This is an interesting twist that I'd never thought about - never even considered possibly thinking about. The story is called 'What If' for a reason. What if Willow was off at an out of state college - when Tara came into the picture, became 'known' to the group? (ETA: I mention it, somewhat, later, but on the television show, Willow and Tara were a couple).
The book opens with Buffy out on patrol. Wandering, killing, wandering - coming across a woman that has four vampires closing in on her. Buffy starts taking the vamps out when one suddenly explodes in flames, Buffy takes out the last vamp and looks over at the woman. Who stammers, thanks her, and runs away. Buffy finds a little celtic cross charm on the ground and assumes that the woman had dropped it - wishes to return it, but has no clue who the woman might be.
The next day finds Buffy and Joyce, Buffy's mother, chatting before Buffy wanders to class - at college. See, this is the period/part of the series, when everyone is an adult now (Buffy being 18, Tara being 19 (Tara's exact age is mentioned in the book, and Buffy is a year younger); Joyce, I assume, is somewhere between 36 and 46) and doing college like stuff (except Xander - I've yet to run across a story that has Xander go to college). And I mentioned the Joyce/Buffy talking thing so I'd remind myself to note that that's one of the things they do - talk a lot and stuff - Buffy lives at home while going to college, and Joyce knows Buffy is the slayer. In that other universe, the one that was shown on television, this specific aspect didn't happen because the mother got an aneurysm rupture and died. So -- that parts different. (Also, Dawn doesn't exist. I forget now if this story actually takes place before or after Dawn had appeared; or, I should say, if the split point that pivots on one line towards the tv show story, and the line that pivots towards this book's story line, is before or after Dawn had appeared).
I mention class up above because, while in class, Buffy spots a blond woman who looks vaguely familiar. Then finally realizes that it is the woman from before who had stuttered nervously and fled. I don't want to go down a road of noting everything that happened in the book just the part where Buffy and Tara kept bumping into each other, Buffy wants to be friends with Tara, Tara seems receptive, especially since Tara finds Buffy attractive, and somewhere along the way Buffy comes to the realization that she finds Tara attractive. And is quite confused by that, since she has tended to fancy men so far in her life. After the questioning occurs, and the romancing, and the like, the rest of the book unfolds. Which, oddly enough, is the last . . . oh . . . 50% of the book.
This is the part of the series when Faith was in that coma she'd fallen into. Part of the rest of the book involves Tara (and the others) trying to help Faith. While also showcasing lots and lots of sex between Tara and Buffy. And I mean - a lot. Everywhere. Non-stop. So much sex that it's a good thing both are, in their separate ways, super-powered by supernatural forces or they probably would have died from all that sex. Oh, didn't mention that, did I? Well, kinda, but didn't expand on it. Well, first, if you read this story you probably already know that Buffy is 'The Slayer' - the one who has this superpowered ability to fight and protect humans against demons; well, Tara is a witch - from a longish line of witches, and each generation grows stronger the further away you get from the first one who dabbled in witchcraft.
Tara is not a character that I had spent a whole hell of a lot of attention on. Even though she's 'the lesbian' and in 'the lesbian relationship on a mainstream network show' (even if it was WB/UPN), I still didn't spend a whole hell of a lot of time watching her. For . . . reasons. Partially because she didn't seem a whole hell of a lot different from Willow. Both stuttered more than you'd think a person could stutter. Both were super shy. Both were kind of mousy. Both were basically the same character except for hair color. Remove her from getting absorbed into Willow, as occurred on the tv show, and you can see the character on her own. Watch her, learn her, feel her grow into her own creature.
Even though I'd never considered the idea, Tara and Buffy actually did/do make an interesting couple. Different than, despite my comments in the prior paragraph, than a Willow & Buffy match up. Because they aren't really the same character with different hair color (Willow and Tara), it's just how they got lumped into my brain as the floated around in the expanded 'Scooby' friends zone.
- Buffy and Tara
The other characters were great as well - well, good at least. The Faith scenes were quite good. The mother/daughter/Giles scenes were good. Willow and her revelations were good.
All around a good solid story. With lots of . . . fantasy elements, and action, and tons of graphic erotic sex stuff.
Rating: ... something between a 4.25 and a 4.5. I'll call it 4.5 as I don't have a rating shelf this would fall on specifically. Maybe 4.33? Something like that.
September 22 2017
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