Sins of the Fathers Jane Jensen Sins of the Fathers

Jane Jensen

Sins of the Fathers Jane Jensen , a horror novelist, is no stranger to the occult. The Voodoo Murders are spreading fear through his native New Orleans. His interest in them is more than professional--it brings back memories of a terrible nightmare that has haunted his sleep since he was a teen. His inexplicable attration to a beautiful woman surrounded by voodoo lore and mystery leads him much too close to an ancient curse and its deadly threat. To escape its diabolical evil, Gabriel, in a race against time and vile magics, must find the key to his survival...a key hidden in a shocking family history.

Sins of the Fathers Details

Date : Published February 1st 1997 by Roc ISBN : 9780451456076 Author : Jane Jensen Format : Paperback 416 pages Genre : Horror, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Sports and Games, Games

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Sebastian Glints says

After all the new books I'd been reading, I decided to take a ride down memory lane and read something I had read before... more than once. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers was not just a computer game or a novel when I was growing up, it was kind of a phase. The whole series was, anyway. It started out when I got introduced to the game by my best friend, I think it was in 1996. We were very much into adventure video games, but the kind of games where we had to think and solve puzzles. I was mesmerized by not only the brillant gameplay, but the interesting story behind it. A lazy hero who realized he had a knack for finding clues on a murder case, cool sidekicks and a magical history built into his past that he had yet to unveil was all too good and unexpected for me to find in a computer game. It was like a book turned into a game. Little did I know that it would soon be made the other way around. Once while surfing the internet for my obsession (we're talkng '98 or '99 now, and I had already played the second part of the series as well, and also loved it), I found out there actually WAS a book written about it. I remember immediately looking for my mom and telling her how much I wanted and needed those books (for The Beast Within was included in the deal). She knew about my obsession and knew that there was no point in arguing, so she complied and we ordered them via amazon.com (I was clearly not expecting to find anything this rare anywhere in Argentina). When the package finally arrived, I plunged into the first book and consumed every word. However, I remember it was hard to separate the game from the novel. The images in my imagination were too attached to the first, as the story is pretty much the same as what happens in the game. Except for a few details that were made different by Jane Jensen, author and creator. These were more realistic, more bookish. And that's something I loved every time I read this story, even now. The best thing about reading it again now, almost 10 years later since the last time I played this classic game, is that now I was able to dettach my imagination and let it flow, directing each chapter and each scene described as something completly different, directing them with my mind's eye as I read on. I was certainly able to enjoy each situation and each character even more, and more deeply. But clearly, one is not enough, The Beast Within is the next volume in this series, why would I stop this trip to the past now?

Graham van der Made says

I picked up Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers by chance in a second-hand bookstore. Okay, what really happened is I saw the book and came back the next day and purchased it. It’s a novelisation of the PC game by the same name. Apparently it’s pretty much a walkthrough, but since I haven’t played the game I cannot say for sure.

Gabriel is a somewhat selfish, lazy, vein bookstore owner and writer. He uses those around him in order to gain knowledge for an upcoming novel and doesn’t think much about the repercussions.

His latest book is about voodoo and Gabriel is tipped off to a voodoo murder scene. From here on out everything goes wrong in his life. Mr. Knight begins to uncover a huge plot in New Orleans, which threatens his life and family heritage.

I enjoyed Sins of the Fathers. For a 400-page title, it was a relatively light read though you could tell it’s one of the author’s first novels. There’s a lot of word repetition, such as character’s constantly blushing, but the overall language was easy to read.

Gabriel Knight isn’t always a likable character and at times I wanted to throttle him and scream, “look at what you’re doing!” But thinking back that was all part of the story. Sure at times it felt lazy but enjoyable nonetheless.

It’s not a particularly scary book but does contain an excellent adventure within its pages. If you can find it, pick it up.

Antonio Simon Jr. says

In 1993, during the golden age of adventure games, Sierra produced a PC game called "Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers." Like many Sierra adventure games of the era, the game was a masterpiece, an engrossing point-and-click adventure. However, unlike other games of the era, the game's plot was written by a novelist, none other than Jane Jensen. This book is a novelization of that game.

That's right, hard as it may be to believe, the Gabriel Knight series started life as a video game. And while some video games (and even some movies) don't translate well into novels, this book is excellent, which says as much about the game as it does for this book. It's also so faithful to the source material that you could use the novel as a guide when playing the game.

It's definitely required reading for video game geeks or anyone who appreciates a good paranormal investigation story.

Kaine Andrews says

I usually try to avoid things that are based on video game franchises. They smack entirely too much of product placement and hype generation. I gave this one a chance for three reasons: One, I practically worship the Gabriel Knight games. They're amazingly well crafted, tell great stories, require a lot more thought - and more of it logical than most of the point-and-click games of their era - and have more amazing talent behind them than anything else for their day. Plus, they were obviously created for an older, more mature audience than much of their compatriots (King's Quest, and were all a little more in line with the "Good guys beat bad guys, no moral grey areas, no potentially offensive or mature content" statement, and , while amusing, was a very long dirty joke, not a "mature" game.) Two: They were written by an actual published writer, not two guys who said "Hey, you know what'd be fun? Let's make a game!" Three: I was madly in love with Jane Jensen when I was a teenager.

