Has anyone who follows me read the Supernatural books? I’ve read two so far and am wondering which one I should buy next. I’ve read One Year Gone and Nevermore. Trying to decide which two to buy next between:
Bone Key
Joyride
The Usual Sacrifices
Mythmaker
Cold Fire
Fresh Meat
Night Terror
War of the Sons
The Unholy Cause
Heart of the Dragon
Witch’s Canyon
Carved in Flesh
Please let me know in your opinion which two I should get next. Thanks!
Check out my blog with reviews of the novels! I'm going in order and while I haven't read or reviewed all of them, perhaps the ones I've had might appeal to you! Of course, my reviews are spoiler filled, but I've recently started adding star ratings above the spoilers.
Due to the busy holidays (and my parent's 50th anniversary), I'll be taking a winter hiatus from book reviews! Stay tuned for a return in February to Sam and Dean and their journey through nearly canon-compliant novels!
Welcome to my review of the ninth Supernatural novel, Night Terror.
Author: John Passarella
Timeline: Set after S6 E18: Frontierland
Synopsis: Sam and Dean are off to Clayton Falls, Colorado where the local's nightmares seem to be coming to life. The question is, what's causing the manifestations, and will Sam and Dean survive not just other's nightmares, but their own?
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Warning: Spoilers abound!
Bonkers! This book is absolutely bonkers! A giant Gila monster, Nazi zombies, a disappearing car, a giant tarantula, a cannibal serial killer, a killer tree, a deadly virus, and velociraptors? This book has it all!
Fair warning, the author doesn't seem to mind explaining, in very graphic detail, each death that occurs. If you get squeamish at all (and I'm talking worse than S1 Supernatural squeamish) this book may not be for you. I had to skim certain sections myself just to get past the icky stuff!
Dealing with nightmares attacking inhabitants provides a great opportunity to peak in on Dean and Sam's own nightmares. This is post Sam regaining his soul so the chance to peek into his hell nightmares is so very tempting. Unfortunately, the author skirts this issue by instead having Sam's nightmare be about Soulless Sam taking over Sam's life and killing Dean in the process. There's a scene at the end of the book that gets a bit hairy, but I feel like, for as dark as the author got with all the other deaths, this scenario was played out rather lightly (and without all the accompanying angst), which is why this novel only has 4 stars instead of 5.
Either way, we get an early insight into the boys dreams, with a particularly funny one from Dean where he dreams that he's in a bar and every time he's poured a drink, the alcohol disappears. It turns out that alcohol is disappearing all over the world! Quite the nightmare for Dean, LOL! This also leads to a funny bit where, once he's awake, he purchases more beer and whiskey than he needs, just to stockpile it.
Sam's dreams are less humorous. Like I mentioned before, they revolve around his fear that Soulless Sam will take over his life, and in one of them, Sam is being dragged down into a pit just for Soulless Sam to replace him. Luckily, he wakes up in time, but it's a continuing theme. We do get this lovely exchange showing Dean's brotherly concern:
Dean: "Bad dream?"
Sam: "That obvious?"
"Case of the three a.m. shakes," Dean said. "Had a doozy myself. Terrifying."
"Really?" Sam had the unsettling idea that Dean had witnessed Sam's dream. Or had the same dream.
Dean shares his dream then presses Sam to do the same, who is a bit more reluctant.
'...he (Sam) was relieved that Dean didn't know what plagued his unconsciousness. As it was, Dean thought is brother's psyche was too fragile. No need to add fuel to that fire.'
Luckily, Dean isn't fooled:
'Dean's demeanor changed. He climbed off the bed with a soft grunt of pain, and walked toward Sam, the slice of light momentarily painting a swath of illumination across his concerned expression.'
"Sam, if this is something serious, maybe I ought to know about it."'
Sam plays it off that it was the Mime ghost they'd just killed playing into his clown fears, but Dean is still concerned and especially worried about Sam's hell wall. It's really refreshing to see an author understand that kind of worry Dean has for Sam.
Once we get into Dean's nightmares, we find out that his time with Lisa and Ben is still very much present in his mind. He's terrified of not being able to protect them. His dreams don't manifest in-person like the others do in town, but he does have a moment where a woman he had flirted with is bitten by a zombie after he promised to protect her. He knows at this point, she has to die, or she'll become a zombie. It's very reminiscent of the episode, Heart.
'"Sophie, I'm..." Dean looked away, unable to face that accusatory stare.
Dean eased her body to the ground, stood up and backed away.
"Dean..." Sam was beside him.
"Sammy, I can't... I can't, man."
Dean turned his back.
Sam understood.... Dean waited for the sound, but the sudden crack still felt like a body blow.
"It's done," Sam said. His hand fell on Dean's shoulder and he squeezed.'
Just as Dean was there for Sam, Sam is here for Dean.
I also loved this conversation that gives us additional insight into how the brothers felt being around Soulless Sam:
"Have I told you it's good to have you back," Dean said, smiling. "The real you?"
"What?"
"Sammy with the soul inside," Dean said. "You were good with her back there."
"Lucy?"
"May seem normal to you," Dean said. "And I know you don't remember how it was - how you were, before. But it's night and day, man."
Sam nodded thoughtfully, "You're right. I don't remember being different. Hell, I don't remember being gone. Guess it's like waking from a coma. Everyone else lived through that time and I was... on pause. This part of me, I mean. But, in some ways, feels like I recovered from a serious illness. Feels good to be back."
Yes, I liked getting soulful Sam back as well!
There's also a bit of foreshadowing as Sam and Dean investigate a sleep center:
Laura, the receptionist: "Sleep is important. You know what they say, if you never slept, you'd go insane."
Poor Sam in season 7. It's the insanity that keeps him awake.
Funny bits:
We finally get an explanation for Sam's magic traveling wi-fi and why he's always checking his laptop in the car (where he wouldn't have internet access):
'In the passenger seat, Sam had his laptop computer open to review the pages he'd downloaded for offline viewing before they'd left the motel.'
Also, peppered throughout are numerous examples of Dean making sure that Baby is safe! (Why wouldn't he?) He frequently parks his car at least a hundred yards away from the action!
"That sinkhole's eating cars," Dean said. "Keeping my baby clear of that."
Sam shook his head, rolling his eyes. "First things first, right?"
"Damn straight."
It's funny that this review is so short, because I really liked the story, but I think that's because (minus the excessive gore), I could see this as an actual episode. There are a few brotherly moments, but the majority of it is spent on the case and reading about all the various deaths of the townspeople.
While I had hoped to explore some of the deeper issues Sam would be experiencing at this time, all in all, it was a really fun read!
Welcome to my review of the eighth Supernatural novel, Coyote's Kiss.
Author: Christa Faust
Timeline: Set after S6 E10: Caged Heat
Location: US/Mexico border
Synopsis: The brothers head to the US/Mexico border to take on a creature beyond either of their expertise. Along the way, they meet up with a local woman who's connections to the ancient Aztecs proves invaluable.
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Warning: Spoilers abound!
