8 Books with That Buffy Flavor, in Honor of 20 Years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Anita Blake series, by Laurell K. Hamilton
This long running series (which actually predates Buffy, and did even more to lay the groundwork for urban fantasy as a genre) is the perfect prescription for Buffy addiction. Anita Blake is also a vampire slayer who also ends up falling in ill-advised love with her vampire foes. What results is the keystone series for early urban fantasy. Still going strong at 24 books long, Anita Blake’s adventures are a whole lot of fun, even if the books are uneven from time to time. The vampires are mercurial and violent, with a touch of Anne Rice suave. Anita and Buffy would get on well, when they weren’t fighting it out; both are tough, sarcastic, and headstrong. If vampire slayers are what you want, Anita Blake is your go-to gal.

The True Blood series, by Charlaine Harris
On the other hand, if more emphasis on vampire romance is what you want, revisit Bon Temps, Louisiana, stomping grounds of Sookie Stackhouse. The TV series and book series are both complete, which is a good thing, because in both incarnations,the series begs out to be binged. While Sookie isn’t quite as stab-happy as Buffy, this books still completely deliver vis-à-vis attractive vampires and the problems of the preternatural set. If you only watched the show, the books are a must. The only question is: Team Angel or Team Bill? (Trick question, the answer is Team Spike.)

The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
While Buffy the Vampire Slayer never got quite this… dystopian, Buffy and Katniss Everdeen are cut from the same cloth. They’re both thrown into circumstances completely beyond them, and forced to hone their fighting skills quickly—or perish painfully. Katniss never has to stake a vampire, but she’s an able slayer when it counts. She’s sharp-witted and deadly, yet always willing to help a friend or right a wrong. The love triangle, a staple of the genre, feels very Buffy-esque, too. If their situations were reversed, you know Buffy would win the Games and Sunnydale would be full of arrow-studded piles of vampire ash.

Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers
The first in the lush His Fair Assassin series, Grave Mercy offers up a hell of a story; think Buffy in medieval times. Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes a cruel arranged marriage and finds a home with a sisterhood of assassins. The god of Death has gifted her with the knack for killing, and she sets out to kick ass and take names. The historical setting makes it even more fascinating, and it’s easy to imagine Ismae was an early incarnation of the Slayer—even Buffy herself could learn a thing or two from her. This series is like a breathtaking kick to the sternum.

Sabriel, by Garth Nix
An absolute classic, Sabriel is the story of a girl who has greatness shoved upon her against her will. Very much like Buffy, she’s saddled with responsibilities she never thought possible, and must forge a way forward with only her wits to guide her. Yes, it is more straight-ahead fantasy than the urban variety, but that allows for additional worldbuilding flavor to make it even more intriguing. Sabriel’s father, the Abhorsen (the guardian of the border between the living an the dead) has gone missing, and it’s up to Sabriel and her ragtag group of friends to find out why. She has to fight tooth and nail for every scrap of information, and finds herself carrying the mantle of the Abhorsen in her father’s absence. Buffy, who never dreamed she’d be a Slayer, would definitely relate. If you like this one, you have all of Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom to explore.

Heroine Complex, by Sarah Kuhn
But enough about Buffy. Why don’t we focus for a moment on the real heroes, the Scooby gang! A slayer is only as good as her friends, and the same goes for superhero Aveda Jupiter in this witty, hilarious novel. Evie Tanaka, Aveda’s long suffering assistant, screws up one day and discovers she too has powers. Just as the Scooby gang in Buffy “leveled up” as the show progressed, so too does Evie, going from assistant safe in the office to fighting in the metaphorical supernatural trenches. It’s a difficult challenge, and Evie faces it with charm and self-deprecating one liners. I’d pay good money to see Evie and Willow trade notes over coffee. It’s not easy being the sidekick. The sequel, Heroine Worship, arrives this summer.

Wake of Vultures, by Lila Bowen
Nettie Lonesome is a hell of a character, and Lila Bowen is a hell of a writer to come up with her. Who needs coffee when you can just wake up and read Wake of Vultures? This book, the first in a series, is more than capable of picking up from where Buffy left off. Nettie is full of vigor and anger, and would absolutely slaughter a group of vampires if they got in her way. The setting of this gritty, take-no-prisoners weird western couldn’t be more removed from suburban Sunnydale, but Nettie’s struggles will remind you of Buffy’s most desperate, dangerous fights. The series continues the conversation Buffy the Vampire Slayer started about sexuality, gender, and self-identity (Nettie embraces his identity as Rhett Hennessy in the sequel, Conspiracy of Ravens; book three, Malice of Crows, arrives in October). Despite being a western, these books feels strikingly modern and full of venom. This is Buffy, stripped down and with nothing to lose. I cannot recommend it enough.

The Girl with Ghost Eyes, by M. H. Boroson
Trade vamps for demons (though Buffy fought plenty of those too) and Sunnydale for turn of the century San Francisco, and you get the dreamy, beautiful The Girl with Ghost Eyes. Li-lin is a young widow from a family of exorcists who has the ability to see into the spirit world. When her father is injured, Li-Lin must take up arms and use her martial arts ability to stop the world from teetering into chaos. It’s easy to see Li-lin as another historical Slayer, keeping supernatural evil at bay. She faces not just demons, but gangsters and the expectations of a changing society, armed with only a sword and an oddly hilarious enchanted eyeball. Li-lin is definitely a kindred spirit to Buffy.
What books do you think capture the spirit of the Slayer?