Ms. Jensen wrote the games... then she came out with the novelizations. Unlike a lot of game and movie novelizations of the era, Sins of the Fathers comes across as actually BEING a novel. The plot is solid, the characters interesting, suitably flawed and believable, the setting info is well done. I almost feel like she wrote the novels first and Sierra came along later to make games of them, rather than the other way around.

The basic premise - a New Orleans bookstore owner, Gabriel Knight, is poking around the edges of a murder case, hoping to dredge up enough good material for his breakout novel. In doing so, he manages to get himself (along with childhood friend turned police detective Mosely and research assistant/store manager Grace) wrapped up in something a lot bigger, older and more magical than any of them expected. Along the way, he finds out a bit about his family history and a curse that's been hanging over his people for nearly three centuries.

The premise is solid; the explanation for the curse is well-done (if slightly cliched) and the characters are appropriately tortured by the choices they have to make. Gabriel and his ancestors quite often do the wrong thing - though sometimes for the right reasons - and the "villains" have their own reasons for doing what they do, which are every bit as viable and "right" as the heroes, if taken from their perspective. Mosely provides great unintentional comedic support, and Grace - possibly the most well-written character - shows a lot more talent and broader emotional range - and keeps her actions logical and believable - than anyone not familiar with the GK series would likely believe.

There are a few problems on the technical end; Jensen seems to have difficulty remembering that parenthesis and em-dashes tend to go in pairs and sometimes the narrative - which is usually in third-person subjective - devolves into difficult-to-process stream of consciousness with frequent repetition. Adjectives threaten to drown the action, and sometimes don't seem to make much sense; one example being, as she describes Malia Gedde, a "copper-skinned" African-American woman who Gabriel interacts with extensively, as having "creamy flesh." This is done three times. Maybe it's just me, but I'm picturing someone who's practically bronze-skinned, and the word "creamy" doesn't really seem to tie to that. Or I'm thinking of what she looked like in the PC game, and again... "creamy" isn't a word I'd use. *shrug* Maybe it's just me. Description for characters seems to be in short supply; though we're (often to our dismay) treated to vivid descriptions of Mosely - his balding pate, his chubby, fur-covered gut, his hairy, long-nailed feet - there's hardly anything to say about Grace other than that she's Japanese and has "creamy" legs. Gabriel too, is often overlooked in the description category, with the exception of his "stringy blonde bangs," which he takes every opportunity to preen over.

Overall, it'd say it's well worth checking out, however. The plot is solid and interesting, the characters very believable and human even when dealing with the inhuman situations they find themselves in, and the forbidden love theme is done well without beating you over the head with it. Plus, hey, if you're into graphic adventures and still have the discs or venture over to GOG.com, you can use the book as damn near a step- by-step walkthrough for the game. ;)

Chris says

This is not a book I would recommend to any random reader. That said, this is still a decent read, especially if you're into New Orleans and Voodoo. If this is was a gaming site I would probably give it 4 stars since it is a pretty good novelization of the first Gabriel Knight game, written by Jane Jensen herself. If you know the game, you know the story is great, so if you don't feel like replaying it for the sixth time, reading this book is a pretty great alternative!

Joshua Stewart says

Turns out the greatest video game of all time makes for a damn good book too. Dylan Clark says

Jane Jensen's novelization of her own computer game is an entirely unique experience. It is an interesting read, particularly for its deeper character psychology that the game just does not allow for. Gabriel's character is especially developped in the new medium; it allows for a better understanding of his thoughts and motivations. The novel follows the game's story blow-by-blow, with a few extra tidbits, including a Dawn of the Dead- esque zombie cop scene. The nature of the story, however, as it is adapted from an adventure game, does suffer from a few holes. Some of the game's puzzle solutions stem as much from guesswork as they do from detective skills, forcing Jensen to make excuses for some of the connections that get made. More often than not, she suggests that it may have something to do with some kind of genetic memory passed along from his ancestors, but she also leaves it open, imploring the reader to just suspend disbelief for the sake of moving the story along. Overall, Sins of the Fathers is a great adaptation, born out of great source material. It would have to take a lot of effort to screw up this story, and fortunately, Jensen is up to the task.

Timothy Dalton says

I read this book when I was younger (maybe 13 or so): it was a novel adapted from a point and click mystery game. I enjoyed the game very much, however I became stuck at one point during the game. This was a time before you could just Google everything when you wanted an answer so I bought the book and ended up figuring out what I needed to do. I really did like the flow of the novel as it clearly followed the exact same events of the game, and it enhanced some of the places as well. Plus having played the game the characters felt very alive to me. I wasn't an avid reader at this time but this novel was a pivotal point in my appreciation of books. I usually go back and re-read this book every couple of years and each time the adventure pulls me in!

