ver wonder if the Gypsy's cursed the wrong guy? Or how did Wesley go from being a prissy Watcher boy to modern-day Loki? What does Jasmine have in common with your everyday street evangelists? Exactly what did the writers think they were doing with Cordelia? And what is the Wolfram & Hart policy on interoffice dating? These are just some of the questions posed in the new book Five Seasons of Angel: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Discuss Their Favorite Vampire published by BenBella Books. Within its pages those questions are answered in the most enlightening of ways. Intelligently argued, thought-provokingly analyzed and at times downright funny, Five Seasons of Angel is a compelling collection of 21 short essays written with the sole aim to discuss and dissect the legacy of the vampire with a soul with some very interesting results as this CityofAngel.com review will reveal.

CONTENTS ~


• Angelus Populi by Don DeBrandt
• That Angel Doesn't Live Here Anymore by Laura Resnick
• Angel By The Numbers by Dan Kerns
• Welcome To Wolfram & Hart: The Semi-Complete Guide To Evil by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad
• Jasmine: Scariest Villain Ever by Steven Harper
• A World Without Love: The Failure Of Family In Angel by Jean Lorrah
• It's Not Easy Being Green And Nonjudgemental by Abby Bernstein
• Angel: An Identity Crisis by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• Parting Gifts by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Why We Love Lindsey by Michelle Sagara West
• It's A Stupid Curse by Marguerite Krause
• The Good Vampire: Spike And Angel by Peter S. Beagle
• To All The Girls He Loved, Maimed And Banged Before by Candace Havens
• Victim Triumphant by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
• Where Have All The Good Guys Gone? by K. Stoddard Hayes
• The Path Of Wesley Wyndam-Price by Amy Berber
• Death Becomes Him: Blondie Bear 5.0 by Nancy Holder
• Angel Or Devil: Playing With Mythology And Folklore In The Angelverse by Josepha Sherman
• True Shanshu: Redemption Through Compassion, And The Journey Of Cordelia Chase by Laura Anne Gilman
• The Assassination Of Cordelia Chase by Jennifer Crusie
• There's My Boy by Joy Davidson

FIVE SEASONS OF ANGEL ~ THE REVIEW

Edited by Glenn Yeffeth and co-edited by Leah Wilson, Five Seasons of Angel is a companion piece to the previously released sister book Seven Seasons of Buffy and just like its predecessor has been put together using the collective genius of authors from all walks of life; all of whom have a passion for the spin-off vampire series, Angel Familiar names such as fiction writersNancy Holder, Joss Whedon biographer Candace Havens and Angel Chief Lighting Technician Dan Kerns join together with experts in mythology and folklore and even a qualified sexologist to not only pose the kind of questions detailed above but to answer them using an alternative way of thinking. The writers are not frightened to question some of the underpinning boundaries of the Angelverse and to look at things from a different perspective in true, "Now why didn't I think of that before?" style. This is never more evident than in essays such as It's A Stupid Curse and Victim Triumphant. It's A Stupid Curse by Marguerite Krause looks at the very essence of Angel's existence - the gypsy curse that returned his soul - and dares to ask whether in fact it is an apt punishment for the crimes of Angelus or whether or not in reality it is more of an injustice on an innocent victim - Angel. In her extremely eye-opening account, Marguerite beautifully sets up her argument, putting her evidence on display for all to see by surmising, "Angelus did the deeds and never cared at all. So the Gypsies retrieve Angel's soul, placing the terrible burden of the demon's actions on his human shoulders." Although she agrees this could be considered retribution against the demon, "To be trapped, helpless, within the body of a determined do-gooder like Angel must be the height of torment for a demon like Angelus." It's the 'happy' clause that Marguerite has most issue with and without giving too much away, when you read her reasoning you can see her point.

This enlightening trend and persecution theory continues in Victim Triumphant written by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, a novelist more usually associated with Star Trek fiction, as she boldly states that Angel's 'hero' status is one of the biggest misconceptions ever and in fact Angel isn't even a hero at all. To support her slightly controversial statement, Jacqueline compares Angel to perhaps the ultimate hero in the Whedonverse, Buffy, Vampyr Slayer Extraordinaire. "Her [Buffy's] heroism lies in her ability to take the cards she's dealt and refuse to play the hand," Jacqueline writes, "when faced with an unacceptable choice, she doesn't choose the lesser of two evils - she finds another way. Buffy is a hero because she makes her own rules."

"Lorne's not stupid--he understands the advantages of being a good fighter--but he sees it as just another quality, like an ability to read auras; nice if you have it, but nothing wrong with you if you don't." Abbie Bernstein

This is not something that applies to Angel according to Jacqueline as she goes on to say, "In contrast, Angel's strategies rely on his ability to accept others' rules and play the hand he's dealt with. He's not any kind of hero. He is a very talented victim." Jacqueline's whole piece reflects this point of view as she suggests that Angel is less of a Champion for the cause and more a Champion of Victims. It's a very entertaining feature. Other essays that follow this kind of thematic debate include True Shanshu: Redemption Through Compassion, And The Journey of Cordelia Chase by Laura Ann Gilman, a feature which, as the title suggests, questions whether The Shanshu Prophecy was ever meant for Angel (or Spike for that matter) and was in fact really reserved for Queen C from Sunnydale. Angel: An Identity Crisis by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro who's background and expertise in folklore and vampire mythology leads to her having doubts as to whether Angel is actually a vampire at all!

