What do you think?
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls
Twenty-three years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. Following the tragedy, their father, John, set out to teach his boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and how to kill it.
Fans of the blockbuster television phenomenon can rejoice! A one-of-a-kind compilation of all of Sam and Dean's demon-busting knowledge, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls contains illustrations and detailed descriptions that catalogue the more than two dozen otherworldly enemies that most people believe exist only in folklore, superstition, and nightmares: vampires, ghosts, revenants, reapers, and even bloody clowns. You'll find within these pages Sam and Dean's notes, observations, and memories interwoven with sections of John Winchester's invaluable journal, making this book the perfect companion to every thrilling episode — and an essential weapon in the secret war against the hidden creatures of the darkness!
Fans of the blockbuster television phenomenon can rejoice! A one-of-a-kind compilation of all of Sam and Dean's demon-busting knowledge, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls contains illustrations and detailed descriptions that catalogue the more than two dozen otherworldly enemies that most people believe exist only in folklore, superstition, and nightmares: vampires, ghosts, revenants, reapers, and even bloody clowns. You'll find within these pages Sam and Dean's notes, observations, and memories interwoven with sections of John Winchester's invaluable journal, making this book the perfect companion to every thrilling episode — and an essential weapon in the secret war against the hidden creatures of the darkness!
219 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2007
About the author
Alexander C. Irvine
197 books205 followersAlexander C. Irvine is an American fantasist and science fiction writer. He also writes under the pseudonym Alex Irvine. He first gained attention with his novel A Scattering of Jades and the stories that would form the collection Unintended Consequences. He has also published the Grail quest novel One King, One Soldier, and the World War II-era historical fantasy The Narrows.
In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.
His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.
In addition to his original works, Irvine has published Have Robot, Will Travel, a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and Batman: Inferno, about the DC Comics superhero.
His academic background includes an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a PhD from the University of Denver. He is an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a reporter at the Portland Phoenix.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
August 25, 2019
3.75 hunting ★★★✬✩
⇝Overall
This is a cute little beginner's guide on supernatural monsters, spirits, demons, ghouls, revenants and the like. I think it is smartly structured and the tone it is written in literally made me feel like I was at a hunter convention where Sam and Dean were giving the introductory talk on all things supernatural. People who like an easy read and are in for reminiscing "the good old" days, please go ahead. (Personally, I am a fan of the times where angels were not such a big deal.) I do however feel like this book could need an updated version with more of what the Winchesters have encountered in the other 10+ seasons :)
⇝A little bit on racism: It's Native Americans, not Indians.
There are passages in this book where Alex uses the word Indians instead of Native Americans or even the correct name of the tribe he's referring to with this case. It's simply not acceptable. I don't care that this book was written 10 years ago.
⇝Do not expect too much adequacy if you have any expertise on the cultures and lores mentioned in this book.
I was completely aware of the fact that most times, Supernatural borrows and adapts most lore to fit the action frame of the show. I especially noticed this when they were talking about Celts as if they were some group of humans easily identified by certain makers. They weren't. To this day, scholars underline the fact that what scientifically could be described as Celtic civilizations stretches from Ireland over Scotland to France, Spain, Germany to even Greece and parts of Turkey. This is, of course, just the example I know something about. I mainly wanted to give you a heads up :)
➺The book is structured as follows.
Ready to hunt some monsters? Hope you don't catch the Ghost Sickness, or else, you'll end up a little something like this on your next hunt:
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 3.5*
⇝Overall
This is a cute little beginner's guide on supernatural monsters, spirits, demons, ghouls, revenants and the like. I think it is smartly structured and the tone it is written in literally made me feel like I was at a hunter convention where Sam and Dean were giving the introductory talk on all things supernatural. People who like an easy read and are in for reminiscing "the good old" days, please go ahead. (Personally, I am a fan of the times where angels were not such a big deal.) I do however feel like this book could need an updated version with more of what the Winchesters have encountered in the other 10+ seasons :)
This book is for you if…you enjoy Supernatural and would like a fun little book about the universe of Supernatural. Spoilerwise I would recommend you to not read this book until you've finished Season 3, if you want to make sure.
⇝A little bit on racism: It's Native Americans, not Indians.
There are passages in this book where Alex uses the word Indians instead of Native Americans or even the correct name of the tribe he's referring to with this case. It's simply not acceptable. I don't care that this book was written 10 years ago.
⇝Do not expect too much adequacy if you have any expertise on the cultures and lores mentioned in this book.
