Highlander Warner Books Novels

[AndySloane]

Hello everyone!

One of my favorite things in the Highlander franchise has always been the series of 9 Warner Books tie-in novels that were published between October 1995 and March 1999. These books really draw you in and make you feel as though you're watching (or, perhaps, even in) an episode of Highlander. It was obvious that the authors were well versed in the Highlander mythology and cared about making a great story. Despite there still being a few continuity errors (and even a few historical gaffes) here and there, the authors all did a wonderful job at expanding the Highlander saga with their new and unique adventures yet still working within the parameters of the established canon of Highlander: The Series. I think that it's a real shame the book series didn't continue.

I've always felt that these novels could have been (and should have been) made into made-for-TV movies. Perhaps now that there seems to be a renewed interest in the franchise as a whole, something like this might come to fruition someday.

The 9 published Warner Books Highlander novels are:

The Element of Fire by Jason Henderson (October 1995)

Scimitar by Ashley McConnell (February 1996)

Scotland the Brave by Jennifer Roberson (September 1996)

Measure of a Man by Nancy Holder (May 1997)

The Path by Rebecca Neason (August 1997)

Zealot by Donna Lettow (November 1997)

Shadow of Obsession by Rebecca Neason (June 1998)

The Captive Soul by Josepha Sherman (August 1998)

White Silence by Ginjer Buchanan (March 1999)

There was a 10th novel in the works entitled Barricades that was to be published in July 1999, but the author, the esteemed Donna Lettow, fell ill before she could complete it, and by the time she had recovered, the books were no longer being published. Only 3 chapters of her novel were ever written and she eventually made those chapters available in 2007 at the Highlander convention in Vancouver. She also offered them to anyone who made a donation to the American Red Cross, which is how I obtained my autographed copy. However, a few elements of her proposed novel appear in the Watcher Chronicles CD-ROM that used to be available through the official Highlander catalogue and was later encoded on the DVD releases of each season.

I would like to delve into the content of each of the novels and discuss them with anyone interested. I've gone to great lengths to break many of the novels down into their daily events to determine when/how they best fit into the Highlander chronology. I've also identified the continuity errors and have workarounds for many of them. To get the ball rolling, which novel should I start with? Should I go in chronological order based on the novels' publication dates, or should I go in the order in which the novels' events fit into the Highlander Timeline? Let me know which ones are your favorite Highlander novels?

[Andrew NDB]

Hello everyone!

One of my favorite things in the Highlander franchise has always been the series of 9 Warner Books tie-in novels that were published between October 1995 and March 1999. These books really draw you in and make you feel as though you're watching (or, perhaps, even in) an episode of Highlander. It was obvious that the authors were well versed in the Highlander mythology and cared about making a great story. Despite there still being a few continuity errors (and even a few historical gaffes) here and there, the authors all did a wonderful job at expanding the Highlander saga with their new and unique adventures yet still working within the parameters of the established canon of Highlander: The Series. I think that it's a real shame the book series didn't continue.

I've always felt that these novels could have been (and should have been) made into made-for-TV movies. Perhaps now that there seems to be a renewed interest in the franchise as a whole, something like this might come to fruition someday.

The 9 published Warner Books Highlander novels are:

The Element of Fire by Jason Henderson (October 1995)

Scimitar by Ashley McConnell (February 1996)

Scotland the Brave by Jennifer Roberson (September 1996)

Measure of a Man by Nancy Holder (May 1997)

The Path by Rebecca Neason (August 1997)

Zealot by Donna Lettow (November 1997)

Shadow of Obsession by Rebecca Neason (June 1998)

The Captive Soul by Josepha Sherman (August 1998)

White Silence by Ginjer Buchanan (March 1999)

There was a 10th novel in the works entitled Barricades that was to be published in July 1999, but the author, the esteemed Donna Lettow, fell ill before she could complete it, and by the time she had recovered, the books were no longer being published. Only 3 chapters of her novel were ever written and she eventually made those chapters available in 2007 at the Highlander convention in Vancouver. She also offered them to anyone who made a donation to the American Red Cross, which is how I obtained my autographed copy. However, a few elements of her proposed novel appear in the Watcher Chronicles CD-ROM that used to be available through the official Highlander catalogue and was later encoded on the DVD releases of each season.

