List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels
Buffy novels have been published since 1998. Originally under the Pocket Books imprint of Simon & Schuster, they are now published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment which launched in 2004. Authors who have written original novels include Mel Odom, Christopher Golden, and Nancy Holder.
Chronology
Novelizations
These Buffyverse tales take place throughout the series and are novelizations of various episodes.
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | L.A., Various | ||||
Novelization of the movie | |||||
Buffy book: The Harvest | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
‘Pilot’ and 'The Harvest' | |||||
Buffy book: The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 1 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Angel,' 'Reptile Boy,' and 'Lie to Me' | |||||
Buffy book: The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 2 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Halloween,' 'What's My Line, part 1,' and 'What's My Line, part 2' | |||||
Buffy book: The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 3 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Surprise,' 'Innocence,' and 'Passion' | |||||
Buffy book: The Xander Years, Vol. 1 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
Teacher's Pet,' 'Inca Mummy Girl,' and 'Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered' | |||||
Buffy book: The Xander Years, Vol. 2 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'The Pack,' 'Go Fish,' and 'The Zeppo' | |||||
Buffy book: The Willow Files, Vol. 1 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'I Robot, You Jane,' 'Phases,' and 'Dead Man's Party' | |||||
Buffy book: The Willow Files, Vol. 2 | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Gingerbread', 'Doppelgangland' and 'Choices' | |||||
Buffy book: The Faith Trials | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Faith, Hope, & Trick,' 'Bad Girls,' and 'Consequences' | |||||
Buffy book: The Cordelia Collection | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Out of Mind, Out of Sight,' 'Some Assembly Required,' and 'Homecoming' | |||||
Buffy book: The Journals of Rupert Giles | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Helpless,' 'A New Man,' and 'Blood Ties' | |||||
Buffy book: Chosen | Sunnydale, Various | ||||
'Chosen' |
490 BCE-CE 1996
These Buffyverse tales take place before the television series begins (from 490 BCE to CE 1996).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Tales of the Slayer | Various | ||||
Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4 | |||||
Buffy book: Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row | 1940s Europe | ||||
It is 1940 and for Drusilla's vampiric birthday, Spike decides he will acquire Freyja's Strand, a necklace, has the ability to allow Drusilla to view her reflection. | |||||
Buffy book: Blackout | New York, 1977 | ||||
Spike and Dru come to NYC during a blackout and face Nikki Wood. | |||||
Buffy Season 1
These Buffyverse tales take place around Buffy Season 1 (from spring 1996 until spring 1997).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Halloween Rain | Sunnydale, Halloween 1996 | ||||
Buffy is warned that a scarecrow will come alive on Halloween if it's raining. | |||||
Buffy book: Night of the Living Rerun | Sunnydale, 1996/7 | ||||
The Master attempts to raise an old Slayer nemesis. | |||||
Buffy book: Coyote Moon | Sunnydale, summer 1997 | ||||
It's summer vacation in Sunnydale and the carnival has come to town, bringing with it some disturbing otherworldly creatures. | |||||
Buffy anthology book: How I Survived My Summer Vacation | Sunnydale, & L.A., summer 1997 | ||||
Buffy visits her Dad in L.A. whilst the others continue the good fight. | |||||
Buffy Season 2
These tales take place during Buffy Season 2, (from autumn 1997 until spring 1998).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Keep Me In Mind | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
Ethan Rayne returns and releases an evil sorcerer from Middle Ages Bavaria. | |||||
Buffy book: The Suicide King | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
A number of strange student suicides have been taking place, and Buffy suspects something wrong. | |||||
Buffy book: Colony | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
Mayor Richard Wilkins III invited a woman named Belakane to speak at the local Sunnydale High School. She has a program, "Be the Ultimate You!". | |||||
Buffy book: Night Terrors | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
The Night Terror stalks its victims in their dreams. The demon replaces another's soul with its own, then wreaks chaos in the real world. | |||||
Buffy book: Bad Bargain | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
Items for the school rumage sale become infected with Hellmouth parasites after being stored in the school basement. | |||||
Buffy book: Portal Through Time | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
Some of the Master's devotees travel through time to attempt to disrupt the Slayer lineage, thus preventing Buffy from destroying the Master. | |||||