I was completely aware of the fact that most times, Supernatural borrows and adapts most lore to fit the action frame of the show. I especially noticed this when they were talking about Celts as if they were some group of humans easily identified by certain makers. They weren't. To this day, scholars underline the fact that what scientifically could be described as Celtic civilizations stretches from Ireland over Scotland to France, Spain, Germany to even Greece and parts of Turkey. This is, of course, just the example I know something about. I mainly wanted to give you a heads up :)
➺The book is structured as follows.
SPIRITS
The Woman in White
Water Spirits
Urban Legends and Vengeful Spirits
Land Spirits: Native and immigrant
Vanir
Lawrence
Death Apparations
MONSTERS
Wendigo
Shapeshifter
Tulpas and Other Created Beings
Homunculus
Golem
Rakshasa
GHOULS, REVENANTS, ET CETERA
Ghoul
Shtriga
Draugr/Draug
Vampire
Zombie
How to Kill a Zombie/Revenant
Other Revenants
WITCHES, FAMILIARS AND BLACK DOGS
DEMONS
Succubus/Incubus
Jinn
Tengu
Abiku
Pishacha
Acheri
The Yellow-Eyed Demon
Lesser Demons We Have Known
Reaper
Goofer Dust
APPENDIX A: HERBS, OILS, AND HOODO HANDS
APPENDIX B: NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF EUROPEAN DEMONS
Ready to hunt some monsters? Hope you don't catch the Ghost Sickness, or else, you'll end up a little something like this on your next hunt:
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 3.5*
Want to Read
April 25, 2020I am an unabashed supernatural fangirl. My husband communicates with me through text with Dean memes and gifs all the time 😂. I have half of season 14 left to go & then, the end, one & for all, Season 15. 😭😭😭
I think I took a break from watching because I don’t want it to end. 💔
I’m excited to read this! All of the supernatural...
beings (?) in one place! Woo!
I think I took a break from watching because I don’t want it to end. 💔
I’m excited to read this! All of the supernatural...
beings (?) in one place! Woo!
September 3, 2014
I had to read this one because Supernatural is one of my favorite TV shows... I liked it for most parts. It brought back the adventures from first two seasons and that was awesome. Also the appendix with the herbs and oils was cool. The only thing that i didn't like are the parts from the "John's journal", they were written in cursive and i had a bit of trouble reading them smoothly.
January 27, 2011
An interesting book for Supernatural fans, but I definitely lacked sources for anything.
The book is written from Sam and Dean's point of view, but also shifts to 3rd person perspective, which is extremely strange. It also feels a bit out of character, but hey! I did not read this book for the writing of Sam and Dean. I read it because I wanted to know more about the monsters, spirits, revenants, ghouls and demons.
There were plenty of interesting ghost stories and lore from all over the world, and I enjoyed reading them. I wish there would have been less interference by Sam and Dean (so to speak) and more "meat on the bones" in terms of really covering the story. Being very accustomed to the Swedish urban legend about myrlingar - I barely recognized what the author was trying to convey about them! So that was a bummer.Also don't get why the character åäö was neglected in a novel; because no matter what - "bäckahästen" and "backahasten" just ain't the same!
The font was a bit annoying (too similar to Comic Sans or the Harry Potter font!), especially during the drafts from John Winchester's journal. I found them pretty hard on the eyes to read.
The appendix of herbs etc. and known demons was also a nice thing added to the book.
So in general; I enjoyed the book. Don't expect it to be some amazing piece of fiction, it's just a good read if you're curious and enjoy the show, I guess! (Also, this book was published around season 2 or 3. I smiled when "the Winchesters" mentioned that dragons definitely don't exist!)
The book is written from Sam and Dean's point of view, but also shifts to 3rd person perspective, which is extremely strange. It also feels a bit out of character, but hey! I did not read this book for the writing of Sam and Dean. I read it because I wanted to know more about the monsters, spirits, revenants, ghouls and demons.
There were plenty of interesting ghost stories and lore from all over the world, and I enjoyed reading them. I wish there would have been less interference by Sam and Dean (so to speak) and more "meat on the bones" in terms of really covering the story. Being very accustomed to the Swedish urban legend about myrlingar - I barely recognized what the author was trying to convey about them! So that was a bummer.
The font was a bit annoying (too similar to Comic Sans or the Harry Potter font!), especially during the drafts from John Winchester's journal. I found them pretty hard on the eyes to read.
The appendix of herbs etc. and known demons was also a nice thing added to the book.