I really enjoyed the plot of this book. I think it had a very interesting and sympathetic foe, and the action elements were well done.
While I would love to say that I loved the whole book, there were some very problematic elements. I'm not a scholar by any means, and I think someone could do a much better job than me analyzing the parts of the story I found troubling, including over-the-top misogyny, mary-sue syndrome, Dean-cloning, and a blatant sidelining of Sam. I'll try not to be too negative in the quotes I share and the review, but I will also try to explain my points about the problematic elements.
Within the story, we are introduced to Kochi, a short, badass hunter riding a motorcycle who can beat Dean in a fight, loves bacon cheeseburgers and Led Zeppelin, knows exactly what they're up against, and exactly what they need to do to defeat it.
I'll start with this quote from a situation where Dean is letting Xochi take the lead, which pretty much sums up everything wrong with the book:
'Xochi backed off with the gun and let go of Brewer's shirt, but stayed up in his face, letting him know that she might change her mind at any moment. Playing unhinged bad-cop counterpoint to Dean's calm, trustworthy good-cop like they'd been doing it their whole lives. Sam stood like a silent wall behind them, arms crossed and using his size to intimidate and block access to the door.'
I understand that it can be hard to write Soulless Sam. There's no real personality to work with, but he certainly has more sass on the show than being a silent wall, while Dean, and his new best friend Mary Sue Xochi, play good-cop, bad-cop. It also wouldn't be so bad if Xochi had a similar personality to Sam. I love Dean, but I don't love reading about two Dean-type personalities. There's no give-and-take to them, they're basically agreeing with each other (while the author tries to build sexual tension).
At one point, Xochi and Dean get into a conversation about their past loves (especially as Dean is just coming out of his relationship with Lisa and trying to settle down with her and Ben):
Xochi: '"I tried to walk away... to be normal person... but this life, hunting, it's the only thing I'm really good at."
He wanted to tell her that he got it, that he understood so well it hurt, but again he couldn't find the words.'
They talk about finding someone more like each other, someone in the life, then Xochi responds:
"That is a beautiful dream," she said. "Warrior lovers fighting side by side, going down together in a blaze of glory. But you and I, we are so much alike, aren't we? And as beautiful as that dream may be, I know that you don't really want that any more than I do."
Even she realizes they are too much alike, but the author continues to build on it.
Dean, thinking about Xochi: 'She really was an amazing hunter, one of the best he'd ever seen. So graceful, so intuitive, utterly unflappable under pressure. They worked together like a well-oiled machine. Like Tango dancers. Like they'd been doing it for years. She was everything he could ever want in a hunting partner, and then some, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the chemistry between them.'
I know others, especially fans of Dean, might see this as him finally being able to relate to someone, but to me, it comes off as fanfiction that basically replaces Sam in Dean's life, when we know that Sam "is" Dean's life (even when he's soulless).
The story also ends up diminishing Dean's role as a hunter. Him being the good-cop (as mentioned above) and this travesty when Dean and Xochi are surrounded by the Police trying to purchase guns:
'"POLICIA!"
Dean swore and lowered the shotgun. Of all the potential problems he might have imagined they'd encounter on this hunt, getting arrested for buying guns in Mexico certainly wasn't one of them.
"What do we do?" Dean asked Xochi.'
The Dean I know would never ask someone what to do, he'd take control and take action. What's worse is that Xochi is also the one that has to break him out of prison.
As for the misogyny, His first notice of Xochi includes the phrase "she was not wearing a bra." I get that Dean is a ladies man and he does notice things like that, but he continues to notice it, when she changes shirts, he also notices the size of her older sister's chest, and there are numerous references to Dean leering at women throughout the book. It makes me wonder if the author, as a female, believes that's how men think all of the time. It doesn't get much better with Sam, but you can blame that on his soullessness.
Kochi: "Listen," she said throwing a loaded gaze in Dean's direction, then turning and putting her hand in the center of Sam's chest, "I need you."
Sam grinned, "Anytime, baby."
Or this exchange between Sam and Dean:
Sam: "That chick's a hammer. I'll bet she could crack walnuts with that ass."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, she's obviously into you," Sam said. "You ought to hit that while it's hot."
Of course, it wouldn't be Soulless Sam if he didn't have his own fun (in a Mexican whorehouse with two women - and no, there are no sexy details).
Part of if just felt OOC when it comes to Dean, though I'll admit others might not see it that way.
As for the sidelining of Sam, I mentioned how Xochi basically took his spot on the team, but there are multiple references to Sam, particularly his lack of a soul, being critical to the hunt.
Kochi speaking to Sam: "I need you because of your... discloated soul. .. I know that you are here for a reason."
"Hold on a minute," Dean said. "What do you know about his soul?"
"Nothing," she said. "Only that it is missing from his body. And that without him, this hunt will ultimately fail."
There are additional mentions of it, but the only part he played is that he could walk among soul-eaters without being noticed, which he used to help the group escape from a building, and then eventually disable the soul-eaters. Was it crucial? Yes, did it defeat the ultimate big bad? No. It was a bit of a let-down for his story.
Ultimately, Dean and Xochi part ways amicably (and without resolving their sexual tension - which I was okay with). If the author had toned down the Mary Sue issue and allowed Dean to lead, or Sam to dial up the snark, I would be giving this book a much higher rating. Though there were a few gems:
Warning: Wincest Fun!
Sam talking to Dean about why he initially won't go after Xochi: "You need to lighten up. Have a little harmless fun. Clear out your pipes because they're obviously starting to back up and overflow into your brain."
Now, Sam... how do you know about Dean's pipes???
Sam speaking to Xochi: "I'll let you do anything you want to me. Anything. Upside of having no soul," he drank. Smiled. "No inhibitions."
"You know, your brother also asked me to make love with him tonight."
"Yeah, well," Sam said, dipping his chin and raising his eyebrows. "I'm bigger."
Sam... have you been sneaking a peek? LOL!
Brotherly Moments
Dean thought Sam had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. Upon arriving back at the hotel and finding Sam alive and well:
'Dean let out a help of relieved laughter and pulled his brother into a bear hug, not even caring that Sam just let himself be hugged like a patient dog getting loved-up by an over-enthusiastic toddler.'
And even with the love-fest between Dean and Xochi, we do find out where his heart truly lies:
'When Dean crawled free of the wrecked Rover, he couldn't see Xochi or Claudia anywhere, but all he could think about was Sam....
This hunt had been a bad idea from the beginning... He should have never agreed to do this, he should have kept on pushing to try and find a way to get Sam's soul back. Because... as much as it hurt him that this new version of Sam didn't care if Dean lived or died, he just couldn't bring himself to give up on the kid. He'd come close, more than once, but in the end, blood was blood, and Sam was all he had left.'
What the Heck? Moments
Baby was replaced! They had to leave Baby in America and upon arriving in Mexico, Xochi had her own '67 Impala, only it was:
'...painted a glossy, June-bug green impregnated with gold metal flakes. On the hood was an astoundingly gaudy painting of a muscle-bound Aztec warrior with a busty, mostly naked chick twined around one of his legs... the interior was done up in sparkly gold vinyl and lime-green fake fur.'
