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Title: Paleo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Score:
Author: Yvonne Navarro
Rating: Not available
Hits: 97

Review of Paleo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

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Comments for Paleo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

• Posted on 2007-08-06
  Super Reader
  
  Two self-centred paleontology students cause problems after they put to work a theory and spell found in a 1939 researcher's notes. They bring back a dragon demon via the resurrection of some dinosaur eggs.
  
  The eggs that they thought were Timimus actually were something more like Rex, and they grow fast, and the demon needs four of them. Four Rexes, even baby ones, can eat a lot of people. With a demon controller, even worse.
  
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• Posted on 2005-09-22
  Jhaeman's Review
  
  PALEO
  Yvonne Navaro (2000)
  
  RATING: 4/5 Stakes
  
  SETTING: Season Three
  
  CAST APPEARANCES: Buffy, Angel, Oz, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Giles, Principal Snyder, Joyce, Devon
  
  MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Daniel Addison (graduate student); Kevin Sanderson (high school student); Mr. Regis (teacher); Alysa Bardrick (band manager)
  
  BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: Buffy Summers and her gang know that Sunnydale is a haven for outsiders, whether of the supernatural or strictly adolescent variety. Shy transfer student Kevin Sanderson is no exception. But Kevin instantly finds a mentor in Daniel, a paleontologist and fellow dino-phile at the Sunnydale Museum of Natural History. When Buffy starts hearing rumors of alligators in the sewers, she has to wonder about Kevin and Daniel's hobbies. Meanwhile, the Slayerettes are having extracurricular excitement of their own. Alysa, a hotshot talent agent, wants to represent the Dingoes, and she's offering the Scooby Gang fame and fortune. If she's legit, it could be Oz's big break. But Buffy's too busy to run a background check-Daniel and Kevin have reanimated an ancient creature with a new agenda . . . an agenda that begins and ends with the destruction of the Slayer. . . ."
  
  REVIEW
  
  Paleo is one of those books that, at first glance, seems to have an extraordinarily silly plot: Buffy and crew fighting dinosaurs? Right. But what they say about judging books by their covers is true because Paleo is actually quite enjoyable and one of the best Buffy novels set during Season Three.
  
  An atmosphere of mystery and suspense is established in the very first chapter, as we see graduate student Daniel Addison opening dusty old boxes in the basement of the Sunnydale Museum. Addison finds a partially burnt diary of a field archaeologist who tells of strange sightings and dark rituals involving the reanimation of extinct creatures. The plot continues to build from there, as author Yvonne Navaro does an excellent job of giving new characters interesting personalities, believable backgrounds, and strong motivation.
  
  Alongside the main plot is a subplot focusing on Oz and his band, as they're approached by a talent agent offering to help them make it big. The amount of time spent on Oz is quite refreshing, given that he's a minor (or nonexistent) character in most other Buffy novels.
  
  The characterization and dialogue in Paleo is consistent with the show, even for characters like Oz that are harder to write. Perhaps one of the best parts of the book is that the action scenes are well-written and exciting (although I almost felt bad for some of the dinosaurs being slowly hacked to death!). Paleo is one of those surprising little books that contains a solid, enjoyable story.
  
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• Posted on 2002-03-17
  Bronto Buffy
  
  There are some places no Slayer should ever go. Jurassic Park is one of them. Of all the Buffy books, this is the weakest by far. Aside from the odd juxtaposition of Buffy and dinosaurs, the book just plods along like a brontosaurus, itself.
  
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• Posted on 2001-07-25
  Navarro knows her Buffy!
  
  After reading a few reviews here at amazon, I decided to pick up Paleo at my local book store. I am a huge fan of Buffy books and needed to add it to my collection.

  What a wonderful surprise! Yvonne Navarro really knows her Buffy as far as the mythology. She built an intriguing story that had everything we expect from Buffy, including dinosaurs; and she executed it well.

  At first look I thought this story was going to be very Buffy-light. The first half of the story focuses on Kevin Sanderson and Daniel Addison. Kevin recently moved to Sunnydale from Chicago due to his father's increading health problems, and hates the change. In Chicago he was big in dinosaurs and he can't seem to find anyone in Sunnydale he shares his interest; until the fatal day Daniel gives Kevin's Earth Studies class a lecture on dinosaurs.

  Daniel is a college student who works at the Sunnydale Museum. While doing some busy work he comes across a long-deceased paleontologists charred journal. Within the contents, a spell that can ressurect dinosaurs. Once four dinosaurs *are* resurrected, the one who ressurected them will be granted a single wish. Being greedy, Daniel wants to try and bring some dinos back to life. But how?

  When Daniel finds out Kevin snagged a dinosaur egg from one of his many paleontologist expeditions, he convinces the high school student to help him with his "experiment". Once the first dinosaur is resurrected, things go haywire. After saving a neighbors pet dog from a Timimus, and later killing a T-Rex in the alley behind The Bronze, Buffy realizes she must battle a possible army of prehistoric beasties.

  The secondary story of this novel ties in with the main plot. A young woman is interested in becoming the Dingoes Ate My Babies band manager. She is a smooth-talker and has Oz, Devon, and the rest of the band very interested. Of course not everyone is as they seems!

  Navarro does a wonderful job explaining the battles in these stories. She has a very precise way of wording things so there is no doubt of what is happening. She also does a great job at sticking to the story. She doesn't get wrapped up in plot upon plot, and she moves the story along at a steady pace.

  My only major complaint is I didn't feel the Buffy characters were in this book. It could have worked just as well if it were anyone. At times the characters acted illogically for our favorite Scoobies, and there were times Navarro didn't quite capture their voices correctly, especially with Oz and Angel. There were also times she resorted to the "Xander is a goofball" theory, which kept him rather one-dimensional.

  However, I was able to overlook these discrepencies because the action was so wonderful; and her moral of being a leader, not a follower, is very tried and true. Oz has a great part in this book and is actually in the center of the action, not standing aside and observing. If you are an Oz fan and miss him, this book is for you!

  Dinosaurs truly make a great villian for Buffy, and the twist Navarro threw in was an extra delight to the reader. I'm definitely glad I added it to my collection!
  

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• Posted on 2001-06-17
  Finally- a book where Oz says more than 2 words!
  
  This may not be the BEST Buffy book out there (try The Evil that Men Do or the Gatekeeper Trilogy for that), but it is definitely worth the time and money if you're an Oz fan. This is the long-overdue book that takes much from Oz's point of view. It is filled with suspense, action, humor, and a good story line, and does a good job of drawing parallels with mentors between kevin/daniel and Dingoes/Alyssa. Plus, did I mention Oz is a main character? ABOUT TIME!
  
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