So in general; I enjoyed the book. Don't expect it to be some amazing piece of fiction, it's just a good read if you're curious and enjoy the show, I guess! (Also, this book was published around season 2 or 3. I smiled when "the Winchesters" mentioned that dragons definitely don't exist!)
March 26, 2019
Das Buch ist ein cooler Rückblick in die ersten Staffeln/Folgen von Supernatural.
Ich bin nicht unbedingt eine Person, die viel auf englisch liest, aber mit diesem Buch kam ich sehr gut zurecht.
Für Fans der besten Serie der Welt ist das Buch auf jeden Fall eine Bereicherung.
Ich bin nicht unbedingt eine Person, die viel auf englisch liest, aber mit diesem Buch kam ich sehr gut zurecht.
Für Fans der besten Serie der Welt ist das Buch auf jeden Fall eine Bereicherung.
January 5, 2017
*SOME SPOILERS TO THE TV SERIES READ WITH CAUTION*
PERSONAL RESPONSE:
I really enjoyed this book mainly because it is based off of the best tv show ever (Supernatural). I really liked how the book has the Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls each in their own section. Another thing I liked is that in each section they list some of that thing that they hunted. I also liked that their is a table of Constance so the reader knows what the book is talking about.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The beginning of the book introduces you to John (the father), Sam and Dean Winchester( two brothers and also Johns sons). John, Sam and Dean hunt many things that are only in most people's nightmares and dreams. John made it his life after Sam and Deans mother was killed by a demon. Dean and Sam stared looking for their father and trying to kill the demon after Sam's girlfriend Jessica was killed by the same demon. Finally they meet up with their dad but John sacrifices himself to the same demon to save Dean. After that Dean and Sam look for the demon that killed their family. Along the way they meet new people. Their are many types of spirits like The Woman in White, Water Spirits, Urban Legends and Vengeful Spirits. Land Spirits: Native and Immigrant that includes Native American Curses, Amityville, Rout 55, Wisconsin Lake Curse (oh, and the bugs), and the curse of Kaskaskia. Vanir, Lawrence, and Death Apparitions are more spirits. Spirits will sometimes attach them self's to an object, that can make it hard to get rid of the spirit. The best way to get rid of a spirit is to salt and burn the remains and/or burn the object they are attached to. Their are many monsters that Dean and Sam have hunted the Wendigo is one of them. Their are many different kinds of shape shifters, Yenaldooshi, Bearwalker, Leszy, Nahuakes, Puca, The Animal Wife (Selkies, Swan Maidens, and Kitsune), and the Lycanthropy. Homunculus, Golems, Rakshasa, Tulpas and other created beings are more of the monsters they have hunted. Ghouls, Shriga, Draugr/Draug, Vampire, Zombie, and others. They have hunted Withes, Familiars and black dogs. Sam and Dean have meet many demons. Succubus/ Incubus, Jinn, Tengu, Abiku, Pishacha, Acheri, The Yellow Eyed Demon and more. Reapers Goofer Dust are some more that are hunted.
RECOMONDATION:
I recommend this book to anyone in middle school or higher. This book is also great for any Supernatural fan who wants to know more about what they hunt in this book. I recommend this book for only Supernatural fans.
PERSONAL RESPONSE:
I really enjoyed this book mainly because it is based off of the best tv show ever (Supernatural). I really liked how the book has the Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls each in their own section. Another thing I liked is that in each section they list some of that thing that they hunted. I also liked that their is a table of Constance so the reader knows what the book is talking about.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The beginning of the book introduces you to John (the father), Sam and Dean Winchester( two brothers and also Johns sons). John, Sam and Dean hunt many things that are only in most people's nightmares and dreams. John made it his life after Sam and Deans mother was killed by a demon. Dean and Sam stared looking for their father and trying to kill the demon after Sam's girlfriend Jessica was killed by the same demon. Finally they meet up with their dad but John sacrifices himself to the same demon to save Dean. After that Dean and Sam look for the demon that killed their family. Along the way they meet new people. Their are many types of spirits like The Woman in White, Water Spirits, Urban Legends and Vengeful Spirits. Land Spirits: Native and Immigrant that includes Native American Curses, Amityville, Rout 55, Wisconsin Lake Curse (oh, and the bugs), and the curse of Kaskaskia. Vanir, Lawrence, and Death Apparitions are more spirits. Spirits will sometimes attach them self's to an object, that can make it hard to get rid of the spirit. The best way to get rid of a spirit is to salt and burn the remains and/or burn the object they are attached to. Their are many monsters that Dean and Sam have hunted the Wendigo is one of them. Their are many different kinds of shape shifters, Yenaldooshi, Bearwalker, Leszy, Nahuakes, Puca, The Animal Wife (Selkies, Swan Maidens, and Kitsune), and the Lycanthropy. Homunculus, Golems, Rakshasa, Tulpas and other created beings are more of the monsters they have hunted. Ghouls, Shriga, Draugr/Draug, Vampire, Zombie, and others. They have hunted Withes, Familiars and black dogs. Sam and Dean have meet many demons. Succubus/ Incubus, Jinn, Tengu, Abiku, Pishacha, Acheri, The Yellow Eyed Demon and more. Reapers Goofer Dust are some more that are hunted.
