To borrow a copyrighted but well-recognized phrase, ‘two thumbs way up!’ for The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber, the latest novel to be based on The CW’s hit series Supernatural. Tie-in novels face certain challenges just by their nature. After all, an author might be playing in his own sandbox but he is playing with someone else’s characters. In order for the tie-in novel to work, it needs to incorporate those elements which have brought success to the television series it is based on. And in this regard, I strongly believe that The Unholy Cause truly succeeds.
Supernatural, the television series, has captivated viewers for five seasons in the way it is able to flawlessly blend horror, scares, action, suspense, urban legends, comedy, and one of the best brother relationships to come around on our screens in a long time. The challenge for tie-in novels has been to be able to incorporate into the written words all these distinctive and successful elements of the Series. One previous excursion excelled in the mystery and horror, another outlined a good hunt, and yet another provided adequate portrayals of established characters. To date, it is my opinion that none of the other novels were able to fully blend all the elements into one product, especially the most important being that which is the driving foundation of the series, the family dynamic of the Winchester brothers. The Unholy Cause is the novel that fans have been waiting for which does indeed succeed in incorporating all those distinguishing elements. In fact, it does it so well that this adventure could easily be adapted into an episode of the Series, without missing a beat. It is indeed just like reading an episode!
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Grade: A-
Tags:
Supernatural,
Unholy Cause
We were fortunate enough to be the recipients of a wonderful little gift and we can’t wait to share it with you! That gift is excerpts from the new Supernatural tie-in novel The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber. They serve as good examples of things that seem to be vital for fans who really enjoy these stories, such as the depiction of the brotherly relationship between Sam and Dean Winchester, which has been the heart and soul of the series since its first episode. This relationship has definitely hit some rough patches lately but the brothers are working hard at repairing it and restoring their trust in each other once again. Another thing, along with a strong backstory that the hunt is based on, is the danger and action that the Winchesters always seem to find themselves in as they carry out their lifelong mission of saving people, hunting things. Or, as is the case of the current season, saving the world from the impending Apocalypse.
The story involves a powerful artifact that disappears in the middle of a Civil War re-enactment in Mission’s Ridge, Georgia. It is the job of the Winchesters to locate it and destroy it before the entire town is massacred and they along with it.
The official description is as follows: Twenty-seven years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America…and he taught them how to kill it. Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground… Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand…
Excerpts are after the jump. Enjoy!
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Tags:
novels,
Supernatural
There are several clues that a television show has reached cult status, even if it doesn’t get ten million viewers each week. One indication is the overwhelming chatter and buzz created by its dedicated fans online, especially in developing hundreds of websites paying homage to the show; not to mention occasionally ‘breaking’ Twitter due to that overwhelming chatter. Another is attending Conventions. After all, it takes a special level of obsession – er, make that appreciation – in order to be willing to travel long distances at great costs to be in the presence of not only the actors one admires, but others who share the same level of understanding and appreciation. And still another is tie-in novels, since watching the stories unfold on screen is simply not enough to feed a fan’s voracious appetite for adventures.
Eclipse Magazine had the recent opportunity to chat with Joe Schreiber. He is the author of one Star Wars novel and a second in the works, three original horror/suspense novels, and now his first Supernatural novel, ‘The Unholy Cause.’ We are also fortunate enough to receive an excerpt (or two), which we will share with you in the coming days prior to the novel’s official release date of May 4th.
But before we get to that, let’s get to know the man behind the words.
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Tags:
Supernatural,
The CW Network
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! Cento. Ein hundert. Ekato. Cent — No matter what language you say it, “100″ is a milestone number. The number itself is mathematically perfect. And if you live to see your 100th birthday, the President of the United States sends you a special letter. But that is not the “100″ we are talking about here.
In an era of more channel choices than ever before, the digital power to see what we want when we want it, and the burden of an antiquated ratings system unable to account for all that, it is nothing short of miraculous for a television series to reach the airing of one hundred new episodes, and still keep going strongly. Being able to accomplish this milestone indicates a staying power that very few new series are able to tap into in order to survive past their first season.
Before we sit down Thursday night in giddy anticipation of the airing of episode #100 of Supernatural (titled “Point of No Return”), let’s take a look back at how cast and crew celebrated this momentous occasion and what they had to say. They carefully dropped just a few spoilers back then (even though we know much more now) and it was still a time that everyone was waiting to hear if season five would really be the last. Luckily a few weeks after the party, season six was made official. Let’s reminisce on that wonderful time before Thursday’s epic event.
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Tags:
100,
dawn ostroff,
Jared Padalecki,
Jensen Ackles,
Jim Beaver,
Misha Collins,
Supernatural
It was my first time. And like all first times it was a bit awkward, overwhelming, but in the end strangely satisfying. Of course, I’m still talking about attending my first ever Wonder Con in San Francisco this past weekend. I’m also hesitant to admit that I’ve never been to WonderCon’s older sibling, ComicCon in San Diego, but it is now definitely on the “to do” list. There were lots of wonderful highlights from the weekend, and we can’t wait to bring them to you in detail in the coming days.
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Tags:
Comic Books,
Movies,
Television,
Wondercon 2010
Long before Grey’s Anatomy, E.R. and Chicago Hope, there was Emergency! The series ran between 1972 to 1979 and starred Kevin Tighe as fireman Roy DeSoto and Randolph Mantooth as fireman John Gage. The series revolved around the adventures of paramedics of the Los Angeles Fire Department and featured rescues ranging from the slightly humorous to the full-blown disasters. The series was so popular and successful that it encouraged five made-for-TV movies. Currently, when NBC’s Trauma is not being compared to its most recent predecessor, ‘E.R.’, those old enough to remember will quickly mention ‘Emergency!’ in those comparisons. And there is no doubt that the creative team must have gained some inspiration from the original as well.
Trauma has already inserted several small shout-outs into its scripts, thus continuing the tradition of paying proper homage to one’s predecessors. And the homage continues with the return of Kevin Tighe to a guest role. While he will not be reprising his Roy DeSoto character (pictured on left with his co-star Mantooth), we will be able to spot him playing a substitute captain instead. Kevin has had a very successful career spanning over forty years which has included appearances most recently on ‘Lie to Me’, ‘Leverage’, ‘Law & Order’, ‘Numbers’ and ‘Lost’, to name a few. It will be nice to see him again making an appearance on the current series that has drawn inspiration from his old playground. Trauma can be seen on NBC Mondays at 9:00 pm.
Tags:
Trauma
I am not ashamed to admit that I have a soft spot for underdogs. Especially ones that are actually entertaining and exhibit adequate promise. NBC’s Trauma, which revolves around a team of first responders and paramedics based in San Francisco, is one of those underdogs currently deserving of attention.
After a three-month absence (it would be a misnomer to call it a hiatus), the show returned with new episodes and very little promotion. Even dedicated fans were not sure that the series was back on the air. Therefore it was no surprise that the ratings for the past two episodes have not been very healthy. Last week was very low, but Monday’s numbers saw a decent gain, close to its pre-absence numbers. At this point it would be just too easy to use all the cliche expressions: Trauma is on life support, and Trauma needs ratings, stat! The truth is that when it first premiered it took the series several episodes to find its groove. It is now working like a good series should, with interesting characters facing personal challenges amidst their work environment which drives the action of the show. What started as a spectacle of explosions and stunts is now a good blend of action, drama and characters. That’s the good news. Unfortunately it might be a little too late since NBC has now halted production earlier than expected. And there have been other challenges along the way, so now is the time for a call to arms to help this series stay on the air.
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Grade: B-
Tags:
NBC,
Trauma
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