DATE
WITH DEATH
HOLLYWOOD
REPORTER 100TH EPISODE SPECIAL
GARDEN
OF EVIL
CHARMED
AGAIN
SPIRIT
OF THE WOLF
Since the only novelisation of Charmed's first three seasons was the adaptation of the pilot (as The Power of Three), it's appropriate that the second one sees the series restating its premise with the exit of Prue and the arrival of new sister Paige.
The fact that Elizabeth Lenhard has the two-part Charmed Again as well as the closing scenes of All Hell Breaks Loose means that there's plenty of source material to help reach the usual Pocket Books page count.
Charmed Again allowed the series to redevelop, with the incoming Paige giving it a different dynamic to the previous Prue/Piper/Phoebe one. Not only was the new character different, but it changed Piper and Phoebe too - Piper was now the eldest, and Phoebe was no longer the baby of the three.
As you'd probably expect, Charmed Again is a fairly straightforward novelisation. It's always readable, and the fact that the episodes themselves were pretty good helps things move along at a decent pace, but it doesn't attempt to push the boat out.
For continuity hounds, there's also another example of Pocket Books' sloppy editing when the girls' father gets called Victor Halliwell - that might have been his name in Thank You For Not Morphing, but the TV series later established that "Halliwell" is Patty's surname, not Victor's. Oh well...
No points either for the slightly dodgy looking cover. The girls look great as you'd expect, but although the inclusion of Leo and Cole reflects their greater roles than in previous Charmed books (which, let's face it, wouldn't be difficult), it also looks like a rather poor cut and paste job. Even worse, my copy has the cover shifted to the right so that it ends on that cute arch in Holly's left eyebrow.
Despite those nitpicks, Charmed Again is a fairly enjoyable way of passing a couple of hours, especially for younger fans. Just don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. BACK TO THE TOP
CHARMED
AGAIN
Written by ELIZABETH LENHARD
POCKET BOOKS
£4.99
RATING: 7/10