Every memorable and successful television series has to have characters that its audience can relate to and get enraptured with and fortunately Angel was blessed with an abundance of the very same. Most of the major players from the series, during the course of this book, end up being put under the microscope in some way - It's Not Easy Being Green And Nonjudgmental by Abbie Bernstein, Why We Love Lindsay by Michelle Sagara West, and The Assassination of Cordelia Chase by Jennifer Cruise to name but a few. Dark World columnist Amy Berner chose the character of the former Watcher turned Rogue Demon Hunter as the central point for her piece in The Path of Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. The journey that Wesley has taken since his early days in Sunnydale has been fraught with tragedy and unspoken loyalty and has been one of the most visible on-screen transformations. Amy's essay plots the changes in the bumbling Englishman and highlights the turning points and his changing relationships with those around him, "Wesley was a good man," she states, "who wanted to do what was right. We grieved with him. We witnessed him repeatedly continue the good fight when he could have walked away. We watched him be just and we watched him be good, if not necessarily at the same time. Wesley always strove for light, even when he did so from a dark place."

Angel, of course, gets his fair share of column inches. That Angel Doen't Live Here Anymore by Laura Resnick suggests that there is someone else stirring inside Angel than just Angelus and that since his separation from Buffy, Angel has become a more 'adult and complex character'. Within her piece, she states the differences between Buffy's Angel and Angel's Angel. His Champion status once again is discussed in Where Have All The Good Guys Gone by K Stoddard Hayes where the author suggests that in order to be a Champion of the Good, it helps if you have intimate and first hand knowledge on how to be bad! There's My Boy puts Angel on the psychologist's couch as his relationship with His Sire is scrutinized by sextologist Joy Davidson. "Angel may be one of the small screen's most sexually confused heroes. He's torn by sadistic impulses, terrified of the consequences of intimacy and driven to redeem tortured women - all because a consuming relationship with one of them framed his destiny," she begins. " We could easily mistake Buffy for the most important femme in Angel's life, considering they had the forbidden love of all time but another relationship was better than forbidden, it was formative." She is of course talking about the elegant Darla and her analysis of the history of her relationship with Angel certainly explains a few things about the original vampire with a soul.

Inevitably Spike had to make an appearance in the book, it just wouldn't be the same without the platinum blonde vamp and he is the pivotal subject matter in Death Becomes Him: Blondie Bear by Nancy Holder. This chapter basically identifies and differentiates the five different versions of Spike that have appeared on our screens since crashing into the Sunnydale sign back in Season 2 of Buffy. There's Big Bad Spike, Emasculated, Snarky Spike, Lovelorn but Getting Some Spike, Puppy Spike and Angel season five Spike. You'd have to read the feature to see which you prefer, if you don't know already. There is also the inevitable comparison between Angel and Spike in The Good Vampire: Spike and Angel by Peter S Beagle which does so much more than try to identify who Buffy should be with using excellent character analysis of both vampires and cites not only their differences but their striking similarities.

Lucky Chapter #13 explains it all

Humor has played its part in all of Joss Whedon's series and easily transfers from screen to paper on more than one occasion. Angel By The Numbers is a witty piece written by lighting tech Dan Kerns as he uses numbers to reveal some of the behind-the-scenes secrets from his time on the show. For example, he writes, "At any one time, there are 758 songs in J. August Richards' heart, one of which is usually emanating from his silky voice whenever he's not acting, eating or sleeping," or "Alexis did 12 takes of various angles high-kicking in dancing tights with Amy Acker," and "A total of 18-minutes were lost because the entire cast could not stop laughing during their first rehearsal with the Angel Muppet." This essay is followed by the hilarious Welcome To Wolfram & Hart: The Semi-Complete Guide To Evil. Written by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, this piece is a memo from the Powers That Be to All The Champions after they manage to get their hands on a Wolfram & Hart Employee Orientation Manual and are given some insider information on the house of evil, epitomized entirely by the law firm's Mission Statement. "Our Mission - To be the driving force for evil by providing top-quality legal advice and services to demons and mortals alike who seek to dominate and destroy good in all its forms". The rights and responsibilities of each individual according to the manual states, "Your rights at Wolfram & Hart are of no real concern to us," and "Your responsibilities to W&H are simple: You exist to serve us." Their policy on inter-office dating may have been of interest to Angel as his love life, or lack thereof, is discussed in a letter from The Love Goddess, Consultant at W&H in To All The Girls He Loved, Maimed And Banged Before byCandace Havens. In her reply to Angel's memo request to find true love, The Love Goddess analyses his past relationships to see who the best candidate for his heart truly was.

The key reason why this book is such an enjoyable read is that it is written from a fan's perspective and discusses subjects that other fans have talked about on forums and chat rooms for some time. However, that doesn't mean that the conversation is cold. On the contrary, the authors have managed to add a new twist to an old stake and have put a different spin on some topics taken for granted. It is amusing, not too heavy with the dialogue and full of back-story history to support theories. On the downside, there are some pretty obvious omissions from the book as pivotal characters Gunn and Fred warrant nothing more than a mere brief mention in a couple of chapters and that seems a little undeserving for two of the series major players especially as Spike who has appeared in just one season, has two chapters dedicated to him. Not everyone will agree with the theories raised in this book, but it certainly opens the mind a little. Five Seasons of Angel is more than a fitting tribute to the Angel series and should be most definitely added to any Angel fan's collection.

Written by CoA Staff Writer, Sue Grimshaw

CityofAngel.com would like to Thank Nicole Basurto (Marketing and Publicity Assistant) at BenBella Books for allowing us the opportunity of this review.

Visit BenBella Books on the web at: BenBellaBooks.com

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