Mortal Fear (Ciencin and Ciencin novel)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels
Company type	Book series
Industry	Publishing
Predecessor	Pocket Books (division of Simon & Schuster)
Founded	1997
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels
Parent	Simon Spotlight Entertainment (from 2004), Hyperion Avenue Books (from 2022)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Mortal Fear (Ciencin and Ciencin novel), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 2025

Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels have been in publication since 1997. Originally issued under the Pocket Books division of Simon & Schuster, a significant number of these works transitioned to Simon Spotlight Entertainment following its establishment in 2004. Prominent writers involved include Mel Odom, Christopher Golden, and Nancy Holder.

After the 2019 acquisition of Buffy's parent company, 20th Century Studios, by Disney Entertainment, the rights for publishing were transferred to Disney's Hyperion Avenue Books, which began releasing new Buffy novels starting in 2022.

Chronology

Novelizations

These novels set within the Buffyverse are adaptations of episodes from both the television series and the film.

Title	Author	Initial Publication	ISBN-13
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	Richie Tankersley Cusick	August 1992	Template:ISBNT
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	Adapted from the movie
The Harvest	Richie Tankersley Cusick	September 1997	Template:ISBNT
The Harvest	Covers 'Welcome to the Hellmouth' and 'The Harvest'
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 1	Nancy Holder	July 1998	Template:ISBNT
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 1	Includes 'Angel', 'Reptile Boy', and 'Lie to Me'
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 2	Richie Tankersley Cusick	December 1998	Template:ISBNT
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 2	Features 'Halloween', 'What's My Line? Part 1', and 'What's My Line? Part 2'
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 3	Nancy Holder	1999	Template:ISBNT
The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 3	Contains 'Surprise', 'Innocence', and 'Passion'
The Xander Years, Vol. 1	Keith DeCandido	1999	Template:ISBNT
The Xander Years, Vol. 1	Adapts 'Teacher's Pet', 'Inca Mummy Girl', and 'Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered'
The Xander Years, Vol. 2	Jeff Mariotte	2000	Template:ISBNT
The Xander Years, Vol. 2	Based on 'The Pack', 'Go Fish', and 'The Zeppo'
The Willow Files, Vol. 1	Yvonne Navarro	December 1999	Template:ISBNT
The Willow Files, Vol. 1	Includes 'I Robot, You Jane', 'Phases', and 'Dead Man's Party'
The Willow Files, Vol. 2	Yvonne Navarro	2001	Template:ISBNT
The Willow Files, Vol. 2	Features 'Gingerbread', 'Doppelgangland', and 'Choices'
The Faith Trials	James Laurence	April 2001	Template:ISBNT
The Faith Trials	Covers 'Faith, Hope, & Trick', 'Revelations', 'Bad Girls', and 'Consequences'
The Journals of Rupert Giles	Nancy Holder	February 2002	Template:ISBNT
The Journals of Rupert Giles	Adaptations of 'Helpless', 'A New Man', and 'Blood Ties'
The Cordelia Collection	Nancy Krulik	December 2002	Template:ISBNT
The Cordelia Collection	Based on episodes: 'Out of Mind, Out of Sight', 'Some Assembly Required', and 'Homecoming'
Chosen	Nancy Holder	June 2003	Template:ISBNT
Chosen	Derived from Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7

490 BCE–CE 1996

These narratives within the Buffyverse take place prior to the television series timeline, spanning from 490 BCE through CE 1996.

Title	Setting	Author	First published	ISBN-13
Tales of the Slayer, volume 1	Various locations	Multiple authors	October 2001	978-0743400459
Tales of the Slayer, volume 1
Tales of the Slayer, volume 2	Various locations	Multiple authors	December 2002	978-0743427449
Tales of the Slayer, volume 2
Tales of the Slayer, volume 3	Various locations	Multiple authors	November 2003	978-0689864360
Tales of the Slayer, volume 3
Tales of the Slayer, volume 4	Various locations	Multiple authors	November 2004	978-0689869556
Tales of the Slayer, volume 4
Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row	Europe, 1940s	Christopher Golden	May 2001	978-0-7434-1892-8
Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row	In the year 1940, Spike embarks on a quest for a necklace that allows Drusilla to see her reflection as part of her vampire birthday ritual.
Blackout	New York City, 1977	Keith R.A. DeCandido	August 2006	978-1-4169-1917-9
Blackout	During a blackout in New York, Spike and Drusilla confront Nikki Wood.

Buffy season 1

These tales are set during Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 from spring 1996 to spring 1997.

