Supernatural, The Unholy Causeby Joe Schreiber
Pub: Titan Books
Cover photo from Warner Bros
Tie in fiction is a strange beast. It can be an excellent way of returning to a world and characters you enjoy, but since it falls to different writers it is hard to tell what you are getting sometimes.
I am a fan of Supernatural as a show and this first foray into it's written world was a success. It is undoubtedly at times a little silly, but no more so than the show itself and that was always a part of it's charm to me.
I would warn this is not a novel for the uninitiated. I haven't watched seasons four and five in full yet but have seen enough to follow the references that assume familiarity with the show. There is no time spent getting to know Sam and Dean and their backstory, it's straight into this episode assuming you've been following along for some time. None of this is a bad thing for the book, most people will be picking it up because they are fans of the show, that's rather the point, but it's something to be aware of. Some tie in fiction is accessible to all, others are bonus material for an existing audience. The Unholy Cause falls squarely into the second category.
The story itself is entertaining, the action progresses quite quickly, the body count rises and for the most part Schreiber gets the tone of the two Winchester boys spot on. The complex relationship between them is neatly balanced and Dean's humour offers some lighter moments against the potential threat Sam poses to the universe.
The boys are investigating some strange deaths during a re enactment weekend and discover a tangle of different factions obsessed with recovering an unholy artifact. It's hard to tell who to trust and needless to say they fall foul of local law enforcement. There are some moments of genuine tension and Schreiber succeeds in interesting the reader in the fate of the additional characters. All in all an entertaining new episode for fans of this excellent show.
An easy and enjoyable ride through familiar territory. I am a happy fangirl.
(Just between you and me though, do Dean's eyes look a little weird in the cover shot?)
6 comments:
Sometimes tie in books rock, sometimes they are 'eh' at best.
This rocked, it was silly, but great. :)
I've read some really superbe fan fiction. Pretty boys are always nice. :)
M Pax - i've not read any fan fiction but i'm becoming more interested in tie in. :)
*admission* I only watch a few hours of idiot box a week, and one of those hours is Supernatural. (I will be watching the season five finale this evening.) Supernatural is dopey, but dopey in the way I like, doesn't take itself too seriously and has hawt demon chicks. Well, not so much season five, but hey.
Tie-in books? Really? I find this as hard as going from a *book* to a film. You have too many already formed character ideas, and transferring them in to a book? That could be handled wrong. But doesn't sound like it has here all the same.
Still, I can't see myself reading this, mostly as it isn't the sort of thing I would read :)
I love Supernatural and am looking forward to the Season 4 marathon. I agree that the risk is always that if you get the voices wrong or don't capture the tone of the show it falls flat. People have a lot of expectations and they have to be met. This was pretty good.
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