"Tales of the Slayer" is a collection of short stories based on the premise of the Slayer myth as created by Joss Whedon in his critically acclaimed tv series "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and the not-so-acclaimed movie of the same name. According to the legend, "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." The Slayer is a girl, usually in her late teens, who has superior strength, fighting, and healing abilities and uses those abilities to fight vampires and demons. When one Slayer dies, the next is called.

This collection of short stories tells the tales of some of those slayers. From a Slayer in Ancient Greece to a young African-America Slayer in 1950s Florida, each story details a portion of these girls' short lives as the Slayer. Written mainly by genre novelists, the majority of these stories are well-written and range from humorous to chilling to poignant.

Some of the stories are particularly touching such as my favorite story, "A Good Run," which tells of a Greek Slayer in 490 BC who must protect a messenger during the first marathon, the Battle of Marathon between the Greeks and the Persians. The story follows the thoughts of this Slayer as she runs along with the messenger, protecting him from evil as he heads toward Sparta to ask for the support of Spartan troops for Athens.

The only downside to this collection is that Slayers rarely live long lives so many of the stories deal with the death of these Slayers. Some are particularly depressing or horrible such as in "Die Blutgrafin" and "Silent Screams."

I recommend "Tales of the Slayer" to anyone who is, was, or will be a fan of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." It can also be enjoyed by fans of vampire stories or the fantasy genre since, as long as you know the premise, the stories will make sense even to someone who has never seen an episode of "Buffy." This book is labelled "Volume 1"; I sincerely hope that "Volume 2" is in the works.

For any fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and especially for fans who love Slayer mythology, this is an excellent read. With short stories spanning the lives of eight different Slayers, each set around a different historical event, there's little not to love about this anthology.

The writing is strong and the tales are very engaging. If you're looking for something to tide you over in between new episodes, I highly recommend "Tales of the Slayer."

An anthology of stories about 7 Slayers in the line of Slayers who have fallen in the past, this book is a must for any Buffy fan and even non-fans. It is written by different authors each writing the tale of a Slayer. This should interest those interested in the mythology of Buffy.
The tales of each Slayer brings the reader around the world from Germany to Greece and more , each with a intriguing tale of each Slayer. The tales center around sometimes during their duty, their last battle or the day they learned of their destiny.
My favourite among these tales included The White Doe a tragic tale of the Slayer being killed by her love and Silent Screams the tale of a Slayer who was left by her Watcher to die.
This book is a great anthology of the different Slayers living in a different time and place than ours. It demonstrates the different personalities and styles of each Slayer and the author of the tale. I look forward to Vol. 2