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The very first “Supernatural” novel was something of a disappointment. While many of the common fan complaints were somewhat questionable, the story suffered from too much idle characterization and a weak antagonist. For the most part, the characters were well represented, however, so the challenge in this follow-up was all plot.
The author focused his first novel on his own home turf, and it felt a bit too insular as a result. I’m not sure that problem was resolved in this novel, however, because the Key West setting seems a bit too familiar to the author as well. A good portion of the novel feels like the travel section of the town paper. If the intention was to interest me in a possible future vacation in the area, then it worked. But it felt a bit heavy-handed for a relatively short novel.
The plot, on the other hand, was a vast improvement over the first novel. In fact, it came a bit close to overkill. As I’ve said before, when novels are introduced into a property with relatively strong continuity, the trick is to keep events from becoming too substantial. Otherwise, it’s too easy to question why the events aren’t discussed in the series. The crisis in this novel is just below the threshold for the third season (where events vary wildly in scale anyway).
Kudos also go to the author for continuing with the capable characterization. The dialogue doesn’t always work, but the motivations definitely fit the third season mold. The author takes great pain in placing the psychology of the Brothers Winchester in context with the major events of the series (sometimes to a fault), and that resonates with the tone of the series itself.
The book is a bit short in terms of word count, so it doesn’t require much of a time investment. I finished it in a few hours over the course of a couple days. In terms of content, it is probably the best of the current tie-in properties, beating out the first two novels and the disappointing comic books. That doesn’t mean the novel is perfect “Supernatural”, however; there’s plenty of room for a dark horror volume, should the publisher ever find the right author and enough courage.
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