Buffy: Blackout confusion

[knoll360]

Hello there. I have been working on a reading/viewing order for Buffy/Angel which can be found here if you're interested:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JGik7eVV7PqSvjk-bxfMT-touRkHDrEIhYwrwads3zA/edit?usp=sharing

Anyway, most of the novel Blackout takes place in 1977 but from what I have heard there is a framing sequence with Buffy. So is this Buffy part the "present" and the 1977 parts in flashback? If so, when (in relation to the episodes) does this present part take place? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lyri]

In almost all of the BtVS tie-in novels, there is never a definite date given for when the novel takes place. They never say 'this story takes place between the episodes 'blah' and 'uh-huh'.

The best we're given is a season. At the start of the book, some of them say 'this story takes place during Season '?' of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer', and a lot of the time, you can tell which season it is by what's going on in the story. For example, 'The Book of Fours' features Faith, but not Wesley, meaning that the story takes place some time after 'Faith, Hope and Trick', but before 'Bad Girls'.

As far as 'Blackout' goes, if my memory serves, Spike is still in his crazy-post-soul period, so it would be early S7.

 

[knoll360]

In almost all of the BtVS tie-in novels, there is never a definite date given for when the novel takes place. They never say 'this story takes place between the episodes 'blah' and 'uh-huh'.

The best we're given is a season. At the start of the book, some of them say 'this story takes place during Season '?' of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer', and a lot of the time, you can tell which season it is by what's going on in the story. For example, 'The Book of Fours' features Faith, but not Wesley, meaning that the story takes place some time after 'Faith, Hope and Trick', but before 'Bad Girls'.

As far as 'Blackout' goes, if my memory serves, Spike is still in his crazy-post-soul period, so it would be early S7.

Okay, thanks a lot. And yeah I've noticed that the novels tend to give a very general idea and you have to use context clues and whatnot to determine their placement. I have most of the Buffy novels but don't have Blackout itself and the Buffy Wiki simply said it took place "in 1977" without mentioning any info at all on the placement for the Buffy part. Thanks. 🙂. I'll try and squeeze it in somewhere in early season 7.