RECOMONDATION:
I recommend this book to anyone in middle school or higher. This book is also great for any Supernatural fan who wants to know more about what they hunt in this book. I recommend this book for only Supernatural fans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2016
I loved this book because it is about my favorite T.V. show and it gives lots of information that is not said in the show. This book reminded me of Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting because it gives tips about hunting and lots of other cool things.
September 19, 2020
Playing around with cultures and religions like that didn't age well at all. (Neither calling native-americans "indians.")
July 17, 2026
4 Stars ⭐️. Great Book for Supernatural Fans. Goes into the lore of the monsters in the show.
April 23, 2009
To be honest (and you wouldn't believe how much it pains me to say this), I was a bit disappointed by this book.
First of all, the writing style didn't work for me at all. The book is written like a "How-to" from the Winchester boys, and nothing about it convinced me, starting from the ever-annoying "we" to the whole idea that the Winchesters would tell someone in such a fashion about the monsters they encountered. I picture Sam and Dean sitting in their motel room at the evening writing "we did this" and "we saw a ghost" style essays, and I just laugh (and not in a good way.)
Second, the actual "information" in this book was rather boring for me. It really is how-to (kill demons, ghosts, other monsters etc.) and there's tons of information. Some about the monsters we saw on the show, some general information about the history or tradition of a certain kind of supernatural occurence, be it a ghost or a monster or any other kind of lore. This is probably interesting to the people who believe in this sort of thing (which I don't), and must be immensely useful to fanfiction writers (which I am not), but to realists like me who are here just for the pretty, it's rather useless. I was hoping there'd be more actual canon, something we haven't seen on the show, but it was mostly just short references to some of the monsters from the show, and then tons of information. Not bad, but not what I expected (or wanted).
This book would have worked a LOT better if it had been written for example from Sam's POV. It could have been Sam's Guide to Monster, Spirits and Demons, because you just know that Sam sits down in the evenings and writes down all his research results and everything else that is useful for hunting, in case they ever encounter anything like it again. (whereas Dean just says "shot it last time, shoot it again this time, and if that doesn't work, shoot it again.". Oh, no, I'm being unfair! Poor Dean, but you look so good witha gun in your hand, I cannot help but use those images for my pleasure!)
Right, where was I? Oh, yes, so the book would have been better if it was written from a different POV and in a different style, but I think most fans will still enjoy it.
First of all, the writing style didn't work for me at all. The book is written like a "How-to" from the Winchester boys, and nothing about it convinced me, starting from the ever-annoying "we" to the whole idea that the Winchesters would tell someone in such a fashion about the monsters they encountered. I picture Sam and Dean sitting in their motel room at the evening writing "we did this" and "we saw a ghost" style essays, and I just laugh (and not in a good way.)
Second, the actual "information" in this book was rather boring for me. It really is how-to (kill demons, ghosts, other monsters etc.) and there's tons of information. Some about the monsters we saw on the show, some general information about the history or tradition of a certain kind of supernatural occurence, be it a ghost or a monster or any other kind of lore. This is probably interesting to the people who believe in this sort of thing (which I don't), and must be immensely useful to fanfiction writers (which I am not), but to realists like me who are here just for the pretty, it's rather useless. I was hoping there'd be more actual canon, something we haven't seen on the show, but it was mostly just short references to some of the monsters from the show, and then tons of information. Not bad, but not what I expected (or wanted).
This book would have worked a LOT better if it had been written for example from Sam's POV. It could have been Sam's Guide to Monster, Spirits and Demons, because you just know that Sam sits down in the evenings and writes down all his research results and everything else that is useful for hunting, in case they ever encounter anything like it again. (whereas Dean just says "shot it last time, shoot it again this time, and if that doesn't work, shoot it again.". Oh, no, I'm being unfair! Poor Dean, but you look so good witha gun in your hand, I cannot help but use those images for my pleasure!)
