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I have once again been called forth to announce the publishing of absolute drivel! It always hurts to step on a name as famous in media tie-in novels as John Vornholt, but if I must, I must. Once upon a time, when Buffy novels were in the single numbers, this author, who has written 
several best selling novels in the Star Trek media tie-in series, proved that he should stick to writing what he knows, and leave fantasy alone. Vornholt's first Buffy novel, Coyote Moon, was bad- no I mean really bad. And to make matters worse, Mr. Vornholt had to take a second go at it, just as I got the opportunity to review it.
I have to admit; at first this story had an interesting premise. Another Buffy/Angel crossover novel (the likes of which almost cause me to drool), Seven Crows takes us to a sleepy town on the Mexican-American border, where secret agent Riley Finn (who once dated Buffy Summers, our famous vampire slayer) and his wife, Sam, are investigating a rash of mysterious vampire murders when suddenly, their secret government agency pulls them off of the case. Curious as to why this would happen just as they were getting close to the answers, the couple agrees to call in an outside gun to help them investigate. They just don't take the time to agree on which. Riley, calls in his super-hero vampire-fighting' ex, while Sam enlists the demon killing legendary vampire with a soul, Angel, to help; Angel, who also happens to be Buffy's ex.
Dramatic wackiness and good writing ensues, right? Wrong. As seems to always be the case when this genre of writing goes wrong, the story starts out interesting, then slowly, and in most cases quite painfully, runs into the ground.
Vornholt quite obviously doesn't watch very much of either of these shows to be making a crossover. The characters are extremely off balance. In the series, Riley is portrayed as a corn-fed hick, who is not quite as hick-like as he appears, eventually revealing that he is actually quite smart and even ruthless when the opportunity allows. Angel is quite serious and dark, and the mere thought of being around Buffy fills him with high-powered broodiness. But in this story, Riley is portrayed as a complete idiot and Angel is a goof using lines that should've belonged to Buffy, instead of his own dry sarcasm. Also, he doesn't really seem remotely effected by Buffy's presence unless the moment calls for it, which usually leads to an emotional conversation which seems incredibly forced and is usually resolved in a blunt, unresolved way.
It's also slightly unbelievable, that the old augury poem that they are using to help them find clues would come from Riley, who's Grandmother taught it to him as a child. Augury is the practice of using chicken bones and bloody entrails to tell the future. Um...excuse me, but how many grandmothers from Iowa practice augury anyway? Also, Vornholt employs the Navajo Skinwalkers in this novel just as he did in the first Buffy novel he wrote. I ask this...if it didn't work the first time, why try it again? Is this the only Native American spiritual belief the author knows anything about? It was when I got to that part of the story that I realized that Vornholt wrote Coyote Moon as well...and that's when I let out a huge unsatisfied groan.
However, an interesting turn in the novel does arise, a part that Vornholt does the best in my opinion - the love triangle. No, not a Buffy/Riley/Sam triangle, or an Angel/Buffy/Riley triangle, for that is too predictable and would just make my praise silly. In fact, the author creates an Angel/Sam/Riley triangle that is quite a chance to take, and the most original idea this book had to offer.
Even the gritty, threatening, villains of this novel didn't do much for me. No, they weren't the villains. This story's worst villain was its writer. Throw it away before you buy it! Even though it picks up at the end, this story is too long and boring for anyone BUT a reviewer to be forced to read.
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