The Longest Night. Vol I
Angel TV Series
By Joss Whedon (Creator), David Greenwalt (Creator) 

     December 21 is the longest night of the year, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, and Angel Investigations ("We Help The Helpless") are in for a longer than usual night, as they battle demons and other evil beings in twelve short stories, each by a different author. Set during the early part of the third television season, all the usual suspects are here, as well as Fred and Lorne (the latter only in a couple of stories) and, as usual, Gunn has a lot more to say and takes more of a real part in things than he does in the TV show. Wesley, on the other hand, is just as…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t miss him if he wasn’t in the show and he doesn’t show up to any great advantage in this book,either.

     I am not normally a short story fan, but confess to being pleasantly surprised with these above-average morsels of entertainment. Fast-paced and with plenty of twists and turns, most of the stories resemble the books in basic layout, but on a condensed scale.

     Since most of us are already familiar with the characters and setting, the authors can get on with the stories. The gang battles a frost demon, faces a man whose house contains a portal, end up transported back to mediaeval Britain, deals with two silly ghosts, unwraps gifts from Wolfram & Hart, and much more. It is fair to say that some stories are better than others, and as with anything else, those with novel twists and character insights are good, while anything corny or featuring excessive repetition is less so. I can’t imagine what volume II is going to contain, as these tales run from sunset to sunrise but I am sure it is going to be entertaining.