The Unholy Cause

Supernatural #5

by Joe Schreiber

A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit CW series!

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…

Genres: Supernatural, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Media Tie In

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 20, 2010

About the author

Joe Schreiber was born in Michigan but spent his formative years in Alaska, Wyoming and northern California. Until recently, he has never lived in the same address for longer than a year. Before settling in Hershey he lived in New York, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and Philadelphia. Becoming a parent forced him to consider a career with more reliable income, and he got a job as an MRI tech at Hershey Medical Center. Joe is married and has two children. He is the author of Chasing The Dead, Eat The Dark, and his newest tale of terror; No Doors, No Windows, which went on sale the same day as STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS. You can find him on the web at his blog ScaryParent.Blogspot.Com and on Suvudu.Com, where he is an occasional horror columnist.

Reviews

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not think it would be the Supernatural novel with a Confederate flag on the cover, that would be the first to not get a 1 star review (interestingly, the flag seems to have been edited out of the newer editions of the cover - probably wise). The story sounded bad: Demon activity at a civil war re-enactment where the war becomes real thanks to a magical noose from Judas. Yes, that Judas is an honest to god character in this book. It didn't sound like a real Monster of the Week episode to me, but too over the top and niche.

However, even though the case was kind of bonkers, the writing and the structure made it worthwhile. Dean sounded very true to character and a lot of times I could really hear all the characters and see the action unfolding. Bonuses: I got Castiel saving Sam, tension between Sam and Dean about the Demon Blood and potential portrayal, Lucifer talking to Sam in his dreams! I wish these things went a little further because these interpersonal interactions are what I like best about SPN, but this is a tie-in-novel after all... Sam did feel a little flat but it wasn't as bad as it's been with the author novels I've read.

This isn't a good book in any literary sense or even a fannish sense, but it was entertaining, and that was such a nice surprise. Sadly, this is the only SPN novel Schreiber wrote (what a great name for an author, by the way). It was also the last one on my shelf and seeing how all the other ones I read were horrible, I'm not sure if I'll pick up the rest of them. Maybe one day.

[HippieWitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was really good and packed with a lot of action

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! *squeals*


Let me start off by saying this, a lot of the books based off of Supernatural are pitiful. I'm sorry... But it's true. Sam and Dean are usually not even main characters, which is disappointing, so when I read this one, I was pleasantly surprised. The author had Sam and Dean's personalities down perfectly and the storyline was so exciting. I can see myself rereading this book over and over. It satisfies my Supernatural cravings!! :3

[BLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tale of the Winchester brother's. The brother's find themselves at Missions Ridge in Georgia were they're trying to find a biblical artifact that belongs to Judas. I would have liked to see this story done in the show.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it a 3,5 if I could. The end could have had a bit more plot and a bit less graphic violence. But I still enjoyed it.

[Static · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting writing style, the characters were true to themselves. I like that it kept moving and was intriguing. It was a nice blend from the show and gave great insight to side characters.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth Supernatural book I have read, and like the many Star Trek novels, they are an easy, engaging read that can satisfy a fan looking for additional stories than just the ones seen on tv. This one involves a demon plot to use Civil War re-enactors to wage a battle against humans and force Sam to become the vessel of Lucifer. Along the way, Judas and a possessed noose enter the action. In fact, there might have been way too much going on in such a short book. They all do tie into each other as does the appearance of Castiel and the ever-comforting presence of Bobby Singer, but this book still fills overly stuffed.

Once the story gets set into place and a shady sheriff gets involved, the story takes off like a rocket. It just moves for almost half the book, never slowing down for a breath. Actually, out of all the books so far, I think this one would make the best episode. It's just fun - full of twists, double crosses, death, and cliffhangers. I had a good time reading this. Plus, it reads very quickly. I could have read this in a day, but then I would have only one more Supernatural book until May of 2011. I need to spread them out to savor them.