Buffy book: After Image | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
Sunnydale drive-in reopens. | |||||
Buffy book: Carnival of Souls | Sunnydale, 1997 | ||||
A Traveling Carnival arrives in Sunnydale. It seems the carnival might be another victim of Sunnydale's weirdness. | |||||
Buffy book: Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary | Boston, December 1997 - June 1998 | ||||
Faith has a tough time growing up in South Boston, moving from relative to relative when Diana Dormer arrives and informs Faith that she is a potential slayer. | |||||
Buffy book: One Thing or Your Mother | Sunnydale, 1997/8 | ||||
Buffy is having a hard time dealing with Angelus and her grades and so Snyder forces her to get tutoring which takes time away from her slaying, just when things couldn't get worse Dru wants a child and sires a little girl who starts to become too much to handle. Buffy's new love interest makes Angelus jealous and a sleep-deprivation spell aimed at Snyder affects the whole Sunnydale community. | |||||
Buffy Season 3
These tales take place during Buffy Season 3 (from autumn 1998 until spring 1999).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Sins of the Father | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
Pike visits Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Blooded | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
The Scoobies become entangled in a long-running feud between Asian warriors. | |||||
Buffy book: Child of the Hunt | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
The 'Wild Hunt' arrives in Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Ghoul Trouble | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
A new vampire arrives in town called Solitaire who is immune to the sun's rays. | |||||
Buffy book: Paleo | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
People try to resurrect dinosaur eggs. | |||||
Buffy book: The Evil That Men Do | Sunnydale, 1998 | ||||
Helen, an ancient vampire attempts to raise a goddess of destruction. | |||||
Buffy book: The Deathless | Sunnydale, 1999 | ||||
Ring Day is fast approaching at Sunnydale High. | |||||
Buffy book: Doomsday Deck | Sunnydale, 1999 | ||||
Tarot card-reader, Justine arrives in Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Immortal | Sunnydale, 1999 | ||||
Buffy faces Veronique, a vampire even more immortal than most. | |||||
Buffy book: Prime Evil | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
Crystal Gregory is a beautiful new teacher at Sunnydale High, who also happens to give Buffy panic fits. | |||||
Buffy book: Revenant | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
A Chinese gang arrives in Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Power of Persuasion | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
The Moon family try to create a "Womyn Power" group at school, meanwhile there is a string of unusual killings. | |||||
Buffy book: Resurrecting Ravana | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
The Rakshasa are in town to help with the resurrection on an ancient Hindu god called Ravana. | |||||
Buffy books: The Gatekeeper [Trilogy] | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
'The Gatekeeper' is frail and on the verge of death, yet must hold the walls of reality together in the face of increasing threat. | |||||
Buffy book: Return to Chaos | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
Four Druids arrive in town. They're in town to try a spell on a certain night to close the gateway in the Hellmouth so that demons would not be allowed to pass through. | |||||
Buffy book: Visitors | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
Buffy thinks she's being stalked by a demon with a high-pitched giggle. | |||||
Buffy book: Unnatural Selection | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
Willow battles against the 'faeries'. | |||||
Buffy book: Obsidian Fate | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
An old Spanish expedition is found on the outskirts of Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Deep Water | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
After an oil spill on a nearby Sunnydale beach, Willow discovers a 'selkie'; that is, a girl that can turn into a seal with her sealskin. | |||||
Buffy book: Here Be Monsters | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
After Buffy kills twin teenage vampires, their vampire mother summons a Goddess of balance who puts Buffy on a trial that could cost people's lives. | |||||
Buffy book: The Book of Fours | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
The power of four slayers is needed to conquer a new threat. | |||||
Sunnydale High Yearbook | Sunnydale, spring, 1999 | ||||
Yearbook received by Scoobies when they graduated from high school. | |||||
Buffy Season 4/Angel Season 1
These Buffyverse tales take place during Buffy Season 4, and Angel Season 1 (from autumn 1999 until spring 2000).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy books: Lost Slayer [series] | Sunnydale, 1999 | ||||
Buffy, new to UC Sunnydale faces a group of vampires with bats tattooed across their faces who will have huge and not-so-appealing consequences for the Scooby Gang's future. | |||||
