Media tie-in books are very delicate situations, mainly because they rely so heavily on fans who have a deep emotional attachment to the original TV series or movie. Just one tiny mistake can invoke their displeasure, and Angel Sanctuary, by Jeff Mariotte, is one such dud.
This discovery was so disheartening, because Sanctuary's author, Jeff Mariotte is one of the best writers of this book series, but unfortunately, it was what it was. This story starts with a great idea that slowly runs it into the ground.
Angel: Sanctuary begins when the team from Angel Investigations (led by a Angel vampire with a soul that investigates your more paranormal happenings) going out to their favorite karaoke bar, Caritas, in an attempt to unwind a little and to welcome their newly found friend Fred Burkle (who is a girl) into the fold. For those not familiar with the series Angel, Caritas is a bar where humans and paranormals alike can gather without fear of random acts of mischief and violence occurring. This is what makes it even more shocking when, while there, Fred is taken from right under their noses.
The kidnapping plot is elaborate, with diversions keeping the gang in a crowd of demons long enough for the kidnappers to make off with the girl. So, the gang splits up in order to better cover different fields. Lorne, the host of Caritas, and Angel question the demon population, as Wesley and Gunn do the same for the humans in the know. Cordelia goes back to their headquarters to research similar incidents over the Internet. While searching, Angel receives a call-he can get Fred back, but only if the vampire commits suicide in public by walking into broad daylight in the middle of a park.
Sounds like the beginning of an incredible nerve-racking tale? That's what I thought too. Unfortunately, this was where the boredom began.
Lorne's interrogation scenes are terribly dull despite how much fun it was to see the return of such demon species as the Kaliff, Polgara, and Brachen demons from the series. On the television show, Lorne is a kind and generous demon, with a great sense of humor and a flamboyant speech style. On the contrary, in this story, Lorne was angry and impatient. And while the urgency of the situation would make it understandable for some, it doesn't make sense for this character, whom always seems to keep his cool and fun despite the troublesome incidents. Never mind the fact that just the way the character speaks was all wrong. So out of character, was Lorne, that when a second Lorne shows up claiming to be the true Lorne, I hoped that he was, thus excusing the way the character was being written. No such luck. The second Lorne to appear was the imposter and the writing went unexcused.
Also, Mariotte's attempt at creating a mystery was depressing as the kidnapper was all but revealed in the first few chapters of the book, but the gang doesn't seem to catch on (despite the fact that they have already theorized about this) until the last few chapters. Equally disappointing, was the build-up of the "bad-asses" of all demon species, the Roshons, which ended anti-climatically as they seemed like fluffy puppies compared to Angel, and the gang, which did nothing at all to add to the suspense. In addition to that poor plot sequence the fact that Cordelia forces a vision, something that she's repeatedly said she's unable to do in the series, and there you have it folks, a pretty bad book.
On the plus side, there was some quality in this story. I can imagine that Fred could be an impossible character to write for considering her neuroticism and disconnected way of thinking. Despite this, the scenes that do show Fred capture her character beautifully, and it is fun to show what is going on in her wacky brain. Also, I do like the fact that Angel actually considered giving his life to save Fred's. It's what the character would do; it's unusual, and Mariotte includes it.
On the whole, this was not Mariotte's best effort. I definitely think he could have done better. While not a total loss, Angel: Sanctuary will take you forever to muddle through despite how short it is. Keep this one on the shelf where it belongs.
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