Right, where was I? Oh, yes, so the book would have been better if it was written from a different POV and in a different style, but I think most fans will still enjoy it.
July 27, 2011
I was tempted to go for the half-star option but that seemed a little harsh. This is poorly-written, inconsistent and a dull read - and to make anything to do with 'Supernatural' dull is quite a feat in my opinion. Irvine has just taken a random collection of creatures that have appeared on the (superlative) show, and written a litttle about each - sometimes no more than a paragraph. There's also entire pages of possibly 'real' historical quotations - not exactly riveting - and almost three pages of untranslated latin exorcism rituals..cut and paste much? The worst aspect is that Irvine has tried to write in the 'voice' of the Winchester brothers, failed, and this makes it a little embarassing. Also - let's be honest - what's the point of a book about 'Supernatural' with no photos? Especially an authorized one. There's fanfic out there that's far more interesting and better written than this...I mean, not like I know but I'm just, you know, guessing.
May 21, 2009
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls is quite interesting. It's put together by the same guy who later put together John Winchester's Journal. It's not as fun as that, since it's mostly just information about the monsters (et al) that they encounter in canon. It is kind of fun, it's written from the boys' point of view, but it's hard to imagine them actually sitting down and writing a how-to guide like this, so I wouldn't take it too seriously. It's a good resource for plotty fanfiction or roleplay, I think, and there's some nice background information, but I don't think I'd really sit down and read it just for fun.
August 31, 2013
I read this a while ago and at the moment I am looking for the person who illustrated this book for a drawing project I am working on.
I think I can separate books and the shows they are based on because no matter how much I want it to be like Sam and Dean are the ones telling me this information I know that it's not and no matter how much research Alex Irvine does he would have never been able to capture the personalities that these actors convey so well.
I thought this was a decent read and the information that was provided was pretty well researched. I loved all things supernatural before this show and I will love them well and truly after this show is gone.
I think I can separate books and the shows they are based on because no matter how much I want it to be like Sam and Dean are the ones telling me this information I know that it's not and no matter how much research Alex Irvine does he would have never been able to capture the personalities that these actors convey so well.
I thought this was a decent read and the information that was provided was pretty well researched. I loved all things supernatural before this show and I will love them well and truly after this show is gone.
June 11, 2017
I can't give more than 2 stars because I didn't expect a guide within a journal that switches badly between the Winchesters and a 3dr person. Moreover, it is not that informative. Lots of "trust us" and "we got the job done", with no detailed adventure. The only part that is informative is at the end, when the author decided to add 2 appendix for herbs and demons.
I guess I expected more from the book.
I guess I expected more from the book.
June 2, 2009
Thanks to Jackie for feeding my obsession!
(Seriously, though...two obnoxiously hot guys travel around in a mint classic car and use weapons to kill bad guys and save equally hot girls from the forces of darkness...It's like Buffy, but with guys. Did I mention obnoxiously hot?)
(Seriously, though...two obnoxiously hot guys travel around in a mint classic car and use weapons to kill bad guys and save equally hot girls from the forces of darkness...It's like Buffy, but with guys. Did I mention obnoxiously hot?)
July 14, 2010
Kind of boring. Most stuff in there is already in John Winchester's journal. But I loved it.
March 2, 2022
Recommended for fans of Supernatural, I think the best time to read would be after either season 2 or 3.
As far as movie books go, this was pretty alright! It was a really easy read, and offered a lot of extra info on the monsters in the show. It also includes snippets from "John's journal", alongside a lot of bits from old books and texts on the origins and whatnot of monsters, ghosts, etc., which I thought was super interesting!
I was a little bit disappointed by some of the things mentioned not being in the show, which is more of a "show" issue than a "book" issue. But for example, the end has a huge index of plants and lesser demons, but as far as I am in the show (Season 8), I don't think we've encountered any of the demons mentioned. They all have interesting things, like summoning, how to get them to leave (More than stabby stabby), and what they do. So it's sad to see all this reach demon lore be recognized and associated with the show, but the show itself always resorts to, well, pew pew, stab, magic demon gun! Magic demon dagger that was never explained! Pew! Stab!
I was also confused about whose perspective I should have been reading this from. Sam and Dean are both mentioned, so unless they're speaking from the third person, it's probably not them, right? But then it straight up mentioned "dad's journal, mom, etc.", which makes me think it has to be one of them. It would be nice if that was a bit more clear.
Overall, it was a fun read! I'll be looking into the other Supernatural books as I watch the show!