Buffy book: Oz: Into the Wild | Sunnydale, 1999 | ||||
Oz is in search of himself having left his home. | |||||
Buffy/Angel books: Unseen [Trilogy] | Sunnydale, L.A., 2000 | ||||
Buffy and Angel have to work together to solve disappearances of teenagers and calm down the gang warfare going on in LA. | |||||
Buffy Season 5/Angel Season 2
These Buffyverse tales take place during Buffy Season 5, and Angel Season 2 (from autumn 2000 until spring 2001).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: These Our Actors | Sunnydale, 2000 | ||||
Willow takes up drama class, and Spike recalls Cecily. | |||||
Buffy book: Wisdom of War | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
Two strange breeds of sea creatures are beginning to appear in Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy book: Tempted Champions | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
A deadly fighter arrives, willing to kill both humans and vampires. | |||||
Buffy book: Little Things | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
The town is terrorised by something mysterious and tiny. | |||||
Buffy book: Crossings | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
Xander learns of a terrifying total immersion video game beta testing. | |||||
Buffy book: Sweet Sixteen | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
Dawn befriends a girl named Arianna. | |||||
Buffy book: Chaos Bleeds | Sunnydale, 2001 | ||||
The First has made Ethan a deal he can't refuse: ultimate power. All he has to do is lure Buffy into battle. | |||||
Buffy Season 6/Angel Season 3
These Buffyverse tales take place around Buffy Season 6, and Angel Season 3 (from autumn 2001 until spring 2002).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy/Angel novel: Cursed | L.A., 2001 | ||||
An organised, united effort is being made to put Spike out of the picture. Angel and Spike reluctantly work together and deal with their shared evil pasts. | |||||
Buffy/Angel novel: Monster Island | Sunnydale, L.A., Monster Island, 2001 | ||||
The Fang Gang and the Scooby Gang must unite to protect a safe-haven of half-blood demons. | |||||
Buffy book: Blood and Fog | England 1888, Sunnydale, 2002 | ||||
Buffy Summers is on the trail of a killer demon in Sunnydale, and reluctantly accepts the help of Spike. But Spike—as usual—has his own agenda. | |||||
Buffy books: Wicked Willow | Sunnydale, 2002 | ||||
[Trilogy] Supposing that Dark Willow did not return to the good so quickly. | |||||
Buffy Season 7 /Angel Season 4
These Buffyverse tales take place around Buffy Season 7, and Angel Season 4 (from autumn 2002 until spring 2003).
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Spark and Burn | Sunnydale, 2002 | ||||
Spike remembers his past as he suffers insanity in a school basement. | |||||
Buffy book: Apocalypse Memories | Sunnydale, 2002 | ||||
Willow is terrified that using her magic powers might result in dark magic consuming her whilst the Angel Michael brings signs of apocalypse to Sunnydale. | |||||
Buffy/Angel book: Heat | Sunnydale, L.A., 2002 | ||||
Buffy and Angel both battle the same ancient evil, a Possessor who was once "Qin". | |||||
Buffy/Angel book: Seven Crows | Mexico, 2002 | ||||
Between Mexico and Arizona Riley and Sam Finn call in Buffy and Angel to investigate mysterious supernature. | |||||
Buffy book: Mortal Fear | Sunnydale, 2002 | ||||
Buffy is being sent on random missions by a man that goes by the name of Simon. He wants her to retrieve parts of a mystical sword and put them together, but he refuses to say why or who he even is. | |||||
Buffy Season 8 /Angel Season 5
These Buffyverse tales take place after Buffy Season 7, and after Angel Season 4.
Buffyverse stories | Location, time (if known) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffy book: Queen of the Slayers | Sunnydale, Cleveland, Italy, Summer 2003-2004 | ||||
Hundreds of potential slayers have been awakened. A number of leading dark figures unite in an attempt to retaliate against the new status quo. | |||||
Buffy book: Dark Congress | 2003–2004 | ||||
Until 500 years ago all of the demonic and monstrous races met at a Dark Congress. They prepare to meet again. | |||||
Canonical issues
Buffy novels are not usually considered part of Buffyverse canon by fans. However, unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising the basic story of each novel (written early in the writing process) were approved by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), thereby allowing the books to be published as "official Buffy/Angel merchandise."
Novels by writer
For a list associating Buffyverse authors with their Buffyverse novels see here. List of authors who have written Buffy novels:
- Pierce Askegren
- Kirsten Beyer
- Laura J. Burns
- Denise Ciencin
- Scott Ciencin
- Arthur Byron Cover
- Keith R. A. DeCandido
- Cameron Dokey
- Diana G. Gallagher
- Craig Shaw Gardner
- Ray Garton
- Laura Anne Gilman
- Christopher Golden
- Christie Golden
- Alice Henderson
- Nancy Holder
- Robert Joseph Levy
- Ashley McConnell
- Elizabeth Massie
- Jeff Mariotte
- Melinda Metz
- Rebecca Moesta
- Yvonne Navarro
- Mel Odom
- John Passarella
- Paul Ruditis
- Josepha Sherman
- Thomas E. Sniegoski
- John Vornholt