Title	Setting	Author	First published	ISBN-13
Halloween Rain	Sunnydale, Halloween night 1996	Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder	November 1997	978-0-671-01713-2
Halloween Rain	Buffy receives a warning about a scarecrow that will animate during a rainy Halloween evening.
Night of the Living Rerun	Sunnydale, late 1996 to early 1997	Arthur Byron Cover	March 1998	978-0-671-01715-6
Night of the Living Rerun	The Master endeavors to bring back an old adversary of the Slayer.
Coyote Moon	Sunnydale, summer of 1997	John Vornholt	January 1998	978-0-671-01714-9
Coyote Moon	A traveling carnival arrives in Sunnydale, introducing supernatural dangers.
How I Survived My Summer Vacation	Sunnydale and Los Angeles, summer of 1997	Various authors	August 2000	978-0-613-63300-0
How I Survived My Summer Vacation	While Buffy visits her father in Los Angeles, others continue their fight against evil forces.

Buffy season 2

The Stake Your Destiny series—comprising The Suicide King, Keep Me In Mind, Colony, and Night Terrors—offers branching storylines without interactive gameplay elements.

Set within Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 2, covering autumn 1997 through spring 1998:

Title	Setting	Author	First published	ISBN-13
The Suicide King	Sunnydale, 1997	Robert Joseph Levy	February 2005	978-1-4165-0242-5
The Suicide King	Buffy investigates a series of unusual student suicides.
Keep Me In Mind	Sunnydale, 1997	Nancy Holder	April 2005	978-1-4165-0241-8
Keep Me In Mind	Ethan Rayne unleashes an ancient sorcerer from medieval Bavaria.
Colony	Sunnydale,1997	Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz	September2005	978-1-4169-0057-3
Colony	Mayor Wilkins organizes a school initiative with concealed intentions.
Night Terrors	Sunnydale,1997	Alice Henderson	December2005	978-1-4165-1146-5
Night Terrors	A demon invades victims’ dreams to sow disorder.
Afterimage	Sunnydale,1997	Pierce Askegren	January2006	978-1-4169-1181-4
Afterimage	The reopening of the Sunnydale drive-in coincides with mysterious occurrences.
Carnival of Souls	Sunnydale,1997	Nancy Holder	April2006	978-1-4169-1182-1
Carnival of Souls	A traveling carnival becomes enmeshed in supernatural events in Sunnydale.
Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary	Boston, December1997 – June1998	Robert Joseph Levy	June2006	978-1-4169-1587-4
Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary	Faith’s difficult childhood culminates in her discovery as a Slayer candidate.
Portal Through Time	Sunnydale,1998	Alice Henderson	October2006	978-1-4169-1918-6
Portal Through Time	Disciples of the Master attempt to alter the Slayer succession through time travel.
Bad Bargain	Sunnydale,1997	Diana G. Gallagher	December2006	978-1-4169-1919-3
Bad Bargain	Items sold at a school fundraiser become contaminated with Hellmouth parasites.
One Thing or Your Mother	Sunnydale, late1997 to early1998	Kirsten Beyer	March2008	978-1-84739-120-9
One Thing or Your Mother	Buffy faces challenges juggling tutoring responsibilities, slaying duties, and Angelus’ jealousy while Drusilla cares for a dangerous child.

Buffy season 3

The narratives take place during Buffy season 3, spanning from fall 1998 to spring 1999.

Buffy season 4/Angel season 1

These narratives unfold throughout Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 spanning from autumn 1999 to spring 2000.