As far as movie books go, this was pretty alright! It was a really easy read, and offered a lot of extra info on the monsters in the show. It also includes snippets from "John's journal", alongside a lot of bits from old books and texts on the origins and whatnot of monsters, ghosts, etc., which I thought was super interesting!
I was a little bit disappointed by some of the things mentioned not being in the show, which is more of a "show" issue than a "book" issue. But for example, the end has a huge index of plants and lesser demons, but as far as I am in the show (Season 8), I don't think we've encountered any of the demons mentioned. They all have interesting things, like summoning, how to get them to leave (More than stabby stabby), and what they do. So it's sad to see all this reach demon lore be recognized and associated with the show, but the show itself always resorts to, well, pew pew, stab, magic demon gun! Magic demon dagger that was never explained! Pew! Stab!
I was also confused about whose perspective I should have been reading this from. Sam and Dean are both mentioned, so unless they're speaking from the third person, it's probably not them, right? But then it straight up mentioned "dad's journal, mom, etc.", which makes me think it has to be one of them. It would be nice if that was a bit more clear.
Overall, it was a fun read! I'll be looking into the other Supernatural books as I watch the show!
July 3, 2018
(⭐⭐ e mezzo, DNF al 30%)
Il problema che ho avuto a leggere questo libro è proprio che libri come questo non sono fatti per essere letti.
Sono fatti per essere consultati.
È lo stesso problema che purtroppo avevo avuto con il Codice di Shadowhunters: ben fatto, ma come può essere ben fatto un manuale universitario.
Questo libro dedicato a Supernatural in sé non ha niente di male, è diviso in capitoli e sottocapitoli dedicati ai vari mostri e spiriti e creature soprannaturali viste nello show, ma trattandosi di una guida non ha alcun andamento narrativo, e stanca dopo una decina di pagine. Io ne ho rette 70.
Non me la sento di dargli un giudizio completamente negativo perché:
1) il libro è esattamente quello che promette di essere, una guida alle creature e un recap degli episodi delle prime stagioni.
2) la caratterizzazione è impeccabile. Le voci dei Winchester sono molto realistiche, e anche l'idea del diario di John è molto carina e ben sviluppata (anche se il font scelto non è leggibilissimo).
Consigliato agli amanti dello show e a chi avrebbe intenzione di consultarlo di tanto in tanto, o tenerlo lì perché la copertina è molto carina (AKA piena di salsa Winchester )
Il problema che ho avuto a leggere questo libro è proprio che libri come questo non sono fatti per essere letti.
Sono fatti per essere consultati.
È lo stesso problema che purtroppo avevo avuto con il Codice di Shadowhunters: ben fatto, ma come può essere ben fatto un manuale universitario.
Questo libro dedicato a Supernatural in sé non ha niente di male, è diviso in capitoli e sottocapitoli dedicati ai vari mostri e spiriti e creature soprannaturali viste nello show, ma trattandosi di una guida non ha alcun andamento narrativo, e stanca dopo una decina di pagine. Io ne ho rette 70.
Non me la sento di dargli un giudizio completamente negativo perché:
1) il libro è esattamente quello che promette di essere, una guida alle creature e un recap degli episodi delle prime stagioni.
2) la caratterizzazione è impeccabile. Le voci dei Winchester sono molto realistiche, e anche l'idea del diario di John è molto carina e ben sviluppata (anche se il font scelto non è leggibilissimo).
Consigliato agli amanti dello show e a chi avrebbe intenzione di consultarlo di tanto in tanto, o tenerlo lì perché la copertina è molto carina (AKA piena di salsa Winchester )
June 6, 2024
Supernatural is one of my all time favorite shows. I grew up with it and loved every second of it. So you can imagine my excitement when reading this book.
Overall, i really enjoyed this book. I treat it like a guide that I can always come back to, to refresh my memory or check on some information while watching one of the older episodes.
However, I am not a big fan of the writing style. It was not easy for me, personally. In the same chapter, you could have two paragraphs, one in first person and the other in third person. And the first person one could be either Sam or Dean. Truly confusing.
There was a misinformation/misinterpretation regarding Satan in Islam (I lost my Kindle notes on this after an update, so I'll try to pinpoint the problem and update my review accordingly, if need be). But that could be because you'd need to read the actual Quran to know more, and I figured most people would just use Google search. Which is not the best when it comes to religious matters. Still, it wasn't THAT big of a deal to me, since it is after all a work of fiction and I could enjoy it for what it is.
Giving it 4/5 stars because of the writing style and because it felt like it dragged on sometimes, instead of going straight to the point.
