The Gatekeeper Trilogy by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder

Okay, so technically these are three books. But together they make one big megabook that lays a lot of groundwork for the alternate universe mythology the books prided themselves on (which was mostly developed by these two).

As with most of the novels, the horror elements are much more pronounced than they are in the show, so be prepared for some unholy ickiness. But this duo understands the wit of the show, if not the voices of the characters themselves, so not matter how uncharacteristically things get, it still feels as if you are hangin’ loose with the Scoobs. And that’s what’s important. I think.

Set during Season 3, this trippy saga finds Buffy and the gang dealing with an incredible boost in demonic activity in Sunnydale all of a sudden (don’t they always, though?). After Giles gets back from a Librarian conference in Manhattan where he was attacked by mysterious figures, he realizes what’s really going on. Dimensional portals are opening up all across town because shit’s going down at The Gatehouse – a ginormous mansion in Boston containing doorways to other worlds and ghosts and monsters and all that fun stuff.

This house is protected The Gatekeeper – a powerful sorcerer formerly known as Jean-Marc Regnier. Naturally, everyone packs their bags and heads to Boston on a field trip to investigate (because Principal Snyder would totally allow that).

What ensues is a wild ride through what is essentially the Haunted Mansion on PCP. Along the way, we’re introduced to what may be the most depressing element of the Buffy book-verse continuity: the Ghost Roads. They’re sort of like a cross between limbo and standing in line at the DMV if it was located in a hospital waiting room three floors above hell. This is a strange highway that’s strictly for the spirits to wander on – including Kendra too, sadly enough (WTF). But mortal-ish people like Buffy can use it to travel long distances too, like from Massachusetts to California, for example.