Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably my favorite TV show of all time, so I was really excited to read this book all about it. Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born covers a lot of different areas. It details the history of the show, behind the scenes stories, season by season breakdowns, and commentary on different themes and aspects of the show.

I think that Evan Ross Katz did a great job of celebrating Buffy while also writing critically about parts of the show that didn’t age well or were never great to begin with. He didn’t shy away from the complicated legacy of Joss Whedon and the feelings of the actors involved with the show. Relying a lot on original interviews he did instead of archives added a lot to the book.

For me, the book was stronger in the second half where each chapter was focused on a certain topic (like feminism, sexuality, wardrobe, or race) instead of the beginning where it was going through season by season. The chapters about each season felt a bit all over the place or like they were trying to do too much at once. They were covering the plot of that season, talking about behind the scenes stories, analyzing themes, fan response, and other commentary. Because those chapters went in so many directions it felt like each bit only got to scratch the surface.

Overall I think this is a great book for Buffy fans. Because Evan was able to do so many interviews with writers, actors, and other people associated with the show there’s a lot of new information to learn.

There was soooo much detail and so many interesting interviews in this book it's hard to wrap my mind around it. BTVS was one of the first series that I watched all the way through and into the comic books and it was super interesting to revisit those moments through the lens of the actors and crew that brought it to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchett Books for my DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I should preface this with the little tidbit that I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I've always associated the show with being one of the pieces of media that helped me through my parents' divorce when I was a kid. Basically, I have a lot of love for this show.

Okay, so with that out of the way, let's talk about how awesome and lovely this book is. Evan Ross Katz is known for being a writer and editor whose work has been seen in various publications and if you follow him on Instagram, you'll also know that he has wondrous taste as evident by his decision to write this loving book about the iconic 90's show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (BTVS). This novel is a partial celebration, a partial examination, and partial memoir about BTVS involving multiple cast members and plenty of fans. And before you ask, Katz does get into the Whedon aspect of everything and he does so tactfully and as unbiasedly as he's able to.

As someone who has come back to BTVS multiple times in the past two decades, I thought Katz did a brilliant job of going into all of the reasons why BTVS is so iconic and long-standing despite it being a nearly 25 year old show (this book will be coming out on the show's 25th anniversary btw). He goes into the fashion, the language, the storytelling, and the characters and honestly, it has deepened my love for the show. Katz has interviews with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Benson, Charisma Carpenter, Seth Green, NIcholas Brendan, James Marsters, and Anthony Stewart-Head to name a few. I think Katz did such a brilliant job with expressing both the positive and negative aspects of BTVS. For example, he goes into the issues with Whedon which takes into account the Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot allegations, Kai Cole's editorial, as well as Carpenter's allegations.

The discussion about Joss Whedon's particular brand of abuse and "feminism" is peppered throughout the book naturally and prepares you, if you were unaware, for the discussion which I think is a good idea especially for fans who prefer to ignore all of that stuff. It honestly hurt a childish side of me to hear about how abusive the set was for the actresses and reading about the kinds of shit Whedon did just because he could. At the same time, I appreciate that Katz discussed both sides of the spectrum regarding Whedon; could we still appreciate this show despite it being ingrained with who Whedon is? Is BTVS still worth loving with the knowledge of how the set was? Questions like that are discussed and I honestly appreciated it a lot because they were questions I was grappling with when the things about Whedon were coming out.

To tone the somber mood down...there's a good healthy does of fanboying and fangirling going on in this book. I loved being able to read the thoughts and feelings of some of the BTVS cast especially in regards to the fans that were/are so heavily affected by the show. It made me feel emotional in a way that involved a little bit of crying.

All in all, I think this is such a lovingly researched and written book about a piece of media that I fully believe will still be influential in another decade. Evan Ross Katz does such a brilliant job of illustrating the iconicness of the show, of Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the long-standing power of a good leather jacket.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you love BTVS in any capacity.

I really nice informative read on Buffy the Vampire Slayer! As someone that grew up with Buffy, I found this read wonderfully nostalgic.

As a fan of the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, I was very excited to read this, but also apprehensive due to everything surrounding Joss Whedon. I was glad to see that Evan Ross Katz didn't gloss over the darkness surrounding this beloved show and actually delved deeply into the thoughts and feelings of fans, cast, and crew in regards to Joss's involvement in making the shows a negative experience for many who worked on them. I was really impressed with the amount of interviews conducted for this book. So many cast and crew members agreed to participate, including Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The first half of the book goes chronologically season by season, for the duration of the show's seven season run. Evan writes about how different creative choices were received by fans, and by those who worked on the show. The second half of the book has chapters about why the show has been so important to LGBTQIA+ fans, the lack of racial diversity and poor handling of matters regarding race, as well as a deeper dive into the issues surrounding Joss's mistreatment of those involved in his projects. There are chapters about the show's music, the slang, the costumes - literally no part of this book isn't interesting.

The interviews conducted by Evan Ross Katz were so impressive to me. It seemed the cast and crew who were interviewed had a high level of trust with Evan because they really didn't hold back. I would say this is a must read for fans of the series, who probably won't be surprised by how dark things get. For people who haven't ever watched Buffy but would like to, I'd recommend watching the show first if you don't want the whole series spoiled. If you don't ever plan to watch the show but are curious about its impact on pop culture, I also recommend reading this. Basically I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend this to.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good read, especially for anyone out there who is a fan of the show, I definitely recommend the book!

A solid addition to Slayer analysis - an easy handsell to fans of the show. A recommended purchase for collections where geek and pop culture titles are popular.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Buffy is a timeless icon, and this book delved into the amazing impact she had on generations. An extremely readable and fun reflection, Katz offers many tidbits and interesting points.

Thank you NetGalley for this awesome opportunity!!

So I admit I really wanted to read this for so many reasons, the biggest is that I just love the show. I watched it all when it aired while in college and beyond and then I have all 7 seasons on dvd and have watched them all, some seasons more than once. I'm also a fan of SMG and never thought she got enough credit as an actress in general.

So the book is extremely up front (a pre prologue speaks to it and through just about every chapter) about facing the problems of the creator both in the most recent allegations and to really dissect the areas where the show did not live up to it's potential both then and with the lens of now- lack of racial diversity and those that were there died quickly, the fact that almost all the major deaths were female, and the incredible pitting of the stars against each other (just to name a few)

So many of the cast and crew were interviewed (some noticeable absences) who gave their voice to their experiences both high and low. However throughout the three main themes ran through the whole book.

1. It was a show like no other
2. SMG literally carried the show and people who were on set
3. It was grueling work

The first part of the book goes through each season and then goes into the post season influence and dives into what the actors and crew went through and thought as they look back in time.

With every very overt criticism of the working conditions, the incessant feeling of need to please the creator, and the stress of being young and being pop icons, there are is so much that isn't said and if you're looking is very clear between the lines. I'm not sure anyone can miss it.

That all being said, this book is an amazing fan view of this show and the people in it and it made me so happy to go back in time and remember those episodes and know that I a show I enjoyed and still do continues to influence and be part of the every day lexicon of life.