Overall, i really enjoyed this book. I treat it like a guide that I can always come back to, to refresh my memory or check on some information while watching one of the older episodes.
However, I am not a big fan of the writing style. It was not easy for me, personally. In the same chapter, you could have two paragraphs, one in first person and the other in third person. And the first person one could be either Sam or Dean. Truly confusing.
There was a misinformation/misinterpretation regarding Satan in Islam (I lost my Kindle notes on this after an update, so I'll try to pinpoint the problem and update my review accordingly, if need be). But that could be because you'd need to read the actual Quran to know more, and I figured most people would just use Google search. Which is not the best when it comes to religious matters. Still, it wasn't THAT big of a deal to me, since it is after all a work of fiction and I could enjoy it for what it is.
Giving it 4/5 stars because of the writing style and because it felt like it dragged on sometimes, instead of going straight to the point.
June 22, 2017
If you're a fan of Supernatural definitely check this one out! It involves most of the supernatural beings that were featured in seasons 1+2 with brief descriptions. I liked the appendix on herbs and oils, but grew tired when reading the appendix on demons. I liked the parts that were supposedly from John's journal. There were also information taken from legends and mythology which was cool and interesting! It features some pictures from the actual show too!
The writing was weird. At some points it had Sam and Dean's perspective, but it then switched to a 3rd person narrative (which was weird? and annoying?). However, even Sam and Dean's perspective was not convincing at all! I think it would have been better, if the whole book was written in a 3rd person POV. Another issue I had, had to do with an exorcism written in Latin, which covered 3+pages and it was completely unecessary. I would have understood it, if the writer had translated it, but he simply copy-pasted the whole thing.
All in all, I give it 3 stars! It has some minor issues, but I am a fan of Supernatural, so I definitely recommend it to the fans of the show!
The writing was weird. At some points it had Sam and Dean's perspective, but it then switched to a 3rd person narrative (which was weird? and annoying?). However, even Sam and Dean's perspective was not convincing at all! I think it would have been better, if the whole book was written in a 3rd person POV. Another issue I had, had to do with an exorcism written in Latin, which covered 3+pages and it was completely unecessary. I would have understood it, if the writer had translated it, but he simply copy-pasted the whole thing.
All in all, I give it 3 stars! It has some minor issues, but I am a fan of Supernatural, so I definitely recommend it to the fans of the show!
May 2, 2020
I give this book a rating of 4.
First of all the Pre-face was very intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to read more.
This book was written through the Winchester Brothers and is in a chapter-like form. Separated into Categories and Sub-Categories; each having an introduction with overall and basic details; as well as ways of recognising the signs for each and what warding, spell or substance can be used against them. The Author pulls you in by including different Cultural folklores on each too. He often refers back to John Winchester’s Diary which helps you understand a little more. Irvine gives a lot of information as well as; adding a detailed list of both spell/ritual oriented Herbs; and different Demons with their appearances and personalities well described.
Overall I definitely enjoyed this book, and appreciated the amount of information collected and given. It was hard to lay this one down.
First of all the Pre-face was very intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to read more.
This book was written through the Winchester Brothers and is in a chapter-like form. Separated into Categories and Sub-Categories; each having an introduction with overall and basic details; as well as ways of recognising the signs for each and what warding, spell or substance can be used against them. The Author pulls you in by including different Cultural folklores on each too. He often refers back to John Winchester’s Diary which helps you understand a little more. Irvine gives a lot of information as well as; adding a detailed list of both spell/ritual oriented Herbs; and different Demons with their appearances and personalities well described.
Overall I definitely enjoyed this book, and appreciated the amount of information collected and given. It was hard to lay this one down.
December 18, 2019
Bookperk Deal | Interesting, unless you're looking for a book well connected with the show. | If you just want to read about various creatures, legends, etc., and don't need sources or strict reliability, this is an interesting read. But as a Supernatural book, it falls flat. The voice is way off --there's nothing here that feels like the boys, and especially not the boys of the time it was written--and it would try to bring things back to the show by summarizing experiences the boys had had with these creatures, but that just felt like word padding. If you're a fan of the show, you know the experience with Constance Welch, and you don't need it retold in a couple paragraphs. If you're not a fan of the show, a) you probably didn't pick up the book, and b) you're not going to care about these very brief synopses.
