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A fund-raising sale at Sunnydale High gets out of control
when shoppers suddenly begin to be bewitched by their purchases.
After the school is quarantined in hopes it will contain the
creepy outbreak, Giles discovers that the items from the sale,
which had been stored in the school basement, have been infested
with a sort of demonic vermin that escaped from the Hellmouth
directly below the school. Buffy and her gang must fight them
off - or risk these strange creatures helping far worse things
escape from the Hellmouth, bringing death and destruction
in their wake...
The
plot at the centre of Bad
Bargain
revolves around the build up to a jumble sale at Sunnydale
High. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Harmony are just
a few of the pupils that have been roped into helping out
- with the promise of extra credit - with the school's latest
charity fund-raiser.
However,
when Principle Snyder starts to act strangely - by being pleasant
- Buffy's worst fears are realised. It appears that Snyder
has taken a liking to a hat that is to be sold in the jumble
sale... and the feeling is mutual - the hat has taken a liking
to Snyder. Or, to be more specific, brain burrowing, demonic
worms from the Hellmouth have.
In
fact, this is only the start of the problems, as almost all
of the helpers seem to have become fixated on one item or
another - all of which are in reality harbouring a demonic
entity from the Hellmouth. And as things go from bad to worse,
the Scoobie gang has to team up with a demon who has been
sent to put all the demons back into Pandora's box.
My
first reaction to this book was how thin it was - at just
192 pages in length. But, I've never been one to look more
favourably on a book just because it is nice and thick. It
shouldn't matter how many pages there are - a good book should
be judged on how interesting a story it has to tell. I'd much
rather read a great 100 page book than a poor 500 page novel.
And, I'm glad to say, Diana G. Gallagher, turns in an above
average yarn here.
The
whole book is set at Sunnydale High, with the brief exception
of some scenes between the eve of the sale and the day of
the fund-raiser. And I couldn't help thinking how good a play
this would make - even down to the fact that some of the more
gruesome events, like Cordelia's fate, happen behind closed
doors, where we don't get to see what is going on.
Spike,
Angel and Drusilla all make appearances - to keep their fans
happy. I couldn't help smile to myself when Spike yells: "W*nker!"
This has been passed off for years in America as a mild expletive
that us Brits use on occasion - a bit like "Blimey!"
no doubt. It's a shame that this wasn't spotted before the
UK edition was given the all clear. Mind you, I assume the
UK edition isn't reproof read, and just has a different cover
with the £ price tag on it.
To
sum up, while some readers may feel short changed by the low
page count, for those wanting a good meaty slice of slayer
action this doesn't represent a bad bargain.
Amber
Leigh
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