First Published: 1998
Pages: 176
Ebook Publisher: Simon Pulse
Ebook Date: Sept. 2017
I was so impressed with the first Buffy YA original novel, Halloween Rain that I couldn't help myself and jumped almost immediately back into the Buffy-verse and try out the next original story to be published by Pocket Books in January 1998, Coyote Moon.
This one is set between the conclusion of Season 1 and the start of Season 2 of the television series, albeit with a non-canonical reference to Buffy having spent the summer in Sunnydale rather than in Los Angeles with her father as shown on TV.
There are some notable exceptions. This book does not feature vampire-with-a-soul, Angel, in any way other than references to him being Buffy's boyfriend; and Cordelia Chase has a very minor part in the proceedings. I initially thought that Buffy's Watcher, Rupert Giles was going to be a no-show as well, but he does eventually play an active role in the drama that unfolds.
Coyote Moon centres around a carnival that has arrived in Sunnydale during the summer. Apparently it has become a regular feature, visiting the town for many many years. Both Xander and Willow are keen to go and sample the delights of the fair, but Buffy is less convinced and considers the whole thing a bit childish. Her friends tell her that the carnival is a great place to mix with others of their own age, and many kids turn up just to show off, or flirt with each other. Reluctantly she agrees to accompany them, seeing as the summer break is about to end and the spectre of returning to high school is looming.
The night before they have agreed to go, Buffy is disturbed by the sounds of wild coyotes coming through the windows of her bedroom. Outside she can see a group of the animals patrolling the roads and houses. Then she hears a scream and before long is comforting a woman whose small dog has been dog-napped by the pack.
The following evening, the Scooby Gang visit the carnival and immeadiately both Willow and Xander are smitten with a couple of the young travellers who run stalls at the event. Buffy, meanwhile, unimpressed by her friends doe-eyed reactions, is intrgued by one of the elder 'carnies' - she is sure that she has seen an old man somewhere before. Investigating around the back of the tents and caravans she finds the remains of a small dog's collar in a pile of rubbish. Did this belong to the canine victim of the coyotes? Why is it here at the carnival? And why does the way the old carnie looks at her make her think she has met him before somewhere?
Coyote Moon is another enjoyable romp through Sunnydale with Buffy and the Scooby Gang. This time written by John Vorholt who has an impressive track record of writing original stories for such TV series as Star Trek, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9, Babylon 5, Earth 2, Flight 29 and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch as well as many other novels. He wrote a couple of Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, the other being Seven Crows (2003) from the adult range.
Vorholt's novel races along at a fairly rapid pace, and can be consumed quite easily in a night or two. His take on Buffy feels very accurate, and although he doesn't lean quite so heavily on the snappy dialogue or the pop-culture references that Golden and Holder did in the first YA book, he still comfortably pulls off a plot that could comfortably have been taken directly from an episode of the television series. In fact, I'd go so far as to say, that its better than quite a few first or second series episodes, despite the fact that he was hamstrung by not being able to properly develope the main characters to any significant extent. The absence of Angel and Giles (partly) adds to the story, by allowing him to concentrate on the effects of the animal attraction felt by Xander and Willow on thier carnival crushes.
A recommended quick read. Not quite as good as Halloween Rain, but still a very entertaining Buffy entry that is readily available in eBook format everywhere.
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