January 21, 2018
This book is a tie-in to the Supernatural series - which I absolutely love. It was clearly written within the first two seasons of the show, so it didn't cover a lot of the entities in the series, but some entities were mentioned that were used later. This is primarily a reference book, and the appendixes on herbs and demons were rather esoteric. Since I have studied Wicca lore, I found the herb section quite accurate and interesting. I would have rated this book higher but was annoyed by the fact that much of it was written with Dean and/or Sam's "voice", and it didn't sound authentic. I think it would have been better if the author didn't write it from one of the boys point of view. It just came across sounding phony.
July 17, 2019
Takes place during the second season so far from complete for current fans. The reading level send to indicate the target audience is third graders while the content is considerably above that on occasion. Also, the narrator is undermined. At the beginning, it implies that he is either Sam or Dean but at other times that he is someone else, or somehow both. Overall, poorly written for whomever the target audience is; outside of die-hard fans I don't see anyone enjoying this, and probably not even them. I could barely finish it, and wouldn't have if it hadn't been so short.
June 19, 2021
Honestly a disappointment. I read both John and Bobby’s journals and they are much better. This one is supposed to be from Sam and Dean’s point of you but it seemed like it was written by someone who doesn’t know the show. Also there were so many inconsistencies. Like, it’s written from the boys’ perspective but will not say which one and will still refer to each other. So kind of like if Adam was the one to write it. But this book way before Adam. And doesn’t mention him.
July 30, 2023
Actual rating 2.5 stars
Fun concept but the execution was a bit lacking. I enjoyed the drawings and the opportunity to learn about supernatural myths from all around the world, but it was also a bit too drawn out overall. My biggest gripe, however, were the "handwritten" parts of John Winchester's journal as they were really difficult to read. Something about the font choice tired out my eyes like crazy.
Fun concept but the execution was a bit lacking. I enjoyed the drawings and the opportunity to learn about supernatural myths from all around the world, but it was also a bit too drawn out overall. My biggest gripe, however, were the "handwritten" parts of John Winchester's journal as they were really difficult to read. Something about the font choice tired out my eyes like crazy.
August 30, 2026
This was a bit of a mixed bag. Some parts were interesting and added some fun lore bits, other parts didn't feel like they really belonged.
Some of the issues obviously stem from the fact that this book was written before large parts of the lore were established, so I won't blame the author for that. But other parts just didn't fit in very well.
For example, the vampire🧛🏼♂️ part went on and on talking about different kinds of ways people have dealt with vampires historically. But the vast majority of the examples couldn't have been the vampires we see on Supernatural. It instead kinda felt like the author wanted to show off all the things they had researched for the book, even when it didn't even fit. It would have been one thing if the author established these stories as another type of vampire or just as people being paranoid and seeing supernatural things when there was none, but that's not how it came off to me.
I even recognized several of the stories from some non-fiction books that I have read before, so they were likely real stories, which I found a bit boring. I kinda wish the book had more made up stories from the perspective of either the Winchesters or other hunters that they have met during their lives.
I wish that the book had been more focused on expanding the world of Supernatural instead of just retelling a bunch of non-relevant ghost and monster stories.
A few times we got excerpts from John's journal, but in my opinion, those were way too few.
Some of the issues obviously stem from the fact that this book was written before large parts of the lore were established, so I won't blame the author for that. But other parts just didn't fit in very well.
For example, the vampire🧛🏼♂️ part went on and on talking about different kinds of ways people have dealt with vampires historically. But the vast majority of the examples couldn't have been the vampires we see on Supernatural. It instead kinda felt like the author wanted to show off all the things they had researched for the book, even when it didn't even fit. It would have been one thing if the author established these stories as another type of vampire or just as people being paranoid and seeing supernatural things when there was none, but that's not how it came off to me.
I even recognized several of the stories from some non-fiction books that I have read before, so they were likely real stories, which I found a bit boring. I kinda wish the book had more made up stories from the perspective of either the Winchesters or other hunters that they have met during their lives.
I wish that the book had been more focused on expanding the world of Supernatural instead of just retelling a bunch of non-relevant ghost and monster stories.
A few times we got excerpts from John's journal, but in my opinion, those were way too few.
September 22, 2017
The only reason this is getting any stars at all is because it is SPN related. I didn't like John's Journal however I thought I would give this a try. I'm sorry I did. Maybe this book will appeal to other people, I don't know but I don't enjoy this style of writing and while I will keep this on my shelf for collection purposes only.
November 18, 2018
Por supuesto que me tenía que leer este libro una vez que termine de ver la serie. Bastante informativo e interesante, el único inconveniente personal que tuve es por el tipo de letra del diario de John Winchester, no era tan legible esa letra cursiva, aún así, es una joyita para todos los que amamos Supernatural. Join the hunt!.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews