BOOK REVIEW: Supernatural: Carved in Flesh by Tim Waggoner ★★★★☆

"Reported sightings of a hellish hound and the discovery of newly dead desiccated corpses bring Sam and Dean Winchester to Brennan, Ohio. But when they catch the monster canine it turns out to be “Frankenmutt”, a reanimated patchwork of pieces from separate dogs. Soon the brothers are on a trail that leads from mad scientists and biotechnology to a centuries-old alchemist, walking corpses, and an ancient and malevolent power.”
So, who doesn’t love CW hit series show Supernatural? About two wayward sons (yes Kansas reference) on a lonely long road, battling demons, monsters and so much more! I’ve been hooked onto this TV show for a year and managed to watch all episodes before season 9 finale was aired. May I add I cried so damn hard – poor Dean.

And so when I came across the iconic title at my local library with the sexy pouting Sam and Dean Winchester on the cover; I knew I had to get it. I think the whole idea of these books (so far there have been thirteen books) is to show what the brothers have been doing between episodes, as Dean famously says, “Saving people, hunting things, the family business.” It also helps me fill that void for when I wait impatiently for the next season. SPN lovers I feel your pain.

This particular story Carved in Flesh takes place during season seven between the episodes ‘Time After Time’ and ‘The Slice Girls’. Sam and Dean are investigating what seems to be multiple sucked up mummified corpses appearing in the small town of Brennen. While investigating and trying to get to the truth both brothers have flashbacks of a girl they knew in their teens as well as trying to deal with the death of their dearest friend Bobby Singer. Dean’s determined to hunt down the leader of the Leviathans Dick Roman and Sam struggles to keep awake, while consuming an overload of coffee intake, in an attempt to stop his Lucifer hallucinations.

This is the first book I’ve read from the series and from the author Tim Waggoner, a fantasy horror author for both adults and young readers who has also written a book for another TV series Grimm: The Killing Time and famous for Necropolis and Ghost Trackers series.

Honestly speaking, I couldn’t put the book down. It’s like I was actually watching the show. Waggoner successfully managed to get the Winchester characters right onto the page. From Dean’s funny nickname jokes like Stinkenstein (and yes the Dick jokes) and Sam using his nerdy brain to track down the clues via the internet and his trusty laptop. Waggoner has captured the traits, the gestures and even the dialogue right on. I think what you have expected from the episodes is what you received from this book.

While he captures the Winchester’s perfectly he has also attached the reader to the victims in such a way you could probably relate to them. For instance, the first victims right in chapter one; Joyce Nagrosky and Ted Boykin met at the park. They were about to look forward to a possible future and then they fall victims to the monster. In a way, it shows that some things are really short-lived, like the other victim in chapter six, Lyle Swanson, who looked ‘perpetually gloomy’ and Peter Martinez, a burns victim and the CEO for NuFlesh Biotech. Especially when Waggoner describes how itchy Martinez felt really started to make me itch too. Hat’s off to that itch! Plus you don’t want to be the first five minutes of any Supernatural episode.

Now for the cons: Personally the storyline jumped a bit too often and I felt that maybe 40% was devoted to the Winchesters and the rest was about the victims and the antagonists. For the readers who love watching the show for the boys and less for the cases then they may have found themselves flipping through the books to get to the Winchesters part. Also, I felt the ending was a bit rushed, there was so much focus on Conrad’s character and when his ‘dark mistress’ was revealed she was just killed off. Simple as it sounds. I thought the climax would be a lot edgier.

To summarise I hope Waggoner writes more Supernatural novels as I quite enjoyed reading Supernatural in a literary sense. To me, it was refreshing to see what the hunting brothers are like in a book as opposed to watching them on screen. Also, it’s great to read a book that relates closely to the show. Would I recommend this? Of course to, any SPN fans out there and even if you have never heard of it then I’m still sure you’ll enjoy the lighter humour and the surrounding mystery to solve the cases.

Rating 4/5
Publishers: Titan Books
Publication date: April 19 2013
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy