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Vault Review: Supernatural: Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting by David Reed

cover for Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting

Supernatural: Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting by David Reed  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )
It Books; Original edition, 2011
ISBN: 978-0062103376
Available: Paperback and digital

Editor’s note: This review was previously published in 2012 on a now-defunct version of our site.

I read a lot of serious, professional, technical books and articles for work, so when it is my vacation time I prefer to read books that don’t take themselves too seriously and are on a familiar topic. I’m looking for books that are candy for my brain.


While I was visiting friends I picked up a copy of Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting and started to read. I’m from Wisconsin, where the book is set, so seeing familiar places named as settings for this book in the first few pages gave me even more incentive to read. I quickly discovered that I was actually reading the journals of a desperate man who is trying to record everything he knows before his mind is wiped. Bobby hopes the process of writing down what has happened to him will help his sort out his reality. In essence, he is talking directly to you through his journal entries. His memories focus on some of his more powerful experiences, such as the demonic possession of his wife Karen; hunting down supernatural Ondine on a Trans-Pacific journey; and his eventual acceptance off the supernatural. The entries jump around in time as he flashes back to different points in his life: these memories often trigger his practical side, leading to entries that are more instructional with tips for hunting Angels and ghosts, as well as describing different types of demons classified by eye-color. As I am familiar with Native American Trickster folklore, I particularly enjoyed the entries about Bobby’s experience with Anansi who had retired and was playing bridge at the local retirement community.

Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting pokes fun at trends in popular fiction. I have noticed that the mystery section at my public library was filling up with what I describe as “craft-based” mysteries: books in which the protagonist not only is enthralled in a mystery but also finds time to share a recipe for apple turnovers or directions for a cable knit sweater that was mentioned in the story line. So when I discovered that this book also included a recipe for the readers I burst out laughing. I have also read a number of “how to survive a zombie apocalypse” style books as well watched various zombie movies and TV series so I found the tip sections humorous.

It wasn’t until I was already 70 pages into the book that my dear friend’s husband pointed out that the book I was reading was related to the TV show Supernatural. I have never seen the show so I don’t know how well the book supports the show’s themes, but I didn’t feel lost with the characters. Maybe the whole “I’m recording everything I know before my memory is gone” device allowed the author to present more background on the characters than normal. I have read books based on TV and movies I have seen before, and the author’s approach can vary. Some books, such as Chronicles of Riddick, are an SAT vocabulary rehash of the movie plot; some, like the CSI books, assume that you already know the characters’ back-story from the show; and others, like the Mr. Monk series, are written so you can see the connections and enjoy the story even if you aren’t an avid fan. This book fell into the last of these categories. I found it an easy and compelling read even though I wasn’t familiar with the related TV series. Highly recommended.

Posted on July 28, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: Spectral Evidence by Gemma Files

Spectral Evidence by Gemma Files

Trepidatio Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 1947654181

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, Nook

Spectral Evidence is a short story collection that has a bit of something for everyone: old gods, vampires, witchcraft, and even a few stories about monster hunters saving ordinary humans from the deadly extraordinary. The stories, with the exception of “Spectral Evidence”, flow smoothly together, anchored well by short stories about an antagonistic alliance between a mountain witch and two female hunters that are scattered throughout the work.

It is clear in the dialogue of her characters that Ms. Files does extensive research in each story’s subject matter, from a doomed archaeologist describing the architectural structure of an ancient temple in “A Wish from a Bone”, to the incident report-like format of “Spectral Evidence”, to the medically specific ways a zombie-turning drug affects the protagonists in “Imaginary Beauties.” This attention to small details gives a vivid credibility to each storyline.

There are no wholesome protagonists in these stories: even the hunters are significantly flawed, which actually creates a more realistic portrayal of the archetype than in other works. While Sam and Dean’s illegal activities are opaquely glossed over in Supernatural (e.g., stolen credit cards, fake IDs, trails of bodies), for example, Ms. Files’ hunters embrace them, even flaunt them. The opening story of the witch Allfair Chatwin and the hunters Samaire and Dionne (!) Cornish begins in the maximum security unit of a female penitentiary.  “Crossing the River” is about the planning of a prison break, and, while there are no heroes here, the character development was compelling enough that I was excited when I realized “Black Bush”, placed two stories later, picked up where “Crossing the River” left off.

“Spectral Evidence” is a unique short story. As mentioned, it is in an incident report format, describing photographs and other evidence of an investigation gone horribly wrong. Descriptions do leave more to the imagination, but this choice over actual pictures resulted in a few re-readings to get a complete understanding of what was going on. I admire the attempt of the experimental storytelling, but its format made the story feel out of place with the rest of the selections. It may have been better served in another collection.

Spectral Evidence is recommended for all horror fans. There are many strong female protagonists in these stories, which may appeal to specific audiences.

Contains: gore, graphic sex, violence, witchcraft

 

Reviewed by Wendy Zazo-Phillips

 

Editor’s note: Spectral Evidence is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Award in the cagegory of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. 

Posted on May 5, 2019 by , Reply

Women in Horror Month: Not Just Plot Devices

The cast of Wayward Sisters

 

Considering that Supernatural is a show that’s basically drenched in white toxic masculinity, it actually has some really awesome, kick-butt female characters, and because the fans demanded it, it looks like they’re getting their own spinoff show, Wayward Sisters . The recent backdoor pilot, though, apparently brought along its share of tired tropes centering men, especially the ever popular one of using a woman’s death, mutilation, or violation as a plot device and motivation for a male character to do his (usually violent and heroic) thing, according to The Mary Sue . This trope actually is common enough that it has a name: “Women in Refrigerators”. Before I even knew what it was called, I LOATHED this trope, which is the basis for pretty much everything that happens in The Crow. In this case, the women who were “fridged” also got to embody another trope: that of the black woman willing to carry on to support the talents of a white main character. On a show that’s supposed to celebrate women, and even had some diversity in its casting, a woman of color was killed off to advance the plot, for the Winchester brothers. In addition to representation in casting, I’m thinking some diversity in screenwriters is in order.

This trope is so tired and so vomit-inducing that someone has finally created an award to be given to a thriller that manages to get through its plot to the end without a women getting beaten, stalked, killed, raped, or sexually exploited, called the Staunch Prize. I can’t think of too many candidates that will qualify. Even my favorite tough-woman detective, V.I. Warshawski (yes, I’m old), gets beaten and stalked. You go after the bad guys, you fight injustice, and chances are there’s going to be some kind of violence or threat in your future. These days, all you have to do is tweet something someone doesn’t like to have death threats shower down on you. So I don’t know how many entrants the sponsor of the prize will actually find, but it says a lot that she is so damn tired of reading about violence against women used as a plot device that she would actually shell out hard, cold, cash to read a suspenseful book that doesn’t have it. We are not plot devices, and those of you writing horror who don’t already know this should know that leaning on women in refrigerators to drive your plot is lazy and disrespectful.

As you are thinking about and reading about women in horror this month (or writing about women in your own horror fiction) consider this: there are many, many, women writers and women writers of color who are writing horror fiction and poetry, from Linda Addison to Nnedi Okorafor, and including many who are unknown. I challenge you to seek them out this month and see what women, and especially women of color, are creating to scare the hell out of us.

 

Posted on February 1, 2018 by , Reply