Book Review – John Winchester's Journal
A First-Hand Account of Hunting the Supernatural
May 13, 2009
The world of the CW Network's Supernatural contains a thick set of monsters and spirits that surround the show's protagonists, Sam and Dean Winchester. As with other shows that carry supernatural tones, a heavy sense of history is also engrained into the program, courtesy of the hard researching writing staff. In the show, Sam and Dean usually find information on various monsters thanks to the journal kept by their father John, who raised his boys into the evil-hunting lifestyle. John Winchester's Journal, written by Alex Irvine (author of The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls), is the real world representation of this collection of arcane knowledge.
John Winchester's Journal by Alex Irvine - Part Diary, Part Field Guide
Thick with substance, John Winchester's journal was meant to be passed down to his sons with as much knowledge about the supernatural as possible, along with a personal record of his life should anything happen. Half diary and half field guide, readers can get the sense of a both on a cold hearted, revenge driven man and a loving father trying to raise his children.
Irvine does a great job of capturing the "field guide" feel presented by the journal. Small scraps of news headlines and hand drawn pictures are found on random entries (though they are printed along with the entries, rather than tapes or held in place by a paper clip like in the show). Numbers that seem to have no meaning show up, along with numerous references to ancient occult books.
What holds it all together is John Winchesters narrative, detailed by diary entries written over the course of his ongoing hunt for the creature that killed his wife. With each passing year, details of specific hunts (including his sons' first hunts) are split up by entries on his sons' birthdays, his would be anniversaries, and the date of his wife's death. While the hunting entries are usually very to the point and comprised of short, direct sentences, his diary entries show his doubt, desperation, and unconditional love for his children as they slowly grow up into a life he never wanted for them.
The Unique Writing Style of Supernatural's John Winchester's Journal
John Winchester's Journal is not a regular book, and shouldn't be read as such. Doing so will probably anger a regular reader. Due to the unique combination of encyclopedia like entries and personal writings, the journal can be as complicated a read as it is a fun one. Many of the entries, for example, are exerps from translated texts; long invocations of demons or protection spells. Several exorcism rights are also included, written in Latin. On the surface, this seems to hold back the ongoing narrative that a casual reader may be looking for, but these entries serve to create a real understanding of John Winchester's world and his desperate search for answers and revenge.
The Last Word on John Winchester's Journal Based on the CW's Supernatural
Fans of the series waiting for a better glimpse at the sacred Winchester tomb of knowledge should definitely pick up John Winchester's Journal. It isn't a straight read, nor an easy one, but any occult fan will appreciate the effort Irvine has put into gathering information on the occult and weaving it into the life of the hunter. Obviously, some items that appear in the show aren't included in the book, but most entries that appeared on the show prior to the writing of the book can be found, making it a worthy prequel to the television series.
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