Diana G. Gallagher’s third “Buffy” entry – and her first in the young adult line – is a big step down from her first two, “Obsidian Fate” and “Prime Evil.” The 193-page “Doomsday Deck” (December 2000) has its soul cut out to fit the shorter format. While the Scoobies speak correctly and everyone is in character, the book is unengaging once a reader figures out its direction, which happens too quickly.
The setup has a homey vibe smacking of the high school years in Sunnydale, as Joyce has been tasked to oversee the city’s sidewalk art show. Buffy, Xander, Willow and Oz help out with the set-up. Xander, as so often happens, is smitten with a new young woman in town: the artist Justine (not the Justine who later appears on “Angel”), who creates fantasy paintings and does psychic readings with Tarot cards as a hobby.
All too quickly, Xander gets his energy drained by Justine and her magic deck of cards, and he, Oz and Willow are walking around in a body-snatched stupor like in “Bad Eggs” (2.12). Gallagher, via Giles’ research, reveals that Justine’s demonic sponsor is Kali, who aims for “perfect order,” and therefore the destruction of the universe. Bigger is not better in this case, and the scope of the problem is good for little more than a quip from Buffy on page 148 when Joyce asks about the latest threat: “Nothing much. Just a little problem with the continued existence of the universe.” A smaller but more personal threat to one of the characters would’ve been more engaging.
“Doomsday Deck” starts off as a passable Xander novel, as he desperately wishes to have psychic powers so he can bring something supernatural to the table like Buffy, Willow … and apparently Angel and Oz – although if pressed, I doubt he’d desire to be turned into a vampire with a soul or a werewolf. This would seem to place “Doomsday Deck” before “The Zeppo” (3.13) – where Xander comes to terms with his role. And indeed, Gallagher notes that the sun sets early, suggesting this is a winter tale. We know it is set after “Helpless” (3.12), as Giles has been fired from his Watcher duties.
At the same time, Willow is totally on board with continuing to help in the fight against evil upon graduation. The TV series makes a big deal out of Willow coming to this conclusion in “Choices” (3.19), which seems to put “Doomsday Deck” after that episode.
Also, Anya is essentially stalking Xander at this point, so I wouldn’t place the book all that much before “The Prom” (3.20). Anya is also in the mode of admiring Xander from afar in Gallagher’s “Prime Evil,” which takes place before this. On one hand, it’s smart to give Anya a reason for choosing to be a high school student after losing her demon abilities in “The Wish” (1.9). On the other hand, it’s weird to think that reason is total obsession with Xander, since that seems to start after their first date in “The Prom,” if one goes only by what we see on the TV series. By the way, where does Anya get a fake ID, money and all the other things this guise requires?
Timeline issues aside, thank goodness Anya is here to provide some entertainment value and levity. For example, Joyce recruits “Buffy’s strange friend” to answer phone calls at the gallery since Willow has not shown up. (She’s a victim of Justine’s psychic drain, which Buffy doesn’t bother to mention to her mom.) Some chuckles are to be had from the ex-demon’s treatment of customers and her inevitable abandonment of the post to search for Xander.
Small pleasures aside, “Doomsday Deck” will have your mind jumping to other, and better, underexplored segments of the saga – even in the overly populated timeline of Season 3. Gallagher’s two books in the adult line were likewise unsurprising, but they at least allowed for the villain’s backstory in flashbacks. Then again, that probably wouldn’t help “Doomsday Deck” either, as the author would have to explain why a demon desires the destruction of the whole universe: “Nothingness” strikes me as a dull place to rule.
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