Seven Seasons of Buffy: Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Discuss Their Favorite Television Show (Smart Pop series) (2 page)

BENBELLA BOOKS •
Dallas, Texas

First BenBella Books Edition April 2003

“Buffy vs. the Old-fashioned ‘Hero’” © 2003 David Brin

“Is That Your Final Answer . . .?” © 2003 Roxanne Longstreet Conrad

“Sex and the Single Slayer” © 2003 Nancy Kilpatrick

“The Search for Spike’s Balls” © 2003 Sherrilyn Kenyon

“A Slayer Comes to Town” © 2003 Scott Westerfeld

“Skin Pale as Apple Blossom” © 2003 Peg Aloi

“Lions, Gazelles, and Buffy” © 2003 Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“The Good, the Bad, and the Ambivalent” © 2003 Laura Resnick

“For the Love of Riley” © 2003 Michelle West

“A
Buffy
Confession” © 2003 Justine Larbalestier

“Dating Death” © 2003 Jennifer Crusie

“The Meaning of
Buffy
” © 2003 Marguerite Krause

“When Did the Scoobies Become Insiders?” © 2003 Sarah Zettel

“A Reflection on Ugliness” © 2003 Charlaine Harris

“Power of Becoming” © 2003 Jacqueline Lichtenberg

“Unseen Horrors & Shadowy Manipulations” © 2003 Kevin Andrew Murphy

“Innocence” © 2003 Carla Montgomery

“Where’s the Religion in Willow’s Wicca?” © 2003 Christie Golden

“Love Saves the World” © 2003 Jean Lorrah

“A World Without Shrimp” © 2003 Margaret L. Carter

“Matchmaking on the Hellmouth” © 2003 Lawrence Watt-Evans

“Slayers of the Last Arc” © 2003 Nancy Holder

Additional materials copyright © 2003 BenBella Books

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Seven seasons of Buffy : science fiction and fantasy authors discuss their favorite television show / edited by Glenn Yeffeth. — 1st BenBella Books ed.

p. cm.

    
ISBN:978-1-9352-5149-1

    
1. Buffy, the vampire slayer (Television program) I. Yeffeth, Glenn, 1961–

    
PN1992.77.B84s48 2003

    
791.45'72—dc22

Cover design by Melody Cadungog

Interior designed and composed by John Reinhardt Book Design

Distributed by Independent Publishers Group. To order call (800) 888-4741
www.ipgbook.com

Dedicated to Joss Whedon,
for your kindness, support and,
most of all, for seven seasons of
Buffy

FOREWORD
:
TASTE OUR STEEL
•
Drew Goddard

BUFFY VS
.
THE OLD
-
FASHIONED
“
HERO
”
•
David Brin

IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER
. . .?
•
Roxanne Longstreet Conrad

SEX AND THE SINGLE SLAYER
•
Nancy Kilpatrick

THE SEARCH FOR SPIKE
’
S BALLS
•
Sherrilyn Kenyon

A SLAYER COMES TO TOWN
•
Scott Westerfeld

SKIN PALE AS APPLE BLOSSOM
•
Peg Aloi

LIONS
,
GAZELLES
,
AND BUFFY
•
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

THE GOOD
,
THE BAD
,
AND THE AMBIVALENT
•
Laura Resnick

FOR THE LOVE OF RILEY
•
Michelle Sagara West

A
BUFFY
CONFESSION
•
Justine Larbalestier

DATING DEATH
•
Jennifer Crusie

THE MEANING OF
BUFFY
•
Marguerite Krause

WHEN DID THE SCOOBIES BECOME INSIDERS
?
•
Sarah Zettel

A REFLECTION ON UGLINESS
•
Charlaine Harris

POWER OF BECOMING
•
Jacqueline Lichtenberg

UNSEEN HORRORS
&
SHADOWY MANIPULATIONS
Kevin Andrew Murphy

INNOCENCE
•
Carla Montgomery

WHERE
’
S THE RELIGION IN WILLOW
’
S WICCA
?
•
Christie Golden

LOVE SAVES THE WORLD
•
Jean Lorrah

A WORLD WITHOUT SHRIMP
•
Margaret L. Carter

MATCHMAKING ON THE HELLMOUTH
•
Lawrence Watt-Evans

SLAYERS OF THE LAST ARC
•
Nancy Holder

Why do we care?

I don’t so much pose the question in the general sense (though we can discuss that if you wish, I think it has something to do with electrolytes) but rather as it relates to a certain vampire slayer from Sunnydale.

Why do we care about Buffy? Why do we care
so much
about Buffy?

Why are we watching her and reading about her and dressing up like her and writing the occasional Buffy/Chaos Demon/Staff Writer fanfic about her?

I’d like to suggest that it either a.) has something to do with leather pants or b.) comes down to the integrity of intent behind the show itself.

“Integrity of intent.” What does that even mean? To be honest, I’m not quite sure. But I do know that if you find yourself wearing leather pants, a halter top, and claddagh ring in a bar in Santa Monica and your friends and/or a German person start telling you that
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
is nothing more than a silly little show about vampires, you can whip out a phrase like “integrity of intent” and they will be so amazed by your keen intellect they will bow down before your giant brain or, in the case of the German person, try to fight you.

German people love to fight. That’s my point.

If you look at the way Joss Whedon constructed his little show, you’ll see that every episode has something important to say about the human condition. (Sounds simple enough, right? You’d be amazed at how the notion of plot-for-the-sake-of-plot-alone has overtaken the
corporate entertainment mentality. Actually, you probably wouldn’t be amazed. You seem pretty smart. You don’t need me telling you these things. Also, your hair looks great today. Also, I agree with you when you say $120 is far too much to pay for a pair of blue jeans.) Every episode emanates from a relatable emotional place; we care because the intent behind the show is pure.

“Wait. Are you saying the show
means well
? That’s your point? Isn’t that what they say about autistic children and old people?”

No. I mean, yes. I mean, I don’t know. (And who says that about autistic children? That’s terrible.)

I’m saying those of us who care see ourselves in Buffy. She represents our voice. And so we celebrate this silly little show and we occasionally punch out German people in bars because we’ve somehow come to understand what it feels like to be a teenage girl whose duty it is to rid the world of vampires.

And so what you’ve got in your hot little hands here, dear reader, is a collection of the best and brightest science fiction and fantasy authors around doing just that (and by “that” I mean “celebrating this silly little show,” not “punching out Germans.” That’s a different book entirely.) And as you read through these essays, you’ll see the passion these heavyweights have for
Buffy
, and hopefully you’ll come to understand there’s a large, diverse group of people out there who, deep down, are simply young teenage girls jumpkicking vampires and yelling, “Close your eyes Angel . . . and taste my steel!”

What I’m saying is, you are not alone.