Nope, just nope.
There is a cameo from Castiel! When Dean is hurt they call on him to heal, but he can't because it's:
"Out of my jurisdiction... You're dealing with a whole different system of government here," Castiel said. "Different gods. I'm not allowed to interfere."
So, basically, angels are only allowed to help within the realm of Judeo-Christian philosophy? That one had me shaking my head, LOL!
Anyway, if you want to read it for the plot and don't mind the issues I've mentioned, it actually does have a tight story, believable myth, and a reasonable conclusion.
Welcome to my review of the seventh Supernatural novel, One Year Gone
Author: Rebecca Dessertine
Timeline: Set in the year-gap between Season 5 and Season 6
Location: Salem, Massachusetts
Synopsis: Dean, in his effort to adjust to life without his brother has one last idea for getting him out of the cage. The problem... it involves very powerful witches While Sam, with the help of Samuel, attempts to stop Dean's efforts and avoid becoming Lucifer's meatsuit once again. But can he do it without Dean ever noticing him?
Special Note: This book was written by Eric Kripke's assistant and includes a forward by Eric himself with this quote: "(This book) was written by the Supernatural staff member who knows the inside of my sticky skull better than just about anybody. Better than Sera Gamble or Bob Singer, that's for sure... I think you'll enjoy the corner she's staked out within our weird little universe. Because she lives inside that universe as much as any of us."
Therefore, I am reading this book while considering it Supernatural canon.
Review: ⭐️⭐️
Warning: Spoilers abound!
I know I mentioned above that I would be considering this book as canon, and for the most part the story could fit within canon as SPN canon currently stood when this was written (before we learned more about Lisa and Ben). There are some characterizations of Lisa and Ben, as well as Dean's interaction with them that don't ring true to what happened later in the series.
Basically, in order to look into using a witch to help raise Sam from Hell, Dean convinces Lisa and Ben to join him on a 'vacation' to Salem. You can probably guess how well that turned out. Dean's introduced guns to both Ben and Lisa and they both end up nearly being killed at the end. And yet, they go back home with Dean??? Doesn't really ring true and we don't get the proper Dean guilt trip.
Also, one major error - the book lists Sam's birthday as being in March. Sorry, but anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Supernatural should know that.
The one major drawback of the book is its attempt to weave in a story about the early Campbell hunters in Salem during the 1690's (height of the Salem witch trials). In addition to pulling me out of the main story, the execution was poorly done. The author attempted to have Dean reading a journal from an old Campbell, and the first part of the read was fine, but after that, it turned into a story narrative set very much in the language of now. But then we return to Dean putting aside the journal. There was also an addition to the journal from another author from the 1690's and it was again, a poor attempt at creating a narrative while trying to retain some of the old style language. It just fell rather flat and didn't feel like it contributed much to the story.
In addition, there's a scene where Dean and Ben visit a docked pirate ship. With only them and the tour guide on board, the ship someone drifts out to sea and a battle with a boat-load of ghost ships commences. The worst part is that the ghost ship never really plays into the witches plan so it's like the whole sequence comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere. (Hence only a two-star review - one star for Dean and one star for Sam).
On to Sam and Dean! I was a bit hesitant reading this because I knew Sam and Dean wouldn't be together and when you pull them apart, some of the magic is lost. But, whenever the story focused on Dean, his thoughts and actions were always guided by his love for and attempt to save Sam.
The first couple of chapters with him are really strong in showing Dean's grief. It's only six weeks in and he still struggles to get out of bed. He's having nightmares of Sam in Hell and flashbacks to simple moments with his brother.
'Sam smiles and lays back in the into the Impala's passenger seat. All is right with the world.
"How long till we get there?" Sam asks.
Dean casts a sidewards glance at Sam. "Dude, you're my personal Garmin, figure it out."
Dean smiles, he loves making Sam feel like the little brother. But Sam doesn't respond.
"Sam? You in there? When are we going to get there?" Dean asks, a flicker of concern on his face.
Sam turns towards Dean.
"We'll never get there, Dean. It's over. All over. I'm gone."
Lisa attempts a few things to get Dean through his grief and adjusted to domestic life including, teaching him about fabric softener, encouraging him to read Chicken Soup for the Soul, and also getting him an appointment with a psychologist (doesn't go well).
And of course, since Dean's been to hell, his nightmares are especially gruesome (warning for icky bits):
'Sam stood before him in bloody clothes, with his face looking like a wild animal had ravaged it. Sam's lip had been torn - more like bitten off - his teeth peeked through beneath. His left ear had shriveled and darkened and on his left arm a swath of skin peeled from shoulder to wrist. His body had been scorched from top to bottom, layers of raw skin stuck to his clothes in slick black patches.
"Sam."
"Long time no see, bro. Of course, as you can see, I'm having some trouble. They burned my eyes with pokers... No worries, though, I'm glad you're comfortable up here."
"It's not like that, Sam. I tried... How am I going to get to you?"
"No, I get it Dean. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. I'm fine being barebacked by Lucifer every second for the next couple of hundred millennia."
I have to point out in the above section that while the show never confirmed whether Sam was sexually assaulted, there are references to it, and while Dean is only dreaming about Sam here, it's telling that he knows what Hell's like and dreams Sam referencing being barebacked.
Continuing with Dean's grief:
'Dean didn't touch the Impala anymore. He had shoved it into the garage and covered it with a tarp. It was best he not be reminded of all the time he and Sam had spent in it.'
We also get insight into how Sam and Samuel met, basically, they were both on a hunt that led them to the same house. Sam was ready to kill a little kid and Samuel had a spell that would eject the evil thing from the kid. The boy ends up being shot, but still alive last we saw him and Samuel is ever wary of Sam (though also impressed by his hunting abilities).
A lot of what we learn about Samuel is very much in line with what's seen in the series, his deal with Crowley, his desire to get Mary back, etc. so I won't spend a lot of time on him.
Whereas with Sam, this is Soulless Sam that we're dealing with and his thoughts mainly focus around hunting and why it is he can't feel anything. As with the show, Soulless Sam is very driven, has no morals and is fantastic with the ladies. Let's go over some of his highlights:
Sam yells at witnesses and lets a low-level witch burn in a fire of her own making.
Sam sleeps with two women (one of them a witch he's actually investigating). Unfortunately, the book goes into very little detail and there are no sexy bits.
Sam suffocates Samuel with a pillow near to death in order to kill a Shtriga (who couldn't kill him because he has no soul).
Sam (with a mask on) bursts into Lisa and Ben's motel room, knocks them out and ties them up so that they would be tempting bait for the witches.
Sam knocks Dean out and places him far away from the action (not out of kindness, but efficiency).
There's also a flashback to when Sam woke up alone in Stull Cemetery, no marks on him, like Dean had, but also feeling especially alive and strong. As well as a little off:
'Though not much time had passed, there was a profound difference in the way Sam felt. Namely - great! ...He felt stronger, broader, more vital.
He quickly realized the potential of the situation; he could be anyone, do anything. No one was waiting for him any longer; there was no one to tell him he was messing everything up - again. No one to tell him that he couldn't do something or that he wasn't living up to what was expected of him.
Like Dean.'
And finally, there's this paragraph that describes how Sam felt being possessed by Lucifer:
'If Lucifer took back control over his body in some ways he would welcome it. When Lucifer was in him, for the couple days before he fell into the pit, Sam had never felt so powerful. Lucifer was so strong that being filled up by him completely obliterated any need to care about or love anything. The feeling of literally being able to rule the world was exquisite. Addictive. No other human being on earth had ever felt what Sam had.
For that reason, in some ways, he would welcome that feeling again.'
Of course, it's Soulless Sam here so I imagine any feeling would be welcome, but it's interesting to see his desire for power, that addiction, is still with the soulless part of him.
A few other tidbits:
Dean notices that there are at least 10 missing people that he sheriff has failed to report (due to tourist season) and he calls the actual FBI to get down there and hold the Sheriff to the fire.
The witches are trying to raise Princes of Hell and end up calling one of them Leviathan. Yeah, that one no longer holds up under canon. LOL!
And lastly, this fun little Easter Egg:
Lisa: "You still haven't answered my question. How do you know my password?"
Dean: "Lisa, please. Favorite show: Gilmore Girls. Town you grew up in: Cicero. Name of first pet: Snowball."
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my review. Stay tuned next week for Coyote's Kiss.
Good day everyone! I'm afraid my day has been spent posting and reblogging about the Supernatural Denver convention so I'm afraid I won't be reviewing a book this week. But stay tuned! I will be back next week with Supernatural: War of the Sons. A book endorsed by Eric Kripke himself that takes place between Seasons 5 and 6 of the show.
Welcome to my review of the sixth Supernatural novel, War of the Sons
Author: Rebecca Dessertine & David Reed
Timeline: Set after Episode 5.14 My Bloody Valentine
Location: New York City, New York and various other destinations.
Synopsis: In their fight against Lucifer, Michael and the angels, Sam and Dean end up working with Abaddon (not that one) and going into the past (1954) to retrieve part of a Dead Sea Scroll that may have the answer to defeating Lucifer once and for all.
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Warning: Spoilers abound!
Taking a closer look at Sam and Dean near the last-half of season 5, this book delves into Angels, Demons, and the fight against the Apocalypse and the boys destiny's as vessels. While this book was all about S5's major arc, there were a few fun details. We got a planned heist, a train job, and explosives!
Beyond the actual story, there seemed to be fewer deep character beats in this story, though the pop culture references were a dime-a-dozen! (I learned so much about Dean.)
As far as canon vs. non-canon, there are a number of issues with War of the Sons. First being that it introduces Abaddon as Lucifer's angel guard down in the pit (and not as a knight of hell). I know the book was written before that storyline came out, but it did take me out of the narrative a bit. In addition, the book made Lilith and new demon Eisheth, Lucifer's wives (complete with requisite, but inaccurate, Mormon polygamy joke).
The worst sin of all in the book is that to defeat Abaddon, Sam agrees to let the demon Eisheth possess him for a short time (after feeling him up as Lucifer's vessel and potential bed mate). Luckily, this was near the end of the book or I would have tossed the whole thing aside and given up on this one. There's no way Sam would consent to demon possession. EVER. Not to mention he would have had to burn off his tattoo much sooner. Sorry. Not buying it. The next book better redeem Dessertine as an author.
Rant over. Now onto the good stuff!
First, let's talk about Dean's obsession with pop-culture in quotes (they all seem a little PG to me, what happened to his love of horror movies?):
Sam: "So what is it?"
Dean: "I don't know. Is My Little Pony one of the Four Horsemen?"
Dean: "As long as it gets us out of this motel. Place smells like Ariel took a dump."
"What are you, Buddy the Elf, fresh from the North Pole?" Dean chided.
Sam: "We could go see the Ed Sullivan Show!"
Dean: "Sam, I'm not hanging around here playing Mad Men with you."
Dean: "Hey, I've been doin' my part. 'Sides, you're the one that dumped us on the Magic School Bus for this field trip."
"So what's next, Sports fan?" Dean said. "We just going to sit around here and do our summer reading list? 'Cause I'm still trying to finish James and the Giant Peach."
There are also some great character beats in regards to the season's Vessel arc and Sam and Dean's responsibility in it. The story does a good job of showing where their minds are currently at. Dean is still kind of mad at Sam for starting the Apocalypse and Sam's still feeling guilty. Here are a few of my favorite parts:
'It was, after all, their fault that right now Lucifer walked the earth.
No, Sam's fault.
Dean shoved the thought to the dark recesses of his mind... His younger brother - the boy who Dean had practically raised since their mother died - had broken the Final Seal.'
'Dean's pissed about something again, Sam thought. And probably for no good reason. Sam felt the constant burden of his brother's anger and expectations. Chief among them was the expectation that they'd do things Dean's way - or more accurately, John Winchester's way... Dean was the poster child for Daddy's boys. He dressed like John Winchester, drove his car, listened to his music. He even walked like John. Sam, on the other hand, had tried time and time again to get free of his father and everything that he represented.'
'...the end of the world in sight. Because of me, (Sam) remembered, I did this. My fear, my weakness brought on the end for everybody. In these moments, when the guilt overwhelmed him, and images of the billions who would die filled his mind, Sam craved the blood. It didn't make any sense. Demon blood had given him strength, but it had also clouded his judgement...
It had made him start the Apocalypse.
Despite all of that, Sam craved it for one simple reason, it made him feel powerful.'
'For a moment, in all the craziness, (Sam) missed Ruby.'
'After what happened with Ruby, Sam doubted if he'd ever again be able to have a healthy relationship with a woman.'
This book was actually a really good read when it came to Sam's state of mind heading into the final showdown with Lucifer. They boys ended up finding one of the Dead Sea Scrolls that had a list of Angels and their vessels (including Sam and Dean). With this kind of foreshadowing and references to destiny, we actually get into Sam's mind to see some of his suicidal thoughts:
'They sat quietly for a minute, then Sam said hesitantly, "Am I a coward?"
Dean didn't know how to respond to that. In the end, he just said, "No."
"I mean, if it was you, If you knew the fight could be won, and all it took was your life--".'
'The idea that Sam's death could halt the apocalypse in its tracks wasn't a new one - in fact, (Sam) himself had thought of it almost immediately after learning he was Lucifer's chosen vessel...
Part of him had always wished for an easy way out, and sudden lack-of-existence would certainly do the trick.'
Favorite Brotherly Moment:
'Dean persisted. "Look, I'm willing to go pretty damned far to get this stupid scroll. Whether that includes killing or maiming some poor bastard who gets in our way, I'm not sure yet. But Sammy, I sure as hell am not willing to lose my little brother." Dean let out a sigh. "Saving you is the reason we're here."
