meet with the Watchers' Council.
Meanwhile, Hell wants Buffy's blood. The Hellgod Janus and three other hellish gods team up to bring down not just Buffy but the Earth.
Buffy argues with the head of Watchers' Council, Sir Nigel. He wants to keep the new Slayers subservient to the Watchers and Buffy disagrees. However, Sir Nigel tells her that there is a big group of new Slayers in France, staying with a mysterious man called the Immortal. Buffy doesn't like the sound of that so she, Xander, Willow, and a new Slayer called Belle head there while Giles stays with the Council. But one of the Immortal's sorcerers is scheming against Buffy and the other Slayers.
Meanwhile, the Hellmouth is spewing demons out and Faith has her hands full in Cleveland.
This was a fun continuation of the TV show. However, it feels a little disjointed when the group splits up in different directions. In fact, it feels like a plot arch for a season with two main bad-guy groups. I enjoyed the Hellgods but I loved the two other main big bads (I won't spoil them here) and the short snippets about their history. Unfortunately, most of the villain chapters are from the POV of their servant whom I didn't like. Sometimes months go past between chapters. That adds to the fell of a seasonal arch. Also, a lot of young Slayers die so the story felt more bloodthristy than a usual Buffy story.
Kennedy and Willow break up at the beginning which was a disappointment for me. Otherwise, the characters felt a lot like themselves. We also get a lot of new characters.
The final chapters felt quite rushed and the ending left some big questions unanswered.
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