Title	Setting	Author	Initial Publication	ISBN-13
Sins of the Father	Sunnydale, 1998	Christopher Golden	November 1999	978-0-671-03928-8
Sins of the Father	Pike makes a visit to Sunnydale.
Blooded	Sunnydale, 1998	Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder	August 1998	978-0-671-02134-4
Blooded	The Scooby Gang deals with a conflict among Asian warriors.
Child of the Hunt	Sunnydale, 1998	Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder	October 1998	978-0-671-02135-1
Child of the Hunt	The 'Wild Hunt' descends upon Sunnydale.
Ghoul Trouble	Sunnydale, 1998	John Passarella	October 2000	978-0-7434-0042-8
Ghoul Trouble	Introduction of Solitaire, a vampire resistant to sunlight.
Paleo	Sunnydale, 1998	Yvonne Navarro	September 2000	978-0-7434-0034-3
Paleo	Efforts to revive dinosaur eggs.
The Evil That Men Do	Sunnydale, 1998	Nancy Holder	July 2000	978-0-671-02635-6
The Evil That Men Do	Helen, an ancient vampire, attempts to awaken a destructive goddess.
The Deathless	Sunnydale, 1999	Keith R.A. DeCandido	April 2007	978-1-84739-037-0
The Deathless	Ring Day is approaching at Sunnydale High School.
Doomsday Deck	Sunnydale, 1999	Diana G. Gallagher	December 2000	978-0-7434-0041-1
Doomsday Deck	Justine, a tarot card reader, arrives in town.
Immortal	Sunnydale, 1999	Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder	October 1999	978-0-671-04117-5
Immortal	Buffy confronts Veronique, a vampire with exceptional immortality.
Prime Evil	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Diana G. Gallagher	March 2000	978-0-671-03930-1
Prime Evil	Buffy experiences panic attacks triggered by new teacher Crystal Gregory.
Revenant	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Mel Odom	January 2001	978-0-7434-0035-0
Revenant	A Chinese gang arrives in the town of Sunnydale.
Power of Persuasion	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Elizabeth Massie	October 1999	978-0-671-02632-5
Power of Persuasion	The Moon family advocates "Womyn Power" amid strange murders.
Resurrecting Ravana	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Ray Garton	January 2000	978-0-671-02636-3
Resurrecting Ravana	Rakshasa assist in bringing back the Hindu deity Ravana.
Out of the Madhouse (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 1)	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Christopher Golden with Nancy Holder	January 1999	978-0-671-02434-5
Out of the Madhouse (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 1)	The fragile Gatekeeper fights to maintain the boundaries of reality.
Ghost Roads (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 2)	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Christopher Golden with Nancy Holder	March 1999	978-0-671-02749-0
Ghost Roads (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 2)
Sons of Entropy (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 3)	Sunnydale, spring, 1999	Christopher Golden with Nancy Holder	May 1999	978-0-671-02750-6
Sons of Entropy (The Gatekeeper Trilogy book 3)
Return to Chaos	Sunnydale,spring,1999	Craig Shaw Gardner	December 1998	978-0-671-02136-8
Return to Chaos	Four Druids attempt a ritual to seal the Hellmouth portal.
Visitors	Sunnydale,spring,1999	Laura Anne Gilman and Josepha Sherman	April 1999	978-0-671-02628-8
Visitors	Buffy suspects she is being followed by a giggling demon.

Title	Author	Publication Date	ISBN-13
Prophecies (Part One of The Lost Slayer)	Christopher Golden	2001	978-0-7434-1185-1
Dark Times (Part Two of The Lost Slayer)	Christopher Golden	2001	978-0-7434-1186-8
King of the Dead (Part Three of The Lost Slayer)	Christopher Golden	2001	978-0-7434-1187-5
Original Sins (Part Four of The Lost Slayer)	Christopher Golden	2001	978-0-7434-1185-1
The Lost Slayer (Omnibus Edition)	Christopher Golden	2001	978-0-7434-1226-1
The Lost Slayer (Omnibus Edition)	New to UC Sunnydale, Buffy confronts vampires marked with bat tattoos, influencing the future of the Scooby Gang. Set in Sunnydale, 1999.

Oz: Into the Wild	Christopher Golden	May 2002	978-0-7434-0038-1
Oz: Into the Wild	Oz embarks on a quest for self-understanding after departing home. Sunnydale, 1999.

The Burning (First book of Unseen)	Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte	May 2001	978-0-7434-1893-5
Door to Alternity (Second book of Unseen)	Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte	June 2001	978-0-7434-1894-2
Long Way Home (Third book of Unseen)	Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte	August 2001	978-0-7434-1895-9
Long Way Home (Third book of Unseen)	Buffy and Angel collaborate to investigate missing teens and gang violence in Los Angeles. Set in Sunnydale and Los Angeles, 2000. Features crossover with Angel.

Buffy season 5/Angel season 2

These tales take place during Buffy season 5 and Angel season 2, covering autumn 2000 through spring 2001.

Title	Location	Author	Initial Release	ISBN-13
These Our Actors	Sunnydale, 2000	Ashley McConnell and Dori Koogler	September 2002	978-0-7434-5034-8
These Our Actors	Willow participates in drama club activities; Spike reminisces about Cecily.
The Wisdom of War	Sunnydale, 2001	Christopher Golden	July 2002	978-0-7434-5033-1
The Wisdom of War	Two new aquatic species appear in Sunnydale's ecosystem.
Tempted Champions	Sunnydale, 2001	Yvonne Navarro	March 2002	978-0-7434-5031-7
Tempted Champions	A lethal combatant poses threats to both humans and vampires.
Little Things	Sunnydale, 2001	Rebecca Moesta	August 2002	978-0-7434-4982-3
Little Things	Sunnydale encounters danger from an enigmatic tiny adversary.
Crossings	Sunnydale, 2001	Mel Odom	June 2002	978-0-7434-2734-0
Crossings	Xander discovers a perilous beta version of a fully immersive video game.
Sweet Sixteen	Sunnydale, 2001	Scott Ciencin	April 2002	978-0-7434-2732-6
Sweet Sixteen	Dawn forms a friendship with a girl named Arianna.
Chaos Bleeds	Sunnydale, 2001	James A. Moore	August 2003	978-0-7434-6821-3
Chaos Bleeds	Ethan harnesses power from The First by drawing Buffy into combat.