But Sam's face was resolved.
"Nobody else gets hurt," he said. It wasn't a statement, it was a command. "I have enough blood on me already."'
Fun tidbits:
Dean gets a job as a bellhop at the Waldorf Astoria complete with costume (which I would pay good money to see!):
'Dean appeared in the doorway wearing a burgundy wool bellhop jacket with golden rope tassels hanging from the sides and gleaming brass buttons down the front. A petit fez perched on his head, with a braided, golden chinstrap pinching his scowling face.'
And his reaction to another side-job window washing (his fear of heights rearing it's ugly head):
'Up on the roof, Dean was experiencing full-blown panic. Rappelling down the side of a skyscraper strapped to a leather harness is not a friggin' option. Sam is just going to have to say "yes" to Satan and fight the good fight.'
Wincest Adjacent Fun:
I may not ship Wincest as a romantic pairing, but then the author puts lines like this in:
'As the door swung open, Dean's eyes caught on the brown paper bag in Sam's outstretched hand. It bore the unmistakeable grease stains that came along with a cheeseburger...
"Fastest way to a man's heart, right?" Dean said, grabbing the bag and opening it.
And this final gem...
Sam speaking to Dean: "Is that a shotgun in your pants?"
Thanks for reading! I mostly enjoyed this story, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for the issues mentioned at the top. But, there was a lot of good Sam and Dean brotherly content that seemed to fit with Canon so I have to give it an extra star for that!
P.S., There is a love story between Dean and a friendly female foe that doesn't really sit right with what we know of him, but it's not something that's going to pull you out of the book.
Welcome to my review of the fifth Supernatural novel, The Unholy Cause
Author: Joe Schreiber
Timeline: Set after Episode 5.08 Changing Channels but before Episode 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon
Location: Mission's Ridge, Georgia
Synopsis: As the pressure mounts for the upcoming apocalypse, Sam and Dean head to the historic town of Mission's Ridge, GA, where the Civil War is less about the past and more about the present. With interference from Castiel, demons, and Judas Iscariot himself, how can Sam and Dean prevent a major catastrophe from befalling this small town?
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Warning: Spoilers abound!
After the last book, I was really hoping to see an improvement in this one, and boy did I! I've finally hit the Supernatural tie-in novel I was hoping to read from the beginning! It read like an actual episode, I could hear the actors speaking through the character's words, and I really couldn't find anything that contradicted canon.
In addition, the actual storyline was compelling and the side characters interesting. With the other novels I've reviewed, it's taken me most of the day to read them because I kept getting distracted. This one, I read straight through without stopping. I love reading a book like that!
Side note: This novel does dive in to Christian theology and the story of Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus). If you are uncomfortable delving into that portion of Christianity, you may not want to read the book or this review (though my review notes about that will be minimal).
Now, since I don't have any canon vs. non-canon comparisons to make, today's review is simply going to be a list of my favorite scenes and how certain scenes relate to what's going on during this period in Season 5.
Cameo!
Sam and Dean are informed of the case by one Rufus Turner! He's only in it for a brief bit, but he's still funny as heck asking the police to pay his dry-cleaning bill.
We get a nice character introduction of enigmatic (clueless) Castiel who's trying to heal Civil War reenactors who are understandably frightened of him. He's still searching for God at this point, but we also get this nice character beat for him:
"I walked the battlefields of the South a hundred and sixty years ago," Castiel replied, a faraway look entering his eyes. "I moved among the men and brought their souls to glory. And now..." Something moved over his face for just an instant, so rare and brief that Dean almost didn't catch it; a flicker of hope.
"And now," he repeated, "I'm healing again."
Of course, Dean has to explain that none of the reenactors actually need healing and he goes back to being determined to find a 'First-order witness' - someone who broke bread with Jesus Christ.
I found this part surprising within the book, but as I thought about it, it made more sense. The TV series has to tread a very careful line with Christianity so as not to offend a bunch of viewers, but the books have a much smaller audience and can take these liberties. Personally, I was fine with it. They didn't go too deep and stuck with the witness being Judas (who doesn't exactly have a great reputation to begin with).
There's a fantastic brotherly moment where Sam shares the sheriff's name (Jack Daniels) and they then go back and forth trying to guess what this Jack person is like i.e., fat vs. skinny, bald vs. hairy...
Dean: "Nam vet. Buford Pussar type. From Walking Tall."
Sam: "Deliverance refugee. Civil citations all over his desk."
One of things I love about this book is the brother's relationship. This banter and other character beats really feel authentic as opposed to the prior novels. (I won't spoil what the sheriff is actually like - needless to say, they play a major role in the book.)
Just a few pages later from this great banter, we're back to the drama as Sam and Dean argue about a nightmare Sam had that he can't remember, but which could be relevant to the case.
"What's this about Dean?" Sam demanded, "Is it about you not trusting me? Because if it is, there's not a whole lot of places we can go from there."
"Yeah, you're my brother," Dean said. "But you're also Lucifer's prom dress, and if he's seeding your dreams with hints about the master plan, then maybe it might be a good idea for you to look at 'em as close as possible. That's all I'm saying."
And of course, Dean gets concerned about Sam as they split up to cover more ground. It's music to my ears! There are a number of other conversations like this that really emphasize the strained relationship Sam and Dean display in Season 5.
Another surprising character beat is the influence of Lucifer on Sam because as he's doing research at the local historical society, Sam (and the historian) are surprised to find out he can read Coptic, an ancient Egyptian language. It startles Sam and once again emphasizes how different he is.
At a particularly gruesome crime scene (a mass grave), there's a brief moment with Dean that really shines as he looks down on the skeletons in the mass grave and finds a similarity to what he did in Hell:
Because that was what he did after spending years down there, doing what he'd done...
Through sheer force of will, Dean shoved those notions aside...Now more than ever he didn't want that experience contaminating the way he looked at the world... not that he had a choice.
Hell had been his Vietnam. It had stamped its mark on him for all eternity, and no amount of denial or self-imposed ignorance was going to change that.
There's an additional moment of traumatized Dean that I wish they could have shown in the tv series:
Sam: "Are those bloodhounds?"
Dean didn't answer... When Sam finally caught a look at his brother's face, he saw that Dean's cheeks and forehead had gone absolutely white, as if every drop of blood had been sucked away...
"They're not hellhounds, Dean, they're just dogs..."
Dean didn't answer. He was still listening to the barking and howling noises coming closer, crashing through the undergrowth. He seemed paralyzed by the sounds.
There are more to these Dean passages, (too much to copy), but I really like that we see actual effects of past experiences.
There's also a nice scene with Sam and a young teenager that really highlights his ability to connect with kids around that age (of which we see later in the TV series):
"My brother and I grew up without a Mom, too," Sam said... "It wasn't always easy... Not everybody gets that."
"I still dream about her sometimes, you know? Even though I was young when she... when it happened," Nate blinked at Sam. "Weird, huh?"
"Are they good dreams?"
"Yeah."
"Then it's good. That's your way of remembering her."
