Spotlight on In Every Generation
Fan fiction? Intellectual property? An amazing read that made me smile with every chapter? Yes, yes, and yes! I loved Kendare Blake’s Buffyverse book In Every Generation so much that my family got annoyed at me for constantly blathering on about it. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen. It was a delight from start to finish — and there are two more books in the trilogy for me to enjoy next. Score!
I am fan of both Buffy and Three Dark Crowns series, so a Next Generation Buffyverse book by Blake wasn’t hard to sell me on. And the first book in the series really delivered for me. It had all the humor and suspense of the TV series, plus a great plot, charming new characters, and all the Easter Eggs a fan could want (in fact, I’m sure I missed a ton).
In Every Generation focuses on Frankie, the daughter of Willow, one of the original Scooby gang. Frankie is an eco-witch whose best friend is Jake, a werewolf and cousin to Oz. When tragedy strikes at a convention of slayers, Frankie becomes the latest slayer. She and Jake are joined by Hailey, who is searching for Vi (her sister and a slayer); Spike, who was Vi’s watcher; and Sigmund, a Sage demon. A new group of Scoobies is born!
I loved that Spike has become a watcher. He’s just as cranky and acerbic as he was in the series, with lots of jokes about his age and stuck-in-the-past looks. But just as he fell for Buffy, he is committed to helping the slayers, including taking Frankie on as a charge.
The Big Bad in this story is a super vamp called the Countess, who prefers the blood of virgins (ooh, it’s perfect for YA). A mysterious ancient figure named Grimloch informs Frankie that the Countess can’t be killed, but she can be made dormant. So Frankie has her assignment!
To me, this was comfort food in audiobook form. Although you don’t need to have watched the series to enjoy this story, I felt the most fun came from seeing how Blake chose to reference bits of Buffy canon and extend the story with new characters. I would definitely recommend for fans who would love to hang out with the Scoobies for a little longer.