Child of the Hunt

by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

A travelling Renaissance fair comes to Sunnydale. Buffy and her friends are charmed by a sad-eyed boy named Roland, who serves as the court jester. But Roland is not quite human - and destined to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671021354
• ISBN13: 9780671021351
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

The Slayer takes on the Erl King, Leader of the Wild Hunt

Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder write the best Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, not just because they are good writers but because they understand both the characters and the mythos of the Slayer. Even though the stories are set in Sunnydale, Golden and Holder have a keen appreciation for the Old World-ness of the Slayer's world. This is not just a question of Giles coming from England, Angel from Ireland and Jenny from the land of the gypsies, but rather a recognition that when you are talking about ancient evil you have to skip across the ocean because that is where our sense of vampires, demons and things that go bump in the night originates. "Child of the Hunt" represents this sensibility quite nicely.Buffy and her cohorts are enjoying a traveling Renaissance fair that has come to Sunnydale, but while they enjoy most of what they see they do not like the way the visitors treat Roland, their court jester. That is not the only significant development in town, for roaming the countryside are the minions of the Wild Hunt, in the service of the Erl King and with a taste for flesh. Of course there is a strange and terrible secret that links Roland to the eerie visitors. The Slayer wants to get involved, but Buffy must beware the awful curse, which dictates that no one can see the face of the leader of the Wild Hunt and live. Unless, that is, they join the hunt and take an oath to serve the Erl King. This is not a story about the end of life as we know it, like a Buffy season finale or Golden and Holder's justly celebrated Gatekeeper Trilogy, but then that is not the point. This is a more intimate story, where Buffy is fighting to save Roland more so than she is to stop the Erl King. Consequently, there is a complexity here that she just do not find in your average Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel. This is a serious story, with less of the humorous lines and cultural allusions than you find in most Buffy novels (usually to excess, I must add), that captures the spirit of ancient, Old World evil that provides such a provocative counterpoint to the essentially Post-Modern Slayer (there's a dissertation topic if ever I heard one). Actually, all you need to know is that if you are like Buffy then you should just read all of Golden and Holders novels. There is ample reason to believe they are genetically incapable of writing anything less than a great one.

Read it again!

As a fan of the TV show I was excited when I discovered the books about her but at the same time hesitant, thinking they might ruin things for me. The opposite happened. Now the space between Tuesdays seems to drag on forever, for after reading the book you feel even more a part of Buffy's inner circle. What makes the book even better than the show is you get to read each characters thoughts, hopes, and dreams. This book isn't simply another Buffy episode either. It would be a major production for any of this book to make it to the small screen. You don't need it to either, the authors' imagery and descriptions allow the imagination to create your own show. The plot is exciting. I couldn't put the book down, and if I hadn't moved on to another Buffy book by the authors I would be reading it again, and again, and again...

Great Book

I did a report on this book. I'm in seventh grade but I love to read Buffy books. This book was written greatly and it is my favorite book now. I was very impressed with the writing and I was so anxious to read what happened that I couldn't even put it down. I recommend this book to everybody I even lent it to my mom. My teacher was so impressed with my report that she actually asked me where she could get a copy. I have read this book four times. I loved the fairs and Roland was really cool. All you people who have read the book you probably know what I'm talking about with the King Erl. Thanx for reading my review.

Truly in the 'Buffy' spirit!

Well, this isn't going to be a total spoiler. all I am gonna say is that this is a great Buffy book. It takes place after the second season of the show, Buffy is back in Sunnydale. A traveling Rennesaince Faire comes to Sunnydale, but something isn't quite right. This is a great book, a real page turner. It has everything, Buffy and Angel, Cordelia and Xander, Willow and Oz, and Giles, Buffy's mom. It has action, comedy, and it is scary. A great read!

A must for all Buffy fans!

As the first Buffy novel aimed at an adult audience, "Child of the Hunt" is certainly a triumph. This darker, more angst-filled installment explores the effect that recent events have had upon the Slayer and her companions. Set after Buffy's return and Angel's release from Hell (though no details are offered), Buffy and her friends confront the Erl King, a disturbing foe who prays upon the "lost souls" of Sunnydale, and attempt to rescue Roland, a sad young man whose ties to the Erl King are key to his destruction.I can't recommend this book enough. The characters have a depth and reality unmatched by any of the previous books (although "Blooded" is the closest). And although I missed some of the humor (even Xander is remarkably subdued), it was more than made up for by the detailed exploration of each character. The Erl King makes for a horrifying adversary and you just have to love a book that manages to sneak in a little Goethe and make it interesting to the common reader!All in all, Golden and Holder continue to prove their intuitive understanding of the characters and the show, and have produced another superb Buffy novel. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us in their next collaboration!