The last third of the book is very action-oriented and has multiple instances of hurt Sam and hurt Dean, with the requisite caring from each brother.
Once again, I've gone on too long, but I'll end with a couple of favorites:
Humor:
The sheriff glanced out the window, (referring to Baby) "And haul that piece of crap car to the impound lot. I don't want it cluttering up my street."
"Woah!" Dean snapped, a sudden rush of anger rising in his face. "Watch your damn mouth. You can't just---"
Drama:
"This is blood money," Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out the Shekel. "Bobby says the only way anybody gets their hand on this..." The rest of the sentence was getting stuck in his chest, and he made himself finish it, "is by betraying someone you love."
Dean stared at him.
"Dean..."
"Look," Dean broke in. "Don't get too hung up on it, okay? It doesn't necessarily mean anything," he stood up and brushed off his jeans. "Whatever happens between us, we'll deal with it then..."
Thanks again for reading! I'll be back again next week with War of the Sons!
I have to apologize as I'm going to be a day late posting my review of the next Supernatural novel, The Unholy Cause. A sibling's birthday and a niece's actual birth day have set me back some! I've read the book and hope to post about it tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
Welcome to my not-quite review of the fourth Supernatural novel, Heart of the Dragon.
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Timeline: Set after Episode 5.08 Changing Channels
Location: San Francisco, California (Chinatown)
Synopsis: An old foe has come back to terrorize San Francisco, but what is the connection between the Campbells, John Winchester and Sam and Dean? Read to find out!
Warning: Spoilers abound!
Oh, where do I start? Heart of the Dragon has a very different feel to it, one that I'm not entirely on board with. Basically, it's a flashback book that spends the first third on Samuel, Deanna, and Mary Campbell, the second third on John Winchester and the last quarter on Sam and Dean. In fact, out of 28 chapters, Sam and Dean were only featured in about 7 of them. It leaves the book feeling hollow and me, a little meh. But, there are some additional insights into the Winchester family history which I'll try and parse out.
One more thought, I'm glad this is the last book from this particular author. Once again he has utilized a culture/race to tell the story, and not well. When the story is in 1969, he utilizes the word Orientals to explain Japanese and Chinese characters. He might have been trying to use the wording of the day, and that's fine if it's in dialogue, but to use it as a descriptor is problematic, at best. He also plays up multiple stereotypes from the Chinese mob to the Japanese Samurai. I'm hoping this book is the Route 666 of the novels and that they can only get better.
I decided to sort my thoughts within the different timelines, so here we go:
1969: Samuel, Deanna, and Mary Campbell
We open with the family hunting a vampire and Samuel using 15-year-old Mary as willing bait. It turns out to be a nest, but they quickly dispatch them without casualties. Deanna appears to be quite the hunter in her own right (her skill with a Claymore outstanding.) Within this hunt we learn a few things about Mary and the Campbell family.
The Campbells have a strong link to their Scottish heritage.
Samuel hates Christmas
Mary is willful, annoying, and disrespectful, but an amazing hunter who was raised practically from birth to how to hunt and defend herself. (Sam parallels, perhaps?)
Mary learned about monsters at 11 when she saw her parents dispatch an avenging spirit.
Samuel hates the idea of Mary hanging out with any boys, though she has a particular fondness for a John Winchester who works as a local auto-mechanic.
Samuel owns a dry-cleaning business and Deanna substitute teaches to help maintain some kind of income.
Mary often wondered about having a normal life, but would dismiss it knowing she couldn't have that and still know monsters are out there. (Seems like a combination of Sam and Dean here).
Other than that, the hunt they go to San Francisco for seems fairly perfunctory. They do a bunch of research, talk to a few locals. Samuel dons his FBI agent schtick, they locate the source of the problem, and quickly dispatch it. There's nothing too dramatic there, just a lot of backstory.
1989: John Winchester
There's a bit more insight here because now we're getting some insight into Dad John, as well as 6-year-old Sam and 10-year-old Dean. I'll touch on a few points.
Leaving his boys with others: We open with John returning to his kids whom he left at Bobby's while he took care of a hunt. He left them long enough that they were enrolled in school and he planned on keeping them there for the fall semester. He felt bad about using Bobby's hospitality for so long.
Training his boys: "John knew his boys would need to be able to defend themselves against whatever was out there - he'd already started that process with Dean... Dean was a crack shot with John's M1911 and could load the shotgun with iron rounds and fire them off in one smooth motion. Eventually he'd need to train Sammy too. But not yet."
Loving his boys: When he arrives at Bobby's, Sam runs out to meet him and wraps his arms around John's legs as he walks in. Sam also tattles on Dean for eating the last donut.
There are also some fun moments between young Sam and Dean, mostly sibling bickering.
Dean and Sam enjoy playing hide-and-seek among Bobby's car on the weekends and Sam enjoys going to school during the week. Dean, not so much.
Sam proudly shares that he's doing 3rd grade work in 1st grade and then teases Dean about also doing 3rd grade work even though he's in 5th grade (Dean then sticks his tongue out at Sam and says "Screw you, Sammy.") At this John calls them out and both boys are chagrined.
Later on, when John calls Bobby for more information, we find Dean holding a pen out of Sam's reach and teasing him with it.
Of course, that call means we also get this heartbreaking line moment from Dean, who wants to talk to his Dad, but can't before John hangs up. Bobby tries to explain: "'Sorry, Dean, he, uh, was on his way out the door. But he told me to tell you both to behave yourselves and do what I tell you. And that he loves you.' Dean: 'Did he really say that?'"
When Bobby presents the next case, John is torn between wanting to spend time with his kids, but going after something that could cause people to burn spontaneously, in the hopes that it might lead him to the demon who killed Mary. I think the book did a good job of capturing John's struggle between revenge and caring for his boys. He's not the abusive, neglectful father people tend to think he is. He's someone struggling to make things right.
"John didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked over at Sam and Dean in the dining room, playing that oh-so-common game of 'I touched you last.'
Christmas was coming up and he did want to spend it with the boys..."
Finally, when John returns and Bobby and the boys meet him at the airport, we get some additional insight into 10-year-old Dean's thoughts regarding his father and his place in the family.
"Waiting there in the airport, he understood how important it was for Dad to be away so much - more than Sammy ever could. Sammy hadn't really known Mom, since he was just a baby when she died. Dean couldn't imagine that his baby brother would ever truly understand what had happened to her.
If he was honest with himself, he didn't really understand it, either. There were some days - though he'd never admit this to anyone - when he couldn't even remember what she looked like.
Some kind of monster had killed Mom, and Dad wouldn't rest until he found that monster and killed it. Along the way, he'd kill any other monsters who tried to kill other people's moms...
Dad still fought the bad guys and saved people, but he also cared about his sons.
Because Dad was a hero, and that was what heroes did."
2009 - Sam and Dean
There isn't much to write about here, because they weren't featured in the book. I will just add a couple of notes.
Dean recognizes Samuel Campbell in a newspaper article about the killings. (He'd already been sent back in time and met his grandfather).
