Supernatural: One Year Gone
Paperback | Kindle
By Rebecca Dessertine
Titan Books
Release date: May 24, 2011

In Supernatural: One Year Gone, Dean believes Sam is in Hell after the tragic events from the Season Five finale of the Supernatural television series. He fulfills his promise to his younger brother Sam to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben. However, Dean deviates from that promise. Dean takes a family vacation to the town of Salem where he searches for the Necronomicon, a book that may contain the spell to raise Lucifer and Sam from Hell. Unknowingly to Dean, Sam is back on Earth and has his own agenda at hand: to hunt the witches of Salem.

I’ve been a fan of Supernatural for the last five seasons although there are six seasons of the show. I was so pleased with how Season 5 ended that I refused to watch Season 6. When the opportunity to read Supernatural: One Year Gone came up, I figured it was a good chance to read it since I had yet to see season 6. The book bridges the gap between seasons 5 and 6 and it tells of an unseen adventure that happens between the seasons of the show.

Supernatural: One Year Gone was a great read. Readers got to see how Dean dealt with the tragic death of Sam and the adjustment of trying to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben, Dean’s new family. The story takes a turn when Dean tries to keeps his promise, but can’t seem to let go of his natural obsession to find a way to bring Sam back from Hell. Dean is hellbent and determined to bring Sam back and he does a lot of crazy things to find a way to bring Sam back. Dean’s perspective is definitely one of two parts that makes the story interesting.

The other interesting part are the flashbacks to the Campbell family when the Salem witch trials are about to begin. The Campbells are a long line of hunters and are a part of Sam and Dean’s lineage. I really enjoyed reading the timeline with the Campbell family. The reader gets an understanding of how the life of a hunter dates back all the way to Salem.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. After reading it, I immediately watched Season 6 in its entirety to see if it tied into the main canon of the show. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. It’s not a necessary read if you’re a fan of the television series, but it expands the overall view of the Supernatural world. If you want another Supernatural tale to read until the next season starts in September, then this is a definite book to pick up.