Supernaturalran for an impressive fifteen seasons and also inspired seventeen tie-in novels. Following brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester as they traveled around the country hunting monsters,Supernaturaldeveloped a passionate fan base and became one of the CW’s most popular shows. From spin-offs and role-playing games to comic books and novels, the world ofSupernaturalexpanded far beyond the original series. Throughout its earliest seasons,Supernaturaltold mostly monster-of-the-week stories, as Sam and Dean wrapped up a case over the course of an episode.
The episodic nature of earlySupernaturaloutlined the perfect format for the tie-in novels to tell similar self-contained stories. Even asSupernaturalbecame more serialized and the brothers took on bigger foes, they still made time for one-off monster hunts.Harper Entertainment and later Titan Books publishedSupernaturalnovels throughout the show’s run,beginning with Keith R.A. DeCandido’sNevermorein 2007 and ending with John Passarella’sChildren of Anubisin 2019. AfterSupernatural’sdivisive series finale, fans may be looking to explore more of Sam and Dean’s earlier adventures, and the novels are a great way to do that.
There Are 17 Supernatural Books That Span From Season 2 To Season 12
TheSupernaturalnovels can be read in publication order, beginning withNevermore.This novel takes place duringSupernatural’ssecond season between episodes 8 and 9, “Crossroad Blues” and “Croatoan.” The story follows Sam and Dean as they head to New York City, tracking attacks inspired by the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. From there,the novels proceed mostly in chronological order,followingSam and Deanthroughout the show’s run. For the most part, eachSupernaturalnovel stands on its own as a self-contained story, but they do occasionally reference events from past books or events from the television series.
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Heart of the Dragon
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War of the Sons
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John Passarella
July 06, 2025
The secondSupernaturalbook,Witch’s Canyon,acts as a direct sequel toNevermoreand takes place about a week after that book. Much more time passes between some of the books, andthey begin incorporating more characters and plot elements from the show as they go on.Reading the books in strict chronological order becomes a bit more difficult starting afterNight Terror,which takes place during season 6. WhileRite of Passage, Fresh Meat,andCarved in Fleshall occur during season 7,Fresh Meatactually takes place beforeRite of Passage.
After this, the novels jump to season 10, and these were also released slightly out of order. The events ofMythmakertake place beforeCold Fire,and the exact timeline placement forThe Usual Sacrificesremains unclear. Finally,Children of Anubisoccurs beforeJoyride,althoughJoyridewas published first. While this all may seem confusing,fans can ultimately read theSupernaturalbooks in any order.Most of the novels say when they take place withintheSupernaturalcanon, meaning fans can fill in the gaps with their own knowledge of what the Winchesters were going through at that time.
How The Supernatural Novels Intersect With The Show
The Novels Have Very Little Direct Interaction With The Show
TheSupernaturalnovels arestandalone adventures that take place throughout the show’s run,but they rarely interact directly with the events of the series. The first novel,Nevermore,takes place duringSupernaturalseason 2, and the novels more or less follow the pacing of the show from there. While theSupernaturalnovels may reference major plot points from the show, they are meant to be fun, one-off adventures for those who simply cannot get enough ofthe Winchester family.
Although the finalSupernaturalnovel takes place during season 12, the show would continue for three more seasons, ultimately wrapping up the story of the Winchester brothers in season 15.
AsSupernaturalbecame more focused on apocalyptic stakes and powerful monsters like the Leviathan,the novels offer more classic monster hunt storiesreminiscent ofSupernatural’searlier episodes. Many of the novels contain a note saying when the story takes place in relation to the show, but this is mostly for background information and rarely has any bearing on the actual plot of the book. Still, knowing each novel’s place in theSupernaturaltimeline does help provide context for the story.
War of the Sons,for example, takes place shortly after season 5, episode 14, “My Bloody Valentine,” and references Sam and Dean as the vessels for Lucifer and Michael.War of the Sonsmay be the most connected toSupernaturalcanon,as it features a search for a mythical scroll that may contain thesecret to killing Lucifer. The scroll turns out to be useless, butWar of the Sonsdoes offer some insight into the relationships of angels to their vessels.
Are The Supernatural Novels Canon?
Short Answer: No.
While theSupernaturalnovels do reference the events of the television series,they are not considered canon.Still, the books do not contain any major contradictions to the show, although there are a handful of inconsistencies. An angel named Abaddon, for example, appears in “War of the Sons,” years before the Knight of Hell Abaddon (Alaina Huffman), one ofSupernatural’s strongest villains, would appear in season 8 of the show. Similarly, a version of Anubis appears inChildren of Anubis,different from the Anubis (Sean Amsing) who later appears in season 14, episode 8, “Byzantium.”
Supernatural lends itself to tie-in stories, and the novels are a great way to spend more time with Sam and Dean Winchester.
Some of the novels include monsters or characterizations that differ somewhat from their depictions on the television show, but, for the most part, theSupernaturalbooks can be read alongside the television series without causing many contradictions. The novels were meant as a way to tell more stories in the world ofSupernaturalwithout interfering with the canon of the television show. With such a fascinating and complex world full of compelling characters and frightening monsters,Supernaturallends itself to tie-in stories, and the novels are a great way to spend more time with Sam and Dean Winchester.