Buffy Season 6 / Angel Season 3

The narratives in this section take place during Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3, spanning from autumn 2001 through spring 2002.

Title	Timeline	Writer	Initial Release	ISBN-13
Cursed	Los Angeles, 2001	Mel Odom	November 2003	978-0-689-86437-7
Cursed	Spike becomes the target of a calculated campaign, prompting an uneasy alliance between him and Angel as they face their intertwined dark histories. Includes crossover with Angel.
Monster Island	Sunnydale, Los Angeles, Monster Island, 2001	Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski	March 2003	978-0-689-85665-5
Monster Island	The Scooby Gang teams up with Team Angel to defend a sanctuary for demons. Features crossover elements with Angel.
Blood and Fog	England 1888, Sunnydale, 2002	Nancy Holder	May 2003	978-0-7434-0039-8
Blood and Fog	Buffy pursues a deadly demon in Sunnydale with reluctant assistance from Spike, who harbors his own intentions.
Wicked Willow #1: The Darkening	Sunnydale, 2002	Yvonne Navarro	May 2004	978-0-7434-2774-6
Wicked Willow #2: Shattered Twilight	Sunnydale, 2002	Yvonne Navarro	July 2004	978-0-689-86953-2
Wicked Willow #3: Broken Sunrise	Sunnydale, 2002	Yvonne Navarro	September 2004	978-0-689-86954-9
Wicked Willow Omnibus	Sunnydale, 2002	Yvonne Navarro	2004
Wicked Willow Omnibus	A complete collection of the Wicked Willow trilogy, presenting an alternate narrative for Dark Willow.

Buffy Season 7 / Angel Season 4

These tales are situated within the timeframe of Buffy season 7 and Angel season 4, covering autumn 2002 through spring 2003.

Title	Timeline	Author	Release Date	ISBN-13
Spark and Burn	Sunnydale, 2002	Diana G. Gallagher	July 2005	978-1-4165-0237-1
Spark and Burn	Spike grapples with his sanity while confronting memories in a school basement setting.
Apocalypse Memories	Sunnydale, 2002	Laura J. Burns with Melinda Metz	March 2004	978-0-689-86700-2
Apocalypse Memories	Willow battles fears of succumbing to dark magic as Angel Michael warns of an impending apocalypse in Sunnydale.
Heat	Sunnydale, Los Angeles, 2002	Nancy Holder	June 2004	978-0-689-86017-1
Heat	Buffy and Angel confront an ancient entity known as the Possessor. This story crosses over with Angel.
Seven Crows	Mexico, 2002	John Vornholt	July 2003	978-0-7434-6865-7
Seven Crows	Riley and Sam Finn recruit Buffy and Angel to investigate supernatural disturbances spanning Mexico and Arizona. Includes crossover with Angel.
Mortal Fear	Sunnydale, 2002	Scott and Denise Ciencin	September 2003	978-0-7434-6867-1
Mortal Fear	Under Simon’s direction, Buffy embarks on quests to gather parts of a mystical sword, though his true objectives remain ambiguous.

Buffy season 8 / Angel season 5

These narratives within the Buffyverse take place following the conclusion of Buffy season 7 and Angel season 4.

Title	Location	Author	Initial Release	ISBN-13
Queen of the Slayers	Summer 2003-2004; Sunnydale, Cleveland, Italy	Nancy Holder	May 2005	978-1-4165-0240-1
Queen of the Slayers	A multitude of prospective slayers awaken; formidable dark entities unite to oppose the emerging new regime.
Dark Congress	2003–2004	Christopher Golden	August 2007	978-1-4169-3631-2
Dark Congress	After five centuries, demonic and monstrous factions prepare to assemble once more.

Canon considerations

The majority of Buffy novels are not regarded as official Buffyverse canon by the fan community. Nevertheless, unlike unauthorized fan fiction, the story summaries for these books received approval from Fox and Joss Whedon (or his representatives), enabling their release as officially licensed Buffy/Angel merchandise.

Authors of novels

For a comprehensive list connecting Buffyverse writers with their published works, see this page. Prominent contributors include:

External links