It's seems reasonable to Sam that Mary and her parents were hunters. What freaks him out is that he and Dean were named after their grandparents and John never told them.
Sam's been a nerd about the American Interstate system since he was 10 and loved poring over maps.
Sam feels more guilt from trusting Ruby over Dean than starting the apocalypse.
Final notes:
This book introduces Castiel who brings the case to the boys attention. We get the same stuff in here that you see on screen, he has issues with personal space, comes and goes at will, and Bobby's still mad at him for not being able to heal his paralysis. He's only there for a few pages, and then disappears again.
Bobby gets a bit more screen time, as a pseudo-dad to young Sam and Dean, and later as their resource when researching the case and it's history. Favorite quote: "As he went into the fridge for butter to spread onto the pan, Bobby decided it was the entire Winchester family that was making him bald."
We briefly get Hurt Sam who is punched repeatedly by a hulk of a man, but with no lasting consequences and very little caring Dean.
We find out at the end that Zachariah orchestrated the whole thing by planting the idea in Castiel's head.
So, like I said at the beginning, not my favorite, but hopefully I was able to share some of the more interesting parts. Read at your own risk!
Welcome to my not-quite review of the third Supernatural novel, Bone Key.
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Timeline: Set after Episode 3.07 A Very Supernatural Christmas
Location: Key West, Florida
Synopsis: Sam and Dean head to Key West, Florida to investigate reports of supercharged ghosts. What they encounter is far deadlier and far older than they ever anticipated.
Warning: Spoilers abound!
I found this book very enjoyable. It was certainly a much faster read than the previous two. With the story being further along in the series, there are a lot of callbacks to prior episodes, mostly concerning Dean's demon deal.
LGBTQ+ representation: Sam and Dean stay at a B&B with a lesbian couple and another gay couple is highlighted. Normally, I wouldn't mention this, but the book was written in 2008, which may have been early for representation in the media (I'll admit I haven't paid close attention to the evolution of such), and I think is still relevant today. Of course, Dean is quite straight in the novel, going after multiple women, so it fits with canon.
Included are a few references to sexual situations, e.g., a woman being leered at by her step-brothers, to a ghost who was gang-raped. It's not graphic by any means, but it's interesting to see how a novel can share more than a tv series can (or at least get past the censors).
Bobby appears in the book as Sam and Dean share the New Year with him drinking champagne out of whiskey glasses. This whole scene leads into a page's worth of trolling Ryan Seacrest. LOL!!!
Dean: "Who's the genius who thought replacing Dick Clark with Ryan Seacrest was a good idea?"
Sam: "Well, he was on American Idol."
Dean: "Dude, you are not equating being on that lame-ass Star Search wannabe show with American Bandstand, are you?"
Bone Key has fewer references to the boy's past than the previous two books, but here is a fun bit: "I don't need to make myself tall, Dean, I am tall," Sam said in that tone he always used when he gloatingly reminded Dean that, for all that Sam was the "little" brother, he had a good three inches on Dean. Sammy'd been using that tone since hitting his growth spurt at age fourteen and shooting past Dean on the height chart. Back then, of course, Sam provided those reminders approximately once every five minutes. "Hey," teenaged Sam would say, "can I borrow your jacket? Oh, wait - it's too small for me!""
In addition to the above, the book mentions John trying to put Dean in martial arts classes and it eventually failing because they moved around too much, and Dean's more of a brawler.
There's additional insight into Dean's intelligence that I find fits very well with canon after both acknowledging they know what laissez-faire means: 'When they were kids, Sam was always the book-smart one who liked studying, while Dean was more of the type to beat up the nerds, and who hated admitting to knowing anything. Smart made you an outcast, and given their hard-traveling ways, Dean had enough issues in school with that. So he adopted the jock persona of not caring about learning anything. That tendency still bled into his personality, to Sam's annoyance, to the point where Dean would profess ignorance on subjects Sam knew damn well he was knowledgeable about. Anything to not be the nerdy kid."
First, I don't believe for one second that Dean beat up nerds. Bullies, yes. Second, I can totally see the not wanting to seem smart as part of Dean's personality. He does this multiple times in the tv series. Sometimes Sam calls him on it, other times he lets him get away with it.
At one point, a demon requests that the boys work with them so they can both get rid of the 'big bad'. They are reluctant, as they should be, but then she brings up Ruby. Most of that fits with canon, but there was this part that confused me because I don't remember anything like this in the TV series: 'Ruby had also dropped some hints about Sam and Dean's mother that were leading Sam down some disturbing roads - sufficiently disturbing that he hadn't shared Ruby's revelations (and his own research) on the subject with Dean.'
If anyone remembers what that might be about, let me know!
As the end nears, there is a lot of Dean worrying about Sam, and a final showdown that basically uses the love he has for Sam as an anchor and uses that power to destroy the big bad.
Some final notes:
Funny scene: Dean has to pick up Bobby at the airport (yes, Bobby took a plane). His fear of flying comes back in full force, so much so that he seriously considers smoking. In fact, if he's going to Hell anyway, what's the harm? Luckily, budgetary reasons win out. Smoking is expensive.
Brotherly moment/Hurt Dean: I'll let this section speak for itself: 'Dean had suffered plenty of pain in his life. He'd been beaten up, beat down, shot at, stabbed, cut, electrocuted, punched, kicked, bit, thrown across more rooms than he could count, and run over by a Mack truck. If you combined all that pain, It was only a fraction of what Dean felt now.... No matter how bad it got, though, he refused to let the protection for Sam and the others falter. It didn't matter if he died in the effort - he was dead anyhow - but that sonofabitch wasn't taking Sam with him.'
Extra Bonus: For readers of my other blog: '[People] came in from the parking-lot entrance, as Megan had, past that smelly guy who was selling his poetry.'
I'm continuing my reviews of the Supernatural novels that started back in 2007 with the 2nd of the series, Witch's Canyon. Again, this won't be a regular book review, but rather stuff I find in the book that either contradicts canon/matches with canon, or just provides some additional insight that I think is interesting.
Author: Jeff Mariotte
Timeline: Post Nevermore - Book 1 (Post Episode 2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things)
Location: Cedar Wells, AZ
Synopsis: Sam and Dean visit a town outside the Grand Canyon where every 40 years, there is a mass killing of residents. Is it a ghost, a werewolf, or something more sinister? (Warning: Spoilers ahead).
Right off the bat, we venture completely out of canon because the first scene with Sam and Dean has them looking out at the Grand Canyon! I can forgive the writer for this because at this point in the TV series, we didn't know the brothers had never been to the Grand Canyon (or went as kids and rode donkeys, 8x21 - silly TV canon mistakes). As predicted though, Dean just considers it a big hole in the ground. Pretty in-character, if you ask me.
I did struggle with some parts of this novel and the one before in that, when I hear Sam and Dean's dialogue, they don't sound like Sam and Dean as we know them. It makes me wonder if the authors had even watched the series or were just given standard character profiles/show synopsis.