The books have been getting better, and I hope eventually this series attracts some first-rate writers who really can take these books to the next level. The fan base deserves it and would grab them fast and furiously. Until then, this is a good afternoon read while you wait for the next new episode or are taking a break from re-watching all the DVDs.

[Matt Spaulding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, great action, lots of edge-of-your seat moments. The only thing I dock it for is that too much of the season it's set within leaks into the plot (though not as much as the last one I read.) I would prefer these books to stand more on their own. Still, it was an excellent Supernatural story.

[Hannah Marae · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Unholy Cause, we follow Sam and Dean as they investigate a civil war reenactment that has become devastatingly real. Throw in some demons, a possessed noose, and Judas himself, and you've got a hell of a lot of trouble brewing in Mission's Ridge.
I think this was my favorite Supernatural book yet. It was absolutely amazing. The pacing was quick and upbeat, seamlessly moving between the plot-points in a way that felt like watching an episode of tv. Castiel makes a few appearances in this one, and he's just as cryptic as always. This one takes place sometime in early season five, with the apocalypse brewing and Lucifer trying to get Sam to say yes. There was a satisfying amount of references to the wider world of Supernatural and we even get to see a bit of Bobby and Rufus.
The characterization of Sam and Dean was probably my favorite part. It can be so hit or miss with these books, but this author does a great job of capturing their mannerisms. They behave and talk just how you would think they should.
As a whole, the plot was just a lot of fun. The books tend to feature more epic adventures than the average episode, and this was no exception, but it really worked. It brought in its own mythology, explained it in a believable way, and left you satisfied with the feeling of experiencing a self-contained adventure.
Supernatural fans should definitely put this on their list!

Merged review:

In The Unholy Cause, we follow Sam and Dean as they investigate a civil war reenactment that has become devastatingly real. Throw in some demons, a possessed noose, and Judas himself, and you've got a hell of a lot of trouble brewing in Mission's Ridge.
I think this was my favorite Supernatural book yet. It was absolutely amazing. The pacing was quick and upbeat, seamlessly moving between the plot-points in a way that felt like watching an episode of tv. Castiel makes a few appearances in this one, and he's just as cryptic as always. This one takes place sometime in early season five, with the apocalypse brewing and Lucifer trying to get Sam to say yes. There was a satisfying amount of references to the wider world of Supernatural and we even get to see a bit of Bobby and Rufus.
The characterization of Sam and Dean was probably my favorite part. It can be so hit or miss with these books, but this author does a great job of capturing their mannerisms. They behave and talk just how you would think they should.
As a whole, the plot was just a lot of fun. The books tend to feature more epic adventures than the average episode, and this was no exception, but it really worked. It brought in its own mythology, explained it in a believable way, and left you satisfied with the feeling of experiencing a self-contained adventure.
Supernatural fans should definitely put this on their list!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, but this was actually good. Despite the flag and everything.

I have to say, at first I wasn't really convinced. The writing felt a little haphazard and probably my biggest critique of this book is that Schreiber doesn't quite get the SPN characters' voices right in my opinion. It was close enough, but I couldn't really hear them, you know?

That aside, it's a great story. The plot is so compelling and filled with action that I wasn't bored for a single second. If I remember correctly, this is the first SPN book during which I never checked how many pages were left in a chapter so that I knew when I could take a break from reading. There's interesting lore and surprising turns of event that still make perfect sense. Okay, the characters aren't very deep, but since these books basically serve as case eps and this one nailed that very well, it didn't really bother me. Hell, it doesn't even bother me anymore that some of the characters are a little too sympathetic to the Confederacy to my liking, also because they turned out to be assholes anyway. So yeah, pretty satisfied with this one.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a long time fan of the show, I was both excited and cautious about reading this. But it did not disappoint. The author got Sam and Dean down to a t. I could definitely see them saying the things they said in the book. The story its of was good, but a little confusing at times. What exactly was released from the noose once the knots were cut? When were McClanes possessed? And how did a low level demon organize this entire thing?
The twist on the demon blood was really interesting. The blood powering up old equipment was something out of the box. Oh, and Castiel was pretty useless and annoying. He shows up for two second in the middle of demon chaos then just disappears??

[Notnotnerdygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this isn't five stars is because the plot was a little hard to follow - all the people that you could or couldn't trust was difficult to keep track of. Otherwise, amazing. Really amazing. The characters were captured very well and it's clear that the writer's background is in horror. Fantastic descriptions throughout and clear settings too. It was easy to imagine this as being on the show.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third Supernatural novel I read, and for the most part the most entertaining. Schreiber did a little better job of nailing the Winchesters than in the previous books, and the premise felt like something right out of the middle seasons of the show. The only real drawback is the second half of the story really went on with a lot of unnecessary parts that made it feel more like a season than an episode of the show.

[Jordyn Elam]

asking me to rate supernatural on a 1-5 scale is impossible because this universe exists outside of any normal parameters or comprehension
that being said i'm kinda surprised at how much i genuinely enjoyed this. the characterizations felt true to the show (taking place during season 5) and it was a really solid case episode format. it being in book form allowed for more detail, scenes, and nuance. i kinda loved it actually

[Cora Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the writing, lyrical at times, and the story, which is complex and well done. The missing star is for the feel of the characters. I love this show, I've watched it so many times that I know it by heart, so I had no problem imagining Sam, Dean, Castiel while reading, and I realize that this is a novel for fans of Supernatural, but I felt something was missing to make the characters who they truly are.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Not one of my favorites from the series, but still good.

[Annabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovex it, it read like an episode

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than the last one I read. As a fan of the show, I enjoyed the story. It is a fast-read and you don't get too much new information as the entire story is built around the world we already know. It is packed with show references, so it helps if you've seen the show recently.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decently written, chock full of good ideas and often lots of fun, but in the end the book is less than the sum of it’s parts. It’s such a mess. 2,5 stars.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Unholy Cause isn't my favorite Supernatural book, but I still enjoyed seeing Sam, Dean, Cas (it still bothers me that it's shortened to Cass), and Rufus. I really wish we had gotten more time with Rufus.

[India]

this one was absolutely insane in the best ways possible

[Lele Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was a bit rough but I liked it once I was over 100 pages into it

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the paper it was printed on.

[Brian McCullar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my journey through the Supernatural tie-in novels with The Unholy Cause, this book honestly stepped things up in quite a big way from the previous novels. For one, we FINALLY weren't just dealing ghosts anymore, and while having demons for villains may seem like standard fare for Supernatural, the demons in this book were both unique enough to stand out, but still followed all the rules established for their kind in the TV show, which made them a joy to read.

If I had to summarize, I'd do so by saying the boys were dealing with a demonic army possessing civil war reenactors while Castiel looked for Judas Iscariot. Sound crazy? Well it was, in the best possible way. This book takes place at an unspecified time during season 5, so it's smack dab in the middle of the apocalypse, when angels and demons were at their best and the stakes were near their highest. So when I read about a hundred demons attacking our boys with muskets that shot hellfire and mortars, it felt kind of perfect. It's the kind of thing the show just wouldn't have the budget for and it was written beautifully.

I have to commend Joe Schreiber for his work here, he really seems to understand Sam, Dean and Castiel as characters, and did a wonderful job making their dialogue feel perfectly in line with their TV show counterparts, and his prose was a perfect blend of engaging to read and fun, while not being too snobby or flowery, which could have really taken away from the experience, given the dark but down to earth tone of the series.

I would go as far as to say that this is the best book in the series so far, the characters were perfectly written, the story was fun, the villains were engaging and the new species introduced, the Collectors and the Moa'ah were great additions to the mythology of the universe.

All in all, I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I will DEFINITELY re-read this book when I rewatch the series. I just wish Joe had done what every other writer for these books has done, and tell us which episodes this takes place between, but I guess I'll figure out where to place it on my own!