I would like to delve into the content of each of the novels and discuss them with anyone interested. I've gone to great lengths to break many of the novels down into their daily events to determine when/how they best fit into the Highlander chronology. I've also identified the continuity errors and have workarounds for many of them. To get the ball rolling, which novel should I start with? Should I go in chronological order based on the novels' publication dates, or should I go in the order in which the novels' events fit into the Highlander Timeline? Let me know which ones are your favorite Highlander novels?

"Element of Fire" is pretty awesome. I love the heck out of some Endgame, but I think something along the lines of that novel was what most fans would have wanted to see/expected.

[AndySloane]

"Element of Fire" is pretty awesome. I love the heck out of some Endgame, but I think something along the lines of that novel what most fans would have wanted/expected.

Alright then, I shall start with The Element of Fire, which is one of my favorite novels, too!

[dubiousbystander]

Awesome! I'd sure like to read Barricades. sigh!

[Nicholas Ward]

Alright then, I shall start with The Element of Fire, which is one of my favorite novels, too!

OK, maybe the Path next? Then you have done the best and the worst of the books.

[Aleander]

I'll get to the novels later, but my fave is Element of Fire, while Zealot is, objectively, the best one of the bunch.

And I think we all know White Silence is actually the worst one. Not even Fitzcairn's presence wasn't enough to salvage this one.

[dubiousbystander]

Having recently read "Shadow of Obsession", I noticed something about the Highlander Wiki on it. Namely, and on a certain character from it. When looking at other pages about the book, I noticed the same thing. So... I went and edited the Highlander wiki page about Callestina. Don't know if it'll stick, though.

This is my modification:
Callestina, known in modern times as Cynthia VanDervane, was born in 387. She was the adopted sister of Alaric I, king of the Visigoths.

Callestina fell in love with Darius as she grew up, adoring him, and why not? When she was 22 years old, and Darius brought his army to winter with Alaric's while they prepared to invade Rome, she became his semi-secret lover, as it seemed only Alaric and his people were unaware, and spent the nights with him until the following year when the two armies departed to attack Rome. Determined to prove herself worthy of coming with him on his campaigns, Callestina followed the armies. When she was caught, it was too late to send her back. She was unaware that Darius was not only indifferent to her presence, but had come to consider her clingy and an annoyance.

Grayson, who had fallen in love with Callestina, swore to protect her. However, when the battle to take Rome was going strong, she convinced him to join the fray at Darius's side. Unable to bear not knowing any longer, she rode into the city, only to meet her first death by an arrow. Grayson saw her fall and brought her to safety on Holy Ground. After she recovered, he took her back to the camp outside of the city. Though he had warned her, one drunken night during winter, that Darius loved no one but himself, she never believed him.

When it was over, Callestina went to Darius because she believed now they could live together forever, in peace, at which point he made it abundantly clear that he had never loved her, deriding her. She intended to cry her heartbreak and pain to Alaric, but Grayson stopped her. He told her to live. He left with Darius.

Darius took Grayson and his army from Rome to head for Paris, intending to make that the seat of his Immortal Empire. There he fought Emrys, the oldest immortal at the time, and beheaded him. The power of Emrys' Quickening changed Darius completely and he became a peacemaker (the only known example of a Light Quickening).

Grayson could not understand this change, even offered his head in the hopes that it might restore him, but realizing that would not happen, he turned on his teacher. He left Darius and nearly rode his horse to death going back to Callestina. He told her what happened, and wanted her with him so that they could destroy Darius and create the Immortal kingdom of which Grayson dreamed. To pacify Alaric, he married her before they left together.

