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Dark Congress is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel. Written by Christopher Golden, it was originally published on August 28, 2007, by Pocket Books.
Synopsis[]
Since the beginning of time, the demonic races have gathered every century to resolve conflicts among them and to determine the course of their future. This centennial event was called the Dark Congress.
In the second century b.c., however, the Dark Congress failed to resolve their conflicts. Instead, the Congress ignited into a war that drove wedges between the various demon races from that time until now. And all of it began as a result of Kandida, the great North African river demon, being nearly killed by forces in the Congress and magically entombed in the riverbank.
But now, Kandida is free, and for the first time in centuries, the Dark Congress is being called again. All demon races and other varieties of supernatural creatures have been called to gather at the Hellmouth in Providence, Rhode Island. Some gather in hopes of resolution, some in favor of war, and Kandida is tasked to broker a treaty and guide the Congress to peace, wherein everyone might simply agree to disagree. And so the demons gather under a banner of a truce.
But the demons still harbor many bitter disagreements with one another. The Congress must have an arbiter of these conflicts, and that someone is Buffy Summers.
Buffy is horrified and disgusted to be included. After all, she is not a demon… is she? She knows so little about her powers that she cannot say for certain where they truly spring from. How can she spend so much time wallowing in the darkness without becoming part of it? Can she possibly agree to a truce with all the horrors of the world, and allow them to come Providence without any attempt to stop them? And does she have a choice?[1]
Summary[]
- This article needs a plot summary.
Continuity[]
- The events of this story take place in August 2003, after the activation of multiple Slayers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 but before the rise of Twilight in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.
- Micaela is still in bad terms with Council members for being a double agent in The Gatekeeper Trilogy.
- Buffy reflects on not being the only Slayer anymore due to Willow's spell in "Chosen."
- Buffy reflects on Xander losing him eye at Caleb's hands ("Dirty Girls").
- Willow reflects on Tara's death ("Seeing Red") in relation to her relationship with Kennedy, which she dealt with in "The Killer in Me."
- Willow breaks up with Kennedy after discovering the Slayer cheated on her. In the canon continuity, Willow breaks up with Kennedy after having her own paramour (Last Gleaming, Part Five).
- Giles goes to the Watchers Council headquarters from during World War II, seen in Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row. Its latest location was destroyed in "Never Leave Me."
- Willow has Tara back for the beginning of her mentoring, similar to what will be offered to her in Willow: Goddesses and Monsters.
- Buffy thinks of Dawn in the Slayer headquarters in Scotland, first seen in The Long Way Home, Part One.
- Buffy says she heard before about a theory involving demons, referring to the first lines of the song "I've Got a Theory" from "Once More, with Feeling."
- Xander comments on Buffy's use of the word "wiggins," first used in the episode "Welcome to the Hellmouth."
- Buffy thinks back on Willow resurrecting her in "Bargaining, Part One" and her mother not coming back in "Forever."
- Faith recognizes the Gentlemen from Buffy's retelling of their confront in "Hush."
- Buffy thinks back of when Faith "usurped" her role as the boss, referring to the events of "Empty Places."
- Willow mentions Buffy being pulled out of "heaven" in her resurrection, as she revealed in "Once More, with Feeling."
- Willow mentions the coven of witches who taught her in her magic rehabilitation ("Lessons").
- Tara recognizes Oz from their encounter in "New Moon Rising."
- Xander thinks back of when he kissed Willow without knowing their respective partners, Cordela and Oz, had come to their rescue in "Lovers Walk."
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Adrianna
- Alice
- Anatoly
- Angel (Only mentioned)
- Catherine Cadiere
- Caleb (Only mentioned)
- Cordelia Chase (Only mentioned)
- Roberto Corelli
- Christabel de Tournefort (Only mentioned)
- Diana (Only mentioned)
- Dori
- Thomas Fox
- Edna Giles (Only mentioned)
- Rupert Giles
- Marcus Green
- Haarmann (Only mentioned)
- Alexander Harris
- Margaret Hood
- Trevor Hopkins
- Stefania Kamari
- Kandida
- Eric Katz
- Malaika Kehinde
- Kennedy
- Rory Kinnear
- Faith Lehane
- Tara Maclay
- Mai
- Malik
- Dyannah Neville
- Ngaio
- Odessa
- Daniel Osbourne
- Willow Rosenberg
- Ryvak
- Simone
- Buffy Summers
- Dawn Summers (Only mentioned)
- Tai
- Micaela Tomasi
- Kurt Traeger
- Trajabo
- Victoria
- Robin Wood (Only mentioned)
- Zamira
