The Warren Witches
Reviewed by Tim McCree
June 2005

BOOK: The Warren Witches
AUTHOR:  Various
NOTE: This review may contain plot spoilers.

Throughout the run of the series, Charmed, we have been given many references to some of the ancestors of the Charmed Ones. Now this new book gives us some short stories on some of those ancestors and they are very good stories. Most of the stories are written by authors who have penned Charmed books before, so they know what they’re writing about. Through the plot devices of time travel and spirit visitations, we get to meet those ancestors and get a fascinating look at the Warren-Halliwell family line.

Here are brief plot summaries of all the stories:

1. Old Friend, written by Laura J. Burns. In this first story of the book, the Charmed Ones travel back in time to 1924, to solve the riddle of a mysterious young woman. The young woman in question being a family friend who seemingly hasn’t aged in eighty years. This story features the three past lives of the Charmed Ones that we saw in the Season Two episode, Pardon My Past.

2. The Crucible, written by Micol Ostow. This story involves a young teenage girl, Marissa, who is befriended by Phoebe. However, Marissa is having problems at school, and it is more than just peer pressure. Penny Halliwell, AKA Grams, appears in this story.

3. Patty’s Awakening, written by Greg Elliot. In this outing, a teenage Patty Halliwell (the mother of the Charmed Ones) meets a new boy and his kindly mother. However, both may not be what they seem. This is the only story of the book in which the Charmed Ones do not appear, as these events take place entirely in 1966. Thankfully, unlike the train wreck called Witchstock, both Patty and Penny are depicted as the correct ages they would be in the 1960's.

4. Something Old, Something New, written by Paul Ruditis. This story has the Charmed Ones traveling back in time to Boston of the early 1700's. Here they meet Prudence Warren, daughter of the first witch of their line, Melinda Warren. Prudence, now a young woman, is about to get married, and is having second thoughts about remaining a witch. The Halliwells must make sure that Prudence keeps her powers, and thus their legacy, intact.

5. Preconceived, written by Erica Pass. The Halliwells once again travel back in time, this time to the 1960's. In seems that a Warlock they had just vanquished had the power to resurrect an ancestor. This ancestor is now after the teenage Patty Halliwell. The Charmed Ones must save their future mother, and themselves, from being erased from time.

6. Witch Trap, written by Cameron Dokey. This outing finds the Halliwells accidentally transported back to the California Gold Rush days of the 1800's. Here they are forced to summon the spirit of Melinda Warren to help save an innocent young woman from being put to death.

7. Old Family Recipe, written by Diana G. Gallagher. In this story, Piper, using an old family recipe that she found hidden in the Book Of Shadows, bakes some apple pies for the family and a police bake sale. The pies are a success. However, what Piper doesn’t realize is that the old recipe in question was written by P. Russell, Phoebe’s evil past self (Pardon My Past). Piper soon discovers that the pies she baked have an unexpected side effect.

8. Family History, written by Laura J. Burns. In this final outing, the Charmed Ones are forced to team up with relatives from the past and future. It seems they are facing a Demon that can exist in many time periods at once. The family must use all their powers to try and vanquish this Demon before the time line is damaged beyond all hope of repair. This story features various relatives that have appeared , or have been mentioned of, on the show.

All in all, I found these stories to be very well written. It seems the authors really did their homework in researching the ancestors in question (I wish the same could be said for the writers on the show). This book is a must have for any true Charmed Fan.

However, there is one negative aspect I must point out. As I said, we get to see many ancestors and more recently deceased relatives of the Charmed Ones in this book, with one notable exception. WHERE THE HECK IS PRUE!? Although she is mentioned a lot, Prue does not appear in any of the stories, either as a spirit or through time travel. I find this totally illogical, as Prue was a vital part of the show for three seasons. It just doesn’t make sense not to include Prue in this book, because of the nature of the book, being about important members of the Warren-Halliwell family line of witches. While the show cannot feature Prue, because Shannen Doherty doesn’t want to guest star, the books are under no such restriction. I have been kind of easy on the books in the past for excluding Prue, but this time it is unacceptable. This is the only black mark in this otherwise excellent book.

To sum up, I give this book a 9/10 rating. Only the exclusion of Prue keeps the book from getting a perfect 10.

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