Wanna check out my other Supernatural book reviews? Check em out below!

Nevermore: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Witch's Canyon: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bone Key: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Heart of the Dragon: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ainoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/4

I'm really surprised that I liked this book so much. Honestly, I don't expect great things of tie-ins. I've liked previous Supernatural books, they are entertaining and good enough to make time when the show is in hiatus. This one, however I liked better than others.

In this particular book Sam and Dean are immersed in a case involving re-enactors of the Civil War, demons and... JUDAS. Judas.





I won't say anything else so not to spoil anyone. But, oh, boy.

In general, I can say that the characterisation of the brothers is pretty good and close to what we can see in the show. I loved the fact that they made reference to the time that Dean spent in Hell. I don't know why the writers of the show decided to ignore that source of SO MANY GOOD PLOTS AND ANGST, but at least, we get a glimpse of how scarred and scared Dean is after his time there. As it happened with One Year Gone, it seems that better insight to Dean's behaviour is given in the books than in the show.
The book follows almost the same structure than an episode in the show with the difference that this particular volume is packed with action almost from the very beginnig. Also on a personal note, I like to go back to Sam and Dean from season 4-5, when they were still "innocent".

For a tie-in it was pretty awesome, and gory, and bloody, and... I really liked it.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the show, I like the fact that Schreiber went a little out of the way for the Winchester brothers by sending them to Georgia. Since Supernatural is filmed in Vancouver, it is difficult (to say the least) to have an episode that strays into unfamiliar territory.

The story itself was in keeping with the series' overall theme, and it did tie in nicely to the 5th season and the Apocalypse. Schreiber also does a good job at interweaving Christian elements into story. However, do not worry--the theology is in keeping with the rest of the series. The book entertains, which is all that matters--even if the theology is pure Hollywood.

Overall, though, it is difficult to capture the feel of the show. So much of personalities of Sam & Dean Winchester are brought about by the acting of Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles, respectively. This makes writing established characters very difficult.

On the whole, Schreiber does a highly adequate job in creating a clever story that keeps the spirit of the show in tact. It does a much better job than DeCandido's Heart of the Dragon (a book so terrible that I couldn't finish) and also DeCandido's Nevermore (also couldn't finish).

My final score for this book is B minus. The story is good, and the plot twists are decent although somewhat predictable. The biggest mark against this book is capturing the relationship between Sam and his older brother Dean. But, perhaps I am judging this book too harshly since I doubt that any book could ever do that justice.

[April Cole Ledebur · Rating 2 out of 5]

The character reactions and behaviors between Sam, Dean and Castiel will make any fan of the series smile, but the overall storyline I just wasn’t feeling. I felt the whole plot was trying too hard to fit into the overarching Angels vs Demons 5th season storyline. I think the story may have worked better if they did some flashbacks to the Civil War and the original Jubal Beauchamp, but instead the whole story takes place in present day. Here’s hoping the 6th Supernatural novel which comes out sometime this summer is much better.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! It was a delightful experience to dive back into the thrilling adventures of Sam and Dean. Exploring their journey and the challenges they faced was truly captivating. The inclusion of funny moments added an extra layer of enjoyment, leaving me with a constant smile on my face. However, I must admit that there were a few sections where the pace seemed to slow down a bit. Despite that minor observation, the overall experience was fantastic, and I highly recommend this book to any fan of their adventures.

[Kim Bergshoeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobby <3
Castiel <3<3
This book was obviously written by someone who really loves the series. Sam and Dean where very much as they are in the series instead of some caricatures of themselves. Great storyline and some laugh out loud moments involving Cas.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

(takes place in 2009 - so sometime between mid-Season 5 and mid-Season 6?)

"There's a time for headlights and a time for review mirrors."

Honestly I'm shocked we haven't seen more Civil War ghosts or hauntings with how haunted most of the battlegrounds supposedly are.