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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The brothers at their most basic, September 3, 2008
This review is from: Supernatural: Bone Key (Supernatural (Harperentertainment)) (Mass Market Paperback)
For those eagerly awaiting the season 4 premiere, then this book should whet your appetite some. However, if you're hoping for character exploration you'll find it in almost everyone except the brothers.
The author merely brushes the surface of Dean and Sam, brings them to us at their most basic. While Dean is collecting phone numbers, Sam is collecting poems on sunsets. There is alot of focus on OC's (original characters), some receiving 3+ pages depicting their life story when their only purpose in this particular story is to meet their death. One particular criticism I had of Keith's previous Supernatural book 'Nevermore' was Dean's tendency to be occupied moreso with music, alcohol, and women, than the fact that people are dying around them, and I found this book to be similar in that regard.
The one thing I read that actually prompted me to review this book was an aspect of Dean's character put forth that I did not agree with. The implication that Dean in high school was a "bully," adopting a jock persona and beating up on "the nerds." I think this is something every Supernatural fan would shoot down - the fondness in which Dean looks upon his "geekboy" Sammy is apparently clear to anyone who watches the show; Dean is a protector through and through.
I gave it a 3/5 and feel those who swore off the book series following Nevermore will get a bit more out of this one. Alot more supernatural action, as well as a nice dose of Bobby. Much more interaction between the brothers this time around, though most times it came off as though Dean's attachment to his brother was borne from a sense of duty rather than a sense of love. Given how complicated these boys are, Dean in particular (who is clearly Keith's favourite and tackled the most often), I can understand the reluctance to delve too deeply, however the brothers' relationship is very much the heart of Supernatural and those looking for a thorough exploration of that won't find much here.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
better than the first attempt, but odd!, June 25, 2009
This review is from: Supernatural: Bone Key (Supernatural (Harperentertainment)) (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel was better than the first in the series (Nevermore) by the same author. However, I feel that he strained to weave a coherent plot. At times I actually felt embarrassed by the situations certain characters were put in, some of the supernatural characters are awkward, and some situations felt completely unnecessary. Sam and Dean are closer to the characters that we know so well, but are not explored as people at all. One of the things fans of the show love is the fully developed personalities of the boys. Those personalities are not really evident in this story - you'll have to fill in the blanks yourself. Having said all of that, as a fan of the show, I'm happy to get as much as I can of the boys. I don't regret reading it - but it has definite limitations!
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11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I only wish this book was longer!, August 28, 2008
This review is from: Supernatural: Bone Key (Supernatural (Harperentertainment)) (Mass Market Paperback)
I had every intention of reading this addition to the "Supernatural" franchise sllloooowwwwlllyyyyy, to make it last till the Season 4 episodes begin to air on September 18th, but it's a testament to how good this book is, that I've finished it a mere two days after buying it.
A week following the events of "A Very Supernatural Christmas", Sam and Dean Winchester head to sunny Key West, Florida on a tip from an old acquaintance of fellow demon-hunter Bobby Singer: something nasty has started killing both tourists and locals alike. On arriving, the brothers find themselves up against something neither one of them has ever faced down before, an entity embodying dozens of angry, vengeful spirits. To contain and defeat it, they will have to join forces with a homicidal demon released when the Wyoming Hellgate was opened six months before, something neither one of them relishes, but to do otherwise would turn the paradisial island into a bone-strewn husk...
My only wish is that the book had lasted longer and the story had been paced a bit more leisurely, which would have fit the laid-back nature of the setting: there's a few places where the writing feels a bit like a first draft. But the quick pace does help to underscore the immediacy of the situation and just how dangerous. As he did in Supernatural: Nevermore (Supernatural), Keith DeCandido does a spot-on job getting the voices of Sam and Dean down pat and he delved into some little-known history of Key West and its inhabitants, from the Calusa tribe that made it home to famous folk like Ernest Hemmingway and a vacationing Harry S. Truman. There's even a bonus in the back: a playlist of reccommended listening (with songs Dean would most likely approve of!) to double the fun and expand on the experience.
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