Product Description

The Slayer and her friends discover that saving the world may be one thing, but dealing with life's little everyday gremlins can be quite another! Since her mother's death, Buffy has had a hard time coping. Finding herself suddenly alone and in charge of her younger teenage sister is daunting enough, and being responsible at the same time for saving the world...Buffy is used to dealing with the big stuff, but it's the little things that threaten to get on top of her. She has a toothache; but no dental insurance. Her financial problems are a constant worry -- it's hard to earn a living when you're out every night combating the forces of evil. Nor is she the only one who is having trouble with life's little irritations. Anya and Xander are trapped in their apartment by a plague of ants, and it seems that everyone is trying to put up with some annoyance or other. Then Spike discovers pocket-sized evil wreaking havoc in Weatherly Park, mini-monsters perfectly capable of causing major trouble. In order to stop them, the Slayer's going to have to think small!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #540499 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Customer Reviews

Buffy and the Scoobies do a deadly dance with Queen Mab
I am pretty open minded and when it comes to the willing suspension of disbelief I will accept a lot of things in the name of a compelling narrative. But I have to admit that in "Little Things," author Rebecca Moesta goes over the line for me. A troop of fairies arrive in Sunnydale and it seems the wee folk intend to turn the never peaceful city into their own version of Tinkerhell. Okay, no problem with that idea (homage to Swift combined with the Blue Fairy as a psycho), but it seems Buffy has a toothache. Not only that, it is apparently the any kind of a toothache kind of toothache (as opposed to the not just any kind of toothache). If there had been some explanation forthcoming for this curious chink in the Slayer's healing and recuperative powers then I could have rendered a judgment via-a-vis the aforementioned willingness to suspend disbelief. Ultimately it seems the breach in the wall being explored has more to do with the Summers family's financial problems in the post-Joyce era. But enough of this rant.

After reading Mel Odom's complex tale in "Crossings" and Christopher Golden's mini-epic in "The Wisdom of War," Rebecca Moesta's summer Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale is like a wind sprint. The pacing is as fast as any BtVS novel I can recall reading and the average length of a chapter must be around six pages (perfect for taking short breaks at work to find out what happens next or to read in trips up and down in the elevator to procure liquid/salty/chocolate refreshment).

Fans of Spike should be forewarned that although the Big Bad appears on the cover he is not the focal character in "Little Things." (See? I made it to the third paragraph before "complaining" about the cover this time around.) The fairies are in town because of the beckoning call of the Hellmouth, but then they discover an old friend and things take a turn towards revenge.

Moesta likes the research thing (along with a certain Monty Python movie) and readers will find out about the "real" origins of fairies. This is one of those BtVS novels where the quips and pop culture references come fast and furious (I cannot share my favorite with you because it gives away a wee bit too much of the plot). In terms of characterization I think Moesta does a nice job on Willow (Buffy is distracted by that toothache you see) and especially Xander, who has a couple of nice serious moments. However, despite coming up with a nice brush with the law for Giles, she does have the Watcher being a bit too nice to Spike (that cannot be right). Anya is once again almost relentlessly oblivious to social convention and any form of propriety, but this is certainly a constant pitfall in the Buffy Mythos and there are a couple of nice scenes where she remembers the good old days.

I especially like the creative ways in which Moesta comes up with Buffy and the Scoobies to take on the wee folk, especially for the grand finale when the group does one of its better "Wild Bunch" impersonations. Who would not want a Slayomatic? "Little Things" is a quick read, so do not take this as your only book on a trip because you might be able to get it read between the time you get to the airport and the plane actually takes off. For that matter, you could probably read it while waiting for the dentist...

Little things
There's a tribe of half fairy, half vampire in Sunnydale. They're killing and memorising people at the same time - but they are impossible to vanquish. Nobody knew how hard it was to stake something so small and fast! Xander and the team has cocktail sticks at the ready!
At the same time, Buffy has raging tooth ache, she has no dental or health insurance and it's really getting her down. The only one who knows what her problem is, is Spike! The fairy vamps have recognised Anya and are looking for revenge. How are the scooby gang gonna defeat millions of tiny flying vampires? Read the book to find out. Fun to read, a gripping tale.

quick read
buffy and her pals have to save sunnydale from a troop of evil vampire fairies. the fairies have come to do seek revenge on the person that made them, anyanka. although she is no longer a demon anya is under attack and needs her friends to save xander from the fairies which she helped create in her venegence demon days. short and snappy.