- Unidentified Moroccan Slayer (Only mentioned)
Organizations and titles[]
- Champion
- Devon coven (Only mentioned)
- Key (Only mentioned)
- Potential Slayer (Only mentioned)
- Powers That Be (Only mentioned)
- Scooby Gang
- Slayer
- Slayer Organization
- Watcher
- Watchers Council
- Werewolf hunter
- Witch
- Witchfinder
Species[]
- Demon
- Charnel demon
- Cyclops (Only mentioned)
- Desert demon
- Footmen
- Gentlemen
- Fraxis demon
- Fyarl demon
- Incubus
- Ixchak
- Ker (Only mentioned)
- Matabiri
- Miquot Clan
- River demon
- Vahrall demon
- Veshtitza
- Ghost
- Higher being (Only mentioned)
- Human
- Vampire
- Werewolf
Events[]
- Apocalypse (Only mentioned)
- Dark Congress
Locations[]
- Albania (Only mentioned)
- Buffy Summers' heaven (Only mentioned)
- Canada (Only mentioned)
- China (Only mentioned)
- Beijing (Only mentioned)
- Czech Republic
- France (Only mentioned)
- Paris (Only mentioned)
- India (Only mentioned)
- Kolkata (Only mentioned)
- Italy
- Rome (Only mentioned)
- Venice
- England
- London
- Watchers Council headquarters (Only mentioned)
- London
- France (Only mentioned)
- Greece
- Athens
- Mykonos (Only mentioned)
- Pompeii (Only mentioned)
- Thira
- Kenya (Only mentioned)
- Malta
- Valletta
- New Zealand (Only mentioned)
- Morocco
- Marrakesh
- Nargoth Fashi Netherrealm
- Scotland (Only mentioned)
- Slayer Organization command center (Only mentioned)
- Spain
- Sudan (Only mentioned)
- Turkey (Only mentioned)
- United States
- Boston (Only mentioned)
- Las Vegas (Only mentioned)
- New York City (Only mentioned)
- Portland
- Hootenanny's
- Providence
- DePasquale Brothers
- Dunphy's (Only mentioned)
- Hellmouth (Only mentioned)
- Hotel Kensington
- John J. Harrod Elementary School
- Roberta's Bell, Book, and Candle
- San Francisco
- Wilkerson's Chop House
- Sunnydale (Only mentioned)
- Vietnam (Only mentioned)
Objects[]
Rituals and spells[]
- Glamour
- Slayer activation spell (Only mentioned)
Death count[]
- Roberto Corelli, Marcus Green, and Trevor Hopkins, killed by Kandida in Marrakesh (only mentioned).
- A little girl, heart eaten by a Veshtitza in Valletta (only mentioned).
- A Veshtitza, beheaded and soul consumed by Malik in Valletta.
- Eight vampires, staked by Faith in San Francisco.
- Kurt Traeger and Odessa, axed by Tai in Prague (only mentioned).
- An incubus, beheaded by Tai in Venice.
- Two Charnel demons, magically killed by Trajabo in Providence.
- One vampire, head devoured by a winged demon in Providence.
- Two vampires, killed by a tentacled demon in Providence.
- One vampire, heart removed by a long-tongued demon in Providence.
- Unknown number of demons killed by Malik, Tai, Bors, and Simone in Providence, including:
- A vulturelike demon, cleaved by Malik.
- Eight demons, exploded by Bors.
- Unknown number of vampires killed by Faith, Ryvak, Oz, and Xander in Providence, including:
- Three vampires, staked by Faith.
- Three vampire, staked by Ryvak.
- One vampire, skull broken by Faith.
- One vampire, beheaded by Ryvak.
- One vampire, beheaded by Oz.
- One vampire, tore apart by Oz.
- One vampire, beheaded by Xander.
Behind the scenes[]
Production[]
- The cover features a promotional picture taken for Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5.
Pop culture references[]
- Buffy reflects on Edgar Allan Poe visiting Providence.
- Willow thinks of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost
- Oz and Eric performed music from the Grateful Dead, Jack Johnson, and Bob Dylan, as well as Robert Johnson's song "Come on in My Kitchen."
- Buffy thinks of the scene in the film The Shining in which Danny Torrance encounters the Grady twins.
- Giles refers to Sherlock Holmes's quote, "When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," published in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.
- Xander visits the grave of H. P. Lovecraft in the Swan Point Cemetery.
- Buffy compares Trajabo to Michelangelo's sculpture David.
- Micaela compares the consequences of Kandida and Trajabo's union with the tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
- Faith used to see Buffy as the princess from the fairy tale Snow White.
- Walking with Oz, Xander thinks of the fable "The Tortoise and the Hare."
- Xander calls Malik "Jack Sparrow" in reference to the pirate character.
- Xander says, "That's bad," and Oz replies, "Thanks for that, Egon," referring to a dialog from the 1984 film Ghostbusters.
- Tara hears a song that reminds her of the jazz singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux.
- Buffy describes "comic book geeks swarming San Diego" in reference to the San Diego Comic-Con.
- Buffy buys coffee and doughtnuts from Dunkin' Donuts.
Goofs[]
- The Maghreb's Ivory is initially identified as "Maghrebi Ivory," misspelling the name of the African region.
International titles[]
- French: Le Congrès des Ténèbres (The Congress of Darkness)
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Dark Congress eBook by Christopher Golden." Simon & Schuster. Retrieved on August 3, 2019.