The first book to explore the origins of the vampire slayer “A fascinating comparison of the original vampire myths to their later literary transformations.” —Adam Morton, author of On Evil “From the Balkan Mountains to Beverly Hills, Bruce has mapped the vampire’s migration. There’s no better guide for the trek.” —Jan L. Perkowski, Professor, Slavic Department, University of Virginia, and author of Vampires of the Slavs and The Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism “The vampire slayer is our protector, our hero, our Buffy. But how much do we really know about him—or her? Very little, it turns out, and Bruce McClelland shows us why: because the vampire slayer is an unsettling figure, almost as disturbing as the evil she is set to destroy. Prepare to be frightened . . . and enlightened.” —Corey Robin, author of Fear: The History of a Political Idea “What is unique about this book is that it is the first of its kind to focus on the vampire hunter, rather than the vampire. As such, it makes a significant contribution to the field. This book will appeal to scholars and researchers of folklore, as well as anyone interested in the literature and popular culture of the vampire.” —Elizabeth Miller, author of Dracula and A Dracula Handbook “Shades of Van Helsing! Vampirologist extraordinaire Bruce McClelland has managed that rarest of feats: developing a radically new and thoroughly enlightening perspective on a topic of eternal fascination. Ranging from the icons of popular culture to previously overlooked details of Balkan and Slavic history and folk practice, he has rethought the borders of life and death, good and evil, saint and sinner, vampires and their slayers. Excellent scholarship, and a story that never flags.” —Bruce Lincoln, Caroline E. Haskell Professor of History of Religions, University of Chicago, and author of Theorizing Myth: Narrative, Ideology, and Scholarship,Authority: Construction and Corrosion, and Death, War, and Sacrifice: Studies in Ideology and Practice

From the bestselling authors of the critically acclaimed two-volume series The Fifty-Year Mission, comes Slayers & Vampires: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel. Two decades after its groundbreaking debut, millions of fans worldwide remain enthralled with the incredible exploits of Joss Whedon’s Buffy Summers, the slayer and feminist icon who saved the world...a lot; as well as Angel, the tortured vampire with a soul who fought against the apocalyptic forces of evil. Now, go behind-the-scenes of these legendary series that ushered in the new Golden Age of Television, with the candid recollections of writers, creators, executives, programmers, critics and cast members. Together they unveil the oftentimes shocking true story of how a failed motion picture became an acclaimed cult television series, how that show became a pawn between two networks, and the spin-off series that was as engaging as everything that came before. This is the amazing true story of Buffy and the friends, vampires, slayers, and demons who changed television forever. The authors talked to almost 100 writers, producers, directors, filmmakers, sociologists and stars from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel in new and vintage interviews from their personal archives, among them: Joss Whedon Guillermo del Toro Felicia Day Anthony Stewart Head Charisma Carpenter James Marsters David Boreanaz Amy Acker J. August Richards Eliza Dushku Christian Kane Julie Benz And More! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An official guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer describes the mythology and influences behind the monsters, ghouls, and characters through interviews with the creators and details of the episodes.

There is no time for Buffy to take a vacation and she could be facing death because there is a lot of evil in the world.

"We're Slayers, girlfriend. The Chosen." -- Faith From a place of nightmares -- which Buffy and Faith share -- a terrible evil invades Sunnydale, setting off disaster. Clearly, the big evil is linked to the Slayers' nightmares, which revolve around four figures: one burning, one dripping wet, one covered in mud, one shrouded in windswept linen. Each carries a box of grafted skin and bone. Giles learns that the last Slayer to encounter a similar container was India Cohen -- Buffy's immediate predecessor. Strangely, Buffy has never given much thought to the young girl whose death activated her own Slayerdom, but now she must draw on the strength of those who came before her. For Buffy is being stalked by a monstrous force that journeys through time, fortifying itself by draining the primal power of a Slayer. Buffy must orient herself on a continuum against evil that predates even humanity itself....

Tales of the Vampires presents stories ranging from medieval times to the Depression to today, all intricately woven around Joss Whedon's central story about a group of young Watchers in training. Not to be missed is Buffy's rematch with Dracula and Angel's ongoing battle with his own demons. Wrapped in a haunting cover by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, these diverse tales flesh out the history and the world of Joss Whedon's unforgettable creations and fill the void left by the Buffy TV show better than any other writers ever could.

Buffy Summers is the Chosen One. Born with unnatural strength and instincts, she alone must fight off the vampires of the world to save humankind. Not to mention the fact that she mustalsodeal with the usualteen nightmares: dating, friends, and high school. Buffy, along with her best friends Willow and Xander, strugglesto save the world one fiesty vamp at a time. Halloween Rain ~ Even without a maniacal scarecrow, a Sunnydale Halloween is a truly horrific happening. There are enough zombies and vampires about, ready to party hearty and eat some brains, to keep the Slayer and her friends up all night. But then the rain starts to fall... Bad Bargain ~ All hell breaks loose when Sunnydale High is once again the focus for channelled evil - but is the infestation of strange demonic vermin a harbinger of something much worse to come…? AfterImage ~ A mysterious stranger has designs on Sunnydale as the town prepares for an all-night session of horror films at the Drive-in - and that's when things get very weird indeed.

As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers... Night of the Living Rerun~ As if real life wasn't already overflowing with vampire-staking, Buffy is now dreaming about slaying! Night after night, it's the same thing... What could it mean? When Xander and Giles start acting like they have ancient alter egos, Buffy begins to realise what's going on. Can Buffy prevent the Master from escaping his supernatural prison before Sunnydale becomes history! Coyote Moon~ The seedy carnival looks like just the thing to give Buffy and her friends, Xander and Willow, a break from staking bloodsuckers. Some greasy food, a few cheap thrills - what more could a Slayer ask for? But then Buffy senses something evil behind this carnival. Could it be connected to the corpses that are turning up around Sunnydale. CanBuffyfind out what's going on in time to save her friends? Or has the Slayer become the prey? Portal of Time~ The Master, Buffy's nemesis, may be gone, but he is by no means forgotten. One of his devotees has set out to alter the past, killing off Slayers in order to change the future. With the Slayer line extinguished, there will be no Buffy. And without Buffy, no one will be able to prevent him as he resurrects The Master. Having opened a portal through time he is about to send his minions into the past to murder the most influential Slayers in history. Buffy is forced to follow them through the portal in a race against time and evil. But the problem is... you can't change the past without altering the present...

As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in the all the world, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. Around Sunnydale, they say a scarecrow saturated with Halloween rain will come alive and slaughter anyone in sight. (Lovely place, Sunnydale.) Buffy's best friends, Xander and Willow, used to think the tale was nonsense -- but after a few adventures with Buffy, they're not so sure. Even without a maniacal scarecrow, a Sunnydale Halloween is a truly horrific happening. There are enough zombies and vampires about, ready to party hearty and eat some brains, to keep the Slayer and her friends up all night. And then rain starts to fall....

An "authentic" guidebook to vampire watching and hunting that will excite vampire fans everywhere, "The Vampire Watcher's Handbook" presents a wealth of information on the lore and history of vampires.