Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever – Greg Cox

I have never read a book based on a TV programme, its always been the other way around. To be honest I was very hesitant to start reading A Touch of Fever, purely because Warehouse 13 in my favourite TV programme – it’s my happy place. When I’m having a bad day (or month) I binge watch either my favourite episodes or all five seasons – depending on what mood I’m in – and I always feel worlds better. Warehouse 13 is the perfect mix of, actually – I’m going to stop there. This is meant to be about the book.

 

A Touch of Fever follows Pete, Myka, Artie, Claudia and Leena who all, in my opinion have the best fictional jobs ever. They work at Warehouse 13 which houses supernatural artefacts found by previous and current agents. The artefacts always have a tie to a historical figure and the powers they possess usually have a very large down side.

 

The characters are written perfectly in sync with their screen counterparts and it is evident that Cox is a HUGE fan in the loving details he uses to help create the world of Warehouse 13 in your mind. The book as a whole pays homage to the programme beautifully as past cases, characters and artefacts are referenced, as well as “filler” artefacts if you will, such as Ronald Reagan’s Jelly Beans and Sigmund Freud’s Cigar to name a few…well, two. These anecdotes add intrigue and hints at past stories, giving you more knowledge of the warehouse.

 

There are two main story arks in the book, each one revolving around an artefact, similarly to the episode layout. Each plot is allowed time to grow and develop, this means that the secondary plot does not just seem like a space filler to create drama and potential complications for the primary plot. While the characters themselves show little growth in the novel, this is likely due to the fact that the book is aimed at fans of Warehouse 13, people who know the histories and personalities of the characters and their dynamic as a group.

 

This is the first and sadly only Warehouse 13 novel, which is a huge shame as I really enjoyed seeing Warehouse 13 from a written perspective, as well as being able to follow a story that was completely new to me. I would recommend the book to any fan of Warehouse 13, or really to anyone who is a fan of stories with historical and/or supernatural elements.

 

I think I’m going to go and binge watch Warehouse 13 now…

 

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Favourite quotes and passages from A Touch of Fever:

 

The chantey seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

 

“Talk about a tough crowd. You’ve got to be pretty nervy to heckle a knife thrower.”

 

Six nostrils flared. Three sets of jaws watered. It had been caged for too long. Three empty stomachs craved human meat. It licked its fangs.

 

After forty years, he knew the basic layout of the Warehouse like the back of his hand, although, like his hand, the Warehouse kept developing new and unexpected wrinkles.

 

Bare branches testified to the changing of the season. Fallen leaves littered the grounds.