Chris says

Jane Jenson is a fantastic writer and storyteller and Gabriel Knight had me turning the pages relentlessly. Gabriel himself is charismatic, endlessly sarcastic, and a character you won't soon forget. Sins of the Fathers is a murder mystery set in New Orleans, Louisiana and involves murders done in Voodoo style. With the police force giving up the search for the killers, Gabriel is compelled to step in and take matters into his own hands. A great read.

Casey says

Nearly done re-reading this book after having read it when it came out. I stand by my rating of 4-stars because the book is still good after all this time. I do have to admit I don't remember as much language use from my first read (or in the game). It has been a fun journey through the story of Gabriel again, and brought back a lot of memories from the best adventure game of its era. And you do NOT need to have played the game to get into this story. It stands alone just fine without having played the game.

All in all, a great trip through memory lane. I do wish there was more Gabriel Knight in the world.

Ashke says

Probably one of the first and possibly best modern paranormal investigator stories, Gabriel Knight Mysteries: Sins of the Fathers remains stuck vividly in my head from beginning to end almost 20 years later. It's /that/ good. The novel follows Jane Jensen's acclaimed and groundbreaking 1993 PC game almost verbatim (the only point keeping it away from a 5 star book), but manages to be a reading experience quite different from its counterpart. Without the player interactions and puzzle solving required for the PC version, the plot is left to flow as it was written, and where it's expected something like that would be choppy or convoluted, no such problem exists here. That may be because the author conceived the game as a novel rather then, well, a game, and this is the story in it's purest form.

Though it's been awhile since I've played the game or read the book, I recall the novel version seems to get deeper into the clockwork that is Gabriel Knight's character, his motivations, inner dialog etc, especially concerning the relationship with Malia Gedde. The story just feels more realized in general regarding that.

Cyn says

Don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. I've had it on my shelf for years and played the video game eons ago (it's my favorite game series - seeing as how it was my introduction to mystery/adventure PC games).

Anyway, I'm glad I finally picked it up - the book was a lot of fun; it pretty much mirrored the game exactly, except with more descriptive detail and getting into Gabriel's head better (game limitations and all that). I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I only wish Jensen had written a novel for the last GK entry.

Aibohpphobia says

"Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers" is a novelization of the computer adventure game of the same name, the first in the Gabriel Knight series. The novel is written by Jane Jensen, who also designed the game. I'd decided to re-read the book after recently playing the 20th Anniversary Edition of the computer game.

It's the story of Gabriel Knight, an aspiring novelist living in New Orleans who decides to use a recent string of "Voodoo Murders" as inspiration for his next novel. As he researches Voodoo in New Orleans, he discovers that the case has a supernatural aspect that extends into his own family tree.

It's not necessary to have played the video game to enjoy the novel; in fact, the book might be more enjoyable if you haven't played the game. It's engaging and well-paced with interesting characters. It really emphasizes its New Orleans setting and voodoo trappings to excellent atmospheric effect. It's a fun, well-told adventure, but nothing deeper than that.

The novel is pretty much a straight up adaptation of the game, with only a few points of variety, mostly the result of different storytelling mediums. The novel doesn't add any great insight into the overall story of the game. In general, the game does a better job of setting a creepy tone (the music helps), and educating the player about Voodoo in New Orleans, past and present.

This novel's ideal audience is non-computer gamers who want to experience the story of Gabriel Knight. Devout fans of the computer game may enjoy a different point of view. But anyone can enjoy this story with equal parts horror and adventure.

James Cohen says

The book was interesting enough for me to finish, but there were certain parts that just felt like I was reading a walkthrough for a video game. As most people that read this know, adventure games often have convoluted solutions to solving problems. These situations are far too common in the book. I found myself skimming the parts of the book that were like this. The romance in the novel seemed somewhat forced as well. Granted, there are explanations for why they are drawn together, but it just comes off too unnatural. The best parts of the book were the explanations of Voodoo history. I also liked Gabriel's interactions with Grace throughout the book. Overall, this book is difficult to recommend to the average reader because the parts that sound like adventure games are a glaring flaw in the novel. If you want to learn about the story of Gabriel Knight and feel like the pc game's graphics are too dated, then I highly recommend picking up this book. I do not believe that this book is recommendable to anyone else though.

Abel García Cortina says

So, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers has always been one of my favourite videogames (people who know me notice I recommend it a lot) and when I found there were book adaptions I went crazy trying to find them. I still remember being 16 and asking in a bookshop of Oak Park in Illinois if they owned this book. The clerk looked at me as if I were insane, probably because my English was terrible back then.

I got this as an ebook for backing Jane Jensen's Pinkerton Road kickstarter and I quite enjoyed it. I like the game better but this book helped make a tedious journey entertaining