Spike & Dru: Pretty Maids All In A Row
A novel by Christopher Golden

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book considering where I found it. After a twenty-minute search of the horror, science fiction, and television sections of my local Borders bookstore, I finally found a copy of Pretty Maids All In A Row tucked away in the young adult section. I was buying the hardcover in lieu of lunch, and the book's placement made me wonder if I wasn't going to end up wishing I'd just gotten some pizza instead. But as it turns out, the book wasn't shelved in young adult because it was material for a younger age group. Apparently the publisher's just aiming to corrupt America's youth. And good for them, I say.

Of course, I can't see any bad in a book based solely on Spike, my all-time favorite character from the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The whole deal's sweetened by the fact that the novel's an exploration of the past, so it reunites Spike with his wonderfully loony lover, Drusilla, as they have themselves a bit of fun across Europe.

It's Drusilla's birthday -- or the anniversary of her death, I can't remember which -- and Spike wants to get her a spectacular gift. She asks for Freyja's Strand, a necklace which will allow her not only to see her own reflection but to make herself look like other people. The only trouble is that the Strand is in the possession of a nasty ice demon fellow, but they all come to an agreement. If Spike and Dru will kill all of the Slayers-in-Waiting -- those girls identified by the Watcher's Council as future Slayers -- then they'll have earned the Strand and he'll give it to them. The vampires don't mind... they probably would've done it for free if they'd thought of it themselves.

Our anti-heroes do manage to get their hands on the list of Slayers-in-Waiting and set about slaughtering the girls in grisly ways (see how this isn't a youth novel?), but they don't know that the ice demon is planning on a double-cross. Spike ends up facing down the current Slayer, and there's massive and devastating carnage at the Council's headquarters. Much fun is had by... well, by the bad guys, but the humans aren't in for much of a treat.

This book is just the thing for fans of the villains, and it's required reading for fans of Spike and Drusilla. Though there's nothing special about Golden's language in the book, he does present his characters with excellent voice, especially Spike. Dru does take the occasional unexpected dip into sanity that shows Golden's less firm grasp on his female lead, however. The best thing about the book is that Golden manages to build a lot of sympathy for both sides: he creates Slayers and Watchers who are interesting and who we actually care about, but at the same time we have so much fun with Spike and Dru's adventures that we want them to win, too. For those readers who end up liking all of the characters, it's hard to choose a side to root for. Golden never lets the reader forget that Spike and Dru are evil, and he never plays them as softer than they should be, but we have fun with the bad guys nonetheless. This is easily the best Buffy book yet (and not just because James Marsters is on the cover, either), and just goes to show that Buffy fans don't need the Slayer herself to have a good time.

RE-READ FACTOR: Once you know what happens and how it all ends, here's not a lot worth re-reading here. But if you're feeling lazy and want something that'll let you relax and enjoy a little violence, you'll probably pick this one up again.

SEQUEL FACTOR: Now that we've seen what they did during World War II, I want to see the rest of this dangerous duo's adventures. Sequel? Yes please!

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Drusilla rocks my world. The human females are also pretty ass-kicking, from the Danish Slayer and her Watcher to the last of the Slayers-in-Waiting, women are portrayed very strongly throughout.

-- Lisa Kincaid

Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All In A Row, published by Pocket Books, is currently available in hardcover.

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