On to some fun character nods/canon re-writes:
We get some more insight into the novel version of John Winchester. There's a scene with him training his boys at ages 12 and 8. He's sending them through an obstacle course where they have to climb over wooden planks, then turn and fire a gun (Sam uses his finger because he's not old enough for a gun). Sam also has some trouble with the course and ends up falling and scraping his knee. John doesn't offer any comfort, just tells him to move on. Dean promises a Snickers if he can finish the course.
Another example later on is of John packing their camping bags, taking them into the woods at ages 14 and 10, and leaving them there. His instructions: "You boys sit there for one hour... by then it'll be almost dark, and you'll need to make camp. Tomorrow you can head back to the cabin - if you remember the way. I don't expect I'll see you until the day after, or maybe the day after that." With instructions to never trust anyone, even him (he packed their bags with crap instead of gear) he leaves. Dean decides to head back right away and when Sam mentions they were supposed to wait, we get this response: "That's what Dad said. He also told us our backpacks held supplies for three days. You want to believe everything he says, or you want to eat tonight?" They made it back just after dark the next day.
Now, I understand John had to train his kids to be self-reliant, but to leave them out in the words for potentially up to three days when Dean's only 14 seems out-of-character. I could see him doing that when they're older, and maybe it's my own idea of what kids that age can do, but it just doesn't jive with the hard, but loving, John we get in the TV series.
In addition to that, there's a couple of cases of hurt Sam, but there's a distinct lack of the caring Dean that we usually see.
In one instance, Sam is knocked unconscious and all there is from Dean is "Oh good, you're alive," and "He whacked you good." Even his actions don't quite jive: 'Dean helped him to a sitting position, but none too gently.'
Even near the end (after the boys had split up and come back together) Sam had been punched multiple times and gotten a couple of shallow knife wounds, but there is absolutely no mention of that when the brothers reunite. It makes me want to write a fix-it reunion fic. 🤣
We do get some insight into the motivations of Sam and Dean. Dean is in the hunting business to kill things, to go after the evil monsters, whereas Sam is in the business to save lives.
Sam's thoughts: 'His brother was a hunter through and through. Nothing wrong with that - the world needed hunters. But he knew that would never be him. He'd been headed down that road, but got lucky, tasted real life - the lives most people led - and couldn't leave that behind.'
I think part of that can be true, particularly in the TV series. I know Dean understands the end result of hunting is saving lives, but he does seem to go after it with zeal. Sam has a more people driven approach. Save the life. If killing something does that, great. If people can be saved just be reasoning with the evil thing, he'll do that instead (much like with Lenora or Amy).
The actual plot of the story was very good (much better than Nevermore). It had some great side characters, but a really high body count before the big bad is defeated; higher than I think we've ever seen on TV. While the plot was good, what's disappointing is that these books are mostly plot driven and spend very little time developing the brotherly relationship. There are extra insights into each others character, but not as the two of them together. I'm hoping future books remedy this.
Favorite banter:
'"Case you haven't noticed, Sammy, women don't exactly flock around hunters. And you can't really blame 'em. We're not the most stable individuals around."
"No, we're not. We're bad bets for long-term things, but good investments on life insurance."
"There's a selling point I hadn't thought of." Dean started the engine and got the Impala back on the road, headed for the Trail's End. "Hook up with us and see a quick return on your premiums." He laughed. "I like it, Sammy. Think we can fit it on a bumper sticker?"
I laughed because that was written before either of them had ever died in the series. Which, now I'm thinking about it, I'd like to take out a life insurance policy on either of them.🤣
One last note - favorite Out-of-Context quote:
'But Sam wasn't in the hunting business for the nailing, although that was a fine perk.'
I thought I'd start reading the Supernatural books that I bought a while ago. I wanted to share my thoughts, but this probably isn't going to be an actual review of the book, rather a look at canon vs. non-canon things that appear in the book. There may be spoilers so if you don't mind being spoiled, click below to keep reading.
Author: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Timeline: 2nd Season, Post S02E04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
Location: New York City, The Bronx
Synopsis: Sam and Dean investigate a local rocker's haunted House and discover another mystery involving Edgar Allan Poe.
As far as TV inspired novels go, this one's okay. The mysteries are decent, but there's an awful lot of time spent on describing the roads around the Bronx, parking, and the boys getting lost. It is also very 70's rock reference heavy (if you're into that thing).
There are a number of references to things that happen in Canon as well as scenes that were funny because of future events in the timeline.
The boys actually got stuck in traffic and had to pay tolls. I think J2 have joked about this before about something we never see in the show. I guess they could do it in the books!
Sam and Jess had once taken a trip to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge.
Dean has a nightmare about everyone he knows burning on the ceiling and wakes up realizing he needs to tell Sam about John's order to Save him or Kill him. This is where it gets interesting because the book adds a note about this that John also said "Don't tell Sam." I'm not sure John would have actually said that.
Sam wants to digitize his Dad's notebook.
The boys are staying in the haunted house as guests and we get this line from Sam: "While Dean had made himself right at home, Sam felt like he was intruding." I think that's an interesting dichotomy of Dean's ability to fit right in wherever he goes and Sam always feeling out of place.
The boys were raised more or less Christian. I know Sam prays, but were they really raised that way, or did Sam learn to do that because of their Pastor friends?
There's a whole section of Sam wondering what Hell is like. I had to laugh so hard at this part. Sorry, Sam. You get to find out for yourself.
There's a lot of discussion in the book about John's role in their lives. Sam insists that John actually didn't teach them that much, but rather tried to protect them. Then we get this from Sam: "That was something Dad could've taught us, but he didn't. He didn't tell us about other hunters, he didn't tell us about the roadhouse, he didn't tell us about vampires until we actually met some, he didn't tell us about goofer dust. Sure, he taught us the basics, and he taught us how to fight and defend ourselves, but that was it. Hell, most of the lore I know, I learned on my own. And for all that we fought about it - I think Dad was glad I was at Stanford." He goes on to explain how Dad signed a bunch of forms for Stanford including financial aid ones, and that for his Sophomore year, Sam was declared independent so he could sign his own forms. Dean's response: "So you're saying you disowned Dad?" Sam opened his mouth, closed it, then lamely said, "He disowned me first."
There's more too that conversation about John fighting between protecting his boys and teaching them, but it all kind of rings hollow. I know author's are given a bit of leeway when writing tie-in novels, but the whole essay on John just feels like they took it too far. We really don't know much about his motivations or what happened to get Sam to Stanford. I'd rather that be left to the imagination.
Other than that, the show stays pretty close to canon. There are a lot of references to Dean's love of rock music and his arrest warrant, as well as Sam's time at Stanford. I really like one of the side characters - an NYPD officer working the Missing Persons Unit. She's aware of hunters and actually mentions a network of officers (about 5) around the country that are available to help.
If you've read this far, congratulations! I know it's long, but how do you review a 300 page book in a few sentences? LOL! I'll be back next week (maybe) with a review of the next novel Witch's Canyon.
