You never know what you're going to get when you buy a novel based on a TV show. As someone who has read more
Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels than I care to admit, I can unequivocally state that tie-in novels are a mixed bag. Some of them are genuinely well-written and truly evoke the spirit of the show that they're based on, and others fall completely flat. It all depends on the writer and how well they know the material.
Supernatural fans who can't wait until September 18 to experience the new adventures of the Winchester brothers may want to check out the new book based on the series, entitled
Supernatural: Bone Key. I can't guarantee it'll be great literature, but anything featuring Sam and Dean is worth checking out.
Bone Key, which is in stores today, was written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, who also penned the first
Supernatural tie-in novel,
Nevermore. That one only received three out of five stars on Amazon.com, with at least one reader claiming that the book deserved to be salted and burned. DeCandido seems to be quite the tie-in professional, having also written books based on
Star Trek,
Buffy,
CSI: NY,
Starcraft, and
World of Warcraft. Something tells me he may not be writing
Supernatural novels due to an obsession with the show, but I could be wrong.
Regardless of DeCandido's writing ability, the set up for
Bone Key sounds like a lot of fun. The novel finds Sam and Dean heading to Key West, Florida, which is something they could never pull off on the Vancouver set of the TV series. After a guide from a ghost tour dies with his face frozen in mid-scream, a la
The Ring, the Winchester boys have to face off with ghosts, demons, and a mysterious ancient power that's out for revenge. Spooky!
I've never read a
Supernatural tie-in novel, but I have read the comics, which I definitely suggest buying if you need some fun reading material.
Supernatural: Origins can be picked up in trade paperback form at any bookstore, and
Supernatural: Rising Son is a six-issue miniseries that is currently in comic book stores. Both focus on John Winchester and tell stories from Sam and Dean's younger years, which makes for interesting reading.
Whether or not you decide to read about the Winchesters, you only have to wait a few weeks to see them in action again. The TV series may not be able to take the boys to Florida, but that's a small sacrifice when you get to see
Jared Padalecki and
Jensen Ackles in action.
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- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of Amazon.com)