Callestina spent years alternately with Grayson, and living in Paris trying to destroy Darius's reputation and his works. She was never successful. She remained Grayson's lover, his confidant, his student. Between the two of them, they kept their hatred and the bitter pain of betrayal by Darius alive and well. Then Duncan MacLeod took Grayson's head. And then... Darius's head was taken by mortals in his church.

The feelings of hatred and pain were not stymied, and Callestina, as Cynthia VanDervane, met and became the lover of Victor Paulus. She intended to destroy all of his efforts to help people in the world, frame him as a betrayer of his own cause, and murder him after making certain he knows she was responsible. Her plans are stymied by Duncan MacLeod, because in order to carry them out she would have to have exposed herself.

Duncan MacLeod learns from Joe Dawson that Cynthia has consistently tried to destroy Darius's work over the centuries, and he realizes she is linked to Grayson. Joe confirms that. Duncan warns her off of Victor. Like a complete and total fool, either imagining Darius's plea not to take her head, or out of his own foolishness, he lets her go to say goodbye to Victor. This costs Victor Paulus his life, and Cynthia invites Duncan to face her in the place Grayson died, where he finally defeats her again and takes her head. In the Quickening, he sees how she had been an innocent young girl, full in the flush of first love, only to have all of that twisted by centuries of obsession.

Before it was:

Callestina, later called Cynthia, was born in 387. She was the sister of Alaric I, king of the Visigoths.

Darius was Alaric's general and Grayson was Darius' second-in-command. While they prepared to invade Rome, Cynthia became Darius' lover and stayed until the following year when the two armies sacked Rome, at which point Darius made it clear that he never loved her. Darius and Grayson left Rome to head to Paris. There Darius fought Emrys, the oldest immortal at the time, and beheaded him. The power of Emrys' Quickening changed Darius completely and he decided to be a peacemaker (the only known example of a Light Quickening).

Grayson could not understand this change, and turned on his teacher. He left Darius and joined Cynthia so that they could destroy Darius' work. In the present, MacLeod is unsuccessful at preventing Cynthia from killing Victor Paulus, and he challenges and beheads her.

[dubiousbystander]

Should I add the part about her worshipping the Norns, as her mother had taught her?

[dubiousbystander]

I have now decided that I like Charlotte McKinney as a possible image for Callestina.

[Mr.Slash]

I am in the process of buying all of these a second time. I let someone borrow them then their house burned. Dammit.

[dubiousbystander]

Good gracious!

[Mr.Slash]

Nabbed them all on Ebay last week for $30!

[dubiousbystander]

Nabbed them all on Ebay last week for $30!

NICE!

[Mr.Slash]

The last two arrived today so the collection is complete. I think I shall start with the very first one I read, Scimitar!

[Mr.Slash]

[DuncansLass]

I got these off Ebay back in 02-03...still have them all and the movie novelization. Wish we had got Barricades though...

[dubiousbystander]

Actually, she was giving out the finished parts at the Highlander WorldWide convention. I have one somewhere in my house...

[tjlfitzgibbon]

Has anyone digitized the chapters of Barricades? I would love to read them.

[dubiousbystander]

Has anyone digitized the chapters of Barricades? I would love to read them.

I find myself having an automatic anxiety about how Donna Lettow would feel about that. I suppose someone could ask her.

[tjlfitzgibbon]

I find myself having an automatic anxiety about how Donna Lettow would feel about that. I suppose someone could ask her.

Any ideas on how to get a hold of her? I've tried her on Mastadon, but no response.

[dubiousbystander]

Any ideas on how to get a hold of her? I've tried her on Mastadon, but no response.

I know she's on FaceBook. If you can find any connections to her among other fans, perhaps they can bridge!

[n107]

I finally finished reading "The Element of Fire", my first novel of the group. I actually started reading it a year and a half ago, just in the downtime I had at my desk but I started slacking off and fell far behind. I had like 20 pages left to read for the past 6 months and I finally forced myself to finish. I actually liked the book for what it is and the new characters were interesting enough.

Now I have to start one of the others.